SH20

Wondering is it a Lexus Nextbase dash cam you have which sits flush to the glass or virtually touching the screen. I can understand the heat if it is. Even the one I fitted a Nextbase 522GW is known to generate a bit of heat in Park mode, something you can switch off in the settings as I did although the default setting is set off. I have a rear camera as well which I think is more important than a front camera given the number of rear shunts I dealt with as an Insurance Engineer. I like being able to have both cameras running at a resolution setting of 1080 @30FPS even though you can have the front one running at a higher resolution of 1440 @60 FPS but then the rear resolution drops to 720 @30FRP. @300 Cruiser The Nextbase rear view camera is attached to the rear screen by a sticky pad bracket and the camera lens very close to the screen. They give you too much cable though, about 6 metres and you end up tucking it in anywhere you can as you pass it along and just inside the headlining from the front camera. Some people have a rear view camera that fits to the front camera and looks through the car and out of the back screen to avoid running a lead under the headlining.

(ES300h) Passenger front footwell is where the small fuse box is located. Piggy back off the 20amp fuse which operates the windscreen washers, must be an ignition live fuse only so the camera comes on and off when the car is started and turned off. The Nextbase hard wire kit comes with a piggy back connector but the original Lexus 20amp fuse can't be used, they are very small and the metal finger blades won't fit the piggy back, you have to use a 20amp fuse like the 2amp fuse that comes fitted in the piggy back. You have a 20amp fuse for the windscreen washers and a 2 amp fuse for the dash cam, both of which sit side by side in the piggy back tail. There is a suitable nut/large washer for an earth just behind the very top of the footwell carpet, just pull the carpet down a little and you will see it. This is where dealers wire to when they install the Lexus Nextbase camera they often offer customers. The original fuse box cover can't be refitted because of the piggy back arrangement so should be kept in the car as it has all the fuse info written on it. Keep the original 20amp fuse too in case you ever remove your dash cam. Hiding the cable behind the headlining and near side screen pillar trim takes most of the time.

No problem but you will be fine, the mud flaps follow the contours of the front wings and the rear bumper. No need to force them into position, they will fit naturally. The small plastic button, just one in the front wing liners requires nothing more than a very small screwdriver to prise out the round flat washer shaped disc and then hold the disc and gentle pull the whole body of the fastener. This will pass back through the mudflap and back in the hole it came out of. You then push the disc button firmly home. The two bolt fastenings simply screw out with a 10mm socket or ring spanner and back in but when the mud flap is in position the bolt underneath will require a socket and a short extension to make it easier. The rears have two fasteners like the front, same process to remove and fit them, slightly different in size so remember which one fits which hole. A third further inside the wheel arch which pops out by using a large flat screwdriver and work it out although if you have a two pronged lever it will come out easier as you will be applying equal pressure on two sides at once. No need to use a self tapper for the 4th position I mentioned if you are not keen to drill the wheel arch liner with the wheel removed. The rear flaps will hold with 3 fixings quite easily.

They'll fit Pete if they came from China as per the earlier descriptions in this thread. You may or may not want to secure the rears with the extra screw position in the actual rear arch liner NOT the actual bumper. The fronts use the two 10 mm self tapping bolts already in place and one plastic button. One of the 10mm bolts is underneath. Turn your steering to allow better access, no need to remove wheels. The rears are held in place by 3 plastic retainers already in place and if you choose you can use a self tapping screw which screws into the rear arch liner and I found it was easier to drill that pilot hole with the wheel off. The rears will hold with the 3 plastic retainers but if you want belt and braces then the single self tapper will really secure them in place.

Brown Plastic Takumi Tony ?? I thought all Takumi ES300's were leather as standard, no option for leather on a Takumi is there?

Thanks chaps, re: colour choice. One thing I do like Tony is the part black aspect of my interior as the black bits are more of a contrast to the tan seats, very much in keeping with that old adage "Black and Tan" . (Black and Tan originating from the Irish drink the English Army used to drink in occupied Ireland in the early twentieth century) made up from half a pint of Guinness and half a pint of mild. My first ES had the same tan seats etc but the contrast colour was a chocolate brown for the dashboard etc, however the chocolate brown colour is no longer available for any ES interior, not even on the Takumi. I noticed that the Takumi rear seats are significantly different to mine, I don't mean reclining etc but the Takumi headrests drop down inside the seat back rather than sitting on top of the seat, very stylish. I agree in bright sunlight the Messa Red really pops and shows the metallic flake very well. I very nearly went for the pale green paint colour Sunlight Green but decided it was a bit weak. Had it been metallic British Racing Green I would have definitely had that.

At least building a car to order these days avoids the horrible sight back in the 70's and 80's when manufacturers (usually British) just kept building cars without orders and putting them in a real field to sit there for weeks if not months. Some, I remember, seeing photos of cars up to their axles in water with red rusty brake discs and hubs. Now of course most cars are built to a customer order and on a just in time assembly basis.

Once more Lexus customer service exceeds normal expectations. Ordered the much slimmer space saver tool tray today from Lexus Hull only to be told "No need to pay yet, we will get it in in 3 days and you can come and see if it fits" The parts chap printed me a screen shot of all the boot interior fittings and from what I can see the part I need is clearly visible. He said dealers can see all variations of the ES trims no matter what country the car ends up in. I'll go back in 3 days and hopefully find it was the correct non UK part number. He said they will send it back no problem if it turns out there is an issue. Some photos 125 miles on, just need to hard wire my front and rear dash cameras.

Nice touch that a warning will flash up about keeping your hands on the wheel if you are naughty and take your hands off to test the self steer function. Once it senses no contact of the steering wheel after a few seconds the warning appears, I think an audible one too but I can't remember if that's strictly true.

Yes, Lexus always seem to beat the UK up when it comes to spec unlike the US who get everything because of the huge market over there. The only bonus if buying parts from a Lexus dealer is that you get 10% off if you have a current service plan agreement in place at the dealer you buy parts from which I do.

I assume the £920 was the option price of the paint when it was ordered.

Hi Len, my working life was based around the world of body shops and the repair of accident damage cars, paintwork was a major part of those repairs. Your right in suggesting snow foam and the use of ceramic coatings are part and parcel of sound paint correction. No matter what size the panels or car and no matter what type of paint finish, basic cellulous, 2 pack solid paint, base coat (solid or metallic finish) and clear lacquer top coat or even 3 stage pearl the preparation is the same. Power wash to loosen the heavy contaminates, snow foam with a neutral ph formula to assist the breakdown of dirt, the use of Iron fallout solutions if necessary, not always, clay bar of the paint, drying the car, machine polishing with a dual action or rotary machine choosing the correct pad and cutting power of the polish, Rotary polishers should only be used by experienced detailers due to the extra heat they produce but are twice as quick as a duel action machines, finishing polishes applied by hand or by machine with soft pads or hand application pads before complete degreasing of the polished areas. This removes all traces of the polishes used. Then either wax or if preferred a ceramic coating which requires someone who knows how to apply them. I used G Tech Crystal Serum Light ceramic coating on my previous ES which was velvet black. I'm choosing not to use a ceramic coating on this Premium Edition in Messa Red apart from the front bumper which can suffer more from grit bouncing up off the road surface. Ceramic coatings are hard work to correct defects whereas cutting lacquer and waxing is easier but can only be done so many times. Paint is measured in microns and as it's only the top lacquer coat that is ever cut, (Base coat and clear Paint) multiple cutting operations need to be limited. Owners have the right to clean their cars as they see best and it's not my intention to influence how members should clean their cars but when you suffer from OCD as I do it has to be said I am a lost cause.

For me it is a complete loathing of those awful tyre inflation kits which fill the tyre with that horrible goo which tyre outlets won't entertain removing if the tyre simply has a normal puncture, they just bang on about the need for a new tyre. I would rather swap a punctured tyre with a spare wheel and then have a vulcanised repair done as long as the nail etc was in the repairable areas of the tread. I do carry those emergency quick plug kits and a mini compressor which run of a 12v power socket. Anything to avoid filling up a wheel with that goo. Apparently the AA and RAC use plug kits sometimes as an emergency fix with the owners permission so the punctured tyre can be repaired by a tyre shop later.

In view of the fact the mud flaps you can buy from the internet are so cheap and will fit properly as shown in this thread I would say they are worth every penny. The ones I bought which came from China in 7 days were designed exclusively for the 2019 ES300h. A truly perfect fit in every respect and line up with all the blanking plugs in the wheel arch liners. They do reduce the filth that the tyres kick up.

The difference in thickness is huge. It must be about 7-8 inches thick at the front edge. Personally I wouldn't cut down the existing tray. If I buy the correct tray to cover a space saver I would want to fit back the original tray to maintain the original fittings for another owner when I change my car in 3 years. I'm off to the dealer tomorrow to order one after I view the image of it on the dealers parts computer screen.

Waterless wash products will leave fine micro scratches which are not visible in normal daylight. Sorry but it's a fact. Even a light film of dirt is made up from fine particles which is what waterless products were aimed at. Heavy soiled vehicles would just make micro scratches more inevitable due to the there being more dirt to shift. I've used waterless polishes myself but on very old cars were the aim was to achieve shine. The premise that the liquid waterless polish "lifts" the dirt off the panel is marketing speak. Where is the dirt going? straight into the fibres of the micro pad or cloth it's being applied with. As it is moved around lifting more dirt the cloth becomes loaded with particles. Turning the cloth or pad regularly won't really help. The thing that will truly highlight micro scratching is direct bright sunlight on the panel when you alter the angle you view the panel or with a good quality LED work light/torch which unfortunately cost anything between £50 to £250. These hand held lights are so bright they will show swirls and micro scratches instantly. When a car is cleaned and there is no sun shining all cars look great because the eye can't see the fine detail of scratches and the car always looks it's best when it's dull. Shine an LED light on the panels and there will be micro scratches. Doesn't matter if the top coat of lacquer is hard or soft, all lacquers will suffer. So will ceramic coatings, they are not bullet proof, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My brand new ES has covered 54 miles after I drove it back from the dealers. I was initially impressed with how the car was prepped but while I was transferring my ES mud flaps and bumper protection strip today the very bright sunlight caught the driver side upper rear quarter panel and I could see the fine micro scratches in the lacquer. I made a shadow with my hand and the paint reverted back to looking flawless. Most of the car's paint is fine, just the odd area is not. I'll be machine polishing the whole car in due course and give the lacquer an initial cut before waxing it.

Things have changed with dealers in the last 2 years. In 2019 despite having 4 PCP quotes from 4 Lexus dealers not one of the quotes was different, not even by one penny. I finally chose a dealer who was prepared to give 5 years free servicing and a protection pack worth £400. All PCP quotes had the £2000 Lexus finance allowance of course but no dealer was allowed apparently to give any actual discount in cash terms. Move forward to 2021 when I decided to change my car for another ES300h and all bets were off. As a repeat finance customer there was an additional £750 finance making £2750 in all but any repeat Toyota Finance Customer would get that on a new Lexus but my invoice for the new ES clearly shows £1500 discount and the word discount is written on the bottom of the document. I guess the point is you just have to get used to shopping round and hope the dealer appreciates your are shopping round. My dealer hands over a £1500 discount and gives £29,200 for a 2 year old ES300h with a premium pack fitted. To me this suggests dealers do their own thing now rather than abiding by what Lexus tell them what they can and can't do.

Previously a number of us have expressed disappointment at no space saver for the ES for the UK market. Like me a few have bought a space saver for different Lexus car models that had them as standard, my own is from a Lexus GS450h and fits perfectly on either front or rear wheel hubs. Presently I have this spare wheel in the boot taking up space. I noticed in the separate thread on space saver wheels a member bought a European spec tool tray specifically for sitting over a space saver spare in the wheel well. He showed a photo of the part number on the packaging and mentioned a friend of his had bought it for him abroad somewhere. As most of us know the UK spec tool tray is very deep and won't allow a space saver to sit in the wheel well because we have those awful tyre inflation kits. Using this part number 64779-33280 I contacted Lexus Hull, the nearest dealer to me and was surprised to hear the item can be ordered on a 3 day turn around for £231. A lot of money for a piece of molded polystyrene but would address the issue for some people like me who want a space saver spare wheel to sit in the wheel well and still have the facility to have a genuine tool tray holding things like the scissor jack, wheel brace, tow eye bar, locking wheel nut key etc etc. Plus it will have some space to store bits and bobs. I am going to the dealer next week to take a look at the pictorial image of the part on the parts man's computer screen just to make sure it is the thinner version of the tool tray. If it is I'll order one. The existing tool tray in my ES with all that tyre inflation garbage will just be stored in my Garage Loft Space should I ever trade in my ES for a third one. As Lexus Leeds stood the cost of a £170 rear bumper protection strip which I thought I was paying for, the £231 for a tool tray isn't so hard to swallow. I'll let the Forum know what develops.

Yes, discovered that on collection, silly really as my wife's little Toyota Yaris has auto high beam function so an ES was always going to have it albeit not the best grade of auto high beam that my previous ES had with the triple headlamp set up. Still, very useful where I live in a very rural area.

It was Lexus Leeds John. No flowers though, just the tea but she wants me to take her out for lunch tomorrow now that she knows I'm £170 better off !! How very dare she !!!

Although it's 2 years since I collected my first ES, this time a different dealer seemed to go out of their way to make the handover experience something to remember. I'm sure other new ES owners regardless of the model purchased received the same treatment but Lexus seem to be setting a higher standard in how they present simple things like your keys. To be handed a quality bag with a black Lexus box inside in which was a small bamboo wallet come purse arrangement holding both keys was a pleasant surprise, a bit ceremonial if I'm honest. Then to be presented with a larger black Lexus box in which contained a small ceramic beaker and a container of Japanese green tea was equally pleasant. I was very happy up to this point but the dealer went further and said they would stand the cost of the rear bumper protection strip I had pre ordered and had every intention of paying for. This was nothing short of very generous. The cost of which, in house, I learned was £134 as opposed to the £170 incl vat I had been quoted a few weeks back. This is where I think Lexus leave other manufacturers dead in the water. My worries over the paintwork being full of valeters tell tale signs of dragging micro fibre cloths across panels was totally unfounded. The handover room where the car was waiting, out of the rain today, was lit by a significant number of harsh artificial lamps the very worst thing for hi lighting paint defects or careless preparation. I couldn't find any issues in the paint at all. Like I say, A Class Act.

Thanks James, just quickly checked, no central auto position on the switch, just fold in and fold out. Never mind.

Just got back from the dealer with my car, Lovely, very pleased. Anyone out there who has a Premium Edition can you tell me if the mirrors fold in when locking the car. Doesn't appear to have auto folding when locking. Does have manual folding. Is there a setting in the infotainment screen that might help me?

I thought the SOS function was based on the GPS software and is available throughout the warranty period

Very useful extra on any car. I will find out tomorrow when I pick up my Premium Edition if it has auto high beam, not sure it does as I thought it only exists on the triple LED lamps.