Leaderboard

Good news, folks. I've finally received my letter confirming my second key is now ready to be programmed. So - my own wait for the second key is just short of five and a half months (collected the car 1st September 2023). There's no news on the locking wheel bolts. I'm just trying to arrange to get the car to them and back to me (I don't really want to return to the dealer to be honest after my experiences), so hopefully I should have my spare key shortly...

Indeed. I remember when I ordered my UX, the Takumi was fractionally above the £40k mark - which ruled it out for me. So I went for an F-Sport with option packs which took it to an 'almost Takumi' spec - to bring the price just short of £40k. Mechanically identical, yet hundreds of pounds of difference to tax a year. It makes no sense at all. Before I settled on the UX and was shopping around the brands, I noticed almost everything I considered was literally just over the £40k mark by a few hundred pounds. I often wondered at the time how many sales it would have cost them. I'd also like to know who decided on the price of these cars - given this £40k 'envy tax' band was already well known by that point.

Hi, I’m driving the same engine set up in my RX and experience similar misleading range figures. I believe that the overall range is being calculated based upon the in-car calculation of mpg (mine is currently showing approximately 66mpg). This is obviously being distorted by all the occasions where I’m driving purely on EV. Therefore I have seen an overall range in excess of 700 miles, only to see it falling rapidly as we travel on a long journey. The EV range versus real travelled miles I use as a very broad estimate as there’s so many factors that impact the actual outcome. So in summary I tend to ignore the EV range indicator but always refill the petrol when I see 2-3 bars remaining on the graphic. I would like a more accurate range assessment to be displayed, and coming from a background of finance and IT, wouldn’t have thought it was too difficult for Lexus to provide given the car has a mass of data being collected. My ICE also runs during times when I’ve selected EV and still have available range, but having looked through the manual I can see that there are a number of different scenarios that would cause this to happen. Hope you enjoy your car..

Ray hi …… the Dust Cover is comparatively tiny cost and saves all that road crap from entering the unit it protects ……. potentially causing premature wear and unnecessary bigger cost going forward Its always your choice how you spend your ££££ Malc

If Wikipedia is to be believed basic VED is well below that to be expected if keeping in line with inflation? "Following the 1888 budget, two new vehicle duties were introduced – the locomotive duty and the trade cart duty (a general wheel-tax also announced in the same budget was abandoned). The locomotive duty was levied at £5 (equivalent to £592.55 as of 2021)" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_Excise_Duty

Obviously when I put the radio on the antenna refused to retract after happily deploying! Some pics after a bit of a wash.

Indeed - no mistake unfortunately. This is something I'm bracing myself for when my tax will be up at the end of August. I simply refer to it as the 'envy tax', of which more and more cars are now falling into. Even reasonably modest cars are now upwards of £30k. It's ridiculous. I just about escaped it with my old UX (literally - by a few hundred pounds). There was no way of escaping it with the NX sadly, regardless of model - which was one of the reasons why I plumped for the Takumi in the end.

Go test drive an LS430, LS460/600h. I found them to be just as comfy as the LS400 but with a more planted feel. I preferred the LS430 because it has better steering feel than the 460/600 but any of them can be thrown at the twisties with gusto and just eat it up. The LS460 engine is the most powerful, but for me the LS430 was the best overall package. The computerised air-suspension and Vehicle Stability Control in all of them is very good indeed. Of course, your passengers will be puking/screaming if you do throw it at the twisties as these are still 2-ton behemoths. On one of my test drives (LS460) the owner spent the latter part of the drive with a death grip on the passenger grab handle. 😱 I did ask him if it was OK before I flipped my head into "BANZAI" mode. 🤣

I fixed it this weekend. The top of that piece of plastic has two small clips which fit into a metal piece in the door. It looks like someone has been into the door before and they just pushed the trim piece in, which bent one of the clips. I was able to straighten it and it seems to work fine now. You do have to remove a lot of other door trim to get there though: Unclip the plastic behind the inside door release lever to reveal a screw prise out the window switch / ashtray to reveal another screw (unplug the switch) remove those two screws and one under the inside door handle pop out the door card - lots of plastic clips around the edge. Hope you have some spares! unscrew the screw in the round bumper on the plastic section on the side of the door and then remove that plastic (more clips) pop out two plastic clips and remove the plastic trim that goes all around the window frame Pull out the plastic piece near the b pillar - two clips into the door, double sided tape, and the two tiny clips on the top edge clean everything and remove the remains of the double sided tape from that part, and (for me) straighten the plastic clip on the top edge replace the double sided tape put the trim piece back, top edge first put everything else back in reverse order

Hi Folks I’ve just had a letter purportedly from DVLA inviting me to renew my vehicle tax at £560. I nearly fell off my rocking chair….this is a lot more than my old Nx300. Is there some mistake here? I’d appreciate your advice. Many thanks Andy.

After 14 year's with BMW I'm back with Lexus. Found this at a main dealership, never seen a red car on the road.

Hi Dan i did call AF and your colleague quoted me £1145.00 quote ref 124/1500347/A024/CL and the guaranteed value portion was £52 I explained that I had a quote off LV for £450 so he was over twice the price of the competition. He said he would get a second opinion and call me back, he never did.

The code reader had the ability to clear codes as well, so clear code and see if it comes back on again. It has been known for the electronics to have a little glitch and throw up a code when it doesn’t mean it . if it does come back, that camshaft sensor needs to be fix first before looking at other stuff .

You'll make me CLAM up.

Or just go to source The Lancashire Oracle

I've not found a copy of the document to understand why - possibly it will react with the plastic, or owners get grease on the clothes, or maybe it attracts dirt and causes wear. To actively issue a statement to dealers not to do it must mean there is a reason. You would still apply it on the hinges.

Jeweller’s rouge, probably applied with a rotary polisher as it would take a long time by hand if it’s anything bigger than a single small scratch.

Hi. Please feel free to give us a try for insurance if you haven't done so already. Regards, Dan.

£528 with Aviva - pretty happy with that.

Mine was a rather shocking £945 for social only, no points and grey hair! I tried shopping around but this was the best deal that allowed European holidays.

Just a point to add if you wear denim jeans? In my previous NX I had the ochre (cream) leather upholstery and I regularly had to clean the seat squab, particularly the bolster as it looked creased and was always amazed at how much dye was removed. Seat always came back like new though. Currently have the Hazel leather but minimise the wearing of denim!

Update: I refueled and added 15L of petrol to completely fill it so the 74% tank figure before refueling was correct because there were 40L of petrol left. In the end, it's the predicted range that is not to be trusted.

Wait for your next MOT. Nothing serious on those advisors. My Old Accord had the same with dust covers 8 years ago and they are still showing the same now. At what degree is the pin worn? If serious it should have failed.

Use your usual Indy service and MOT mechanic maybe ? the dust cover is probably about £40/50 fitted and he should be able to get the suspension bush from his usual Motor Factor supplier ( if it really needs doing even ! ) Hope this helps Malc

Thank you for your reply. I almost never use pure EV mode, however I noticed that it doesn't matter if I achieve 5L/100 km or 8L/100 km fuel consumption, the range only goes down and more than the kilometers I have driven, that's why it's so irritating and misleading. I've never experienced something like this on any other manufacturer cars, it has to be said. I would definitely enjoy my car more if there wasn't this source of pointless stress. I'll soon refuel because I have a 340 km trip tomorrow and currenty my range is 480 km with 74% of the tank...let's see how many liters I'll have to pump in until the tank is full.

Indeed. As the saying goes: "If you don't read the news you're uninformed, and if you do read the news, you're misinformed"

New screen as well!! Gave it a cursory wash. Really needs clay barring and machine polishing. But did drive with top down to dry off before stashing away in the garage.

I went with LV because the specialist brokers (suggested by members) were closed over the weekend and I needed to have insurance today. So I didn’t get the guaranteed value option. Fingers crossed I won’t need it!

No... it's a quintuple scam...for 5 years!

Hi Gary, My car's only done 1100 miles, I took it easy for the first miles so it's barely run in, the passenger and the back seats have no issues they look brand new, I'm just waiting to hear back from the Dealer

Mine is the same age as yours @S Dhuper and my driver's seat (hazel) is still pretty much perfect - so this is certainly something I would also be perusing. Obviously I can't comment on yours in terms of milage to compare, but I'm up to 3400. From your pictures, this is something I'd expect to see on an example that's a couple of years old. My previous UX was starting to get like this when I traded it in - but that was just shy of three and a half. At around this time, I deemed that to be reasonable wear and tear. With regards to my NX's driver's seat, all I have is a few very minor creases starting to develop on the right hand bolsters - which you'd rub up against getting in and out the car. By minor - I mean you have to literally put your face to within about six inches of them to see...

I had this when i ordered my IS300H F Sport in 2019. Narrowed my colour choice down to grey or silver then fortunately the dealer told me that the grey one would be £120 to tax and the silver one would be over £500. Totally bonkers as it would have physically been the same car, just silver paint was £300 dearer. Guess what colour i picked Rob

My dealer took my car in for investigation of the intermittent wiper issue, they did end up replacing the wiper linkage which apparently has the wiper motor as an integral component. Had a 2 hour drive to Bristol this weekend in continual rain and the intermittent wipers worked faultlessly all the way without needing to reset them, even the wipe rate control now seems to be a lot better in terms of range and usefulness. I guess there must be a bad batch of wiper motors out there in the new models!

The LC is 1920mm wide or 2168 over the mirrors. I have a double garage and park mine in the centre so that I can get out when I open the doors. 😀

About a year ago my 2004 RX300 failed on rear subframe (amongst other things). I found this place that imports cars from Japan to break for parts. I got a subframe for £360. It was corrosion-free. NIPPON AUTO SPARES LTD ★ 4.6/5 £360.00 Inc Delivery - Estimated 2-3 Working Days HOW TO ORDER BUY NOW ONLINE OR CALL QUOTING REF: ☎ 01332 293399 Purchase securely online by Debit/Credit Card or PayPal. Never pay by bank transfer or cash. View Full Quote Info Message Supplier Quote Details LEXUS RX 300 SE | KO53EUE 2004 | 2995CC | 5 SP AUTO | PETROL | 5 DR ESTATE SUBFRAME (REAR) 3 Months Gte | Used £250.00 Delivery - Estimated 2-3 Working Days £50.00 VAT @ 20% £60.00 Grand Total £360.00 About Supplier New and used parts suppliers for most Japanese cars importers for parts from Japan Engine and gearbox fitting service. Suppliers Details Abingdon Business Centre 346 - 356 Osmaston Road Derby DE24 8AG

I don't wanna be that guy, but you really need to buy an IS250 instead. Engine swap with all the work etc we're talking 1000-2000 quid.. You can buy a 250 for 2k. There's currently a silver one on marketplace for £995 with a slipping clutch (£600 fix and you're good to go). 130k miles manual 250 on a '55 plate so lower tax bracket. Like @Linas.P already said, it's definitely possible to swap it, but the amount of hours needed to undergo this project is what's making it expensive... unless you can do all the work yourself 🙂 Also, there is a reconditioned 220d engine on eBay - £1600 supply & fit. Finding the newer, FTV engine is a bit tricky too because there wasn't that many diesels after 2010 and those are generally okay. It's the early cars that have been affected the worst and therefore lots available.

Use a mechanics stethoscope to isolate where the sound is coming from. Could be so many different things.

Many thanks folks…..I thought I might have been scammed….I have…by the Government. 😡😡 You’ve put my mind at test though and thanks for responding so promptly. 😂 Andy

Or they might just be hiding the plate to stop scammers cloning his car details.

Exactly, and in true fashion inflation doesn’t happen to elements of our government’s taxation policy. The £40k threshold was set in 2017 and will no doubt still be here in 2030 so that every new car is captured by it.

Yes, as said there is a massive penalty for being "rich and being able to afford a luxury car at over £40k". Really annoys me. Lots of "normal cars" are over that price nowadays.

I don't believe I know anyone who have done it, main reason - it is likely uneconomical repair i.e. your car is worth less than the cost of buying and fitting the new engine. Now theoretically - could it be done? Yes, 100% - it is direct fit, take old one out, put new one in, they are identical engines, just one has slightly stronger head gasket. The only caveat - you will also need new ECU (engine computer) if you really want improved reliability. This is because never engine (engine model - 2AD-FTV) is slightly detuned (making 150hp instead of 179hp) compared to old engine (2AD-FHV). So yes - new engine has slightly updated head-gasket which is stronger, but key difference which makes it more reliable is that it makes less power and that is ECU that makes this difference. Also it is slightly more economical on fuel. You can make a compromise, little bit of "Frankenstein", and use 2AD-FTV with ECU from 2AD-FHV. This should give you stronger headgasket, but without reduction of power and without improvement of fuel economy. Here you would be trading little bit of improved reliability for keeping little bit more of power. Again - this is all hypothetical, because I don't believe repairing IS220d is economical to begin with and it is not like newer engine is that much more reliable, it is slightly more reliable and chances are it will last you as long as you keep the car, but it still inherently has same issues as older engine. In short - yes it could be done, yes it is direct fit and basically identical engine, yes it will work in place of old engine without problems, but if you really want improved reliability then you as well need ECU... BUT - it is likely uneconomical repair.

My experience is similar, living near the Irish Sea coast, however I believe that road salt is a bigger cause of corrosion than wind borne sea salt. My last two MOT passes in January ‘23 and ‘24 both had advisories for rear subframe corrosion. When the weather is more amenable I plan to pressure wash the subframe and then spray it thoroughly with Lanoguard. I hope I won’t get chased by any sheepdogs!!. If you have smelled Lanoguard you will know what I mean. Lanoguard is obviously derived from the greasy by product of the wool scouring process.

Just to rectify the view that all the NX’s are the same, the reason I went for the F-Sport was for the AVS, which isn’t available on any other NX. After experiencing AVS on the RX for 5 years I decided that it was something that I wanted to retain if downsizing to the NX. Additionally I deduced that the Takumi only provided me with one option which I would have liked which is “Front cross alert assist,” but I wasn’t willing to shell out a further £4k and give up the AVS just to have front cross alert assist. I decided I could make do with the side view from the front cameras. The seats in the F-Sport I find to be very comfortable and hugging, not quite as deep in the cushion as the RX F-Sport seats, but seats I can and have spent the biggest part of a day in.

Hi Jim, I'm a journalist for MailOnline. I have written stories about how Range Rovers are becoming uninsurable due to things like high theft. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13040943/uninsurable-Range-Rover-owner-quote-14000-insurance-stolen-one-day-later.html I've been digging into some stats and I think that Lexus cars, specifically RXs, may be facing the same problem. I saw your post from last year and you have had this problem. I was wondering if you would be free for a chat? My email is oliver.price@mailonline.co.uk, can you pop me over an email if you'd want to talk? Best, Oliver Price

Do they? Established in 2012. https://autotechvehiclesecurity.co.uk/ Besides I thought you left the forum last July???

Charging my 450h+ on Intelligent Octopus Go at 7.5p/kW-hr it only costs 3p/mile in EV mode. 😄

My car is just over a week and I have problems already. The connection between my car and my Lexus account got lost. The app asks to add a new car. The car asks to chose a language and to connect to a an account instead of a normal entertainment system. Like as if it is a car that is not setup to anything. When I tried to connect to the app it says to “use a new app” which is Lexus Connect+ What is going on? A bit crap to have this with a new car one just spent 60K on

I've had a couple of days by the seaside in Weston-Super-Mare while Chris at Summit Detailing corrected and applied a Gtechniq C1 Crystal ceramic coating to my new RX. He also applied Gtechniq Leather & Vinyl Protection to the interior. I chose to travel to Chris as I've used him three times before and he is fantastic at what he does. If anybody is in the South-West and is considering a coating, I can highly recommend his work - he's a really nice guy as well. https://summit-detailing.co.uk The Sonic White paintwork looks amazing, especially under the lights in his showroom. It's got far more 'pop' than you could see before the treatment, most of which will be down to the correction rather than the coating, albeit Chris said the paint was in really good order as you'd hope. Lexus Swindon hadn't tried to machine polish it or anything that could have inflicted (well intentioned) damage. The car also hadn't been standing around - it went from docking at Portbury to being in my possession in just ten days. As with my previous NX, the coating will mean far easier maintenance with a quick spritz of Gtechniq c2v3 or perhaps CarPro Re-Load which are my two products of choice (having used 'a few' over the years!!). Glad to have it protected before Winter really sets in. I'm VERY happy...😁 *Note, as with some other members I can't upload photographs from my iMac 🖥 for some reason? Never had this issue before, can the Admins have a look please as something has changed! iPad seems to be fine.

Ah London. I've heard of it but vowed never to g to such a place.