dublet

Swapped pics. Before you actually go and search for it, listen to the "Standard" audio. IMO it's still good.

There's the logo on the bit of plastic in front of the gear lever:

Parking brake, surely?

Give yourself some extra time before you set off to get comfortable. The Lexus dealership should be happy enough to spare some time with you to go through any features. The manual is over 600 pages: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/911047/Lexus-Gs450h.html If in doubt, the circular thing in the middle in front of you is for changing direction, the stalk to the left is for indicating direction, the right pedal on the floor is for going faster, and the pedal on the left is for going slower. 😉

Definitely need to disconnect the battery when taking off the steering wheel. Even then it's 😓 whether it explodes in your face. If you aren't swapping like for like, you might find the looms aren't exactly the same.

You can definitely get a tow bar fitted though https://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/towbar/view/-is3-witter-detachable-swan-towbar-horizontal-loading-258?variantTowbarId=258&variant=TGV4dXMgSVMyNTAgU2Fsb29uIChJUzMpIDIwMDUgLSAyMDEz I would assume a company would only do that if the hitch was type approved. And indeed: This company also has some useful calculator on what's allowed: https://www.witter-towbars.co.uk/knowledge-hub/what-can-i-tow

This. I'd consider having them replaced when the tyres are off, just because they've already done the hard work of actually taking the tyres off.

Unfortunately a 2010 car would fall just outside of the automatic Lexus Relax warranty, but if you are concerned about batteries and replacement cost, you might be pleased to know that there are third parties offering repair services for less than you might expect - at least if you're expecting Lexus dealership prices: https://www.hybridbatterysolutions.co.uk/ Hybrids are somewhat "old" tech now, reading up on it should alleviate some of your concerns: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/94872/buying-a-used-hybrid-car-the-complete-guide

Old thread, but I've got two CTEK chargers, one MXS 5.0 and a 3.8 too. Both perform impeccably.

Lexus cars seem to be reviewed very negatively for some reason. Most reviews only rate the RC like the one I have 3/5, but it's honestly a great car. I'm sure you'll enjoy the UX in the same vein. If you can't wait until March, perhaps you can swap the X5 for something

If it's been changed recently, perhaps the connectors are a bit loose? On a previous car I had the battery was disconnected and it drove fine, until after some time the ABS light came on. Re-tightened the connection and everything was A-OK.

Well, on the plus side, it's not got a turbo or super charger, so none of that plumbing to get in the way. Another plus is that it's no boxer engine, so the heads aren't tucked away at the remote end of the engine bay. No four wheel drive gubbins or hybrid system to complicate matters either. Not saying it's easy, but it could be a lot worse.

High prices, even in parts can suggest a "we don't really want to do this, but we'll do it if you pay through the nose". Or perhaps Lexus dealership prices. Which given the age of the car, might even fall into "we don't really want to do this". As it's likely head work, I wouldn't think it would be too inaccessible i.e. could do it without removing the engine. But the V does double the amount of work. Have to say though that the VVT-i system is more clever than it is complicated, as in, it's a clever system with not actually that many parts. But you know, I'm not a mechanic.

A quick wikipedia search reveals the 2001 SC430 has a 3UZ-FE engine, which has VVT-i. "Camshaft variator" sounds like it would be part of the VVT-i system, though none of the literature uses that term. Very crudely summarised, the camshafts will have two profiles and a sensor will cause an actuator to receive increased oil pressure, which shifts the cam. It seems possible to buy a whole 3UZ-FE for about £1k: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/384336285250 The VVT-i is entirely in the heads, so could just buy them instead, for approx £350-ish. Each side of course as it's a V engine, so there's two heads. (For only £8995 you can add some more horse power ) I'm not too sure about how much it should cost, but it seems like £2.3k is perhaps on the high side. My first suggestion would be to take it so some place like https://www.japex.co.uk/servicing/lexus-service-specialist/ which claims to be good at VVT-i problems for a second opinion. They don't seem to be too far from you, I don't know if you could get it there.

On my 2016 RC, which I think has mostly the same system, just in Setup -> General -> Animations

Run flat winter tyres exist. https://www.bridgestone.co.uk/car-tyres/winter-tyres-blizzak is one example

The main quirk would be developing a smug grin whilst driving it.

Even more sophisticated:

For money. 💰 I got a SatNav update from these peeps for ~£60 (and sitting the car for 90 minutes), I understand the dealer wants ~£600 for it? If you find the UI laggy, have you tried disabling "Animations"? I found it made the UI much snappier in general, and the animations looked pretty awful anyway, so win win. (Cursory glance suggests https://www.satnavishop.co.uk/lexus-13cy-gen8-sat-nav-map-update-europe-2021-2022-709-p.asp should work for your model & year)

Live feed of David waiting..

COVID-19 claims another victim. Perhaps in a few years your taste will return. A warning to others to get your vaccinations, if you haven't already. 💉💉

Are you not simply confused between the power difference of the combined hybrid system, which is approx 145kW, and the ICE engine only, which is 112kW? A quick check suggest you could get around 37 UK mpg, which equates to 7.6l/100km, which isn't miles out. If you don't have a hybrid, you probably don't have an NX300h but an NX200 instead.

Reddit's r/wec concurs with the Plexus.

I found this confusing when I was researching my purchase. As far as I understand it, there isn't necessarily a highest spec per se, as some spec levels have things others don't. For instance Premier and Advance have some features that F-Sport doesn't, and vice versa. All I could tell is that SE was definitely the lowest spec. But then to make matters more complicated, even the base spec can have optional features that don't come standard with the highest levels. 😖 I nearly went with an IS300h Advance as it comes with adaptive cruise control and cooling seats as standard, but it kind of depends on what you want. Actually, come to mind, the Takumi is the highest spec level, but they're so hard to find that they never popped up in my searches. To make matters worse, some features become standard after a face lift. You may find this article somewhat helpful: https://mag.lexus.co.uk/lexus-is-review/

Bottle cleaning brushes through the lamp hole? https://www.amazon.co.uk/ALINK-Bottle-Cleaning-Brush-Set/dp/B07L2TQ26R