LenT

Congratulations Kevin! There’ll be quite a few ES enthusiasts here eager to know what you think of it. Sounds like the story of your ordering was something of a saga. Hopefully, your collection went smoothly and you’re now enjoying your new Lexus. Photographs are always well received. 😊

An interesting point…if anyone could find it! On the other hand, if you install an anti-theft system such as the Ghost - a popular addition to a new car which links into the Canbus - it has an even more significant effect. Does that effect the warranty? On the positive side, would it reduce the Insurance? Unfortunately, these are questions above my pay grade. 😊

Here’s another - or additional - option depending on how mechanically inclined you are. Many years ago I fitted a Kill Switch to the low tension lead of my two seat convertible. This is a modern and ingenious version of that which isolates the fuel pump. So if the thief defeats your steering lock and manages to start the engine, it will just churn over impotently. It’s a low cost DIY job if you are able to do it - or get an auto electrician to do it for you.

There have been a few threads recently on steering wheel locks - and similar systems. Maybe worth seeking out? Are they worth having? Well that probably depends on the age of the car and where it’s located. As a visible deterrent they can be very effective against the casual thief. Personally, I have had a couple of Diskloks in the past. They are probably the gold standard - often defeating serious, mechanised attempts to defeat them. But they are large, a bit cumbersome, and can be awkward to store when not in use. But faced with one, it would probably be easier to tow the car away! Apart from the Disklok, the Milenco has had very good reviews. The latest version has additional pads to prevent the lock marking soft-rimmed steering wheels. I’m tempted myself - except I’m not convinced that an eight year-old IS250 is on anyone’s ‘to nick’ list. 😊

Actually, John, I have! Not about matters Lexus, about which almost everyone here will know more than I do. But about such diversionary tactics as conspiracy theorists citing misinformation about vaccines instead of discussing Lexus cars. Arguably opinion that might have a more serious effect on Members than whose car is better! But the best one can do is provide the supporting evidence and the reader has to make their judgement. If others have to resort to personal invective or patronising dismissal instead of logic and reason, then their argument is already lost. Those are the Posts I read - and then active my built-in ‘Ignore Function’. 😊

But surely all that achieved, John, was that the LOC was deprived of the value of your contributions. Or am I missing something? To reflect the original topic, if your personal opinion or experience was that the ES was too cheap/ expensive/ fast/ slow/ big etc then someone will find it of interest. If it’s an opinion based, say, on your subjective experience, it’s less likely that a contrary view will change yours. But that doesn‘t mean it mustn’t be expressed. Personally, I’ve often found that I may learn more from someone with whom I disagree - mainly because it’s so much easier to agree than to make the effort to investigate a subject more deeply. As for the ‘Ignore Function’….why? How hard can it be NOT to read a Post? And surely if that Post is hidden from you, then those that comment on it may not make very much sense. When this thread started, I found it interesting to read the often opposing views about the ES, having already determined that it wasn’t for me. But it’s a subject that some seem to find hard to keep in perspective. In the great scheme of things, being faced with different opinions about a car doesn’t strike me as one of the greatest personal challenges in Life.

I used to have Diskloks - expensive and a bit cumbersome to store and use, but undoubtedly the most secure. The Milenco bar lock has had very good test results and positive mentions here. These articles may give you more information. https://www.driving.co.uk/news/products/best-steering-wheel-lock/#:~:text=As a bar lock%2C it's,exactly a quiet affair%2C either. https://www.bestproductsreviews.co.uk/steering-wheel-lock-milenco?targetid=dsa-51445251587&matchtype=&device=t&campaignid=12177553845&creative=494588387479&adgroupid=115816063606&feeditemid=&loc_physical_ms=1006551&loc_interest_ms=&network=g&devicemodel=&placement=&keyword=$&target=&aceid=&adposition=&trackid=uk_all_top_11_1&mId=407-132-4411&trackOld=true&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImerPobXbgAMVFfDtCh38iQw1EAAYAyAAEgJyyPD_BwE

That should certainly be the case. In fact you’ve made a wise investment that’ll pay off for years. The result looks really good! But did your Detailer advise you about aftercare? You should avoid automatic car washes as the brushes can create dulling swirls. And the hand washes that shift road grit from one car to another! Ideally you should get yourself a snow foam pressure spray, wash mitts, microfibre drying towels and buckets for diy cleaning - not something I thought I’d be doing again! Or find a mobile car washer who’s used to ceramic finishes. You should have some maintenance products that you apply after a wash that adds a final gloss to the ceramic coat. They are also useful to spray on dried bird faeces to soften them before wiping them off In fact, this could open up a whole new world of car-related activity for you. Yes, a ceramic finish is just the start.

And rightly so! The kind that set up shop in Supermarket car parks have a particularly poor reputation in this regard. After all, they may have a number of cars to do while their owners are shopping. Even the type that operate along a tracked system are under a timing pressure. If you’re really concerned, then go for a specialist who’s using snow foam and the ‘two bucket’ method. Otherwise I understand that a well-maintained automatic car wash will be preferable because of the copious amounts of water they use. Although, as I said previously, if you’ve invested in a ceramic finish then they are to be avoided.

This suggests to me that you were in a ‘tracked’ system in which you locate the front wheels on a moving track and the car is then moved along the system. If that’s the case then I would have thought it safest to turn off the engine. There may have even been signs to that effect. I think this also usually applies when using the system in which the car is stationary and the washing unit moves around the car. In fact the only reason for keeping the engine running appears to be the fear that water might be sprayed onto the electrical system, in which case keeping the engine hot will hopefully evaporate the water before it can affect the system. I usually keep the engine running so that I can use the wipers to clear the screen before the blowers get to it. PS. I should add that since having the car ‘Detailed’ with a ceramic coating, it’s not allowed through car washes anyway!

So…you’ve never found time for an Audi then? 😊

You’re right to bring this point up again, Shapor, because it is a characteristic that crops up in many human activities. If one invests a significant amount of time, money and conviction into a subject, it can then be very hard to be dispassionate about it. This of course suggests that ownership per se may not be such a reliable judge of quality as might be hoped. That’s certainly the reasoning that keeps the motoring journalist in business!

While my car was being serviced, the Sales Rep.took myself and another customer on a tour of the parking lot, trying to interest us in a couple of ES. We both had the same reaction as yourself, to his disappointment. Obviously, size being the main problem, our reaction wouldn’t have been confined to a Lexus. But I did get the impression that the tour was being conducted more in hope than expectation.

No Antony, I don’t think anyone would expect you to say that. And as I made clear, my personal indifference to such stats is why I haven’t made any such comment either. Well I may be mistaken here, but I thought he pointed out that he had driven examples. But he also makes the valid point that motoring journalists don’t own the cars they drive and yet have no compunction about citing performance stats. Now generally these will be lifted off the Press Releases, but if they’ve been able to wangle a loan car for a few days then they may justify it by publishing their stats. But of course the driving style of journalists in a free loan car that they haven’t bought and don’t have to maintain, may not compare with a normal owner for whom - as you rightly point out - such figures may well be important . If such figures were important to me, my inclination would be to look at the manufacturer’s claims as generally the best achievable under ideal circumstances and anticipate lower figures under real world conditions. The claims of ‘actual’ owners - if better - I would regard as interesting but tempered by the fact that I had no idea about their driving style. It’s a question of priorities, isn’t it? If I tried to emulate their stats, I doubt I would enjoy driving nearly as much! On the other hand, I too would expect to slightly improve on Linas’s figures. 😊

For goodness sakes, Folks, are we not entering the realm of Geekdom here? I don’t think Linus will object if I suggest that - based on his many comments made here - his driving style might be most kindly described as “enthusiastic”! An anticipated mileage of 34mpg might even be optimistic. But does it really matter? I have no idea what my average mpg is - and frankly don’t care. It is what it is and I drive the way that pleases me. In any case, I do so few miles that consumption is pretty irrelevant. Now I do appreciate that such stats may be more important to others here, but to get into a tizzy just because someone claims different stats to one’s own may really not be the best use of your time - or this website. Indeed, I’ve refrained from saying so ….but I don’t even care if your Lexus is better than mine. There….I’ve said it! This is not only the first Lexus I’ve ever owned, it’s the first I’ve ever sat in and the first I’d ever driven. And it suits me just fine! And if anyone thinks their Lexus is actually a better Lexus, that’s fine too.

Are they not vulnerable to steel cable cutters?

Well, if you want to be pedantic James, the technical answer is…. Black is not a colour; a black object absorbs all the colours of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them to the eyes. I trust that resolves the issue! 😊

Do you think it possible that the BMW attitude that you so dislike is more due to there being more BMW drivers than, say, Lexus drivers? And in any cohort of drivers you will find a spread of degrees of driving ability. Thus you are more likely to encounter an inconsiderate BMW driver than a Lexus driver - there are simply more people driving BMWs. There may even be an element of ascribing supposed national characteristics to the cars themselves, irrespective of who’s actually driving them. So the next complaint will be about Merc car mats being used to reserve the best sun loungers! Like many here, I have owned both a BMW and now a Lexus - and many others in between. I’m not aware that I adopted a different driving personality depending on the badge in front. Do you? If I had, I’m sure MrsT would have been the first to point it out. It might happen if I changed from a sedate family saloon to a two seater sports, but I would hope it would be more a matter of using the increased performance rather than discarding common courtesy.

I think this paragraph by Steve, the OP, may explain his thinking. The Lexus supply problem of new cars over the last few years would suggest that you either accept what a DeaIer has for a reasonably quick delivery, or wait many months for the one you specify. Either way this will affect the Dealer’s willingness to discount. I suspect that requirements for Steve’s third ES were so specific that having found what he believed to be the only example immediately available in the entire Lexus Network, this was preferable to waiting for an identically specified new model - even if it was possible to negotiate a better price. As Steve says, he was going to travel 170 miles to see it and was already determined that he would be returning with it! Negotiations may well have got him a new Lexus for the same price - but not immediately and possibly not the Lexus he knew he wanted. I agree with anyone who thinks this may not be the best approach to buying a new car, but sometimes if you know exactly what you want - and you see it - you have to be decisive. I can empathise to some extent with this view. When my Accord was written off I set about getting a new one, only to discover they were no longer marketed in the UK. So instead I set out on a tour of the local Dealers. By chance my first stop was Lexus - a make I didn’t know and had never even been in, let alone driven. Without hesitation the Sales chap pointed out one car in the Parking lot and I knew immediately that it was exactly what I wanted.. A drive confirmed this. It was the last of its kind to be imported into the UK and they were not prepared to negotiate on price. There was no new car option and I wasn’t prepared to haggle it away. So I bought it! Now every few months I get invited to take up a Special Offer’ on a new Lexus. But there isn’t a new Lexus that suits me better than the one I have. So it’s a decision I’ve never had cause to regret.. And I doubt that Steve will either!

Unless I’ve misunderstood the pricing structure, the current ES 300H Premium Edition starts from £40K and the Premium Pack version from £48K. So I can quite understand that presuming the car is otherwise sound in every other aspect, fits the OP’s spec and is generally hard to find, merely rectifying hard to see scuff marks by someone who had a career doing it professionally, would make it something of a bargain!

I’ve always had BlackVue cameras. in fact it was the evidence collected by my last cameras of an HGV swapping lanes to write off my last car, that convinced his Insurers to pay up in full without further quibble, that paid for my Lexus. BlackVues are noted for superb technology and outstanding reproduction - especially useful if you want to catch readable number plates. Neat and unobtrusive, they also offer a great deal of interconnectability with cell phones, for example, although it’s not something I use. They do lack a built-in screen by which to view video files immediately, but pairing with cellphones gives you better viewing anyway. They are among the more expensive dashcams, so perhaps the first thing to do is determine how much you want to spend - and if you’re going to install it yourself. You don’t mention if you’ve had them before, so in case not, here are some more general thoughts. 1. Always go for a two camera setup. You’re just as likely to be hit from behind as hit something in front. 2. Install the cameras so that they can operate in Parking Mode ie with the ignition off. Again the car is just as likely to be hit - and more likely to be vandalised - when stationary. 3. Buy and fit the biggest SD Card the system will take and keep the smaller card that comes with the camera as a backup. If involved in a serious incident- and able to do so - swap the cards round so that you preserve the evidence. 4. Depending on usage, reformat the SD Card on a regular basis. Say, every 4 to 6 weeks. It’s what the manufacturers recommend to prevent rewriting errors corrupting the video files.

I would suspect that any sympathisers caught up in that extensive delay would be tempted to reconsider their view. It never seems to occur to the mighty intellects of these ‘Protestors‘ that winning the support of the Public has never yet been achieved by inconveniencing the Public!

I’d agree that it would be a poor piece of quality control to let that pass if it was an error. And yet even in Japan that would leave a small unswept area in front of the driver. So it’s equally hard to believe that it’s intentional. With such a new car I would certainly give the problem back to the Dealer. It may seem potentially just a minor adjustment, but any resulting damage or unforeseen consequences will only create bigger problems later on!

I believe Honda uses a number of different manufacturers for their OEM batteries, so this exceptional performance says a lot for the CTEK. I too have one - and a NOCO Power Pack for emergencies - and although they may seem expensive purchases initially, they can prove to be excellent investments in the long term. I hope this has reassured the OP.

I think you’re correct in that there’s a generational factor involved. We older buyers probably regard developing a good long term relationship with a Dealer as being preferable to shopping around for small, short term gains. And the best Dealers recognise that. Younger buyers, on the other hand, for social and/or financial reasons, have little time for such niceties or the vague concept of loyalty. Equally, it may be that the new breed of salespeople are less inclined to spend time cultivating such customer relationships - especially if they’re constantly pressured to deliver to sales targets or lose their jobs. Of course, car sales has always had that image. But now that buyers can elect to avoid real salespeople completely, it must be an even more challenging way to make a living.