Spottedlaurel

I could have done with reading this 2-3 weeks ago! I needed a set of four for mine, at the time Michelins were expensive or not readily available. Can't find the CrossClimates on there under my registration and postcode. I ended up going for Continental All Season Contacts which I'm pleased with so far. Just under £700 fitted at a local tyre fitters, plus tracking.

I've never been along to one of these events or even made an enquiry as a result of one. Worth a phone call perhaps? I imagine they'll be giving more allowance on RX than new NX. I imagine that will be reflected in future trade-in values, once it's replaced the RX will depreciate more quickly? The PCP on my 2014 RX comes to an end soon. Knowing how desirable it would be as a trade-in it'd be very interesting to go and see what kind of deal I could get, but I'm keeping what I've got and getting out of car finance. I'm too near the end of my working life to commit myself to another 3-4 years, then having to pay it off or start over again. If I was changing this time around I'd only be considering another RX, but that's because my budget only stretches to used cars. However, if I can manage it when it's time to pension off my current RX in 5-10 years' time then the NX450 will be of considerable interest to me.

Steven Eagell are having one of their "Manager's Confidential New Car Events" next weekend, with up to £5,000 deposit allowance. I don't know whether they have any genuine savings available that you wouldn't get elsewhere with a bit of negotiation.

I went through an exchange on my 1st RX. In my case I kept it for a week or two after the 30 days as they didn't have anything suitable as a replacement. I think the important thing was to get the request logged before the 30 days was up. Might be more of a struggle to find an alternative now, due to the shortage of decent used cars?

What one did you get please George? I drive to work every day, but of course I'm not using my older cars so much/at all in the depths of winter when a solar charger would be least effective. When I remember I disconnect the battery, that's usually OK for the one that's in the garage but it's a pain with the LS400 on the driveway.

New battery fitted to LS400 today. Actually the second in the space of a year, I made the mistake of letting the last one go flat when I wasn't using it much before/just after Christmas and it wouldn't then take a charge. Must make sure I start using it more regularly, at least until the MoT is due in March, then we'll see what the tester says......

Yup. I'm probably getting a bigger drop than that, but at present I'm rarely doing any journeys longer than 10 miles.

At that age you'lll be going between pre- and post-update cars - from memory they changed a few things in 2012. I don't anything too significant was revised, so gor whichever is in better condition. Try to avoid air suspension as noted above, make sure the power tailgate works OK (cold/damp weather seems to bring on a spate of failures each year), otherwise I suppose just look out for the normal things on a used car. Good history, sensibe number of owners who've each kept it for a while, etc. Watch out for the 12v battery if it'll go for periods of time without being used. Will a Lexus approved car be within budget? That'll get you a decent year's warranty, but I believe the Relax warranty will cover you if you have it serviced by a main dealer up to 10 years old, and there's an additional product available at 10+ years old and under 150k miles. I don't believe mileage should be an issue on a well-maintained example. My 2014 Luxury is admittedly relatively low mileage for its age at around 52k, but I'm planning on keeping it for some years to come and I have no najor concerns about that.

Sorry to read this Brian, but it sounds like a sensible course of action before you keep pouring money into it. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

I exchanged the first one I had. It was a Lexus approved used car, but despite that it had underside damage which I didn't think was right on a car costing decent money from a main dealer. That was obviously a fault peculiar to that car, but it could be worth checking in case a previous owner thought they had more of an off-roader than the RX really is. The one I got instead just does its job. After nearly three years the only issue I'm having is squeaking brakes, possibly because of lipped discs.

Welcome. My RX450 isn't high mileage yet so I can't speak from personal experience, but I doubt the hybrid system or its battery will present any problems. The 12v battery might cause you a problem, but they all suffer with that if the car isn't regularly used or the battery isn't left on a trickle charge if stood for a while. Several threads on here about that issue. Air suspension on the Premier model is best avoided for peace of mind. I don't know if the 400's problem with rear subframe rust will transfer onto the 450 once they get a bit older. I've noticed on mine there are a lot of places where the muck and crud can sit in that area. Given the price of most used cars at present I imagine even the oldest 450 will still command a fair price. They don't seem to hang around for long on the main dealer ad's.

Another vote here for the black plastic strip. Mine was fitted when I bought the car used, it's doubtless saved the bumper from marks and damage where I've been loading heavy boxes, furniture etc in and out during our recent house move.

It seems like a good compromise to me. Admittedly I'm not in the market for one at present, I'd like to keep my low mileage RX for at least another five years. By that time it'll be clear(er) as to which way things are heading, and the NX PHEV will be rather more within my budget! The UX300e is too small for me (much as I liked the driving experience), but fairly soon family transport won't be as much of an issue and the NX will be ideal size-wise. Full electric will be good for my normal work journeys and local running around - the short trips which probably do most to knock my MPG - but I'll still have something which can be used on long trips without charging concerns. I just hope some of you folks who are buying one now/soon spec it nicely and look after it so I have a good choice in a few years' time.....

Interesting (and saddening) to see we're getting enquiries about this one again. Is it related to the onset of cold, damp weather?

Interesting how different Lexus dealerships interpret it then - mine did not require this when I had it serviced by a main dealer at 40k miles and six years old. My service book is clear that plugs need to be changed only at 60,000 miles, unlike most other items it doesn't give a time alternative.

That link is for the US, and also the gen 4 model? Just looked in the service book for my 2014 RX, it mentions plugs at 60,000 miles only, not six years, so you might find they haven't been done yet. They haven't been done on mine, which has just clicked over 50k. Air filter is every 40,000 miles/four years, so timewise you're due one (if not already done), otherwise you're a long way off from the engine coolant at 100k or invertor coolant at 150,000 miles.

That's good, given that the CC2s are more expensive. As mentioned in another thread, Blackcircles are giving 15% off at present which knocks the price down from just under £700 to just over £600. I don't think the £100 refund works with them however, I couldn't see them on Michelin's list.

Something I'm contemplating too. There's enough left in mine to see me through the winter,but it feels like it would be better to get a new set of all-seasons now to make the most of them. Avon AS7s often seem to be available at ATS with free/reduced price fitting. Currently looks to be £50 off four, so a full set should be just under £500. Blackcircles list three different versions of CrossClimate, all currently available at 15% off. So £604 forthe originals, £638 for S1s and £660 for CC2s. Fuel rating improves with each version, but the CC2 is listed at 71dB vs. 69 for the others. The offers on Michelins seem to come and go quickly. I've regretted not taking one up before, might be time now.....

A great summary and good news for the planned long-term ownership of my 2014 RX. Due to its low mileage and good history I want to keep it for as long as possible, it'll get to 10 years old before 100k so Relax will do me until then, but it's useful to know the new offering is available to cover me beyond that time. If I still have it after 15 years/150,000 miles then I'll be pretty confident in how it's going, and I'll just run it the same as any other older car I've previously owned without any great issue. I'm certainly not worrying about having one on my LS400 at 29 years old and 164k miles......

I had the interesting experience of driving a UX300e on Friday,when my RX went in for a service and MoT and all their loan cars were low on fuel. Here are my thoughts on it as a newcomer to the fully electric driving experience......... I have no idea what model it was, but it looked very similar to a new one in the showroom that had a price tag of around £52,000. Just under 7,000 miles on the clock. I think the blue paintwork had a pearl/metallic effect, but it wasn't immediately obvious in lower light conditions. It was my first experience of both the UX and driving a fully electric car. Coming from a hybrid the basic drive felt similar, but I wasn't prepared for the immediate and rapid acceleration. Neither my RX nor LS400 are exactly slow in that department, but in day-to-day use I think the UX felt even quicker. As it was fairly low on charge I had to leave it at home while I used the LS for a trip out during the day, so I ended up with the unusual experience of driving RX, UX and LS back-to-back. All very different of course, but the basic smoothness was common to all three. The LS still acquits itself very well as a luxury car, and the V8 and normal automatic transmission combination moves it along in such a way that it's not always apparent what form of propulsion it has. I used standard 3-pin outlets to top it up for the day. On that basis it said it would take over 18 hours to 'fill the tank', and I reckon it was taking about an hour for each 10 miles additional range. I can certainly see how a fully electric car would work for us on local joureys, but for longer trips I'd want to keep my RX for as long as possible, with perhaps a change to the NX450h PHEV in a few years time. That appears to offer a good combination until really fast charging options (or even hydrogen) become the norm. Inside is where it didn't work so well for me. The seats lightened things up a bit, but overall I found it very gloomy, almost claustrophobic. The headlining and chunky pillars were also black, with the latter severly limiting over-the-shoulder visibility (I can see what it has those blind spot monitor lights). The windscreen felt rather short too. I never did get used to the 'gearshift', finding it difficult to go quickly between forwards and reverse when manouevring. Steering felt very eager but a little artificial. That being said, when I drove the LS that then felt a bit heavy and lazy so I obviously got used to it. Brakes were quite sharp after an initial press of the pedal. I'm not one for gadgets, so I found the dashboard, large display screen and HUD a little overwhelming on my day with it, but I imagine they can be configured differently and I'd get used to them. My 2014 RX is quite basic in that regard. In conclusion, an interesting experience and I'm glad to have driven one at last. As an overall package I don't think the UX is for me - I'm used to the size and feel of something larger like the RX, and it would be an expensive indulgence as a second car for Mrs SL. However the driving experience was very impressive and I look forward to seeing how Lexus/Toyota roll that out to other models, whether that's as a full BEV or plug-in hybrid like the forthcoming NX450h.

I had an Advance for a month, but there was an issue with the condition of it and I ended up with a Luxury instead. In day-to-day use the differences are minimal. The Advance I had came with the panoramic roof, it was a novelty but I don't miss it. Later Advance models have diamond-cut alloys which might need refurbishment. Earlier ones had chunky 7-spoke wheels, which I think are unique to that model. You don't need to worry about air suspension on the Advance, which is probably a good thing.

Obviously you'd rather it hadn't have happened in the first place, but great result Mark! Good to know there are still competent, helpful people out there.

A 60k service will get you new plugs as I recall, which adds a fair bit to the bill.

What about the power tailgate motor/board on hatchback/estate models? That appears to have been an issue with RX models last winter.

It's mine 🙂 The only Lexus in attendance as far as I could see. Funky graphic! I occasionally use the tape player in my LS400, as I have one or two cassettes that I don't have in any other format. After approaching 30 years it still works well.