LenT

I remember it well, Vladimir. Watching it race in the BTCC meetings was a hoot! Apparently the other drivers hated it. It wasn’t just that it was surprisingly quick around the circuit, it was that it was comparatively so much larger than its competitors that overtaking was not a straightforward business. I’ve tracked down this editorial that might bring back some memories! https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/143336/twenty-years-since-volvo-made-its-debut-in-the-btcc-with-the-850-estate

I contacted Eufy and asked about the vulnerability of their products to jamming. This was their first response: With regard to your concern, please know that eufy video doorbell will not be aulnerable (sic) to this form of attack. Reacting to my suggestion that a little more detail might be welcome, I received this: The eufy devices connect to the Homebase with its private Wi-Fi protocal. (sic) So it is very secure. To be fair, I also received several exhortations to: Have a lovely day, take care! Searching elsewhere for a more enlightening response, I came across this information about Eufy security products which seems to provide a more convincing explanation: The hub only uses wifi to connect itself to your network, and that is providing you don't use ethernet with it already, in which case no wifi is used. All devices that connect to the hub use zigbee/zwave. This is a completely different technology and is not susceptible to the jammer the op is talking about (which I assume is WiFi jammers) Also, the wireless (2k) doorbell does not have onboard storage. It records and send footage directly to the homebase using zigbee/zwave, not wifi, which means it can't be jammed by a wifi jammer. I guess that Zigbee and Z-wave are the protocols to which Eufy refers and apparently jamming them requires something different to WiFi. So now I have to decide whether it's best to keep the Eufy warning stickers on the door to let chummy know they're being recorded - or remove them in case it tells them which type of jammer to bring along! But I would say that I'm actually very pleased with the Eufy set-up that I have. And I've been able to get very good deals both from Eufy direct and from Costco. I hope this has been of help to someone! 🙂

Strangely, this has been very much our experience. I believe in neither fate nor karma. And in our 50 years we’ve made relatively few moves. But we’ve made offers on properties that have then fallen through - to MrsT’s distress - only for something far superior to turn up where we’ve had many happy years. In fact, we can look back on those failed purchases more with relief than regret! 🙂

I can’t comment on other setups, but my cameras would have clocked chummy and sounded warnings inside the house long before they got within taping range. I know because a stealth attack was one of the things I tried!

That’s a very nice, beautifully trimmed, verdant lawn Herbie. Almost like astroturf…

Many years ago (!) I was in a BMW dealership in Leicester taking delivery of a new convertible. The sales guy was taking me round the car for the handover. As part of their customer service, he explained, they had etched the reg number into all the glass - free of charge. “An excellent idea,” I said. “But shouldn’t that number be the same as the one on the number plates?” I remarked. I left him to sort it out.

I’ll see if I can get Eufy to comment on this!

If it’s a D4S fitting, then I can certainly recommend the Osram Nightbreaker Laser Xenarc bulb. I replaced my standard bulbs with these and the improvement was impressive. I got mine from autobulbsdirect.co.uk .

As an additional thought, I’ve fitted Eufy solar powered security cameras and a video doorbell at the front - and indeed at the back - of the house. Apart from being occasionally entertaining - eg when our cat chased a fox out of the garden - and supplying evidence of an attempted con by an Appliance Direct employee - they do at least let chummy know their actions have not gone unnoticed. It’s also often the case that the individuals concerned will have visited your drive on previous occasions to check on the model. So such visits may also have been recorded and may provide additional evidence.

You are, of course, quite right about that Herbie. I had overlooked the fact that it was a hybrid. This is due to: a) I don’t have a hybrid. b) I have no plans ever to get a hybrid. 😊

I think the Forum should consider itself honoured, Phillip. And will expect to see copious illustrations. https://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/forum/116-lexus-cars-for-sale/ But there will also be considerable interest in the offers you get from the Car Buying sites - especially by how much the original offer may differ from the final one! Good luck!

Well it’s always easy to spend someone else’s money, so I thought I’d show you what I bought. It’s called the MKS 5.0 TEST&CHARGE and it comes with a set of bulldog connectors and a set of terminal connectors. Just be aware that the terminal connectors can come in two sizes - it’s possible the kit comes with both! The rubber protector was an extra because I’m moving it from car to car with plenty of opportunities to drop it. You won’t be. In any case, it’s a pretty rugged bit of kit. I also got the ‘traffic light’ connectors so that I could simply pop the bonnets of our two cars and get a fair indication of the battery state at a glance. Again, you’re not using it that way - or at least, not yet. So I would suggest getting the model that best suits your budget and see how you get on with that. Frankly, you’ll not do much better - and you could do a lot worse. Visit the CTEK website for the details. I hope the attached pictures make it all clearer.

I rather think you’ve answered your own question, Graeme. What ever needs to be done, you prefer someone else to do it - apart from the fact that car washing is not very easy where you live, anyway. I think the two responses you’ve already had are spot on. Now’s the time to find a good Detailer and have the car properly prepared for ceramic coating. From then on the finish will be easier to maintain and will last far longer than even a good wax finish. But it also means avoiding car washes and the bucket ‘n sponge brigade. That’s how cars acquire swirls and scratches! Once you have a good ceramic finish, it is possible to maintain it with what’s called the ‘Two Bucket Method’. It requires a car shampoo, a wash mitt, microfibre cloths, a drying towel and …. Two Buckets. And, unfortunately, some way of getting water over the car before you start and for rinsing off. But there are any number of helpful videos describing it. It can get a whole lot more complicated than that, but if it’s not the sort of thing you’re inclined to commit to, then there is another option. It may be that there’s a mobile Detailing operation near you. These are car detailers who carry all they need in a van and come to you. Some times they may need a power supply, which I guess could be a problem. It’s certainly more expensive than doing it yourself. But the ceramic finish ensures that you’ll need it doing less than if it was a wax finish. If, as you say, this is the first car you’ve had that’s really worth looking after, then I would start with the professional Detailing and then get advice on maintenance.

To make life even easier, CTEK can supply Indicator leads which connect permanently to the battery posts and the charger plugs into a socket at the end of the lead. It also features an LED traffic light array. This provides an indication of the battery charge level at a glance. I fitted them to both our cars and they make battery connection safer and more reliable. They come in two sizes. https://www.ctek.com/storage/3484B6096CF0BB92405820A196B021D18AA23B18CF21235F7B3B60C1ED9DFDFA/00000000000000000000000000017578/pdf/media/70233015d6e542be9857395095ee26d5/CONNECT_EYELET_M8-productsheet-low-UK-EN.pdf

I stand corrected, Kevin. I doubt that I would have gone to such trouble. But then I suspect that you knew exactly what you wanted. I didn’t even know I wanted a Lexus until I happened to see it at the first Dealer off the bypass that I happened to call in to! Still, turned out alright in the end.

These appear to be Toyota reviews, not Lexus. It’s possible that there’s a variation between the two brands, despite the common ownership. Having said that, I had an MR2 for three years and 90K miles - which meant regular dealer visits - and had excellent service from a Dealership in Leicester. I’ve searched for a Trustpilot Lexus but failed to find one. I haven’t checked recently, but as I recall, Lexus and Honda tended to dominate the annual customer satisfaction reviews. Not surprisingly, Toyota are quite pleased with themselves - for what that’s worth! https://www.am-online.com/news/dealer-news/2022/02/28/steven-eagell-exceptionally-proud-of-nine-toya-and-lexus-awards And there is another customer review site for Lexus MK which I’ve discovered. https://judgeservice.com/en-gb/car-dealership/name/Steven+Eagell+Lexus+Milton+Keynes Frankly, folk who want a Lexus but detest Lexus dealers would appear to be presenting themselves with the need to decide which preference is the more important. And while it may well be the case that I simply have lower expectations and am more easily pleased, can that really apply to everyone else?

I’ve only dealt with Lexus Milton Keynes, but everything from initial purchase to regular annual servicing has been excellent. They stay in regular contact because - quite rightly - they want to sell me a new Lexus. Problem is…I’m very happy with the first one they sold me! The one minor niggle I can recall (heated rear screen element interfering with radio reception) was fixed n/c. However, I can’t imagine that a Dealer in Milton Keynes will be the first choice of someone in Cornwall!

To some extent I feel I can stand aloof from this debate. Being South Northamptonshire we are - technically- East Midlands. So neither one thing nor the other! 😊

With respect Nick, ‘south’ is what you were talking about too! 🙂 But if you’ve had a bad experience with a Lexus dealer, then this is certainly the place to let other owners know. Only by ‘naming and shaming’ do some companies get incentivised to improve. If I have cause to be dissatisfied with Lexus MK, I’ll make it known. But equally it’s only fair to praise when deserved. This is the list of current Lexus dealers. Is there nothing in the south east in which you might have confidence? https://www.lexus.co.uk/centres

I suspect that this is indeed the case. TPMS batteries are regarded as having a 7 - 10 year life, depending on use. People have replaced them, as demonstrated on YouTube, but considering the work involved - and the fact that you have to take the tyres off anyway - I think it makes more sense to renew all four sensors. When I had to have one replaced, a local tyre retailer did the job for £65 - less than Lexus would have charged, as I discovered later! Maybe this is also a good time to replace the tyres as well and negotiate a good price for the whole job?

Sorry to disappoint, Nick. I’ve had outstanding service from Lexus MK - possibly the best I’ve ever had from a dealership. Mind you, my previous Accord from Honda MK ran it pretty close. In fact when it was written off by an HGV on the M25, I called them to order a replacement - only to discover the Accord had been discontinued in the UK. If anything it is I who disappoint Lexus MK. They call regularly trying to sell me a new Lexus. Unfortunately, they can’t convince me that there’s one better than the one I already have!

I notice that Alex Robbins has some thoughts on aircon systems in today’s D Telegraph. http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1065/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/1065/pub/1065/page/181/article/NaN

It certainly does seem excessive, especially when you think you can get a far superior Garmin system for £260! https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/720310/pn/010-02471-12 And that will include free regular updates. As well as many other features that you may - or may not - regard as useful. Many people use their smart phones with appropriate navigation apps. Either way, you’ll be getting a far superior satnav system than the clunky Lexus offering. Sadly, despite its convenient location, it’s simply not worth spending any money on. There are companies that claim to provide updated data SD Cards, but even if true - and the one company I tried never bothered to respond to emails - you’re still stuck with the vastly inferior operating system. I suggest there are better way to spend your money!

Unless you’re really unlucky, that’s probably the way to go. I certainly wouldn’t dismiss NextBase cameras but I agree with Linas that BlackVue and Thinkware are probably superior - but then they probably cost more. They both do very well in comparative tests. I’ve had BlackVues for years and have been very satisfied with their performance. They’re also very compact and unobtrusive. Positioned in front of the rear view mirror and they’re almost invisible from the front. The rear camera…not so much. Some people will go for a bulkier camera with a built-in screen, but I prefer the slimmer styling of the BlackVue. You might find a visit to blackvue.com informative - plenty of videos showing the camera in use!

The problem there, Howard, is that it takes quite a few minutes at a fast tick over - or several miles driving - to compensate for the initial current consumed by starting! You could end up with a nett loss in terms of battery voltage. You don’t say where your car is stored. If it’s in a garage, say, I’d go for a good quality trickle charger, such as a CTEK, which cannot overcharge the battery. If left outside, then investigate the various solar panel chargers that can be placed inside the car. There have been threads discussing them quite recently. Incidentally, if possible, leave the parking brake off. Chock the wheels if necessary. In fact, you might care to check the AA website which has advice on preparing cars for extended periods of non-use. https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/laying-up