SH20

I drove 170 miles to collect this car. This Premium Pack ES was the only one in the entire Lexus Network in Mesa Red and tan leather interior when I saw it. Like hen's teeth in this spec. It arrived at the dealer who said this colour combo/spec won't hang around long. Sales talk maybe but there was some truth to it as I just couldn't pin one down. What I am getting to is this car was coming home with me unless there was some significant reason why I wouldn't want it. I've had a Premium Edition ES but the spec is well below a Premium Pack and my very first ES in 2019 was a premium pack so I knew my third ES had to be a premium pack The scuffed bumper is something I don't even think they knew anything about even when they did the second year service before I went down. My life was spent in body shops so the actual damage was an easy fix for me but I take the point that a Lexus approved car shouldn't be sold with this sort of paint defect. I agreed £150 reduction on the price as it was agreed the damage came under the heading of a Smart Repair or localised paint repair. I intend to take the bumper off again in a years time and have the bumper fully painted to bring it back to new condition but this localised repair will do till then. I'm at the stage now where I need to use some stopper paste or body putty as some people call it. It's very fine grade of filler and is good for very fine micro scratches prior to priming. Not sure the parking sensors will need to be re calibrated. I removed both bumpers on a Lexus LS460 for repainting once and the sensors worked fine when reconnected.

So after 3 weeks I'm just getting round to repairing the damage I discovered on the day I collected the car. This was damage I was told would need to be accepted as it was a used car after all. You couldn't make this up. If the same type of damage was visible on a roof, door, wing or bonnet would it have to be acceptable. Just because it's good old fashioned kerb scuffing and out of sight I was expected to just accept it and pay £32K for the privilege. After a suitable figure was deducted from the sale price I'm ready to repair it. The bumper on an ES is held in place by 22 fixings and 3 wiring connectors and one screen wash pipe. About 20 mins to get it off. Nothing too serious and the plastic filler primers, normal primer and top coat and lacquer I'm using at home will improve things considerably as it's low down, mainly on the bottom lip and out of eye line.

Lexus Cambridge, don't get me started. Bought a car there 2 weeks ago only to discover they didn't organise the 12 month Lexus Roadside Assist Policy which I only discovered after ringing the customer services of Assist to ask them to update my policy with my private plate. Your car is not known to us was the reply. Dealer pointing fingers now at anybody but themselves. The car is only 16 months old so has 20 months left of the original 3 year Roadside Assist but still I and my car are invisible to Road side assist. I don't exist whether your talking about the 3 year roadside assist or the 12 month roadside assist dealers give with used car sales. If I broke down tomorrow or was hit by another driver The AA would not be sending anyone out to me because the Computer says NO !!!!!!!! Total disgrace. A stiff letter to Steven Eagell is being drafted and ready to send.

Dave pretty sure a retro fit CD unit would not be possible. The wring harness alone would be different to cars with CD players already fitted. Of course transferring a lifetime's collection of CD's to a large capacity flash drive is possible but what a task that would be. The current model range of car's can see USB devices if they are plugged in and are fully compatible with the steering wheel controls. I use a flash drive for music even though the car has a CD player but it is nice just to pop one in for the odd occasion when it's a favorite band etc.

I kept back the 4 Toyota CHR winter mats when I traded it for my 3rd ES and so use the rear CHR mats in the ES. While not a duplicate foot print of the carpet mat it is close and will do the job given Lexus don't do a rear set for the ES On a different note is just cost that Manufacturers stopped refinishing their alloy wheels on the inside to match the finish of the outside. I definitely remember cleaning wheels in previous years on all sorts of cars where the painted finish was as good on the outside. Now they don't bother and leave you with a base alloy finish with the obvious black overspray when the outside is painted before machine facing. I guess that's why wheel refurbishment companies get a lot of praise when they powder coat the inside and outside before lacquering. Still they do make an attractive alloy wheel if you ignore the inside finish.

Once I got past the ridiculous cost of rubber mats I realised that the hot rubber extrusion machine that spat them out must have been expensive to produce. Not every ES customer would want them and are happier with the very nice carpet set you get but when you look close at these winter mats the weight and quality is there to see. Not sure why you can't buy rear mats as well. Pity then I gave the first set of these I had away after trading in the ES. I gave them to a good friend who drives a Toyota Camry which shares the same floor pan. At least I didn't pay for them, part of a protection pack the dealer fitted as part of the deal back in 2019.

Premium Pack spec has natural leather and thankfully doesn't have that highly grained look which a lot of manufacturers go for. The Lexus ES Takumi goes one better and has semi aniline leather, super soft and only used on the top line models but I think all LS models have it as standard. Never knew what semi aniline leather was until I asked and it turns out the pigment colour goes all the way through the hide from front to back whereas traditional leather is effectively sprayed on the surface with limited penetration. The advantage with synthetic leather is it resists creasing and doesn't really need feeding. Much more robust in day to day use. My second ES was a Premium Edition and it looked just the same to me. So 3 days of cleaning have finished. I can stop obsessing on how dirty it was.

OUCH !!

The interior is where I need it to be now.

Forgot to say Tony the engine bay looks very clean, really nice to see old cars given a fresh look.

Spoke with Lexus Hull today about the software update and she went in to the car's history and confirmed the 2 nd year service was recorded and what was booked to the car in terms of parts etc. They will be doing a fresh health check because it's Lexus Policy to do one for any car that goes in to the workshop. I asked for a Hybrid health check certificate after the hybrid system is checked, they agreed immediately. Feel happier that the dealer seems interested .

Pretty sure that looks like a Triumph maybe a TR model with it's twin carbs. Yes? No? Good old Solvol Autosol, a great product for shiny bits. Looks like you are detailing it in your kitchen Tony !! You can see the laminate/wooden flooring.

Looks more like what I am used to.

Interesting that the online records via the My Lexus Link are considered useless to worthless. I'm awaiting on my new V5 so I can enter a code number on the App to validate I do own the car before I can see if there is any service history. I was told a second year service was carried out but if a dealer can enter it on the history record but don't actual do the work but stamp a book to say they did then I agree it's worthless. I guess if you sit there at a dealership while your car is being serviced and then pay an invoice you have some hope that the invoice can be used as evidence. I think though that if Lexus discovered any nonsense about stamping service books without doing the work the dealer would have answer for it. I bought a Lexus service plan today on a monthly payment scheme and after it was set up the lady rang me to say after entering my car's details it identified a software update recall had not been done. I wonder why Lexus Cambridge didn't action this recall if they entered the second year service on the database. I'm booked in for the recall on Monday next and they said I could wait while it's done. At least this dealer seems interested in looking after my interests.

You don't need to be as OCD as me but some Lexus Dealers need to up their game when they ask £32K for a 16 month old vehicle. Images say it all. Swissvax Leather cleaner and Conditioner used. Lots more to do on the interior. Set a service plan today with Lexus Hull my nearest dealer who said the car needs a software update which hasn't been done according to the vehicle details/history which they accessed on their system. Question? Why didn't this pop up with Lexus Cambridge who just completed the 2nd year service, or did they? Once I add this car to the "My Lexus" Link app I will check myself the recorded service history. Ordering a new Lexus avoids all this nonsense and questionable history and issues which comes with a used car.

Very tired just now. Left East Yorkshire at 5am today and arrived at Lexus Cambridge at 8.30am. Arrived home 4pm. Long story short: Car was outside and it was raining, the rain stopped and the rain water was wiped away with micro fibre towels to allow a proper look at the paintwork and if any dents dings etc were hiding. I told the sales person I wanted to be left alone while I checked the car. He went to look at my 11 month old Toyota CHR and was back in 5 minutes saying everything was just fine. I knew that he would be unable to find any faults. I spent the next hour on my own and went over every inch of the car, inside and out. Fortunately no dents or dings or scratches in the ES body panels but I found a scuff about 8 inches long under the front bumper lip on the nearside, very consistent with riding up a kerb or sleeping policeman at low speed. The drivers seat was really grubby as I suggested previously but not a mark on any other seat. The tan colour was perfect. This car was used by a single individual. Factory plastic still in place on various bits of interior trim. Engine compartment needs a good power wash, dusty but will respond to some detailing. No fluid leaks which is normal for a Lexus engine. Service book up to date and 2nd year service done yesterday, oil very clean. Did I accept the car? Yes I did. However the manager agreed to reimburse me £125 to cover the scuff which we agreed would fall under the heading of a localised "Smart Repair" and would normally be done insitu. No need to paint the full bumper and I will sort this scuff out myself. The last thing I want is to risk painting full panels in Mesa Red metallic. I had taken a small kit of detailing products with me in case I came across anything that might prove troublesome but didn't need them. I am however going to do a half and half clean and treatment of the driver's leather seat base cover using Swissvax leather cleaner. I want the dealer to appreciate what should be done for their customers in terms of pre owned vehicle preparation. In summary I am more than happy with the Car and once cleaned properly inside and out as well as a full machine polish it will look like the car the dealer should have presented. Thinking ahead in about 2 years I reckon a pre owned Takumi ES will be in reach.

On the eve of collecting or hoping to collect and drive home tomorrow the ES300 in Cambridge (340 mile round trip) it's odd that all sorts of "what if's" stop popping up in my head. What if the 46 images of the car just don't reflect the true condition of the car. The 20,000 miles it's done in 16 months is not the issue or concern for a Lexus vehicle, I know this, but a couple of images have been nagging away, one is a scratch above the driver's door handle and the other is the driver's seat particularly if I click the overhead video link of the interior as it pans round. Clever option that but it clearly shows the hallmarks of a well used uncleaned leather seat base which is very shiny and grubby looking. You know what I mean, a lot of in and out cycles which eventually leave that horrible shiny and greasy looking residue on a light coloured leather. Both of these things can be resolved and my life spent in the world of Body and Paint shops will require nothing more than a heavy cut compound and machine polishing for the scratch and I have yet to see any piece of leather trim NOT respond to Swissvax Leather Cleaner, the very best on the market even if it is ridiculously expensive. What it shows though is how dealerships think their general understanding of vehicle presentation and my own will never ever match. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

The original post back in Jan 2022 started by yours truly reminded me of the £281 incl vat I paid for the tool tray quoted at the outset. No surprise then that a preliminary enquiry with the same dealer I bought it from and ahead of the collection of the ES300 I expect to pick up tomorrow in Cambridge that the exact same part is now £320 incl vat, a £40 increase or approx a 15% increase in 18 months. Not sure if I am consoled by the fact the front ES winter rubber mats x 2 are now £240 incl vat compared to the £400 they once were back in 2019 when I first had them. I gave them away to a friend who owns a Camry which has the same floor pan as an ES because I moved over to a Toyota CHR temporarily as it turns out. So buying both items again is a bit hard to swallow. I sold the tool tray not ever thinking I would need another for my space saver spare. Unfortunately Lexus no longer sell Boot Floor liners, can you believe that, a current model like the ES and Lexus just say No. I sold that part as well back in 2022. I'll have to use the CHR boot floor liner as a stop gap but E Bay have some which are quoted as being for the ES300 for £42. It looks the same shape but likely to be a poor copy. At least the Chinese mud flaps I bought off E Bay which other members also found are something I didn't get rid of. I know they will fit perfectly as they were clearly designed for the ES300. I just hope I will be driving back from Cambridge tomorrow in the ES and not my CHR.

Lexus e mailed me about service plans. £43 per month for a 2 year plan for 2 services, 2 MOTs and 2 years road side assist. Not sure if this is a good deal or not.

A lot of references to steering wheel bars etc. Are Wheel clamps the answer for overnight parking when I assume most of these thefts occur? Impractical and I guess reliant on a super secure padlock but then bolt cutters will form part of the thieves operational tool kit. I drive a Toyota CHR and about to trade it for a 2022 ES but you've got me thinking now.

I must be missing something regarding the CAN invasion technique, What is this in relation to headlamp wiring? I keep my keys for my keyless entry in a screening wallet at home at night to avoid the code being scanned externally but this CAN thing seems to be something completely different and makes all cars ripe for theft.

What is wrong with using the My Lexus App to locate your vehicle? It identifies where the car is at all times and never turns off. It obviously must use the in built GPS in the car's software just like a mobile phone can be located. Or am I missing something? An Insurers insistence a car is fitted with a tracking device seems un necessary.

I wonder if a March 2022 ES300h with a Premium Pack in Mesa Red with Tan leather at £32K is considered by the membership as reasonable or not. The car is at a Lexus dealership and has had it's first and second year services completed by the Lexus dealer and is a one owner vehicle with 20K miles. Will have the standard 12 month Lexus warranty from July 2023 and 12 months Road Side Assist. I've ordered in the past a new 2019 ES with Premium Pack £38,500 and a new 2022 ES Premium Edition £39.750 so to me this 2022 ES Premium Pack seems a fair price. I tried to buy an April 2020 ES Takumi with 25K miles at £34K from another Lexus dealer but he just didn't want to know regarding my trade in, an August 2022 registered 2.0 litre Toyota CHR, top Excel spec with 4K miles and fitted with Toyota's JBL sound system and in white pearlescent paint. I was told The group's sister Toyota dealership just next door didn't want it. He said the used car price bubble has burst !! I got the impression he couldn't be bothered to strike a deal so maybe he still believes it's a seller's market still. That car is still for sale.

Thanks Neil, Hope all is well over there in Bolton. I'm expecting great things with this Premium Pack ES, having had my very first ES with this spec. I'm hoping it's been described accurately. Should be OK and the standard 12 month Lexus warranty and road side assist from the 19th July will give me a decent cushion before the 3rd service back over here in Hull East Yorks in 2024 when of course a further 12 months Lexus warranty will be given under the Lexus Relax scheme. I'll transfer my full size CHR space saver spare wheel over to the ES and likely buy a tool holder tray in due course. I did keep my ES mud flaps from my last ES which a lot of members have bought from China via E Bay which fit perfectly.

Looks great Rakesh, I think the black accents around the car, e.g vents , grille, mirrors etc make a great contrast to the red. Just hoping when I get to stand in front of the car I'm seeing next week the previous owner has been a car lover. He's bought a 2023 identical copy of it anyway.