SH20

Cable only use is my understanding. My Android phone will enable Google maps with audio but it works only as long as the phone is physically connected by a cable.

Wow !! GSF... Even when I owned a GS450h Premier which I loved and was my first taste of Lexus hybrids I would have just loved to own a GSF or even a ISF just because of that remarkable normally aspirated V8. The LS460 SE-L I owned had a more subtle 4.6 litre V8 by comparison and not designed to be a tarmac tearing monster. I note how the ISF is very popular in the USA given the demise of the GSF I think and haven't seen a bad review of how it performs. Interesting how the values of used GSF and ISF cars in this country are always strong. No wonder the Toyota GR Yaris has become an icon already and a future classic because when Toyota decide to design a rocket ship they create something enthusiasts recognise immediately.

While some members have had the Lexus Nextbase camera fitted I must call out the sterling service Nextbase give even when the camera is out of warranty. I use Nextbase cameras in my own ES and the wife's Yaris. Nextbase had a problem recently in answering the phone on their dedicated support line but that seems to have resolved itself now. I fitted a new Nextbase 522GW with a rear camera in my new ES and that is hard wired into the car like the dealer does for their own fit and supply service and my new camera has been fine obviously as it's only a few months old. I removed my original Nextbase five year old 512GW camera, again with a rear camera from my 1st ES and refitted it into the wife's Yaris using a hard wire kit and it has been fine up to last week. I have had it around 5 years and gave me no problem up to last week. Problems with holding a charge resulted in a call to Nextbase for help. They said they have a service to investigate problems for out of warranty cameras and said they would send me an email to fill in the fault details/issues. I sent it back by return and they then sent me a repair number and address label for me to send them the camera. All within 24 hours. The camera will be with them tomorrow the 14th March and when their Engineer has identified the problem I will receive a call and discuss the costs to repair and/or other options. I suspect the internal battery has failed and after 5 years not sure if that is fair or premature. The point I'm making is that no matter when I have rung them with an issue or tech query they are simply the best at offering solutions and are very quick at getting stuff in the post if needed. Anyway I thought I would fly the flag for Nextbase.

Also fitted to my wife's 2021 Toyota Yaris Design model.

Agreed, speed reduction on bends when cruise control is in play, no doubt about that, very effective.

Half a tank from Lexus Leeds

The self tapping number 6 screw that you can fit if you want passes through the mud flap and wheel arch liner into a void behind the wheel arch liner and would suggest no pressure or strain on the plastic arch liner would cause the liner to create a situation whereby it affected the paint of the steel wheel arch. Just my view on having fitted them using the extra fixing screw.

Pretty sure it's across the model range. Someone I know ordered a NX350h around 18.1.2022 and has been told Sept 2022 !!! I guess Lexus feel demand will always be there so customers just have to wait. Remember the 70's anyone when the UK had thousands and thousands of British cars lying around in fields. Today we built to order and just in time production that has resulted in these massive lead times.

Hi Vince, good to know re: retiring. Best thing for sure. I live in East Yorks now about 12 miles off the coast but when you finish we can meet up and compare BMW versus Lexus.

I would think you would have to be very unlucky if the hybrid battery pack failed and as stated 15 years for a battery is some peace of mind.

The fitting of these mud flap kits from China doesn't require any drilling of metal bodywork and the securing fixings and bolts engage existing locations so the two bolts on the front flaps go back in to the same holes and the same goes for the plastic fixings which re enter the same holes already there. You can add a self tapping screw for an additional fix in the rear flaps but that screw merely screws directly into the plastic rear wheel arch liner. This extra fixing is optional as you don't have it use it if you choose not to. No risk of corrosion developing.

I agree to the principle of ceramic coatings being a harder, tougher surface and able to withstand the day to day issues that affect ordinary top lacquer coats but remember that ceramic coats are not bullet proof and it is possible to mark and scratch CC's but overall most people I have come across who have had a CC applied are more than happy with the outcome. A good CC will easily give a couple of years of added protection, possibly longer.

Thought the likes of an ES had a tilt function in the alarm system as I'm guessing any thief would need to jack the side of the car up to gain access with his/her powered hacksaw, the car seems too close to the ground to cut off a cat or am I talking nonsense? I can see a 4x4 vehicle being easy pickings given their height off the ground.

No difference in the noise before and after fitting mud flaps but then again I couldn't tell the difference between my Lexus LS460 with a Mark Levinson audio and the next Lexus I owned a GS450h without a ML audio. I just don't have an ear for things like that. I still think that flaps suppress water etc and force the water down rather than up.

It's true that a car's CO2 level is influenced by air flow. e.g my wife once chose a Citroen C3 for her daily runabout and between the two models she considered there was a zero road fund licence fee on one model and a £30 road fund licence fee on the other. Why? it was down to one model having alloy wheels and the other had plastic hub caps and the salesman said it was all to do with air flow around the wheels impacting fuel economy, the plastic flush fitting hub caps being more streamlined than the more angular shaped alloy wheel. So fitting mud flaps may influence fuel economy. I will gladly put up with my average of 50.4 mpg with my flaps fitted which keep the body work a little cleaner than the benefit of 1 or 2 extra miles on the average.

OK now Peter, RTA off at last.

Must be an answer why a Chinese company can produce mud flaps that were obviously designed to fit an ES and Lexus won't or can't do same although if Lexus did offer them as an accessory they would cost an arm and a leg no doubt.

Thanks Pete, will try that.

Anyone tell me how to turn RTA off which drives me nuts. I've been into settings and audio but can't seem to find where there is an option to have it on or off.

Swissvax leather cleaner. Although not leather in a Premium Edition any cleaner that can be agitated to a foamy lather with a bristle brush and then wiped clean with a clean micro fibre cloth will remove all dirt.

Thank goodness for Lexus Relax if we assume all new ES owners will have their cars serviced by a dealer every year and subsequent owners do the same thereby having warranty available for up to 10 years. Massive help to Lexus owners and avoids those warranty extensions some members will have paid for in the past and rarely had need to use.

Hey Vince glad to see you still keep your eye on the forum's posts even though you changed allegiance to that huge luxury BMW 7 series. How is that going, you still have it? Love the detail regarding the grades of stainless steel, didn't know there were grade variations. Moreover stainless steel rusting if it gets scratched, real surprise. Are you still in the extrusion business? Steve

Why not check out GTechniq's website for authorised retailers who are near you. It's a Franchise operation but their stringent standards ensure that any aspect of detailing is to a high standard incl ceramic coatings. I know there are numerous ceramic coatings out there but GTech's crystal serum light is a great coating which I used on my first ES. If a professional detailer does the coating for you it is highly likely he will need to check your new car's paint surface for defects first. Factory fresh paint should never be coated without close examination as dealers prep new cars in a way that often inflicts micro damage to the top lacquer coat. Once ceramic coat is applied it will lock in any minor paint swirls, pig tails, holograms etc and all detailers who earn their living detailing cars know they would need to examine the surface first. Just for ease of quoting a real detailer's issues that are common place, go to Youtube and type in WhiteDetails who will blow you mind when you see what he needs to do prior to applying ceramic coatings even on new car preparation. GTechniq's own website gives video tutorials on ceramic coating applications. Worth knowing what applying CC entails.

The protector trim for an ES is metal for certain and is a £170 item to buy. I asked Lexus Leeds to supply one as I wanted to fit it myself. I expected to pay for it on collection back in January but somehow it got booked to the car internally and the salesman decided to waive the cost so it was a nice freebie. I would say it is stainless steel and my previous ES had one as part of a free protection pack Lexus Carlisle gave me in 2019 and after 2 and half years showed no signs of corrosion. Held in place by double sided tape, it even has an arrow in the middle of the trim to align it with the boot lid striker and once aligned you just peel off the grey protection tape. It looks more aesthetic than giving massive protection but the brushed effect to the metal and the Lexus name etched into it still makes it worth having I think.

Go for the premium pack which gets about 90% of a Takumi spec. I bought a premium edition but only to keep the purchase below £40K and the premium edition has good spec but nothing like a premium pack option. Leather, ventilated front seats, leg extension to driver's seat, seat memory, rear blinds on rear doors and rear screen, wood leather steering wheel, wood veneers, triple LED headlights to name some of the items not on a Premium Edition. My first ES was the base model with a Premium pack which was £3500 and still kept the cost below £40K back in 2019.