LenT

I agree Malcolm and I’d feel the same way. I’m sure we’ve all been there, but frankly if you have a Lexus (or Merc, BMW, Porsche, Alfa, Lamborghini etc) my view is that you have to balance the pleasure of ownership and use against the risk that it could be the victim of an accident. Or, of course, that it’s a powerful Moron Magnet. I try to be pragmatic about the sort of damage you describe - especially if I caused it! In the worst cases, that’s what insurance is for. The alternative, I suppose, is to treat nice cars as objects for display rather than practical use. Since we left north London fifty years ago, I can only think of one supermarket trolley ding that we’ve acquired - and that’s to my wife’s Suzuki, so doesn’t really count (!) and which she still hasn’t noticed. Sadly, I think the bulk of vandalism that we do see tends to be by those who, in a desperate bid to conform to stereotype, bring it out from the Cities with them. Out here in the villages it’s pretty rare.

Well, firstly it would certainly be cheaper to do it myself. All I lack is the equipment, the materials, the knowledge and the expertise! My chap offers a pick 'n mix selection of packages and optional upgrades. I went for a 'Medium Car' package at £750 plus four upgrades, totalling about £1600 plus VAT. But as I said, a lot of that I offset by calculating the fuel savings accrued by more than halving my annual mileage. To put all that in perspective, here's an outline of the four day's work. Multiple stage wash removing potentially damaging material. Engine bay cleaned and degreased. Wheels removed, cleaned both sides. Wheel wells degreased and decontaminated. Chemical and claybar decontamination. Paintwork assessment. A 2-stage paintwork enhancement. Interior detailing. Glass cleaned and polished inside and out. Multiple HD photos of detailing work (we shall see!) Also: Application of Modesta BC-04 & Modesta BC-05 Glass coatings to bodywork to give a coating life of 8-10 years. Application of baked-on ceramic protection for the wheels. Application of a hydrophobic coating to the glass. Removal and replacement of new laser-cut clear films on body panels. Most persuasive of all, he initially described the IS as a 'lovely looking car'. Clearly a man of discernment.

I’ve not tried attaching anything so far, but if I can master the technology I’ll have a go. A bit light on Before shots, unfortunately. But it always looked pretty good to me. However, as Ganesh demonstrates- and looking at the examples on my chap’s website - there’s clearly a quantum leap between my efforts and those of a dedicated professional. It was ever thus!

Thanks Ganesh. A very nice record to have too. If I end up with similar results I’ll be very satisfied. The elimination of the swirl marks is particularly impressive.

Warning: What I did today to my Lexus may upset some of you… If you were born with a Silver Clay Bar, you may want to stop now. Because today I handed my IS250 over to an Automotive Detailer for four days of washing, scrubbing, coating, recoating, ceramic coating and general primping inside and out. Yes, rather than spend time and effort depleting my own stocks of assorted Autoglym and Simoniz products, I decided to invest some of the cash I’ve saved by not going anywhere this last year, by employing the services of someone who does it for a living. I’d be interested in the experiences of anyone who’s had this done themselves, good or bad. What I have been told is: No more visits to the Car Wash. Which is ironic as that’s what my local Lexus dealer uses for their complementary valeting! In brief, it seems to involve about ten different stages and four different coatings; two glass coatings on the body, one on the wheels and one on the glass. Oh, and he’s also replacing those clear protective strips on the body. I’ll go into more detail (as it were) if anyone’s interested. If it turns out to be money well spent, I’ll report back. Otherwise I’ll probably keep quiet!

Yes, it's a private sale so the risk is all yours. It all depends on how experienced a restorer you are. You could always ask to have it inspected by such as, say, the AA/RAC or even a friendly Lexus mechanic. But if the owner's even slightly evasive, the best advice generally is to walk away. And I think Piers makes a good point - if the owner's not taken the same kind of care that you would expect yourself on the bits you CAN see, who knows what horrors await on the many more bits you can't!

Plenty of suggestions on YouTube, surprisingly. Mainly the VERY gentle application of heat with a moving hairdryer, sometimes assisted by using finger pressure to move the leather. However, one showing how just gentle heat removed what appeared to be a substantial circular dent in the side of a Bentley car seat was quite impressive!

I don’t know if it might be different for a hybrid, but with my CTEK I also ordered the accessory connection leads - two, in fact. These had terminals that connected directly to both battery posts, with positive and negative clearly marked. The leads then combine to end in a socket. The lead from the CTEK plugs into this socket. This allows me to switch the trickle charger between our two cars without having to worry about polarity, sparking or poor connection. I hope this helps.

So true! They were on my IS250 when I acquired it and I took the first opportunity to replace them - which came surprisingly early. I was going to fit Michelin CrossClimates, having put a set on my Honda Accord just days before the car was written off on the M25! But Michelin only did one of the two sizes I needed. Fortunately Goodyear had just launched the Eagle F5 Asymmetric which have proved to be an excellent choice - not only in all round performance but also in restoring a sense of quiet calm to the interior.

You might like to consider having a set of Alloygator Rim Protectors fitted. My local Chips Away guy did a splendid job on my first kerbings, but I soon realised that Alloygators would pay for themselves. Now the odd scrape is simply a reminder of what could have happened to the wheel rim instead!

Always sound advice. The danger with cheap tyres and slightly silly brand names is that they could be recuts - or what I believe the trade calls regrooves. These would be illegal on ordinary passenger vehicles. Of course some budget tyres are perfectly respectable, with cost savings being made by offering only the most popular sizes and simpler construction and compound mixes. Some may even be made alongside better known brands. Many years ago I was involved in Esso advertising. At the time Esso introduced a forecourt range of tyres, batteries and accessories. The Esso branded, budget tyres were actually made by Pirelli on the main production line. The only differences were the Esso logo in the moulds and small cosmetic changes to the tread. Otherwise the same construction and compound. For ordinary, conventional motoring they were outstanding value.

I replaced the standard HID bulb on my IS250 with new Osram Xenarc bulbs, which provided a considerable improvement. They were D4S, so different from yours, I suspect. But I can recommend the supplier, Autobulbsdirect, and they have a bulb checker that will specify the correct bulb upgrade for you. Hope this helps. Just found this out of curiosity- LED bulbs, for your Lexus, but I know nothing about them or the Company involved!, https://auxito.com/collections/9005m/products/9005-led-headlight-bulbs-hb3-bulb-12000lm-canbus-equipped-with-advanced-zes-led-chips?rq=yr_2004~mk_Lexus~md_GS300

Yes, I think that must have been it. Note to self: must pay attention!

I’ve no idea John. Which probably explains why I did it again, months later! I can only think that being a stranger to the hybrid I thought it had stalled and, being at the head of a queue at traffic lights, did the wrong thing. Whatever that was! But whatever it was, I haven’t done it again.

I would probably even appreciate some spam, battered of course, with some chips. But I guess the profit margins on car sales are not what they used to be. Still, keeping waiting customers entertained used to be a common problem for all dealers. At least Covid-19 has solved that one!

Clearly we have different priorities. I have a feeling that when I got such a survey it was more like: what else can Lexus offer to improve your experience? Because it gave me the opportunity to reply: Lunch.

That’s a whole new topic you’ve opened up there!

Thanks for that info, Colin. Hybrids are foreign territory to me, I must admit. Lexus tend to loan me one when mine’s in for service and, to my shame, I have managed to stall them on a couple of occasions! However, I think the other points are still valid - and two out of three ain’t bad! But mainly I’m suggesting that in a low mileage situation and especially in winter, an easy-to-use trickle charger is a sound investment. At least, that’s been my experience.

Not really the ideal solution, for several reasons. For example, it's not very environmentally friendly. If the car's on the public highway, and unattended, it would be illegal. And some say one hour barely compensates for the current used to start the vehicle. A better solution is to buy a trickle charger. I bought a CTEK and fitted sets of accessory plug-in connector leads to the battery posts of both our cars. Now all I have to do is plug the CTEK connector to the installed leads, turn on the CTEK and leave it overnight to do its thing.

The Manual states that this warning relates, as you suggest, to the Blind Spot Monitoring system. As far as I can see, the only recommendation is to refer the car to a Dealer! The sensors, I believe, are located in the wing mirrors and along the rear of the car. As it’s still under warranty I would be inclined to do that ASAP.

Perhaps the strain of arriving at a decision finally took its toll?

I would have bought it too - except Honda had stopped selling any Accord in the UK! Which is why I went looking at Lexus. You certainly were unfortunate with your Honda. It sounds like what we call a ‘Friday Night’ car - although that was more a British thing than Japanese. On the other hand, you obviously survived what seems to be a heavy impact on what I presume is the driver’s door. My wife and I both walked away from the Accord, with not even a scratch between us, when it was written off on the motorway. So no complaints about build quality! As I said earlier, I had two Hondas, both discontinued, for a total of 20 years and 200K miles without any problems at all. But considering the current ranges, I too would stay with Lexus. Unless I’ve missed it, we’re still waiting for the OP to come back and tell us which one he bought - if either!

Petrol Feb 2015 Serviced by Lexus MK, from where it was purchased.

Delving further into the website, I see there is a page updated 05.01.21 headed: We’re Open. But it only applies to the Workshop. No gawping in the showroom or, unlike John Hutton’s experience, investigating the forecourt. Online contact only and, as you say, no test drives. I suspect this may be down to Milton Keynes promotion to Top Tier COVID lockdown. I wonder if there’s any upside to this? For example, it can’t be exactly encouraging sales, so maybe now’s a good time to get a better deal. As others have said, you can reject the car after a trial period anyway and Roy pointed out the extended Warranty cover that’s available. I have friends who have also bought from Lexus MK and none of us have had cause to regret it. If you know the car you want, as you seem to, and need to get it resolved, then I would be inclined to rely on their integrity and established reputation. Alternatively, there’s an operation called cazoo.co.uk that sells online and trailers your selected vehicle to you. Again you have the opportunity to reject it if it doesn’t live up to expectations. Currently they’re listing quite a few Lexus available for MK delivery. Might at least make for an interesting discussion with the folk at Lexus.

You say you’re a key worker so would it not be the case that a car is essential transport to you and a safer and more flexible option than having to use public transport? As for trying it, I would have thought that MK would be happy to arrange an extended road test of any of a selection of ‘pre-owned’ vehicles that interested you. Say, a couple of days or so?