LenT

Neither do I. I should have made it clearer that I was commenting on general security on my Lexus. Good point. So I thought I’d check it out. The good news is that it does operate the deadlocks. However in the copious small print additional notes in the manual, I came across the warning that if the alarm happens to be set, it could cause it to sound. It does! Note to self: Must ask neighbours why they didn’t rush out to check on my car when alarm sounded. 😊

As an additional irritant to would-be thieves I do make a practice of dead locking my IS250 every time I leave it. Obviously I ensure there’s no-one inside at the time! No doubt there are ways to simply defeat deadlocks, if not for purely safety reasons. But it buys a little time, I imagine. And no thief likes to encounter unexpected problems. To borrow a phrase from elsewhere: Every little helps.

Just to comment that it’s interesting how experiences differ. I had Michelin Xs on a Lotus Elan and did 90K miles in three years. I was just on the third set at the end, so roughly 40K each for the first two sets. I thought that was quite good. In fact the Michelin reputation at the time was that the compound mix sacrificed some degree of outright performance for longevity. We’re currently running CrossClimates on a Suzuki 4x4 but it’s too early to talk about mileage, although they have proved to be excellent in other respects - but probably not the specialist Summer performers you’re looking for. Mind you, I wouldn’t rule out the chance of rain in the summer!

That often was the problem. It took a certain degree of commitment to not only fit the lock, if you were just popping into a nearby shop, say, but also to accept that your get away was going to take a bit of time too.

I used to have a couple of the cover style of steering wheel lock. if I remember correctly, they often defeated criminal attack in comparative tests. The advantage they had over the bar type is that the wheel was sufficiently covered to ensure that simply cutting or breaking the wheel itself still wouldn’t free the lock. https://www.barriersdirect.co.uk/parking-posts-residential-c1087/car-trailer-van-hitch-locks-and-posts-c1228/steering-wheel-lock-deterrent-for-electronic-thieves-tested-by-experts-low-low-price-p23262?shopping&ppc_keyword=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnKeCBhDPARIsAFDTLTLi57Lk1q2_IUMiO3AsyaBb1OING7b03eq4qHVYjALqFhbu2v2wbRIaAveVEALw_wcB

My experience is with a BlackVue system. This has a voltage regulator connected to the battery to keep the camera live with the ignition off. The regulator is set to a minimum battery voltage level so that the camera switches off if that level is exceeded. That way the camera can never flatten the battery. I would be surprised if NextBase didn’t have a similar system. If not, then I’m sure the BlackVue system would be suitable.

Ah yes! The advantages of modern technological advances! As a previous poster mentioned, in the old days (!) it was up with the bonnet, release the two clips holding down the distributor cap and pull off the rotor arm. To steal that car you either had to have a spare rotor arm on you or a tow truck. I had a Lotus Elan which I fitted with an immobiliser. It was simply a threaded screw which went into a holder and completed a circuit to the low tension supply to the distributor. Without it, the engine would just churn over. But superior engine advances have put paid to such simple measures. I would suggest that the problem is fuelled by the increasing reliance on electronic deterrence. Using such technology always invites the development of similar technology to defeat it - which ultimately it always will. It may be that the way to defeat an escalating technological problem is not greater complexity but the return to simplicity. PS: I see this is my 100th post! Doesn't time fly when you're having fun.

So how did the viewing go, Hugh? I think we’re all agog to know. In the great scheme of things I wouldn’t let your purchase decision rest on the wheel size. As I think many of us have said, tyre choice may be a more significant factor than wheel size - and the easiest to change. Meanwhile, as I’m sure you’re well aware, there are plenty of other possible problem areas to worry about! Good luck. They’re great cars!

A good thought. I didn’t have it done on mine because I felt I’d spent quite enough and the paint correction dealt with what very minimal marks there were. Also I do very little mileage these days so the risk is very limited. However the results are very impressive. My guy’s next client was having the entire car wrapped!

I too have 18” wheels on my IS250 which was about 2 years old when I bought it. They too require different sizes. Given the choice I would have gone for the 17” wheels, which are the same size fore and aft on my model. The bigger wheels are supposed to give better handling at speed because the lower profile tyres have less sidewall to flex when cornering. The compromise is that the general ride is firmer. But, like Vladimir, I concluded that the cost of changing both the wheels AND the tyres did not justify any marginal gains. Instead I changed the tyres, when due, to Goodyear Asymmetric 5 which greatly improved the handling, especially in the wet, reduced the noise levels and improved the ride quality. (Other tyres are available). I don’t think you mention whether this is a private sale or from a dealer. If from a Lexus dealer, I suppose you could always suggest a wheel swap to clinch the deal. PS Remember to check the spare. Is it missing or a Space Saver in good condition.

Why not Pirelli indeed. I’ve had them and they were excellent. In fact I once had a business day at the UK factory because they made Esso brand tyres on the same production line. Not so convinced about BridgeStone. I finally made my choice by comparing as many comparative tyre reviews as I could find. But that was nearly two years ago, technology moves on and in any case my priorities may not be the same as other drivers.

Know nothing about them apart from what Uniroyal has published. Any comparative tyre tests yet? The tread certainly looks the business and, as you already know, Uniroyal/Continental is a high quality brand. I should think it’s a close run choice between them, the Goodyears and Michelin CrossClimates. If you can find a dealer who sells all three - they’ll probably recommend the one they make the most profit on.

This is another comment that doesn’t answer your questions, but just to ask if you’ve had any experience of detailing before? I had my first experience recently when a local guy spent 4+ days on my IS250 using Modesta products - and I was delighted with the results. I felt it was money well spent and provided a ceramic coating that should last from 8 - 10 years. Yesterday I gave it the first wash to remove accumulated road muck and was really impressed at how easily dirt was removed and the shine restored, using the recommended Aenso shampoos. And of course the two bucket method with washing mitt and drying towel! Yes, no more the easy luxury of the car wash! Kamikazi appears to have a good rep and I’m sure you’ll be very satisfied.

Definitely the wisest course, by the sound of it. But not wasted time. It’s really valuable experience in your search for a good ‘un. Better luck with the next one.

Yes, I wonder if there’s a market for barely used e-tech alloy wheel repair kits? To be fair, it did enable me to reprofile the rim but the colour mismatch was possibly even more obvious than the original damage. Hence the attraction of the Alloygators. Still, you’re better off than I am as I have no other projects. We have a small Suzuki SX4 4x4, but unlike the Lexus alloys with their tendency to break out in a rash at the first sniff of a kerb, the Suzuki has proper ‘who-are-you-looking-at’ steel wheels which are unmarked despite engaging in unarmed combat with local kerbs, potholes and ploughed fields.

I hope that I didn't imply that you had! I certainly wouldn't claim it. However, the OP's pictures do illustrate exactly the common problem for which they do seem to be very effective. Actually the Company states that they can be reused, as when fitting new tyres, for example, if they haven't sustained heavy impact. That would be a matter of personal choice and one's definition of 'heavy'. I've also come across a fitting operation that suggests replacing them every two years anyway. But I would have thought a mileage basis would be more appropriate than time. But as far as cost goes, my set were fitted on 18" wheels for £120 exactly two years ago. Before that, Mr ChipsAway had charged me £90 per wheel, inc. VAT, and did an excellent job - on both wheels!

I can certainly support the choice of the Goodyears. The 18” wheels of my IS250 also required two different sizes. I was looking for good all-season performance - especially in the wet. And they certainly provide that. Before buying them I did check the various tyre testing websites and these Goodyear Asymmetric 5s always came out very well. They’re certainly far quieter and more comfortable than the original tyres.

I did treat myself to a home repair kit by e-tech, as featured in the ChipsAway site from, I believe, Amazon. It sorted out the profile repair well enough, but I couldn’t match the colour. It was too bright a silver. I even tried, unsuccessfully, to add some black!

A little more than JUST a paint job, surely? The surface looks damaged and will surely need rubbing down and blending in before it can be repainted – two different coats, remember. And it would have to be done carefully to avoid any change in the rim profile – depending on how concerned the owner is to remove all traces of the encounter. I suspect that two wheels done to that standard will cost more than fitting a set of Alloygators – which would have prevented that damage in the first place. I hasten to add that I think all the concerns expressed about this product are perfectly valid. But I didn’t choose to fit them on a whim. Like many things in Life, it’s a matter of assessing reward v risk. While the scenario that Linas posits is possible, is it a probable risk? How does it compare, for example, with the inherent risk of ‘travelling at motorway speeds of 70MPH+’ when statistically your chances of being involved in an accident are greatly diminished at 60mph, or 50mph? How often do you consider the risk of a tyre blow out? It’s certainly possible, because it happened to friends of ours in their newish BMW. But we don’t consider it very probable, do we? This product has now been sold in over 50 countries for more than a decade. I’ve only come across a handful of claims that rims have separated from wheels. On examination these often turn out to be DIY jobs or fitting to unsuitable alloys. Frankly, an impact that might render the Alloygator likely to leave the rim would probably also leave the wheel unusable in the first place. It’s also worth mentioning that this product has been approved by testing at MIRA and by the German TUV organisation. Another claim is that water and grit gets under the plastic and damages the alloy surface. Well apart from raising the question of whether the surface was already damaged and the Alloygator used to conceal that fact, this is by definition cosmetic surface damage and very easily rectified. Or even hidden under a new Alloygator! And it’s surely preferable to having to pay for repairs to seriously damaged alloy rims. From personal experience I can confirm that everyday scuffing, as illustrated by the OP, is not going to remove an Alloygator. That’s because this is a rubbing action when a moving wheel contacts a vertical surface, such as a kerb. Lifting the Alloygator away from the rim requires a different impact, such as a vertical force applied to the side of the plastic – as when the wheel drops off a kerb and the edge of it hits the side face of the plastic rim. But again this is very obvious damage. Deflating the tyre and the use of a soft faced mallet is generally enough to replace the Alloygator back on the rim. I see that another criticism is that ‘they look awful once they’ve contacted the kerb’. Well, that’s one reason why I chose black – and scuffs on the plastic can be smoothed out anyway. And remember, every scuff represents more serious alloy rim damage that has been prevented. And as the OPs pics clearly demonstrate, that will surely look worse! To put the choice of ‘to fit or not to fit’ another way: Some people are refusing the Covid-19 vaccines on the grounds that they may have side effects. Well, in some people they do. But not having the vaccine can have even more unpleasant side effects. As it happens, I don't ever remember curbing a wheel until I got the Lexus and had my first experience of low profile tyres and alloys. And if you can be sure that you'll never do it then save your money - you'll never need any rim protection. So as my folks used to say ‘you pays yer money and you makes yer choice!’. PS: I realise this has become a long post. My apologies!

I chose black, Mike, as I wanted the plastic to match the tyre so that it didn’t stand out. And I thought any further scuffs would be less obvious. But you can go for a colour and make a style statement of them! I’ll try to attach a recent picture showing the wheels undergoing a protective coating treatment which does show the Alloygators in situ. I’d also point out that the Goodyears already have moulded on what Goodyear describe as a rim protector. But you can clearly see that the Alloygator projects even further out than the tyre itself, so further protecting the tyre.

I had very similar rim damage on my IS250 alloys, which appear to be a similar colour. I contacted our local ChipsAway operator who did a marvellous job. There was no trace of the repair and the colour match was perfect. To prove it wasn’t a fluke, he repeated it on another wheel when I scuffed it again! No doubt, some operators may be less skilled than others and you may not even have one near you. But another advantage is that it’s a mobile service that comes to you. Incidentally, realising this could become an expensive habit, I had a set of Alloygator Rim Protectors fitted and rim damage is now highly unlikely to be a problem.

You can get either get a battery pack to provide an independent supply or a regulator that will provide power with the ignition off and ensure that the current drain doesn’t exceed a preset level. This enables the camera to operate when the vehicle is parked and thus able to record activity that occurs around the car, such as break-ins, keying as well as impacts. I acquired my Lexus as a result of an HGV writing off my Accord on the M25. The other driver’s insurance was dragging out settlement until I supplied the camera footage, when they paid out in full within a couple of days. I can’t think of any reasons for NOT having one!

It could refer to the MOT requirements regarding the amount and variety of various fluids that appear under the car with the engine idling. These would exclude any additional contributions from the Tester as suggested by Phil earlier.

I think you may have answered your own question. Looking at the obvious rust, I wouldn’t have described it as being in good condition. Get it up on a hoist and I suspect that more horrors will be revealed. I also agree with other comments that it’s clearly been maintained on a shoestring and after all it’s been ignored for two years anyway. I think it might well be a project for an experienced renovator, but if you’re not mechanically adept, I’d walk away. Best advice would be to buy from a recognised dealer, or at least get a mechanic’s inspection if dealing privately.

As has already been mentioned, budget will possibly influence your choice. So you may not like my first observation: personally I would never mix brands/types on different axles. Mixing tread patterns and compound mixes is creating a potential for performance differences that may well catch you out one day. So that means buying four tyres, not two. I have gone for the new offerings in all-season tyres. I have Goodyear Asymmetric 5s on the Lexus, which have proved to be a quiet tyre with a comfortable ride and excellent wet weather performance. I was originally going for Michelin CrossClimates, which they do for 17” rims. Unfortunately my Lexus has 18” rims and two different tyre sizes fore and aft - one of which Michelin don’t do. However, I have Michelin CC on our 4 wheel drive Suzuki and they too are excellent in the wet and give a comfortable ride. Previous experience with Michelins is that I get very good mileage out of them. I had them on a Toyota MR2 and had just put on the third set after 90K miles. I suggest you check out the tyre reviews and tests at sites such as autoexpress and tyrereviews.