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Hi Guys, Time I chimed in on this one me thinks! Lol. The RR-Racing USRS is a real game changer in terms of preventing uneven wear for your tires, and also unwelcome steering wobble under hard braking. I really can tell the difference since I had the USRS fitted, and would recommend these to anyone. Let me speak to Paul about where he would be willing to start stocking RR products as an official UK supplier. With these, the AOS, Titanium intake, handheld tuner, upcoming supercharger kit, would be brilliant if we could get them to be an official supplier/UK agent. Will let you know how I get on with Paul.

Due to the travel policy we have at work we can't use our own cars for journeys over 100 miles. This ends up meaning I have to hire a car and this week it was a 16 plate Ford Focus which leads onto this post. You see when I was considering changing my car earlier this year I had the option of going the brand new route with the likes of the Focus or picking up a "premium" model that was a year or two old. Given the fact I became a member here last month you can probably tell which route I went in the end Before this week I hadn't actually driven the latest generation of Focus although I had put quite a few miles on the previous gen with an old employers pool cars. I was quite pleased actually when the Enterprise guy pulled up in the Focus as we usually end up with previous gen Astras from Europcar which are fine but nothing special. I'm not 100% sure if it was Zetec or Titanium as it wasn't just the straight model spec (had satnav and 17" alloys) and the Ecoboost 1 litre 125PS engine. The engine was of particular interest as the CT200h takes a different approach to fuel efficiency. Now for comparison sake it also helps I did an Edinburgh to Stafford run in my CT200h just a fortnight ago and this week I did Edinburgh to Sheffield in the Focus so similar mileage (530-560) over the same kind of roads (A class trunk and motorway). Well purely on the trip computer readout, which are often up to 5mpg too optimistic, the Focus did 47 MPG whereas the CT200h did 56 MPG. With the help of the electric motor the CT200h feels similar to the Focus in terms of pulling power although with the CVT the CT200h is more relaxing in stop-start traffic queues. The 3 cylinder thrum in the Focus was well insulated so at higher engine speeds it was quieter than the CT200h. Overall the CT200h probably wins but there isn't much in it, in my opinion and if you were doing that kind of mileage regularly then the IS300h or a diesel of some kind would probably be more suited than either of these. Driving dynamic wise the Focus wins. Well I could elaborate and say the CT200h feels slightly more planted, probably due to the additional weight and lower seating position, but the Focus wins on the fun factor with better steering weight that varies with the speed and suspension which soaks up bumps better although it did have slightly higher profile tyres too. Keeping in mind this was a back to back on motorway miles the CT200h is definitely going to beat the Focus in town with a quieter cabin and CVT saving your left arm and foot (or right). Equipment and cabin wise is where I find it harder to decide. The Focus had lumbar support which should be standard in the CT200h IMO and the armrest was in a better position. Probably due to being a newer model the entertainment system in the Focus was a touch screen affair with decent SatNav that also showed the next turn in the colour display of the trip computer, which I found particularly handy. The responsiveness of the Sync2 system was just as frustrating as the CT200h however with obvious lag between selecting something and the screen refreshing. On the other hand the plastics and seats in the Focus, while not horrible, definitely felt lower rent in line with the price tag. Overall I think I prefer the cabin in my CT200h and the rotary dial system while, perhaps some might say old fashioned, is fine as saves annoying fingerprints which showed up on the Ford's screen. All in all I'm satisfied I made the right choice with the CT200h but it was an interesting experience to compare it with another manufacturers C segment effort. Has anyone else had a similar experience or perhaps switched to Lexus having owned a one of the high volume mid size hatchbacks previously?

After our much loved 2001 RX was written off in January we tried to "make do" with a different car instead. That lasted four months!! Picked up this lovely 2002 114k today and wow - it was good to be back! A 200 mile trip back with it was a delight, had forgotten quite how good they are! Realised it's not two tone - is that unusual?

That looks very clean indeed! Congratulations!

Hi, Colin and David and other IS-to-NX converts out there. Strange how opinions vary. I just had an NX300h Luxury for two days as a courtesy car and did about 450km in it on a variety of roads. While appreciating the NX's many merits as a posh compact SUV - and its unmistakeable identity as a Lexus - not to mention the fact that my ageing bones didn't creak upon getting in and out like they do with the IS, I was frankly disappointed with the quality of the ride over road surfaces that were less than good, any bumps and pot-holes appearing to be magnified. Also, I got an overall consumption of 13.8km/l (= about 39mpg), which my dealer surprisingly tells me is better than average but is at least 15% less than I customarily manage in the IS. Be all this as it may, I guess the NX is the sort of car that improves with longer acquaintance, and sincerely hope you continue to enjoy yours.

Lexus Leeds is rubbish now - they were good when they were Benfield. They've removed all the old staff and added their poor staff. Sent them an email, didnt reply. Phoned up and said someone will call me back - nothing. You're better off going to Bradford TBH

Hi Normski Not sure whether your reference to finding a property was for a purchase, but if you're looking for somewhere to stay very near to Bergerac I can heartily recommend http://www.beausoleilholidays.com/ We're due to visit there on Sunday ...... subject to the fuel strikes of course !!!!! Regards

I've got the premier, on "rubber bands" and find the ride is quite poor, I think if ride quality is important, then 16's will probably be preferable, I can't compare with anything similar as for the last 8 years I have driven a 4x4 with 235/60/18's and the ride comfort is far better.

Great photos Andy. To go off at a slight tangent, they reminded me how underwhelmed I was with the NX brochure. The external photography was nothing special, but the token interior pictures were particularly poor, and completely inadequate to the task of enthusing the uncommitted punter about the quality and choice of finishes (not that there is much choice in the UK, but that's another matter). I hadn't sat in the Luxury trim grade until mine was delivered, but feared the worst from the tiny image of the trim in the brochure. So I was pleasantly surprised by how good the silver insert "blades" looked in real life. The website and the configurator aren't much better. I doubt whether the poor brochure loses many sales, but the 2015 edition was nowhere near as "premium" as the product deserves.

I wouldnt get too hung up on shampoos - the best one ive come across in terms of performance to price ratio is Carchem 1900:1 Luxury shampoo. Again, with waxes, people can get carried away and spend a lot of money - most of the time the price is a red herring - plenty of cheap-ish waxes out there which can outperform a £100 wax - things like Harly Wax which I finally tried the other day is unreal for its price point in terms of look - throttling a lot of expensive show waxes. Then you have durability waxes like FK1000p and Fusso which are very well priced.

Depends on what figures you've been given TBH - just work out which one is cheaper. Some companies are cheeky and play about with the interest i.e. more interest on a 2 yr PCP than a 3 year PCP so overall it costs you the same. Ive never had a PCP before, its always worked out 5-10k more expensive for me As for the seats - the picture I attached is probably the best representation of the colour on there. The BMW 3 series coral red seats are genuinely very bright on the other hand.

Here are some specs for comparison. Ive put the ones you are interested in in bold text - 2nd Gen IS Front headroom - 37.2 inches Front legroom - 43.9 inches Front hip room - 54.1 inches Front shoulder room - 54.4 inches Rear headroom - 36.7 inches Rear legroom - 30.6 inches Rear hip room - 53.7 inches Rear shoulder room - 52.7 inches 3rd Gen IS Front headroom - 38.2 inches Front legroom - 44.8 inches Front hip room - 54.3 inches Front shoulder room - 55.9 inches Rear headroom - 36.9 inches Rear legroom - 32.2 inches Rear hip room - 54.0 inches Rear shoulder room - 53.4 inches As you can see from the above figures - rear legroom is greater in the 3rd Gen by 1.6 inches and headroom in the back by 0.2 inches. Front headroom and legroom is increased too. As for the service plan - I believe that Lexus UK have forced UK dealers to offer fixed price servicing (or, are in the process of making everyone follow their fixed price servicing scheme) This is what is quoted on their website : Lexus Service Pricing covers the four main services that are required on every Lexus during the course of its life. Each service price includes the required labour, parts and VAT for that given service. And with transparency in mind you will pay exactly the same price at any participating Lexus Centre, providing absolute certainty of a competitive price, but without the hassle of having to shop around. Therefore, expect to pay £245 for a minor and £445 for a major. The benefit of the service plan however is that some now offer free puncture repairs, 10% off parts and accessories, free courtesy car and 1 full valet each year FOC.

Many thanks zippyone - the first picture was of a massive and I mean massive engineering project in the Maas near Hoek van Holland. I think it is probably a North Sea oil rig being commissioned or scrapped...not sure which lol. The second image was sent to Lexus UK who send it out to their Instagram followers. I think it was taken on my iPhone and tweaked using the excellent free app Snapseed. I took another image (attached) in the same location a day or two later this time using a proper Olympus camera and its dramatic effect from the art filter menu. This can take stunning photos at dusk. the holiday was blighted with bitterly cold northerlies which put the kybosh on my intended fishing and wasn't great for cycling either.....lol I took more photos but I'll quit while I'm ahead I think... glad you enjoyed what I posted anyway :)

Hi Just in case this helps anyone I was faced with the audio problem when I first got my RX450. I tried an MP3 player with no success. I then thought why not try a USB drive so I bought an 8 GB USB drive and tried that. Played first time/showed all the tracks/Titles/Artists and worked from the steering wheel. I then thought what is the maximum capacity I could use. I went from a 32GB with no problems and I am now using a 128 GB USB Drive. I haven't gone bigger at this stage as the 256 GB are still pricey and really you can get a lot of music on 128 GB. So all in all this is a very cheap option and works. Hope this helps someone

Or can't start the engine

Maybe he's still driving it

I changed the IS early as I knew I was going to exceed the PCP mileage, had the balloon payment sitting in the bank and just fancied a change. Certainly nothing against the IS, it's a great car. I made the fatal mistake of test driving a Tesla Model S and was crunching the numbers. This included getting a cash price for the IS off Lexus. I then decided against the Tesla on probably unfounded range grounds and my Lexus dealer contacted me with a deal on an NX F Sport, specc'ed exactly as I would have done. Prem nav, pano roof, rose leather (and AVS which I woudn't have specc'ed but what the hell) Apparently a fleet customer ordered 5 (I think) and Lexus GB found out they were going to export them without registering them - or something like that, and Lexus pulled the deal. My dealer had about 10 days to sell them or they went back into main stock, so did me a great trade in and int free finance. Here she is I love the car and can't really fault it. I think the build quality is a step up from the IS. perhaps like the GS is, I'm getting 35 mpg, it's not under powered and turns heads (as did the IS). That said, I suspect the Tesla will be next unless Lexus bring out a full EV which doesn't seem likely at the moment. The current build quality of Tesla is a long way behind Lexus, and early QC issues are unfolding but it's still an amazing vehicle. Hopefully these will be sorted within the next couple of years.... Sorry, that was a very long answer to a short question

I did indeed have one and IMO is a superb combo. Rayaan must have caught the one he saw at its very worst because 99% of the time it looks stunning. The colour seems to change in different lighting conditions and it wore very well. I had it for two years and never tired of it. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Had mine for 3 years, covering 18k miles per year without real problem. Apart from the inverter recall, and regular maintenance, the only issues I had was condensation in the headlights and a mirror that would not dip when going into reverse. All was sorted under warranty.

How do I get the flasher key off to replace the bulb? Thanks in advance.... Btw Guildford Lexus have kindly agreed to let me play with a shiny new RX 450h for 24 hours this Thursday. When I open the glove box I know there will be an order form laying there......

I think the dealers have been forced to keep to list price by Lexus GB - possibly breaking a bunch of UK and EU laws.

I had mine for around 5 years and it had 110,000 miles on the clock when I sold it. No issues other than the 12v battery was getting a bit weak so I swapped it out in the last year, re-lubed the brake sliding pins a couple of times, replaced the rear brake discs due to corrosion, a set of brake pads all around, and had to re-glue the seal on the rear of the rear light clusters as I started to get water entering the boot on one side. Other than that just routine services and the inverter recall.

I have had mine 7 years and only had problems with small battery, can't fault main dealer service either. Have looked at changing to newer RX a couple of times, but have not been impressed enough with later models to complete. Have started to look at NX, but think I may try to keep my 400h a while longer.

Had ours now 6 years and have only had to replace the small battery common prob , have looked at changing to newer RX but preferred the older Shape and style, can,t see us parting with ours for a long while yet.

Absolutely no problems in eight years and 70,000 miles other than seized slide pins on the rear brake calipers. Easily and cheaply fixed by a local independent Lexus specialist who removed calipers and slide pins, cleaned up, regreased and new rubber boots fitted.. Don't go to a Lexus main dealer if you have this problem as they will try to sell you complete new caliper assemblies at around £350.00 each