Sundance

Pity I can't recommend him to you Len, sadly time/cost certainly wouldn't work! 😄

I've kept well clear of local car washing services, mainly manned by our friends from Eastern Europe, since being introduced to my local mobile valet service who comes to me. A comprehensive 4hr inside & out detail, including a quality wax & seal cost £150 when I bought the car. Since then my new best friend calls every 4-6 weeks to perform a 90 minute "maintenance detail" that costs me £30. Now if I went down the road our EE friends would charge me a minimum of £12.50 for a 15-minute jet wash and cloth wipe dry leaving swirly paint & a buff surface. To keep the car looking anything like clean I reckon the EE effort needs to be repeated every fortnight so after the initial hit it's not difficult to work out that not only am I better off financially but the bodywork is being regularly looked after by a professional ... and it looks the absolute bizzo! 😊

Nobody's questioning your driving skills that, incidentally, have nothing to do with the topic under discussion, just your inability to recognise the dissemination of sarcasm & wit (as in "taking the wee wee") 😉 . Chill 😎 .

So difficult to express subtle nuance and dry humour in plain text, especially when not accompanied by those little emoji fellas 😄 that at least offer a clue as to the writer's thinking 🤔 . Never mind VFR, nice try. 🤭 Mr Vlad ... and breeeeeeaaaath!! 🤫

Ah, apologies, I hadn't read all seven pages of this thread in their entirety, obviously I should have done as I made an inaccurate assumption. I'll search elsewhere to get clarification on protecting my c-c.

Evening Graham, given your dealings with a Dealer do you happen to know if this protection plate is available to all generations of RX? As you can see mine is an '07 400h which, I gather, may contain even more valuable precious metals in the c-c than later models so I am thinking of getting something done about it. Also I'm a mere mile or two outside the part of London that is greater so if you would be so kind as to let me know which Dealer fitted your plate (PM if you prefer) I'd very much like to get in touch with them. Many thanks, Rowley

Hi Brendan, I think you've just hit the nail right on the bonce! Tyres are far too subjective a topic in my opinion, too many variables like locality, driving style, cost & mileage driven to name but four, difficult to make any sound recommendation as no two of us are the same. Here's a wise post from another good old 'tyre' thread, courtesy of Rayaans who has a 450h ... "It's really just a load of opinions and hearsay. Michelins are a lot more expensive so it's no surprise they get recommended by tyre fitters. They usually have higher margins on them. Some will outright recommend Continental and others will recommend some Chinese brands. It's like going to a restaurant and asking for the "best dish." 👏

A realistic and pragmatic summary that nobody with any sense can dispute. 👏

Streuth! ... Is this thread still going? 🤣

Tyre threads, not to mention treads 🙃 , are often an interesting topic but always subjective and even more so given different types of cars and styles of driving. I've mentioned on another thread that I've recently fitted 4x Avon AS7s (all seasons) and I did so for three principle reasons ... firstly as an experiment for they matched what was left on the car when I bought it last December, secondly they suit the RX both visually & practically then thirdly because I got good discount meaning that the set of 235/55/18s cost just £510, significantly less than my choice of 'summer' tyres then available 👌. I'd prefer to experience personally and report rather than write anecdotally about what others may or may not experience, especially if they are arbitrarily deemed unskilled or poor drivers. That said, I've only had these tyres for four months and with no adverse weather I can say little other than they are both quiet & comfortable and suit both my driving style and the RX. As and when wet, slippery or more challenging conditions occur I shall be happy to comment on handling with pragmatic feedback. In direct answer to your question though Bob, if I was not experimenting with all seasons then I'd be looking at Goodyear Asymmetric, tyres that I've experienced for many years mainly for their comfort, quietness and, perhaps most of all, longevity.

Poor old Scott, he came to us wanting simple straight forward advice only to find himself involved in a full on tis-was about what on the face of it looks like a potentially good honest car! The poor fella's only just joined the Forum for Pete's sake. 😆 Stick with it Scott and do let us know what you think of it once you can actually see it, touch it & drive it! 😉

Hi Scott, welcome to the Forum. I suggest that any comments about colour mis-match be taken with a pinch of proverbial salt. There is absolutely no way that anyone can guarantee minor panel paint contrast from a random resolution showroom photo with its indistinct and variable false lighting plus the fact that it's then subject to inconsistent adaptation onto a media screen. You'll need to inspect it close up with the naked eye and then decide, preferably in natural light. Good luck with the 21 day trial and enjoy. 😊

... just not quite as useless as Summer tyres! 😉 Steve, I'd go for Goodyear Asymmetric, excellent grip, quiet and with longevity for miles of happy driving, not too expensive either ... well, not for the fronts anyway, the rears are bigger and pricier of course.

Similar topic going on in Tyres Section. I must say Bill, the idea of having two spare tyres, one for each 'direction', does rather stretch it a bit 😂 .

Thanks for that Linas, I had no idea ... 🤣

My view? ... whilst 4 owners for a 13yr old car is not a problem "part exchange to clear" tells its own story for me. I'd be concerned with the general usage marks and the poor interior condition, especially the driver's seat that looks irrecoverable. I'm also very sceptical about a car with 4 different branded tyres ... what's that about? I'm sure you can do better unless you're prepared to spend some money on it.

Here's another inexpensive air-vent option ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B1TTM7ML/

I find it hard to believe that your premium has more than doubled with the same Insurer in just one year without you having some issue during the 12 month term. Are you sure that you're telling us everything? Even so, I suspect that by reducing your list of "I wants" you might find a more competitive premium but if you don't want to do that then you obviously restrict yourself.

As was implicit in my OP it would never be my intention - as it should never be anybody's intention - to drive any further than absolutely necessary with a directional tyre fitted 'wrong side'. I was just interested to see if anybody had actually done it. Funnily enough, when buying my 4x AS7s I did contemplate whether it might be sensible to buy a spacesaver (165/90/18 available on eBay for £90) but as they're not provided as an option when standard (I don't think) I did wonder whether that might be for a reason. I also didn't really want to spend more money on a fifth tyre when I had a perfectly legal & serviceable full size available. Of course if I suffer a puncture on the correct side for my spare then there's no issue 😄 - so it's a 50-50 chance! 🤞 Finally yes, I do believe that an incorrectly fitted directional tyre would be an MoT fail in the same way that a fitted spacesaver would represent an MoT fail.

You may see where I'm going with this. I have 4 directional tyres (Avon AS7s) fitted with a fifth as a spare and I was wondering if anyone has experienced what changes in handling result when having to temporarily (obviously) fit a directional tyre on its 'wrong side' and whether or not it's disconcerting. 🤔

Nice one Poundy! 👋 Thankfully no relation to Harry then ... who, in your defence, would probably act very slowly and make things look very untidy! 😉

Caveat emptor. But now it's done I think your only action is to take it back to Lexus for proper fault diagnosis. You have no come back on the vendor if it was a declared issue and you still agreed to proceed with the purchase. Good luck.

I have found reference from clublexus forum telling me that Lexus do not include "wade depths" in their specs or manuals. So I've stopped looking ... 😄 .

That is perfectly correct Peter, but if both you and the Third Party agree to settle "out of court" (so to speak) then neither Insurer need be any the wiser 😉 .

Chatting tonight with a chum who has a Landrover Defender. We were talking about depths of water for various vehicles to safely drive through. Of course I realise that the RX could not possibly compete with off-roaders but he did mention that there should be a 'wading depth' mentioned in the vehicle spec/manual. Anyone come across this or had any experience of safe high water in an RX (hybrid)? 🤔