LenT

Owning a Lexus is a Royal Prerogative?

Thank you for this Phillip, although I can't help thinking you may have oversimplified matters. 🙂 As to your pronouncements regarding your drinking vessel and current weather conditions, I am more than ready to accept their veracity, despite no evidence being presented to support them. I also agree with your statement: And any hearsay from Williams or another party is just that and hardly the foundation for a correct summation of the facts or truth? 😎 Precisely so. And yet isn't it that very hearsay that, as far as has been determined, formed the basis on which the popular myth you quoted has been based? Namely: As George W Bush famously opined "the trouble with the French is the don't have a word for entrepreneur" 🤣 And thus it is, as you rightly say, based on hearsay that is ' hardly the foundation for a correct summation of the facts or truth? '

What I would always ask, Phillip, is that opinions are based not on any preconceived attitudes towards the participants involved, but on what evidence there is to support a claim. 🙂 I recall looking into this at the time and what struck me is that, at a period when Franco-American relations were deteriorating and Chirac was facing political and personal pressures of his own, he would have been unlikely to miss this opportunity to mock Bush. But he seemingly did. I might also point out that if you are disinclined 'to believe a single syllable that emanates from the august bodies of Blair and Campbell?' that the source appears to be Shirley Williams - who wasn't at the meeting - who claims this was what Blair told her. So either Blair was lying when he said it - in which case it is false - or he was telling the truth. In which case you have to concede that he doesn't always lie!

Less widely known, Phillip, is the fact that he never actually said it! It’s a story that appeared in the British Press in July 2002, generally sourced to Shirley Williams. She claimed Tony Blair had told her he’d heard Bush say it during their meeting with Jacques Chirac. It was denied by Blair and later by Alistair Campbell on his behalf, who said Williams must have made it up as a joke. But if Bush had said it, he would have been right! The original French meaning of the noun ‘entrepreneur’ ranges from contractor, builder and undertaker to theatrical manager. The modern meaning was most likely coined by a modern American economist.

“You have acute angina.” “Oh thank you very much Doctor.” (Courtesy the Carry On team)

Very true, Philip. Sometimes the nature of the criticisms give a better insight into the character of the complainer than the location itself. Especially if it’s one you know well. And all restaurant comments should be taken with a large pinch of salt. But one my current hobby horses are car reviews by (generally) self-appointed motoring experts. But that’s possibly a meander too far from the original post.

That’s an important point. Not only can the sealant affect the TPMS valves, but many - if not most - tyre dealers will not touch a tyre in which it has been used. The sealant is very hard to remove and not really an economic proposition.

The Lexus manual makes a very specific point about sealant expiry dates. It emphasises that the sealant should NOT be used after the expiry date! It states that the sealant degrades over time and will not be effective. If you have RAC Home Start then that sounds like a good call to make. However, it really comes down to the nature of the puncture - and the state of the tyre. Ultimately you may be better off replacing the tyre. And get yourself a SpaceSaver tyre! It’s by far the better option than the sealant kit

I can’t claim to know him that well, Philip. But then I’ve never seen him driving a Lexus, either. I don’t like to pry. 😶

Well clearly I haven’t been paying attention. But as a relative latecomer myself, I’m probably not well placed to comment on perceived changes. But if changes there have been, then those points are well made in Shahpor’s OP. The surprise to me is that they needed to be made in the first place. After all, the only thing we may all have in common is that we once owned, or currently own, or are thinking of owning…a Lexus. To expect that rather tenuous link to be accompanied by a commonality of attitudes is ambitious in the extreme. It’s not something that we might demand from, say, Honda Lawnmower owners! As for picking out a specific poster, I find that rather sad. If the criticism was based on racist or nationalistic slurs, as happens on other sites, then there would be cause for righteous anger. But arguments over a car….really?! Occasionally debates meander into more general, motor-related areas. Or even non-motor related. And this site does seem to be blessed with more than its fair share of well informed and articulate contributors. But I’ve always thought that if you cannot muster the evidence to debate an opposing opinion rationally, then you should consider the possibility that it may be right! As it happens, I tend to read the post first before checking as to its author. Although style and tone of voice might be a bit of a giveaway! But there have been many occasions in real life when I’ve learnt much by dealing with people with whom I disagree. It’s the difference between having your opinions or prejudices confirmed, or having them challenged. So personally I agree there’s no place for the ‘anger and tension’ of which Shahpor complains. More witty banter is what the world needs!

Curious to know, Andrew, what - if anything - you decided to do about this. Presumably you didn’t just decide to live with it. Did you go back to the dealer? Obviously the longer you delayed that, the more likely they would say that it wasn’t there when they sold it. It certainly sounds like it could have been surface rust on the discs, which might have been removed by now. One clue might have been that the guilty wheel would have got distinctly hotter after a braking test.

Probably nothing John. I expect it’s working as well today as it was in Feb 2015. But that is the problem. And even then, the Garmin sat nav I had was easier to use, had free updates and was more accurate. I’ve no experience of the very latest versions of the Lexus system, but it would be very disappointing if they hadn’t noticed all the technology that was leaving them behind. And then there’s accuracy. As an experiment I asked the Lexus and my Garmin to give me routes to a location I’ve been going to lately. So the Lexus offered me three, but two were in fact the same. The Shortest route was 14 miles / 26 minutes. The Quickest was 16 miles / 35 minutes (!! ). Yes, 35 minutes! The Garmin reckoned it was 13 miles / 22 minutes, which was precisely what it did take and was the route I’d already been using. If the Lexus can be that wayward on a local journey I know well, I would hesitate to depend on it for a longer journey into the unknown.

And compliments to you, James, for having the character to change a long held perception. It's often not an easy thing to do. BTW: I hope you haven't slipped in some kind of euphemism here.

This may help you, Cris. It's a professional detailing job, applying ceramic finishes, to Lexus Sonic Titanium. As ceramic finishes are clear coats I wouldn't have thought that any colour changes would occur. The original finish just looks shinier, has a greater depth and, of course, lasts longer. Whether you like the glossier finish is a personal preference. I can only suggest that you find a good car detailer who's using ceramics and ask their advice. In contrast, here's a video made by a Lexus dealer for a customer featuring a Sonic Titanium finish - but not ceramic. Different cameras obviously, but maybe it'll give you some help by suggesting which one looks more like your car. And which one would you like it to look like!

I chanced upon this very video late last year. Until then I had no idea that detailing was so….detailed. It caught my attention because my IS250 is also Pearl White. It impressed me enough for me to decide to treat mine to four days of pampering and ceramic coating by a local specialist. In part I was spending the money I saved by driving only 3000 miles that year, thanks to various lockdowns. The results were pretty much as you see here. And a worthwhile investment as far as I am concerned.

Not to mention four times a year - on my Garmin anyway. Although admittedly they could be updates to roads and places I have no intention of going to. But then that applies to most parts of the Planet anyway!

It depends on how much time and money you’re prepared to invest in obtaining and maintaining a really deep shine. A ceramic finish is best done, I would suggest, by a professional detailer. They require substantial preparatory work and usually use infra red heaters to bake on the final ceramic coatings. But they can remain effective for years and require very little effort to maintain the original - and often quite dramatic- results. Waxes, of course, are an easy, low cost DIY option that just demand a bit of dedicated application. But the results don’t last long and require more frequent reapplication. But for many people that’s part of the pleasure of car ownership. One disadvantage of detailing and paying for ceramic finishes is that the results are obtained by eliminating the swirl marks and micro scratches created by car washes and poor washing techniques . So there’s little point in spending the money if you’re not going to change those habits. I didn’t expect that at my age I’d have to abandon the handy car wash at the BP station, and be messing around with Snow Foam, Foam Guns, buckets, wash mitts, drying cloths and so on. But it gets me out of the house. And I’ve discovered that there are such things as mobile detailers that come to you. Something for the future?

As a relatively new Lexus owner, it has been a source of bemusement to me that a car maker with the insight to go to Mark Levinson for their ICE audio system, and Nextbase for their dashcam system, didn’t go to Garmin or Tom Tom for their sat nav. I can’t imagine the production meeting at which such a decision was made. Who was it, do you think, when faced with the programming simplicity of my Garmin, say, and its four free annual updates, decided that Lexus owners would much prefer a clunky, tedious to use, alternative that could only be updated with a comparatively out-of-date database at substantial cost by a dealer? Perhaps it started out as a joke? As for Bernard’s use of ‘the old school map on the lap’ option, that’s surely more appropriate as a pre-departure orientation system than on-the-move guidance - apart from being potentially illegal and, occasionally, fatal! I think Lexus rather lost their way with this one.

That was certainly the case when I was a lad! The perpetrators would turn off the ignition while the car was rolling and the engine turning over, and then turn it on again. Unburnt fuel vapour would be sent to the silencer, to be finally ignited by the next burst of hot exhaust gas. Not something I ever did myself. Mainly because the chances of blowing the exhaust open were quite high.

Not necessarily higher end. I treated my humble IS250 to a detailing experience and that was four days work and substantially more than twice what you paid. But because it included applications of ceramic finishes, the results are long lasting. (The downside is that no longer do I have the convenience of the quick car wash!) I think what you paid was a very fair investment for the quality of the result. But a car dealer would have to mark up a substantial additional gross profit on the sale of a used car in order to nett the £170 to pay for it. And that would possibly make that car a more difficult one to sell. On the other hand, I would rather buy the car and take it to a Detailer myself and have them apply any corrective treatments and ceramic finishes without the involvement of the dealer. Mind you, we did have a thread here recently in which a buyer had taken his brand new Lexus straight to his favourite Detailer, who identified areas of respray. The result was the dealer contributing to the detailing rectification work! My Lexus dealer always provided 'complimentary' valeting with every service. And very good it looked too, for a while. But they had a car wash augmented by young lads so I paid for it somewhere on the way. And no doubt they also contributed to the (very few) swirls on the bodywork that had to be corrected. So as Dave has just pointed out, that's one service I will no longer want with a service.

The advantage of the Snow Foam gun or Lance is that you get a range of pressure controls and often a selection of spray nozzles too. But it makes sense to see if you want to continue before you spend more getting all the other stuff. And there is a LOT of other stuff! I'm delighted to learn that Brent. I used to write the magazine ads for Autoglym! I have also come across a Lexus Washing Guide with detailed instructions on how they think it should be done. You can read about it here. https://mag.lexus.co.uk/ultimate-car-cleaning-guide/ It may even invalidate your Lexus Warranty if this is not followed precisely - although I may have just made that bit up. But here's one interesting comment from it: "Always wash from the roof of the car downwards in order that released dirt only travels in one direction and cannot be reapplied. And if you accidentally drop your wash mitt on the floor, exchange it for a fresh one." It's the way I've always done it, but I do see some 'experts' who claim you should start from the bottom. It probably doesn't make a great deal of difference! I have some sympathy, Brent, as I have a slight touch of that in the left ankle. It's one reason why I now appreciate having an automatic!

I can’t help thinking, Linas, that the flaw in this argument is that it’s a particularly stupid criminal who brings a machete to a gunfight. Since they are as likely to kill with their machete as with a gun, but more likely to be killed by a gun, surely the end result will be a gunfight over a catalytic converter. However, it is arguable that once an example has been made of a few thieves, the cost / benefit ratio might well swing in favour of the car owner. Unfortunately what happens in other countries is largely irrelevant. In the UK, it is an offence to discharge a weapon in the street anyway, let alone kill people. Ultimately it may be a justifiable homicide if you shoot an attacker in your home, say. But unlikely to be so in defence of your catalytic converter in the street.

I agree with much of what you say, Barry. My criticism of the NHS is mainly directed at many of the Civil Servants who administrate it, invariably with no medical training or even business experience, whose uninformed diktats often take precedence over clinical opinion to the detriment of patient care. And I too could provide examples. Indeed, most of us can!

Piers, I think this is one occasion when it’s OK to take a treatment lying down. We all look forward to hearing what a great anticlimax it turned out to be!

It’s interesting to note that when the NHS was first mooted, it was anticipated by some that the cost of running it might actually go down. This was based on the hypothesis that the health of the Nation would be so improved that there would be fewer calls on medical services. One reason why that didn’t happen is as a result of such innovative technology as the MRI Scanner - of which Piers is soon to be a beneficiary. Today’s NHS employs 1.3 million people and is Europe’s largest employer - and the World’s largest employer of highly qualified professionals. Most of the time it succeeds in doing the greatest good for the greatest number. And if I recall it correctly, that was Kier Hardie’s guiding principle.