LenT

She sounds like a very wise woman indeed, Linas! 😀

I have long argued that dashcam systems should be available fitted on new cars. And indeed Lexus does offer a perfectly good Nextbase system. Installing during the build is obviously the most efficient course. I take your point, Herbie, that it may not offer the features - or the cost benefits - that you might independently choose. But Lexus also offers audio systems that are either Mark Lawrence or Pioneer, depending on the model you choose. But do they offer a Lexus without any audio system at all so that the buyer can fit a cheaper system of their choice? So in effect, that principle has already been established. I expect that Lexus could offer a wider choice, but I suspect they would argue that they would only supply equipment that reflected their own values - and that they could buy in at advantageous prices, as they do with tyres! An alternative could be that your new Lexus is supplied ready for the dealer fitting of a customer provided system, although that may produce warranty problems or disputes in the event of failure. The really encouraging feature is that the argument has now moved on from why fit one at all!

I’ve had a couple of these and they’re pretty much the Gold Standard in steering wheel locks. But as Milenco recently wrote to me, given time, equipment and a quiet location, any lock can be eventually defeated. But using powerful cutting tools in a confined space is both noisy and dangerous - and every extra minute increases the risks. Personally, I’m now looking at the Milenco bar, which claims to be as resistant as the Disklok but more convenient to use. I like the concept of the Ghost-like systems. But I think the mistake is to advertise their installation. Ideally, the thief only discovers the possibility that the car has one after defeating the door and steering wheel locks and jumping the ignition lock. Faced with an engine that just turns over, or stops after a few seconds, that’s when the possibility of a Ghost Immobiliser might occur - but that means starting all over again. Many will give up at that point - and maybe come back at a later date! Thieves go for the direct CANbus attack when they know such a system is already installed. As I have posted elsewhere, for a competent DIYer the fitting of a ‘Kill Switch’ to the fuel pump seems an attractive proposition. It produces the same result as a Ghost Immobiliser but is harder to bypass. Ultimately, your car can always be loaded on to a trailer! So security gates and Rising Posts come in to consideration. And then your car disappears from the supermarket car park because you forgot to put the keys in the Faraday Pouch! Best solution - get something like an old Austin Allegro. No-one ever wants to steal one of them!

If you’re a competent DIYer, this might appeal. It’s a simple hidden kill switch that isolates the fuel pump. So the engine will churn over but will never fire up. It’s highly unlikely that any car thief is going to hang around to try and diagnose the problem. Or call out the AA. This, in conjunction with a visible deterrent - a Stoplock or a Milenco - really only leaves putting the car onto a trailer.

Yummy! Do they deliver?

Bark Bells! Really? Lucky I didn’t post my joke about the Parallel Barks! Oh, drat! 🙁

V6s for a great deal of the time… Len

The yoga classes, I would have thought. Especially the downward dog….

Dressed accordingly? 🤔 Not to mention…frazzled from a day’s work! I don’t want to pry, but I can’t help wondering what kind of work that might have been, Stephen! 🤔🤔

Well at least you found a Mercedes salesman who could be bothered to show your a Mercedes! When I was seeking a fast replacement for a written off Accord, I spent a day doing the rounds of the usual suspects. I had just had a drive in the Lexus - with which I was most impressed - and moved on to the large Mercedes dealership. On entering I strolled over to a desk where sat the lone rep. busy with paperwork. Eventually he looked up to see what was blocking the light. I said “I’m looking to immediately replace a Honda Accord which has just been written off.” He replied, “Well have a look around and see if there’s anything you like.” So I just walked out. When I got home, the Lexus salesman had emailed me a detailed video walk-round the car and agreed to hold the car until I could return a couple of days later with MrsT. No doubt others have had completely contrasting experiences. But perhaps the different dealer attitudes reflect the different customer approaches and thus the differences in the Owners Clubs? Or maybe not?

I hope you’ll both be very happy together, James. 👍 Definitely a looker, but is she a keeper? Or will that number plate prove prophetic? I trust that Betsy went to a good home….

I guess that’s what it takes to own two LS400s. 😊

That’s precisely my kind of thinking, Michael. Guy collects car; time passes while I do other stuff; guy returns car. Is that Lexus MK? Offhand it seems a pretty good deal. You don’t mention the TPMS valves, but as Linus pointed out, the battery condition can probably be checked while in situ and you can make a decision based on that. Yes, you’ll pay Lexus prices - subject to negotiation - but you save on the buggeration factor. And I’m sure we’ll be keen to know what you think of the Goodyears.

A good tyre shop should be able to replace and code in replacement TPMS valves. If they don’t have them in stock, they are easy to get in. If you’re buying new tyres off them, then negotiate a fitting price - after all, they’re taking the tyres off the wheel anyway! When a Good Samaritan snapped one of my sensors, the nearest tyre retailer in Towcester replaced it for about £60 inc fitting. Incidentally, that’s when the SpaceSaver proved its worth!

The technology to look for is Hunter wheel alignment. There’s a tyre shop near me in Brackley that I use which offers it,but there may be one nearer in MK. One option you may have dismissed is Lexus MK. When I was looking for new tyres (I settled on the excellent Goodyear Asymmetric) I was also due to have a service there. Out of curiosity, I asked if they could supply tyres - and to my surprise they matched the price quote from my regular tyre supplier! (I don’t know if Lexus MK has the Hunter equipment, but they are obviously familiar with the cars.) It was only because I was also having Alloygator rim protectors fitted, that I went with the tyre shop. Incidentally, the point about the TPMS valves is also one to consider. If they are all original then they may well be nearing the end of their battery life. This is obviously the best time to replace them.

Ford was rather inclined to rewrite history. After all, he also declared that ‘It was all bunk!’ When the Model T was launched in 1908, you could get it in, for example, Fire Engine Red and Hunter Green. There were also years when it was only available in red, blue, green and grey - all to simplify the production line. The black Ford referred to was a new fast drying paint he was experimenting with. As it happens, the 15th million Model T had green bodywork. This is how one biographer explains it: The black-only policy began in 1914, and primarily because it was also the year Ford fired up his new moving assembly line. The new line reduced the time to build each car from more than 12 hours, to just 90 minutes. Black paint was the cheapest, and using a single shade meant the line didn’t have to stop while workers cleaned the equipment to change the paint colors. Black remained the sole choice until 1926, when some models were offered in green, maroon, or gray, all with black fenders So what’s up with that famous phrase? Thanks to his car’s success, Ford soon became as big a celebrity as any sports or silent-movie star, and the press faithfully printed pretty much anything that came out of his mouth. But it seems no historian has ever found a verified newspaper story that recorded the catchy phrase. Instead, it appears in Henry Ford’s co-written autobiography, “My Life and Work,” published in 1922. He describes a meeting in 1909 with his company’s salespeople, who wanted him to add even more models. Instead, he announced he would build only one, “and I remarked: ‘Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.’”

That looks like you’ve seriously compromised the structure of the sidewall. If you have a spare or a SpaceSaver, I would change the tyre rather than risk driving on it if you don’t have to! As Steve says, if the other tyre on the axle is down to 3mm, then replace them both. Ideally, all four tyres should be the same. And I know these are rear tyres, but in case you weren’t aware, the newest tyres should always go on the rear axle anyway - irrespective of whether the car’s front or rear drive.

Welcome tzar / tazr…. You might find it useful to go to lexus.co.uk and click on ‘My Lexus’ and register your car. If it’s been serviced by a Lexus dealer then the records may be there. You can also see if any Manuals are available, if you don’t have them. Although sometimes they’re not in the case of older vehicles.

This amused me greatly, Ed. Took me back to my very first job in a Company just off Fleet Street, in what I later described as ‘the armpit of advertising!’ The owner would often insist on giving me a lift to Holborn tube station. This involved long, straight stretches of the A40, which was interrupted by several pedestrian crossings. From about 200 yards away, I would see someone start to cross and it was immediately obvious that our trajectories were doomed to coincide! At about 20 yards, my driver would stamp on the brakes and exclaim “Did you see that! The fool stepped right out in front of us!” As a child I would sit downstairs on Daimler-powered London buses in order to watch the driver use the Wilson pre-selector gearbox. Such fun!

What, no space for even a SpaceSaver? Presumably you’ve been supplied with the injectable glob - or maybe fitted with the so-called Run Flats?

How very infuriating and disappointing. I can see that it puts you in a very invidious position, Alistair. Do you reject the car on the basis that Lexus is in Breach of Contract, or do their Terms of Business reserve the right to change the model specifications without notice. They may claim that Lexus reserves the right to change the specification and it doesn’t alter the material performance. If you reject the car how long will you have to wait for one that’s correctly specc’d? And can you get a free loan car from Lexus because you sold your existing car solely in the reasonable expectation that Lexus would deliver what you had paid for? Have you actually registered this error with the Dealer? If so, what was their response? Did they mess up the Order or are they also victims to a lesser extent? Depending on those answers - and how strongly you feel about it - you might want to consult a Solicitor before taking further action. It may be that the Dealer will offer a refund as compensation, or are there extras that you might accept, such as a SpaceSaver wheel, top of the range dashcam, and such like? At least you now have the car and can settle down to enjoy it. You may find that will compensate for a lot of disappointment. 😊

No it wouldn’t! 🙁

Don’t be too hard on yourself, Stephen. Automatics have progressed dramatically over the years. But despite the occasional need to drive one, it wasn’t until I came across my Lexus that I’d ever had to consider owning one. There was no manual option, after all. I’d always felt I was in more control being able to choose my own gear. It was part of the joy of motoring….I thought. Well, I’m an auto convert! I’ve decided that having someone else choose the most appropriate gear is befitting of my status - apart from which it has coincided with developing arthritis in the left ankle. I did use the paddle shifts when I first got the car, as a kind of compromise. But frankly the Lexus auto is so smooth and efficient that I’m now perfectly content to just worry about the steering, stopping and speed. The one thing I do miss is engine braking. You can use the paddles to select a lower gear when going down really steep hills - but we don’t have many of them in Northamptonshire!

I take it that you don’t have a convenient power supply nearby, otherwise a CTEK trickle charger would keep the battery fully charged. Failing that, and on the basis that the car’s out in the open, then a good quality solar charger, as Neil suggests, placed on the dash, should keep the battery topped up. Another tip for a car that’s going to be stationary for some time is not to park it with the brake on. Chock the wheels if necessary.

No, it’s time limited. If you tap the three dots in the top right corner of your post, it will reveal an edit function. Only thing is…it has to be done within a few minutes of posting. Just how many, I don’t know!