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My new to me LS430 has an inoperable A/C system, the repairs so far have included, new condenser, new compressor, and still couldn't get it to work , so I thought ,"bite the bullet " and take her to Lexus. They would diagnose the true remaining fault , that would cost me £90 but at least I'd have a definite answer. They diagnosed a new pressure switch costing £295 +vat and half an hour labour. ( great news because only last week they quoted me at least 2 hours labour ) So I agreed to go ahead , 2 3/4 hours later workshop manager told me that the new part was fitted and made no difference at all , and gave me a full refund for the £90 and refused to charge for the new parts and fitting. As he said , " We diagnosed the fault and were wrong , so the work is at our cost " Couldn't ask for better service.

If in doubt, why not see if you can get some 19" rims from a later model Lex? Rayaans or someone will be able to let you know what model RX they were from, but the do a metallic gunmetal grey colour that might be nice on your RX!

I thought it best to start a new thread rather than continue the Infiniti one that sort of kicked this off. The location was the Tesla unit in the London White City Westfield shopping centre. The unit itself has one car in it and a chassis, plus various merchandising that I didn't even look at. I was booked in for 2pm and after a quick check of the driving licence it was down to the underground car park where Tesla have a bank of their super charge units and about 4 cars. I'm no motoring journo, and in all honesty there was too much for me to take in to be able to provide a comprehensive review. Anyway, here are my impressions and thoughts, for what they are worth. A lovely looking car, beautifully aerodynamic and more curved than aggressive styling. I liken the IS300h F Sport as a sheep in wolfs clothing, the Tesla is the other way around. Right from the off its an experience of a different kind. The 'key' is a little car and double tapping opens the boot or bonnet (frunk I think they call it) depending on where you tap. The door handles are flush to the body and then extend when you unlock the car, which I think it did automatically as you get close, a little like the Lexus but without the hand intervention. Without doubt the single biggest thing to get your head, or more accurately your eyes around, is the17" iPad/tablet touchscreen right in the middle of the centre console. It is simply enormous and would take some getting used to. It almost looks ridiculous until you start to use it. Having got used to it though I suspect going back to the standard size screen would be difficult. As far as I could tell everything is controlled from the touchscreen, which was very intuitive and very Apple like in that respect (maybe they provide the software, I don't know). You want to open the sunroof? Touch it on the screen and drag it down to where you want it to open to. All sorts of settings just a couple of taps away, makes the Lexus interface look like, well, torturous in the extreme. The sat nav interface was google maps based I think and the car comes with free wifi. When I thought I'd be clever and say what happens when I'm somewhere with no internet a tap on the screen and on the display comes the back up sat nav, Garmin I think using standard GPS etc. The car is ready to go as soon as you sit in it, no button to press. Foot on the brake, select drive using the column stalk and glide away. I had a good 25 mins in both heavy traffic and on the dual carriageway. Oh boy, it's unreal. It's difficult to describe but similar to wafting around in the 300h on electric only except for one difference. You don't waft. You just arrive at a point in distance much faster than you think is possible in virtual silence. It's amazing. I had a motorbike tailgating me, floored it and left him for dead. He caught up and had a good look to see what had done for him. It's totally effortless and a joy, unless you want growls and dramas and all that it usually associated with speed. I suppose in that respect the adrenaline doesn't quite get going, which could be a bit dangerous as it's difficult to realise just how quick you are going. I'd read a couple of reports suggesting the interior wasn't up to the price tag in certain places. I didn't spend much time assessing the quality of the leather or the plastics but it all seemed pretty luxurious to me. So what about the range etc etc? I guess everybody will have different thresholds and requirements. My journeys are generally quite short and certainly well within the range. I could probably hook a car up to my mains every evening and never run out of juice. On the occasions I'm doing more miles I'd have to undertake more planning than now, that's for sure, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. I think my worry would be an emergency where I've suddenly got to do the 200 mile round trip to my elderly Mother. There's a couple of motorway services I could stop at, but batteries don't yet charge quick enough. Lots to think about that's for sure, but if you were to ask me whether I'm likely to be a full EV owner in the future, I think it would probably be a yes. Would it be a Tesla? It certainly ticks every box I can think of, and from what I've seen so far I like the ethos of the company. Last couple of points, the battery packs can be swapped out very easily, and as the technology improves a battery upgrade is very doable. I haven't looked at the detail but they do a finance package where they guarantee the car has a 50% residual after 3 years. It's certainly an interesting time and I'm going to head to out to their Crawley site and have a drive on some A and B roads, see how the handling is round corners etc. I'm happy to try and answer any questions and all of this is of course just my opinion and experience. Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

Must have given them food for thought? Who knows? Years ago they would have a public service announcement about driving laws and behaviour - it is about time they brought them back. Do any of you remember Cliff Michelmore and the programmes, "So you think you can drive?"

Telsa issued an update the day the hack was announced. They are able to remotely upgrade all the vehicles.

It was the 85 with most of the options on it. It had everything Lexus offer (as far as I know) blind spot monitor, 360 degree monitoring, reversing camera. They only item it didn't have was ventilated seats. It was on 19" wheels which he said were the most popular. Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

There aren't many cars that don't look good in black.

Yes you can adjust the height whilst driving. In high mode it will automatically go back to normal once speed goes over a certain speed - I think this is a lower speed than with the LS, something around 20 mph. You can select low mode at any time or the vehicle will automatically go into low mode once your speed is above 60 mph.

I sometimes adjust the height of mine when I'm moving, but I believe it goes back to normal after you reach 25 mph.

Nothing controversial about that. I wish everyone thought the way you do. I have been disabled since the age of 9 and as I have got older the disability has got worse. Why should we put polite notices on their cars that are abusing the space which has been designated for me and others like me. If anyone wants my disabled parking place you can have my disabilities, they would soon change your mind. If I was given a pound for every time I've heard but I was only a couple of minutes I'd be a millionaire many times over. The Blue Badge scheme and Disabled Parking Bays are heavily abused and I can assure you that steam comes out of me when I see those that need a walking stick to get to the bank but are able to run back because its started too rain I could go on but I am annoying myself just sitting here typing it in.Thanks for your thoughts Hugh. Mike.

I'm going to be slightly controversial here and give my view as to why some people consider disabled parking spaces fair game. Some are just completely lacking in consideration, or are too thick to realise it makes a difference, as they can't empathise with someone who has mobility problems.. Others probably take the view that many, many blue badge holders are doing so fraudulently. I absolutely do not refer to your circumstances, really, but the percentage of disabled drivers / passengers in my area who get out of their cars and are clearly more sprightly than I am (I have no significant disabilities, touch wood) is astonishing. I find it both amusing and infuriating in equal measure to see people who get out of their cars in disabled spots, with walking sticks, and miraculously, often do not seem to need them. This sometime happens gradually, as they feel the need to put on a pretty pathetic display when exiting their cars, but when I see them a few minutes later, in the supermarket perhaps, it is clear that the stick is performing no useful function. My educated guess is that they are worried about being filmed by dss investigators and losing their benfits, but it drives me nuts. I sometimes speak up and say something like "disabled, my a**e", but they are quite shameless. I have relatives with significant disabilities so feel quite strongly about it. The penalties should be far more severe, both for thoughtless parkers and fraudulent badge users.

1 - yes it's 2015. Not sure if you realised but the RX450h has been out for 6 years and a new RX is coming out this year so we aren't talking about a new car here. 2 - the 450h does not suffer from these battery problems. I've left my car for 4 weeks every winter for the last 3 years and it starts fine. 3 - you're plucking figures out of the sky. The 400h wasn't anywhere near the region of £50k, the current RX is and its the most reliable car in its class - period - no ifs no buts, it just is. If there was a major issue, we'd know about it as Lexus sells 100k RXs annually in the US alone An RX400h SE L cost £43,000 in 2005. With inflation, that is equivalent to £56,000 today. Why haven't I had a 13 grand pay rise then ? ..... lol

Hi Steve, I'm sure most Rx owners have or will have this dilemma at some point, when I did my wheels I looked at the options which have been mentioned, in the end I went for powder coating & at the minute I'm glad I did, 18 months on & they still look mint & hopefully they will stay that way ... I did them in smoked chrome for £330 (same day) at TWS Manchester. I went for this as I think the process used in powdercoating was my best option for neutralizing the corrosion & sealing the wheels. I did look at aftermarket alloys but good quality ones in the same size & offset etc (avoiding paying for new tyres) are impossible to find or way too expensive, the cheap chinese ones are poor quality & damage very easily ...especially if you go for bigger wheels with lower profiles.... (plus new tyres for 20" + were £200 a corner) I also looked at secondhand ones but Lexus (or Kia ... lol) were the only ones in the same size & lets face it there hasn't been an Rx wheel invented that doesn't need a refurb so back to square one ... If you really want a different style I would go with the option Chris mentioned (newer Rx wheels) I have seen decent ones within your budget & they have the same load ratng etc ... don't forget you may have to inform your insurance if you change the wheels.

Nope, I've already had the 'Lexus' and 'IS' badges removed from the back. Just got the Lexus symbol and 'F' badge now. :)

Oh, the other thing to mention is to always use Toyota/Lexus coolant, my pump above came off a car that's done 105k miles and the insides of the system look nice and clean (as was the old coolant that had been in for quite a while!)

Hi, Nice clean engine bay and a tidy LPG install! As for water pump, I'm not surprised, but if you had been given the old pump and gasket back you'll probably see something like the pic below! I get most old parts back from when mine is serviced by anyone but me so I can check they have done the work and how bad the old part is to see if there could be any potential problems! What I've found is that on both my 53 plate RX and 53 plate Celica, the water pump gaskets have given up the ghost waaaay to early in my opinion! Both cars gaskets looked identical and both old water pumps were in great condition showing little sign of wear and now spindle/bearing issues or play. There are lots of reports of minor leaks on Toyota's from approx 2001 to about 2005 manufactured cars, so can only assume the supplier of the gaskets made them out of cheese...! Not sure why both gaskets would fail in the exact same place (at the bottom half) as until it gets really bad, you only lose a tiny amount of coolant a week and you keep topping up but can't see any signs of a leak as it starts really slowly. Maybe it evaporates most of it due to the position of the pump in the engine bay?

The attitude of some motorists never ceases to amaze me. Many of them are totally selfish, uncaring and lazy cretins. A lot of these people really are extremely lazy, if they are visiting someone they absolutely need to park outside of the house they are visiting, not 50 yards away, not even 10 feet away, no no, they can't be expected to walk any distance at all. So much so that just last week, I and another driver had to knock a few doors to get someone to move their car/s as the traffic had come to a standstill, they had parked exactly opposite each other and nothing could get through! I hope that you have caused the Civic owner a lot of inconvenience. They might learn something....................................................then again, they might not!

Hi and welcome to the LOC, we are a friendly bunch and some of us even know how to pull the to bits and put them back together again, with of course the one bolt and washer left over. I am sure someone will be along fairly quickly with an answer for you. Regards Mike.

I am disabled and also come across what your wife has experienced on a daily basis. I have a private parking space which is allocated and fully marked for disabled only, but I am sure you are well aware no law covers these spaces on private land and anyone can use them with or without a blue badge, doesn't help your mood but sadly today so many people couldn't give a damn what they do or who they upset. Good luck with the war and keep on fighting. Mike.

I've seen a Red on Red GS300h. Loved it would definitely buy if I wanted that sort of car I think the CT generally looks crap lol

IMO larger vehicles suit darker colours. I think the IS just about gets away with white, but best left to the CT.

Just been on Holiday for 2 weeks and done 1400 miles. 700 miles towing a 1700 kg caravan and the comouter says 25 mpg. so I recon 20 towing and 30 for the rest. Not bad for a big lump!!!

The transmission is really the only weak point on the series I RX. You really need to change the fluid frequently.

Best just to browse for styles you like on eBay as you can fit loads of different types on one page. I'm happy to stick to the factory 18's on mine (to keep ride nice and comfy). Managed to pick up a spare wheel on eBay to refurb myself - £30 delivered... Bargain! If you have an air compressor and a blasting kit at home, then full refurb is possible (albeit one wheel at a time so you can keep the RX on the road!) I have been doing mine totally by hand and have the following observations: 1) it's slow going! 1 wheel of work is going to be a week! 2) if doing a tire-off refurb, don't bother without an air compressor and blasting setup 3) paint stripper is crap these days (many coats required) and costs a fortune! PS: DOT5.1 brake fluid doesn't even mark these wheels with factory paint! 4) aluminium corrosion sucks needs to go back to bare metal and these wheels love to corrode! 5) if you can find someone to refurb them for you for upto £250 and you don't have much in the way of tools, sandpaper, paint stripper, new paint and time, it will work out cheaper, honest! It'll also be a better more durable finish (ie: powder coating or baking of lacquer) then we can do at home. 6) trying to spray paint outdoors is not fun on wheels! Nature, wind and bugs are all out to get you & your beautiful wet paint! Still, for me I like doing my own stuff so it hasn't deterred me and means I have an excuse to buy a decent compressor (I have 5 sets of alloys I want to refurb). Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment? :)

Follow up call from Lexus to check I'm happy, AND Badger arrived today in post. Thank you. http://www.american-automobiles.com/images/Badger-1910.jpg

Common in the US for changes every 3k miles. They seem obsessed with it, however oil is much cheaper there. Semi and fully synthetic oils and the company car/lease industry in the UK push the change intervals with many German models now able to go 20k miles before change. The 10k miles/12 months that Lexus GB uses seems a fine compromise. Certainly not hearing of engine wear issues since Lexus moved to that model over 12 years ago.

Why would you need a 6 month oil change? Modern oils are capable of going way more than 6 months/5k miles. They can essentially go up to 15k miles. Ive seen an RX300 which went pop after 50k miles due to no oil change lol

Bet you they actually change the air filter tho, and not just "inspect it"! PCM, badger is in the post, have used Hermes, so no guarantee it'll be moving when you EVENTUALLY get it! ;) Good to hear yours is clear for another year tho!

I claim my badger ( see above ). MOT and service at Lexus Hatfield today. No advisories, no extra work needed. Just great service and hospitality.

People like the Gen II RX. It is arguable better looking than the Gen III and some people want the petrol engine / auto transmission option. The biggest factor was probably the price hike that came along with the Gen III. Lexus went from selling over 4,000 RXs per year during the prime years of the Gen II to around 2,000 per year for the current RX, except for 3,000 during the initial launch year. I don't think they have deliberately made the costs high on their older vehicles. The parts where always priced high, essentially associated with the list price of the vehicle and servicing costs have gone up across the whole range and whether the vehicle is new or old. From what we are hearing the new RX is going to be another jump in cost, probably too much for many existing Gen II owners to afford and the vehicle itself is going to be bigger again. For Gen I and possibly Gen II owners the equivalent current vehicle is the NX, not the RX.

Lexus service pricing has become stupidly expensive. The following shows what they should be doing - this replaces what may be listed in your service book: http://www.lexus.co.uk/img/Lexus-Service-Checklists_tcm880-1321794.pdf For your age of vehicle you can use essentials servicing which should reduce the price from £275 to £179. The work carried out is as follows: http://www.lexus.co.uk/img/Lexus-Essential-Care-Service-Content-1014_tcm880-1323585.pdf

Welcome to my world!

Speaking as a newcomer to this club and to my LS430: I've done about 700 miles in it so far, a mixture of short rural stop-and-starts and a few longer runs at 65 or thereabouts. I'm learning how my driving can radically change the mpg I get. Anticipation, minimum use of accelerator and brakes, cruise control wherever possible and trying to keep the revs below 1500 much of the time. I believe I can achieve 28 average and better than 32 on long stretches. If I achieve 28 this will be two thirds of the 44 average I used to get from my Rover 75 diesel, and I'll be pleased with that. The car is superb and one to keep and look after. Incidentally it's inevitable that the instantaneous consumption figure will vary very quickly between near zero and 99.9 - watch how it changes with the revs - but that's of no relevance to cost of ownership long-term.