Barry14UK

Well I have looked further into this and it seems that a number the CETEK battery chargers fail after a few years or much use due to quality of some components and poor design in addition to the mode micro switch problem. I have no experience in this area so have to rely on comments of those who have. This is an interesting video of an investigation into failure but is very long. The last 15 minutes reveals conclusion that the root of the problem was caused by the power supply (not as good as in a £15 Lidl unit!). The subsequent comments are also revealing and when pressed it is suggested a Noco unit is better built. I am not so happy now about leaving my CELTEK MXS 5 permanently connected. I also get the impression that permanent connection could lead to shortening of battery life. Would like to know what you more clued up guys think.

I have had same model CETEK and it had performed well for both ordinary and AGM batteries using the appropriate mode button which is essential. A few people report having had a problem with the mode button so I would not be heavy fingered with this. Crocodile clips were provided for easy connection and also eye terminals for more permanent connection and I assume this will still be the case.

You might get a little more for your car when you sell it if it has a full Lexus service history but not so much more than if serviced by an inde now due to age of car. You will certainly pay Lexus a lot more and I believe not benefit from the warranty as car is too old . But if you do get a coffee, yet alone biscuits, at an inde, it will be provided in a less salubrious emporium! Assume there must be a good inde in your area which is the way I would go in your position.

I read that from January, Insurance companies will not be permitted to offer introductory offers that are lower than for renewal for the same risk as for existing policy holders. Good for those that just renew automatically but less so for those shopping for introductory offers. How this will affect variable rates for time policy required before taking out, if at all, will be interesting.

A lot of companies have hitherto offered lower premiums to new policy holders and then bumped up the cost on renewal. I have read that this practice is prohibited from January, so companies cannot offer lower premiums than they give to existing policy holders for same risk. This may benefit those who just renew but not those who shop around for introductory premiums. I thought that being in North Devon now I would be in an area where there was much less crime but having used the crime link find it is is worse on every count than I entered for my previous address that came within the bounds of Croydon !!!

Don't know your model but leather can take up natural oil from hands or hand cream from previous owner or after great mileage wear smooth. Many years ago I bought some Connolly leather cleaner and hide food which I have sparingly applied to leather on my cars over the years. I had a little left which I used on my BMW leather steering wheel last year to restore the grip. I expect there are others now who do products to achieve the same objective. Maybe an auto leather restorer could supply or advise. You don't want anything that makes the wheel too grippy or sticky.

Well you got one place right out of five, should have consulted Mystic Meg LOL! Must admit race was a nail biter and was pleasantly surprised Lewis managed to win despite bad luck that favoured Max and a damaged front wing. Even without the over aggressive Max there was car carnage to others partly due to the nature of the track and insufficient run offs. I don't know if the course could be improved but all the restarts spoilt it for me.

This situation has been brought up by others in the last year or so and you believe your garage are honest having looked after the maintenance of your car for some time. In your shoes, I would discuss with them whether they could weld up and treat the affected sub frame so it would give another say 5 or so years and if so at what cost. Alternatively, if they don't want to do this job, could they recommend somebody who could. You could also check meanwhile what you could get a reasonable second hand one that would require minimum work would cost. In either event the existing subframe would have to be removed and you will have an idea of the cost due to the time indicated by your garage. You can then consider whether the cost is worth it to you. A replacement car of the same quality may need a lot of work but you know with the service and work done on yours that you have a car that should only require minimal maintenance. However. I would also get a report as to the likely need that the other subframe might need repair/replacement over 5 or so years or you may be back in a similar situation again. Good luck.

Sometimes depending on the severity of impact an adjustment to toe will cure the bias. However, it is possible that the camber or caster has been affected. Again with some cars this can be compensated for by adjustment but when my Camry was side swiped years ago it needed at least a new strut and possibly other parts so everything could be brought back into correct alignment. So yes a very careful alignment check is a good place to start.

Drivers don't seem to mind it but not a good course for spectators, even watching on TV! Bot needs to play his part well for Ham and the Team.

That looks like a fair result and let's hope it holds up for a fair time. Manufactures have come to use plastic type material headlights as part of the styling and to 'face lift' models so how convenient for them that after a few years owners need to replace them at great cost or use temporary restoration as illustrated. I have BMW Hella headlamps on my E39 BMW (made in Japan as it happens), Usually within 10 years from new (sometimes a lot less) the internal plastic adjusters break and the lights flop about. At one time it was possible to melt the glue that holds the plastic outer lens to the body and thereby easily replace these adjusters which you can buy on ebay. The glue could be melted by putting the whole lamp into an oven for a certain time at lowish temperature or by judicious use of a heat gun. Then after replacing the adjusters the glue could be reheated and the headlamp reassembled. So Hella then changed the glue to a high melt meaning you could no longer use this method because of damaging the headlamp. Again, how very convenient for manufacturers because owners generally now buy expensive new headlamps, although some either cut the body for access and plastic weld repair after replacing adjusters or if you have thin fingers, a lot of patience and several hours to spare, some people have managed to fiddle replacement adjusters into place through the rear orifices where bulbs are inserted. Same headlight just different glue. How to rip off owners!

Scotty is certainly a character and having watched many of his videos I would mostly concur with what he says. He strongly favours Lexus/ Toyota cars. I just wonder how he keeps his arms still enough and long enough to work on cars lol. Must admit I coughed when he derided all the stripping down you had to do to change s/plugs on a Nissan, having watched a video on what was necessary to change these on the rear bank of my RX450h.

I think the main reason why they don't use glass so much now is that is less versatile compared to plastic in forming the more intricate shapes we now see. It is also a lighter material than glass. It may also be less dangerous for pedestrians than glass in the event of an accident. As regards renovating plastic/acrylic or whatever, John is right that after treatment will neither look quite so good as the original nor last as long, headlights having had a special protective coating applied when manufactured. Reasonably acceptable results can be achieved with the better purposely designed kits or equivalent if you prepare your own. I learnt it was easy to go through the manufacturers coat if you are too enthusiast with the sanding as I found on a BMW lamp that was scratched. (You cant just put in a bit of filler like a depression in paintwork of course LOL). At the end of your restoration use an appropriate sealer, it will give the restored headlight a further albeit shorter lease of life. The process can repeated if not too heavily sanded. In parts of the USA where the sunlight is stronger, headlights degrade more quickly, so much so that a number of individuals have made a business out of restoring them, some even working in co-operation with dealers to perform this service.

Strange logic! I would have thought performance would have trumped looks! I must be one of the oldest boy racers then!

Unless Lexus are prepared to make a generous contribution to replace head, together with labour this is likely to be expensive. In the old days is was sometimes possible to specialist weld cracked heads but possibly this can't be done here.

Think you are right that there there is not much variety of Lexus accessories in the Europe. When Lexus sometimes advertise accessories these tend to be more generally like ancillary items as for stowage, roof rails etc. When it comes to customising, in the USA and Japan this is done quite extensively on many models including Lexus but this seems to be done far less often in Europe, perhaps being done only in a relatively small number of cases where owners have lowered, fitted alternative wheels or fitted more noisy exhausts, sometimes replacing a cat with a length of pipe due to cats being stolen. Some owners also improve the infotainment. In the UK at least, Lexus owners are likely to prefer their cars as factory without external enhancements. Modifying cars from standard also drops their value.

Lexus Cheltenham said I had to have have new plugs on age (6 years) even though the car had only just gone past 40K miles if I wanted my service book stamp. Otherwise they want to change them earlier, at soon at 60K miles covered. I think the plugs could probably go to 100K miles, particularly as they are not firing all the time. However, if Lexus had not insisted on 6 years (60K miles) for the stamp, I would have let it go to 80K miles.

Powdered graphite good for pretty free applications but not where parts corroded/seized where penetrating oil is best.

If you have let the voltage in the battery fall too low, it may well charge up but you will have hastened it being unable to hold it's charge. Also, overcharging a battery (Too long and too high amperage) will also reduce its ability to hold a charge and shorten its life. Best to use a suitable smart charger. Is the battery a cheapo? It could also be a parasitic discharge as previously detailed.

Have you considered using a small amount of penetrating oil on the key and to gradually work the key in lock so it frees off somewhat, without using great force? I have done this but not on a Lexus. If you do try this be careful you don't get the penetrating oil on the paintwork which might affect it.

Sorry, don't know of Lexus Inde near you but would have thought with what you describe a good auto electrical firm should be able to sort out your problem. I take it you have checked the car battery is well charged, is producing adequate power and that the battery connections are clean and reasonably tight. There is also usually an earthing continuity metal strap between the body and engine/gearbox which needs to be in good enough condition to do its job.

It's quite common for the holes through which the aluminium heat shield is bolted to corrode due to interaction with steel securers. It is often possible to resecure these by interposing large washers. A few more years on it may be necessary to let in pieces of aluminium if further corrosion requires.

Les and Ed make a valid point for consideration when choosing a model. There are certainly places where the large width of some models which seem to continually increase over the years can be a problem. I found this when I moved from Surrey to Devon. We are very close to Cornwall and also have some very narrow lanes, a number of which are only suitable as single track with few passing points. This is one of the reasons why I decided not to upgrade to the 4th Generation. Nice to hear from you Les and on balance that you are happy with your RX replacement.

No, and it is top of range 3rd Gen so I think it unlikely this happened with this Gen. In fact until I tried it, that is what I thought pressing the small external rear button, the subject of my post, might be for. Thank you Peter for taking the trouble to find it in the on line manual, at least it confirmed my tailgate is operating correctly, and hopefully will continue to do so.

Found another button when checking tailgate operation. This is a small round button underneath the tailgate lifting handle adjacent to tailgate release. Ploughed through handbook but could not see this button itemised or referred to. On pressing it, it retracted the door mirrors and operated the flashers, so I assume it set the alarm. Anybody else used this?