Connoisseur

Great job and great post Mark, knowledge really is power.. Thanks for demystifying the whole shebang. Whether doing the job diy, or getting it done elsewhere, your how to will be a real help to 450h owners... A couple of questions: Would you advise other cautions on protection from electric shock over and above guidance about steering clear of cells 1 and 40? Is the replacement cell you sourced a Toyota/Lexus part, or another supplier? And last one, did the car warning lamps/messages reset automatically with the cell replaced? Thanks again for posting this. Not a job for the fainthearted I'm sure but priceless knowledge M

that is very true. My car sat for sale for more than 6 months, even with fsh, low mileage and SE-L with ACC/PCS, and the price gradually dropping...:) With not many 450h's around my view is that rarity combined even now with hybrid cars being an unknown quantity for most buyers, plus Lexus main dealers working hard to hold prices up, all mean that many 450h's sit around long. When I was looking I spotted cars around for >12 months!

Link below to Lexus video promoting the new RC - couldn't find a way to embed the vid itself so pic is just a screenshot.. https://www.facebook.com/lexcambs/videos/1025017890917866/

Almost certain to be your tyres needing changing. Had exactly same issue on my 450h soon after I bought it. Tyres looked to have life left in them measured by mm depth but we're in fact shot. As soon as most modern wide tyres get to 3 or 4mm ish then they can tramline like hell and under heavy braking take you all over the road. It's worth getting quality replacements to help avoid same in future. hth

Checked up on my GS. Failed once on sticking rear brake caliper (no surprise there!) But the time previously here is the reason for failure: Reason(s) for failure Nearside Front Tyre has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (4.1.D.1a) Advisory notice item(s) Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1) Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1) offside front tyre worn on inner and outer edges Passed the next day with no advisories so I guess it was treated to a full set of new tyres! now that is a very useful tool........

Just my two pence but everything I know/have learnt from Police drivers about their operational cars would make me run a mile from this car, however attractive it seems on the face of it. Yes they get regular services and a lot of mechanical care, but the way they need to be driven puts stresses and strains on any car way above 'normal' driving. That 65k mileage could be the equivalent of double due to the type of use.

Good stuff! Rock Auto sound like a top quality retailer.

A disc from Lexus, which will be guaranteed to work, is £125...........

Yes with no PZ no. that sounds very much like a copy or pirated disc. A genuine disc will look like the pic posted This site may be worth a look :) http://satnavdiscsale.com/lexus-2015-e19-sat-nav-update-for-all-generation-3-and-5-tns600-and-700-126-p.asp

pic of my disc showing the codes

go here: http://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/Shop/Index select your nav system/generation from the images shown (looks like you have Gen 5 nav) then input your current disc no. To help I did this using the number you give above (86271 53031). It does then present you with the latest update disc required - PZ445-X03EU-0I, The new disc you were given should have another code on it beginning PZ (mine is a 2014-15 disc marked PZ445-X03EU-0H). If it doesn't then it may be a copy disc and may not work? So if your new disc is marked PZ445-X03EU-0I and 86271-60A194 then it should work with a Gen 5 sat nav. Final check is to thoroughly clean the DVD to make sure it is readable. Microfibre cloth and CD cleaning fluid will do the job then try again. hth

Today I had to drive from Cambridgeshire to Loughborough and bring back 30 large rocks plus 5 bags of slate chippings. Had no choice but to use the SC430, which was fortunate because I could put the largest rocks either right over the rear wheels or in the front passenger well, to properly balance the load. The drive back was interesting to say the least and i was a little concerned for the springs but we made it. Took this pic at a service station on the A14 to show just how low the suspension went, and how, thankfully I managed to almost balance it across front and rear. Still, the steering was a little light :) M

After checking with Lexus six months ago and discovering my car wasn't required for an air bag recall I thought all was ok......... Until today when a letter from Lexus arrived saying that my car does now need to be recalled: We have found that the front passenger airbag inflator may have been assembled with improperly manufactured propellant wafers. This could cause the airbag inflator to rupture and the front passenger airbag to deploy abnormally in a crash, possibly causing injury to the vehicle occupants. So parts being sourced and then I will be called in. Does anyone know is this the same areason other SC430's were recalled in the past? Cheers M

John, the way it works on mine is that, using your example, I input HG4 then space and then 3, so an additional digit compared with yours. Weird that you can't get the 4th digit in after space....... Non OEM sat navs though have always been better than manufacturers :( hth M

John, on mine and using your example I can input HG4 'space' 3. Weird that you can't do the same...

So very true.........and whatever the colour scheme, a great car

Good spot Mark, that's a lovely car, with an over the top sales pitch! VED ££ is just wrong, unless it is the 6 months figure?

Am with you on that. Totally black interiors are so morbid and depressing to me. The cream interior on mine, combined with the sunroof makes the car light and airy, as does the light grey I've seen on other 450's. Maybe it's an age thing but when spending time in the car on a short or long drive its light interior makes a real difference.. bit of a begger to clean though ;) Having said that I favour darker paint finishes. The 'Tuscan Olive' on mine (called jade green if its on a Toyota!) is spot on, though silver and the Nordic Blue cars seem to wear better

Lost all those settings on my 450h when the battery was swapped out. This did make me check out all the settings and found the way to turn off the what I find loud and annoying seat belt chime so it wasn't all bad :) Glad you are enjoying your car, they are rather good eh... M ps welcome to the club

Use a specialist for my SC430 - Vanquish in St Neots, which might be close as your in Bedfordshire. They specialise in the likes of BMW/Mercedes/Lexus etc. 450h had a full 60k service last week by Lexus, Cambridge - £399 less 10% gold member discount. Regards Michael

My consumption too. It is a V6 with WARP DRIVE don`t forget! Regards John Hi John, that is an excellent description of the car; you must be missing being able to drive it...Is the Mercedes all ok now? Michael

There is also a bit of fun to be had in learning how to maximise driving time on electric only - I've managed to get over 40mph on battery alone for a period with careful throttle control, which also provides an excuse to then hit the loud pedal.......... As Mark says a warranty would be good, and try to get a car with plenty of the Lexus annual hybrid check certificates. With £12k you should be able to get a good late car, and with just a little more perhaps one from a Lexus Dealer looking to move metal on? Good luck Michael