Bluemarlin

If it's similar to other cars, I'd guess the grey one is a valet key.

As a follow up, I took the opportunity of the long weekend to finally do my rust proofing. I took off the wheels, one at a time, to do the wheel arches. I removed the arch liner on the nearside rear, which had a bit of mud behind it but no rust, so I cleaned off the mud and gave everything a good spray of Dynax UB. The offside rear had a little surface rust around the liner bolts, and the outer sill edge, which I treated with rust converter/stabiliser, before spraying everything with Dynax UB. The liners for the front wheels looked like a bit more of a faff to remove, with a variety of fixings. However, both sides looked fairly clean and rust free, and so I left the liners in place and sprayed Dynax UB on all visible surfaces. Whilst the wheels were off I took the opportinity to wipe some ACF 50 over the calipers and brake parts, and spray AT 205 on any bushes/rubber parts. I popped the treadplates off the front to see if there was any way to spray Dynax S50 into the sills, but no joy. Under the rear plates there was a hole that the S50 long wand would fit in, and so I sprayed some in there as best as I could. Onto the underside, and I placed plenty of sheets of cardboard underneath to catch all the drips, as it's quite messy. I used the long wand to spray Dynax S50 into any holes and cavities I could see. I then sprayed Dynax UB over all surfaces, left it overnight, and did another coat the next day. The following day I liberally sprayed some ACF 50 over the underside to try and catch any missed areas and get into any nooks and crannies. As a finishing touch I finally fitted the mudguards I got off ebay a few months ago. I don't imagine I'll need to do the arches again for another few years, as they're relatively unexposed, but will probably spray the underside with Dynax UB/ACF 50 annually, as that only takes about half an hour. I found the Dynax products very easy to use, so hope they live up to expectations. Their customer service is excellent, as one can of UB jammed open and I lost the contents, and they sent me another one, as well as a bottle of car shampoo as an apology. All in all a relatively easy job, and quite satisfying to have got it done in time for winter.

I don't know if there is a sensible reason Malc, as I'm sure it's possible, and would offer a viable alternative. The three problems I can see are: 1. Car manufcturers seem to be onboard with ending fossil fuel propulsion, and so all/most research and development will go into EVs/batteries/hydrogen. 2. Following the above, as EV's become more common and cheaper, there'll be less demand for ICE cars, reducing any incentive to produce zero emissions further. 3. The political issues. EV's give a greater opportunity for autonomy of fuel supply, with electricity being able to be generated in a variety of ways, thus removing the dependence on foreign oil. You may be right that EV isn't any less bad overall, it just seems that momentum is moving in that direction, with seemingly little chance of that changing.

I don't claim to be an expert, nor am I preaching EVs. I'm just pointing out that there are equally valid alternatives and contradictions to the narrative you seem to be preaching. Or would you prefer people just accept what you're saying, without question? I honestly don't know for certain if EVs are better for the planet, either socially or environmentally, and just think that they're the next step technologically, in the same way that we use computers today, and not an abacus. I do happen to believe though that ICE technology is somewhat dated and inefficient. In fact it was 130 years ago when some of the first cars produced were electric. They were considered better then, and the only reason ICE vehicles took off was because of lack of battery power, compared to abundant fossil fuels. Today we're better placed to tackle the fuel issue. Nor am I concerned by any fears of secret government agendas to track us via electric vehicles. It's too late for me to protect myself from that anyway, as I've already had my covid jab chip implant, that they can track from 5g towers 😉

Did you bring up Tokyo because the Beijing one didn't work? Perhaps cars aren't entirely the problem in Tokyo, but seemingly fossil fuels were. Tokyo also has some of the toughest environmental regulations in the world. That said, the biggest forms of air polution in Tokyo are still factory fumes and vehicle emissions, which they intend to address by toughening up regulations on industry and diesel vehicles, and subsidising EVs. https://earth.org/data_visualization/the-history-of-air-pollution-in-tokyo/ https://www.japan.go.jp/tomodachi/2015/summer2015/bringing_the_view_of_fuji_back_to_tokyo.html https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13822414 Clearly the Japanese must think cars are part of the problem. They must be in on it too.

With China's growth, Beijng has seen a huge growth in the number of car owners. Whilst population growth, topography and coal burning factories contribute to air pollution, apparently 70% of it comes from motorised vehicles. https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/sciencebites/chapter/causes-and-consequences-of-air-pollution-in-beijing-china/ I believe they have taken steps to address this by electrifying public transport and incentivising electric cars. So I guess China are in on the plot too. Inscrutable buggers.

Ye gods! I go outside for a few hours, to remove my wheels, clean up and do a bit of rustproofing and, in my absence, I'm painted as a heartless planet killer. I'm aware that there's extreme poverty in some parts of the world, whilst there is excess and waste in others. It's not only tragic, but morally wrong, in my opinion. My comment wasn't to argue the rights and wrongs of electric propulsion vs fossil fuels, either practically or sociopolitically, it was to point out that the more compelling argument for EVs is that of air polution in populated areas, rather than climate change. I understand that there is exploitation in some areas of the manufacturing process, and that is a political issue that needs to be addressed seperately.

Once again, that's not what I'm saying. I was merely pointing out that the argument for EVs is less convincing regarding climate change, and more so when talking about emissions pollution in populated areas. For the record, poor people drive in heavily populated areas too, and suffer the effects of pollution. In fact in many cases poorer communites suffer more. I'm with you on climate change, and don't know what the most effective course of action is.

If you mean they split they oil filter, and you think the oil is leaking from there, then I'd be inclined to take it back and get the oil filter replaced and see if that cures the problem. If you can't see any leak from the valve cover gaskets then I wouldn't be in any rush to replace them until it was confirmed they were the source of the leak.

Monitoring and control can be done in any car, it's not exclusive to EVs. Analogue cars of old will disappear soon enough, regardless of what method of propulsion is used. So what will your argument be when we have EVs with a 1000 mile range? The reality is that electric cars are simply better on a number of levels. The only thing currently holding them back is the tech that powers them, which ultimately will catch up as demand rises and investment increases. There are valid arguments against the current limitations of EVs, but paranoia about governments isn't one of them.

No, I mean that manufacturing can be done away from populations, whereas driving can't. I'm not referring to climate change, but the polution from vehicle emissions in populated areas.

I think the more convincing argument is air pollution in populated areas. The manufacturing of EV's can be done where it has less effect on populated areas, whereas cars are driven in the most in heavily populated areas. So, it's more environmental than specifically about climate change.

Did behind one of the wheels today. I used the Bilt Hamber stuff. I sprayed Dynax UB fairly liberally, and then Dynax S50 into any visible cavities, and found it very quick and easy to apply. Will probably use them when I get around to the underside, and then do an annual once over with ACF 50. As Jay says, the sooner you do it the better. Last year I took off the near side rear wheel and liner, to check the fuel filler pipe. It was all very much rust free, and so I sprayed ACF-50 all over. This afternoon I did the driver's side and there was a little surface rust around the liner bolts, as well as on the outside of the sill, so I was glad I was able to clean it up and treat and coat it. It's not the most fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon, but there's a sense of satisfaction knowing that it should be good now for another few years.

Instinctively that's what I would think too, but it seems it's the other way round. Here's an article from Michelin: https://thetiredigest.michelin.com/every-day-if-you-only-change-two-tires

I had front and rears swapped recently by my local garage. Think it cost about a tenner. That said, my view is that if you had two new tyres fitted, then they should stay on the rear. I believe most tyre manufacturers state that the newest tyres should be on the rear. In fact I think Costco will only fit new tyres to the rear (if fitting two) and, if they're replacing front ones, will rotate them to the rear.

Getting it professionally undersealed could cost anywhere from a couple of hundred to almost a thousand, depending on how much preparation (cleaning off existing rust etc) and what they're going to do, eg all cavities etc. How much work is needed will in part depend on what the currrent condition is. I would guess a comprehensive job would be around £700. Funnily enough I'm about to do my own today. At a basic level you could just get a pump spray bottle and spray something like ACF 50 all over the underside. More comprehensively, you could remove the wheels and arch liners, and spray those with wax, along with the underside and cavities, and check/do the brake and fuel filler lines. Personally I think it's worth doing. Whether you pay to get it done, or do it yourself, depends on your preference/willingness to do it yourself or open your wallet.

I would say 35 mpg is a doable average. I have the older model, which I imagine is a little less economical, and have averaged just over 30 mpg over last 12 months. Motorway consumption for me was worse initially. However, I've recently found that driving at around 60-65 mph on motorways was the sweet spot. At that speed I get around 40 mpg. I also, somewhat surprisingly, found that it didn't affect journey times. This is all probably down to the fact that you can maintain that kind of speed with very little braking, compared to the constant slowing down and accelerating when driving at faster speeds. It's the accelerating back up to speed, as much as the higher speed, that tends to burn fuel.

Not really Malc, but I sometimes struggle to get an imprecise one with the dipstick.

I checked mine cold, and it was in the middle. I guess you could use nylon tubing, which wont melt at engine oil temperatures.

I don't know if it's just me, but I have terrible problems trying to get an accurate read of my oil level on the dipstick. No matter how many times I dip and wipe, I still get a lot of smearing on the diptsick, which makes it hard to tell what the actual level is. So, I've just tried another method, that I read elsewhere online, and it works like a charm. First get a length of 6mm (outside diameter) clear tubing, a few inches longer than your dipstick. Hold it up against the dipstick and, on one end, mark the low and high level marks with a permanent marker. On the other end mark the top of the dipstick. Now, insert the tube into the dipstick hole as far as the top marker, and then put your finger over the open end and remove the tubing. The bottom of the tubing will have filled up to the level of the oil, and, if correctly filled, should be somewhere between the low and high marks. Job done.

Here's a list of service items I made a while ago. Some of it as per Lexus schedule, some are things to do myself, to keep things working as smoothly as possible. Engine Oil & Filter - Annually/10k Hybrid Health Check - Annually Transmission/Rear Diff Oil drain & Fill - Every 60k Engine Coolant change - 10yrs/100k 50k thereafter Spark Plug change - Every 60k Flush & Replace Brake Fluid - Every 3yrs/30k Check/Replace A/C Filter - Every 40k Check/Replace Air Filter - Every 3yrs/30k Hybrid Inverter Coolant - At 150k, every 50k thereafter Grease Caliper Pins - Annually Clean Rear Seat Vents - Annually Check Underbody & Rustproof (ACF 50) - Annually Grease Tailgate Struts - Annually Lube Door, Boot & Bonnet Hinges & Catches, Wiper pivots - Annually Spray rubber boots & bushes with silicone spray - Annually Gummi Pfledge Seals - Annually

Apparently it's still free at some supermarkets. I'm waiting for them to offer free petrol too 🙂

Not sure all dealers are doing it at that price. I asked mine (Guildford) and they quoted £375.

Is this what you're looking for: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275425873751?hash=item4020a94f57:g:NsAAAOSwIbJi~NL-&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsPpzJXFyiB9B6mMXMRfUo%2BR5MXUoGksGZwuy4DZKj0CW9lj6OBd5En4hHFFQi1F7ixCMSUfRR4IJIpeCmMGGL3db6lOvmhisLcllkdt5FpfQAZedWzEMkyEAuhOF%2FRK0bPJ6zEN37bhF7oNE3xN89l%2B60phs2jW1qjiaQOI5%2BaSKHyVAgueCxj9BX3v1rdKihVLCNgckDO%2FEg6h%2FipzlkPQKEsfVjCqnf9095Ri%2FIieF|tkp%3ABk9SR4jYntnoYA

Looks like an obvious typo. Still, not bad mileage for its age. My pet hate is independent dealers, who "service" a car before supplying, so it's a got a full book of dealer stamps, and one from a back street garage for just doing an oil change.