LenT

I appreciate that this is predominantly a cash business, but I do wonder how anyone can turn a profit at that rate. And, of course, put in the effort to deliver a good result.

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My thoughts exactly, Linus. I would have thought his labour cost alone would be that, with operating costs and a profit margin on top. But I don’t know how similar operations compare. Mind you, I did supply power, water, Modesta top coat - and a mug of tea (I’m not totally inconsiderate). Be interesting to see if his next visit comes with a price increase. He did say I was probably the last private car customer he was taking on at the moment, what with much of his work being agricultural and construction machinery - such as JCB, John Deer, MF and such like. Having said that, he’ll be returning to do our other car at some time. Where I grew up, car washing was a useful source of income when you were at school. Perhaps not so much these days. But then I’ve never be afraid of hard work. I could watch it all day.

More of a blow job, surely. Or do you really drive that slowly? 🙂

Mine’s a different model, but the Manual doesn’t even show a Red warning triangle. Have you checked your Manual? Have you checked the oil level? Hard cornering can produce a low level. Alternatively, does it happen on every corner or just in one direction? It might be related to the sensors on the wheels. The other suggestion is….don’t do it then! 😊

I think the time has come to hang up my foam gun. Ever since I had the car detailed with a ceramic finish, even trips to the car wash were no longer allowed. Unfortunately, various age-related aches and pains meant that an hour or so of car washing was no longer the pleasure it once was. So biting the foam-gun bullet, I found a local mobile valeting service to come and do the business - inside and out. After nearly two hours of non-stop action, I have to say the result was splendid.. At least as good as anything I could achieve. It seems a lot of his private car customers are in a similar physical position. No doubt some here will find the thought of paying £40 to have your car washed quite ridiculous. And some will have bred convenient children to do the task. But for many, this will be the shape of things to come!

Slight confusion here possibly? Having said you want someone other than a Dealer for general service, you then later say that… I may be mistaken, but I suspect that the service warranty’s conditional on it being carried out by a Dealer! There are three London Lexus dealers showing in the Lexus list and I presume you are already aware of them. I think both Edgware Rd and Woodford have had mainly good reports by LOC members in the past.

That may well be the case, Paul. But if you were a thief it would mean an additional five minutes with the car - possibly generating an attention-getting degree of noise - and increasing the risk of discovery. In contrast a £40 set of locking wheels nuts will provide additional protection to what can easily amount to a £1K set of chrome alloy Lexus wheels and tyres. Were I a Dealer faced with a supply problem from Lexus, I’d buy half a dozen sets from Halfords rather than have a dissatisfied customer who’d just spent £40K with me!

Well I had a couple of attempts that ended up like a Monty Python script, so gave up. But to be fair, I had the same result with my previous Honda Accord. So either one has to persevere - or it’s Japanese sense of humour.

That’s astonishing! It’s a petty saving, considering the purchase price - and is the kind of minimal security feature you expect on a ‘luxury’ car. You could take it up with Lexus just to confirm that this is now their Policy. But frankly, if that was the case, then I would have thought the Dealer would have been bright enough to supply a set anyway, in order to avoid the discussion!

If you haven’t seen it, you may find this comparison between the Eagle 6 and Pilot 5 interesting. As it concludes, the choice really comes down to your personal priorities of the particular qualities each tyre offers. Clearly, both are excellent- although the differences seem rather marginal https://www.tyrereviews.com/Compare/Eagle-F1-Asymmetric-6-VS-Pilot-Sport-5.htm Sometimes, reading these reviews and owners’ comments, I do feel that often much is being made of very marginal differences that may only be sensed when cars are being driven in (shall we say) an exceptionally exuberant manner that doesn’t really reflect real world experience for the vast majority of Lexus owners. But maybe that’s just me! 😊

Not seen this before, but it does seem an excellent idea - if it works. It eliminates both the need to drill fixing holes for the sensors and one of the weak points of conventional sensors. Namely, damp can get inside the sensor and it stops working - a particular problem in winter, I’ve found, with an aftermarket system I had fitted to our Suzuki 4x4.

What Goodyears are you used to? The Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 6 is regarded as a direct competitor to the CC2 and some test comparisons would even have it edging the Michelin. I put the original CCs on our Suzuki 4x4 and was very pleased with the noise levels, ride comfort and wet weather handling. I would have had them on the Lexus but mine required two different sizes in the front/rear axles - one of which Michelin didn’t make. So I opted for the Goodyear Asymmetric 5 which again proved an excellent choice. But much depends on your driving style. My prime concern is wet weather performance and ride comfort. If I was to find myself exploring the limits of its dry road grip, then something has gone seriously wrong! There are quite a few comparative tyre reviews for the Michelin CC2 - including against the Goodyear. It’s well worth looking them up. Incidentally, if you have a Costco account, they do have regular discount offers for both brands. Another thought that may surprise you, is that it’s been my experience that my Lexus dealer has matched a price from a tyre Wharehouse - which may be of interest if you can couple it with a Service and perhaps new TPMS valves if appropriate.

I think Rowley has got this right, Scott. There may - or may not - be a significant colour mismatch. But only when it’s in front of you can you really determine if it’s a deal breaker for you. Looking at the images of the other ‘imperfections’, I would have thought that they might be of more interest - especially what seems to be a small crease. Mind you, nothing a good panel beater couldn’t deal with in minutes. And overall - I would have thought - nothing unexpected for the mileage. I don’t know about this sales outfit, but I presume you can always make them an offer? If you do that during the test period, I suspect it’s more likely to be accepted as it saves the cost of recovering the car!

Yes indeed, Ian. Most - if not all - dashcams are impact sensitive. Most - if not all - are also motion sensitive. My query was whether powering your NextBase via the accessory socket fuse will work if the fuse is not live when the ignition is off? If there is a permanently live side to the fuse, then I presume that will piggy-back your power supply. The NextBase may have a small reserve battery that will take over if ‘standby mode’ is enabled. I’m really only familiar with BlackVue, so just querying the NextBase setup.

Good luck with your new Lexus, Ian. And full marks for installing a dashcam! Just one thought: is the cig. lighter fuse controlled by the ignition? That is, is it live when the ignition is off? Assuming your dashcam has a ‘stand-by’ mode, it’s much better to wire it to a fuse that is permanently live so that the dashcam is still functional when the car’s parked. My BlackVue is wired to a live supply via a controller that regulates the supply and ensures that the camera can never drop the battery voltage below a preset level. https://blackvue.co.uk/products/power-magic-pro/ I see no reason why this won’t work with any dashcam - or maybe your own make has something similar.

I can’t help thinking that if ‘you have no idea about these things’ then the answer is probably ….no! The aircon system is not something that should demand frequent attention, so this may be a one-off as far as you’re concerned. An aircon specialist may give you the best price, but a Lexus dealer - or any good Independent - should be able to sort it out. The fact that it appears to have stopped working after only three years may well suggest a leak, as has already been suggested. And as far as I’m aware, re-gassing is not a DIY job as I think the sale of the refrigerant gas is restricted - or at least, it should be! Plus, of course, it requires specialist equipment!

Were I Lexus CFO, I’d be a bit annoyed if they didn’t! 😡 Mind you, I would have thought that Yokohamas would have been the more natural choice. I’ve never bought a new Lexus, so I wonder if it’s at all possible to specify the brand/type of tyre - within a limited selection, no doubt.

That’s exactly what I found when buying my last set of Goodyears. I’d called to arrange a Service and casually asked if they’d like to quote for a set of tyres at the same time. They did and - somewhat to my surprise - matched the price my regular local tyre specialist had offered. As it happens, I didn’t take up the offer - but only because my local tyre shop were also Agents for Alloygators and they would fit a set at the same time. But were I getting new tyres and having a Service, I would have gone with Lexus.

My first suggestion would be to establish your budget. That will probably determine which year/condition/spec of GS300 could make your short list.

My IS250 Premier has TPMS but doesn’t display pressure readings. In fact it only indicates that one - or more - of the wheels has suffered a drop in the preset pressure. The Manual doesn’t indicate that it can do any more than that. Do you have a Manual you can check - or download from the Lexus site?

The Lexus is the first car I’ve had with DLRs, so I still maintain my habit of many decades of driving in daylight with dipped beams. Mind you, I started this in the days when many drivers made do with sidelights - or parking lights as they were more accurately described! I recall an advertising campaign that tried to demonstrate how much more visible cars with dipped beam were in daylight. At the time much was made of the fact that this was common practice in Stockholm but rare in Glasgow - despite both cities being on the same latitude! Frankly, anything I can do to help make me more visible to a fellow motorist driving towards me, sounds like a good plan to me.

Well a directional tyre incorrectly fitted will pose a greater risk of aquaplaning, will have a generally reduced level of road holding and will be noisier. It might even be an MOT fail. Fortunately, it’s not something I’ve personally experienced but - as I suspect reflects your own opinion - if driven with restraint, especially on a wet road, should get you to a tyre shop. If anything, this scenario rather promotes the cause of the SpaceSaver!!

The problem with this argument, I suggest, is that Service periods are determined by either mileage covered or time past - which ever is the greater. So the stipulated Service Intervals and Schedules for your Lexus are either 10,000 miles or 12 months - which ever comes first. Now you may choose to ignore that, but the resulting unstamped Service Record will affect the car’s value should you decide to sell it. As it happens, it’s a situation I face myself, having covered less than 40K miles in eight years. But as Norman points out above, cars deteriorate even just standing still, so I don’t really have a problem with it.

Confusingly, retailers will use both forms even on the same page! https://cartheftsolutions.co.uk/autowatch-ghost-immobiliser-fitting/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvNeDz8Gs_wIV1drtCh3i6QE5EAAYAyAAEgIPefD_BwE It’s rather like knowing that WW11 didn’t come after WW10…