Gary H

23 hours ago, S Dhuper said:

Hi Gary, oh please don't say that the Dealer will register the car on the 23 Plate, my dealer is quoting me late July for my 350H, now whether that means the car will arrive at the Dock or the dealer don't know, suppose it comes at the dealers end of July then I'm hoping it'll take them 1/2 weeks to get car ready install the Dashcams, then they should keep the car unregistered for a couple of weeks in the showroom and then get the 73 Plate, is this wishful thinking on my part 😂😂. 

Who's your dealer? Mine is Lexus Twickenham. 

I sincerely hope I'm wrong about that and it's just me over-thinking things! It's something I'll raise with the salesperson when I eventually get the call to sort out the trade-in and new finance.

Mine is estimated to be at the dealer around 4th September (obviously - always 'subject to change' / 'estimated') which I'd assume would mean it would be in the country a week or two before that - so the back end of August... You can see what I'm thinking can't you...? 

It comes off the boat and BANG - given a 23 plate right before the change and then I'm expected to be all happy to collect a 23 plate car in early September!!😠 Oh believe me, if that trick is tried to be pulled on me after almost 15 months of waiting and the issues I've had to deal with over the lack of updates/communication throughout - words will be had...and that's putting it VERY politely. 

As I said, I've told the salesperson three times since March if it ends up arriving in July/August - I'll wait until September for the new plate. It's something I've made an actual point in mentioning in each of those text messages/conversations.  

22 hours ago, imgo said:

Is the registration date really that important these days? I took delivery of my IS300h on the 15th August 2013, I could have waited another 2 weeks for the newer registration date, but as I intended to keep the car for 8 years it would not make much difference really. Now 10 years on I still have it for about another 6 weeks until my NX350h Takumi arrives mid July ish.

I know some people don't care and that's fine, but I personally still do. I usually swap my cars after three years and for me, especially after so long in waiting (like your goodself - even longer than me!), I think it's only fair you're given the longest time possible with a new plate unless you state otherwise. I would genuinely feel well and truly 'cheated' if I found out it arrived a little early and had already been registered before the plate-change without my knowledge. If I wasn't bothered - I'd have bought myself an ex-demo and not paid full price on a 'new' car that literally only has the latest plate for a matter of a few weeks - if that.

At this point, with my estimated date (car to be at the dealer) given as 4th September - I'd rather it arrive later in the month and I'll extend the outgoing contract on my UX for a month to cover those few extra weeks. 

22 hours ago, S Dhuper said:

Absolutely it's important for me, after waiting for a year and 5 month's 73 will look so much better then a 23, I know after 6 months they'll be a 24 plate, but after waiting for so long, I deserve it, I need it, I want the 73 Plate 🤣🤣

That's exactly my way of thinking! With the plates changing twice a year, I've always tried my best to pick up as close to early March/September as possible. I'm not bothered about 'new plate day' any more - but I would certainly prefer to pick up on those particular months.

I've once picked up a new car in May, rather than March, because that was a pre-registered car that was almost exactly what I was looking for and about to order to get that September... I stomached that (and was given a reasonable discount for it being pre-reg) and was willing to do that again with this NX - as my original estimated date was May. I'd have accepted that.

The latest I've picked up a car into a plate-run was Christmas Eve (so well over three months in...) and some of that was down to dealer logistics as I was initially told back end of November. Knowing I was annoyed by that and how fussy I am when it comes to getting a car towards the start of a plate-run, they basically threw in a few accessories (extra set of mats, boot liner, roof rails...) and a half-price first service. That was even before I said anything, to be fair to them.  

22 hours ago, HMT said:

Gary, this is my car as it arrived at the dealership, straight off the transporter, with the number plate on and still with the various protective covers, the car was actually registered with DVLA a few days later !

not sure if dealership tell Derby the reg, or if Derby pick it - as all reg numbers are regional ?  But either way it arrives with number plate on

All plates are indeed regional-based. I can only assume Derby give them the location where they're heading to. If they didn't do this, the NX's at Derby would all begin 'F's and the Portishead/Avonmouth ones would be later 'W's for Bristol.

I wonder if they have the templates for all the dealer location/names which go at the bottom of the plate? Very interesting nevertheless... 

I have to say I wasn't overly impressed from the 'taster' pictures we had and I'm still not impressed with what we see now in the official pictures – either inside or out. The dashboard looks rather plain and simple.  

Obviously my feelings towards it may change after seeing it in the metal but for now at least, it’s not something I'd consider or a route I thought Lexus would end up going down. It very much seems to be a way of devaluing the brand and what it stands for, but I suppose they’re going for increased sales. Time will tell.  

As for price - if it's upwards of £30k for a base model, then that's just insane. I paid just under £40k for my UX F-Sport with the Premium Plus Pack, Tech & Safety Pack and Adventure Pro Pack...and I already thought the UX was slightly overpriced three years ago. 

On 5/30/2023 at 6:14 PM, VSR said:

Hi all, just a thought it seems like Lexus has not treated you well as a customer, have any of you looked into the Tesla Model Y. its starts at around 44.5k around 46k for one with metallic paint and has a lot of good features more than on the new NX range in my opinion. Best part they have 2-4 week delivery. I think it is important to show Lexus, that customers are not disposable and should be treated well, I really want a new NX but have been left with a sour taste as dealers aren't helping in securing one. I may switch to a model Y. The best part is the low servicing costs on the Tesla, low BIK, low interest rates if people want to finance. 

I’m not happy in the slightest with the way Lexus, as a company, have dealt with NX orders at all. I appreciate I’ve had issues with my dealer not keeping in touch which is well documented in this thread, but I do fully accept there is only so much they can do and what information they have. I know the long lead time isn't their fault and the only issues I have with them is the lack of help or communication - based on other fellow customers having much more engaging experiences during their own waits. 

There’s things on my mind which I’m purposefully holding back mentioning on here until much nearer collection time, as my feelings may change over the next three months (or at least I hope they do...).

On 5/30/2023 at 9:37 PM, S Dhuper said:

Same here my 350H is a standard Takumi, my dealer did tell me l on his last update 4 weeks ago that I will get the new 24 updated model with the matching colour for the door panel, glove box and some matching trim around the 14 inch screen to match with seat trim colour (that won't apply to me as I've got the black interior lol) and with some adjustments to the suspension and braking for more comfortable ride, but it'll look nice on your Hazel interior. 

I'm hoping it'll look nice, it's just doesn't look 'right' based purely on the pictures I've seen. Like yourself, we ordered ours so long ago that the models we saw in the showroom were either MY23 or even late MY22 cars... Whilst I know I'm eventually getting a MY24 car (like yourself), it's only because I spotted it from the screenshot I managed to grab from the video-text thingy. I've not specifically been told I'm getting a different model year or indeed, what that actually entails over the car I/we ordered over a year ago... 

On 5/31/2023 at 7:17 AM, HMT said:

The fitting of number plates seems to have change - this is what the Lexus tracker says on both my Lexus and Lexus link



-----

Once the detailed pre-delivery inspection is done and your new number plate is in place, it is off to your centre for pick-up. Next step: You will get an email confirming the car has arrived at your preferred Lexus centre.

in the “old days” I remember going through the list of available reg No with the dealer and selecting which one I wanted !

also if you cannot see your order on the your link contact cutomer services- they had to get tech help to sort mine out 

This is mildly concerning (unless I'm just thinking about it too much!) because there's a slight possibility my car may be at the dealer by the end of August. The last thing I want is for them to register it as a '23' plate with literally a week or so left to run - when I've told my salesperson on at least three separate occasions since March that I'll wait for the '73' plate if it arrives so late on into the '23' plate run. I would genuinely feel 'cheated' by that after waiting what's likely to be somewhere between 14 and 15 months for a new car. That really would be the cherry on top of the whole poor experience. I've never personally known a car to be registered before it arrives with the dealer - that's a new one on me. 

Unfortunately I'm slightly too young (i.e - not of driving age) to remember the days where you could pick from a 'batch' of number plates you could have had, although I do know several people who used to do that! I did ask about this when I picked up by first new car 20 years ago and I was basically told "Nah, we don't do that any more...". A shame really, because that's something I would have liked to be involved with. 

Unfortunately my experiences of Customer Services is that they do reply (eventually), but just pass my email straight back to the dealer, despite me purposefully telling them that they have no further information or help for me - hence why I got in touch with them in the first place. 

On 5/31/2023 at 7:17 PM, Adrian1980uk said:

How accurate do we find the information on the my lexus website and in the emails? I'm going to call the dealer tomorrow but we ordered the fwd premium pack in blue but it's suggesting it's Fuji red.  The emails keep stating 'out takumi engineers' which I assumed was just a standard description.  We ordered last March and it's now left the factory but I'm beginning to doubt we're getting what we think we're getting what we think we are.  

Other than confirming the order I placed for the NX, which arrived about two weeks later, I've had no other e-mail correspondence over the course of the last year with regards to the order.

As I just replied to above, any errors in the order really wouldn't surprise me at all given the overall experience I've had over the last year. Fingers crossed in your case it's just some sort of really weird computer glitch.

On 6/1/2023 at 4:50 PM, DC__ said:

Sorry, first time car buyer here, a bit out of topic, I have placed an order for a NX350h last September and the sales representative and me have come up with a price that we were happy with as he gave me a £1,000 deposit contribution if I finance the car. I can pay cash but for the £1k contribution I have agreed to finance. We have not talked about the specifics of the finance but I went ahead and paid a deposit of a £1,000 to order the car. Can I ask when is the best time to talk about the specifics of the finance? I don't have a car to part exchange as well.

My salesperson wouldn't give me a trade-in value for my car as he said he could only guarantee the price of trade-ins for three months. I'm hoping I'm going to be called in over the next month or so, so I can get a solid trade-in value for it so I can see if I can better that price elsewhere. Otherwise it'll leave me with little time to see what the alternatives will offer me. The same goes when it comes to the finance for the new NX. We roughly went over this at the time of ordering and whilst my final price is locked (fortunately I ordered so long ago that they were doing it back then...), the finance is 'subject to change'. Again, I'd rather get this sorted sooner rather than later. 

On 6/3/2023 at 11:20 AM, Chance521 said:

It’s been a whole week now since I got a build slot allocated😜, how many more weeks to expect?

A week tomorrow for me - since I was told it had moved into 'in build'! 😄

I was told mine has finally entered the 'in build' stage on Monday, after just over a year of waiting for any progression on my order. It came as more of a sense of relief than anything else. I think I've got myself that annoyed over the whole situation that it has genuinely sucked out any enjoyment I once had. 

Anyway enough of that for the time being (it's genuinely driven me round the twist in recent months) - I'm not sure if mine is actually being built as we speak because a few days prior to that, Customer Relations advised me that it was confirmed to be built in June...so it could very well be just getting lined up in the next batch. I’m not entirely clear on what ‘in build’ is referring to in that respect. 

My current estimated date according to the dealer is 4th September - give or take a few days. I recall being told at the time of ordering that it would take around eight weeks to ship, but he could have just been giving me a worse-case scenario. 

I've never had my order showing on the app for me, so barring a few communications with Customer Relations and the dealer earlier this week, I would have been none the wiser that things are now, at last (hopefully...), moving forwards.

There’s idiots out there driving all car brands these days, to be fair to BMW drivers. 

Suggesting Mini are the fourth politest is truly laughable though. Certainly around these parts.

On 5/29/2023 at 3:54 PM, Scotlex said:

You probably don't even remember what you ordered 🤣

Good news anyway 😀

Aye, it’s certainly news which has been an incredibly long time (far too long) coming. I’ll admit I felt rather...’empty’...when I was told. It was as if all the pleasure of this particular car order has been completely sucked out of me. When I ordered the car, I was (now infamously) told "none of my customers have waited more than a year for their NX..." and “this twelve month lead time is the worst-case scenario”. Instead, it’s taken a few days over a year just to get a build month.

Yes - I don't remember the exact spec now and at the time, I could pretty much rattle it all off from memory! 😄 Not that it matters... I've had to wait so long for it that it's bits have changed now, anyway... 😕 I know some could argue that I'm getting a 'better' car, but that's not the point. I wanted the exact one I sat in and ordered in the showroom just over a year ago!  

On 5/29/2023 at 5:29 PM, malcolmw said:

We ordered an NX350h P Plus Pack with Pano Roof in May 22 (so, pretty much the same spec as yours). Nothing showing on the Lexux Link App yet. 

Indeed, Malcolm. Similar spec. I’ve also opted for the panoramic roof. If I couldn’t have quite stretched to the Takumi (which I certainly couldn’t now - if my price hadn’t been locked), yours is what I’d have gone for as it’s indeed quite similar and I could have had basically the same exterior/interior combination. 

If it’s any consolation, nothing has ever shown in my Lexus Link app. It shows the UX I have now - and that’s it. It’s never shown the order for my NX and still doesn’t to this day. The only news I’ve had that it’s ‘in build’ is from Customer Relations and the dealer. If it wasn’t for either, I’d be none the wiser. Just to extend a little on my last post, I’ll be interested to see if I get told when the car has been built, what ship it’ll be on, when it arrives in the UK e.t.c... It seems to be information many others have had but judging from what the dealer told me, I’m under the impression I won’t hear from them again until it’s actually in the UK. So unless I’m mistaken, I’m also set to miss out on these pieces of information too.

I think we may have picked a ‘bad time’ (May ‘22), for whatever reason, to order.

22 hours ago, WhiteHart said:

Good luck and hopefully it will be worth the wait. 

Fingers crossed.

I will be judging the car over it's 'premium' 15 month waiting time - providing it's there for me in September, of course. Any further delays will be adding onto that time, of course.  

5 hours ago, HMT said:

Good news - not long now.

mine arrived at dealership last Wednesday evening with the number plate on.  Dealer took some photos with all the protective covers on. Still not on DVLC so getting the insurance sorted for pickup on Thursday was “interesting”

I'm surprised to hear it arrived with a number plate on. Every dealer I've dealt with (Lexus and non-Lexus) have always registered the car once it physically arrives at the dealer. The only exceptions I've known to this is if it's been a fleet vehicle and registered as part of a batch before they're transported to where they need to be. 

4 hours ago, S Dhuper said:

Hi, great news what colour did you order for your Takumi? I ordered my Sonic Grey 350H Takumi in 22 Feb two weeks ago they started building my car and got notification yesterday car is built and ready for shipping, before I ask the Dealer realistically when should the car arrive at the dealership? From built to at Dealer I'm hoping it comes in middle of August so I can get the 73 Plate, also I'm having the two Dashcam's fitted and also have the Ceramic coating done it's a £500.00 option, just need some advice is it worth having the ceramic coating done by the dealer?

One more thing will the 350H have it's Catalytic converter protected underneath?

Mine will be in Terrane Khaki with the Hazel Leather and panoramic roof. I have no options on mine.

I was initially told my Customer Relations that my car was confirmed to be built on the next production run in June... However, my dealer contacted me yesterday to say it's now 'in build' - three days before June... So, I'm unsure if it's now physically in production as we speak or whether that 'in build' just confirms that it's being built imminently. 🤔 Obviously if anyone can confirm for sure, feel free to let me know. Two weeks sounds about right from build to ready for shipment. I recall when I ordered the car that I was told two weeks was about the usual production time. Three weeks max.

When it comes to shipping, I was advised this is usually around eight weeks. Sometimes a little over, sometimes a little under - purely depending on sea conditions e.t.c... 

Given mine is estimated to be at the dealer on 4th September (subject to change) and it's not built yet or just about to be started...and yours is already built...I will be very surprised if yours won't be at the dealer by August, unless they're waiting for the boat to be full before shipping them out... I've no idea on that one. I'm simply surmising. Personally, even though the dealer told me my '4th September' date could be "a little sooner or a little later", I'm not really expecting to collect mine until mid-September. I'm alright with that. It would have been nice to collect it on 'new plate day' but I'm not overly fussed if it's a week or two afterwards. I've collected new cars on 'new plate day' before and to be honest, I'd rather collect them a few days later now! It's much quieter! I'm already thinking of the NX '73 platers' (and likely the very late '23's) to be the orders the factory decided to ignore and push back/leave behind...

I'm someone who does like a clean car, I can only echo others in saying the ceramic coating really isn't worth that kind of money - and I certainly wouldn't get it done by the dealer. I'd have it done by an outside professional who takes pride in it. The only time I'd consider ceramic coatings is if you didn't wash the car regularly. For someone like me who washes his car every two/three weeks almost without fail - it's not worth it. I keep 'on top' of the car enough for it not to be needed. Plus, you can now buy ceramic sprays which whilst won't give you long-term protection, certainly give you a good couple of months before having to re-apply. 

I honestly have no idea with regards to catalytic converter protection unfortunately. That's one thing I cannot give you an answer on! 

Unless there's any further delays, I'll be trading in my UX when my new NX arrives at the dealers in September. As things stand, I'm confident I'm in positive equity. At the time I ordered, the salesman did tell me he could guarantee to hold a trade-in price for three months, so I'm hoping to receive 'the call' to go in over the next month or so for a price.

Looking at similar UX models of the same age to mine currently for sale at various dealers, I think I'll come out 'okay' but of course, that's famous last words. If they value it below what I feel it's worth as a trade-in (not full retail - I'm completely realistic), I will be looking to sell it elsewhere. 

It's indeed all part of new car ownership unfortunately. We all know they lose value the moment you drive them off the forecourt but given used values at the moment, we seem to be in a reasonably 'sweet spot' when it comes to selling/trading in our existing vehicles. I only hope that can remain the case for at least another couple of months because inevitably as supply slowly improves on new vehicles, that'll have a negative effect on values of used cars. 

On 5/26/2023 at 9:59 PM, Zippytwo said:

I suspect it may be difficult, perhaps impossible, to feel the difference but I'm interested to learn what the result of the following is for MY24:

All NX models will see improved body rigidity in the front and rear of the vehicle, along with adjustments to the suspension and steering stability.

https://lexusenthusiast.com/2023/03/06/lexus-nx-updated-for-2024-model-year/

I've had the odd 'clunk' from one of the struts as I press the button to close it but to be honest, it's only happened a handful of times in it’s life. Certainly less than ten. It's not resulted in any issues and yes, it's only happened on really hot days and I just assumed it was down to heat. I've never bothered mentioning it to the dealer as it doesn’t seem worth it. 

Besides, with any luck the car will be going at some point in September so it seems pointless doing anything about it now!

Actual positive news, folks. 

We seem to be at the start of things finally moving forward on my order. The week before last, Customer Services informed me that my May ‘22 order has been ‘confirmed to be built’ on the next run - which is June. 

Today, I’ve been informed by the dealer (yes - you did read that correctly...) that my car has finally moved to the ‘in build’ stage. It has taken them a few days over a full year to actually do something that they haven’t before - actually get in touch with me first without me having to chase or get Customer Relations involved first. 

I’ve been told the car is estimated to be at the dealer on 4th September. It may be a little sooner, it may be a little later, but shouldn’t deviate too far from that date. 

So, it’s taken 51 weeks to get the first piece of progressive news of a build month and a fraction over 52 weeks for the car to finally enter build. As for getting it through build and into shipping, past PDI and into my hands? Watch this space. I suspect they’re now getting towards the end of the backlog, so I can only assume they're reluctantly building mine and the few others they've clearly been 'putting off', as we've now passed the full one year milestone... 

So in short, in my own particular case for an NX350h Takumi, I’m looking at close to 15 months from date of order to actually getting it. I wouldn’t say I’m happy by today’s news that my NX350h Takumi is finally entering build - I’m just relieved that things, at long last, are actually starting to happen with my order. 

Let’s just see how much longer the dealer can go before they remember to call me in to get a trade-in value for my existing UX and, of course, sorting out the finance on the new NX.

On 5/26/2023 at 9:11 PM, Zippytwo said:

Ditto, Sonic Titanium and red flare with sunroof and protection pack for me.  Not ordered until early April 2023 though, with delivery due November - in theory!

Crikey! I wonder what strings your dealer is pulling to get it in that quickly! I wished I'd have ordered from yours!

Mind you - they didn't say which November did they?! 😉

Last week I was told by Customer Relations that my NX350h was 'confirmed to be built' on the next production run - which is in June.

I’m assuming it'll be a MY24, given my order is three months younger than Michael’s (May '22), but I haven’t been told anything. I only hope if it is, that the spec hasn't changed too much.

It'll be interesting to find out as and when the time comes.

That's fantastic! 😄

If only that was legal in the UK - it would be getting some serious money bidding from Lexus owners!

I must say, I haven’t across bad road noise in my own UX. It’s still on it’s original Bridgestone Turanzas, too. There's a little bit of a 'roar’ over surface dressed roads, but certainly nothing above what I’ve had in the past. Overall, I find it quite quiet more than anything. 

I’m only assuming Dunlops are either noisier or it may possibly be a 'bad batch' of tyres.

I have to say that I'm not feeling particularly 'warm' about the LBX, but I'll give it a fair chance and judge it accordingly once I see one in the metal. 

As an owner of a UX, I do feel that should really be the 'smallest' model Lexus should offer - otherwise I feel it's diluting the brand and what they're really about. I completely understand the need for more models to introduce the brand to more people, but I don't think the LBX is the right way of doing it. 

I do feel it very much misses the IS saloon (and maybe an estate variant), as the ES is too big for some people. 

At the moment, Lexus should be concentrating on their declining communication skills with customers and fulfilling existing orders for cars they simply can't build in the first place - yet alone introducing a new model. On a side note, this is what's annoyed me a little about the recent RZ. 

5 hours ago, HMT said:

In reply to your query on build month - yes that is what I was given by Lexus CS ( nothing from dealership) in Jan I was  told “build in April and delivery during June.”  They hit the build date and car is now in the black hole known as Derby but should still get early June?

Fair enough - I shall stand down off my 'high horse' on that one...! I couldn't honestly remember if people were given just a build 'month' or an actual date/slot. I thought I saw people given information on actual slots but I could very well have just dreamt that! I'm happy to stand corrected. 

Your experience is the same as mine then - Customer Relations have given me a month, whilst the dealers remain stubbornly silent. 

4 hours ago, Deb said:

We would never have put an order in for our new NX unless we had a deal in place first?! We ordered 30th September 22 and price was locked in (just before they all went up on 1st October 22). Can't believe your being made to wait until delivered. 

Hi Deb. Just to clarify my price is also locked on my May '22 order. What hasn't been sorted is the actual finance/what I'll be paying per month. We just went over very rough figures to give me an idea. To be fair to the salesman on this occasion, I was told this right on day one of the order. I also clarified with him for a second time that my 'total price' would remain locked back in October when the prices did go up. 

He hasn't given me a trade in value on my UX yet. I would have thought given extended lead times, there would be some arrangement (i.e - showing a bit of understanding and goodwill gesture over the infuriating wait) but alas not. He said he could only hold the price for three months. Given Customer Relations have advised my NX is going to be built next month, then surely the dealer should be able to value my car sometime within the next month...(?) Until such time, I can't properly look into the finance for the new NX. Similarly, I can't sort any contract extension on my existing UX (ending in September) which Lexus Finance is chasing me up on, until I know when the NX is going to finally turn up at the dealers.

They're both Catch-22 situations which the dealer certainly have offered no help to me with. 

Well folks, I could potentially have some positive news to share at long last. Last Thursday afternoon I had a voicemail message on my phone (sadly I couldn’t get to it in time, being in work…) from the same pleasant lady who called me before. Basically, she advised that my NX350h Takumi has been ‘confirmed’ to be getting built on the ‘next production run’ which is at some point next month. She says that should mean it should be at the dealers by the back end of August – which means I could collect in early September for the new ‘73’ plate. She said she will get in touch with my dealer after calling me to get them to basically update me with this news and update me more regularly. (Updating me without me having to do all the legwork first and doing something off their own backs for once would be welcome…). 

Obviously it’s still all ‘estimates’ rather than actual build dates/slots which are informed to others, but at least it’s the first sign, in almost an entire year, that something is actually moving forwards with my order. Obviously as my existing contract on my UX ends in September, I’m probably going to have to extend it for a month to cover logistics (if these estimates can be relied upon…and remember this is the fifth estimated date I’ve had), or I might ask for a three month extension given the zero confidence I have in the company given my experiences since this order was placed. 

So, it’s taken almost exactly a year to not get a build slot/date – but a build ‘month’. I don’t know quite how common this is and without having to go back many pages on this thread, haven’t fellow members with NX’s on order had information on actual dates or slots their cars were produced? Maybe I’ve just dreamt that…  

So yes, I was given this information by Customer Relations on Thursday afternoon and guess what….there’s still complete radio silence from the dealer. I think that tells you all you need to know. No call. No text. No e-mail. No nothing, so far. 🙄 

So in hindsight, maybe I should have used the word ‘cancel’ a few months ago, when it seems things were moving quite nicely on many other orders – with the likes of ours seemingly ignored or pushed to the back of the queue again. It’s something I’ll still be pushing for an answer for, beyond dealer level. Not just in my own case, but for others. It’s simply not fair when we’ve all paid our deposits and it’s clear to me the factory is being rather selective over what orders they want to build. I’m particularly annoyed for those who have been waiting even longer than myself. 

On 5/16/2023 at 6:27 PM, WhiteHart said:

Hopefully the word cancelling would help, but as we all have discussed where would go to get a car, could go second hand but they are overpriced. 

It appears to have been the case and as I just said, in hindsight maybe I should have done this earlier - but it really shouldn't have to take threats of cancellation for them to get round to giving you a build 'month' a year after placing an order. 

On 5/17/2023 at 9:43 AM, MarcG said:

Gary H

I feel your frustration, the trouble is that there are so many people waiting for these vehicles that your order will just be reassigned while you go to the back of the queue with another manufacturer.

I was promised a build date of April which has now gone back to November. I raised the issue with Lexus CS by email and to be fair they responded the following day. I then got a phone call the same day from the Sales Manager at my Dealer who promised updates on a weekly basis and so far that is what I have received. In his last email he advised that he was expecting news at the end of May, so I will wait and see

What I would do, if I was to cancel, would be to look at pre-registered, ex-demo cars which are already physically there. I wouldn't order 'from scratch' again as indeed, I'd be back to square one. 

Fingers crossed on yours. If I have to be honest, I have no faith in my NX being built next month - given I know we have members who ordered theirs three months earlier than mine and they've only just gone into build. Something seems 'off' with this date but indeed, we'll just have to wait and see.

I don't know who the Sales Manager at my dealer is. I can hardly remember what my salesman looks and sounds like to be honest...  

On 5/17/2023 at 1:46 PM, wendle said:

You used to be able to go in a store and buy a 3 piece suit for no more that a weeks delivery , now you have to wait at least 3/4 months, unfortunately the same now applies to cars, we are not used to having to plan a long way ahead for cars, i don't see things changing for some time, in September i am going to put in a order for a NX, I don't want it till April 2025, I have been assured that once ordered if  change my mind, or my circumstances change i don't have to take the car and my deposit will be returned.

It isn't so much the wait which bothers me, it's factors around it which do. For instance, the complete lack of updates from the dealer or assurance that things are progressing. It's good to hear some dealers are giving weekly updates. I wouldn't even mind just a fortnightly update. Even once a month - just something rather than absolutely nothing at all. Not even a phone call - a quick couple of lines on an e-mail would suffice. Another factor is what I'll extend upon below - and that's having to extend finance on your existing car. Tricky to do when you're having to literally 'fight' to get scraps of information which provide little in the way of shedding light on the subject.

On 5/17/2023 at 3:06 PM, Scotlex said:

I feel that we should get a delivery date that is "sort of accurate".

Plus or minus a month would be acceptable to me.

People have trade in cars and finance etc. to organise.

I completely agree. A lot of people, especially with younger cars, don't own them outright these days. 

I don't think it's fair that, in my case of ordering my NX some 15+ months before my existing contract expires, you should be scrabbling around looking for when your new car will be built (never mind arriving at the dealer...) as your existing contract is about to come to an end. It hasn't been a 'last minute' order.  

Before I even collect my NX, the dealer has still got to take a look at my car to see what positive equity there is on it - and only then can I begin to sort out the finance to know exactly what I'll be paying. This is something my salesman has refused to do until we get 'closer to the time'. 

I don't like doing things 'in a blur'. I like to be prepared. The logistics of this particular trade in is just an absolute logistical nightmare - due to a complete lack of updates/information from the dealer. Obviously we can't blame them for long lead times, but my own particular dealer has done me no favours at all when it comes to this.

On 5/19/2023 at 10:31 AM, FJN said:

Very frustrated Lexus customer here, my dealer told me to expect delivery of my NX350h on or around 12th May. This date came and went with no sign of the vehicle. She has just been in touch with me this morning to say it's been delayed a further week due to increase checks required due to new rules from Europe - whatever that means. It's already been assigned a registration and is in the country which makes it even more frustrating. Anyone experienced something similar? 

The communication has been awful, surely Lexus were aware of these increased checks that are supposedly required, they can't have just sprung them upon them. 

Given my experiences of no communication with my dealer (other than if I've chased first...), this doesn't surprise me in the least. This is why I'm considering a three month extension to my UX contract, rather than just one month. I have no faith in what I'm being told and with additional delays like this, I could end up without a car - not knowing when I'll receive the new one. I know full well the dealer will be in no rush in sorting out the situation. 

It seems to be a similar situation here in the UK – certainly in the North West. I’ve seen several 450h’s knocking around the two dealers I know -which I’m assuming are demos as they’re registered and in the car park. I’ve only seen two 350h’s. The one I sat in at the dealer a year ago and subsequently ordered the same spec - and there was a standard model sat in front of it. Other than that, I’ve only ever seen 450h’s either in the showroom or inside the dealerships. 

 I’m not overly bothered by the lack of a test drive to be honest. I just wonder how many others haven’t been able to drive one either! 

I can relate to this as when I got mine, my goal was to keep it under £40k for that very reason - to avoid the additional VED. Obviously, the price I paid is now out of date as my F-Sport is a 2020 model. Mine's in F-Sport White and has the Premium Plus Pack, Tech & Safety Pack and the Adventure Pro pack. Total, full list price was £39,574 (I still have the picture of the info board, as it was the showroom model). 

I did have to clarify on several occasions before I signed for the car that it fell below that additional VED threshold and to be fair, that particular dealer was very good and thankfully subsequent tax reminders have shown I have indeed avoided it. 

It's disappointing to hear your dealer didn't pick up on the price rise after you mentioning wanting to avoid the high-rate VED. I can only assume the car was already in build by that point and therefore too late for you to change your order but I still completely understand your annoyance with it all. I'd be the same too. Depending on how long you choose to keep the car and knowing there's no way that you can now avoid that VED rate, they should certainly look at other options for you to 'make up' that difference. A free major service for example, that sort of thing... 

I can't say I've had anything in the UX. I do know someone has an identical F-Sport white one to mine locally - but that's a 70 plate and mine's a 20. I doubt it has the red leather mine, but exterior wise it's my car's twin. I see it two, maybe three mornings a week, travelling in the opposite direction on my way to work. 

I did often look across to the driver when it was new to see if he noticed mine, but he's never acknowledged me/the car. 

That reminds me... I tried three(?) times last year to get a test drive of an NX350h - but there never was a demo at our dealer to try. There was a NX450h there for quite a while, but that was always booked out, so I gave up in the end. It's the only time I've ordered a car which I've never test driven the model first. 

Terrane Khaki is what I have on order... It's one of my favourite colours I've seen in any car in recent years. It's stunning.

It’s good to hear the NX is easier to drive. It’s not that I have an issue with the UX I have. In terms of driveability, the only issue I have is there’s a notable blind spot right by the 'B' pillar for me.  

My only slight reservation with changing from the UX to the NX is that before I had the UX, I had an Audi Q5 and that was quite a tight fit down my driveway. I managed it, but I know there was very little in the way of room spare. Our driveway gets narrower the further off the pavement and if I ended up being the 'first in', I did have to literally go up to the side of the house on the passenger side.  

There’s a few reasons why I've been wanting to go to an NX from a UX. Firstly – the boot space. That's always been the biggest issue I've had with the UX right from day one. There’s just no depth to it. Secondly, whilst it’s absolutely fine for me, it can be a little tricky for the aging parents to get in and out of, compared to the Q5 I had. If the UX was a little 'taller' and the boot had another five/six inches or so of depth to it, I’d have probably have just changed it for another UX. For most of the time (going back and forth to work and ‘daytripping’), it suits me perfectly.   

Just a word of warning if you’re going for an NX though, Chris. Do you know how long left you have to run (in terms of contract) on your UXe? The reason I ask is that I'm now about a week away from the ‘first anniversary’ of my NX order – and neither the dealer or Customer Relations can supply me with a build date. Without any imminent news on this front, I’m going to have to extend the contract on my existing UX which runs out in September.

On 5/12/2023 at 10:13 AM, Andy B said:

@Gary H As you are starting to get closer to crunch time with your UX contract, have you considered cancelling your current NX order (if possible and assuming no penalty incurred) and looking elsewhere for the NX?

Would you be prepared to travel across the country to source a NX from a different dealer? I still occasionally get emails from my local dealer advertising new NXs that are supposedly available for delivery within a month or two (I assume that these are cancelled orders). Obviously you may have to be slightly flexible on spec and possibly the colour combination.

Also you may find some nearly-new, low mileage, used examples across the dealer network.

 

Hi Andy. Apologies for the delay in replying to you. I’ve not had any chance to get here in recent days. 

Cancellation will absolutely be an option, if not a certainty, for me by the end of the summer (I'm giving a ‘rough’ deadline of the end of August/very early September). That’s how long I'm giving them to finally confirm to me a build date. At that point, I’ll be passing over 15 months of waiting. As for cancelling now and looking at '23' plates on the market? Indeed. It's a consideration and I have already been scouring over the likes of Auto Trader e.t.c to see what appears to be cancelled orders sitting at various Lexus dealers. I'm willing to travel for the right spec, yes. 

One thing I really don't want to budge on is the colour. I do have my heart set on Terrane Khaki. I wanted it in my UX three years ago and I specifically went for it this time without hesitation. That’s not to say it’s a 'deal breaker'. I’m just not overly keen on grey/silver - which a lot of what I've seen appear to be in. There is (or was...) one in Coventry. An F-Sport with the premium plus pack. However, they want 'mega bucks' for it...and we're talking considerably more than what I’ve signed to pay for the Takumi I have on order - which was already at the top end of my budget. A shame really, because if that was going for the same price, believe me, I'd have been on the phone to them weeks ago inquiring on it.

On 5/12/2023 at 12:03 PM, WhiteHart said:

I have just checked for my NX450 spec and for the first time I’ve found one that matches my full specification, but it has nearly 8000 miles on the clock and they want nearly £3000 more than I am due to pay in June. It is also missing my front and rear dash cams.  If your contract is with Lexus , they should be able to be flexible.  

 

Apologies for the delay in replying to you. A few months ago, I did spot an NX350h Takumi with the panoramic roof (as I’ve opted for), on a 22 plate, up for sale in Edinburgh. However, it was grey and I assume it was one of their demos as it had something like 12,000 miles on it already. Not only that, it was also upwards of £3000 more than what I’m paying for mine brand new... 

It’s a tricky one, isn’t it!

Well – there is some scrap of positive news that’s come back (and come back rather quickly) from my latest e-mail to customer services. Firstly – they’ve actually responded to me. Something they haven't done on two previous occasions.  

I won't give the lady's name obviously, but she was perfectly pleasant to talk to.  

She confirmed that my first e-mail to customer services was indeed simply forwarded to my local dealer – so that 'co-incidental' text video-message advising me of my latest delayed estimated date was indeed initiated by themselves. She had no answer as to why my second e-mail wasn't responded to or acted upon in any way, to which she apologised for.  Obviously not her fault - she's only picked up on my latest e-mail. 

So that at least confirms that if it wasn't for me calling or physically showing myself at the dealer for any sort of update, there would have been absolutely no contact from them at all from the day I placed the order.  

She said she’ll raise a case internally on my behalf about the lack of any contact from my dealer to keep me updated – but I doubt I'll hear anything of this. Given her tone after explaining just what I was having to do in order to get basic scraps of information and relying upon our forum here for snippets of news, it's not really painting my dealer in a good light with her at all.  

She also said she'll be back in touch with me over the next 7/10 days. I don't personally hold up much hope in that either, but I'll give the benefit of the doubt for the time being and we’ll just have to wait and see. 

However – there’s still the ultimate questions which remain outstanding:

1) Why can't I get more than just the basic 'estimate' after almost a full year?

2) Why my order with the factory seems to be being continuously 'held back' whilst others placed around the same time are now very much being built, shipped and in some cases, delivered. 

So, where's my car? You tell me… She's saying it's still on course for 'August/September' (Q3 basically) despite the fact that they still have no build date for me – which now puts me onto my fifth(?) rough estimated date since I placed my order. Here’s where we’re up to in terms of 'estimates' I've had: 

May 2023 

May/June 2023 

June/July 2023 

Mid August 2023 

August/September 2023 

My head is actually beginning to hurt with it all, now. I did politely tell her, as per my e-mail, I'm giving them a rough deadline of the end of the summer. If there’s no build date news by then, something which seems to be afforded to plenty of others long before 15 months (which it will be by that point) of simply waiting for any hope of it being built, I will be cancelling my order and going elsewhere.

I can only echo others here and sincerely wish you and your girls a speedy recovery. What a horrible, traumatic experience for you all. I can truthfully say a car fire is probably one of my own ‘nightmare scenarios’.

Indeed. The most important thing is that you're all okay. None of you can be replaced. A tin box, as much as it was loved as we all love our cars here, can. 

Wishing you all the very best of luck when it comes to dealing with the insurance company. That's certainly something you don't need at the moment whilst recovering. 

I arrived home this evening to find a letter from Lexus Finance. Basically my final statement on my UX, as the contract ends in September. “It’s time to make a decision”, it says.

I was going to send my next chase-up to Customer Relations at the end of this week anyway, but now that I've seen this come through, I'll get it sent tonight. Fortunately I've already got a draft 'on the go' so it shouldn't take me too long to finish it.

On 5/3/2023 at 12:28 PM, imgo said:

Just had an email from my dealership stating that my NX350h Takumi (ordered 12th February 2022) has today gone into build. Yippee. They also sent a screenshot of their computer system showing "In  Build", so no BS. The LexusLink app has not updated as yet.

The long long wait is almost over, at least things are starting to move quicker now for everyone. 

Not for me, unfortunately.  Given you placed yours three months earlier of my own Takumi order, that could mean it would be sometime in August before I could hear anything progressing with my own, if we're looking at the same time frame.

15 months without so much as a build date. Ouch.

On 5/6/2023 at 5:47 PM, MarcG said:

Here is a link I picked up from another thread

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-12024471/How-long-takes-new-car-delivered-Britain.html?ico=mol_desktop_money

My NX 450+ had a build date of April with delivery in June. Build date has now been pushed back to November. This is going to cost me a significant sum as my current BMW will now require a major service and a new warranty.

Indeed, I saw that link the other day and it got me thinking about my UX. As it stands, it's still on it's original tyres after three years. They're still alright. I could 'get away' with them until very early next year - possibly they'll still be fine come MOT time next March. I think that would be pushing it, though. 

Without any positive news for me over the next few months on my May 2022 order, I could potentially be looking at a bill for two front tyres (at least) and even worse, it's next service and MOT if this long wait rolls over into early next year. Imagine what that would do to it's trade-in value...? I'd take 'the hit' either way.

10 minutes ago, S Dhuper said:

Hi there, 

Finally after 1 year and 3 Months, I got the notification they've started building my 305H Takumi in Sonic Grey, realistically what kind of time frame am I looking at from build to pick up from dealer, I'm kind of hoping it'll be around September for the 73 Plate or is that wishful thinking. 

It looks like yours may possibly be in the same batch as Michael's (imgo) above... I've also got a Takumi on order but in Terrane Khaki. 

The latest news I have is a mid-August arrival at the dealers but considering my order was placed towards the end of May 2022 and with yours/Michael's placed three months earlier with build dates just starting to come through - I can't see it happening. I'd imagine I'd have to know pretty quickly if that genuinely was to be the case.

When I placed my order a year ago (well, it's about a fortnight shy of a year...), I was told it would take about two weeks to build and then about another eight weeks to ship/arrive at the dealer. With this in mind, I couldn't see it being a problem for September. If it arrives any sooner, just ask them to hold it until then - as that's what I'd be doing if it arrived at the dealer with only 6/8 weeks to go until the current number plate changes.