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My daughter had been working in the Westminster bubble for 5 years, having left university with a top degree. She found it a very toxic environment with a complete lack of respect and integrity, so much so she had to quit not only her job but the country. I am currently retired from the establishment and have observed that politics is highly toxic. Looking back, I think it was best for her to have done it and found it toxic, instead of living your life thinking if only.

Just got back from Scotland.

As a general rule with bigger diameter wheels, the tyre wall height is reduced to give the same rolling radius. So arch clearance each side of the wheel should be very similar to the original tyre. Yes a lowered car would have less clearance between top of wheel and arch but I only had dress the arches each side..not at the top . Below tyre calculator on 18 to 20" rims.

Unfortunately, the NHS is beyond repair by anybody. In it's current format it cannot possibly succeed either for it's staff , nor for it's patients. The whole idea of 'free' at point of supply when coupled with the advances in medical care available coupled with an aging population is doomed to fail. There is not, nor ever will be enough money raiseable through tax channels to get that job done. First you have to deal with the hopeless situation of ever increasing demand and reduce it by putting private costs in at various points of supply which will at least go some way towards stopping abuse of the system. The moneys raised from that goes towards increasing the resources of the supply side. With enough data statistical modellers could very well identify where the balancing range is. To pretend this is not the only approach is simply silly. Tax payers have made it abundantly clear they see no future in a collective tax rise for this issue and rightly so. That approach does nothing to stop abuse and system failure. Sorry to rain on the publics parade with the NHS, but with all best intentions it stopped being 'good' quite sometime back. Today it's just a bureaucratic nightmare being abused by too many people who either use it ,or work for it. Both groups need the big stick approach. Which of course means it won't get done in a world where everyone seems to be determined to be habitually nice to each other regardless of circumstance. For data on abuse for example take a look at 'sick rate' data. Appalling. Take a look at missed appointments. Appalling. Good' patients and 'good' staff deserve better. "Good" in this sense means patients with real need and real social responsibility and staff with real work ethic. Well, I certainly feel better after that. 🤨

Yes, it's a big problem once they get on the hard stuff.

I agree with the above sentiments. I would never pay extra for a higher spec car if that higher spec was primarily centred around a so-called "enhanced" sound system. I love my music but if I want to listen to it in high-definition I'll do that at home - not on a trip around the M25. The standard sound system in my NX sounds fine to my, admittedly ageing, ears.

We have a yacht on the south coast (so in salt water) with an iron keel so you can imagine that although it's epoxied and anti fouled we still have to treat some rust on the keel every year. By far the best rust converter and proofer we have found (and which is usually recommended for yachts) is Fertan: https://www.fertan.co.uk/product/fertan-rust-converter/ - you can buy it in many different places. We've tried others but nothing had been as good as Fertan for converting the rust and stopping it coming back. The first image is what the keel looked like the first year we lifted it having just bought the boat. We stripped the keel and treated with Fertan before repainting with epoxy primer and antifoul. The second image is a few years later with having just treated some small patches of rust with Fertan in the intervening few years each winter. If Fertan works this well on iron in salt water then it will certainly work well on light rust on cars.

Apologies if this has been covered, I've searched and seen mentioned in topics, but thought it might be worth posting as a warning to others. When I serviced my car a few weeks back, the bonnet latch didn't feel right, but locked and I was in a rush so thought no more of it. Today, I opened the bonnet and couldn't reclose it due to Bonnet Latch spring 3 failing (https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-is-phase-3-bonnet-latch-spring-no-3/). Luckily this was on my drive. So the reason I'm sharing, my car has done just over 100K and 9 year old, and I've noticed the corrosion on the spring and latch in the past and greased up and tried to protect it, but it's still failed, looking at posts, I think this is probably the life of the part in the UK so do yourself a favour if you've got an older Lexi, and either order one from somewhere cheap https://www.amayama.com/en/genuine-catalogs/epc/lexus-general/gs-series/AWL10L/1487/body/5303 and do some preventative maintenance or get it changed at your next service. Daz.

I can tell you, the latest system 3.0 isn’t flawless. I used it extensively last week on a trip to the highlands and for the most part it’s good but it got uncomfortably close to some trucks as if it was being sucked in! I certainly wouldn’t trust it implicitly.

The lane assist and keeping in the first and second gen Lexus safety system is pretty poor, which is what is fitted to the UX250h. At any reasonable speed you will just zigzag between lines. It's only the latest generation on the latest vehicles that is any good. The said, the detection of the lines should be okay. Make sure the windscreen is clean where the camera is and check if you windscreen is the original one - if it has been replaced then maybe the system wasn't calibrated correctly.

What about this?

First test done today and with mirrors folded in the wind noise decreased significantly. I also noticed that when the sun visor was positioned to the side the noise also decreased. I will update when appropriate but most of my journeys tend to be local and at low speed limits typically 40/50mph so testing is limited. Temporary solution is for me to remove my right side hearing aid😄

Photoshop maybe, Ai would most likely draw an extra window in or have something growing out of it 🤣

TBH Malc I’m not sure how easy it would be to transfer all of the mirror internals in to a 3D printed housing. I didn’t get time to examine it since the car was booked in for servicing the morning after & the dealer could get one delivered that morning.

If the wheels are wider and offset less than standard this is also going to restrict access as the tyre will be closer to the wheel arch.

The perils of taking your Lexus out on the road. Think I got a little car park ding today. Horror of horrors. Over it now, but it took a bottle of red.

Thanks for this post it motivated me to check mine today whilst the weather's holding out. Mine is a 2015 It's starting to rust but nothing dramatic just yet. This is post a degrease session. Think it should be alright for a couple more years.

Not experienced it myself but have you checked the security/tightness of the back door(tailgate) lock?

I see it finally has wireless Android Auto 🙄

@wharfhouse thank you very much for the detailed actually frankly fantastic response. I'm going to get some ordered. @Notamech completely agree with you 'Japanese' car theory, my experience is exactly this. Had a Mazda before the Lexus and that was terrible for rust.. but also amazingly reliable.

It does seem more rusty than you would expect. Perhaps the plastic cover doesn't help. If it gets completely covered by the trim a quick option would be a wire brush and then a coat of hammerite paint.

Look on ebay for used parts from breakers and then you can watch youtube and do it yourself its very easy. But if you dont want to then look for a local garage willing to fit it for you.

I haven't had a look under the car or under the plastic trim yet but have above average rust under the bonnet too. But having looked at yours i think im going to look under the plastic trim this weekend. My bonnet latch is also badly rusted. when cleaning the hybrid fan i seen spots of rust similar to yours under the plastic trim in the boot. Also my brake dust shields are quite rusty too. It could be because one of the previous owners lived along the coast. I have used jenolite rust converter to treat what i could. It can be sprayed directly on rust which is good as i cant be bothered to sand stuff down. Even the wifes jazz seems very rusty underneath and under the bonnet. Maybe its a japanese car thing. As my previous Mercedes was new looking under the bonnet at the same age and mileage as my IS. I plan to do both cars soon. Will use something that can be applied by brush rather than a spray as spraying stuff underneath the car when its on a jack stands rather than a lift in a garage is difficult. Especially with wind blowing it everywhere. I would also like to know what rust converters people have used in the past and is that enough or do we need to seal it with something else like a lacquer or something?

Paul, this is scary stuff…. Please don’t answer if you prefer not to but for that amount of cost, why not claim on your own insurance? I would hope that the loss of no claims bonus and higher future premiums would cost a lot less than the mirror.

I've owned since new, used mainly for long Motorway journeys then parked up while away or when at home (ie 2 big journeys a week only), no flood damage. I live in the hills in the North, so probably exposed to more salt spray than average. The underside isn't great, I treated with waxoyl a few years back, but was thinking of doing lanoguard as part of the service going forward. I was hoping as non cosmetic there might be an easy option with a rust converter or straight to rust type product.

But there aren’t very many working in the NHS nor private health care that would benefit from the …….. Winter Fuel Allowance Malc

Blunt is the right word, phasing it out for future pensioners, like they did when raising the pension age would have made more sense to me. But then when did much that's done in government lately make much sense.

It’s all personal preference but I never thought that the ML system I had on my RX450 f sport was any better than the standard system in my current NX450 f sport. Of course it’s your choice but I wouldn’t pay extra for the ML system, i think it is a Lexus marketing gimmick. How many here had ever heard of ML before Lexus started pushing its name.

I had to have mine seen to on my 2014 IS 300h. It started by not latching intermittently and over about a year finally gave up completely. Happened to be in for a service with Lexus when it failed so they cleaned it up and replaced one of the springs. It's been working fine since. Others have mentioned problems with this latch too around a similar age so obviously something that needs a bit of attention when approaching 10 years old.

I thought the bonnet latch needed attention when I serviced it, but was in a rush so ignored it...

i guess we all have winning and losing spells in life, 1989 worked out well for us. I remember the exchange rate at that time, we were sat in an Australian Pub Garden on the day we needed to complete our new house purchase. The rate was fluctuating a lot at the time I eventually converted it @ $2.10. A couple of months before and I could have got nearer $3. But the following year, UK housing prices crashed with interest rates at around 18%,and owners selling for below what they owed on them, because of unemployment. Had we not left the year before it could have been a different financial scenario for us. Same on our return in 2015, my funds bought me around 50% less at $2.10 compared to $1.47 if we had returned 18mths earlier. Still I have no regrets, the only real constant in my life is that regardless of the Party in charge, It always seems to have cost me financially. lol!

Sadly.. Larry The Downing Street Cat Has been Refused His Winter Garden Fuel Allowance Because he is Not Getting PETSON Credit..DIABOLICAL..!!! Whats The World Coming To..!!!!

Now I am really sorry about this & I am sure I will get shouted down, but I personally know of 4 people who receive the winter fuel payment & all 4 are on pensions of between £60-£100k a year. Is this right? Personally I don't think so, but I am probably in the minority. I took early retirement at 60, 3 years ago as I had been working since the age of 15 & saved as when I could into a pension fund, but I never expected to get the winter fuel payment when I got to 67 whoever was in government. I think it should be means tested, but I feel the limit should be set a bit higher than what it is at the moment as some people who get just over the limit still need help.

That is a Lexus I would love to see, would the storage have proper straps to stop the wheelbarrow flying about on the way to the allotment for a spot of muck spreading. I do not have any gun dogs who could sit on the tail of 'the shooting brake' but a wheelbarrow I do have🤣

I've used that website to get the update for my 2017 CT2000h map. It installed no problem, taking the 90 minutes they said it would. You have to send them a photo of your navigation system details screen to get an installation code, but it works. Of course, the map you get is out of date before you even load it, and Google maps on a smartphone is far superior and accurate, even if you can't link a phone to the car screen. Do be wary of leaving the car parked if you're going away on holiday for a few weeks. It can drain the small 12V battery and the car won't unlock or start without it, so you have to use the mechanical key to get in. Can be "jump started" into a Ready state though. I know from experience with a Prius, but my CT200h did survive me being away for 3 weeks, although I left it unlocked in a (locked) garage, so that the alarm wasn't activated.

That's Great Paul.. Glad your Feeling Better.. BUT.. if Not Get The Good Wife To Give you a Good Old Fashioned Tickle With The Doddy Stick And if that still Dosn't Do it Put Up The Christmas Tree Invite all Your Good Neighbours Around The Tree And Sing Hark The Herald Angels Sing And Lexus Enjoy Ourselves.. Your Neighbours will Think You Have Completely Lost It..Always Works For Me !!!!!!!

Where did I suggest they work for £14 per hour????? I have no problem with the amount anyone can earn, in fact before I retired, it was a sad day if I got out of bed for less than £1k. My beef is that Labour collapsed under pressure from the Unions who are instrumental in keeping them in power and will now dictate how the rest of the population are governed. I find it sad that they deemed it necessary to take a winter fuel allowance off pensioners who in comparison are receiving £218 pw or as you like to analysis £5/£6 per hour, to help fund it. Perhaps you need to understand what's posted before shooting from the hip.

I can Understand and Appreciate how you feel Paul Particularly when you have to Drive four Hours to get to your Nearest Lexus Dealership But With The Waters Being so Cloudy on This important issue Save yourself this Stress and Hassle And Just go to The Lexus Dealership I Can feel your stress Easing Already My Friend.. Go Out And Buy And nice Bottle of Caballie Sit back And Let the World Go By....!!! Peace..!!!

End Of Confusion and Disparity.. Just stick With Lexus....Problems are only as Big as you Make Them..!!!!

Couldn't agree more, but boy oh boy, look at the multitude of out-and-out idiots that are now part of this new government. I'm not going to name names but the list would likely run into 25% of Labour MP's. I fear, in the words of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, you ain't seen nothing yet......

If you're lucky. Apparently there is more pain to come allegedly. They think most pensioners are rich and can take the hit. How wrong they are. Means testing here we come. Look out pensioners and motorists pain is on the way. If you saved for a private pension and a nice home then you are a target. I am trying to think of something cheerful to say to avoid being called a whinger but I honestly can't think of anything - sorry!😬

I’ve just insured with Lexus and that wasn’t mentioned. The premium on a new 300h came down £65.

My new local Labour MP has received my email dosed in ire …… possibly along with several thousands more …….. just got the automated Holding Reply ….. I’m not really expecting a rational answer …….. he might be suicidal at the end of all this eh ! He’s new to politics 🤣😂 We were Conservative here for decades prior 😇 Malc

I have taken a vow not to whinge at whatever Labour decide to enact. My reasoning is there really should be no surprises for we voters. Fact is many of us were completely exhausted watching the Tory party implosion that is nigh a decade old. Unfortunately, that was enough for certain voters to fall into the trap of the grass must be greener with Labour. Well, keep it short. No!. However, every mistake as a bill that comes with it and we will simply have to pay up for this harsh reminder of why Labour are always a threat to our wallets. Next time just remember to take your brain with you when you vote.

Quite why Lexus allow customers to drive away in a newly purchased vehicle all the while knowing there is a serious security issue is awful, you would have thought protection plates would be fitted to any model affected before collection as a matter of course Very poor business practice generally but not the sort of thing you would expect from Lexus who have built their reputation on reliability and customer service. Very sorry to read of your experience Jayesh, difficult to comprehend quite how you must feel right now. I would certainly consider Colin's suggested course of action given the circumstances. Very best wishes whatever route you choose.

That’s because we sorted out all the problems in the first 18 months!🤪😂

It’s appalling that the dealer didn’t fit protection plates that are available for the RX to prevent this. I’d consider legal proceedings to recover any losses you have incurred.

Also replaced a wheel bearing recently. I opted for a JTEKT part from Amayama Japan. It cost me £55 plus £58 delivery. No customs due. My research showed that JTEKT are a merger of two companies that have been around for circa 100 years, and that merged company is now part of the Toyota Group. My indie mechanic was very impressed with the part quality. I could have got OEM for about £115 but I wanted to give this a shot. If it goes bad soon, I’ll pay for OEM but based on JTEKT’s background, I’m fairly confident all will be fine.

Tank also has a very slow fill and when pump first clicks off, I can usually get another gallon at least in it, with big air gurgles as it fills. So in my view, it’s a conservative range estimate, and a poor tank design, means short fills and more trips to the petrol station. It is 65ltrs though I have had that in it a couple of times.