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So the ISF finally gone. Fabulous car Alfa being PPFd this week, pick her up this time next week.

I had a pal who received a phone call from Land Rover inviting him to a LR experience. They collected him at 7.30 sharp the next morning, dropped him in the nearest lay-by and collected him 8 hours later!!

Latest so far, I have contacted my insurance and told them what happened, I have not raised a claim but pretty sure it will show on my history in a future. an hour later or so my neighbor insurance contacted me, confirming that they take all the blame and agreeing it was their fault, this is good. They provided me with garage details for a repair and the Hire car company which is 5 minutes walking from my house, this is good too! I phoned the garage and they will pick up the car tomorrow form Hire Company place and I will pick up a rental/courtesy car in the morning, this is good too. I do not know how long the repair will take or how much will be involved in it. Insurer assured me the garage is very respectful and approved repair shop for BMW, Audi, MB and Jaguar, based on their site they worked on some pretty good cars! Google has just 3.5 stars in reviews for them, so not good part! Glasgow owners, did anyone deal with Mitchell Inglis Glasgow? So far everything moves quickly (much much quicker than I expected) and painless, fingers cross this will be all the way!

Sounds good Vlad. Good to hear your neighbour owned up. Don't let the insurance company bully/rush you into taking it somewhere you aren't comfortable with. Why not give your local Lexus dealer a call and see where they send their cars?

Hi Vlad Sorry to hear about your knock. As ShaksR said do not worry about the extra excess to choose your own repairer you will get it back but I recommend that you deal with your insurer in case complications arise. I had a similar situation a couple of years ago when I was stationery at a red light and hit up the rear by a truck who had also stopped but was in gear and his foot slipped whilst blipping the throttle! I got a sorry mate but he did what turned out to be about 10Ks worth of damage to my car. Problem was that the car in question is a classic 60's Lotus Elan and there was no way I was going to allow any old body shop loose on it. Was all repaired very well and my insurer and I got full recompense from the other parties Insurance including the extra £500 I had to pay because of my choice of repairer. I was insured with Flux at the time and they eventually put everything in the hands of a third party claims company as there was a problem. Although I had admission of fault from the driver his insurance company refused to acknowledge any correspondence (a common problem apparently) and we eventually had to threaten court action. They paid up in full the day before the court case! Hope the repairs go well John

All cleaned ready for TunerFest South at Brands Hatch tomorrow. 👍😎

Had a busy day yesterday. You know there's "Servicing" as done by Dealers and there's "Servicing" as done by someone who owns the vehicle and wants it to last? Well. I have a MY2000 Lexus RX300 and it has all the service stamps until 31/01/2017. And the Lexus service schedule is very specific.So it looks like even Lexus don't do what is on the service schedule. I know someone will say "they only do what they are asked to do" but I have the service stamps and receipts. And if someone has paid over £1k for a service, you would expect it to be done. By the book. So the Trans oil should have been replaced at 60,000 miles and again at 120,000 miles, but the lasts stamp was at 111,000. Fair enough. The Transfer box fluid? The same. The rear axle? At least twice. So why was the ATF black and the magnets within the sump completely covered in metal filings? Well, because it clearly was never done. Not even by the Lexus main dealer. And I mean black. At least it didn't smell burned. Date stamp on the filter was 1999. I was sorely tempted to only do a partial oil change in case I damage the box flushing all the junk out in one go, but the thought of it circulating even more loose junk in there didn't leave me with a cozy feeling. I can always rebuild it if it fails. The Engine oil? Like water. And Black. Did have a genuine Toyota oil filter though. The rear diff oil? Yup. Old. So I flushed the best part of 18 litres of Dexron 3/Toyota compatible synthetic ATF through an auto box that holds 5 litres until it came out at least looking dark red rather than brown, used that much because I only had 22 litres total and still needed to do the power steering. No point just dropping the sump and replacing the gungy oil that drained out, there's still a torque converter and ATF cooler rad full of the old stuff, so I popped the "return to tank" pipe off the cooler and ran the motor until a litre and a half came out, then topped up, etc. etc. until it was coming out fairly clean. What to do with all that "waste" Dexron? Shame really, it was brand new when it went in... Wonder if I can burn it in the X type derv? Did the brake pads front and rear too. Long and busy day, I hope the car appreciates it, but I think I'll need to do another gearbox flush before winter just to keep me happy. But at least I now know it has been serviced properly.

Great roads, in a previous job I used to have to travel up to the scottish borders every now and then. If you used the A697 from Morpeth to Coldstream you missed a treat, next time come off the A1 at Burtree Gate and follow the A68 all the way up to Jedburgh - fantastic drive

OH MY GOD!!! I would kill for a proper man cave like that Sadly, due to a back injury I can hardly do anything physical like this anymore but I mentioned in another topic a few days ago that since the age of about 7, when my dad used to work on his car and ask me to "hold this" or to "pass that spanner" or "pull this", I've spent many, many happy hours working on my own cars. I'm now 61 and would still be happily doing the work if I could, but over the years I could only dream of a garage like yours. Most of the work I've done has been on the driveway because my garages have never been big enough to take tools, workbench and car together. I wish you well my friend, keep spannering as long as you can! And don't be silly - a man's garage can NEVER be over-equipped

Insurance is fraud - if you let them BS you they will... anything just to avoid paying out. However, Insurance contracts are not above the law... car modifications are grey area and as I said if you have something really out of shape they can reasonably argue that your cars is "modified". Fitting slightly different tyres on factory wheels or even factory spec. well would be hard to deem modification. When it comes to insurance I would advise not to listen to anyone on the forum (including me), best option go and read your contract, because all the contracts are different. As I said mine only requires for car to be road worthy - that is all. But yours might say you must have Bridgestone Turanza 005 (that at least at some point was OE tire for IS250).

Sat on New 20’’ alloys, looks meaner 👍🏻

Kindred spirits...couldn’t help park next to it at Sainsbury’s

Quick gran tour to the Scotish border via A696, A68 and A7. Great roads! The engine bay was definitely cooler with the rain cover removed, water temp was reading below half way mark most of the spirited drive.

1. Look on it as an opportunity to sit in luxury and just enjoy the drive. I used to get annoyed at traffic jams but now I just sit happily with a big grin on my face. I also have a four-hour round trip to Lexus Teeside - not my nearest but my preferred dealership. 2. You're obviously a man who's at ease with spanners and suchlike, so can they not just post it out for you to DIY if you don't want to employ point No. 1 above? 3. If a faulty sensor and a four-hour round trip is all you have to worry about, I'll take that

I've only got the one photo of it (I've been travelling) How do I turn off the radar element of cruise control??

The best way I've found for cleaning sun roof drain holes is very heavy duty strimmer line, it's about 4mm thick and if you're careful you should be able to run it all the way through. I used to keep some in the boot but chucked it out as I don't have a sunroof now.

Ebay Link https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-LS-400-BEIGE-LEATHER-SAT-NAV-ONLY-57-250-MILES/153520163302?hash=item23be83c9e6:g:Yw0AAOSwDO9c~ND0

I was under the impression that flushing in this manner wasn't a good idea and that a drain+fill service was the way to go. http://agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/168

Brought one from ebay which is 2017-2018 update, should be down in the next couple of days and will post here to confirm it works, only cost £19

Good that you're staying with the more *ahem* mature Lexus models though On my RX 400h I saw some large-ish invoices that previous owners had paid but some included items that just didn't need doing. I think at one point a previous owner had paid for a new air filter 2 or 3 years running.

First question, Have you legal cover on your policy - if so they will deal with getting your excess back and any other incidental expenses. Secondly. Contact your insurers and let them deal with the 3rd parties insurers. Tell them that you will be using your own repairer. I did this a year ago when my wife had a bump. The repairer we used (recommended to us) was very good and supplied a loan car foc. (normally the loan car included in the policy is dependent on using the insurers repairer). Clearly this is a no fault claim so shouldn't hopefully affect your ncb.

I’m afraid the build quality isn’t up to par with Lexus by any means. My dad has one, lots of rattles and creaks and iffy windscreen wipers. My 12 year old RX runs rings around it in quality Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Yikes...sorry to read this 'news' Vlad, not good. I hope that you get it sorted quickly and with minimum fuss.

Every car is built to a budget. Clearly with Toyota and Lexus more of that budget goes on build quality and reliability than the competition. This is where these reviews really fail to deliver. They don't take into account people who want to keep the car after it is out of warranty or care about the build quality of the vehicle. BMW and Mercedes are not built like they once were and I hear so many horror stories with BMW these days. Infact they've been cr#p since the E39. There's no way I'd touch one, but I don't do big mileages and lease new cars for 3 years at £300-500 per month. Instead I do a few thousand miles a year and appreciate the quality and reliability of my GS. That being said, I really don't like the look of the ES compared to the GS and even with fancy suspension it is still a big heavy car with FWD which doesn't excite me. Toyota are becoming more classy so might consider a Camry next time as it's got the same chassis and will be cheaper. Or I may finally get an SUV like the Rav4, although I'm not a huge fan of SUVs. There needs to be a reason to spend more on a Lexus and I'm not sure the ES gives me reason to do so.

I'll look more closely at the invoice tonight. Just to be certain. But it was a very long list of items and quantities. I dunno, what would the labour rates have been like in 1998? Wish I'd photgraphed it now before I came in to work. The other "option" I guess is that the box is FUBAR. Except it drives as smooth as I would expect.

If it clearly says on the invoices that XYZ have been done and it's obvious that they haven't then that's an issue (for the previous owner?). However, yes the service schedule is specific but ultimately it's up to the previous owner/s. The car is going to go in for oil and filter minimum but these larger items are still personal choice but the book still gets a stamp. The owner might need new pads and discs but because of that leaves the rear diff because of £££. Good that you know what you're doing and like you I view FDSH with extreme caution and only consider it when I've studied previous invoices and/or spoken to the dealer. They're usually happy to discuss a car they've maintained.

You need to make it clear to your insurer that you are not claiming against your own insurance but rather the 3rd party's insurer, in which case as you correctly state you do not have to pay an excess, the 3rd party will have to if he wants his vehicle repaired by his insurer. If however you are asking your insurance company to sort this out with the other insurer (rather than dealing with the insurer yourself), then you may well have to pay the excess in the first place and then claim it back later if the 3rd party pays up.

if it's not your fault you should be able to get your excess back or sure Malc

Yes you do have a choice of repairer and I strongly suggest an approved Lexus Bodyshop.,having had a really bad experience with insurers repairer a couple of years ago. You may not get a loan car, but if you have legal protection in your policy with a no fault claim they should cover the cost of a loan car.

Do I have a choice to what body shop the car to go to be painted? I don't even know which one is good in Glasgow, never had to deal with it. The Passat we had, was done badly by Parkers in East Kilbride, I know no other. Shall I give a call to Lexus Glasgow, the guys might tell me what paint shop they use. It has to be done properly!

Not doubtful at all. The 12v battery on a Hybrid car is not designed to start an engine. It has a much lower continuous current and even lower CCA (cold cranking). As above, it is there to start the control circuits and some other backwardly compatible 12v systems. The 12v is charged not via a conventional alternator, instead it uses a DC-DC converter. If you are jump starting another car and your battery doesn't have the available current, this will be load the DC-DC and there is a good chance of damage as that certainly isn't there to start another vehicle. This then results in not being able to start your own car. Yes you've been lucky and I'm glad. Unfortunately, lots of people have suffered failure. There are now warnings in the newer manuals advising you not to jump start other vehicles, something that should have been there from the start as the risk is too high. If someone was say, holding your puppy to ransom and you really, really, really must do it, then leave your car jumpered to the other car for a few minutes WITHOUT turning the engine over in the other car, allowing the other battery to charge a little. Disconnect and try to start the other car. That is probably the absolute furthest I would go if I had to. Glad I haven't got a puppy really.... Some models don't need you to press a button on the keyfob to unlock the car. Providing the key is on you or in close proximity to the sensors, the car will unlock as you touch the handles. This uses a lot more power in standby as the method for communicating and searching with the keyfob is very different than a conventional alarm/central locking that just 'listens' for a signal.

Sorry to hear this Vlad Hope the damage isn't too bad. At least it sounds like your neighbour is doing the right thing. Just make sure you take it to a decent body shop, not where the insurance company want to send you! I have seen this mistake a few times and it never ends well. On the other hand, the garage that Lexus Sidcup used to do my repair were very good. Either way, I hope you get it sorted soon.

Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce, I don’t regret buying it at all, but she must have been a Friday afternoon build.

That's a shame. What are you moving onto instead? I understand your reasoning and went through something similar myself earlier this year. For the previous four years I'd had an Avensis Tourer, just a 2.0 diesel but it was a useful tool - lots of space inside and plenty of torque even if it wasn't the quietest or most sophisticated thing. When the time came to change I went for the 1.8 petrol version of the same model, but it was a rather joyless car and within 2-3 months I was wishing I hadn't bought it. It had no torque, which seems to be an issue with many modern, non-turbo petrol engines. Fortunately I'd put enough of a deposit down not to end up with significant negative equity, but I lost a substantial amount having had it for just a year, due to the difference between main dealer retail price and part-ex value plus a year's natural depreciation. Oddly enough, seeing an NX was what got me thinking about buying a Lexus as a replacement for the Avensis - I prefer the look of it to the current RX. However, I fairly quickly realised that it wouldn't have the space I was used to with the Avensis and the use of a 4-cyl engine concerned me. To match the practicality, roominess and torque of the Avensis diesel I went for a previous-gen RX. Luckily I'm a bit of a Luddite so the rather basic infotainment system doesn't bother me, and at least I get a stick to control it. However, a friend was showing me what the set-up in his new Jaguar E-Pace can do and it puts the Lexus system to shame. The above being said, I'd still be interested to give the NX a go if I get offered one as a courtesy car. If they update it with the new RAV4 engine then maybe it would be a better bet? The NX's size would be fine for us when my children are driving and don't need ferrying around so much. Isn't it difficult on a test drive to pick up the everyday things that can make or break life with a car? As you also suggest, there is the tendency to overlook potential issues or think you'll be able to live with them, but the opposite ends up being the case.

Hi all, thank you all for quick and very useful suggestions Really appreciate this I went to see the neighbour (I saw him parking, gave him 15 minutes and went to see him myself), he was actually really nice, admitted the fault and gave his details and said he doesn't mind if I go through insurance, he will call his insurance as well. So, lets the insurance saga begins! I just hope it will be quick and painless! Once, again, thank you all! I will keep this post updated with how it goes.

Make sure that such Statements are obtained immediately and prior to discussion with the offender. The Statements must be written/typed, signed and dated with the author signing in signature and capital letter form. Good luck Vlad.

New Carbon fibre Bonnet, spoiler and F grille badge

You see you are now being insulting by refuting my abilities and personality. I do care about and enjoy driving but it's not about speed or getting there quickly but rather a comfortable ride with easy driving experience. Perhaps we should agree that we all have different interpretations of what is enjoyable. Yours works for you then fine, mine works for me. When you pay for my car I will subscribe to your criteria. It's not a matter of being bothered but I again refer you to the relaxing and comfortable drive, un-stressed. If you're idea of enjoying a drive is to be constantly on edge and scanning for speed cameras then that's your call. It is perfectly possible to drive at licence losing speeds in the ES300h. I am perfectly confident of my driving skill and always make a point of getting to know my car. I would pit my capabilities against yours any day (if I could be bothered of course) as many years as a motorway police driver and also as a younger biker and fast car enthusiast have equipped me well. I just grew up, I recommend it heartily. You also want your loved ones and passengers to live....just not as much as behaving like an immature idiot fantasising about being a racing driver....your call. Do you not want to arrive home safe for them? Are you so arrogant to think, like all the idiots driving like maniacs that your driving skills are advanced enough to cope with anything? There is such a thing as a MB C300h or should I say there was as it was fairly recently discontinued. It was a 201hp 2.1 turbo diesel hybrid (Approx. 230 BHP total) I drove one for 3 years from May 2013-16. Check your facts. An enthusiast would be ashamed. No probs with the nick name, a bit of banter is fine. You have however made derogatory comments about my driving ability and personality. Don't make this personal my friend, you don't know me well enough to judge me nor i you so let's just agree to disagree. It all boils down to the reason/s you buy a car. Speed/excitement or comfort/reliability? My reasons are not yours and visa/versa.

Driving out the petrol station in EV mode does not count.

For the last 30 years all of my cars have had a sunroof and I've never opened a single one of them, preferring instead to let the aircon (and latterly the climate control) do it's job. I've also never had a leak from any of them either - maybe they only get leaky with use! I love the Celestial Black and Ivory colour combo of our car. Yes, a nightmare to keep clean but well worth it. Any passenger attempting to get in with a wax jacket would be asked to remove it first 😉 Here's my pride and joy:

not sure that's quite right Bottom line is what's it worth with the insurance company following a write-off Malc

Bear in mind, he is a car dealer (he also has an Audi for sale on ebay), not a private owner, despite how he tries to word the advert. That car does look beautiful, but it will have been highly valeted and polished for those pictures. He's hoping there will be a LS400 enthusiast buyer out there with a 'I don't care what it costs as long as it's mint' attitude.... he may well find that buyer if he is very patient. John..., the MOT history is available on the original plate (in his advert text) R71VOY There was a 1 owner mint green full Lex service history LS400 with 58,000 miles on Autotrader last week, dealer sale. OK, It was Cat N with some light fender bender damage to front, but manageable and the rest of the car looked pretty sweet.... £2499 !!!