sorcerer

Apart from this that I posted earlier:

Quite simply, most of us won't need many and we won't download many, but it's the choice that matters. I don't know about the Apple/Windows/Amazon app stores but with mainstream Android people are encouraged to rate an app when they've used it. If it only gets two or three stars it usually spurs someone else on to create a better app to do the job.

I'm not bothered about having auto-locking but, just as I've always used a seatbelt, even before they became compulsory, so I always lock the car once I'm in. It's become as natural as breathing now and it feels so alien if I don't do it. You imply that you don't lock the car while you're in it, so why not?

Again, they are locked into their own eco-system and their own app store with very little choice. Mainstream Android is the best way to go in my opinion - plenty choice of manufacturers, literally millions of apps (last count in March this year put it at 3.3 million) covering everything you would ever need, and reasonably priced repairs if needed.

I also agree with the bewildering choices out there and it's compounded by the fact that unless someone works in a tech shop and has access to all of them, people will only be able to comment about what they personally own themselves and will not generally be in a position to offer comparisons, which is where Google comes in. Try entering the search string "android tablet comparisons 2018" or something similar into Google (without the quotes) and see how you go on. One other thing has just popped into my head - stay away from Amazon Fire products. They are based on Android but the operative word is based. They use a version of Android that is very heavily customised by Amazon and again they lock you in to their own app store, which has very little compared to the Google Play Store.

Hi Jamal and welcome to the club. First thing you need to do is to get your hands on an OBD2 code reader. If you can borrow one, great, if not then there's plenty available here on eBay. Alternatively, if you have a laptop you could buy a miniVCI cable like this one from eBay and use that instead. Almost all of these cables will come with Techstream, which is the diagnostic software that Toyota/Lexus technicians use in their workshops. We can't condone the use of pirate software so it's a matter for your own conscience to decide to use it or not. The proper way would be to legitimately download Techstream from Toyota/Lexus free of charge and then pay for a block of time to use it, but you will still need that miniVCI cable to run Techstream anyway. Once you know what codes are present you can come back here and let us know - hopefully someone will be able to help then.

Not really a good alternative in my opinion, the internal keyboard being the only good thing about them. Like Apple, Chromebooks lock you in to their own eco-system. They use Google's Chrome operating system rather than Android and they have their own app store because they don't use Android apps, so there's not as many and a much smaller choice. Add to that that a Chromebook is primarily designed to be almost permanently connected to the internet and has very little internal storage because it's meant to be on the internet and store things in the cloud, whereas most Android tablets already come with a decent chunk of internal storage and can be expanded with an SD/MicroSD card.

I've got a Samsung 10" tablet, an SM-T520. It's a couple of years old now and probably been superseded by now, but it's been great and it's done everything I've ever asked of it. I also have an even older Google Nexus 7, a 7" tablet that, like the Samsung above, has been faultless since buying it maybe five years ago. Anything by Samsung, Asus and LG is usually very good. If I remember correctly, the Google Nexus 7 was made by either Asus or LG for Google. As long as you go for a known brand and stay away from no-name tabs coming from China, you should be fine.

Very much in the past Les. Modern LPG systems are absolutely fantastic, much better for the engine (oil comes out after 9,000 miles almost as clean as it went in), far better for the environment and FAR better on the wallet. We had our Nissan Maxima QX 3.0 SEL converted and did about 130,000 on LPG before selling it and I promise you, absolutely NO loss of performance and no problems with the engine whatsoever. It ran superbly and went as fast as a fast thing on a fast day when I wanted it to. The LPG conversion market has come a long way from the bad old days. At one time, only a complete system was available from a manufacturer but now, as long as the installer knows what they are doing, they can mix and match components, picking the best of everything to ensure an absolutely foolproof, highly resilient and excellently-performing conversion. We had our RX300 converted and intended to run the car for many years and at least 150,000 miles but we came into a bit of money and decided to change to a newer car to see us into retirement. I would go back to LPG in a heartbeat but sadly Lexus don't do a petrol-only version of the RX and only an RX will do, so it has to be hybrid. A quick example I can give you is our driving holidays. Not had chance to take the RX to Europe yet but when we last did the trip from here to Poland and back we covered about 4,000 miles in total. Petrol would have cost over £900 but LPG did it for £437. Like I said, I'd go back to LPG in a heartbeat.

I'm not sure I agree with the 'Android is for techies' thing. Yes, plenty of customisations and stuff if you're that way inclined but I set up my current Sony Xperia Z3 phone about three years ago and I've never altered any settings or 'played' with it in that way - it just works and it works well. Apple's browser is Safari, Android has a choice of browsers but if we take Firefox as an example, both Safari and Firefox do the same job - just open the app, type in the web address and off you go; nothing techie about it at all. It's just like having two Lexus (Lexi?) in the garage and deciding which one to use today - they'll both get you from A to B and both browsers will get you to the website you want. Same with the Youtube app - whether Apple or Android, you just open the app, search for what you want and watch it. Again, nothing techie at all.

Forget Apple! I repair computers for a living and can say that yes, Apple make some technically excellent stuff - but you are tied into their eco-system and you must do things Apple's way, or not at all. Quick example - I use an app called WiFi Analyzer on Android and it's great. When I had an iPhone for a couple of months I tried to get it from the Apple App Store and I couldn't. After a couple of indignant emails to Apple head office, their official answer was that they considered the app to be "too dangerous" for the general public to have and/or use, so they would not allow it - and yet it's freely available to anyone in the world on Android. I'm not sure if that's still the case as this was quite a while ago, but these are the things that you have to put up with when you buy into Apple. Go for an Android tablet and if anything goes wrong you can get it repaired at almost any shop or market stall that repairs mobile phones; go for an Apple and you must go to an official Apple shop and get ripped off price-wise. OK, some places do repair them but Apple only ever supply spares to Apple shops, so you know straight away that any repair done anywhere else is not using genuine Apple parts. There were a few cases not long ago where an Apple update stopped any tablet/phone/iPod from working if it detected unauthorised parts. And don't even get me started on their iStupid iNaming iOf iDevices

It's something that came by email from the american Club Lexus, advertising a 'wheel striping system'

I got a set of trim removal tools and it made the job much easier.

Not sure that's quite right Richard. The AFS switch is a push button that's marked 'AFS OFF' like in the photo below. To me, a toggle switch is something that flicks up/down rather than pushes in/out. If I'm right, it's been discussed before but, of course, I can't find it now but it turned out that it was for turning the front parking sensors on/off. Front parking sensors were not a factory fit but a dealer optional extra, hence why a description of the switch and its use never appeared in the user manual.

While you've got the cover off you may as well take the opportunity to make the lights better (especially the reversing lights) by replacing with LEDs. Even if you don't want to change to LEDs you can make the reversing lights better by at least taking the shrouds off the bulbs, instructions below. I'm not sure who originally provided the pdf file or I'd give them credit but I know they won't mind me posting it again as it's been available on the forum for a long time. I'm not sure which LEDs you'd need for the number plate lights because I didn't do mine, but these are the ones I got for the reversing lights and they make a tremendous difference. Removing_bulb_cover_from_reversing__light.pdf

Me too.

I'm almost certain that it's the same, or certainly close enough as to make very little difference. It doesn't just sound very steep, it is very steep. But then, who would go to the main dealers for an exhaust anyway? Toyota/Lexus don't make exhausts (nor batteries, nor tyres etc) so you go to the people who do. I remember when my Nissan Maxima QX needed an exhaust, none of the usual suspects could supply so I called my Nissan main dealer, to be given a price just south of £900, so I politely refused their offer and went to a very similar place as the guy above. Custom made, stainless, guaranteed for the life of the car and the guarantee was transferable to a new owner if I sold the car, brilliant job, all for the sum of £375 of our Great British Pounds. Anyone who ever did pay the main dealer prices should be deemed to have far too much money for their own good, and it should be taken from them and spread about for the greater good of the community

Just found that post and it was an RX300 rather than 400h, and it was £395 rather than £495:

That is indeed very true, but because we haven't had the car long I'm still playing the game of trying to get the most mpg

If you search the forums, you'll see that someone had a custom-made, stainless steel, cat-back exhaust, guaranteed for the life of the car, made and fitted for £495 if I remember correctly. He got it from https://www.cybox.co.uk/ but if that's too far from you I'm sure there'll be somewhere closer who isn't too far away price-wise.

Internal Combustion Engine (or sometimes In-Car Entertainment). I literally did just what the others advised. Quickly up to speed and then just ease off the loud pedal slightly to initially coast as much as possible and then maintain speed, then rinse and repeat - I believe some call the method of driving 'pulse and glide'.

Easy enough to do in this weather, just take it for a run and then look underneath when you get back, you'll see where the water is dripping from.

Woohoo, just been out to a job and the onboard display says that I've managed to get a best of 41.7 and an average of 38.3mpg on the journey there and back 😀 I am now officially one happy chappy!

It's very strange. I've changed the door lights for logo LEDs and I've changed all other internal lights for LEDs as well, at least two months ago, but it only started when I changed the reversing lights.

Thank you guys, lots of food for thought there, much appreciated.