LenT

The current Which Best Buy is the Nextbase 222. However this two camera version is under £100 and has several benefits. It can be hard wired and has a Parking Mode - both features well worth having. The rear facing camera looks through the car interior and is not fixed to the rear window, but a separate rear camera system will almost certainly exceed your budget. Apart from which, this Nextbase avoids the need for additional wiring.. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082FFXS3W?tag=which-digidip-21&linkCode=ogi&th=1 My only other suggestion is to have a spare SD Card with you, so that in the event of an incident, you can swap the card to retain the evidence. And get the biggest card the system will take and remember to reformat at regular intervals.

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If I’ve copied the link correctly, Autotrader is currently showing six GS 300 at under £3K. At least it’ll give you some idea of what you get for that. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-search?advertising-location=at_cars&include-delivery-option=on&make=Lexus&model=GS 300&postcode=NN13 5YF&price-to=3000&sort=relevance&year-to=2023

This comment did remind me of an event that perhaps marked a significant period of social change. One of our clients was a major international company which decided to ‘democratise’ its catering at its UK HQ. So apart from the odd Board Meeting, everyone - but everyone - would now eat at the new Canteen run by outside caterers. A few days after its official opening, those present were impressed to see the CEO join the food queue with his close associates and gather various plates on his tray, before joining them at a table. I should add that he was an affable, well-liked individual anyway so this appearance was well received. At the end of his meal he rose and left his table, but was stopped in his tracks by a shout of “Oi, you!”. He turned to see a large woman, who was running the Catering line, pointing at him. “Yes, you!” she continued. “Tray!!”. A hush fell over the many witnesses to this drama, as a colleague whispered to him that he was supposed to clear his plates back on to the tray and return it to a central location. It only needed the rustle of tumbleweed to counterpoint the silence. Who would blink first? But then the CEO - with a mumbled apology - dutifully assembled his tray and delivered it to the waiting rack. Of course, this social experiment ultimately became the norm. And he would occasionally make an appearance to show his approval. Sadly, I never got to experience the Canteen. As their Advertising Agency, it seems we were expected to take them out to one of the many local fine-eating pubs whenever we visited. Democratisation clearly had its limits!

A dreadful experience Vladimir, but thankfully it sounds like you got off without personal injury. From your description you might have easily have collected other vehicles and it could all have ended rather differently. Clearly you weren’t the only driver to have a bad day on the Motorway that day. Aquaplaning is always my greatest concern because you’re so suddenly just a passenger. As ‘they’ say; any crash you can walk away from is a good crash! But sadly that reduces the number of registered 2007 IS250 SE-L to 306. Interesting comment about the air bags. When my Accord was T-boned by an HGV, no airbags deployed then either. I for one certainly hope that that won’t be the case! Your search for a replacement Lexus should be worth a few entertaining Posts yet. 😊

That’s precisely the reason they are now plastic! Some time ago, while topping up the tyre pressures at a BP site, the last dust cap wouldn’t budge. A helpful van driver, taking pity on this struggling old bloke, appeared with a spanner that fitted the valve cap. With one dexterous twist, he snapped the valve stem clean off the tyre - complete with dust cap still intact. Yes, it was the only metal one out of the set. Incidentally, because I had a SpaceSaver tyre, I was able to drive a few hundred yards to a tyre retailer and have a new TPMS valve fitted for £65. The injectable solution would have been no solution at all!

This provided a constant source of wry amusement for many of us - not least the late and much missed John Williams (Roy of the Rovers). I do agree. My modest Lexus surprised me by coming with a Manual in two volumes totalling about 1100 pages! Very often the crucial information was tucked away in the pages of additional notes. I thought it might make suitable bedtime reading, but it’s a bit too racy for me! 😊

Too late! 🤯🤯

How are you getting on with it? I have considered one of these as I like the keyless technology. Provided it’s impervious to a CANBUS attack and not easily found, it’ll surely be a very effective and frustrating deterrent. However, in my case, I was not convinced that the theft rate of an eight year-old IS250 is such that it warrants the installation. But a simpler, diy alternative that might appeal to others here is the fitting of a ‘kill switch’. I used to have a Lotus Elan to which I fitted one in the low tension lead to the distributor. This produced the effect that the engine would turn over but never fire up. This excellent and detailed video shows the installation of a ‘kill switch’ to the fuel pump - which has the same effect. I mention it in case there are others owners looking for a simple alternative to a Ghost-style system.

That’s very true - and yet they can be very attractive. When MrsT and I got married, there were some changes on the car front. I sold my Lotus Elan to pay for a new kitchen and we had to look for something we both liked - and could drive! We stumbled across a Fiat dealer who had an ex-demo 128 Coupe for sale. They were also dealers for a brand of sliding roof - and a black vinyl roof product. So it came with both - and very smart it looked too! It was in fact a very likeable car. It even survived MrsT deciding to reverse it out of our then narrow brick garage with the door open to aid her view. Unfortunately it didn’t help enough for her to spot the protruding brick pillar half way down which was rammed by the edge of the door, reshaping it in the process! 😡

Sadly, no Renato. They were bought out by one of my previous Agencies - Benton & Bowles - and became a mere footnote in history.

Which reminds me that I once worked at a London advertising agency called Horniblow, Cox-Freeman. They too had a Telex and my moan - and constant regret - is that I never had occasion to send them a Telex. It’s not often in Life that you get the opportunity to Telex HorniCox.

I would certainly agree that in the event of complete tyre failure and sudden loss of air, you wouldn’t need TPMS to inform you about it! But surely more common is the gradual loss of air that is not immediately apparent as a change in the car’s handling characteristics. This could be caused by leaking valves, damaged rims, foreign objects, tyre porosity caused by age and wear and so on. Even a casual glance at the tyre may not reveal it. Only regular inspection with a tyre gauge might catch it and I have no doubt that Linus is one of the relatively few who would conduct such checks. But Lexus has to consider the majority, less disciplined customer, who probably should not be given the ability to disconnect safety related warning systems.The problem with an insidious pressure loss is that an under inflated tyre will generate higher temperatures and suffer increased wear. I agree that the inability to identify a specific tyre is irritating, but at least the warning will act as an incentive to check all the tyres!

Well, what was originally an intermittent problem has now apparently become a permanent condition after their work. Clearly, there could be a causal relationship here and you should certainly take the car back to them to resolve it. Delay may simply work against you if more damage results. It is - after all - a red warning!

In such a new, low mileage car it’s hard to believe it could be wear in the steering or suspension systems. It might be worth checking all the wheel nuts - they have been known to loosen. But it could be almost any fixing that’s vibrating when the car reacts to a rough surface. I presume it’s still under Warranty, so it might be best to take it back to the Dealer to resolve.

If you want reassurance, call your Insurers. My Lexus came with an SS as original equipment. I may have missed it, but what was yours supplied with? In any case, the SS is approved for emergency use and has speed and range restrictions. In the event of a potential claim while using one your Insurers would have to demonstrate that these restrictions had been exceeded. Well….good luck with that!

On the basis that prevention is better than cure, I would suggest that this rim damage would have been prevented by fitting a set of Alloygators..That’s certainly been my experience! Having now incurred the cost of a repair, it may be something you’d like to consider to help prevent further such damage.

If rim protection is a real concern, I would recommend fitting a set of Alloygators. They.come in a variety of colours, so can either match the tyre or provide an interesting contrast. But mainly should you ever put a slight scuff on one - which can be rubbed out anyway - just think of the expensive alloy repair you’ve been saved! 😊

I think this is a very interesting point - and may well come as a surprise. When on a previous occasion that I was buying new tyres, I was also arranging a service with Lexus. Thinking it would be convenient to have new tyres at the same time, I asked them to quote. To my surprise, they matched the price from my regular local tyre shop! In the end, I went with the tyre shop because I was also having a set of Alloygator rim protectors fitted. But it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask - especially if you want to have new TPMS valves fitted at the same time.

I know nothing about these specific Yokohamas, but as a general observation on the rare occasions I’ve had a car with them fitted, I replaced them at the earliest opportunity. They always seemed to generate more noise and less wet weather grip than, say, the equivalent Michelins or Goodyear. But more importantly, Gaurav, there are two other points to consider. Firstly, whatever tyre you choose, they should be the same on all four wheels. Secondly, if you’re just fitting two new tyres, then they should go on the rear axle irrespective of whether the car’s front or rear drive. As for alternative brands, well that may well depend on what characteristics you personally feel to be most important. Noise, comfortable ride, wet road grip, wear rate, an aggressive driving style and so on. Personally I go for either Michelin CrossClimate or the latest Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 6 - but you might find looking up a few practical tyre reviews will be helpful.

Well, you could get a new battery, Neil. As has already been pointed out, it is probably past its best. You could get a NOCO power pack. They are great bits of kit and mine has certainly come to the rescue of neighbours, if not my Lexus as yet. But I don’t think anyone has yet suggest a third option - a CTEK trickle charger. These come with leads that connect permanently to the battery posts - or the connection points, in your case - and to which the CTEK then connects. They offer a range of programs, from desulphation to reconditioning, in addition to fit-and-forget charging. It’ll soon become obvious if the battery is actually failing to hold a charge - in which case replacement is the answer anyway. Otherwise an overnight charge before parking the car up, should be sufficient. In any case, it’s another bit of kit that’s always worth having!

I have to admit that a pet hair dryer never occurred to me. For that matter, I suppose I could have tried one of MrsT’s… In fact, this was the bit of kit I was looking at: https://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/blo-air-s-hand-held-car-dryer

Interesting. What other things do they think you might have left that are ‘like your kids’ that might not actually be ‘your kids’? Or do they really mean ‘such as’? But be warned Sean, I doubt that disconnecting this useful system will be regarded as an acceptable excuse for misplacing less desirable family members? 😊

It was when I found myself contemplating the purchase of one of these blowers, that my thoughts turned to finding a mobile human alternative! Although there is a great attraction in acquiring new bits of technology, did the additional investment really justify itself merely to avoid a bit of extra arm action with the drying towel? I realised that unless I was going to start a car cleaning business, it was hard to justify the use I could get out of it with only two cars - and an increasing feeling that it had become more of a spectator sport for me anyway. In fact, I recently gave my neighbour my collection of car ramps, axle stands and car creeper on the basis that if I ended up underneath our cars, it was going to be by accident rather than design. However, were I actually to own one, you’d be very welcome to borrow it, Gary. 😊

That’s a very good thought Rowley. I actually keep a couple in the car - and a boxfull in the garage! It’s just sheer idleness that prompts me to tear off a strip of kitchen roll in passing. But on the other hand….would I not then have to wash the soiled microfibre cloth as opposed to simply putting the used kitchen roll in the waste? Decisions, decisions, decisions!!