jumbojake

The 12v battery is charged from the traction battery, but only after the 12v has fired up the computer, which activates the traction battery…. This is why a dead 12v is a pain. the engine charges the traction battery, but is only started by the traction battery…

This video might help, he does loads of great videos exclusively on Lexus/Toyota ... for this one, there is a good horn fault diagnosis towards the end... might give some clues if you are handy with a meter

yes, I got that last year, when I tried to put my 20yr son on it.... told him to buy a small Toyota instead... sadly they are not cheap anymore !

likewise was with LV .. liked their service when my wife bumped the Rx a few years ago.. but they doubled for both my IS and Rx this year.... so moved to Aviva and Hastings... seems to be grab the deal of the day, with the right comparison site.. for both, the deals were only valid for that day .. otherwise it is really expensive ... crazy for such old cars now

have you checked for signs of rodents ? ... they can cause havoc in wiring looms

ours jumped from £380 to £800 ... switched to Hastings for £500 ... have to search though, not all of these comparison sites are the same and going direct was worse

just adding to this, curious to know if other owners have noticed/observed - does the lock motor engage every time you close the boot, however firmly... or just when closed softly ? - have you had to adjust the lock position, to improve the hold ? - have you noticed the same squeaking/rubbing noise from the boot door whilst driving ?

We’ve noticed our 2015 Rx450h is making horrible rubbing noises at the rear, we think it is the boot lid not fully latching… and notice sometimes the motor, which pulls in the boot lid doesn’t always work .. but when it does, we don’t hear the noises, of what we think is the boot door rubber creaking when driving along. anyone had a similar problem, any thoughts?

lots of fakes out there, so avoid unkown retailers... IMO, best value to get as part of a service kit set from a trusted retailer.... I tend to find lexus parts direct often do a good deal, but be careful as they once supplied me the wrong oil for the IS200d (it needs a c2 type). An alternative is "parts in motion" ... had some good prices from them also... if not genuine, I tend to use blueprint.

the reality is, regardless of your preference, they are coming, despite the governments best attempts to protect the oil industry, with lack of investment in the new infrastructure the force of change across the globe is driving it.... ironically, your drive to Europe will likely be much easier once you are out of the UK Each new generation will improve on the previous, it took a long time to make petrol cars reliable, pretty sure EV's are ahead of that curve. Ultimately, for most people, an overnight change once a week will be enough for the weeks driving, which avoid the inconvenience of petrol stations .... it's just a change to the way you think. For me, I can't justify changing my car, for any reason, at the moment.... but EV will be on the table to review when that time comes

Same at the Morrisons in Sittingbourne, Kent last night … but other stations nearby looked ok.. so possibly success of the 7p discount scheme…. again, any blip to how people fill up, the delivery system struggles… looks like they haven’t fixed the problems from before.

Ultimately, as more people move to EV, for whatever reason, the demand for petrol will reduce and the fragility of the fuel supply we have seen recently will only get worse until there are only a few stations left… as far as I can see, there will be nothing to stop anyone owning an old petrol car, but the availability of fuel might make it impractical. If you like old school, you could always get a horse, nothing stopping you, but it hard to find a blacksmith.

You have to be careful with some of the stuff you see on line, much of it is US spec and also specific to the IS250. Best place is Lexus themselves, for 3Euros on your credit card, you get 1hour to view and download the official documents, which you know are suitable for your chassis number. I've found everything I need on there for both IS200d and RX450h ... really useful. it's hard to find via Lexus uk website, but it is there..... to make it easier, use this link https://www.lexus-tech.eu/

Gold star to VFR …. Another good look this weekend, and it was a sticky piston … I replaced with a refurb unit (£80)…. It’s working perfectly now, but I regret trying to save few quid on the part. They powdercoated everything, so I had grind off where the brakeline mounts. Then the rubber boots were very suspect quality, luckily the old ones were fine. The brake nipple was weird small size, that I didn’t have a pipe for… again salvaged the old one. Finally, it didn’t come with a new brake hose washer, so I annealed the old one which seems to seal ok. it was the first time I attempted to save a few quid on maintenance, lesson learnt…. Still, despite the extra effort, looks solid and happy it’s safe for the road again.

The sliders are ok, re-greased them last week and check again today, move ok. Sticky piston release might be a good shout… the pads were changed 6months ago, might have pushed rusty piston back…. years ago you could get kits to repair,I guess nowadays it a replacement unit any thoughts to a quick test to prove it, without stripping?