Rabbers

Indeed so, but I would also be a little concerned about the German police as they might consider it an offence. They are known to skulk around motorway services, hotel car-parks etc., checking for roadworthiness. I would suggest you check with the German Embassy or Consulate about the acceptability of mixed treads.

I think I know the type you mean, chamois-like, and made in thin and less thin versions, the latter quite absorbent. I’m sorry if I sound like a dispenser of housekeeping tips in a lady’s magazine but while I agree that the thin version is good for wiping off liquids and foams, I find that it can develop a mildewy smell unless scrupulously washed and dried after every use. Also, preservation slightly damp in a plastic envelope is undesirable for much the same reason. Or so has been my experience even with supposedly premium branded ones.

Never been completely happy with microfibre cloths for applying or removing glass cleaning products. Prefer good old-fashioned cotton ones because they seem to spread and absorb liquids better, with less smudging.

I understand - correct me if I’m wrong - that the Stones have gone woke and dropped Brown Sugar from their future live repertoire. So that’s what I’m listening to today … and maybe the next few days too.

I have driven the entire length of Germany to Denmark on the autobahn several times in the RC300h (in both the 2019 and 2016 models), taking advantage of the absence of speed limits on long stretches where I aim to maintain a minimum cruising speed of 160kmh (100mph), this being a level I feel I can manage for long periods without straining my faculties. Depending on weather, traffic, roadworks etc., and the speed limits around cities, my average speed for the whole drive hovers around 110-115kmh (68-71mph) with fuel consumption, measured brim-to-brim, of 12.5-14.0km/l (36-39mpg). Subsequent stays in Denmark also involve mainly motorway driving but with fairly strict adherence to the local limit of 110kmh (68mph) relieved by rare and relatively short 130kmh (80mph) stretches. Here, I average 90-100kmh (56-62mph), achieving far greater constancies of speed than in Germany, with an overall consumption of around 17km/l (48mpg) inclusive of occasional peaks of 19.5km/l (55mpg) on some long drives. Although these consumption figures are specific to the RC I would imagine that the percentage differences between German- and Danish-type scenarios would also apply to other Lexus models with the same or similar powertrain or more recent evolutions thereof. That better consumption results from lower and more constant speeds is hardly surprising. What is surprising is the prospectively very large margin for economising illustrated by the above figures and underlined by reports in this thread of spectacularly good results obtained by the ES simply by sticking to speed limits. Were I to discipline myself to habitually driving no faster than is permitted or is strictly necessary without feeling as though I am driving a crock, I would save a hell of a lot of fuel and money and might even learn to derive some satisfaction from it.

I think this thread has become a bit tangled.

You mean SEAT before VW took them over?

And to think I was previously only worried about the Mob putting out a contract ….

I’m Spartacus! … No! I’m Spartacus !! …..

I see Lexus has slipped to sixth place in the 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey from third in 2021. The survey is based on the number of reported complaints during the first ninety days of new car ownership. The winner, amazingly, was Buick, and KIA marginally pipped Lexus for fifth place. Lexus, one is glad to learn, was top among premium cars. The results for the Toyota Group require closer analysis, especially in relation to electronic components availabilities during the Pandemic.

This being a Lexus owners’ forum, the narratives naturally tend to be one-sided. But, dare I say it, there must be someone somewhere in the world whose car got a ding or scratch from parking next to a Lexus.

My wife and I have long had a running bet about whether we will find a car or cars next to ours after parking by choice in glorious isolation in remote parts of car-parks. She says we will and, as the optimist in the family, I say we won’t. My estimate is that she’s ahead two to one.

Surely you weren’t expecting anything else?

Yes, the RC manual also tells you not to use a pin “or other object” to clear the nozzle because you will damage it. I am guessing that this is because the pin is solid and, if wiggled, can physically deform the nozzle walls and/or opening. I am generally reluctant to ignore the manual but, whenever I see what looks like lime scale developing in and around the nozzles, I strip a short length of electrical wire and use one of the internal copper strands to unclog them. No doubt anything similarly thin and flexible and not prone to snapping would also do the trick.

Yes. Long on talent but short on star quality, more’s the pity.

Good, not unexpectedly. But I can’t quite get used to hearing and seeing him without a guitar.

It absolutely was. I’ve lost the reference but it was either the BBC or the NYT news app. Unless it’s now been dropped from the headlines you should easily be able to find it along with other tasty examples of the spokeperson’s art.

A Toyota spokesman said: “If a wheel detaches itself while driving [you] can lose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of accidents”. I have sympathy for the guy but I think I could have worked that out for myself.

I imagine Toyota are much relieved the problem is “only” mechanical. The alternative would have been a PR disaster and a possible return to the drawing board.

And Subaru too, for the same reason, i.e. the possibility that the wheels might come off …!!! 😳

The idea is good, Pete, and it’s a shame that it is not easily practicable after-sale or that Lexus does not offer it as standard or even as an optional on its leather seats. Embossed logos, not to mention the embroidered ones you can get on top cars like Bentley, Ferrari etc., always succeed in looking impressive without being naff.

My habit of using anti-theft nuts results from an experience I had some thirty years ago in a respectable suburb of Brussels where, early one morning, I surprised a masked person in the act of removing one of the rear wheels of my company BMW 525. He had lifted the rear of the car onto a cinder block using wooden wedges and fortunately not yet started on the other wheels. When I shouted at him he ran off to a waiting van taking his wrench with him. That he could have attacked me with it was a thought that only occurred to me a few minutes later when I took mine from the boot in order to screw the wheel back on, and I still shudder at the memory.

It never was until it happened to you.

I haven’t compared prices but I’m sure you are right. On the other hand, my set of Toyota/Lexus originals has accompanied me on seven cars and many 100Ks of km and still look new (though I must say the grooves are a b*****d to clean), so I can objectively say the quality is excellent. I don’t know how qualities vary from one producer to the next, but you occasionally see nuts with unsightly corroded or peeling surfaces.

I keep the key in a little black pouch and leave it permanently in my armrest pocket where I can see it or, more importantly, am likelier to notice if it is not there. Since, other than in the event of a puncture, I would prospectively only miss the key a couple of times a year after switching between winter and summer tyres, the presence of the pouch in which I handed it over reminds the tyre guy to return it and me to get it returned before driving off. The need to put the key back in the pouch may not in itself avoid mix-ups in the workshop but I would think it reduces the chances thereof.