Mincey

So some poor Skoda owner's car is on bricks then. This bloke really is a rogue, isn't he?

+1 - I was hooked!

I am sure I read it here, but whenever someone asks me why I have a Lexus and not a BMW, Mercedes or Audi, I usually reply with "I don't want to be associated with any brand lusted after by photocopier company regional sales managers". Going by your response, you may well have been the person who originally coined that phrase!

How to get the week off to a good start - watching another Scheissewagen biting the dust! Yes, we're one One Series less now. And that's a good thing. It's a shame that the driver of the blue 3 Series bottled it and spoiled everyone's fun. Nice to see a caravan going through this week too.

Every day is a school day here! I wonder if it's an "xX" thing and doesn't apply to the "xS" models?

Very interesting - where I work there are Kaizens going on here there and everywhere. I haven't been involved with one yet, which perhaps speaks volumes about my approach to life! From what I gather, UK spec ES's are built in Japan. Can any owner of a brand new one confirm whether this is true by telling us if they noticed a Japanese woody deep fragrance upon delivery, or a tart and sweet Kentucky smell?

Just for ****s and giggles, I ran a quote through Swinton to see what they'd charge a first time customer with the car, planning to use this information when I phone them later this week to discuss their interesting commercial techniques. I used exactly the same details as for CTM, Confused.com, MSM and Quidco. The result was surprising: Have they flagged the registration as having a nuisance as a potential customer? Are they steeling themselves for an irate phonecall? I'm as curious as you all are, and that's a fact!

I'll bet that's what it is - every Lexus I've had with remote boot unlocking would open the boot without the doors having to be unlocked.

One thing which I am eternally thankful for is that my current wife generally falls asleep within about 15 minutes of starting any journey. This leaves me to get to our destination without any annoying distractions on which is "the best way" to go. Journeys shorter than 15 minutes are always a challenge. For instance yesterday, I was tasked with taking her to Peterborough's Central Park, a trip of about two miles. I would have taken the straightest, most efficient route, but no. I had to follow her instructions to go into the centre of town, then continue via Huntingdon, Ely, Hunstanton and return via Melton Mowbray. I am probably exaggerating slightly here, but I think you get my point. It is of course, best not to argue in cases like this. The question "would this be the best way for me to come?" was asked, and I wisely (I think) answered "yes dear".

+1. I like the voice of the Lexus sat nav, but much refer the functionality and "up to date-ness" of Google Maps.

My granddaughter always gets excited if I tell her we're going out in my IS. I haven't told her there'll be an ES waiting for her next weekend in case she spontaneously explodes.

I've just done that and it works out as another £124 on my policy! I shall call Swinton and ask them to be more reasonable. Beforehand though, I will check the cancellation process as the offer from Quidco could work in my favour. It's a right minefield isn't it.

Very interesting - I wasn't aware they offered cashback on Car Insurance. Quidco gave me a lower quote than the three main comparison sites too! A top tip - thank you!

Just out of curiosity, I checked to see how much my insurance would go up when I collect the ES on Wednesday. The policy for my IS expires in May and the company who, let's call them Swinton, for that is their name, wish to charge me an extra £124 for the rest of the year. The policy for my IS is £326/year. I've done some confusing.com and comparing of the market and I get figures starting at £270 for the ES. I realise that the insurance market is going to change very soon, I think that an extra £124 to cover seven months is rather steep. They really do have you by the short and curlies don't they? I'll be giving them the opportunity to explain this in a phone call very soon, mark my words! I was expecting a rebate as I was going from a rocket ship and the best car in its segment bar none, to what is effectively an Old Man's car. That little idea has been well and truly thwarted.

Thanks for this - I'm a little lazy when it comes to washing cars. I think my IS has only been washed four times in the time I've had it - twice by myself, and twice by the dealer - once after a service and once after a failed recall. I like the look of this Waterless stuff as getting the hosepipe out is always a pain and my wellington boots don't fit properly. I chose not to have Supaguard or Gard-ex or whatever it's called on my forthcoming ES so this stuff could be just the job. I think I can cope with covering it with this stuff then wiping it off!

Hello and welcome. The Lexus app is not the greatest in the world. All I've managed to get from it is the car's service history.

Ah, now then! I think I'm qualified to answer this one 🙂 I took out Club Smartguard on my IS - I think it was about £500-600 at the time. It's them who have been holding up me swapping over to my new car. Part of my trade in deal was to have two scratches and some kerb rash taken care of. I took photos via their app and heard nothing within the promised 24 hours. I called them after 48 hours to discover that I had not taken good enough photos, so I did them again. I still heard nothing so, two days later emailed them. Almost by return I had dates of three weeks hence to do the scratches and early December for the wheel. My advice is this: don't take out the insurance. Put £15 away each month which I worked out was the price for the SmartGuard thing divided by the 36 months they cover you for. You will then have a pot of money to use to contact Chips Away as necessary, or to blow on nice things if you don't need it. Chips Away react considerably more quickly than SmartGuard do too. Something else to bear in mind too is that SmartGuard give you two annual inspections where for £60 (or £50 as it said in my contract but hey ho) they will repair any number of scratches and so on for you. I was quoted £92 by Chips Away to fix my wheel, had the two scratches buffed out for free and £180 to repair a sizable gouge I made in the back bumper of my wife's Ioniq. Had I been saving the money each month instead of putting the £500-600 down at the start, I'd have had a nice little bonus even after fixing my wife's car.

Yes, guilty as charged m'lud!

GADZOOKS! It is now up at £29,297 - £1,297 more than I paid for it - clearly as well as being a rocket ship and the best car in its segment bar none, it is a better investment than any bank account at the moment!

Au contraire! My IS came with the Comfort Pack (or was it Convenience Pack?) which included the shiny back bumper protector, a boot liner, rubber floor mats and.... mudflaps. I have to admit that I think they look bloody awful though.

I need to find out where this takes place - it's significantly more entertaining than F1! 😉 https://www.itemfix.com/v?t=dxqqyi

October 22nd. I feel like Unlucky Alf from The Fast Show.

Gentlemen, calm down! Why not get one of these:

I had a similar issue with noises in my IS. Some fine person here recommended this, which stopped the creaking immediately after applying it to all the door seals. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002MZZNU8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hey, I was wrong! I was thinking about something else. Or was I? I don't know....