A guy I work with had the cat cut off his Corolla hybrid last friday in middle of the afternoon on a busy Aldi carpark in Swinton, the government need to get a grip on the scrap industry so these cat thefts come to an end ...

39 minutes ago, olliesgrandad said:

I just paid £115 this month on my 2017 RX450h Premier (registered January 2017). 

Cheers Les, Is this always your annual tax rate ? was it was higher last year ?

These are the figures given on different sites, I'm still confused ...

Parkers says it's Band H: 166 to 175g/km =  £140

nextgreencar says it's Band E 121 to 130g/km =  £140

Autotrader says it's Band D 121 to 130g/km £125 ... ???

They seem to have really messed the tax rules up .... A 2016 Ct 200h is Zero tax but a 2017 is £120 and a 2020 is £140 ... ?

23 minutes ago, NemesisUK said:

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables

You pay £325 a year less VED after 5yrs 

This is what I can't figure out, it says "cars registered after April 1 2017" ... So this doesn't apply to  a 2016 ?

Cheers John, so the tax is £140 then ? ... I assume a 2016 Rx450 isn't taxed at the higher rate ? ... "Parkers Figure shown includes additional rate of £325 (per year) or £178.75 (per half year) levied on cars registered after April 1 2017"

Hi all, Can anyone confirm what the annual tax would be on a 2016 Rx 450 please ...

8 hours ago, Nick D said:

Thanks for this. However if there was a scratch or break in the actual matrix surely the demister would not work?

Mines had a small break (about 1") in the bottom ever since I have owned it (7+ years) and the rest of the demister always works perfectly ... I've also had no problems with radio reception, mine has the pioneer stereo, do you have the pioneer or the Levinson ?

17 hours ago, JoeJoe said:

I am nearby in SE9 and mine got cut off this week. I wonder if it's same gang - 2 white men with a Blue Audi. Apparently there's also an "Irish looking guy with a white pickup" caught on camera stealing one from a CRV. It's a plague around this area, multiple thefts recently, thieves caught on camera, including faces, their cars and registration and still no results from police. 

I am also thinking of getting a cheap metal one and relying on the fact it's worthless. Has anyone had their aftermarket/generic cat stolen yet? Is it worth putting a plate to protect a generic cat, or relying on the professionalism of the thieves enough? 

I have fitted a generic cat and I am relying on the fact its worthless ... in my opinion a cat fitted from Lexus is just not an option as this just perpetuates this crime so either this or fitting a straight pipe (if you can) appears to me to be the only way to ensure that these thefts will ever come to an end at least for the Rx ... cat locks cost way too much and have a large variety of problems ...

Although the police appear to be doing absolutely nothing about Catalytic converter thefts, these thefts still need to be reported by everyone , It appears its a big ask of the police forces to do anything about these thefts and increasing the number reported might eventually embarrass them into actually doing something, how else can we drag them away from making sure we all wear a mask and investigate real crime... lol

On 9/10/2020 at 4:34 PM, Esskay said:

Hello all! New owner for 4 days and on my first overnight in London guess what!!!
 

Taken from Mount View Road Stroud Green - apparently has happened here recently on other Toyota hybrids in the middle of the day.

Surely the only alternative is a straight pipe? 

What’s feelings on Catman’s straight pipe option?

Anyone done a flexipipe repair - I need about 600mm.

Other than that I was really starting to enjoy the car!!

Cheers

This is probably the best option and gets rid of the target off the car if you can get it done, I couldn't find anywhere to fit one in Manchester  ... the main Cats are still there so ... no visible Cat = no problem ...

On 8/29/2020 at 7:02 PM, ColinBarber said:

The current series IV, available in 2016 and facelifted in 2019, is as you say similar to the previous series III - same engine (just reworked) and same platform (wheelbase slightly extended).

From what I can see on the parts diagram there is a greater distance from the cat to the main silencer but I cannot tell if that means the cat is further forward or the main silencer has moved back from the centre of the vehicle. If it is the former then it may be more difficult to cut the exhaust in front of the cat.

The all-new series V is expected in 2023.

Thanks Colin, I have to say though I'm reluctant to part with my series II, I still love it and I can't find anything that I want to throw that much cash at  ... can I ask what you are driving now and is there anything that would tempt you?

On 8/26/2020 at 9:45 PM, ColinBarber said:

That was a series III. Not sure the series IV is wildly different but would be good to confirm.

Hi Colin, I would also like to confirm this, I've been thinking of changing to a series IV or V and it would help me make my mind up which is the better option, I did have a bit of a look for some exhaust diagrams but didn't find much, I am guessing but from what I've read I don't think theres much difference between the series III and IV other than a facelift, the suspension and a few other bits ...

On 3/15/2019 at 6:58 PM, Charlie1955 said:

Hi, just information for Rx 450 owners. Last Saturday night my car was parked in a car park in Retford and an attempt was made to steal the catalytic converter from my car. An angle grinder was used to cut through the clips and then the front exhaust but they also cut through the pipe containing the engine cooling system. Quote from Lexus for new exhaust and catalytic converter was £3800, luckily my Lexus Independent garage managed to weld the exhaust and the coolant pipe at a cost of £336.

On 8/23/2020 at 10:55 AM, MatthewLexus said:

I had my Cat stolen from my Lexus RX400H a couple of days ago. This forum really helped me but I managed to get hold of a really helpful company based in Germany that have sold over 500 Cats to the UK specifically for Lexus's. As other have said, the cat they steal is a secondary cat that does not need to be as good as it is. This company sells replacements for between £110 and £130 + shipping to the uk at £20. They go in the place of the original Cat and do the job just fine. It should cost somewhere between £50 and £80 for a garage to fit them for you and pass the UK MOT fine. This is NOT an original Lexus part but the advantage is that thieves don;t generally take them again as they know what they are looking for and it looks very different to the original system.

They currently cost at the time of writing this post £112.95 but I bought a modified version as the inlet is 55mm and the outlet is 60mm on the Lexus RX400H so the modified version has one end modified to fit straight on. The only other thing that you will need is a short piece of 55mm pipe to fit on where they cut yours off...

It is a :

Magnaflow 400 Zeller Ceramic Catalytic Converter Lexus RX 400h

fastforward performance company powered by Magnaflow SRL

Warehouse
Neuendorferstraße 64-69 Halle 24
13585 Berlin
Germany

Administration
Württembergallee 15
14052 Berlin
Germany


Cell:     +49 177 50 100 10
Phone: +49 30 3350 62 42
Phone: +49 30 3036 54 30
Fax:     +49 30 3036 54 21
Fax:     +49 30 3350 62 43
 

PLEASE NOTE : I have no affiliation with this company. I just found them extremely helpful so am posting the details here in case anyone else is in trouble like I was... There are other suppliers of the same Cat I believe. 

Hi Mathew,  I'm very sorry to hear about your theft but unfortunately It appears this problem isn't going to go away any time soon, I have also taken the same approach with an aftermarket cat and It does give me comfort to know the scrap value is pretty much zero ... let's  just hope the cat thieves also know this if they try to steal them again ...

That being said this is the same supplier I looked at but the part numbers are different, these are also advertised for the Rx and are slightly cheaper, and as they are universal cat's I doubt theres any difference, the Magnaflow 400 ceramic was £30 less and is the same size, the Magnaflow 200 metal cat was £20 less and is slightly smaller, it is purported that some improvement in performance can be gained from the metal cat on a petrol engine, I'm not sure whether this would be the case on a hybrid system like the Rx  though ...

Ceramic https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-400-Zeller-Ceramic-Catalytic-Converter-Lexus-Rx-2-1-8in-C4m/303656103323?fits=Car+Make%3ALexus|Model%3ARX|Cars+Type%3A400h&hash=item46b3506d9b:g:1m0AAOSwghddWDin

Metal https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-200-Zeller-Metal-Sport-Catalytic-Converter-Lexus-Rx-2-1-8in-M4a/303638783272?fits=Car+Make%3ALexus|Model%3ARX|Cars+Type%3A400h&hash=item46b2482528:g:7ekAAOSwtOVdZ-Ui

In the video at 5 mins 20 secs check the price list on the scrapyard wall ... note the value of an aftermarket cat .... 😂😂😂

Over a thousand a month stolen last year in London alone ... thats a repair cost of over £12 million in just one city .... > https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/catalytic-converter-theft-london-a4359216.html

I think that Toyota/Lexus need to be doing a lot more or face losing a lot of customers and watch the value of their cars plummet , who will want to buy a car thats a constant target ?  their vehicles have 3 out the top 4 most stolen cats in the uk ... some insight in the attached links...

• Honda Jazz.
• Toyota Prius.
• Toyota Auris.
• Lexus RX.

https://www.admiral.com/magazine/news/hybrid-vehicles-targeted-catalytic-converter-thefts

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/feb/01/catalytic-converter-thefts-hybrid-car-insurance-toyota-prius

This video just confirms my point about replacing a stolen cat with an oem is not the best aproach ...

7 hours ago, John B. said:

Revised Catloc for RX400H

Just in!

https://www.lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/parts/lexus-rx/lexus-rx-phase-ii-2004-2008/lexus-rx-2-exterior-interior/lexus-rx-phase-2-catalytic-converter-lock/

This looks good but the cost is way too expensive for such an old car and it just makes it more time consuming to remove so it's only a deterrent, mine was gone in under a minute outside my house at 6.30 in the morning in a busy street so if it was in carpark etc it would still be a target, this wouldn't reassure me one bit ...

The only cure I can think of would be to make the cats worthless ... so I think when they are stolen Lexus should look more to replace them with a cheaper alternative,

Ive seen new Magnaflow cats on eBay for under £100 for the Rx, so there are cheaper alternatives available, they could also pass this cost saving on to their customers who would be happier and I also doubt the cheaper ones would be worthwhile nicking so the thieves would be out of business ...

they could even do a self install kit like the one on eBay in my previous post, that's if they were genuinely concerned about thier customers and didn't just want to milk a few quid out of everyones misery by selling them a catloc which is only a deterrent as they have stated  ...  >>> "It is important to note that Catloc’s are designed as a preventative security measure against opportunist theft only, as fitment will not stop a determined criminal from removing the device and Catalyst if they have enough time and the right equipment" ...

For info I now have a price of £240 to supply and fit a new one from Powerflow in Bolton but they can't do it until next week, but it sounds way better than the £700+ Lexus quoted me ...

So they stole mine at weekend (also a lot of others in the same area the same night) and Lexus have quoted £710 fitted nearest is Bolton or Stockport but tbh I'm reluctant to fit an original Lexus cat as I fear this will just happen again so I'm thinking a non oem is not only the cheapest but the best option as they might leave it alone ... but it appears after a good search around that I can't find any exhaust fabricators in Manchester ??? ... nearest being again Bolton or Stockport both of which couldn't be more vague on prices and timeframes ...

Looking at the diy route I have found a Magnaflow cat on eBay for £120 delivered from Germany but would need the fittings etc ... I also found this for £240 delivered which i'm thinking of going for as it's ready to fit, any thoughts/advice much appreciated ... >>>  https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-RX400h-Exhaust-catalytic-converter-Ready-To-Fit-Including-Fitting-Kit/264741084906?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D225076%26meid%3Da9b8547874554aa38e872dea1f3a95b5%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D7%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D303279328247%26itm%3D264741084906%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV1Filter%26brand%3DLexus&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Without knowing more about the car it's difficult to give advice ... the mileage, the service history, has it had a bump is it used for towing etc ... I do agree with Les though the hybrid system is a seperate system, are you sure they changed the hybrid rad ? ... If it was the engine rad that failed it would make more sense but that might not have been the actual cause ...

anyway if its still overheating and losing water, if you find where its losing it from this may give you a clue as to whats wrong, ...  also make sure your fan is working, if everythings water tight and its still overheating I would change the thermostat and hope that cures it, and make sure there are no air locks in the water system, If the pumps due and hasn't been changed then it would be next, I would also change the timing belt & tensioner if I was doing the pump ... if the heads gone i would think that it would be a knock on from overheating ... I wouldn't use the car at all while its overheating  ...

Cheers Phil, I'll get on it tomorrow morning .... ;-)

On 01/01/2018 at 12:51 PM, lurch said:

Some advice, they are the exact same battery as fitted to a MR2 roadster only about £20 cheaper for the MR2. I have both cars and found this out after I paid more for the Lexus. 

Hi Phil, can you confirm which model/year Mr2 is the same please, and do you happen to know if the Bosch Battery ( Part Number: S4021) is the same size as the one for the Mr2/Rx 400 m8 ... I have a quote  for £55 for this Battery from Costco ... they don't list one for the Rx 400 but this one is listed for the Mr2  ... cheers

On 01/01/2018 at 10:50 AM, Shaw RX said:

Happy new year to all!!!

I need a new battery for the engine bay - mine has had it. I have a trade card at halfords so gonna head there today. 

Via their website, they do not list the battery for my 2008 RX400H. Has anyone fitted a halfords Battery and if so which number? 

Hi Steven, can I ask which Battery did you end up fitting .... I think I may also need one.

On 02/01/2018 at 10:11 AM, Shaw RX said:

Looks like they put a more powerful one in for you. I guess as long as it fits in the space and has the same power as before, or more, then that’s fine. Thank you. 

replacement on my IS < < ...... I take it this isn't  the same Battery as the one on the RX ? .....