johnatg

Those aren't replacement lenses. They are covers for the lights to protect from stones etc - they may provide some protection from uv fogging but only if the lenses are in first class condition in the first place. Sorry - you'll just have to keep on cleaning or replace the whole light units.

The switch is under the front edge of the centre cubby lid. There's a P on the dash when they're switched on.

The SGS struts, listed as if for the IS300, fit the IS250 perfectly and work properly. Read the thread Vladimir posted a link to.

But it might just be a simple oil leak. Find a garage which will do a test with UV sensitive dye - they can put it in the oil and with a UV light see where it is coming from. It might be disaster or it might be something relatively inexpensive - a gasket needing replacement or something.

Quite frankly - don't touch this car with a bargepole. And avoid diesels anyway - more and more cities will be banning them or charging stupid daily fees. Soon you won't be able to drive anywhere in one.

Yes - the boot lid should open fully if you touch either the button on the dash or the button just above the rear number plate.

Not entirely sure what sizes are standard on your car, but Mk 4 GS used 235/45R18 tyres, so 225/40R18 are a bit small. Certainly won't rub. See size comparison below:

That should work. You have to allow blocked content at the bottom of the screen. Or try Chrome or Firefox with Internet Explorer extensions. Get back if still no luck

Indeed Herbie - it's not for our benefit. LexisNexisID is a database and surveillance service for Insurance companies and we are the ones being surveilled. Perhaps Linas' apoplexy is a bit OTT but he's quite right. Well I did, but I don't recognise any of the criticism posted there. (And 65% or the reports give it 5* - it's mostly dissatisfied people who leave TrustPilot reviews so take them with a pinch of salt) Fact is, your credit score is kept by a number of companies and it's as well to check on it from time to time. I only use the free services and CreditKarma is generally more up to date than ClearScore and gives you more information than Experian. And BTW - ClearScore and Experian have not reported or recorded (AFAIK) the soft insurance search. But they all use different Credit databases. LexisNexis is a whole new layer of data surveillance - gives the insurance companies much more information than just your credit score because it links a lot more data. The credit check could be done (and is) by the insurance companies but LexisNexis is a whole new ball game. And it's not just for car insurance - that's the tip of the iceberg - have a peruse of their site. It's not aimed at us - the public, or should I say, victims.

Nevertheless the search was made - I received insurance renewal documents a couple of days later! It's LexisNexis I am flabbergasted by.

Apologies that this has little or nothing to do with Lexus - but I came across the article linked below this week. I received an alert on my credit report (CreditKarma) that a 'soft insurance search' had been carried out, so I went looking for more information. See what I found - and be afraid - be very afraid! New or Known Customers Confirmed - LexID® for Insurance Launches at Point of Quote for U.K. Insurers (lexisnexis.co.uk)

Lexus dash illuminates whenever the car is in 'Start' - at least it was in my IS250 and my GS300h - there's just a black screen otherwise. Some cars illuminate - many don't. Maybe DRLs were introduced for pedestrians but they are actually useful to all road users. And too many cars drive around with just the DRLs showing at dusk - no rear lights. My wife's Seat Mii has DRLs but the dash doesn't illuminate with them and no auto headlamp function.

Certainly automatic headlights are a function too far. People end up depending on them and not switching them on when they should (but when the automation doesn't work), eg in rain or in particular in fog. DRLs are not adequate - they don't illuminate the rear lights (I often wonder why not?) Last weekend I drove over the Cairn O'Mount road in Scotland in very thick fog. Some cars had their headlights on, but most didn't. Cyclists too - no lights. All this automation has stopped people thinking about the operation of their vehicles.

My rear seat belt anchors look like this: Maybe your middle anchor has got under the seat or behind the backrest. Have you had the recall done? If so, maybe the dealer mechanic got it trapped - if not, they should be able to release it when it gets done.

Maybe things are different in Sweden. I paid about 44% of the new price for my car at 5 years old. That's rather more than 30% per three years depreciation and of course I paid a good deal more than the previous owner would have got on his trade in. Mileage and condition plays a part too. (Mine was relatively low mileage - ~40K miles at 5 years) 50% of new value after 5 years is more than 30% after three years. Maybe the figures you quote are percentages of new value rather than a percentages of the value at the end of each year. My 30% after each three years is pretty consistent with the figures quoted and that will continue until the car is 12-15 years old - after that, it depends more on condition and mileage. And of course, the actual £ (or whatever) amounts get smaller each year. There are many big luxury saloons which depreciate to less than 50% of new value after three years, let alone 5. Things, including cars, are worth what someone will pay. I don't really know if £15400 is too much - it doesn't sound cheap, but it was an expensive car when new, so even with plenty of depreciation it's still a good deal of money. My rule of 30% per 3 years gets you to about £12000 after 12 years but I don't know what it would have cost in Sweden 12 years ago - I'm assuming about £50K. Maybe it was more?

You can expect any car to depreciate by 30% at least over 3 years - sometimes a lot more - occasionally rather less. Unless it's a classic car, probably over 30 years old, when they tend to start appreciating again. Depreciation has been distorted (reduced) over the last few years because of the shortage of new cars due primarily to the semiconductor supply problems

Chain. (In fact, 3 chains - a main one and two subsidiary ones to drive the exhaust camshafts) So long as oil change intervals are adhered to they don't give any trouble.

Go for the GS! The others just don't compare. They might be newer and warranted but they won't give anything like the driving experience.

I rather think the car info is correct. It looks like a small screen on the pics from the reversing camera.

It looks nice. Hard to tell from a photo, but it's a Lexus and most of us here have no doubts that it's one of the best car brands out there. Parts are expensive but you don't need many of them - I've had my car for over three years and have only needed brake pads and tyres. BMWs are great to drive but likely you'd need more parts and they are just as expensive as Lexus. BMWs are complex beasts these days and have a poor reliability rating. I wouldn't worry about cold temperatures - it won't make much difference to a GS450h - the hybrid bit on our cars is more like a F1 car - gives extra boost on acceleration, but the battery is so small (relatively) the car doesn't really drive in EV mode . The hybrid (EV) range is nearly nothing. Of course, the traction battery dramatically helps fuel consumption by storing engine and braking derived energy and feeding it back when the engine would otherwise be working hard. But temperature isn't a problem when driving - in fact the challenge is to keep the battery cool. 'Car Care Nut' says the filters on the battery cooling ducts are the most important filters on the car. And they are very inaccessible on a GS, but not really anything to worry about on a private car - more so on a taxi or when approaching very high mileages. Who knew that the unit of distance in Sweden is a 'mil' - = 10Km or 6.2 miles!

I would say that the gap shouldn't be there. Here's mine:

You don't need software to change the brake fluid. But you do need to be aware of exactly how to do it - there are things you must not do. I'd recommend you watch the videos on YouTube by 'Car Care Nut'. One covers a brake fluid change and there are lots more which offer all sorts of insights into how to look after a hybrid Lexus. There are some things which a simple service list doesn't tell you enough about what is needed to do. Also - get a workshop manual.

If they are cleaned and lubricated properly they should last indefinitely. The rear calipers on my MX-5 are similar to GS ones and they are over 30 years old. They just get a bit of TLC every couple of years. If they are not seized now they can definitely be fixed with a bit of attention. Do all 4.

Fair enough re the shock absorbers and exhaust. I would still try and find a garage which would work on the calipers to see if they can be freed up. Lexus will only fit new ones at vast expense. Usually they can be retrieved with a little effort.

I was booked in for Monday 20th. As I've been hearing that the parts are not available - currently on back order - I called to see where we are. Nope - no parts. They'll call to refix, they say. How shambolic - you would have thought they would know how many part sets were required when they started this.