Britprius

I am sorry, but I do not care how you try to justify the fitting of HID kits to none compliant housings does not make your facts correct. Further you make two assumptions that again are incorrect. One that I have no experience of these kits "i will not in any way justify them by calling them "retrofit", and secondly I did not get my information from the internet on HID, and MOT failure. Nor have I been influenced by my reeding of any forum. It is true that there are numerous MOT testers that turn a blind eye or even do not know the difference between light systems, but with any testing situation there is always going to be some variations. However the lighting regulations under the construction, and use of motor vehicles are written in plane English, and available to read dare I say it on line. John

The light source is not the only criteria for failing the MOT. Under the construction, and use regulations. If a vehicle has HID headlamps it must also be fitted with a self leveling system for them "not a dashboard height control knob", and the headlamps must also have a washer system. Dirty headlamps with HID bulbs fitted cause severe light scatter. Lack of a washer or leveling system with HID is an MOT fail. Headlamps are also marked with a code for the light source "this includes projector lights" this code denotes what the light source for a particular headlamp should be, and if the light source is incorrect it's an automatic MOT fail. This is not misinformation. John.

It is never a good idea to put home in as a destination. You can put a point near your home as a home destination. The reason is if you are out, and about, and someone pick pockets your keys or clones your fob on a car park "having seen your car" or by some other nefarious means they not only have control of your car, but can drive, and be guided to your house knowing it is unlikely there is anyone in. John.

Pulling the inline fuse would be a good starting point with this to find what works and what does not. At the moment you do not know if the wire was added to feed the wipers or if this is a poor attempt to get an ignition controlled 12 volt supply for some other circuit. As others have said a piggyback fuse would make a better job, but make sure the piggyback is fitted the correct way round. The terminal with the lead attached should go to the live side of the fuse "the side that has 12 volts on it with the fuse removed". If connected the other way round the OEM fuse will not only have the wiper load across it it will also have whatever load is on the added cable, and this could be enough to overload the fuse. If the added cable is is supplying current to the wipers, and the OEM supply also becomes active the fuse rating for the wipers will be the sum of the OEM fuse and the added fuse. Enough to cause a fire in the wiper circuit in the event of a fault or stalled wiper motor. John.

Some cars have sensors on all wheels some only on one pad on each axle, and even then they maybe electrically operated dash warnings or just tuning fork type mechanical noise makers. With the Toyota/Lexus range of vehicles "it also applies to other manufacturers" if the caliper slide pins seize due to lack of servicing "even though it is not considered a service item witch is ludicrous" them the pad on one side of the caliper can ware at a rate fare exceeding the other pad. This worn pad may not have a sensor on it since the manufacturers believe the pads will ware evenly. This renders the warning device useless I agree totally with your tyre replacement strategy at 3 mm as at below that depth the water clearing capability of the tyres becomes drastically reduced. John.

In actual fact William the Lexus figure fore minimum thickness of pads is 1 mm while the MOT failure figure is 2 mm. John.

The 60k service is a major service at a fixed price of £475. Below is a list of things that should be done, but read the "at first glance" impressive list, and note that a great majority of items are check only, and some do not relate in any way to your car. Note the bottom two lines. Additional charges apply if extra work is carried out. All checks, and inspections are visual no dismantling of components is carried out. In other words they do not even take the wheels off. There is an important item missing from the service, and that is re-greasing the brake caliper slide pins that are known to seize, and cause braking problems as many will testify here on LOC. I do not in any way see this service as value for money. http://l1-movies.lexus-europe.com/media/downloads/GBEN/Lexus - Service Table 0418.pdf John.

Check you still have the 12 volt supply to the ballast when the light goes out. If the supply is still there the fault lies with the ballast. If there is no 12 volt supply the problem is in the wiring or relays for the lights. The voltage to the ballasts rises when you start the engine, and this could be enough extra load on a faulty ballast to give the symptoms you are getting. John.

The ready made hoist fits snugly in the corner of the storage area mainly consisting of a vertical post, and a swinging cross bar so it takes up little space. The version I have made is from 1" square section tubing in the form of an inverted "L". The bottom of the inverted L slots onto a 2" long stud in the corner of the boot floor to form the swinging action required, but can be lifted off the stud, and laid flat so taking up virtually no boot space. The lift is operated by radio control from a key fob with two buttons "up and down" meaning there are no wires to get tangled. The hybrid GS has very little boot space, but with this lift fitted I can put either of my two scooters in there with very little effort. The smaller scooter is 18" wide at the wheels while the larger one is 24" wide a snug fit between the HV battery, and rear boot wall. John.

The most usual cause of this is the bulb has failed. Often turning off the lights and back on will restore operation for a short while. Genuine Osram bulbs are around £80 each, but you can buy cheap HID bulbs from Ebay for as little as £10 for a pair. A number of people here including myself have found the cheap bulbs to be fine both for brightness, and longevity. It is possible the light ballast has a problem, but it is cheaper, and easier to change the bulbs first. You could change the bulbs from side to side, and see if the problem changes sides. John.

It is legal to carry out mods, but you must notify your insurance of the mods. John.

Off topic slightly. I also have a mobility scooter kept in the rear of my GS450H that is actually for my use. Also having back problems I found it difficult to lift in and out of the boot without dismantling it to reduce the weight lifted at any one time. To overcome this I built a crane powered by a windscreen wiper motor meaning I can lift the scooter complete into, and out of the boot with no effort. Cranes for this purpose can be bought, and are easy to fit in vehicles like the RX It also means I do not have to assemble or dismantle the scooter when it's raining, and handling heavy dirt wet parts against clothing. John.

In the UK any modifications done to improve performance, "and even though's that do not" should be reported to your insurance company. not doing this will invalidate your insurance. Although not a visible alteration in the event of a serious accident claim it is not difficult for the insurer to prove such a modification, and refuse the claim. This in turn leads to prosecution by the police for driving without insurance. It also makes it very difficult, and expensive to get insurance next time you wish to insure a vehicle. When you take out insurance a question that is always asked is "is the vehicle modified in any way" answering no would be obtaining insurance by deception. John.

You feel it rather than see it that's the only way I can explain this. Some cars seem to do it more than others, and this may be down to small variations in tolerances of things like crankshaft position sensors. I had a Prius that rarely did this, but I had a friend with the same year and model Prius that perhaps re-positioned at 50% of engine stops. John.

Before going ahead look carefully at the two services "intermediate, and full" and note the difference. You will find there is precious little difference between the two in work actually done, and if you have an MOT done this covers all the extras in greater depth. The engine, and cabin air filters you can change yourself without getting your hands dirty in minutes, and buying them online will save a considerable sum on what the dealer will charge you for them. There are Three levels of service on the CT:- Intermediate. Basically an oil, and filter change with some cursory checks or what I call look sees. These are done at 10k, 30k, 50k, 70k, 90k, 110k, miles Full. Still basically an oil, and filter change with a few more look sees. Anything found that needs doing is an extra charge. These are done at 20k, 40k, 80k, 100k, miles. Major. Oil, and filter change, plug change, brake fluid flush, and at 120k only coolant change plus the usual checks. The car has to be MOTd every year, and this covers in greater detail all the checks carried out in the services so in effect you pay for the checks to be carried out twice with no gains. Having only the intermediate service with a hybrid system check "this is free with any service and extends the HV battery guarantee by 1 year or 10k miles" will still get the service book stamped, and the MOT will cover all the checks. You must ask for the hybrid check with the service, but it is free with any service. Obviously the major services should be carried out at 60k, and 120k miles. As said previously brake pads tend to last for very high millage's, and dealers will often tell you they need changing when they do not. Also check on the Lexus web site as a lot of standard repairs are at a fixed price that the dealer does not always tell you about. This is for things like pads, discs, coolant pumps and such. John.

Apologies to John "royoftherovers" as I did not include the "18 hours ago" title above in my quote from his post. This was added by the system, but was only quoting "Hyped breed". Who ever wrote this obviously knows nothing about hybrids. While it is true all the energy comes from the fuel used. On a normal car energy "and hence fuel" is wasted every time you take your foot off the accelerator or put your foot on the brake. This is because the engine is pushed round at speed slowing the car down or the brakes produce heat that is discarded again to slow the vehicle. With a hybrid much of this energy is recovered for re use helping accelerating the vehicle away from rest. or climbing a hill. This is the time normal cars use the most fuel. Maintaining cruising at speed generally takes much less fuel. John

The Mini VCI with Techstream only runs on Windows. Some versions only run on XP 32 bit or earlier windows systems. If you are using Windows 7/8/10 64 bit make sure the version you are buying supports this. It is the drivers that are the problem. John.

The 50,000 mile service is only an intermediate service "the smallest" basically an oil, and filter change. At 60,000 miles a major service is done that includes spark plugs. The dealer should be able to do a software update at the intermediate service if one is required. Satnav updates are expensive for what they are, and in my opinion not worth it unless you rely on the satnav on a regular basis. Check on line at the Lexus web site as things like brake pads changing are at fixed prices "something not all dealers tell you about", but pad change at 50,000 miles sounds very early for the CT as most of the braking is done by regeneration. A 100,000 miles plus is not unusual for the smaller hybrids. There is nothing special about the brake pad change, and any garage should be able to do this for you. John.

I think this is just going to need some patience to resolve. It is still possible that someone on the forum may have some hinges as there have been a couple of posts lately of people changing doors after buying there cars back from insurance after claiming. Most people seem to read new posts, but not immediately first going to posts about there particular vehicle type. Good Luck. John.

I have a name to Google for you that should provide what you need. "Paul frost Lexus spares" I hope this helps. John.

Hi Maureen. Welcome to LOC. I assume you tried to contact the supplier of your doors. Apart from that route you could try the online search of car breakers to see if anyone contacts you. There is a Lexus breaker that many here have used, and know doubt someone here will forward the details. John.

While you are in the area check the roll bar bushes. Mine were worn on my GS450H. As a temporary repair I cut the slot "where they go over the bar" to have more clearance then put a piece of plastic about 1/8 th thick under the flat area of the "D" shape. This removed all the play until new bushes could be obtained. John.

How is that going to help the cars 12 volt battery being flat, and not being able to operate the door solenoids or even receive the signal from the fob? John.

Robert. The bearing numbers can be cross referenced between manufactures some will use different numbers. A bearing puller is not required, but may be of help "they are very small bearings". The bearings sit against shoulders on the shaft. I would not recommend using oil other than WS because rather like the problems with AC lubricant the two electric motor generators in the transmission rely on this oil for coolant, and electrical insulation. They run directly in the oil. I believe only about 4.5 ltrs comes out to change the pump. US quarts are 10% smaller than imperial quarts "as are US Gallons". John.

Worn shocks will not affect the ride height. Shocks only dampen the movement of the springs, and are not designed to assist with load carrying. Some manufacturers set the ride height on the drivers side of the car lower than the passengers side to compensate for road camber. This may or may not be what you are seeing. It would be sensible to have the springs checked for problems, but it could be that this side of the car has settled more because it tends to be driven without a passenger to even up the loading on the suspension. Rattling from the front is likely to be a worn ball joint most commonly the drop links. John.