Bluemarlin

On my previous car the washer fluid level sensor never worked, and always had a warning on the little screen, but was never flagged on any MOT.

If the camera is hardwired and set to parking mode then it will draw power, as it's set to record any interference with the car while parked. Further, some dash cams will even deliberately give off heat in parking mode to ensure the screen is defrosted so that it can record properly.

I've seen Road Angel advertise that some of their cameras have an ice clearing mode, so the camera can still record while parked if the screen ices up.

Would be interesting to see if it was sold to a dealer and then reappears for sale with a more complete service history and "fixed" gear shift issues.

It would have been more useful, and would have removed any ambiguity, if Lexus had stated an engine number range, rather than a date one.

100k miles wouldn't be a deal breaker for me if the mileage is appropriate for the age of the car, as a lightly used car can have as many (if not more) issues from being unused as one that's been driven a lot. More important would be overall condition, as well as service and maintenance history, and how well it's been looked after. Of course a lot depends on how much you want to pay, and the age of cars you're looking at. If it helps, I'm a fairly recent buyer of an RX450h with just under 100k miles and here were the things I looked out for: 1. Service history and history of any previous accidents/repairs. 2. Signs of any leaks on carpets, footwells, headlining, as well as in the battery compartent and boot. 3. All lights, electrics and switches working. 4. Signs of rust, particularly on sills, wheel arches, brake and fuel filler pipes, and underbody. Some surface corrosion is inevitable on an older car, but beyond that it needs dealing with. 5. At that kind of mileage check if transmission oil has been changed. If not you'll probably want to do it. 6. Also check if specific maintenance items (eg spark plugs, timing belts etc) were replaced/dealt with at the appropriate intervals. 7. How well the car starts, runs and any unusual noises. 8. Check for any specific known issues for that make/model. Depending on age and price some compromises are inevitable, just try to ensure that they're ones that can be easily rectified without excessive cost. As a personal preference, I also tend to be more paranoid about rust (my previous car was a Jag and very prone to rusting), as that can kill any car, no matter how good it might be mechanically. As a result I avoid anything that has been owned in coastal regions or areas prone to regular snow/salt. If possible, I also prefer cars where the previous owner has had it a while and therefore paid a higher price for it, as it often means they can afford to maintain it. Older model luxury cars can be picked up quite cheaply, so it's not unusual for people to buy them because they want a fancy car for relatively little money, but then find they can't afford to maintain it properly, and so skimp on maintenance and/or sell it on when they start facing costly issues. Good luck in your search.

Perhaps technology/fate has intervened in your favour John. Like Piers, I'd be giving it a swerve too. Sure, the gear shift issue may be minor, and the possible lack of an oil change for the last 40k miles may have caused no lasting harm, but without a thorough inspection it's not a risk I'd want to take.

Can't tell you much about the gear shifting issue, but would advise you check the service history. Auction site says 6 stamps to 61k miles, so apparently there's no evidence of a service for last 40k miles.

Isn't breakdown cover included as part of the warranty on new vehicle?

In October I washed the car thoroughly and finished off with two coats of 303 Graphene Nano Spray. I also liberally sprayed the underside and wheel arches with ACF-50. Prior to Christmas I drove to Germany and was in snow for a few days, so when I got back I snow foamed the car, as well as the underbody, and gave it a wash. I then stuck a garden sprinkler underneath to rinse off the foam and wash away any salt. The sprinkler is great, only about £6 off amazon, and a surprsingly powerful blast from just being connected to a hose. I try to at least spray on snow foam and rinse off every couple of weeks, and so far the 303 seems to be holding up well, with water still beading on the flat surfaces. Will probably apply again when it's a bit warmer as it's a quick wipe on and buff off.

I can understand that Phil, but it just means they're now no different to the shops you mentioned, as well as places like Wilkos and Home Bargains. I don't mind a justified price rise, but now they're more expensive than many other places. I think I'm just annoyed because I went in there to pick up a mini box cutter because I lost the last one I had, but they don't seem to stock them anymore.

Poundland! Used to be simple. Walk round, throw things in basket, count items...10...cost...£10. Easy. Popped in today to look for some cheap household stuff and could barely find anything for a pound. All sorts of prices up to around £14, but very little for a quid. Should be made to change their name.

I've noticed that the issue of corroded brake pipes, and fuel filler pipes for that matter, seems to crop up from time to time, and is relatively expensive to fix once it's gone too far. Main dealer or independent, it would be preferable if such things were highlighted at annual service, as an impending problem, as a bit of surface rust could be treated and stopped before it became critical. Fortunately mine are fine for now, but I've taken to giving them a spray of acf-50 whenever I take the wheels off to clean the arches. It's cheap and quick to do, and hopefully will prevent any future problems, so perhaps something for others to consider.

In my brief reading of the changes I didn't get the impression that motorists would always get the blame Barry, as that would be unfair, only that they should be mindful of those more vulnerable, and give way/priority under certain specific circumstances. In fact the document did say that "None of this detracts from the responsibility of all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, to have regard for their own and other road users’ safety." The kind of situation you descibe does happen, and sometimes the perceived victim is the cause of it. One would hope that in such cases the motorist wouldn't automatically be blamed. That said, driving like a snail seems to be mandatory in many places now, with the introduction of more and more 20mph limits.

Having had a quick read, most of it seems like common sense to me. As someone who cycles too, I find most car drivers to be careful and courteous. As a pedestrian, I generally try to put my safety first over any legislated priority, as I'd rather wait to cross than argue about my right of way from a hospital bed. Equally, as a car driver, I prefer to be patiently cautious rather than trying to second guess other road users. I tend to consider cyclists and pedestrians in the way I do dogs, deer or other animals, ie unpredictable and uninsured, and so prefer to take charge of any collision avoidance, both for mutual safety and prevention of any damage/costs. Lots of accidents (not just traffic) are caused by dumb people doing dumb things just because there's no law against it, rather than thinking about whether it's the safest or wisest course of action. So, whilst appearing unnecessary to the sensible, it's no surprise when laws are introduced to try and prevent the dumb from being a danger to themselves and others. Sure, it's a shame when common sense and common courtesy have to be legislated, but they're not something taught in schools, and sadly seem to be diminishing traits.

I agree about a second opinion. When I bought mine I ran it into my local Lexus dealership who did a free health check with a written report. That might confirm Halfords findings or they might say it's not so bad. If the former, and it's as bad as Halfords say, then at least you'll be armed with two written reports to make your case with the selling dealer.

From reading elsewhere I think that the footrest is mounted onto two posts and that there are two round slotted plugs on top of the footrest. If you turn the plugs anti clockwise with a screwdriver it should release the footrest so that you can pull it off.

Will only be of use to you if you travel down south at all, but I recently got a new fob, blade, programming and cutting for £170 for an RX450h from a guy off ebay. His listing claims he can do other models. He took about half an hour to do it all and the replacement works perefectly. Like I said, only helpful if you're planning a trip down south, as he's in East London, but may be of use to others.

Given that you're experiencing a lot of condensation, it would suggest that you have a leak somewhere that is causing the interior to get damp/wet, which in turn is then affecting your tailgate motor connection. If it were me I would check all carpets and under boot/battery areas for signs of water ingress and then try to trace where the leak is coming from. If you can stop water getting in, and dry out the interior, then I suspect it will resolve both your condensation and tailgate issues. There are a number of threads on water ingress for the RX, so you might want to check those out as well as the tailgate ones.

I also sprayed ACF50 all over the underside of mine just before winter, as there was a little surface rust, so will see what it's like come spring. Using a cheap pressure spray bottle, like those used for misting plants, makes the job faster/easier than the little spray bottle it comes with, and heating it in a bucket of hot water first helps it flow easier. It's quite a quick job. I'd also suggest getting the arch covers off for a look behind. I took off my rear ones and there was a ton of caked on mud, but fortunately no rust. You can also see where the fuel filler pipe runs from there, which has also had rust issues on some cars, so you can give that a spray of rust proofing too. If you don't fancy doing it yourself, I've seen a company called CSK Automotive, based in Herts, mentioned on Land Rover forums. Not cheap by the look of it and no personal experience. As an aside, I may look at spraying some cavity wax in the summer. Has anyone done this themselves? If so, how did you access the sills, as I haven't had a chance to look yet?

I think you're right to have a test drive first. I too have a 3rd gen RX450h and was recently given a UX as a courtesy car. I guess the luggage space is ok if you don't need the space of the RX but, from a driving point of view, it felt very cramped and I couldn't wait to get my RX back. Perhaps it's just a case of getting used to it and you may be fine with it, but a decent test drive makes a lot of sense before taking the plunge.

It's also worth noting that Lexus now do an extended warranty for older cars serviced by them, for cars over 10 and up to 15 years old, and up to 150k miles. It's around £540 a year and includes UK and European breakdown assistance. If an extended warrranty is something you think you might want, and you don't mind dealer servicing, then pick cars with applicable age/mileage when looking.

I've only just joined so am not sure if I can post links to other forums. So, do a search for "rusty fuel filler pipe" and you should see a link to a wheels inmotion site which has a thread regarding rusty fuel pipes on an RX. There are several photos showing the pipes and location. You can see them if you can get under the car or, if you remove the nearside rear wheel and undo the arch liner, you can see where they go under and can follow the routing. Mine were fine, and so I gave them a spray of ACF-50 whilst I had the wheel and cover off.