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" If I don't accept a gift of hospitality, I can't go to a game." Excuse me, if some pensioners don't get their WFA they can't keep warm, what unbelievable hypocrisy!

For everyone who needs it, I emailed Leggett&Platt who are the owners now of Shukra, the manufacturers of the gears and planetary etc in the lumbar mechanisms. They make many such items for all sorts of vehicles. They have come back to me and are sending a rebuild kit from Canada to me, I am only paying for shipping. Super company, super service. I wish more where like them! Let you know how I get on re-building the actuator once the kit arrives. Cheers

100% agree, I think the older systems last longer and throw in Toyota/Lexus quality (at least for the older models) and you get better longevity. My view is, and it's only my view, it's worth having the AC checked out periodically and definitely checked out if it's a car that has just been purchased - if you are bothered about the AC. Apart from checking if the AC blows ice cold/cold or not, how would you know if the correct amount of refrigerant is in the car and hasn't lost any? AC may still 'work' but it may be working harder than it should be. Plus, there is a certain amount of oil that needs to be in the system to keep things lubricated. Regarding simply opening the windows on the car, just to add as well it's Air 'Conditioning' not just Air Cooling. The LS400 is a smooth, refined, quiet car, comfortable car, why would I want to open the windows and disturb the tranquility when a working AC system keeps the cabin at the desired temp/condition and doesn't disturb the tranquility 🙂

Indeed some of us do, and when I had LS even opened sun roof. There is nothing more refreshing on a cold winters morning of opening the windows for a few seconds before letting the AC do its stuff.

I would make sure that you have a good reserve fund if you are going in at that point. Unless you can do work yourself (I can't), there are some complex things that could quickly mount up to a big bill - even with an independent.

Well, I disagree. Any oil is better than too low, especially when the car is going to get an oil change in a few months time. The Toyota or Lexus garage will use whatever oil to the correct spec is cheapest - I doubt that they will use Toyota branded oil. The service sheet in the workshop manual for the Mk 4 GS300h and GS450h has a whole list of acceptable oils: 0W20 SL (which is the preferred grade) 5W20 SN 5W30 10W30 15W40 SL, SM or SN 20W50 SL, SM or SN I would put in 1/2 a litre of the 5W40 fully synthetic. Once mixed with whatever is in there now the engine won't notice the difference. But it will if it's low on oil. (It's still got 6 litres or so in the sump) Incidentally, isn't the light for low oil pressure, not low oil level?

Agree, this is the wrong fight and shows either an arrogance or a stunning naivety. Actually I think it’ll be scandal that gets him. The problem with such public pronouncements about being without fault is that your own greed and incompetence comes back to bite… https://news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-starmer-declares-gifts-and-freebies-totalling-more-than-100-000-the-highest-of-any-mp-13217287 Sky News spent a good ten minutes on this story yesterday evening when it broke - a bit too late for the newspapers today but the weekend might be pretty brutal ahead of Labour Conference next week. Sky noted that even ‘Starmer loyalists’ were starting to distance themselves from him over this, and Sue Gray was firmly in the firing line (formally ethics advisor, what a farce). Funny thing though. The BBC news hasn’t really covered the story. How very strange…🤔

Just got back from having the tracker fitted to my NX350h. Have received a plastic card with the device's serial number and Tracker contact details plus a "welcome" email from them. I did ask the question as to why I was offered the tracker bearing in mind that the Gen 2 NX is (supposedly) not prone to the canbus vulnerability and was told that Lexus (or maybe my dealer franchise alone?) were offering this to owners of the most popular models (e.g. RX; NX and some UX) due to the rise in crime against these models in recent years (regardless of the method by which they are stolen). As an aside, It was mentioned that authorities are seeing a huge rise in incidents of Lexus cars being stolen for parts to be exported to Russia. Since Lexus pulled put of the Russian market to voice it's disapproval to Russia's aggression against Ukraine, it seems that a large "black market" has arisen there for spare parts - obtained by hook or by crook. Not sure why others on here have had a negative response from their dealers when enquiring about the tracker but maybe it's limited to particular Lexus dealer franchises or possibly location (I assume that London and the South East has been hit hardest by car crime)?

I read that the Unite Union are trying to force a vote on the WFA at the Labour Conference. All is not unity over this by any means.

My car just back from its annual service and for ZGG47 to be done and a tracker has been installed. I was given a card with a number to call if my car is stolen but no other details were provided, although I was told that I should receive something in the post in the next couple of weeks. No mention was made about any other security enhancements. I don't think the tracker is related to CanBus, the Gen 2 NX does not suffer from this but I guess the thieves don't always know the difference. I'll post more general details about the system if and when I get some information on the tracker that's been fitted. For now, I'm just treating it as a tracker; there isn't even a sticker to warn thieves, but maybe it will help in the recovery of my car if it does get stolen and may reduce my insurance when it comes up for renewal (forever the optimist).

When I bought my 94 Celsior in 2006 I took it for an AC check (it was blowing ice cold at the time) and was told there was no issue with it, I did however change the pollen filters. 16 years later I sold it and the AC was still working fine. I think keeping it on all the time plays a major part in longevity.

These days it's all SUVs. Want a big luxurious estate car? Then why not buy a Range Rover or similar. It seems that estate cars are mostly a thing of the past, although Volvo are once again selling the V60 and V90 estates. Personally I hate almost all of the SUVs. They use more fuel, restrict other drivers sightlines, are amongst the ugliest cars out there, and yet provide no more interior space/comfort than the equivalent saloon/estate car. The sooner they go out of fashion the better.

Just did some digging on what the Lexus 'Air-Conditioning service' consists of, this is for RRG Lexus Bolton with a 'summer health check' - £39.99 on it's own but normally that's free so in reality the cost is for the Air-Con service. Cost £99 and description is below. It isn't just the anti bacterial treatment, according to the description. If they drain and recharge - check for leaks - check everything is working ok and then the anti-bac treatment, I don't think £99 is too bad for a main dealer. Of course it depends if you put any importance on having AC working or just open windows🙂 Me personally, if I have a car with AC then I want it all working as it should and use it all year round. RRG - Lexus Bolton Advanced Summer Health Check with Full Air-Conditioning Service and Free Air-Conditioning treatment - only £99.00 Includes the Standard Summer Health Check and Air Conditioning treatment To keep enjoying the benefits of your Air Conditioning system, it is important to keep it maintained and in good working order. We want you to avoid these problems. Our expertly trained technicians will drain and recharge your Air Conditioning system checking the filters, belts and connections to make sure your vehicle's compressor and condenser are in full working order. We will also treat your vehicle's ventilation system with an Air-Conditioning Sanitizer. This is a long-lasting antimicrobial product which eliminates harmful bacteria and bad odours from your Air-Conditioning system.

Having had a few lexus I'm torn between another 450h or a 600. I'll only have a 6500 budget so the ls will have to be a high miler. If I can find one with good history and under 200k .would I be being nieve in thinking theres a chance it won't cripple me financially. Thanks

I fit an aftermarket camera to my exec variant without having to drill holes etc. The aftermarket one plugged in to the factory wiring loom so it kicks in when you put the car in reverse and appears on the factory screen. Here is the thread on it if you're interested. https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/145607-rear-camera/

Putting down a deposit to reserve the car is fine. I wouldn't recommend buying it without actually seeing it. Lexus dealer or not sometimes things arent what you expect. At the very least i would recommend organising an independent inspection with AA or similar and ask them to check the underside and also take photos to point out flaws in the interior exterior etc.. Especially since you're buying a car from Scotland those cars get exposed to a lot of road salt and rust really fast. Also i think it would fall under distance selling but best to clarify with the dealership if they're fine if you reject the car in case of anything glaringly unacceptable. Also if there are small issues normally the dealership say come to us and we will fix it which in your case wont be possible because of the distance.

Wheel alignment is a bit of a craft. It makes a big difference who does it and how much they know, even with the same Hunter equipment.

If I was you Id go for a post-facelift model (2017 onwards) as I believe some bits were improved and it looks more current.. This car feels quite big from the inside when parking (at least to me) and the reverse camera is a life saver, I'd not give up on having it...

If it’s the same radiator as the Ls430 then that forum says there’s 3, yes 3 different options of the correct one ……. so take care 🤔 Saves the rad leaking into the gearbox cooler and destroying the gearbox …….. 10yr / 100k mile ( 160k kms ) intervals BUT a Sc430 owner could confirm this or nay please As you’re keeping the car in your garage for a month …… well, I would take her out for short runs each week just to keep everything “ ok “ …… can you do that ? Others might offer more practical thoughts on that tho’ Malc

if it was a case of me getting home then fair enough, but if I am at home then popping to the shop and getting a 1 litre bottle of the right stuff, I know what i would do.

It’s a long way to go though in a rubber dingy.

There was a link posted earlier in this topic explaining the AC system, which is very good and well worth a read, includes a section 'How long does the refrigerant last?' in which a portion of it states this: "A good rule of thumb would be to recharge a new car after no more than four years and then to recharge at three-year intervals. If you have a fairly recent car it may need recharging slightly more frequently now. Newer developments in AC technology are resulting in systems which are able to cool well with much less refrigerant than just a few years ago. In addition to this all new cars from 2008 are obliged by law to have very reduced natural losses. In spite of this it seems that if a car has only a small amount of refrigerant in the system, the loss of perhaps only 50 or 100 grams, a fairly small percentage, seems to have a serious effect on the performance of the cooling. As a result I am having to revise my thoughts - three year intervals may be fine for any car pre-2000 but for some cars built after 2000 it may be necessary to recharge every two years to keep the AC sufficiently effective especially if driving abroad."

Rwanda is apparently an astonishingly beautiful country. Quite warm as well.

perhaps the Govt could open some Starmer PM Cabinet, Grace and Favour houses to OAPs as Warm Centres this winter ..... to congregate from the rigours of cold Dorneywood and Chevening for instance 👍 Malc

Like a lot of things in life it's what we are accustomed to. If the world had cvt before manual gearboxes then then the concept of swapping cogs in a gearbox would have been seen as ridiculous - less efficient, less smooth and incredibly complex. In the marine world there are no multiple gear ratios in a marine engine - you open the throttle and the prop spins at whatever speed is dictated by the engine revs selected and the boat accelerates until it matches prop speed - not dissimilar to how an cvt feels and there has never been any thought to having multiple fixed gear ratios in a boat. I was used to marine engines long before getting my Lexus with cvt and so that's perhaps why it always felt "right" to me. But everyone to their own opinions and desires - when the world is all boring one gear silent EV drive trains we will miss the variety that used to be on offer...

but sadly there's no commitment in the check to repair any of the very expensive items that one might be expected to purchase from Lexus when a repair or replacement is considered, by them, necessary . or indeed any other garage AC " service and check " AND we just know that where there's ' doubt ' that the mechanic will recommend that quite ( very ) expensive repair and replacement ........... they are of necessity out to ' up sell ' services maybe ! But the initial £99 doesn't seem at all bad .......... and well worth it when one's going down this simple AC service route 🤞 Malc

There are toyota lexus workshops that are authorised workshops i.e they are not dealerships that sell cars but only service centres e.g Lexus Hayes , Lexus chalfont & st.giles. they are cheaper than dealerships for repairs but for servicing lexus has a fixed price of ~350 for a minor service and ~550 for a major service and this price is the same across. But for repairs prices vary e.g i got my waterpump fixed at lexus hayes for ~320 ish whereas lexus twickenham which is a dealership wanted ~420.

I agree, using an incorrect grade can also cause oil consumption. I've only come to realise the absolute importance of correct oil specifications/grades recently. For the first time, my Volvo oil level had gone down slightly, I discovered that the grade used last was correct, the spec wasn't! Easy to get the info online.

you need to get the grade correct as well as specification. Would not do anything until the correct oil is added.

took the l5xuk of another lexus . had the s 11lfa since 2006 before lexus brought out the lfa

Keep your money in your wallet because let's face it, none of them are much good are they? You don't want LFA on the plate because the car isn't an LFA and that would just look silly and needy, and the first one just makes no sense whatsoever - too much of a stretch to make it say Lexus.

To me it was clear that Sir Keir Shyster and his gang of halfwits in his cabinet would simply be out to (1) feather their own nests, and (2) do what their masters told them to do. Hence I never considered voting for them.

That’s exactly why I took a generous 4.5 times redundancy offer ( tax free 😀) after working full time for over 45 years and finished at 62. I got enough full years NI contributions in to get the Full State Pension and contrbuting another 4 years would not increase the pension. Careful joint investments and private/ company pension drawdowns plus our income tax allowances mean I haven’t paid another penny in Income tax since. My State Pension becomes payable in March 2025 ( if the age doesn’t go up!) which obviously is classed as income so I’m presently working around that to legally avoid paying anything to HMRC out of my income. VAT and other taxes like fuel “ duty” can’t be avoided easily I but saved myself £10.00 VAT today on a cash sale.

For the bonnet to be sticking up about 2cm on just one side seems very surprising. This is such a big gap that it would be impossible not to notice the need for it to be repaired. How could it get like this? Was the metal bent? Had the popup hood been activated? Had the car been in an accident and had the bonnet badly repaired (or not repaired at all)? It would be interesting to see pictures to clarify what you're describing.

There are toyota lexus indies out there. I haven't used these guys but i found out about them here in the forum.... https://www.dmbautomotive.co.uk/

Exactly same for me on return from France. I bet you have the cracked plastic radiator shoulder. I had to crawl 200 miles on battery, charged with topped up rad and ICE runs watching gauge. Look for the white limescale deposits when you face the top left hand side of the rad

There are no independent garages that are certified by Lexus. Like for other marquees, there are some independents run by ex Lexus / Toyota trained staff dotted around - I haven't used any but others may be able to name some. Any main dealer for any make of car will be more expensive than an independent garage and Lexus aren't so different to any others in terms of cost. You have to weigh up the pros and cons (which for Lexus include the additional warranty and the hybrid battery warranty) and make a choice based on your own circumstances and needs. If you do go independent you can get the regular hybrid health check done at a Lexus dealer for around £60 that can be repeated until the car is 15 years old with unlimited mileage. Regards the warranty, any car can go wrong and Lexus are expensive to repair if they do. Using an independent will save some money that you can put away for when something does go wrong that would otherwise have been covered under warranty (and it will as a car ages - even a Lexus) - it's all a matter of managing risk.

You could ring round chains of dealers. There may be the car you want. I needed a UX of certain colour and trim. There were none on the Lexus System, there was one in the showroom of the first dealer I rang that had been 'sold' but without a deposit being taken and had been removed from the Lexus system.

So the current RX does switch on the lights with the wipers? That's a definite improvement on the previous version..👍 From the RX500 handbook. Nothing similar in the LBX though..

Yes that sounds about right.

Some peace of mind that there’s no odd engine sounds so that’s good ……. Your patience will be rewarded soon Did anyone mention the radiator change as possible preventative maintenance ? Malc

Flew over to Southport early Saturday morning to be picked up at the airport by Lexus of Hedge End. They were very through in both preparing my car and also detailing, cleaning and making sure it was perfect. Got the ECU and NAV updated as well as new rears and a service. They also fitted a Cat5 tracker for me with three years service. The car is as close to perfect as I could have hoped for. The 1st 200miles I took it easy and just let the big girl cruise up towards Wales but once we were over the bridge we took what I will call a 'spirited' drive to Port Talbot sea front for a leg stretch and an icecream. The car never missed a beat and never disappointed. You guys already know all of this of course. What else can I say but wow. I have been privileged enough to own and drive quite a few performance cars over the years and what I wanted from the LC was not another Porsche but something that I could use and enjoy on any given work day in quiet elegance but then also use in anger when the notion grabbed me. That is exactly what the LC is, a true Jackal and Hyde car in the best way possible. For 350 miles across England and Wales it averaged 35.2MPG, driving on mostly motorway at around 70-80mph. Impressive indeed, once in Sport+ mode that number tumbled but every £1 spent on fuel delivered £2 in fun. The ferry from Fishguard to Rosslair took us overnight and at 6am on Sunday morning I started the 4hour run to home in Armagh Northern Ireland. I have about 500miles on the car so far and it is something very special. Many cars offer performance and even tight handling, but very few offer a sense of occasion like the LC. I don't have any decent photos yet and as well I want to properly clean and detail the car myself, but when I do I will try and get some good photos, not that you other owners need them, because you are all experiencing exactly the same thing that I am.

I'd make a fortune - although I don't think Tesco would be too amused 😁

A new AutoExpress review of the Lexus NX dropped yesterday: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/lexus/nx Still very positive. I did find it odd they criticise the cost of the plug-in hybrid 450h+ versions - given it's several thousand cheaper than equivalent Audi/BMW/Mercedes options... otherwise seems a fair review!

I agree there is a policing problem re vehicle theft and getting the cars out of the country. But the lack of encryption for the canbus, which is what facilitates these thefts,is a specific Toyota/Lexus failure. The importance of encryption has been demonstrated time and again since WW2. It is such a basic error on Toyota/Lexus part that it deserves ridicule and blame. Same as manufacturers who messed up encryption on their wireless keys. For years manufacturers haven’t taken theft seriously, and we all pay the price through premiums. The only one who seems to get it is Tesla.

Yes,Land/Range Rovers do spend a lot of time off road--either on a breakdown truck or in the workshop.

I've found it resets the throttle position sensor and the gearbox shift points. If the car has started to feel a little lazy, this spices things up a bit. Also quickens the learning process for the ECU if you've done any mods...