Lexus Nerd

ORDERS NOW BEING TAKEN - ORDERS CLOSE SUNDAY, 11 NOVEMBER BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND ... I'm now taking orders from Club members for an order I'll place with Meguiar's in the US on 12 November. How much can I save? Prices can vary significantly, as freight is a significant component and the cost per unit weight drops, the more orders I receive. Exchange rates also affect costs, as does any sale promotions. The A$/US$ exchange rate is a little more favourable than at the last group buy in May. You can still expect to save $$ on a range of Meguiar's detailing products as part of a group buy. You'll pay a proportion of the ground freight across the US, and air freight to Australia, Sydney residents: Pick-up/delivery in Sydney CBD and Lower North Shore between North Sydney and Epping in late November, or at the next Club meet (not the one on 10 November - whenever the one is after that) Brisbane residents: Pick-up/delivery in CBD/southern suburbs before Christmas The best bargains are with those products that are relatively light but expensive; for example, Meguiar's Ultimate Wax. Those that are heavy but relatively cheap - for example, car wash - are best bought in Australia. Before I confirm your order, I'll let you know whether it's worth your while. Note: I don't make any profit from this; it's something I like to do exclusively for Club members. What products can I get? Most Meguiar's products available in Australia (consumer and professional range), except for dangerous goods (generally corrosive cleaning goods like harsh wheel cleaners, and aerosols). You can also get some products that aren't available in Australia, such as their new dust-repelling glass cleaner, headlight protectant and Ultimate Wax in paste form. Are they any good? You'll see a fair few testimonials on our forums. If both you and I manage to make the 10 November meet, you may be able to sample some of the products on your car (e.g. leather cleaner and wax). How do I order? PM me!

F Sport owners can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you'll only get the perforations in the Sports Luxury, as they exist to allow for the seat ventilation. Having said that, there isn't a direct relationship between the perforations and the leather quality. The current IS 250 X includes semi-anline leather as found in the Sports Luxury, which basically means it's a more luxurious look and feel.

IMHO, it wasn't a bad approach. The LF-LC attracted so many people with cameras and video recorders - even more than the single Aston Martin on display, the Gotham. It should change the opinions of those who never previously wanted a Lexus. For those seriously considering a Lexus, they probably weren't at the show anyway, The Infinitis looked better than I expected, although I would have to disagree about their interiors. The leather feels great, but many of the dash controls are mounted on a panel which is about 60 degrees from the vertical - that is, close to horizontal. That makes the buttons harder to find at a glance. Have you ever seen a plane cockpit like that? The Bose audio is nice, but not mind-blowing. The surround accuracy is vague, and the bass lacks depth on everything except classical music (granted, a criticism of Mark Levison audio too). The vibration on the floor with the volume up makes you feel that the cars are, in the end, just Nissans. In fact, a Maxima can feel more luxurious, if boring. Overall, the motor show is a disappointment, with many manufacturers failing to capitalise on the marketing opportunity. With such little competition, the Lexus could still take out best in show, even without the LF-CC compact coupe concept making an appearance.

18" wheels, pre-crash collision system, HID lights, moonroof as standard, better quality leather, Mark Levinson audio, auto dimming/auto dipping mirrors, rain sensing wipers, woodgrain ... Plenty of features not available in the Prestige; the question is, which ones would you really miss, and how much of a value you place on them.

Well done Lexus44! Hope you enjoy it. What's your plans for it? Will you drive it stock for a while, or do you already have plans for mods?

According to news just in from Lexus USA, dis-lex-sic ... You are right.

Welcome, Gibbzy. What cars did you own before the 350?

There are only two LF-LC concept cars in the world today, and some Sydney Lexus owners were treated to a preview of the blue one in advance of its display at the Australian International Motor Show. It's rumoured that this baby will be the basis for the successor to Lexus' high-end luxury coupe, the SC. The first two SC's - the SC400 and SC430 - were radically different in their body shape, yet similar in the way they mated a high performance engine with appealing (read sexy) contemporary sports coupe design. So it wouldn't be all that surprising if many elements of the LF-LC find their way into a new SC. While the exterior is particularly striking (and, by the way, that concept grille looks so much better in the flesh), it's the numerous features that can be seen in the interior that's exciting. The entire dash controls replaced with an LCD. The LFA-inspired speedo. The steering controls. Even the seat belt buckle and clip have been given a futuristic makeover. If even some of these innovations find themselves in the next SC, the future in production Lexus sports cars will be exciting indeed. In case you were wondering, those wheels come with 275/35R21 Continental ContiSport tyres, with equally massive discs to boot.

Awesome!

It's a compact luxury coupe: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/feature/new-lexus-lf-cc-concept

Hi Meighen, Welcome. Do you have a Lexus already? What kind of Lexus vehicles do you see on the streets where you are today?

Awesome looking car, Dollar. Welcome.

So Lexus Europe has announced a new concept vehicle will be unveiled this month: "Lexus will hold the world premiere of a brand new concept car at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, which opens for media on September 27, 2012 at Paris-Expo, Porte de Versailles. "Information and pictures about this new Lexus concept car will be released on September 17 at 8.00AM CET. "The 2012 Paris Motor Show will also host the Western European premiere of the all-new LS 600h F SPORT. "Introduced by Paul Van der Burgh, Director Lexus Europe, the Lexus Press Conference will be held at 8.45 AM CET on September 27 (hall 4, stand 120)." What do you think it will be?

I think Sherlock is exhibiting what marketers call "dissonance-reducing buyer behaviour". That's okay; we all do it when we buy something expensive and there's so much choice out there. I hope I can put your mind at ease ... You will get your money back on the initial purchase price through fuel savings and little increase in maintenance costs. Depending on the way you drive in the city, you will save $1000-$1800 for each 15,000 km driven (at $1.50 per litre of fuel). The maintenance cost for a hybrid isn't much more: check out this Lexus dealer's service pricing schedule and you'll find that the difference in the first three years between servicing an RX350 and RX450h is $55. I bet diesel owners can't say that. On depreciation: The first few Prius hybrids had issues with battery longevity; Toyota responded by improving the batteries, dropping the price of replacements, and extending the warranty. This probably did little to change the perception of hybrids in Australia, and that may have affected resale values; but changing perceptions required some time. In 2012, hybrid sales have doubled, and most of the luxury car manufacturers (importantly, in Europe, where diesel is de rigeur) are talking about bringing hybrid versions of their cars to market. So ilv1004s is right to suggest that we'll have a lot of hybrids on our roads in years to come. In 5-8 years' time, anything could happen: fuel prices may climb higher than inflation, and Australia's perception of hybrids could change to the point where hybrids fetch better resale value than petrol vehicles, as has been the case in the US. Oh, and replacement batteries could be even cheaper. These predictions might be wrong; but it at least casts doubts over the suggestion that, in a few years' time, hybrid resale values will be a problem. That is not a sure thing. So I wouldn't worry too much about the resale value, and I certainly wouldn't worry about replacing the battery if you do decide to hang onto it for more than 8 years. For now, you paid just 5% more for an SUV that performs like it has a 4.5 L engine, uses less fuel than a 2-litre one, would struggle to sound sickly even if you neglected servicing ... and to be a member of the blue-badged, forward-thinking elite. :)

Hi kyo, Firstly, congratulations on buying an IS 250 X. Sorry you didn't get some answers from us as soon as one would like - I think any number of people could have told you that the clicking noise was part and parcel of direct injection (as well answer as the mirror question), but I guess we weren't reading your posts over that 48-hour period. For servicing in the said area (Question 5), I would also recommend Lexus of Chatswood. If you haven't had it yet, you'll probably find that even your local mechanic can't beat the value of their 75,000 km service (unless they're not aware of the effort!). The forums also contain good review(s) for Ultra Tune at North Ryde. For your Greenstuff brakes (Problem 7), the brakes would have settled after 100-200 km anyway, according to this post: http://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10064entry29813

Hi moe_63, and welcome! We have a another recent RX450h owner, and I hope to hear his thoughts on fuel consumption soon. In the meantime, my guess is that it might take a few kilometres and tank refills before you see actual fuel consumption approach the ADR test value. This has certainly been the experience of CT 200h owners, as you can see by reading their posts in the CT forum.

SOLD to x250x!

Your service department's recommendation of 38 psi would be for the rear tyres. They are probably recommending what's on the tyre placard/Owners Manual, or slightly more. Even if you go by a car's placard, a higher pressure is usually recommended for the driving wheels. Throughout my car ownership life, I have always over-inflated the tyres by a small amount. Automobile associations recommend about 4 psi over the tyre placard, while a driving course I attended recommended 4-6 psi. I currently use cold tyre pressures of 43 psi for the rear, and 40 psi for the front.

Hi Jose, A fair few accomplishments there. Welcome to the Club!

Last bottle of wax on sale for $34.15. Pickup at 4 August Club meet. See http://au.lexusowner...showtopic=11266

For sale: Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax Meguiar's latest and greatest wax - includes applicator pad and microfibre towel. Offers great results experienced by several Club members already! ONLY 1 LEFT Now even cheaper at $34.15 (save over 40% off Australian RRP) Pickup at the Club's 4 August meet. For details, check out http://au.lexusowner...showtopic=11168

For new cars, your options - including those other than Lexus - are the Lexus CT 200h* and Audi A1. If you can get a discount on the sticker price, you can also look at the Audi A3 and BMW 1 Series. For second-hand vehicles, you have a lot more options. With Lexus, you can choose from the CT 200h*, IS 250, GS 430 or even the LS 400 or LS 430 (they're no slouches). (* In absolute terms, the CT is said to be a "slow", with a 0-100 km/h time of 10.3 seconds. However, some reviewers have said that the perception behind the wheel is one of at least reasonable performance.) This is a question many people ask, no matter what kind of car they're looking to buy. Many Club members own and will recommend a second-hand car. But if the answer was as simple as that, why are new cars selling as well as ever in an otherwise slow Australian economy, while second-hand car prices are depressed? There are both emotional and practical reasons for buying new. Do you prefer the convenience and security of buying new, not worrying about whether the car has already experienced something that won't be covered under warranty? Do you enjoy the feel of driving the latest and greatest to hit the streets? Is it worth salary-sacrificing your car, but your employer's salary packaging provider will only allow you to package a new car? On the other hand, when you buy second-hand, someone else has worn the depreciation cost, meaning better value for money. This reason applies to all second-hand vehicles, not just Lexus cars. There are, however, two additional reasons why you might buy a Lexus car second-hand: 1. With other car makes, there's a bigger chance of buying a lemon. You can't always be sure whether a second-hand car is on sale because it's a lemon. This is far less likely with a Lexus. (Of course, any car can be neglected by the previous owner.) 2. You may want to buy a new car to experience the full term of a manufacturer's warranty. With Lexus, you (even if you're not the first owner) can buy a car less than three years old (i.e. more than one year to go on the original warranty) and choose to buy an extended warranty of up to three more years. In the end, buying new or second-hand depends on what matters to you the most, but I hope this helps.

Of course, the manual warns against the use of any other brand or specification of oil.

According to the Owners Manual, you will need 1.5 L of Toyota Genuine ATF WS. Hopefully, others can answer the other questions. I'm sure a dealer will perform a change if you insist. If not your local Lexus dealer, then a Toyota dealer ...

I think they do mean the "weather shields" - the slimline version that are fitted to all four doors, that is. Otherwise known as "side visors": http://www.mccarrolls.com.au/image/8847x640y480.jpg