DanD

@Rayaans Did the van hit another car as well as yours? - the damage to the van seems to be much higher that you would expect it to be given the damage to your IS.

I got roped into using Admiral's multicar policy, which seemed a good idea at the time. However, when it came to renewal time, they were far, far more expensive than the competition, and also a lot more expensive than if I were a new customer. I called them and straight away the quote dropped by £250, but they were still more expensive thant others. I eventually went back to LV (multi car also), with whom I was insured previously for some years. I always found them very good to deal with and very customer focused. When I called Admiral a second time to confirm that I was not renewing with them, the guy was very pushy - to the point of being rude - and explained that the Admiral person I had spoken with previously did not know what he was talking about, and that he could get me at least another £200 off! My response was that if they could save me £250 + £200 after two phone calls, why did they not offer a cheaper premium in the first place. I am now with LV. Incidentally, I add my son to my non-Lexus car insurance whenever he is back from uni for the holidays. Admiral charged me £50 per week for the privilege, whereas LV charged me £10 per week two years ago, and have charged be £98 to add him for the next 10 months (admittedly he is now 1 year older at 22).

I definitely recommend the Michelin Cross Climates. I swapped to them from the Yokohama, and the difference was amazing. Less noise, a more compliant ride, and better road holding around corners and roundabouts in the wet. The only issue I had was getting hold of them. The best price I got was from my local Lexus dealer, even though they could not get all 4 tyres from the same location (one or two had to come from Scotland!).

Over the past couple of weeks, I have had several occasions where the on-screen directions and the spoken directions contradicted themselves, which can be rather confusing on unfamiliar roads. For instance, it would tell me to take the next left... but the screen would show next right etc. This has never happened before, although I must say that it occurred on roads I had never visited before, which means that these "errors" may have been there from day one. Anyone noticed similar issues? - I'm guessing that there is nothing wrong with the satnav itself, and that I may need to invest in new maps...

Have you checked whether it may be just a matter of turning the volume up? - Since the volume is independent for each audio source, it could be that it needs adjusting for SMS messages also... Worth checking...

Update: my MPG is getting better with the weather getting warmer. Admittedly, I have had to slow down a little after picking up two speeding tickets in two weeks. 35mph in a 30mph limit in Portsmouth (speed check van) and 70mph in 60mph variable speed limit on the M1 near Nottingham (Yes, I travel a lot). Frustrated as these are my first speeding fines in 16 years, but I guess I only have myself to blame. Anyway... I continue to use Sport mode on M-Ways and Normal mode the rest of the time, but make a point of driving closer to the speed limit. My average has jumped from the 34.5 quoted above to 38.8.

I will never, ever go for a black car again! - Our previous RX was Velvet Black (non-metallic) and was a nightmare to keep clean.

Interesting... It seems that most of the ones I see "down south" are either black or white: I rarely see a Sonic T. With regards to the facelift, I prefer the pre-2018 front lights which, to me, look more aggressive. On the other hand, I prefer the more elongated rear lights of the newer model. I also think that the new wheels fitted on the Premier are much nicer than the previous ones, which I always thought looked cheap. Each to his own.

Let us know how you get on: I'll be taking out NX to France for the first time soon...

Whatever the wheel/tyre combination, the overall diameter of the wheel has to remain the same so as to not compromise speedo calibration and the like. On that basis, if you fit bigger wheels, the height of the sidewall has to be reduced proportionally so that the overall diameter remains the same. Comfort... This impacts comfort, based on the fact that there is less rubber (in term of height) between your bum and the road, but also because the sidewalls need to be more rigid to prevent the metal from making contact with the road. MPG... Typically, bigger wheels are also wider. This translates in bigger footprint which should, theoretically at least, improve roadholding. However, larger footprint also means more friction, and more friction will result in lower MPG. Same principle as thin tyres on a road bike vs wider tyres on a mountain bike.

Whether the area is black or mottled is irrelevant. What matters is that some car windscreens have an athermic coating that blocks the signal sent to the tag, however the black/mottled area is not coated and let any signal through. I am not sure I have explained this very well, but take a look here: https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/faq/ I have been using these tags for years and they are brilliant and save a lot of time! - Happy travelling.

I believe they are xenon on all but the Premier model, which has LEDs. Models with LED headlights are recognisable by the fact that the indicator lamp is sited on the inside of the light cluster (near the grill) as opposed to the outer edge.

Same on the NX Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

Given factors such as external temperature, residual fuel and possibly others, are you sure your calculations are that precise that they would pick up a difference of only 0.5mpg? This is purely a question, as it seems to be such a small variance. Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

Yes, they are self leveling. Yes, there is an auto function: just make sure the stalk is in the position marked AUTO No, there is no auto-dip function. Or rather there is, but on some versions of the face lifted model (2018) Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

I think that unless you go for a people carrier with 3 individual rear seats, the middle seat in any other car will require some compromise. Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

Have you actually driven a CT, or sat in one? Are you aware that it is quite a lot smaller than a Prius and has a rather small boot? I am not trying to put you off, I am a fan of the CT myself, but since you mentioned the Prius... And kids... Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

Had a new ct200h as a courtesy car yesterday, while my nx was being serviced. Now I understand why it kept telling me that the speed limit on the me is 90! Thank you! Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

I have to say that Saab seats remain difficult to beat! I am surprised though, that you find the RX's seats hard. When we switched from the RX400h to the RX450h, we did find the seats felt quite different and put it down to the fact that 1) the 400h had perforated leather whereas the 450h didn't, and 2) the seats in the 450h were flatter... less sculpted. We did find them very comfortable after a week or so. Had several trips across France, to Spain and to Germany without experiencing any back problems.

Odd really... I always thought that Audi's seats very overly firm. On the other hand, I found the seats in our previous RX very comfy. Were your Audi and Saab old cars? - Could it be that the seats had sagged somewhat over time?

I have been experimenting over the past few weeks... Using Sport mode on the motorway (I do 50% of my mileage on motorways) and Normal in town and country roads. Never use ECO... I find it too frustrating. I find the responsiveness of the sport mode more suited to motorway driving. I use the radar cruise control on m-ways whenever suitable, usually set on 75mph, and the car has 4 new tyres (Michelin Cross Climates). I have been averaging 34.5 mpg (computer reading) over the last 3 full tanks. Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

I have to say I'm very pleased with them too. Definitely recommended. If you can get hold of them. Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

I believe that the lack of adjustment maybe linked to the fact that xenon and LED headlights are self levelling. Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

I had issues with parking sensors a few years ago on an RX. It was explained to me that the sensors are made of three main parts. An outer ring, a small disc (the sensor), and in between a rubber ring. The sensor works in a way similar to a sonar, sending and receiving sound waves. The rubber ring around it allows the sensor to register the tiny vibrations from incoming sound waves. In my case, 3g clear coat had been applied to the car, including the sensors. Over time, the clear coat had hardened to such an extent, and the rubber rings with it, that the sensors no longer worked properly. Dealer took them apart, cleaned them, and refitted them. Did not have any issues after that. I guess that, on this basis, hardened dirt or ice could also interfere with the sensors. Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk

As I have said in another thread, just swapped OEM Yokohama tyres for Michelin cross Climates and it has made quite a difference to the noise level Sent from my LG-H930 using Tapatalk