RgrWynne

I think it does depend on how much you value peace of mind. Personally I think the cost is small relatively, but that by nature does indicate a low claim rate. It is just you don’t want to be the one who gets caught out. I think another point for me would be as your car is serviced by a main dealer , we all are aware they are expensive. If you have a warranty you really are not bothered how much the cost is plus you don’t have the aggro of finding a cheaper quote. The roadside assistance, is also included, but if you breakdown (unlikely) you just let the dealer repair it, wherever that may be. That is my view, cheers, Roger

Malc I would totally agree with you if you can find a solution to who is going to fund all of the infrastructure . The reason Japan are spending the money is because they are vulnerable to earthquakes ... we aren’t, they have had a Tsunami ....we haven’t and they have had a major source of nuclear power wrecked.... we haven’t. You cannot just ignore economics, plus all the global priority is going into EV. Japan are really the only serious developer of Hydrogen Vehicles for the above reasons and there is no plan for the UK to match them unless you are aware of some magic money tree.

Hi I have had the same problem, even a few years ago being stuck at a petrol station and unable to unlock the steering. I called out the AA, but eventually did as Herbie is advising, wiggled it around a bit. Very occasionally it happens, but again just move the steering wheel from side to side and wiggle the lock. As regards battery, this lasts about 10-14 days on mine before it is flat. That is if the battery is fully charged in the first place and some weird things happen when the battery is low. I keep mine on CTek now all the time. Regarding the ignition/ lock barrel, I never use the key at all, but I found a solution by just playing around with it. Good luck , Roger

I think it is called timing . We are unbelievably paying wind farms significant sums not to produce , because obviously it only happens when the wind blows. As yet in the uk we cannot store this energy so at times of high demand we import as you rightly point out. One school of thought is in future to use all of the electric vehicle connected to the grid as storage capacity for the grid. There are obviously other solutions planned , but one serious side affect they have found is vulnerability to hacking because electric cars when charging use the internet and it is a way in for foreign intruders to hack the system, and once in can cause havoc. That weakness is being seriously looked at.

Totally agree there will be all sorts of development, including a mixture of both. There has been talk about using the battery capacity across the country all standing idle at night as a back up to the national grid. They already have your suggestion in a working model super yacht, but of course all at the moment very expensive, and probably for the next generation.Cheers, Roger

Malc we have had this discussion before, and I give up. Look at all the development going into charging as I said before think for example WiFi type. They are also evaluating solar charging, plus in the road charging, like rail. However the reality is it will probably not affect you or me, but the reason I doubt ( what do I know except I do read up on these things) hydrogen will become mainstream is cost and it does not matter what you or I think that is not the route we are going in this country. Yes Police are looking are it for operational requirements, plus buses and hgv’s because they don’t yet have the power or the charging capacity, but mainstream unlikely, unless as I have indicated there is a game changer. Nobody is disputing you would have a problem charging now, but nothing will become mainstream unless it finds a solution and there would not be the kind of global investment going into electric cars unless they were confident a solution existed. Roger

oh, yes, a bit like the UK in many many respects Except, we didn’t have a tsunami.....did we ? and we have large base load electric power, in fact we are now producing so much wind and solar power we can’t use it, so not really a sensible investment methinks, Roger

There are lots of YouTube videos about using different oil filters. I saw one a few years ago ( Sod’s law can’t locate now) comparing denso/Toyota with other brands and if you saw that you would never consider alternatives. If you factor in the cost of the filter versus the potential problems, why would you even consider an alternative. That is my view , cheers, Roger

Malc the reason Japan is not using electric is because of a little problem called a Tsunami which wiped out their Nuclear power generation capacity, so a layman might conclude they need an alternative. Hydrogen tanks are under massive pressure so.....very expensive for the mass market. However there has been a development in another country not sure where, that is/has developed a ‘sponge’ type storage facility for hydrogen, which can store huge quantities of hydrogen in a small area, and could be a game changer. It is in very early development stage. However non of that is going to affect electric car development which , as with problems with hydrogen , is constantly seeking solutions to the problems we have now.

Hi Colin it is White reg no GGZ 8383. You have to be a registered bona fida trader, to be eligible to bid, Cheers, Roger

For anybody interested there is a 2017 LC 500 coming up for Auction on the BCA Website. 20,000 miles.

Hi Barry , I understood that an AGM in the boot of the RX450H was safety related in the event of an accident. Other experts on here can confirm, cheers, Roger

Hi Herbs, I do get your sentiment about service costs at Lexus dealerships, and extortionate labour costs. However my daughter has a 2015 RX 450h, bought privately with a FLSH. She intends to keep it long term, so FLSH not really relevant per se. When she needed a service, I asked a very good local independent who I know for a price. She then compared that to Lexus Chester, but when you include the hybrid health check, including warranty, there was not much difference. Then factor that the dealership will use proprietary consumables, plus correct oils, so you can have confidence, she went to a Lexus Chester, so not all bad. I would agree it is sensible to get a price for other repairs, from indies, but tbh, and touch wood, these vehicles are so reliable, you would hope it was not necessary. There is much written about service costs, and how to cheapen them, and of course you can cheapen anything, but I have usually taken out service plans, mainly with my wife’s Honda, and used the main dealer. Taking everything into account , including resale values I have been delighted with not only the costs but also the peace of mind, and of course reliability. My own Lexus is cared for by Paul Frost, with me supplying the Lexus consumables, and I am delighted with the result and of course the costs. I doubt my LS430 will ever see the inside of a main dealer🤗 and thanks for your help 👍

Yes good luck Andrew, just go for it you won’t regret it. You just have to get used to things not going wrong 😜

Chances are if the battery was left, just charging for 24 hrs won’t revive it. Must ask the obvious question have you used fresh petrol ? The clicking noise is indicative of no battery power.

Hi John, I would have said, “I think you need to get out more“, but of course you can’t at the moment 😜😂😂😂Cheers, Roger

Blimey Colin it really is hitting LOC. Glad you are ok and all the best for a full recovery , Cheers, Roger

Pete, I note you are now going offline, so I can only wish that you are feeling much much better when you read this. It is really sobering to read your blog, and I am sure like everybody on here , trust you make a full recovery. We need your contribution back, Rgds, Roger

I charged the AGM battery on my wife’s car, using the normal setting. I didn’t think to check either the battery or the charger for different settings, because as has already be said on here the ctek is a smart charger and has built in automatic protection . I left it on for 2 days , did the job perfectly no problems.

My CTek has been connected, as normal keeping battery in good order. Car hasn’t moved now for over a week, but will be fine when I can go out. It can be left on permanently in normal mode and will charge any battery up to its full charge, and then ‘smartly’ keep it there for when you need to use it.

I really have no idea Malc, but I do know Lord Bamford is a car nut, so who knows, maybe🤗. However I do know Chief Exec of BP is Chauffeured in a new LS, as is Prince Albert of Monaco, if that helps 😜, Cheers, Roger

Hi Paul, yes I am aware of the car fleet, always used to be Vauxhall , which they serviced themselves. jCB was owned by JCB Service, which you are correct is not limited, although not sure of structure now. It was the holding company and was registered overseas. The only shareholders are The Bamford family, Anthony and his brother. It is a business for whom I have the greatest admiration, incredibly dynamic and innovative. it is only in recent years that they developed their own engines, mainly because the previous supplier was Perkins, and was taken over by Catterpillar, who are arch rivals. All the transmissions are built at Wrexham for Uk Production.

I can add to that for you. I had my own business and did quite a lot of work with the Specialised Engines Division, based on the factory apron. I then also supplied some specialist parts to MPW the division that altered cars for the Sultan of Brunei, their best ever customer. I was there when they bought an LS400, infact at the same time they also bought an S Class Merc and a BMW 7 series. They stripped all three down and the conclusions we were told were, Merc was best built, thickness of metal etc. BMW was good, Lexus they did not know how they could produce the drive train for the money, and thought they were selling at a loss. The engine and gearbox were outstanding . Remember this was when Lexus was new to the UK and I had never really heard of them. Further to that I also had a contract at JCB at Rochester when Mr Joseph Cyril Bamford himself attended the factory, this was in 1993. Mr JCB then moved to live in Switzerland and always had a Merc, except when Lexus brought out the LS400, he then had nothing else. The fact it was talked about and I knew it, says everything about Lexus, and believe me Mr JCB was an absolute stickler for quality, and instantly knew it when he saw it. Those were the days and bring back memories, but remember the legend that Lexus is today didn’t exist, it was all just very new. The only way I got into Lexus was reluctantly giving up my Ford Granada Scorpio with all the bells and whistles, for a Lexus GS300 being used by a fellow Director, who decided to have a Jag. The Lexus had only done 15000 miles and I did not like it at all. I was doing about 25k per year London to Cheshire regularly and all over the UK. After about 3 months the penny dropped about how good the car really was. Smooth, refined, no rattles and I began to love it. I drove it for over 100k miles, with no faults whatsoever and , bought it myself, and eventually sold it to a pal, who abused it totally, but it still had 280k miles when it gave up. I then bought another GS 300 with 3k on the clock, a 51 plate and really regret selling that to my pal above, who then also wrecked that, but still with 240 miles on the clock. I reckon I have driven 250k miles in my Lexus’s and they have never let me down, but I do meticulously service them strictly according to the service manual, and that is I think the secret to a long and happy Lexus life......and don’t skimp. Cheers , Roger

Hi Vlad my LS 430 , full cc XCD , wife as named driver, 10,000 miles per annum, incl business use, £208.48 With LV. Policy part of 2 car insurance of wife’s 2019 Honda Jazz Sport Auto £171.08 , so both £379.56. Both above include protected NCD and £350 excess, and each insured for both drivers.

So sorry to hear your sad news Qamar , please accept my sincere condolences, Roger