bobmc

This might help. 

Alcantara front seats but not heated/cooled. If it doesn't say Mark Leveninson on the DVD player then it's not got the ML audio option but you loose one speaker (don't know which one - subwoofer??) and I don't think the amp is as powerful. Having said that, it's still a decent audio package. The only other option missing is the rear sunshade.

Things to look out for

1. Alloy wheel corrosion

2. 60K spark plug change

3. Sticking brake calipers

4. Make sure the exhaust is in good shape, expensive to replace.

You may hear a little rattle on engine startup, lasts a second or two, this is pretty normal.

Other than that, no major worries.

Just an update on this topic.

I refused to go away and jumped through all the hoops I was presented with. Eventually got refered to the MD of the company who were sub-contracted to the council who agreed to pay the cost of repairs. Just been paid by bank transfer this week.

Now I just need to book it in for the repair. 😀

Yeah, the car was an auto otherwise I wouldn't have flagged the listing.  

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113109474890

BIN price just over £2K, includes SAT-NAV and ML Audio, 116K, Cumbria

No reg number to check history and photo's very low res but seems a bargain price to me.

Congratulations, looks great. I do think they nailed the styling on the Mk4. Enjoy! 

I don't believe the 2009 version allows Bluetooth streaming from Iphone or Android. The ICE in a Lexus is generally well behind most other car makers. The ML sound is very good but you're stuck with CD/Radio/Aux as your input choices.

True to form, I'm being bounced around.

The local council referred me to the district council, who have now just replied and referred me to the parish council - who, no doubt, will refer me to their subcontractors.

🤬

Isn't this more likely to be a tpms sensor problem? 

Is the dealer a Lexus dealer or an independant?

Ok so the aux Battery is in the boot, there's no Battery in the engine bay. I still think the symptoms point to a failing aux Battery and that would be my first step. It may still read correctly with a multimeter but the electrics on a GS are quite sophisticated and the possibly is that there is some kind of current-sensing going on with priority of available power being allocated to critical systems. 

is the Battery fitted the original factory fitted one? if so, 5 years is about the expected life. If you really don't want to stump for a new Battery without proof, see if you can loan a good Battery from somewhere and run with two batteries connected with jump leads as a test to see what happens. 

I don't own a GS so I might be wrong, but I seem to recall something about two batteries being fitted (aux battery)? Any GS owners care to comment....

So can you listen to presets 2,3,4,5 and 6 - or does it always go back to preset 1?

What happens if you select FM2 instead of FM1, do those presets work OK?

Otherwise, I think it's a case of disconnect the Battery for 10 to 30 mins to clear all presets. I think there's a guide somewhere about how to initialise the cars systems after a Battery disconnect - might be an idea to find that first.

Can't answer the question about the Multiplexer but just wanted to comment that when dealing with 'odd' electrical problems, the gremlin often turns out to be a damaged or poor quality earthing connections (usually corrosion related). Worth bearing in mind.

Also, thanks for updating the thread as this will probably be useful info to another owner one day.

Usually you just tune to the desired station, press and hold the preset key (e.g number 1) for 5 to 10 seconds and release. It should update in the display. Does this not happen?

Really sounds a bit odd. How long have you owned the car for and is this just started happening.

Logically, the only think that makes sense is that there's a problem with Battery or alternator. Electronic component issues tend to work the other way round - i.e functional when cold, failure once they've warmed up.

I'd be inclined to check those items first and go from there. 

On 6/4/2018 at 6:42 AM, Vlady said:

One more thing that was annoying, the car had couple squeaks, one I managed to trace to seat belt adjustment push button and was really really surprised how cheap it's made and how shaky and wobbly it is, another one was coming from front passenger side but I could not spotted it. This things would drive me mad!

2 hours ago, Vlady said:

Paid my deposit on Lexus GS450h! 🙂

I hope it will be as good as everyone says it is! 

 

Congratulations 🙂 I really hope you will enjoy. Although you haven't had chance to try, I'm told the GS450h is quite fast if you put your foot down 🙂

Squeaks and rattles are quite common on IS and GS and it's a big shame. Dashboard rattles are usually cured by foam or rubber strips between windscreen and dash

Looks like you've done a cracking job! 🙂

I've just completed the form for the council. I've noted that I feel they are liable because a) the equipment should have been fitted with a functional and effective stone guard and that b) the direction of the work should have been orientated so that the ejection of debris did not put pedestrians and road users at risk of injury.

I don't feel this is outside of reasonable risk assessment and mitigation given the circumstances.

My dilemma at the moment is what effect reporting a non-claim incident to my insurers will have at next years renewal.

4 minutes ago, mrfunex said:

I’d say good luck proving that damage was from the lawnmower. Be interesting to hear how you get on though.

If it were me, I’d get a smart repair and move on with life. It’s just one of those things....

1 hour ago, Malc said:

you might of course need to be able to establish that the specific damage wasn't pre-existing too !

Malc

whats with all the negativity? 

10 minutes ago, Hadrian said:

Can you prove negligence on behalf of the grass cutter ?

I'm not sure, I have 10 seconds of video evidence and the damage to my car. I suppose I would need to know if there should have been some kind of mesh or screen on the mechanism to prevent largish objects been ejected that was missing at the time of the incident. 

1 hour ago, Britprius said:

I would pursue your claim against the council stating you have reasonable evidence from your dash cam.

Tell the council you are prepared to take the issue to the small claims court. Point out that the type of grass cutting equipment being used was not of a type that was suitable for use in close proximity to cars, and people "pedestrians" as this could have been much more serious had your window been open, and the stone went a little higher or the "stone" hit someone.

Asking what risk assessment was carried out on the equipment used for the safety of the public in the vicinity of it's use and what measures were taken to prevent objects from  being ejected from the machine as this is common with rotary cutting equipment.

John

Yes indeed, I would estimate the height of the impact would be similar to head height for a child in a push chair. 

1 hour ago, steve2006 said:

Did the lawn tractor have registration plates fitted? If so it is also classed as a road vehicle and you need to exchange details with the other party or report the incident to the police. You can then write to the council (ignore the online form) addressing the claim to the Chief Executive giving details of the incident and informing them that you are holding them liable for the damage caused by their vehicle and providing a quote for repairs.

Typical scaremongering by the council...they may indeed defend 85% of claims made against them but how many are actually successful?

No sign of plates on the mower. Yes, I noticed the terminology used 'defend' rather than 'won' or indeed 'reject'

A couple of days ago, I was driving along when I passed somebody on a mechanical ride-on grass cutter doing the roadside verges when I heard a big thwack as a stone/rock hit my passenger door.

The incident is recorded on my dashcam - or at least you can see the mower as I approach and hear the impact as I pass by.

It's left a significant dent and paint chip which has left me fuming. I've been in touch with the council who have eventually responded by asking me to fill in a form where they make a point of saying they have defended over 85% of all claims made against them. Hardly encouraging is it?

However, their form requires the submission of paid invoices for the repair and also asks if I am claiming on my insurance.

I'm conflicted as to how to proceed. I didn't want to involve my insurers as it will hike my premiums next year and the cost of repair is likely to be less than my excess in any case but it looks like this will be how I have to proceed. 

Has anyone else been in a similar situation or can offer any advice

17 hours ago, Linas.P said:

Yes... but for £75 I could have fitted almost any tyre, except few UHPs... So why Falken?

From my research, Falken seemed the best price/performance choice to me.

Given my annual mileage I couldn't justify Michellin or Bridgestones and IMO Continental seem over priced and Pirelli seem to under perform in tests against other brands.

Also I could only use online prices as a guide because I needed to fit tyres quicky as I had a damaged tyre and an imminent roadtrip. Local prices for Goodyear, Dunlop or Continental are much higher than the Falkens. 

They seem to have a good reputation on-line (forums and reviews -e.g http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2018-Test-World-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm and also here http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/11-of-the-best-tyres-for-the-2018-summer.htm) so that sealed it for me.

I've just replaced my front tyres (18's) which were some no-name brand that have been on for 18 months, with Falken FK510's. 

I'm amazed at the difference in feel and confidence, maybe it's placebo effect but  I don't honestly think so.  Got a good deal locally, £75 each inc fitting when on-line prices were starting at £65 plus fitting so well happy 🙂

Well done Graham, goes to prove that most garages (and most dealers) don't really diagnose issues - just guess and swap parts. I suppose that proper fault finding is expensive as it takes time, knowledge and diagnostic tools, and that makes it uneconomic as most people are very cost sensitive

Thanks for sharing what you found, I have no doubt other owners will find the information very useful. Hope you can find some time to stick around the LOC in future.