Brian R

AC/CC systems should be 100% leakproof, but in practice most manufactures specify a minute tolerable/acceptable per annum leakage. Many cars would and should be able to go decades without re-gassing. Consider your fridge/freezer, how many times have you had that re-gassed, obviously never. Whilst not a direct comparison, they work on a very similar principle, i.e. a sealed system containing refrigerant. As with your fridge, there is a tiny amount of oil in the refrigerant designed to lubricate elastomer seals/moving components. Occasional AC/CC use is necessary for this reason, albeit I believe that might not necessarily be the case on some modern systems. The problem comes with the fact an automobile system employs a number of screwed connections and refrigerant will find any leakage point and even the most diligent technician could easily miss a very slight escape point, it's the nature of the beast I'm afraid.

Does sound as if it could have had some paint work prior to your ownership and probably was just good enough to keep the lease company happy. If the base colour coat is sound then chances are it can be re-lacquered but be prepared for some teeth sucking from the would be painters.

Whilst I have the 500h I simply fill it with standard 95 octane unleaded. However, just a day or two ago I noticed on the fuel filler flap it specifically indicated either "E5" or "E10" can be used. Must admit, I always thought that would be the case. It may be worth seeing if your fuel flap says the same or reference what is recommended in the user manual. My aforementioned manual refers to "E10" and I would guess so will yours, albeit I suspect it may stipulate the higher octane rating.

Phil, I think the car is a 2020 model and won't need its first MOT till 2023 and then the second in 2024.

Hello Neil I can understand why you would wish to buy through a Lexus dealer, but in reality there should be no difference than buying from a non franchised outlet. Given all Lexus cars now receive the benefit of a 12-month extended warranty every time it is serviced by an official Lexus dealer, you should be as confident as needs be. Odds are whatever and wherever you buy your LC it will be low miles and inherently a much safer bet than many other premium cars you could have chosen.

I've always sworn by PlusGas, a product that has always unsiezed every threaded nut or bolt I've applied it to. For those really stubborn joints, leave it overnight and they will yield. Best penetrating oil I have used for well over 40 plus years. Obviously, heat will usually achieve the same result, but sometimes this is simply an impossible solution.

Wait for it, a budget is just around the corner..........

Curiously, just yesterday I had the car in for various reasons including a hybrid battery re-check which the car failed on its most recent service in July. There was in reality a very good reason why it "failed" and in consequence I was asked to put 500 miles on it before a re-check could be initiated. This time around, it passed without incident and entirely as was suggested it would. I believe/now know the constant fan I could hear from the back of the car was in reality nothing to do with the hybrid battery fans, so all is now good. The video I linked as above does however provide some insight in how the ac might not be doing what you would expect and the simplest of workarounds. Oh, and finally I got my maps updated by Lexus given when I tried to do the job there was a problem with the codes I was asked to enter. Hopefully, I will not now see my local dealer till July next year.

I think I found the video from Lexus Northside and as follows, in particular from 6 minutes onwards. Lexus Northside

Hello Chris Yes, it was on Auto and I've just got back from a tour of our local nurseries. For the first time I heard the climate control system kicking in and out as (I presume) setpoint temperature was reached. This would tend to suggest the Auto setting was over ridden and I seem to recall Melissa from Northside Lexus showed a way to make part of the cooling system work contrary to what the settings might suggest. I'll see if I can find that presentation and if that explains the behaviour I have lived with for the last couple of months. Needless to say I am grateful for a quieter cabin, albeit the noise was not that bothersome.

Many thanks for all the kind offers and suggestions as to what might be the "problem". Indeed, as Malcolm suggested, it was (notice past tense) the Climate Concierge system. Having turned it off, all is now as quiet as a graveyard. One "problem" solved, and now time to see if I can invoke stealth mode whilst training my right foot to moderate itself! Thanks again gents, much appreciated help from the forum.

Interesting and does make me wonder whether there is something amiss. Seems a bit more research is needed. As for swapping cars then thank you for the suggestion and I will park that possibility for the time being. 😇

That's just the thing David, no mention of the fans operation (or at least I've yet to find anything) in the shall we say, rather extensive manual. I don't think I have heard them turn off since the day I bought it back in June. As I said, I'm not too fussed about it, but really just wanted to know if it's normal behaviour. Take your point about the weather but there have been early mornings when the outside temperatures have just clipped into single figures and still they run.

As the title suggests, the hybrid cooling fans run constantly in my LC500h, and I'm quite happy to accept that as a fact of life, assuming they are supposed to. However, I would normally expect any cooling fan to activate when the need arises. I'm also intrigued because last week I did quite a bit of motorway driving and again the fans ran constantly. Just to let you know, I find it all but impossible to manually engage EV mode, but I can see and sense when it works in sympathy with the ICE. Being new to hybrids I would welcome and be grateful for any observations from those more experienced with their idiosyncrasies.

Try viewing this video for assistance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJHiQT8Aq8s

Yes John, I can well believe that and to my mind another classic situation where the consequences of ones actions are not thought through. I fear/know we are going to see far more of this in the coming month/years as the climate/tax change agenda kicks in. Meanwhile, don't even get me going on about "heat pumps" as the way forward!!!!!

But surely so many new cars simply do not have a wheel brace let alone a jack. Reality is the manufacturer wanted to reduce costs, reduce emissions and therefore decided a can of gunk and a portable compressor is the order of the day. Had this on so many of my cars I've lost account. The little Honda run around we currently have did not originally come with a spare, but someone put one in the boot, so definitely not OEM. Suppose I ought to declare that to the insurers 😉 for fear they dream up a reason not to pay out. It really is a joke when you start to analyse matters.

I can well understand your concerns Ej and perhaps to put your mind at rest you should pop into your local Lexus dealer and ask for a hybrid battery check. I seem to recall a check is circa £59 or free if done during a service. Takes about 1/2 hour to complete and thereafter you'll know if there is anything fundamentally wrong, or you need a chill pill.

Sometimes I do wonder where this notion that everything should be notified to an insurer comes from. To be honest, in the real world, an insurer would be hard pushed to refuse insurance on matters that have no bearing on a claim. I am sure if they were challenged, they would struggle to justify any payout refusal if they ever did refuse in the first place. So, 90 plus percent of cars on the road use "normal" tyres and remarkably they are deemed perfectly acceptable. You then replace your also perfectly acceptable run flats with "normal" tyres and these are now said to be unacceptable. Is this really the case? I honestly believe against this scenario any refusal to pay out would be rejected given run flats do not a safer car make, they make a puncture a less inconvenient matter. All too often I have heard so much that is absolute nonsense. The one that always sticks in my mind that National Trust members should get permission or advise their insurers they have put a NT sticker on their windscreens! Really whilst we know or at least believe insurers should be notified of everything including whether brake pads are OEM or as is more likely non OEM, in reality it doesn't work like that. Last year my sons MX5 (wonderful car) was T boned. His car had much attention lavished on it and had a number of features that I know would not have been advised to his insurer. In practice his insurer was very good and following a bit of negotation they paid the full retail value of the car which incidentally was written off. No mention whatsoever about this or that mod but if one were to believe the hype that is all too often generated and amplified by forums, they wouldn't think twice about refusing a pay out. Finally, and given another all too often scenario as follows. You buy a second hand car and it looks stock. However, from what others here have suggested, you should now have the car forensically examined to find out with is OEM and what is not so you can advise your insurer. Does this happen in the real world, no, of course it doesn't! Surely even a court of law would not reasonably have expected you to go to that extreme! What if the car has a valid MOT (yes, I know this is a bit tenuous, but please bear with me) which indirectly deems it safe to be on the road and yes I know on the day of the test. Did the MOT tester check whose brake pads were in use - no of course they didn't and nonetheless it passes its test because what was on the car passed testing standards deeming it to be safe. Exactly the same with tyres and by way of an example my BMW run flats aka "ditch finders" were replaced with far, far safer (at that time) non RF's. That car went through 6 or 7 MOT's with absolutely no reference to "incorrect" tyres and for that matter that particular car was also fitted with what were obviously non standard (albeit BMW) wheels which were also never disputed. Remember whilst you are in contract with an insurer said insurer cannot invoke terms that are beyond ridiculous and do remember you are invariably asked to answer policy questions "to the best of your knowledge".

Interesting to see the above videos especially given I too have a Sonic Titanium finish on my car. Have to say sometimes when I look at it all I can see is silver and other times a greenish hint or a golden silver. Still not quite sure what is the best regime for putting a sparkle on it, but one thing that does help is Carplan "Super Gloss Number 1". Seems to get little press or recognition, but I've used it on 4 off my cars over the last 5 years, two of those were white Jaguars, a titanium sliver BMW and now the LC. All have most definitely benefited from its application, albeit I will concede it ideally needs 2 coats to bring out the shine. Very easy on/off and well worth the effort.

The week before last, my son bought a Honda Civic R to replace his series 1 BMW. The Honda has only 29k miles on it, but its appearance would have suggested 129k. Full of swirls and other visual imperfections, all of which more readily showed up on its black paint. We washed it twice, clay barred it, washed it again, he machined polished the entire car except the roof, washed the car again, and then I followed through with a quality waxing. Got to say it looked the mutties and as a 29k mileage car should. Extremely hard work that achieved a fantastic result, albeit we now figure it needs its bonnet resprayed given the number of chips in the paint! I still have some doubts about the 29k but its MOT and service history is impeccable so I assume the paint quality is as bad as is suggested in an above video. The point is the time and effort we spent on that car were more than rewarded given how it now looks. I also suspect we upped its value quite significantly and knowing my son it won't be too long before we find out is that is the case!

Got to admit I have become totally reliant on sat nav when some 30 years ago I would travel throughout the UK and always found my location using traditional maps. Couldn't agree more that sat nav gives you no sense of geographic location, but it is superior when it corrects any navigation mistake you may make. Funny enough, just this week we were obliged to use paper maps to locate certain very out-of-the-way places. It made me realise my temporary navigator, i.e. the wife, will never replace or even begin to compliment my acquired knowledge or that of the sat nav!

I'm of an age when I used to watch circus clowns amusing everyone with their backfiring banger. I simply can't understand this current penchant for "pops and crackles", just make me think of clowns.

I thought this might be the result given the experience I had changing from RF to normal on my BMW. I'm really not a fan of RF and it's normal tyres for me when mine need replacing. On the BMW forum, RF's were known as "ditch finders" and for good reason. The very stiff suspension BMW are so fond of only served to make the car twitchy on good roads and outright appalling on wet ones. In fairness, those RF's on my current car are acceptable, but nonetheless inclined to tram line on wet roads.

Apologies for not getting back sooner, the day went on far longer than it should have. Right, the other dent person recommended by my son is: Darren Tel no. 07946817947 Apparently he lives Chipstead/Kingswood area. Hope either the above or the aforementioned Tony Angel can assist.