malcolmw

I thought this was quite good coming from Lexus themselves: http://blog.lexus.co.uk/tyre-pressure-monitoring-system-what-is-tpms-and-how-does-it-work/

Which does raise the question as to why, if there is a 2 year order book, Tesla don't raise the price to balance supply and demand? They surely can't be socially altruistic as they are basically an American tech company. Aren't they having to go to investors for another huge tranche of cash to keep them going?

The 20 inch tyres are runflats and I don't even have a pump/foam kit in the boot! Interestingly, my tyres are Bridgestone Turanza T005 and not the expected Potenza type. I had Potenzas on my DB9 and they gave a very harsh ride and I eventually changed them to Michelin Pilot SuperSport which were much nicer to drive on. I thought the LC was originally announced with Michelin PSS but maybe these were not available as RFT. The low profile bragging contest has got ridiculous now with 35 profile typical on "GTIs".

@ganzoom Can you clarify something for me. You show a Tesla supercharger map above. Can you plug the Tesla into the normal Chargepoints being installed by local councils in car parks or do you need to use the Tesla network exclusively? At the moment, it seems the best reason to get a small electric car like the Leaf is that you get a reserved car park space in your local town. 😉

Yes. I have these dark grey/silver wheels on mine and they look fine against the red bodywork. The ride is pretty good as well over our pothole strewn lanes. I think the 21 inch "bling" wheels are a bit of number inflation. "My Aston has 20 inch wheels. Ah, my Lexus has 21 inch!"

Battery exchange is not going to happen as it's really the car and battery maker's key IP. Nobody will want to share their technology across the market. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are typically used in EVs and these will continue to burn in the absence of oxygen as they are self-sustaining. The only way to easily extinguish them is to drench rapidly in huge volumes of water to cool the battery down. The problem that all car manufacturers have is that they need cells which can discharge at high power for rapid acceleration but these are thus inherently capable of starting a fire if shorted in an accident. Fires while charging can occur if there is a charger failure or a breakdown of the separator in a cell due to a fault in its manufacture. The electrolyte typically has a flash point of 250degC so if there is a hot spot it will go up in flames with the fire spreading rapidly. Tesla are running out of time. They were first into the market with a quality EV but all the big manufacturers are rapidly catching up and then Tesla's problem will be persuading buyers to take their car over one from a tried and respected name. I too will not be going electric yet due to the dearth of charge points. At the moment, the hybrid option gives the best of all worlds with few compromises.

My first choice was the red (among all the cars I have owned, I never had a red one until now). However, my second choice would have been white. The car seems to look better in lighter colours IMO. I expect never to see another LC500 in view of the small numbers involved. Of course, I could go out to the garage... ☺️ BTW, the owner of the one in the picture has forgotten the "problem" with parking and long doors - someone will park next to him and stop him getting in!

As my LC has similar SatNav to the latest NX, I have tried the Settings/General/Selection tone setting toggle. I can confirm that it switches on/off the camera warning tone as per above.

The pedal feel on my other half's IS300h is pretty typical of the feel for most cars. It's certainly not stiff. These cars have an electronic throttle so no cables to wear or stiffen up. Might the throttle body need a clean?

Very similar engine in my LC and... no oil used thus far. I am careful with new engines as sometimes they use a drop until the bores smooth off but not with this motor.

Dear Colin, Thanks for these links. I have checked and I am not affected.

Thanks for the info on the SatNav. I can wait until they get it right. I haven't had a recall notice on mine for fuel pumps so maybe, as my car is a little bit later than yours, I already have the updated parts factory fitted.

I will probably wait until Lexus issue yet another SatNav update before getting mine re-flashed as I'm not a big user of navigation. I play music streamed from my iPhone via Bluetooth rather than from a USB stick and this seems to work OK. Another few comments: - The on-board fuel consumption seems to be averaging 5% optimistic (MPG since last fill up) so, as I get about 25 mpg, I just subtract 1 mpg from the reading for a reasonably accurate figure. - The Climate Concierge seems to work pretty well thus avoiding having to manually switch on the seat heater/coolers and steering wheel heater. - Even set to the lowest sensitivity, the automatic headlights still come on too quickly, for example, when driving under a line of trees.

Although you are correct about the torque from the turbocharged AMG engine, the LC500 compensates by changing down sooner and using the power at higher revs to achieve similar performance. As the Lexus gearbox is so quick and smooth, you really don't notice much difference in response. I have to agree that the LC is very "styled" and won't please all tastes. I test drove a few different fancy coupes to see what to get to replace the DB9. - Porsche 911. Everyone and his dog has one but it is very competent and has the "tough" build feel. - BMW 650 - It drives like a 5 series (which is not bad) but it didn't inspire me very much. - Jag F-Type - Just too ugly. JLR reliability and quality is questionable. - Aston Martin V8V (Old type) - Drives like a more sporting DB9. Ride is not too good. Average quality and £115K for a reasonable spec.

Having test driven the AMG GT, I can tell you that while it is very good you could save yourself about £35K and get an LC500. They give much the same feel when driving and the LC looks better. The AMG is not pretty and the nose is just too long for my liking. the new Aston Martin Vantage does not look as good as the old version and Aston build quality will be a bit of a let down if you have had a Lexus.

As promised, here is my more detailed review of the LC500 V8 1. Models and Features When I test drove the LC500 and its hybrid counterpart (for about 100 miles each) both cars had the full Sport+ pack with HUD and Mark Levinson ICE. I actually purchased the “base” model and would comment as follows: - On the road, I cannot tell any difference between the versions with and without the LSD and 4WS. - I only listen to talk radio so the “big” stereo is pointless for me. - I previously had an 4RX450h with HUD and found that reflections in the windscreen from the bezel in the dash top was a problem. With the F-Style instruments in the LC and the large digital speedo, I have found the HUD a unnecessary. - The glass roof is quite a nice feature in a coupe. - In my opinion, the 20 inch wheels look better than the larger “bling” option although I don’t think that there is much difference in ride comfort. I have Bridgestone Turanza T005 run-flat tyres rather than the Potenza (which I found gave a very harsh ride on my Aston DB9). - I went for Sonic Red with Black full leather inside. There is not much to choose in comfort between the standard and sport seats. I would have liked to have cream leather with the red exterior but it is sadly not an option. My second choice would have been White/Rose. - Does the rear extensible wing really do anything at normal speeds? 2. Exterior and Styling I know that styling is a personal thing but a lot of people have commented on the striking looks (and rarity). If you look carefully, there are 4 exhaust tailpipes but these are hidden in the rear skirt - typical Lexus restraint. The rear skirt area is the only place on the car which is difficult to wash as it has many horizontal “grooves” which pick up dirt. The very long (and thick) doors which are set well back on the car mean that you need to plan carefully where you stop in case an adjacent car parked too close prevents you getting back into the driver’s door. I like the windscreen washer jets which pump out water in the centre of the blades as this gives a better wash at speed. 3. Interior and Controls Everyone knows this is really a 2 seater. The touchpad is pretty useless and nowhere near as good as the joystick type of controller on the 4RX. I have had the SatNav screw up and need resetting from time to time (push and hold radio ON button) but this is a minor irritant for me as I don’t use it very much. I see that the same system on the latest NX has a software upgrade so maybe I need to get this done. I have one slight rattle from the right of the dash at 50mph on coarse tarmac but you can only hear it in warmer temperatures. I might get this looked at if it gets more annoying. 4. Driving and Performance I am very impressed with the smooth and docile performance in traffic which transitions to high performance on open roads. It’s like two cars in one. The brakes are huge and very progressive with excellent feel. (Maybe I have been driving hybrids for too long and have forgotten how a normal brake pedal feels.) I’m glad they didn’t fit ceramic discs as these are “track” focussed and are not so good on the road as they need warming up a lot. I have no squealing like I did on my DB9. The driving modes: - ECO – Wouldn’t know, never used it. - Comfort – Not a lot softer than Normal. Only notices at low speeds in town. - Normal – As advertised. A good compromise and not too firm. - Sport – Seems to take a few seconds for the mode to change to allow higher revving etc. - Sport Plus – Roll is reduced but even here the ride is not too severe. The steering and throttle response are more aggressive but not stupidly so. The exhaust noise and “crackle” in the last two modes is very nice experience – a bit “boy-racer” but hey... It lives up the GT billing. Not a sports car but a comfortable and fast car for grown-ups. It feels “tough” and can definitely be used day-to-day. 5. Maintenance and Service I have cold tyre pressures set to 2.4 bar which seems to rise to about 2.7 bar after warm up. I am getting an amazing 26 mpg overall which is outstanding for a 5 litre V8. For comparison, the Aston 6 litre V12 did 16 – 18 mpg on the same journeys. Nothing leaks. I have checked the oil and none has been used in the time I have had the car. Servicing costs are as follows: Intermediate Service £345 Full Service £596 This compares very favourably with the DB9 which basically costs £1K per year at the main dealer. 6. Overall An excellent car but it remains to be seen what depreciation will do to residuals in the long term.

Yes, the long doors are just about the only drawback... I think the comfort mode makes the ride a bit softer but it is not a huge difference from "normal" except at very low speeds. What do you think?

Well, pressing and holding the Audio on/off button did reset the system and it all seems OK today. Thanks folks.

I have had a strange problem today with the SatNav. It seems to have lost the location of where the car is and has reset itself about 8 miles offset! I will try it again tomorrow (reboot?) but is there a system reset option anywhere? I see that people with the latest NX are having some issues. Has anyone seen this before?

Of course it is possible for a future Government to change VED rates but, when you bought the car and at present, the VED will remain at £10. You can speculate all you like but nobody can foretell the future. In general, the Government is loathe to put up VED retrospectively on older vehicles as this is seen as penalising "the poor" who might have older cars. Witness the "envy tax" supplement imposed on more expensive (over £40k) new cars for just the first 5 years of their lives.

Yes. The increased VED only applies to newly registered cars after April 2017.

@Comedian Many thanks for this link. I have checked the part numbers and ordered a set which come complete with the fitting kits. The correct Lexus p/n for the sensors on the 2016 IS300h is 42607-02030 (quoted to me by the dealer). I had searched on eBay for "Lexus TPMS sensors" forgetting that Toyota ones are identical (and about half the price).

Due to no luck with anyone on here having any secondhand TPMS sensors, I asked the Lexus dealer for a price to supply 4 new OEM sensors, fit them to my spare set of 16 inch wheels (with winter tyres already fitted) and balance them ready for next season. I thought that £490 was a bit steep! It's not like I was actually buying the wheels and tyres! So, I have decided to just get standard valves fitted to the winter set and simply ignore the TPMS fail light from December to March. Fortunately, the car MOT falls due at the end of March each year so the summer set of wheels can go back on then to restore the TPMS functionality and pass the test. Of course, if anyone does have any sensors...

Now I have had my car for a bit, I thought I would post my latest impressions. Firstly, I have now run in the car and and have been giving it a few revs in Sport Plus mode when conditions allow. To my surprise, my last tank of BP Ultimate returned a real 24.3 mpg. The car computer recorded 25.2 mpg so the onboard systems seems to show better economy by about 3.7%. Next, I have now washed it a couple of times and would comment that it is a bit of a pain to get dirt out of the multiple horizontal features in the rear bumper area under the back of the car. The rest of the car washes off easily (Glasscoated). Overall, I am very pleased with it. There are no rattles and the performance is just what I was expecting. The downsides are small. As discussed extensively on another thread, parking can be a headache as the long (and very thick) doors have to be opened a lot to allow easy access. You need to plan ahead to ensure that you don't get caught out. Parking away from other cars in a carpark usually ends up with someone parking next to you for no apparent reason. I still can't get enthusiastic about the touchpad navigation controls.

Ah, it makes sense. Then they should provide wide bays near the door for affluent middle aged men with expensive cars. I agree that the concept of Parent and Child bays is wrong and that it dilutes the importance of the disabled ones. Just make all the normal spaces just a little bit wider and we would all be happy. I reckon that Waitrose do have wider spaces than Tesco. They clearly know their target customer base.