stringbender

I've been a member of this forum for almost 20 years and have had 3 Lexus RX's in that time. I have never seen a forum topic that has had the impact of "attempted theft of my 450h". The number of views and comments is staggering and so is the response of Lexus itself. My current 450h Takumi was almost £60,000 of my personal cash. This for a car that can be stolen within one minute if I am correctly informed. Now we're hearing that insurance companies are either cashing in, or refusing to insure the car at all ! Only a major recall will rectify this problem so that every car is protected and the thieves go elsewhere. Lexus is reminding me of certain vaccine manufacturers and governments who now have their heads in the sand hoping the problems they've caused will go away. When the marketing goons spiel on about "Lexus engineers" and what they have achieved, it just makes me cringe. Thank you Lexus.

The Panasonic 12 volt battery on my 05 RX300 lasted over 14.5 years but must have been made and fitted at least a year easier in Japan. The tiny thing on my 450h is ready struggling after 4 years !

If the car picks up a speed sign in error I'd like to be able to manually cancel it, rather than listening to beep, beep, beep ,beep for the next minute or so.

I haven't read the whole thread. Are you allowed to name the insurer who gave you such good service ?

Our system has generated 43 megawatts and can still peak at 4 KiloWatts on a cool bright day. It paid back the installation cost in less than the 7 years too. I did hear of a smart meter that charged the customer for the energy produced by her panels ! So far our old fashioned meter remains in place - seems the longer the better ! We have a monitor that continually reads out the watts being produced which we really like. My wife records the meter reading every night as well as all the other data ( peak watts, hours of production etc.) . From memory the panels are guaranteed to still produce 80% of the peak power after 20 years. The best investment we ever made.

I bet they won't be switching off the cash registers - err, I mean speed cameras. The speeding fines will still be rolling out and the cash rolling in.

Good advice Barry. I was OK changing the battery on Mk2 with the tiny screwdriver. Now I'm Mk4 and you feel the plastic is near to cracking when you prise it apart. One new battery going into the glove box today !

My quote wet wrong ! I was really sorry to hear John had gone and was asking if anyone could link me to the posts. I'm really sorry I missed that. Alan

If I had a clue what to replace her with I might be tempted to sell sooner rather than later. I've been in an RX since 2004 and like the guy says it's a very nice place to be. I think I've come to take it for granted? I preferred the older gearbox ( even though it wasn't brilliant ) but I can be doing 70 mph and only just over 1,000 rpm ! Also 36 mpg rather than 22.5 ! I wonder how Les is getting on with his Subaru ? Alan

Thanks for posting that John. I hope whoever buys my V6 Takumi sees it ! Maybe it will help the older models keep their price ? I was surprised he thought so much of the CVT but he seems to know what he's talking about.

I had my 3rd service in September. I checked the LOC details on members discounts and called Bristol and Cheltenham. Neither offer a discount anymore for Gold members. I paid the £325 for what is basically an oil change ! I was stunned but what can you do ? Alan

I rest drove an NX450h last month. 2 things I recall : Could barely see the display screen and .... either it was a MASSIVE side wind that hit me or the car is much less stable than what I'm used to. It was scary !

I remember the salesman stumbling around the RX menus back in 2018 and all the bongs every time he pressed something. It took him ages to find the silent mode. I still get a bong from the driver's door but have got used to pressing the rubber switch ( on the door pillar ) manually to shut it up. Last week i had a test drive in the new NX. Bong Bong Bong again which drove me mad. Eventually the off button was found. I wonder how many people actually choose to have the bongs on ?

This relates to exhaust "drone". This would be in the audible range. What I'm unhappy with is more related to "feeling". Much lower in frequency and more felt than heard. When my wife drives me I can barely feel it on the passenger side. I still think it's where the engine moves into a position where it, or the exhaust pipe connected to it, are rubbing up against the car's underbody.

I'd wondered that too, or that they cut one out altogether. I find it REALLY strange that the deep low frequency rumble is totally absent when the car is started from cold. It's also worse as you come off the throttle - as if the engine rocks back and leans on a mount. It disappears when you hit the power when it's as smooth as a hot knife going through butter. I'll never give up wondering why this happens and if I could change it.

I've regretted selling my beloved 2005 SEL ever since I drove her to Milton Keynes and drove home in a 450h Premier. I kept the 2005 from new for 14 years but the Premier lasted just over a year ! The ride in my 69 plate Takumi is a little better than the Premier but nowhere near as tranquil as the SEL. I can still feel the engine thrubbing against the body at 1,100 rpm and it still annoys me that this happens. I have more bells and whistles than I can use on the Takumi but being able to feel the engine vibrate the cabin is the thing I hate the most. Alan

I gave up on that too. I'd forgotten it existed until I read your post !

This has jogged my memory. I'd had my 2005 SEL for 14 years and LOVED her. I bought a 4RX Premier from Lexus Milton Keynes which I soon regretted. After just over a year I got shot and bought my current Takumi at Cheltenham. I seem to remember that Milton Keynes got the car from BCA . They said all Lexus head office cars go through BCA. All I know is that I couldn't keep the car and was glad to see the back of it. I wonder if it's true that Lexus HO use BCA.

I always wanted to see how close the car behind me was. I never saw the point of the screen showing the view from the bonnet camera when stopped. I can see that by just looking out the front window.

Thanks to Haylands for that info. and Spock66 for the link. Been driving all this time and had no clue about valve timings until now. My current mpg reading is 37 mpg ( from lots of miles). When I had the 2005 I logged each litre and the display reading was rubbish. Overstated by about 2 mpg ! The 4RX is so much nearer to the truth that I've now stopped the fuel checks. It is remarkable that such a car can give so many miles to the gallon. On the motorway run over the weekend the figure crept up and up to that 37. And I wasn't dawdling at 56 mph either.

Many thanks.

Mine is the September 2019 Takumi so on a 69 plate. My first ever car on a PCP which will end at the end of August. Like you I'll probably leave Lexus as I'm not taken by what they have to offer. Is the price confidential ? I've heard that low mileage cars like yours ( and mine) are hard to come by and prices have been very steady. I might go look at a Kia as there's a garage nearby. Alan

Please do continue to comment Herbie as you give us some really helpful information. I don't know what's the matter with this Wally but there hasn't been this kind of thing since Lager Shandy was a member of the club.