Bluemarlin

Piers, I only removed my wheels to clean and do the wheel arches, as well as the fuel filler pipe on the near side. I was able to spray the underside with the wheels on and no ramps, as there enough ground clearance. For the ACF-50 I used a pump sprayer like below, as it has an extention lance which gives you some extra reach and makes it easier to get at harder to access areas. I imagine it would work just as well with Lanoguard. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08N58758Y/?coliid=I3IPVH0UFFFCFJ&colid=203AFAPEB1ZSC&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Yes, I was told to come back after 500 miles for a hybrid health check after the 12v battery was replaced. As a matter of interest, have you had a hybrid health check in the last 12 months, prior to this problem, and did it pass? If so then surely it will be covered.

The Dynax S50 spray can comes with 2 foot long application lance, with a 360 degree nozzle on the end, so is much easier to get into cavities and crevices. It's not as hard wearing/setting as the UB, as it's meant for cavities, that aren't subjected to as much wear, but the lance can be reused and swapped between tins. I used a combination of both when doing my car, and found them easy to apply.

Given that there's no fluid, I'd be surprised if the problem was with the power steering. Sounds more likely to be something like cv joints, or steering/suspension components.

Something like Sugru would probably do it. It's a heat resistant adhesive putty that sets hard.

Both seem to be pretty reliable but, with either, apart from checking overall condition, service/maintenance records, and that electrically and mechanically everythings works, there's a couple of other things I'd check for. First being any signs of corrosion (beyond surface rust) on the underside, as well as the sills and wheels arches. I'd also check for any signs of water ingress by removing all the covers in the cargo area, as well as checking for damp carpets in the passenger compartment. Common causes of leaks are blocked sunroof drains, roof rail joints, and seams in the cargo area.

As a temporary solution you might get away with something like Blu Tack, or there's an outdoor version called Black Tack. Being non setting putty type things, they should be fairly easy to remove when you come to fix pemanently.

In which case I wouldn't give it a second thought, car's are designed to handle it. In fact yesterday I had a lawn sprinkler blasting water along the underside of mine, to rinse off any dirt and salt.

At £630 tax is a lot more. That said the 350 may well be a better car, I don't know, as I have no experience of them. I wouldn't be overly concerned about inverter or traction battery failure though, as you don't hear of many failing, and air suspension can be avoided by buying one without. 450 is more expensive, seemingly starting at around £10k, but gives you substantially lower tax at £170, decent mpg, and likely little to worry about regarding the traction battery and inverter.

How deep was it? You've probably just given the underside a good rinse.

I had seen that Vladimir, but I thought I read that was largely in Scotland/ the North and the far SW, so assumed I was getting E0. There's no doubt a lot of merit in what you're saying Linas, and so maybe driving style/conditions had some impact, so I'll reserve judgment until I've gone through a tankfull. Maybe the fact that I'd gone from regular to premium might have had an affect too? Although I have no idea what, if any difference that makes. Equally it could just have been poor fuel from Sainsbury's as I don't think I've noticed that much of a change when I've put in E10 in the past from other sources.

Yes but Esso's E5 is really E0 as there's no ethanol in it. But you're saying my car psychologically reacted to it? Hmmm, I suppose I could test that by telling the car I'm putting in E5, while really putting in E10, and see if it still gives me better mpg :):):) The changes in temperature possibly had some effect, but most of my driving on E10 was also in milder temps, with only a couple of days in the freezing conditions.

Obviously it's a trivial point compared to the merits of debating the pros and cons of a 20 mph limit 😉 but does anyone have an answer to the OP's actual question about cruise control adjustment, as I'd quite like to know too.

Assuming the OP has his car serviced at Lexus, then he has the best diagnostic and repair tools on hand, that being the Relax warranty.

Well at least you know the cure if it reappears. As I mentioned earlier, I give the complete underside a spray of ACF 50 annually, which not only seems to keep any creaks at bay, but has the added benefit of helping to protect against rust.

I suppose it depends on what you mean by "much worse" in the wet. In looking at a recent test CC2s scored 97.1% wet braking and 96.6% wet handling, vs Goodyear's 97.4% wet braking and 98% wet handling. Depending on how you drive in the wet, I'm not sure the difference would sway me much either way, as both seem to be pretty decent tyres.

Did you establish what caused the previous one to blow up? Would be a shame if there's a fault somewhere that caused it, that then takes the replacement inverter out.

Well I finally needed top up again, and so went back to Esso E5. The average on the Sainsbury's E10 tankful was between 22-25 mpg, and since filling up at Esso it's now back at around 31 mpg. Make of that what you will.

As if anyone would do that 😉

This is true John. Although with dealers you do have have some reasonable legal recourse after purchase. I think there's an element of laziness too in checking specs, as I think Autotrader might autofill specs for a given model when placing an ad, and the dealer then can't be bothered to check the specifics. It's similar on ebay when you list an item and ebay populates the specifications, which you then have to check and edit. So yeah, it can be a bit hit and miss.

I imagine that woud be an exercise in futility, and they'll probably just tell you to check the car in person before buying. I'm not familiar with adaptive cruise control, so I may be talking nonsense, but isn't there a visible button for it? If so then you could look at the pictures on Autotrader to see if it's there or not. I did similar when looking to eliminate cars with air suspension before going to view.

Yes, the plastic trim clips can break, but you can buy packs cheaply off ebay. Make sure you get the Toyota/Lexus specific ones, as they're designed to pop up when you push the centre for removal, whereas some others dont. Here's a link to the last lot I bought, which were 20 for £3.95 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401496166850 The alternative, if you don't want to remove the undertrays, and think what's behind is relatively ok, is to use something like Dynax UB, which comes in a spray can but has a long lance attachment, which you can poke into any gaps/cavities and spray into concealed areas. I used the Dynax stuff on the underside and wheels wells of mine. It's probably a day or so's job to do, but worth it, and figure it will last a few years, at least in the cavities and hidden spots like wheel wells. The only thing I'd add is that annually I'll spray everything underside with ACF 50. In part this is to add a little extra protection and keep things topped up, but it also creeps into any cracks and crevices that a wax won't reach. It also has the added benefit of keeping things lubricated, and so helps to eliminate any squeaks and creaks, and only takes about 20 minutes to do with a garden pump sprayer. I use a 2 litre one with a lance. Other than that, in winter I occaasionally give the underside a quick rinse with a cheap lawn sprayer attached to the end of a hose, to rinse off any road salt.

I forgot to mention. Given that I didn't get round to using them, you're welcome to borrow my snow socks for your trip, even the chains if you like. They were bought for 19" wheels but can't remember if they fit across a range of sizes or are specific to one size only.

I would love to age as little as possible John, how do you manage it?

If you're able/don't mind paying up front, then ask for a discount. I got 15% when I took out mine..