VFR

Update on the BlackVue 750-CH 750 LTE Bought this on the 23rd Sept and as I said had no end of trouble that was in fact a Vodafone issue but now resolved, but .............. It would seem that this camera will use up to 500ma per night and this can cause an issue as if the camera is plugged into the OBD port to power it via the provided cable it may well cause the cars battery to fall below the 11.8v cut off point that the camera will detect and turn off all the LTE functions to protect your battery (so they told me today) Hmmm well the car never hesitates to start in an instant so should the battery be going that low I would expect some hesitation ? No not so (he replied) as it does not work like that (not convinced) Should have guessed as they sell 2 types of power packs for these cameras that power the camera & the car will charge these packs when running but of course they are not cheap either. I did read up about this camera prior to & watched a few YouTube vids and none of this was mentioned so before getting rid of the BlackVue person who I was talking to as it was clear to us (had him on speaker) he was totally uninterested and simply kept talking over me as I said that this is a real expensive camera & I have had an issue from day one and now feel while talking to you that I have done something wrong .............. BYE! On paper it sounded good & I guess would be as its always monitoring and you can also see what it is seeing (if it works that is. Will now contact Halfords as I will be looking to exchange this pain in the neck unit for another brand (regular brand that is)

Bought a fitness tracker that my wife wanted from Currys but to make the bloody thing work you had to download the "app" It would need all access to everything (or so it seemed) and for good measure your DNA ................. back it went !

Called BlackVue again today and it turns out that they have changed the PUK number on many of the newer S.I.Ms and Vodafone system has thrown a wobbly so refuses them access to the cloud. (well the system does) They assure me that it will be resolved soon & Vodafone have refunded my first months fee (£4.00) so should anyone else thinking of buying an LTE model ask the question first as it can be very frustrating when what you expect to be a simple plug & play is not.

Evening Herbie Mobile in the house is connected via WiFi to the router (BT Halo & also BT sim) all the time so that is sound. Vodafone app shows a good signal for its sim as does looking at their coverage for you area section on the web. Tried turning off Wifi & bluetooth on my mobile while in the car but nothing changed on the last occasion (earlier) Having doubts about this piece of kit now & it was not cheap which is even more annoying.

As a new owner I decided to become a sponsor as I was intending to buy a BlackVue 750 LTE camera and had Halfords in mind to supply it & also read about the servicing discounts etc. Bought from Halfords but the club card does not cover tech items but the friendly lad there sorted a price match some how and got me a nice discount off the price, bought the OBD cable to connect it to the port so it was fitted by myself in under an hour (dead easy using that cable) Popped back to Halfords just to check something and the same lad fired it up on my phone, this is the model with a Vodafone sim installed so its always on via the cloud (wherever that is) Well over the past 6 days After calling Blackvue many times (answer real quick & very helpful) it turns out that the sim thinks I am using the sim in something that is not allowed, but today that was at long last cured. Great and sitting in the car checking it all out while on the phone to Blackvue again all looking good with good view from front & back, off I go indoors that is around 100meters away (hence I bought this type camera so I can see what it sees at any time) no connection ?, back on the phone again & they say it sounds like the camera is not getting enough power from the battery ? Does nor ring true in this case as the car is faultless / low mileage and has just had a major service by Lexus prior to me picking it up but I did go back to the car to turn it on to check & as you know it fires the engine up for a minute or so and nothing changed camera wise so will have to call them again tomorrow but am now getting a tad annoyed with this issue so it may well be going back. Is there another member using this LTE type BlackVue and if so see something that I may have overlooked ?

The car that I have just bought had a least a half litre overfill from the service they gave it, popped back in and a tech checked it then took it to the workshop to remedy it.

Check those regs again as I'm sure I read that you can have either a GB or UK designation ?, and yes WD40 should work.

Picked it up today & very nice it is. 60k main service carried out as the year stated it had to be done although mileage is half that, drives real nice as you know but just before coming to a gentle stop there is a noise like a electrical motor winding down (take it this is normal ?)

That is interesting as at the weekend we drove down to Kent to our son's place & he was showing me what I should have considered prior to buying this one (paid for but not picked up yet as it needs PDI/service etc at Lexus Coventry where we bought it) Dad on the 15 to 16 plate it looks like it had a facelift so for just a little more you may well have got quite a bit more (?) newer dash, newer sat nav etc etc & some came with air suspension so seeing as you bought it at Lexus you can simply say that you have changed your mind as they have that option. I must admit that these things never crossed my mind as I was more concerned with mileage / condition / trade in etc. Thoughts please members ? While there we visited a place in Chatham at Bluebell hill called Motoring World (or something like that) ....................... What a god awful place that is, timeshare selling techniques for sure and I could not leave quick enough to be honest, but masses of BM's & Merc's etc and all looking pristine. I guess the format would be as they were desperate to get you to sit at a table (I did not) Now tell me what is your dream car ! What are those "must have" features you so love ? Found "your" car with every thing you wish for "and" in the colour you so love (all done on screen for you to see in 3D while still sitting down) Let me get you some refreshments ordered while I have it bought down for your appraisal. ETC ETC

Evening Dave You make some valid points & I still miss my Saab 9-5 auto estate but they are all getting old now & of course fuel is not getting any cheaper. The reason for an SUV type vehicle is height as they are so much easier to get into & out of when you need you are of bus pass age and not forgetting its a nicer view as well hence this type are so popular I guess.

Now I wonder if they change the law to make it a custodial offence if caught in possession of them without a bona fide reason & the same applied to dealers who have no paper chain of correct purchases etc.

AH! got it now.

Where would I get one of those Phil, from the dealer (?) as google did not know.

As I thought Herbie & thanks for the input. I have asked the dealer as it is going into the workshop prior to picking it up if they can tweak the ECU so I can have those nice bangs & pops as I come off the throttle & they are also fitting a nice set of smoked 3D number plates as well. 😬

Sat in one & had a test drive. (nice real nice) Bought it today from a Lexus dealership as I had spent a good few days studying the web and this one & that one and went for a 15 plate rascal with that nice (IMO) tan leather interior and with a glass roof. They were also not very far away from (price wise) what is on offer from many others but of course the Lexus approved carried the day. Have been offered club smart guard membership to keep it pristine (as they say) any of you bought this or have any knowledge ?

Hi Phil & no need to apologise. Yes I am fairly sure that I want one but just know once I take a short drive in one I will buy, but as I said my sensible head says wait until the new HRV arrives as that car has a lot of good tech and combines they new Honda styling trend (no more stupid transformer looking style that some many Japanese manufacturers have been making) and of course it will be reliable with warranty. .................. all at a price of course. So sod it I am thinking, always liked the Lexus brand & the RX sure ticks a lot of my boxes as long as it is reliable if looked after (Bye & Large)

Hi Phil did not think I was making any point ?, just asking what known owners think & talking out loud myself now & then. Hi Vlad For me the last 750 was the best as the castings & kit on that year was the best they had before Honda started to cut costs with the 800. V-Tec the best looking for sure and I always fancied trying to get those type / style headlights onto the 750 fairing would look stunning as the fairing on the 750 (as you know) had the NR 750 looks in many ways.

Hi guys and thanks for the input. Yes I did note the issue on the vids I watched about the CVT but as the lad on High Peak pointed out if you relax and do not give the loud pedal a hard time it becomes a non issue. For sure there is no comparison re the RX to HRV (the new one) that was just my sensible head saying give that a good look before jumping onto an RX, but I just know once I sit in the RX its game over if it has most of the things I like. Heated seats. Heated steering wheel. Head up display. Phone connectivity. Some of these things I have seen listed on some of the adds but not all, wonder if they were on the option box when ordering new ? BTW yes have owned quite a few VFR's and also remember Jan de Roy in his CVT Daf matted to a ford lotus lump racing in rally cross at Liden Hill against the likes of Keith Ripp (of Rippspeed} a few yeas back, well quite a few in fact.

Afternoon. Just joined as I am seriously thinking about changing my car & have settled on 2 options. I like the look of the RX and it clearly oozes quality, plus watched a good number of YouTube vids on the car with the one from High Peak Autos giving me the best insight (IMO) Looking to spend around the 15k mark on this. My head though says wait on a bit as Honda are about to release the new HRV hybrid that looks a real nice piece of kit as well, but of course would likely double my spend (but long term ?) So yes I know "how long is that piece of string" question but apart from the RX's mpg/road fund outlays (ok in the scale of things) are these vehicles as reliable as the reputation goes assuming they have full dealership service history and reasonable mileage, with that in place I read that Lexus will allow you to also buy a Lexus warrant or suchlike ? Thoughts appreciated.