LenT

Toyota may well be confident that the additive package that they buy in will be safe to use in their engines. A more interesting question might be what the fuel blenders and refiners think about it being added to their products. Fuels and oils are developed to have specific performance capabilities and this involves buying in additive packages from chemical specialists. These may be standard, ‘off-the-shelf’ products or the result of an individual development programme specific to that blender. You can imagine that if you were the industrial chemist responsible for that finely tuned product, you might not exactly welcome the casual introduction of a bunch of other chemicals!

I too have a NOCO Power Pack. And if that’s not a sufficient endorsement for you, I was watching a recent episode of the excellent Our Farm in the Dales when Matt Baker used one to revive the family Landrover. So…as seen on TV!

A descriptive noun for a female posterior? 🤔

Actually, I’m not sure it is. I’m sure you are allowed to say nothing. In fact, I expect there are occasions when it’s positively encouraged. Be that as it may, I was more intrigued by your claim regarding your CDC data. I don’t know what it was or why it was deleted, but I presume that you regard it – rightly – as an authoritative source. On that basis, I’m sure you will welcome more detail as to the CDC's conclusions. For the sake of those less interested - and for whom this is a tedious diversion from panicking about fuel costs - I think Eric is referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As the spelling suggests, this is a US Government resource for the collation and analysis of health-related data. Naturally, it’s been rather preoccupied with Covid-19 recently. So vast and detailed is its scope that it is virtually impossible to extract the odd statistic and present it – without context – as being meaningful. But that is a favourite ploy of, for example, anti-vaccination conspiracists - and possibly why it was deleted? I was going to list some of the many documents and updates that populate this resource, but frankly anyone who’s interested could start from this page and then discover the rest for themselves. COVID-19 Vaccines Work | CDC The fundamental position of the CDC – which Eric rightly sets such store by – is: Vaccines reduce the risk of COVID-19, including the risk of severe illness and death among people who are fully vaccinated. In addition to data from clinical trials, evidence from real-world vaccine effectiveness studies show that COVID-19 vaccines help protect against COVID-19 infections, with or without symptoms (asymptomatic infections). The CDC Recommends Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they can. To get the most protection, get all recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Take all precautions until you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations. For the best protection, everyone 6 months and older is recommended to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, which includes getting boosters if eligible. The other section I would suggest as being particularly relevant is headed ‘Myths and Facts about Covid-19 Vaccines’. The title is self-explanatory. Myths and Facts about COVID-19 Vaccines | CDC I’m sure, Eric, there’s enough here in this section alone – from a source that you yourself regard as authoritative - to reassure you as to the effectiveness and safety of Vaccines. Or am I just being ironic?

Hello John. Probably need a bit more information, but are you saying you can get into the car but nothing happens when you apply the foot brake and press the start button? So the car battery’s flat? Is the gear in park, if it’s an auto? Try applying the foot brake, pressing the Lexus logo on the key fob against the Start button as you press it. Otherwise it sounds like you’re going to have to get a jump start from another battery or a power pack. You may even need to replace the key fob battery as well.

I presume the option would be the 20” alloys with low profile tyres. Surely your choice might be more influenced by the type of ride quality that you prefer? Conventionally the smaller wheel with the deeper tyre will provide a more comfortable ride but with possibly more lateral movement if driven hard. Conversely the bigger wheel with the low-profile tyre will have less body movement when cornered hard, but the ride will be harsher due to the reduced flexibility of the sidewalls. So it may be that your choice could be more influenced by those factors rather than just aesthetics?

Oh, the irony!!

Have we nothing in common? 🙁

I have the GB50 model which I have only had to use once - to start our other (non-Lexus) car. It achieved this in seconds, so I think it pretty much paid for itself just by doing that. I bought it because I previously had to call out the AA for the same purpose and a NOCO was used on that occasion. NOCO claims a full charge will last a year and there is sufficient power to provide four starts. I think it’s a great investment. But like all such emergency items, you only appreciate its value on the occasion that you don’t have it!

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My understanding of rear spoilers is that at normal road speeds they have a negligible effect. If car buyers like their aesthetic appeal then that’s simply an additional styling feature. What I think might be slightly questionable is when manufacturers link, say, a wing into a complete package of other performance related elements which might actually be more effective. In other words, as a general observation, maybe styling/performance packages should be more flexible and allow buyers to exclude specific items. The Press Release detailing the development of the rear wing is very interesting, but it seems to me that the claims for any actual performance benefit are entirely subjective. Although the article claims wind tunnel testing, it doesn’t present any data to support improvements in real world situations. Incidentally, I was surprised that Lexus engineers found it noteworthy that the aircraft-derived wing worked better on a road car if it was inverted. Surely the last thing you want over the rear wheels is something that creates lift! One practical benefit I can see of rear wings is when mounted on the roof just before the rear screens. I can understand that even at relatively low speeds, the change to the airflow would help to keep rain off the rear screen - useful as so many modern cars no longer have rear wipers. https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=58706&key=348002eb9d4a1c51cf507cd78336acdb

If you look on the door jambs of either the driver’s or passenger’s door, you should see a label. After the letters CT/R comes a three or four digit code. This is the code for the exterior paint - unless its been resprayed! Any Lexus (or Toyota) dealer can give you the paint reference with that information.

I couldn’t find that particular video, but it seems that YT has plenty of other examples to choose from. Here’s one in which the Dealer clearly recognised when a ‘test drive’ exceeds acceptable limits. MB Bristol Sytner eventually offered the owner £1500 to keep quiet about it - which, as you can see, he declined!

I think that still leaves the unanswered question…why? I’m sure you had your reasons, but unless you had a problem being seen driving around in an IS250, I can’t really see the point. As an IS250 owner, should I be worried? I do recall someone buying a standard Mini and putting Cooper badges on it. But I’m not sure it ever actually fooled anyone!

There is a distinct difference between taking customers’ vehicles for a test drive - and perhaps incorporating the opportunity to pick up parts - and taking it for a ‘joyride’ or a day at the beach! As has already been pointed out, if you’ve signed over to the dealer your permission to use your car in anyway they choose, then it may be hard to complain. However, if your Dashcam has recorded that in so doing, the employee has used your car in a dangerous, excessive or even illegal manner, then there may well be consequences. I do recall one owner of a high performance car (Porsche?) running his dashcam videos and discovering two mechanics indulging in some high speed frolicking- which resulted in their dismissal and the loss of a wealthy client!

I think we might have a disagreement here, John! Our Sports Coupes were the early, more restrained (I thought) body shape with the 2.0 16valve engines. No complaints as I recall about performance, handling or.comfort. And as business cars we couldn’t afford lots of garage downtime - so they were pretty reliable. But…the team that designed the dynamic bits were clearly better than the one that designed the body bits. In particular, I remember the spare wheel stowage. This was held underneath in an open cage between the rear wheels. To release it meant jacking up the rear far enough for the cage to drop down sufficiently to allow the wheel to be wriggled out. At which time you discovered it was caked in thousands of miles of accumulated road muck. Whoever thought that was a clever idea should have been Sectioned!

Many years ago (!) I started a new company with two Partners. I was tasked with buying three Company cars within a budget. A good local dealer had two Megane Coupes which suited two of us, but the third also had to accommodate two small children. Fortunately, the dealer had a really nice Saab 9-3 Convertible and would do a really attractive deal for all three. So I suggested it to my colleague. Me: I think I’ve found you a really nice car, Dave. Dave: Great. Buy it. Me: Would you like a clue as to what it might be? Dave: No. Surprise me. Me: Would you like to drive it first? Dave: I’m sure it’ll drive fine. Me: It’s a Saab. Do you know Saabs? Dave: Not sure. Is it Swedish? Or is that a Volvo? So the first time Dave saw his Saab was when we went to collect it. He kept it for some years and he loved it! And I don’t recall any problems with it. Maybe we we’re just lucky….

Spot on, Glyn. That struck me during my one and only viewing, but it seemed more of a stylistic thing. But compared to more considered auto reviews, JM was really only demonstrating that it could be driven along a road while he expressed his opinions. So much of what you were shown was pointless! Having seen something of an SC430, I think it’s actually something that would have suited me very well when it first came out. Years before that, I had an Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint which was very similar in concept. Even today I regret selling it - but I doubt it would have had the lasting qualities of a Lexus!

I should start, John, by establishing that I know pretty much nothing about an SC430! However, I did learn rather more from this short, recent article in an American magazine than from ‘JayEms’ video. https://www.hotcars.com/a-look-back-at-the-lexus-sc430/ I think this author makes a valid point- one I made myself - in identifying the market for the car. She states that while it might be called a Sports Coupe, its target was really those seeking a luxury cruiser. Buyers who prefer to waft rather than race! It seems to me that this is a distinction that JM fails to appreciate. So as I mentioned before, there’s only a grudging admission of the build quality and comfort. I was also struck by how well the open top wind noise was controlled, enabling him to record his dialogue quite clearly. Like Anthony, I’m not inclined to enhance JM’s hit rate by revisiting the video, so I quote from memory. As far as I recall, there’s no mention of the convertible action - which surely would have been an important lifestyle feature. Much was made of the limited rear seating, but the SC430 is what I used to know as a 2+2 - and those front seats were obviously moved to their rearmost position to try to make his point. I also noted that even when the sun was full on his face - and he was squinting slightly - he still didn’t use the sunglasses that were holding his hair on. Can one really have confidence in his judgement? 🙂

Absolutely, John. If this is now a common method of attack then surely it’s something Lexus should be addressing during manufacture. Perhaps as a stop gap, Lexus dealers could be doing it on new cars - or offering it as a service for older ones.

Initially I was intrigued as to when did James Martin, TV chef, become an expert on cars. So I was disappointed to see it was a different James Martin. But as I’d never heard of him - obviously my fault - the question still remained. Nevertheless, I did end up agreeing with his summation. Namely, that no-one should buy a car based solely on his opinion! These days just about anyone can get hold of a used car and make a video of themselves driving it around. That’s a very different animal from the recognised journalist whose expertise attracts extended loans of new cars from PR departments. I have had some experience of motoring journalists and automotive PRs and all that’s really asked of reviewers is that their car is judged by the standards of the market it’s aimed at. But that seems the hardest thing to do for some self-appointed critics. For example, ‘JayEmm’ spends a great deal of time castigating the looks of the Lexus. That’s his subjective opinion, but I didn’t find that it warranted the invective he threw at it. I thought the car looked just what its target buyer might be looking for. He then detailed the many changes that the current owner had made to the track and suspension - but later criticised the road behaviour. Well an automotive engineer might have appreciated that that may not be down to Lexus engineering. In fact, there was only the occasional grudging acceptance that in many areas it performed very well. Like so many of his ilk, I find they condemn cars for not being what they regard as ‘exciting’ to drive. Well when it’s your own money that you’re spending on buying, servicing and maintaining a car, exploring the ‘outer envelope of its performance’ becomes less important than reliability, cost of ownership and comfort. Trouble is, that doesn’t make for an exciting video!

How long a car battery lasts depends very much on how you use it. If you do a lot of short journeys the battery won’t last as long as if you did fewer long journeys. However, if you reckon around five years as an average, then you’ve already done very well! So you’re undoubtedly right to be getting a new one. If you do generally drive short journeys, then you might also consider investing in a good trickle charger, such as a CTEK.

Your choice of course, Mike. I don’t have my BlackVue on permanently either. It’s wired via a switchable Power Magic Pro which controls the battery drain, such as it is. So I actually switch it off when the car is securely parked. I see no reason why it won’t operate other cameras. https://blackvue.co.uk/products/power-magic-pro/

Just one thought, Mike. On my Lexus - and yours may be different - this power socket is only live when the ignition is ON or switched to ACCESSORY. Why would you want your dashcam not operating when your car is parked and the ignition is OFF? Such as when you’ve left it in a car park, gone shopping, having a meal out. I’m sure your camera will have a ‘Parking Mode’ which will record any knocks or attempts to break in when parked. But that requires wiring to a fuse that is live when the ignition is OFF. You may want to reconsider your choice of fuse.

I think you’ve got it right. Bill. Checking on an Insurer’s site, there is an explanation of ‘fault, non-fault’. It confirms that the classification simply depends on whether they can recover the money. As you say, if a ‘fault’ claim doesn’t affect your NCD then it might seem acceptable. Although come renewal time, it may well result In a premium increase. And it’ll have to be declared if you’re looking for cover elsewhere. I think the least Sumit should expect is his Insurer’s explanation of this use of language. In effect, since the chances of recovering any payout from the thief are remote, the owner is invariably going to be at ‘fault’! So I’m clearly in error through conflating ‘fault’ and ‘non-fault’ when applying them to, say, a road collision and a theft. The same terms would appear to have different possible interpretations depending on the results.