DTR

4 hours ago, PDM said:

David, in case you are not yet aware - Lexus are now fitting (FOC) phase 1 and 2 security updates - a tracker and a geofence device.  Phase 3 is the CAN blocker that Andrew mentions above, but it is not yet available.  Your dealer should know about this.

Paul

Apologies. I certainly had not been informed. I will contact my dealer next week. In the post which you mentioned, does he not say that they are not yet available?

Article on Autocar website re update to Land Rover Defender (the unbelievedly ugly one). Included this paragraph:

“Most of its updates happen over the air, but not this one, which requires plugging in a diagnostic laptop to a 16-pin socket in the driver's footwell, because it's a security update. It disables the 'can bus' when the car is locked, to make it harder to steal.”
 

Perhaps Lexus could come up with a similar system?

One problem is that it seems to take eons for Lexus/Toyota to come up with a line of code.

Ever the optimist,

Dave

On 11/13/2022 at 11:53 AM, NemesisUK said:

If it functions this way by design, why would Lexus replace the unit under warranty?

Bigger speaker doesn't equate to louder sound, it has to be driven by the amplifier.

The possible only solution would be to replace the existing amplifier with an after-market offering but IMHO you would kill any resale value on such a new car.

Silly point I appreciate, but when you go to a concert the majority of the sound comes from the stage I.e at the front. There is reflection from the rear of the auditorium. This can be really annoying. Personally I find films with surround sound really annoying. Cars are not an ideal place to listen to music of realistic reproduction. A decent HiFi system will have a sweet spot for listening. Noise is not quality. 

I contacted Nottingham Lexus a few weeks back about the possibility of having an adapted RX attachment fitted.  Not a positive result. However, after a recent service, I spoke to a the service manager. She has contacted Lexus who have agreed to supply the part and allow fitting. This was done  today at no cost. I understand that Lexus required photos/ descriptions of the work done. Having spoken to one of the guys in the service Dept., it was straightforward. I had been warned that they may need the car overnight. No problem as a loan car was supplied, but job was done within the day.

Doesn’t ensure that some scrote won’t destroy the front bumper, but at least the wreckage will still be there.

On 5/28/2024 at 7:42 PM, beyond the blue said:

Very interested in this info. I wonder what the response would be if I put this to my dealer. Can I ask if you bought the car from them? I'm assuming you did! 

I did put it to mine (Nottingham). Whoever replied, ignored the point I.e adapting one intended for a different model and changed the subject.

Useless.

Today I booked  my car in for service in early June. Requested appropriate work to prevent Can Bus theft. I was informed that is only available for the RX. Absolute farce.

What a surprise; call from dealer yesterday cancelling appointment to fit protection plate. Reason- they don’t exist unless you have an RX or NX. Add in the fact that the Lexus + app has not worked properly since about October 23 and my conclusion is that Lexus just do not care.

Booked the ES in at Nottingham Lexus for the work to be done. Fingers crossed that it does the job.

Called in at dealers yesterday ( Nottingham). Seems that Navigation has been “switched off” due to problems. Apparently dealers have been informed that there will be an  automatic update in 2024 Q2. Difficult to believe that a company the size of Toyota/ Lexus cannot sort it quicker than this. Obviously of low priority. Hopefully they are all working on a solution to the Can Bus problem!

Has to be said dealer was very helpful.

A particularly meaningless article (even for the Daily Snail); did nobody who is responsible for this comic not notice that there is a connection between the No. of particular models stolen and the frequency with which they are purchased?

I doubt that the colour is especially significant given that many of the vehicles will be broken up for parts. Simply repeating the fact ad nauseam won’t change this.

PS I am not a fan of the Daily Snail or the Daily Excess! Unfortunately many people believe the dubious content.

I have not checked for a while. Just had a look; recent trips and Hybrid Coaching seems to have updated, but no predicted range. I optimistically tried the navigation thingy; only seems to allow me to navigate to home. I am already here! Someone is having a laugh.

Mine did work but now it finds a destination but not the route. The “Send to car” has disappeared anyway. I’m using an iPad. Is this the problem?

Seems it isn’t; no better on Iphone.

Absolute shambles.

I have deleted app and reinstalled no change.

I have no complaint with the Lexus Service other than they fitted the 380 model. Looks neat but absolutely infuriating in use. An absolute pain connecting to an Iphone and loses connection at random. I resorted to removing the sd card and trying to connect that to a newish Mac; Adapters joined to adapters etc are required and I never found how to reformat the card using the supplied software. Searching the on-line destruction manual only comes up with “Press the protect button for 6s. The yellow light will flash”. Mine doesn’t. Eventually gave up.

Unless you do shedloads of miles, the extra cost is negligible compared to the depreciation. If you dump the car after 3 years, go for the cheapest. If it’s a keeper, give it a treat now and again.

Dave

On 8/1/2023 at 3:45 PM, Moleman said:

Takes time but it is worth it.

Have about 200 on a drive currently, add a few when I have some spare time.

Works really well.

Agreed, it takes a while to do, but worth the effort. When my indoor CD player gave up the ghost, I invested in a streamer (Linn DS). Amazingly, the files (FLAC) sounded better on this than the CD player (The highly praised Linn Karik). I ripped all my CDs to a hard drive. All you basically do is pop the CD into a CD drive, sit back and wait until the drive spits out the disc. Job done! You will need some software to do the job. The dreaded iTunes (if it still is available) will do the job. If you use this, make sure that you do not leave setting to default as this will convert to mp3. I don't know if any form of FLAC file is available on this, but WAV is OK.

I only use Audible for mp3 so can't comment much. Again it is OK.

I would recommend dBpoweramp converter. A small charge initially, but it is very good for Tabs (you get a choice of providers). Classical Music is always difficult to get the correct info. Have to admit that I haven't used it for a while though. I stream all my music from Qobuz indoors and they allow you to download tracks to phone etc. I suspect that the music will disappear if the subscription stops. Pay the subscription annually and it is probably equivalent to 1 CD per month. I doubt that any car system will do justice to the HiRes files which can be accessed.

VERY IMPORTANT- when you have ripped all your CDs, keep a copy in a very safe place!

As far as I am aware, there is little difference between FLAC and WAV files sound wise. FLAC is more convenient (Less disc space and Tabs).

Merrily plodding along yesterday with “Intelligent” CC on. A bing (or was it a bong?) disturbed my reverie and a yellow ? light appeared on the screen plus “Temporary problem with ICC”. I switched ICC off and immediately back on. All seemed to be well. 1st time in 2 years that this has happened. Is it cause for concern or a common occurrence please?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

On 7/18/2023 at 10:30 AM, Scotlex said:

I am really surprised that more people don't try to buy cars that are below £40,000 (for tax reasons).

I am also surprised that most manufacturers don't have loads of cars priced at £39,999.

People must have too much money 🙄😀😀

It has always annoyed me that manufacturers give an official price knowing full well that this is rarely the price which customers actually pay. However taxes are based on this artificial price. Have the manufacturers done some sort of deal with HMRC? With the present gang  in Westminster who are blatantly lining their own pockets, this wouldn’t be a surprise.

Were you looking for the dreaded “Graphic Equaliser” from the 80s? Most of the better hi fi manufacturers avoid tone controls like the plague. The cheaper flashier ones love them; lots of knobs/sliders and meters to hide some cheap resistors which reduce sound quality by affecting phase etc. Best advice is to turn them off and rely on the balance, tonal qualities etc which the original sound engineer chose.

Think I had better duck.

Seems common now to regard indicating as something to do mid way through a manoeuvre.

Relatively rare foggy day recently so I decided to put on the fog lamps. Twiddled the thing on the light stalk. I could see that one twiddle lit up 2 lights on the dash. Two twiddles extinguished them both. Couldn’t find a way of just getting the rears. I stopped and looked at the exterior lights. Didn’t seem to look any different whether lights were on or off from inside the car. Later I got a friend to look from outside with engine off or on and switch in on or off position. Rear light get brighter in  the on position, but no sign of any change at the front. I have 2021 F Sport ES with 3 LED lamps. I’ve looked in the electronic destruction manual. As usual no help. How can there be so much text, but so little information?

Am I missing something?  Is there something wrong?

I did think so at one point, but not sure now. I’ve never been in a Camry, so can’t make a comparison. However it is very common for manufacturers to have a limited number of floor pans and running gear etc.(see VW/Audi/ Seat/ Skoda) with considerable success. Nobody seems to bother about this do they?

Camry is no longer available new in UK. All I can say is the finished product I.e Lexus ES is an excellent vehicle.. Just enjoy it for what it is; well constructed, hopefully reliable, relatively economical and a very pleasant way of getting from A to B. (At least ignoring the other traffic on the road).

Oh yes, in my questionable opinion, it’s a stunning looking piece of kit. Seems to attract a fair bit of attention. I hope this is admiration, but I suppose some people will be wondering why I should buy a low and elegant vehicle when I could have purchased an ugly blobby Tonka toy. Better get ready to duck after that.

Agreed the system works really well.

A question; is the AC driven mechanically (as in a “normal” car) or electrically? Seems to me it must be the latter as it doesn’t stop when the ICE does.

Now I thought that this was one of the things which I understood. Perhaps I was wrong. I can’t make a lot of sense re AC on the screen (not that I have really tried). However, I have noticed that the temp reading near the toggle does not light up on the LHS unless someone is sitting in the passenger seat. This is the same as the heated seats; the passenger seat does not get warm unless there is a bum on it. I just leave everything on “auto” settings. The car knows best!

Agreed on the S+, S, Normal and Eco settings. All are thermostated, but the power is reduced in Eco. This saves fuel but is slower to reduce Temperature. Pretty much how a fridge works. I have given up explaining to the other half that turning up the power on the fridge does not make it colder unless the motor is struggling to overcome the external temperature.

I am now ready to duck when somebody shoots me down.

DAVE

Difficult to judge how good your policy is with respect to value for money until you make a claim. Sometimes worth paying a little above the lowest quote.

Have to admit that I went along with an engine oil flush at the 1st service. Didn’t cost a lot in the grand scheme of things and in the days when I used to get my hands dirty, I always did it. Probably a waste of time and as a chemist who is dubious of claimed longevity of modern oil, it would probably be better to change oil at 5-6 thousand mile intervals.

Well known fact that long oil change intervals are there to tempt the fleet boys who will be dumping the vehicles after 3 years.