Bluemarlin

Except governments haven't convinced auto manufacturers to dump combustion engines (at least not hybrid ones anyway) in favour of EV's. Just the other day Toyota have said that they'll pull out of the UK if the government bans the sales of hybrid cars from 2030. https://www.cityam.com/toyota-to-leave-uk-if-government-bans-hybrids/ The most simple question should have been "is such a claim true", and a quick Google search suggests not.

I would imagine so. If it needed more than that then I'd suspect something was wrong with either the battery, or the amount of current being drawn when sitting idle. Just be sure to remember to unplug it before starting the car.

This thread may give you some pointers Marc: That said, I've found the in built sat nav to be a bit awkward to use, and find Google maps and/or Waze on my phone to be much easier, and of course free and always up to date.

Looks amazing.

If it was built in the 1600's I think you can still burn witches as a heat source 😃

I suspect the Telegraph conflated stories of high bills with the case of the guy who was charged £30k for a heat pump and radiator installation. Either way, on the face of it, at present it doesn't seem to be a very cost effective solution for people with existing boiler systems. There also seems to be a lot of panic inducing confusion on the subject, so I did a quick read and here's what I came up with. Please do correct me if I've understood any of it wrongly. 1. Ban on installing natural gas boilers in 2025, in new build homes only. 2. Existing homes will still be able to keep their old gas boilers, and even buy new replacement ones. 3. From 2035 it is currently proposed (not law) that the installation of natural gas boilers will be banned. 4. Hydrogen boilers are also planned, and in 2028 (at the earliest) the government plan to introduce a 20% hydrogen blend into the gas supply. New boilers sold today should be hydrogen blend compatible, and replacement hydrogen boilers are apparently a similar price to equivalent gas boilers. In summary, it seems that no-one will be forced to replace their existing system with a heat pump. New builds from 2025 will have them installed by default. If you have an old gas boiler and/or live in a home built before 2025, it seems you can still use that until at least 2028 and, if you wish you'll still be able to buy a new/replacement gas boiler. If you have a newer gas boiler (compatible with hydrogen), it appears that you'll be able to use that indefinitely. That seems to me to be the current situation, although plans/proposals/whims might change over time.

My dealer at the time (Battersea, now closed) was blissfully unaware of it Stuart. As an aside, the warranty seems like a pretty good deal to me, and gives a lot of peace of mind for an older car, especially as repairs can be expensive. So, given that it's been around for at least a year now, does anyone know why Lexus don't publicise it all?

Indeed. Perhaps the wheels just needed a little more oiling.

I saw that. Apparently there's a block on new development proposals in parts of West London, potentially until 2035. That will be interesting as there's lot of development happening in that area, and demand increasing, due to the new Crossrail services. I share your scepticism about heat pumps too but, whilst maybe not a typo, I'm not sure it's an entirely accurate claim. The Telepgraph article I saw stated that one homeowner was quoted £30,000 to install a new heat pump and radiators to his house. Still very expensive, but not the same as a £30k electricity bill.

Relax covers up to 10yrs/100k miles. There's also a 10yr+ extended warranty, which covers over 100yrs/100k miles, up to 15yrs/150k miles. It's around £500 a year, depending on model, and includes UK and European breakdown cover. It's not on the website, and not all dealers are aware of it. I had to call Lexus UK, who emailed details to my dealer. Obviously it requires servicing to be done by Lexus, and may need a pre-approval inspection if previous service history incomplete or done elsewhere

I agree with Andrew. I had a similar scrape on a previous car and just polishing improved it immensely. I think I did what was left with the remainder of a colour matched Chipex kit I had.

It might be because they struggled to understand the question amidst a stream of "lies, lies, lies & fake, fake, fake", in the question. It might also be that they've already answered the question, acknowledging that we get less than 4% of our gas from Russia, but that it's not simply a matter of supply, but one of international gas prices, and our limited amount of storage space. If they're hiding the answer, they're not doing it very well: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58637094 In fact, given our reliance on fossil fuels, with price and availability being dependent upon external factors, one might reasonably conclude that a responsible and forward thinking government might seek to find ways to reduce our dependence, regardless of any environmental concerns. Whether they're doing it the right way, I don't know, and only time will tell. But to me it seems a positive that they're trying to do something.

To be fair, pull a caravan, run the a/c, and drive at non optimal speeds, and you significantly reduce the range of any car. That said, I take your point with regards to now, but you appear to be assuming that technology won't improve beyond what it is today. The reality is that the technolology will improve significantly over the next 20-30 years, and will deliver faster, cleaner and more efficient cars. It's not going to unhappen, and so it makes sense to at least prepare for it, even you're not willing/able to embrace it.

I'm not sure of the practicality of overhead lines being added to existing infracture, although I guess it could work on motorways if the trucks could run independently/on batteries for the first and last legs of non motorway usage. Then there's the bridge issue mentioned by John, so perhaps they should have approached it the other way round, and got Scalextric to build the roads 😀

Obviously I can't speak for all models, but my side windows say "Lamisafe", which from a quick google search suggests they block up to 99% UV rays. "Lamisafe consists of two glass layers and a UV-blocking resin film in between. The design, in addition to blocking up to 99% of UV rays, effectively prevents fragments from scattering during breakage and objects from entering vehicle interiors. Lamisafe is used for the windshield and/or door glass of cars worldwide. Going forward, AGC aims to increase the number of car models that use this product." https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20131021006669/en/AGC-Automotive-Window-Glass-Products-Earn-The-Skin-Cancer-Foundations-Seal-of-Recommendation

Agreed. Also the windscreen/windows block UV light.

I use 303 protectant. It's used on boats, which are far more exposed. I use it on dash, trim and seats. https://www.303products.co.uk/shop/303-marine-aerospace-protectant/

The Ford Focus story was from the US. Such incidents aside, I woud imagine the used EV market will be very busy. A lot will depend on both third party repairers, and the manufacturers, but currently people seem to have little fears over buying 10yr+ Toyota/Lexus hybrids, despite the potential for expensive battery or inverter failures. As for electric trucks, Amazon are running 37 ton DAF electric HGV's in the UK. https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/sustainability/amazon-unveils-first-ever-fully-electric-heavy-goods-vehicles-in-its-uk-fleet

If you're not heavy footed you should manage 30's in mixed driving. On motorways, at or around the speed limit, I tend to get 30-35. However I've recently tried an experiment on motorway runs of driving at around 60-65. I've found that the journey takes no longer and I get around 40 mpg. The main difference seems to be that I rarely have to touch the brakes, even on a fairly long trip, meaning no having to keep accelerating to get back up to speed.

For what it's worth, the car isn't as long or as wide as it appears from the driver's seat, which gives you a little margin for error. You've also got front and rear parking sensors, which will let you know if you're getting too close to anything.

Thanks all. I appreciate your comments. I would never rely on just the scissor jack. I'm reasonably technical/practical, and am aware that a trolley jack and axle stands is the best approach, but was looking to see if there was an alternative way of cleaning the arches that would eliminate the risk of the car falling on me. To be clear, as stated in my post, I wasn't intending to rely solely on the jacks. I don't even like doing that when changing a wheel. I was also going to place two wheels under the sill once the car was raised. Which is something I'd likely do anyway, even if I was using a trolley jack and axle stands. However, I asked you all to point out any flaws in this approach, which you've all kindly done, and so I'll heed the warnings and either buy or hire a trolley jack for the day.

My experience is the same as Zaros. Might be worth double checking that it's water though. Also, if it happens after rain, or washing the car, check where the drains exit.

Once you've turned it on under the steering wheel they should remain on though. I have both the sensors and the camera, and once I switched the sensors on I haven't had to touch them since. Perhaps there's a setting somewhere that keeps them on as default.

Probably the only the thing you need to get used to is the height of the driving position, which does make it a little harder to judge width compared to a lower car, in my experience. It's not like you'll be slinging it around tight bends and having to worrry about rollover. I drove around some pretty windy, narrow, snowy mountain roads last year, and my initial concerns were quickly put to rest. If safety is your primary concern then fit a decent set of all weather tyres and make sure the brakes are in good shape, and you'll be fine.

Fair comment Len 😃 I was trying to avoid the hassle of storing a trolley jack, as I only need to lift, rather than get under the car, but may have to bite the bullet.