LenT

Would that be Lexus Milton Keynes?

Although there is at least one video on the interweb of a guy dismantling a valve to replace the battery, it struck me as not worth all the effort. Apart from which, a professional tyre retailer might baulk at fitting valves that they didn’t supply or had obviously been tampered with! This is why they are sold as factory sealed units.

That’s how I felt when I got my Lexus! I found I was actually inventing spurious shopping trips just for the pleasure of driving It. So…all the best with it. As regards the TPMS valves, the average battery life is considered to be seven years - depending on mileage, which you don’t mention. Any tyre dealer or Lexus Dealer should be able to check that and, frankly, if one has failed it makes sense to replace them all, because it’ll only be a matter of time and it’ll be cheaper to do the lot.

Pulling - or drifting - to the left and/or down the camber is most likely related to what’s going on with the front wheels. Again, this could be the result of tyre wear, tyre pressures, tracking problems, steering misalignment, rubbing discs and such like. My point is…it’s not so much that the wider tyres are now on the rear (which they should be) but that the narrow tyres are now on the front AFTER 2500K running as rear tyres. Depending on how enthusiastically those 2500K have been driven, they might well have been subjected to wear and stress that changed their performance relative to the wider tyres. Apart from getting tyre/wheel/suspension specialists to check the car, a close inspection of all the tyre treads might show a different wear pattern for the now fronts as compared with the now rears! Or maybe someone else has a better idea? 🤔

Just come across this topic, but I think this is an important point that Don makes! As a basic rule, it’s never a good idea to mix different types of tyres. As to whether RFs are repairable, it seems that the answer is….it all depends on the tyre, why it’s losing pressure and how it’s been driven on! This explanation by Goodyear might be helpful. https://www.goodyear.eu/en_gb/consumer/learn/can-run-flat-tyres-be-repaired.html

Just noticed that you’re non-UK so my MOT comment is probably not valid! But if by ‘gripping every kerb’ you mean that the steering tends to drift excessively down the road camber to the kerb, then that could well be down to incorrect tracking - possibly caused by wear. Considering what else has been happening, you might also check that the front wheels are pointing straight ahead when the steering wheel is central! After all, it’s possible that the car suffered some front end damage and repair before you got it?

How far had you driven with the tyres incorrectly placed? Are the tyres even on the correct rims? The wider, rear tyres are also on slightly wider rims. If you’ve had the wheels balanced then the tyre pressures should have also been checked. If you open the driver’s door there should be a tyre information panel near the door lock. You might have to consider having the tracking checked. Look for uneven tyre wear across the tread and signs of scuffing - all indications that adjustments are needed. If it’s been MOT’d recently then that should have exposed any general wear in the steering and suspension that might cause it to run down into the camber of the road.

If it’s the same as mine, you remove the mechanical key and put a flat bladed screwdriver into the hole that’s revealed. A gentle twist or prying should then open the key case. Lexus recommends that you wrap the blade in a strip of scotch tape to prevent it marking the case. Just make sure you replace the battery with the same face up!

Well I’ll be interested to know what others think, but a £7K payment for a 14 year-old car - plus you get to keep the car - sounds like a fair result. After all, under the skin it’s still the same faithful companion that you’ve enjoyed so much for the last six years! I don’t know whereabouts you are in London, but in view of the body damage you’ve described, I feel you might be better off with old fashioned panel beaters rather than having entire panels replaced - which is probably what the Insurers would have based their repair estimate on. I’m sure we’ll all be interested to know how you get on, Jules.

Just a thought, Jules… I suspect that the insured value of a car of that age is so low that any repair estimate would exceed it. That may well make it a write off - but that doesn’t mean it should be written off! By the sound of it, it’s predominantly superficial body damage - which can be repaired, just not economically by an Insurance Company. It might be worth you investigating the possibility of receiving payment for your insured loss while retaining the actual car from the Insurers. Maybe have a good body shop give you an estimate for its repair - which will almost certainly be considerably less than the total cost of a claim to the Insurers. I might add that if the Insurers write it off, it might well end up in a body shop being repaired anyway - or being broken up for spares.

This may seem sensible in that you’re not wasting your initial investment, but it does mean that your rear camera only works when the ignition is on. What makes you think that your stationary car is unlikely to be hit in the rear, when the camera’s off, as opposed to the front when the cameras on? What is more likely when you’ve parked it in a supermarket car park? Also cameras are motion-sensitive and can be activated by cars/people approaching - thus picking up anyone trying to enter the car. Paying a little extra for a dual-camera system may seem an extravagance now, but it only has to back up one insurance claim to pay for itself. And I speak from personal experience!

That’s precisely what I did on more than one occasion!

A very good point! if you have the receipt and can get it back to the original retailer, then give them the problem. They’ll check for faulty cells, poor charging rate and any unauthorised current draw. Favourites might be something like an interior light - or even a sidelight. Yes, there should be an audible warning but on an older car that might not be working. Or it might be but you can’t hear it! That kept happening to me with our other car. A combination of a very soft, high pitched ‘bong’ and my poor hearing often resulted in my leaving the lights on! Yes, that’s what my GP said….😊

I’d go further. I suggest that Lexus Dealerships don’t have tyre fitters. They have mechanics who occasionally fit tyres. Although I have been surprised to find that my local Lexus dealer has matched my regular tyre supplier in price, I would probably only use them if I was combining it with a Service at the same visit. On the whole I think someone competent fitting tyres all day for a living will generally make a better job of it. I apply the same reasoning to using an auto electrician to install accessories.

My opinion too, Ronnie. When I was buying a new set, I asked Lexus MK if they could supply them as I was due an annual service there anyway. To my surprise, they matched my regular tyre supplier. I didn’t go with it as I was also having Alloygator rim protectors fitted. It may not be the first place anyone thinks of, but you’re quite right that it’s always worth asking them to quote.

I think you’ll find that the power outlet (as it’s now known!) is only live when the engine switch is in Accessory or Ignition On mode. If you don’t have an OBD connector then you’ll probably need to use crocodile clips to connect directly to the battery.

Well my IS250 is the later model which came with the staggered 18s, low profile tyres. The option would have been the 17 inch with the same tyres fore and aft. It depends on what you’re after in driving style. The larger wheels with the low profile, more rigid tyres are supposed to provide better handling at speed; the 17 inchers should give a softer, more comfortable ride due to the greater flexibility of the sidewalls. Also it’s easier to buy four new tyres if they’re all the same! Had I bought the car from new, I would probably have opted for the 17 inch setup - prioritising ride comfort.

I also recall his mentor, Genaro Contaldo, attracting considerable opprobrium for demonstrating various different recipes for spaghetti carbonara on YouTube!

I feel the same about ouzo. I’ve enjoyed many a bottle in Greece, but have rarely drunk it in Northamptonshire. 🙁

You’re quite right Renato. I confused it with risotto for the sake of a joke! 🙁 Paella - like the best martinis - should be shaken, not stirred. So what I invariably end up occasionally making is a risotto. Primarily because I don’t have the right paella rice or - more significantly - a paella pan. The latter omission is due to MrsT’s forceful observation that at our age one thing we don’t need is a new pan in the kitchen that’ll be used once and end up in the back of a cupboard!😡

I always think that paella is just for people who like stirring things up. 😊

Quite right, Renato! Nothing wrong with our traditional chicken tikka masala…or a four seasons pizza! 😊

Completely agree! When I had my car Detailed and ceramic coated, the one thing I now regret is that I didn’t have PPF applied to the front bumper. It’s the most vulnerable area of the car to be exposed to road chips. Although the few that exist are mere pin pricks, they could have been avoided completely. In hindsight, I now consider that the saving I made has proved to be a false economy.

Unless you know what has already been done to the car, I’d be inclined to start with the finish. Find a good local Detailer and have the car professionally Detailed with a ceramic coating. That involves baking on the ceramic coating with infrared heaters - and with the best will in the world, no home applied product is going to match that. That ceramic coat is an upfront investment that should last for many years and all you need do then is: a. Avoid car washes and the guys that work in supermarket car parks. b. Invest in the products listed by Linas in his first post and follow the snow foam, pressure washer, two bucket, microfibre mitt and towel wash routine. Ideally, using the maintenance products that match the ceramic coating. Of course, if you really want the best possible exterior protection, you could consider the application of Paint Protection Film - but that’s a whole new level of investment. https://www.huntsmiths.co.uk

We’ll be finishing off the Chicken Noodle, Lemon Grass broth that I made yesterday, with its added carrots, red pepper, red chillies, ginger, star anise, celery, leeks, pak choi, spring onions, mushrooms, garlic and soy sauce….. before it combusts spontaneously.