Britprius

What is the tow limit set at in the handbook, and door frame sticker? If it is zero it is against the law to tow a trailer within the EU. If a tow limit is given then it is ok to tow up to that weight, but possibly with the covet that extra transmission cooling is fitted. John.

From your description it sound like you need a new valve core fitted. This is no big deal any tyre fitter will change it for pennies or free in minutes without removing the wheel from the car. If this is not the case a new valve with TPMS sender will be needed at about £40 or more than double that at Lexus. A normal rubber valve can be fitted, but you will end up with a low tyre warning light on the dash. This may be required until you can get a valve with the TPMS. John.

That is a very high test discharge rate, and would equate to around 45 AH at the standard 20 hour rate. John.

Mobility batteries have no sill or fixing points at the bottom. They tend to be very flat sided with no protrusions. John.

There was no visible damage or odd ware pattern. The tyres Bridgestone Ecopia had done about 12,000 miles when I first began to hear the noise. I replaced them with a set of Hankook's, and I was really impressed with there performance, and longevity lasting 35000 miles before a piece of steel on the motorway damaged two of the I am sure they would have gone t 40000 miles. I had all four replaced with a set of Goodyear efficientgrip performance tyres. The were quiet, and handled well but life was short at only 18000 miles. John.

I have had a similar noise on my car in the past. I was convinced it was a wheel bearing, but turned out to be the front Bridgestone tyres. There were no signs of uneven ware, and the tyres still had over 5 mm of tread left, but changing them removed the noise. John.

Search the bay for 55AH mobility battery you will find many at circa £75 with the same physical dimensions. Some are rated at 55AH but at a 10 hour rate a much higher rate than the standard 20 hour rate usually used for car batteries. This actually puts them at well over 60 amp hours for a true comparison. The Ritar 12/55 is such a battery there are others. Slight terminal modification is required , but this is not a problem. Standard terminal bolt on posts can be bought on line to convert the terminals to standard posts. John.

I agree from your description the battery is probably a 2015. John

I think the OEM battery is usually a Panasonic but could be wrong. Being under the bonnet I would fit a normal flooded type battery or a leisure battery designed for caravans or boats. I know that sounds strange, but the hybrids do not need high cranking amps. Capacity is more important so buy the highest amp hour capacity battery that will fit in the space provided. Flooded, and leisure type batteries will be cheaper than AGM. Virtually all batteries have a date stamp on the top usually pressed into the black case. It may be slightly coded, but can usually be worked out. John.

The OEM battery is almost certainly an AGM. You can use an ordinary flooded lead acid battery if you wish, but if the battery is in the passenger compartment you should consider what happens in a collision, and the battery get smashed. Will the acid be likely to splash on the occupants of the car or is this not a danger. I use a mobility battery in my GS450H because they are higher capacity size for size than OEM batteries, are better built, and cheaper. The downside is the terminals are different to the standard car battery posts. The only thing when removing the old one for safety disconnect the negative lead first, and connect to the new battery last. The auto windows, sun roof, and possibly radio presets will all need to be reset. John.

Even in ready mode if the car is in neutral the system is not capable of looking after it's self since in neutral the engine cannot start, and therefore cannot charge the HV battery. This once depleted stops charging the 12 volt battery. It must be remembered that the HV battery has very limited working amp hour capacity of approximately 2.6 AH, and may be running the AC from this supply. The DC to DC converter charges the battery, and is controlled in much the same way as an alternator by monitoring the voltage at the battery, and adjusting it's output to compensate for any load applied. A fall in voltage will increase the output of both systems. The difference is that the alternator must be turning "engine running" to work. In a hybrid the HV battery must have enough charge to run the converter, and be in ready mode in any gear position other than neutral "the hybrid equivalent" of the engine running. In both scenarios all electrics are powered from the engine via an alternator. John.

The heated mirrors, and screen run directly off the 12 volt battery as does the heater fan, and engine coolant circulation pump to the heater. Further they will work in accessory mode "2 pushes of the start button with no brake pedal". In this mode the HV battery is completely disconnected from the car, and cannot charge the 12 volt battery. Anything that works in accessory mode runs from the 12 volt battery. The only things that work directly off the HV battery are the transmission, the AC, 12 volt charging system, and the power steering. These will only work in ready mode. It would be dangerous for the HV supply to go out to ancillaries such as the mirrors. John

Edited the post to read 4409.2 LBS not 44092 LBS thanks. John

If you look in the handbook it will tell you the tow limit of the car. If it say's zero it is illegal to use it for towing in the EU. If it gives a tow limit it is suitable for towing. I have a GS450H, and that has quite a high tow limit of 2,000 KG (4409.2 LBS). John.

If there is to much grease in the hole that the slider pin fits into you get a hydraulic lock. That will not let the caliper slide far enough to get the outer pad in. It does not take much grease to cause this so it is best to grease the pin, and not put any grease into the caliper hole. John.

The most likely cause of flickering lights is an alternator problem. As far as the low tyre warning light goes this could be as simple as the pressures not set or a problem with one of the wheel sensors. This should not have been an advisory on the MOT as tyre monitoring systems were not part of the MOT until 2014 so were completely outside of the scope of the test. John.

There is a menu there that gives fault codes for the audio/cd system and the ability to clear codes for this. Also a menu to calibrate the touch screen button positions. It' a great pity Lexus did not give the ability to read the engine, and hybrid codes on these screens instead of having to go to the dealers. John.

I would be very unhappy if it were just the tyres that were inspected for uneven ware as being a wheel alignment check. The dealer has no way of knowing if tyres have been changed for new, winter to summer, or many other reasons before going in for service. If the tracking was out, and you have had new tyres fitted they would not last long. The leased I would expect is a print out of current alignment. John

Plus 1 for the post by member "Hangie" it is the 12 volt battery that is likely to die. Turn off the keyless entry system to conserve battery power, and if possible leave a jump pack or 12 volt battery, and jump leads in the boot just in case. Enjoy you holiday. John.

Roger it is easy to understand why people get confused with how the hybrid starting system works. Because hybrids still basically have a normal engine it is easy to assume they also have the normal ancillaries such as a starter motor, and alternator. So an easy mistake to make. Even the transmission is very unconventional the earlier versions having no gears that change ratios in any way, not even for reverse or neutral. In the latest versions there some standard type planetary gear sets that change ratios. This is done to help reduce the speed at which the electric motors need to turn, but they still they do not have a reverse gear or a true neutral. Reverse is achieved by running the electric motor backwards, and neutral is achieved by disconnecting both motor generators allowing them to spin freely. John

I have not used them on my Lexus, but would have no qualms about doing so if it saves buying the complete knuckle at Lexus prices. John.

Absolutely ideal for our pot holed roads, but a bit drafty in the winter. I would think you could put a paraffin heater in the back though. John.

Not having much luck with this one Mark, but it will keep you out of mischief over the weekend. Do those pipes run in the radiator if so I hope they come out cleanly for you, and that the rad it's self is sound as I know on some models they are troublesome. John.

The point you made if I read correctly is that. In normal use "not defined" they shouldn't get that discharged for it to be a problem. "but they do, and it is" John.

I have used Febest products before "a German company if I remember correctly" and found them to be of good quality. John.