Bluemarlin

If you take a look at the pictures in the third post of the below thread on the US forum, you'll see a picture of the underside, which shows a hole similar to yours, so it looks like you've nothing to worry about. https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc430-2nd-gen-2001-2010/625507-picture-of-front-bumper-lip-from-underneath-the-sc430.html

It is a tough one Phil, as some people choose to pay for like for like because they want the same standard of car if they're going to be without for a while. I can fully understand that, especially if the accident wasn't their fault. The trouble is, not only do they charge the third pary insurer way over the top for the loan car, but that cost is then reflected in everyone else's premiums. I don't know the solution, except perhaps charging a lot more more for the "like for like" option, so that that premium covers the cost, instead of aggregating it over everyone, as currently it doesn't cost much to have it. At least that way people can choose whether to pay a realistic price for it, or opt to take a standard replacement for the duration. I think the reason they don't do that is that they know most people would opt out if it was a more realistic cost, which would reduce not only premium revenues, but the opportunity to charge high prices for rentals. Maybe I'm just being cynical though.

I suspect it's because the overall drive is to move away from fossil fuels (clean or otherwise) and towards renewables. It's likely that technology will improve significantly in the coming years, for both hydrogen production and distribution, and EV battery production, range and charging. There's enormous money to be made in anything that could become mainstream, and so huge amounts of investment will be poured into solving current limitations.

As I understannd it E5 is less affected, but the whole thing can be avoided by using ethanol free petrol, like Esso E5.

And in many cases it's just an excuse Phil. Substantial premium increases are being put on some owners with models that aren't affected by increased theft. It's not like insurance companies don't know what models/years are most affected, as they have data analysis and risk profiling down to a fine art. To increase premiums on Lexus across the board is just taking advantage. Sure, there's a general rise in inflation, but price increases are not only often way beyond that, but are in turn adding even more to inflation. To be honest, one of the biggest problems with insurance is the cost of courtesy cars. Last time I needed one, the third party insurer was billed £800 a day for 10 days hire, which was more than twice the cost of the repairs. I think they should do away with like for like loan cars, and just have a standard car for £50 a day maximum.

As I understand it it's the ethanol that significantly reduces shelf life. That being the case, if I hardly used any petrol, I'd use Esso E5, which is zero ethanol. In the meantime there are fuel stabilisers you can add that will extend the life of E10 up to a couple of years.

I think it's part of a blanket rise that's occuring in all products and services. Whether it be cable providers, mobile phone companies, energy suppliers, supermarkets or insurance companies; all have been hiking up their prices with tales of woe about covid, Ukraine, or whatever reason they need to raise prices. We're told we need to tighten our belts and expect these rises due to rising costs, and yet many of these companies are making record profits. I think in many cases they're just pushing prices up to see how far they can go before people wont pay it.

If you can find out who makes the player Lexus uses, and the model, then a unversal remote like Harmony will likely have it in its database. I vaguely recall reading somewhere that the manufacturer was Veba, in which case, for a fiver, you might want to take a chance on this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334926716741?hash=item4dfb301f45:g:~GgAAOSw9qdkmaaC&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8CrGigjocb4gW6Qfd3ot7o3bg7RyUYA6lg3PWFKa%2B9vbM1Z6Kc4dD2Rq1jEpKr18%2FCCvwwn2Y%2Fx3ziTa%2FqxPHL8dtpTmagG6ezXLrBvssr7Y4fh8tFTPpVRLEI9YOlbFaPjIPR8IGWyIOADb8IEE1Wd8WEpIgzCi%2BPaMHY4iRn6Av4bVl%2FYdcBZf8MmMP2h%2FQ5iFcwTOSG8GPKToVG8U659MflF0lJIfEZwIgXvY0vI11CZ4BggcVJo9rOl9kdsmbfdgbIaY7237dv3hwVILqmj19iGRvND56EIqIVsFCmkBMHIiJiOJ8vIz6s6zFQuowA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR-b6gOmmYg

Yeah, I know Vladimir, they paint a grim picture. That said, I'm sure there are parts of the country, south or otherwise, where public transport isn't quite the transportation utopia I'm used to. It's funny, I have American friends who, when they come here, think our transportation system is awesome, as they have nothing like it at home. Sure, it's not perfect (what public services are?), but for many it's absolutely essential. Just think how congested our roads would be without it.

It really isn't crap Vladimir, but I suppose a lot depends on where in the south you live. Whilst I usually prefer to drive, where I live it's quicker to get into the centre of London on a clean, air conditioned train, with no traffic hold ups, congestion charge, or parking costs. My local bus service is also clean, usually populated by old people and middle class kids/families, and it runs 24 hours. Bonus is that they're both free if you're over 60. I like the independence of a car, but sometimes it's just quicker, easier and more convenient to use public transport.

Which just means it will take as long as any other phone to charge. The 120 watt abiility is just a boost function, which allows the phone to be fully charged in about 20 minutes with it's 120 watt charger, off a suitable mains supply. In any event, a standard usb charger/power supply will be safe to use with the OP's phone, just slower than his 120w mains charger.

I may be wrong, but I believe the 120 watts charging comes from a supplied 120 watt charger. If you use a 20 watt cigarette lighter charger then that's all it will get charged at in the car.

Is this with the ignition on or off? Some sockets work with the ignition off and some are deactivated.

That seems high for the smartphone, most are around 5-30 watts. In any event, typically the cigarette lighter is fused at around 10 amps, giving you 120 watts at 12v, so double check the fuse to give you an exact figure.

My understanding is that even genuine leather seats have some kind of plastic protective clear coat, so I'm not sure whether using leather conditioners has much effect or not. Personally I just wipe the seats over with a damp cloth and then use 303 protectant, which seems to keep them in good nick. If they need anything beyond that then I've found the colourant from Furniture Clinic to be very good, and easy to apply.

That's interesting Colin. On my service contract, the only thing that's marked as carrying an extra charge (if required) is the aircon/pollen filter. I can't see how they can add an additional charge for coolant when the service cost is higher to cover for such things. List for a full service says: Air filter (as required), Key Fob battery, Pollen Filter (charge if required), Refill Engine Oil, Replace Oil Filter, Replace Brake Fluid, Replace Engine Coolant, Replace Front & Rear Diff Oil, Transmission Oil. To be honest I find it a little confusing as to what's supposed to be done, as opposed to what's done "as required". My next service is a full one, so I'll take my service contract in and confirm with them what will actually get done.

True, but in theory that service should also include a brake fluid change, engine coolant change, as well as differential oil change. I pay £460 for the full service, after discount on my service plan, which I don't think is too bad.

I had rear pads and discs replaced by Lexus a couple of years ago, at a cost of £295 (inc vat), which I believe is a fixed price.

In a hybrid there's no alternator, so the 12v battery directly powers any accessories and is charged by the hybrid battery. That in turn is charged by the engine. So, as long the car is in ready mode, with the ability to run the engine, the hybrid battery will remain charged as it keeps the 12v battery charged. So, in ready mode, your running time is down to how much petrol you have. In theory, the maximum practical power output will depend on cable size/length and fuses, and whether the hybrid battery can keep the 12v battery above 50% faster than you're drawing from it. Connecting direct to the 12v battery, with a sufficiently sized and fused cable, will take the onboard fuses out of the equation. That's my understanding of it. If you want to be really specific then you'd need to know the charging output of the hybrid battery, and you can also find various calculators on boating and motorhome sites, where using 12v batteries with inverters are an everyday thing.

It should be compliant, have you put your reg onto to the site to double check? Are you sure it was a ULEZ penalty you got and not a congestion charge fine? Hybrids used to be free in the congestion zone a few years ago, but not anymore.

I think it's less about a shortage of parts and more about lack of demand for an expensively priced cheap plastic part. I suspect there's no shortage of supply on aliexpress or ebay, where you can get a set of mudflaps for anywhere between £20-50. I think I paid £25 for mine, and they took about half an hour to fit.

My guess is that the battery will be fine if left for a week, as long as the car's been used regularly to keep it charged. That said, it wouldn't hurt to take Colin's advice and spend £30-40 on a portable jump starter, as it's a handy item to have, whatever the case.

Just in case you're not aware. I used to use Esure but a few years ago they added an amendment that meant you had to have a tracker fitted to be covered for theft. You may be aware of this and might already have a tracker, or it may only apply on certain policies, but it's something to check if you weren't aware of it.

My local Lexus dealer (Battersea) closed down and so I used Guilford for my last service and MOT, and they were fine.

Hopefully that resolves it. If not the master warning light covers a host of issues, like low tyre pressure (if you have pressure monitoring), service overdue, brakes, air bags, low washer fluid (which I guess could also be possibly triggered when cornering), plus several others. If you have a manual then that will have a section which details all the things the master warning light covers. If not you can download a copy and have a read. That will at least give you an idea of things to look for if there's no additional message. Ultimately though, without a message, it's all guesswork. Personally, if it's still there after the tyre change, I'd check the free things that the manual points to, like tyre pressure, service interval and washer fluid, and if that doesn't resolve it I'd get the codes read before spending any money on speculative fixes.