Herbie

I'm not quite sure to be honest, on either question. I never, ever, drive anywhere without having music on, so I never, ever, turn the multimedia unit off. Whenever I reach my destination I just press the car's blue power button and shut down the whole car. When I next get in the car I press the power button, the car goes into READY mode and within about 20 seconds the Vline interface (using Agama launcher) comes up on the display and I can start to use the Vline. I have the system set up so that when my phone detects the connection to the Lexus Bluetooth, it then switches on my phone's wifi hotspot so that the Vline can connect to it and get Internet access through it. Similarly, when I switch the car off and the phone detects that the connection to Lexus Bluetooth has terminated, it switches its wifi hotspot off. So to actually answer your question, the Vline is so good that I never go back to the Lexus interface for anything apart from altering the cabin temperature. The last time I did that I used the 'Media' button to get me back into Lexus - it had been that long since I needed Lexus that I'd forgotten about the 'Menu' button I'll try to remember to experiment with it tomorrow.

The RX is like an inverse TARDIS. It looks fairly big from the outside but it's not, it's just an optical illusion. The RX is only 18mm longer than a Ford Mondeo - that's less than three quarters of an inch. It is also only 5mm wider - which is just under a quarter of an inch. It's not that the RX is big; just that the NX is smaller. As the comparison with the Mondeo shows, the RX is 'family car-sized' so anybody with a driving licence should be able to handle it perfectly well. This very dilemma was discussed just a little while ago: EDIT: Performance should never be discussed when referring to the RX. It's a luxury barge for wafting along and eating up the miles in complete serenity. We've had the car for about 15 months (previously had a 2005 RX300 and a 2013 RX450h Advance) and averaged 35mpg over that time. I neither know nor care about 0-60mph times but what I can say is that when I get in it it's like sitting in my favourite armchair and it never ceases to put a smile on my face

Thanks Shada, a wonderful job.

Great job Shada. How much does a job like that cost if you don't mind me asking?

That's unusual because, again according to moneysavingexpert.com, leaving things close to/until the last minute statistically means you're more likely to make hasty, or even bad decisions.

The best prices are usually around 21 to 23 days before it's due according to http://moneysavingexpert.com

I'm afraid that I don't know the answer Dave but, although I assume you know this already, it can't hurt to reiterate it - when you regas the system, make sure you use ND11 oil rather than the PAG oil found in conventional cars because PAG conducts electricity and will damage the motor.

I'd email Kia UK to confirm or deny this (in writing) as it surely just cannot be right? It sounds absolute rubbish to me.

That could still happen, even to a pricey Road Angel. By law, a dashcam screen that is visible to the driver must automatically blank out within three minutes and stay off while the vehicle is in motion, purely to avoid that very situation. Most dashcam manufacturers also produce dedicated hardwire kits although some, like my Viofo one, cost a few quid extra. Third-party ones are also perfectly good. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying that you shouldn't have bought a Road Angel; it's your money and your choice. I'm just wondering who you're trying to convince that the (much) higher price was worth it

Any dashcam can be hardwired you know, very easily

This is very much a can of worms and has been discussed long and hard. You can get alternatives but it can be a bit of a minefield, so my best advice is to order from Lexus Parts Direct who are an actual Lexus main dealer but they sell stuff much cheaper than other dealers. That link will take you directly to it.

Well, yes, but why would you do that? My key fob (on both 2013 and 2018 RXs) has three buttons - top one is 'Lock', middle one is 'Unlock' and bottom one is for the tailgate. Press the middle one momentarily to unlock the whole car and then press and hold the bottom one to open the tailgate. EDIT - just realised that I may have misunderstood you. I thought you meant unlock the car as you're walking to it and then press the tailgate button on the tailgate once you got there

I'd stake a month's salary on it being the 12V battery dying. The alarm will (should) have it's own back-up battery and as the main 12V battery is low, the alarm back-up battery is also going low, which in turn activates the alarm because it thinks it's being tampered with. When you get a new battery you really need to try to use the car more but if that's not ractical, two alternatives are to connect a trickle charger such as the CTEK MX5 or to run the car in READY mode, whilst in P, for 60 minutes a week.

Just get cameras fitted and you'll be good to go Malcolm

And here are some of the ridiculous dashcam scams coming out of Russia. They may look stupid, silly, even some of them funny, but if the dashcam wasn't present, I wonder how many of these scammers would get away with it?

@Harrier Man You ask why have a dashcam and we reply asking why not? Maybe this will help persuade you - and there are many, many more examples on YouTube:

No, the car has to be unlocked first.

Can of Worms.....OPENED! Not really sure if this should be in the RX forum as it may only be the RX that uses this size of tyres, but anyway, just seen the following question posed in the Lexus Owners Club UK Facebook Group: I've heard that some RX owners have swapped from 235/55/20 to 255/50/20 because of the vastly superior choice of rubber available. Has anyone done this, and what have you noticed real-world in terms of handling and MPG? I note that both my favourites, Michelin Cross Climate and Goodyear Vector 4Seasons, are available in the 255/50/20 size, so what are the ramifications of changing to that size on a 2018 RX450h?

This is from the RX400h workshop manual Jack:

As always, word of mouth recommendation is the best, but failing that just Google for car detailers in your area and look at reviews. This may be too far for you (having said that, we bought our car at Lexus Teesside and it's a lovely two-hour run) but this is a company here in Preston that scores 4.8 out of 5 stars over 22 reviews. There's also Sunnybank Car Detailing (no website) who score 5.0 out of 5 stars over 10 reviews.

Personally I would cancel that and go to a proper detailer. Detailing, ceramic coatings and so on are a specialised skill on their own. Horses for courses as the saying goes.

Absolutely. Of course, it does rely on people knowing how to use aircon properly in the first place and I completely agree with Linas there. It should really never be turned off because again, as Linas says, it's the circulation of lubricating oil that keeps the rubber seals supple and prevents them from drying out, therefore preventing an escape of gas and oil. If that one condition is met then there is absolutely no need whatsoever to mess about with having the aircon "serviced". The clue is really in the name as it's all one big (air)con I've had cars for 10 years that have been as icy cold as the day I bought them and never had a service done on the AC. Only just last week, in a different topic, @steve2006 said that he'd owned his Celsior for 26 years and never had it serviced and it was still as cold as ever when he sold it.

I'm being pedantic, I know, but no, it does not need to be serviced every two years. The refrigerant and lubricating oil is kept within a sealed system. Neither the gas nor the oil wear out, degrade, or undergo any changes whatsoever, so that's that part of the system covered. As for the mechanics of it all, I doubt any advanced warning of seizure would be visible, so that's that part of the system dealt with. Any escape of gas or lubricant would be flagged up by the aircon not getting as cold as it used to, but that would be classed as a fault that needs to be investigated ny the use of vacuum pumps and dyes. There is absolutely no need to waste money on "routine servicing" of the aircon system. Sorry, rant over - just one of my pet hates

Paul beat me to it, sort of. I was going to say that someone on these forums (can't remember who) took the car out of the showroom and then spent the best part of four days I think it was, machine polishing, waxing, and so on - so I think the answer is, do it whenever you want.

Often some very interesting stuff in El Reg