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Just collected my NX350h Takumi this afternoon, enjoyed the short ride home in the rain, already loving the car! Just a few pics for today.

Next Wednesday I will travel 170 miles to visit Lexus Cambridge to look at a 2022 ES300 with a Premium Pack. Mesa Red with Tan leather interior. So what you say but having had 2 ES300's between 2019 and 2022 I went over to Toyota and ordered a new CHR in Excel trim for no other reason than to own something different. It is an excellent car built to a great standard as you might expect and I have had it 10 months so far but the pull of the ES300 was greater than I thought. The Lexus pre owned Network has very few Premium Pack ES300's, lots of Premium Editions which was my second ES300, again Mesa Red but of course Tan artificial synthetic leather and much less equipment than the first Premium Pack ES I have yet to stand in front of the car in Cambridge but have secured first refusal with a holding fee. Pretty confident it will swamp me with nostalgia of my first ES which was Velvet Black and Tan interior. I tried to find a Mesa Red Takumi with Tan interior but that was just an impossible task. Did look at 2 Takumi's with Mesa Red paint but black interiors just couldn't get me over the line. Lexus Cambridge's offering should suit my tick list, March 2022, one owner, 1st and 2nd year services completed by the dealer with all the benefits of buying from the dealer Network. They were quite happy to take my Toyota CHR in and I'm hoping to drive down in it but drive back in an ES. Having previously sold my ES space saver spare wheel, the different polystyrene tool holder and boot liner to a Forum member it looks I will likely end up starting over and getting the same items again just to avoid those horrible tyre inflator kits. Next Wednesday then

Consistently edging up, just like everyone else as far as I can see 44.4/43.5 @ 753mi 14° mostly shorter runs. You may wish to check out the thread on E5 vs E10 fuel deterioration on this forum. Seems it’s a real thing. I had no clue.

Looks great, enjoy it as much as I am enjoying mine.

Carnoisseur sorted the space saver for my GS F and were very accomodating, so long as it clears the front calipers etc etc. They were prepared to take the 'kit' back should there had been an issue with fitment.

It's true that in today's world, where customer service can sometimes be lacking, it's refreshing to encounter individuals and businesses that uphold traditional values like trust, integrity, and reliable service. It's important to acknowledge and appreciate those who go above and beyond to resolve issues and provide a satisfactory experience. While times may have changed, it's reassuring to know that there are still people who prioritize customer satisfaction.

That’s very true - and yet they can be very attractive. When MrsT and I got married, there were some changes on the car front. I sold my Lotus Elan to pay for a new kitchen and we had to look for something we both liked - and could drive! We stumbled across a Fiat dealer who had an ex-demo 128 Coupe for sale. They were also dealers for a brand of sliding roof - and a black vinyl roof product. So it came with both - and very smart it looked too! It was in fact a very likeable car. It even survived MrsT deciding to reverse it out of our then narrow brick garage with the door open to aid her view. Unfortunately it didn’t help enough for her to spot the protruding brick pillar half way down which was rammed by the edge of the door, reshaping it in the process! 😡

Just remembered a few weeks ago or maybe longer, I can’t remember exactly, I inflated the tyres to 35 psi from 30 psi, which I ran from when I bought the car. It was maybe when I installed the rebuilt ECU, I remember looking in the user manual for the tyre pressure and it said 35 psi but maybe I misread it. The mk3 I had, I ran at 30 psi which is why I ran this one at the same tyre pressure. So when I remembered this I went straight out and deflated the tyres to 30 psi all round. I had inflated the tyres using a compressor and tonight I used a digital gauge. The tyres were 36 psi it turned out. I was a tyre fitter in the early 80’s so should know better, from what I remember the higher the aspect ratio the lower the pressure - the lower the aspect ratio the higher the pressure. I’ll find out tomorrow if lowering the pressure has put things back to ‘normal’.

Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them." – Henry Ford, Founder Ford Motor Company This was then and I'm even more convinced it's more so today. If, as a customer, you have an entirely valid complaint then it's clearly your fault, you are the problem not the service or product😱. Fortunately as a Lexus owner I am still blessed with receiving the old fashioned values of trust, integrity and reliable service from Lexus Derby. Last week I encountered a warranty document issue which by today's standards would be the equivalent of the Gordian knot! However, along comes Adam, the after sales manager, who was obviously Alexander in a previous incarnation, and in one single stroke resolved the issue. So for us older generation who wistfully pine and wallow in the long-lost memories of silver-service, attended petrol pumps and green shield stamps fear not. For there is a younger cohort out there who's values may not align with yours or mine all of the time but they are still doing a sterling job for us all of the time.

One present at Goodwood FoS this year by the company advertising on Autotrader. Really nice guys to chat with and some serious bits of kit on their stocklist, some to taste such as this LFA and some questionable items 😛 even caught a few rev blips of that superb V10! 2023-07-13 22.29.11.mp4

I have just had my two front seats on My RX450H refurbished which included the replacement of several panels. I just want to let members know of the company which has carried out a very good job and i have attached some photos before and after. The company is Trim & Stitch located in Epping Green, Essex.

Yes, this is my experience. They certainly don’t routinely apply ECU updates. If there is a TSB it still requires the owner to state they have the problem before they will apply it.

Ask when you next get it serviced. It may cost nothing or it may be £200 depending on the date of manufacture. I had mine done in June and there were 21 updates.

The important thing to get right with spacesavers is to ensure there is adequate clearance from the brake calipers to the inner part of the wheel and between the tyre and bodywork..The correct spacesaver tyre/ wheel will bear no relation to the tyre it's is replacing.. especially the profile. As I suggested a few days ago,give Patrick at Carnoisseur a ring .

Looks great. My colour combo (apart from from the 24MY glove box update). Great reg no! Happy motoring.

Looks stunning - happy motoring

Looks great 😀

Those aren't replacement lenses. They are covers for the lights to protect from stones etc - they may provide some protection from uv fogging but only if the lenses are in first class condition in the first place. Sorry - you'll just have to keep on cleaning or replace the whole light units.

On my 2022 NX, the rear roof rail is significantly shorter than the front bar. It wouldn't be possible to fit them in the wrong position. My bars are also aerodynamically shaped in cross-section so there is only one logical way around for them to go. I haven't checked but I also think the securing bolt is offset so it wouldn't be possible to insert the securing bolt if they were 180 degrees out. Hope that helps so that you don't need to refer to the instructions each time. Incidentally, when I picked up my car, the technician came through to demonstrate and explain the fitting. A nice touch.

In a word, yes, they are different. As I recall, the front wheels are 8.5J and the back 9J. The stud pattern should be common to all Lexus models. In practice, I shouldn't think it would matter if you had a wrong width wheel given the space savers tend to be "skinnies". Clearly you need the right wheel if you intend to motor distance and at speed but as a get you home, a slightly wider or narrower shouldn't present any problem. I stand to be corrected here, but as I said if a skinny space saver is okay then why not?

But everyone knows you can drive a DS on three wheels 😀

My 2010 RX450H spring suspension 450h (owned for three years of so) is the same. Great on flat roads, poor on bumpy roads. I replaced front and rear shocks, but made limited difference. I also fitted rubber spring assistors in the rear springs, this made a modest difference I think. Tyres Michelin Cross Climates are good. might try getting some rubber suspension bushes replaced as they have been identified as ageing, but not in need of immediate replacement I'm going to stick with the car for the next couple of years as it is generally very good and the benefits outweigh the negatives for me.

I recently completed a 500 mile trip and found the Lexus Satnav okay too. I decided to give it a proper chance to prove itself after Waze sent me up a very narrow lane with few passing places for several miles. Google maps are good but connecting the (Android) phone with the cable and losing phone calls was/is a faff, hence the experiment with the Lexus Satnav. I don't like the display as much as I like Waze (or Google) but it does what it needs to do and it was much better than I expected when it came to warning me about heavy traffic and re-routing me.

I've bought mine here Lexus Paint Repair Touch Up Kit — Touch Up Paint Kit (lexuspartsdirect.co.uk)

Insurers are just cashing in on it. My quotes have gone from £600 to £1100+. Lexus wanted about £5000 to insure it, most insurers are quoting me £3000+ or refusing to insure full stop. Big names like Esure, Churchill, Direct Line, even LV went from £1k to £1400 in just a matter of days. I have finally go a quote I will go with from a big name. But it is just a license for insurance companies to squeeze the customer for every penny they can make.

I remember the 128 coupe well. I think the open door reversing technique was an early and unsuccessful attempt at parking sensors.

Looks great Rakesh, I think the black accents around the car, e.g vents , grille, mirrors etc make a great contrast to the red. Just hoping when I get to stand in front of the car I'm seeing next week the previous owner has been a car lover. He's bought a 2023 identical copy of it anyway.

Not forgetting that auto A/C might drop it by maybe another 2mpg ... well that's what I find anyway.

Love my messa red inc tan interior!

Bosche arent naive, given the history of Nikola, I suspect there will be pages of financial assurances and penalties linked with the 'All in' headlines. Unless some one has actually seen the contract I suspect its a much smaller initial financial commitment versus the sums quoted. Do lepords change their spots? Not often, but Bosche presumably can afford the 'gamble'. https://fortune.com/2020/09/10/nikola-motor-stock-hindenburg-research-allegations/

I was talking to a garage mechanic this evening who was an advocate of E5, okay so far, then he went on to say that he never used Esso fuel because as well as the addition of methanol, suppliers mix bio fuel with oil fuel and Esso use a higher proportion of bio than other suppliers. He went on to say that VW say that bio fuel should not be used, using this as evidence that fuel with a higher bio content was less good that fuels with a low bio content. Other comments he made about other matters were total rubbish so I'm left wondering what the truth of the matter is. Any experts out there that can enlighten me?

Maybe they need to imprint something on the wheel arch to say canbus connector inaccessible

Which reminds me that I once worked at a London advertising agency called Horniblow, Cox-Freeman. They too had a Telex and my moan - and constant regret - is that I never had occasion to send them a Telex. It’s not often in Life that you get the opportunity to Telex HorniCox.

Here is the post on this forum done by a forum member who does a lot of his own maintenance and shows how to get to and clean the fan and filter. I keep meaning to take a look at mine but at the moment I have no reduction in mpg - it's as good as it was when I got the car (it was 2 years old with 40k miles when I purchased it in 2016) and as reduced mpg seems to be a sign of a blocked filter, especially in hot weather and I have no issues, I have kept putting it off. Others who have undertaken this report anything from a rather dirty filter to nearly clean. A lot seems to depend on how the back seats are used and the amount of dirt, fluff etc. that may be present and sucked in as the inlet for the fan is at the side of the back seat (rhs looking forwards).

It is. I've opened it up already and there was quite a lot of corrosion on the inside that I need to clean out. There is a rubber seal between the parts but the corrosion was forcing it open and the inside has corroded a bit too. The CCD (the light sensor) had a lot of that corrosion on it's sides and since that corrosion is aluminium oxide, it may have been causing the problems. So far the solder joints look to be OK, but I'm going to manually reflow then anyways. We shall see.

I hope this maybe of assistance to any of you owing an old Lexus like mine. I’ve owned an LS 400 since new for 26 years and over the last 15 years went to a local garage for maintenance. She is immaculate in all aspects and has never , ever let me down. Whilst the garage did the maintenance there was no pro active support for the vehicle ending up in the Cam belt going and causing damage to two cylinders. At this point all interest and support from that garage ended , actually providing me with completely incorrect information. By good fortune I was recommended to another garage by a good friend in the motor trade to his garage , a garage he has used for many many years. I asked for assistance from that garage and without fail in all aspects they have provided a first class professional service to me. Following the car being trailered into them , they immediately diagnosed the precise facts of my situation and advised me on a course of action , with costs , the journey I would be on, to retrieve my wonderful and totally reliable old car. I would like to let you all know this garage, for no other reason ,you will receive the same excellent service I received and I would like this garage to benefit for further Lexus work that might be out there. JPS Automotive based in Lancashire in a town called Burscough , John Stanmore is the proprietor and lead mechanic 0151 245 7444. I hope this note may help someone out there. Michael Vercell.

My car is currently at Lexus having the plate fitted. It has taken a while but it seems that things are moving quickly now. The dealer did show me the plate and how it supposedly works as he also had another one for another customer. It should certainly stop the car getting stolen using the can bus method but unfortunately the thieves are still likely to cause the damage trying to access the cables before they realise they cannot. Better than nothing, I guess....... I still think some razor wire under the wheel arch would do wonders to any hand trying to access the cables!

What does your insurer think to the modification? Mine refused to cover me if I did it on the Merc I had

Scanned as Axalta 950852 Metallic Gray. At least my 2001 Celsior rims did. Looked to be the same colour. My SC430 rims are painted already, so couldn't scan them.

Perhaps others and my own comments on every RX450h post on the Lexus Facebook page plus all the comments on here have finally got results.

Probably a puncture / irreparable tyre- likely replaced by a New T005 tyre Tread were being consistent generally means it was done quite early on the cars life

The caps for the SC430 wheels are definitely all plastic.

I think the finance will be held at the agreed price unless it has come down. They’re currently £750 deposit contribution but 4.9% which in many cases works out cheaper. I may order one tomorrow if all goes to plan. Regarding cream interior, I’ve had several and I prefer them because they are much easier to keep clean. Why? Because I can see any dirt. I wipe them with a damp leather frequently and use magic erasers (£10 for 10 off Amazon) for any stains. I also think they brighten the interior.

Renato you make brilliant and insightful point. Today, people not only seek constant "positive stroking" but it needs to be quantifiable via incessant requesting for "how did we do" feedback. I am reminded of the old Carlsberg ad of a dusty cobweb filled room with a telephone entitled, Customer Complaints, just wonderful.

Crikey VFR you're a bit prickly today, must be all those Devon cream teas. It's most unfortunate if you read any of my content as being a personal insinuation, slight, or any other negative barb. Far from it, your comments were essentially in line with mine ie we are fortunate deal with such a reliable brand. In my case I am sure that I would still be arguing my corner come Christmas with most other firms. And in your case I am in no doubt even two years after the event you will reach an amicably agreeable solution. As to my approach to life and behaviour read my first line to Steve in this thread for a clue. Very best wishes Phil.

When I sold my old 1994 Celsior I had a call a few hours later telling me it had broken down with a failed serpentine idler pulley and shredded belt. Initially I was going to drive down there over 150 miles as I had spare pulley bearings and belts in the shed but given the time I refunded the guy £200.00 to cover his costs and inconvenience. It was a private sale so so liability but to be fair I did it.

CT has a foot operated parking brake, similar to the RX which I believe you are familiar. P on the transmission is again similar to the RX - it locks the transmission and that's all some people use when parking, but to lock the brakes (rear wheels) you need to use the parking brake.

I was wondering the same thing yesterday when reading this thread at my dealer while waiting for my car to be serviced. Being a little confused by the original query I took a peep inside a CT in the used-cars park, and was relieved (though not surprised) to see the parking brake pedal next to the footrest. I think confusion would be avoided if the term “parking brake” was adopted in normal parlance irrespective of foot or hand activation.

I believe Ian is buying one & has not actually got it in his possession yet John 😉

I was hoping that the accuracy of the car location feature would help me find my car in a huge car park at Silverstone last weekend. Imagine my surprise to find out that my car was parked on my drive at home over 130 miles away.