Sundance

I have to agree with you there Michael. So when I renewed my insurance in February I thought I'd increase the voluntary excess to both mirror my view and keep the premium down. Imagine my surprise when I found out that if I wanted to increase my VE beyond £250 the premium also increased! Work that one out ... 'cos I couldn't! 🤔

All sorted now, I've kept a full size spare, but I can only have a puncture on a nearside tyre 😳. I invested in a 4-set of Avon AS7 All-Seasons, my very first intro into AS tyres (not that they're needed in leafy Surrey but they do look good on the car!) ... plus I got them at an excellent discounted price that even compared favourably against standard Summer tyres. Of course I'm not expecting them to last as long as 'ordinary' (Summer) treads but I'm only doing 5k 'ish miles pa so they will hopefully give me 3 > 4 years worth of use by which time I'll have forgotten how much I paid for them and will start a fresh search 😀. Here comes the rub. The reason for investing in fresh tyres was that when buying the car it had 3 worn Summer tyres plus one AS7 and a cr*p & very old spare. An 'odd' set up. So I decided to keep the one AS7 as spare and buy 4 new ones. Of course what had escaped my notice (until my friendly tyre man pointed it out to me) is that the AS7s are DIRECTIONAL! 😉

An interesting article Phillip, thanks for posting. I'm a mix 'n' match kinda guy, currently experimenting with half a tank of Esso E5 plus half a tank of Sainsbury's E10. I guess you'd call it a sort of E7.5 with some measure of detergent and friction modifier thrown in 😉 . Cost averages out at around £1.40pL as I collect Nectar pts at Sainsbury's then spend them @ Esso who discount fuel by 5ppL 👌 .

When I had my '06 IS250 (incompatible) I dealt with the E10 issue by using E5 🤷‍♂️ ... simples. My replacement 'LexBus' is E10 compatible but I tend to alternate with E5 so I guess you could say I'm running on E7.5. Varies between 25 and 34mph, depending upon who, where, why and how I'm driving. 😉

That'll be it Malc, and they'll get the boots with the fattest mark up for the retailer carefully camouflaged as "best deal of the week". 🤥 Thank you Sir (or Madam), do come again ... and they probably will. 😉

Every time. Why do racehorses have aluminium shoes? Then a farrier would never fit a gold shoe on a cart horse. 😉

... AKA the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company! Oh well, never mind 🙃.

And let's not forget the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, yet another subsidiary of Goodyear 🙄 . Coopers have been making tyres since 1904 and provide arguably mid-range tyres with premium features. So we'll see, as I've recently bought a full set of their allseasons AS7s at a great price through Halfords. So far so excellent. 🤞

Perhaps the simple difference is that welly boots don't qualify as being a potential killing machine. 😄 As for re-mould budget wellies - now there's a market for someone. 🤔 .... The Pound Shop?!?

That's what I'm after John ... and as much as I'd love a chesterfield in the back I think the upkeep would be slightly more significant in the time/cost category 😆 .

As I'm sure many others with older RXs will be familiar, the 'outer' driver's bolster has an understandable tendency to collapse over time. I'm keen to find a professional within reasonable striking distance who would be able to return mine to at least something similar to its original state. I realise that it may mean going without transport for a short while so an initial 'time/cost' discussion could start the ball rolling. Is there anyone who knows of a tried and tested refurbisher for such work 🤔 because, as with most very specific repairs of this kind, if at all possible I would prefer a recommendation from someone who's been down this road already.

I wouldn't worry Ken, if your car is exempt from ULEZ it's due to emissions rather than age. It's all a fund raising antic because the Mayor can't balance his books due to shockingly bad housekeeping and although the extension is set for 29 Aug 2023 there are still several councils who are challenging it so it's not a done deal just yet. Chin up 😉 .

That's shocking news. I remember that he was the first to welcome me when I joined the forum and since then I quietly kept an interest in his posts. In my thoughts tonight.

They're not a must have James, but they are a very useful accessory, more especially to those of us with less modern accoutrements 😉.

You're correct about it being an offence although the actual legal wording is that fog lights are not to be used "at any time other than seriously reduced visibility" which is why in my earlier post I commented on subjectivity 🙂 . Otherwise I totally agree ... and as for the daft Mercedes "fogs off at 30" ruling, what are they thinking? Makes absolutely no sense to me either 😮.

I don't think it's inconsiderate to use front fogs in conditions of 'reduced' as opposed to 'seriously reduced' visibility. But then each driver's judgement of the difference can be somewhat irritating as the matter is purely subjective. I often use my front 'fogs' in dusky half-light conditions out of courtesy to other road users, a time when something stronger than sidelights is appropriate but dipped headlights are too much. I can't remember the last time I used my rear 'high densities' but am comforted to know that I have them. And by them I mean two, I've never understood why some (perhaps even older!) vehicles have only one fitted which I find very off-putting even when positioned centrally. As for those budding Colin McRaes, ah yes, those were the days, but I was more of a Paddy Hopkirk admirer ...

Receipts that came with my recent purchase show that different oils have been used over time, varying from Castrol Edge Titanium 5W/30 (most recent), Mobil 1 ESP OW/20 fully synthetic and then in the dim and distant Lexus (Guildford) used Lexus Helix HX7 AF 5 which presumably was their version of Shell Helix 5W/30. For my 400h Castrol website recommends Castrol Edge 5W/30 M or Castrol Magnatec Stop-Start 5W/30 and the Mobil website recommends Mobil 1 ESP X2 0W/20. I suggest that you give both websites a go for your own vehicle. Then given both the UK climate and the above recommendations I can't think that there can be too much difference between 0W/20 and 5W/30. I'll see what my mechanic says in July when annual oil change is due. Hope this helps you Brad.

As with all insurance renewals, shop around and find less expensive equivalent cover then negotiate with your current provider. A lot of the time they'll match. My RAC renewal always comes in +20% sometimes more. I was connected to a 'representative' years ago who was just leaving his employment and he actually admitted that they do it on purpose because most people don't question it or forget and it renews automatically at the higher premium. Shocking but true. So never accept any renewal premium, always research and negotiate. I know it's a pain but it could save you £hundreds. 😉

Here you go Charlie, that setting is actually my display of choice. As advised above, press 'DISP' on the steering wheel to alter. All this info is in your manual around p120 ...

Once upon a time, back in the 80's, I was that High Street Insurance Broker. Had a pile of Rate Books, one from each Insurance Company for which I was an Agent. I recall Commercial Union, Norwich Union and General Accident being my 'best sellers' in those days, together with their books of Cover Notes. Then along came a substantial desktop computer with a built-in system that calculated the best quote for you. That changed everything, including the introduction of that sly set of Underwriters calling themselves Cloverleaf, they insured anybody and everybody that the others wouldn't, at a price of course, but I seem to remember them being rather reluctant when it came to paying claims. By 'eck, them were the days. Sadly though, Samantha Fox didn't feature on my office wall! ☺️

Kent to Yorkshire's a bit of a slap, unless you were the one to secure this ... https://www.mathewsons.co.uk/auction/lot/lot-71---2006-lexus-rx400-h-se-cvt/?lot=10846&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=33&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=1&g=1

Thanks for that, but Halfords still cheapest 😉 .

Avon AS7s it is for me then, not least because they're on 15% discount ATM with Halfords (£127.49ea), a saving of £21.50 a corner compared with my other favourite, Goodyears. But on your head be it 🙃 !

I believe you're absolutely right Andrew ... or is it the clock tocking? 😄

Well naturally, that was likely as not due to the low decibel factor plus the soft compound and ride. A Rolls Royce owner is not supposed to hear anything, most especially when moving, and to replace a full set after just a few miles was hardly considered a problem ... so I'm told 😊 .