Lexus hybrids

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These are very reliable cars and would normally be worth taking a serious look at but I sold my Prius because the cat converter was stolen when the car was on the drive overnight. It was a great car and I bought it from my wife's employer when they gave her a new one. I read of a chap in London who had a new CC fitted...£1500..because his was stolen and he picked it up from the garage at 12 noon and within 24 hours that was stolen, too. The thieves just waited fir him to replace the one they'd stolen. They're even being stolen from cars parked at supermarkets whilst one accomplice watches the shopper and the other ..usually two, jacks up the car and uses a mini metal cutter to remove the CC. Takes all of three minutes. They get about £400 for them.

The reliability of these cars was always in my mind when it comes to replacing our car. Finding myself with time on my hands here in Tenerife I checked to see if Lexus cars were still at risk. They were among the top most vulnerable cars. Lo and behold yes they still are. Even used, these cars are not cheap. I would have had to pay Toyota £1250 to replace my Prius CC. I looked into it and was able to have it replaced for £750 by a good tyre/exhaust place I've used for years..totally honest and reliable.They bought it in from the so-called 'after market'. New but manufactured by a third party.



From the article.......

"It's worth noting that Lexus vehicles, a premium Toyota-owned brand, have the highest theft rate among manufacturers, with one in every 326 owners falling victim"

Back to me....Having a a garage to park it in overnight will not save an owner. Nowhere is safe. I think Toyota have placed the CC in a less accessible position but thieves have new tools to get round that. One step ahead, as ever. It must surely hit sales ..of any hybrid...unless most potential buyers just don't consider it. likely unaware.

We don't want an EV so it will have to be a petrol model. With Lexus in mind, I assume there are used petrol-only Lexus cars about .
 
What a fiasco, and as you infer it is staggering that that manufacturers have not 'engineered in changes to design' of power trains to make removal of the Cats using power tools more difficult and long winded. Such thievery relies on speed and efficiency of action!

IIRC some manufacturers designs place the Cat adjacent to the exhaust manifold i.e. significantly harder to access from underneath the vehicle!

This type of theft has seemingly grown perniciously and the manufacturers seem to turn a blind eye to the individuals losses!
 
Easy enough to prevent theft if designed like they are in my car (similar to this photo). A pain to replace, but fortunately they last a long time.

1771457478829.png
 
Easy enough to prevent theft if designed like they are in my car (similar to this photo). A pain to replace, but fortunately they last a long time.

View attachment 475211
Yup, as I mentioned/inferred it/they need to be engineered inaccessibly from the exterior floor pan area.
The ease of access of such an expensive component is ridiculous:(
 
A former colleague had the Cat removed from his Auris hybrid when parked at one of the airport hotels in Manchester, this was about 10 years ago.

I do like the look of the Lexus cars, especially the ES and GS, would prefer one without the hybrid tech (standard auto rather than CVT)...

I thought cat thefts was old news... more recently it was door mirrors and similar from BMWs but now parcel shelves seem to be in vogue.
 
A former colleague had the Cat removed from his Auris hybrid when parked at one of the airport hotels in Manchester, this was about 10 years ago.

I do like the look of the Lexus cars, especially the ES and GS, would prefer one without the hybrid tech (standard auto rather than CVT)...

I thought cat thefts was old news... more recently it was door mirrors and similar from BMWs but now parcel shelves seem to be in vogue.
Lexus have actually stopped making petrol engines. They only manufacture EVs and hybrids,now.
 
The only recent petrol/non-hybrid Lexus cars seem to use a 5 litre V8 which is probably not what you're looking for:


I've been considering a Toyota Corolla but similarly they've been hybrid only for a while now as well which is a frustration because I'd rather a straight petrol car.
 
But anything I would be looking for to replace my wonderful Saab would have to be at least 4 years old to avoid the luxury tax.....

4 years more would bring more gems like the non-hybrid Lexus models or the Audi A6 V6 55TFSI or BMW 540i - some of us do want to scratch the 6-cylinder itch still...
 
But anything I would be looking for to replace my wonderful Saab would have to be at least 4 years old to avoid the luxury tax.....

4 years more would bring more gems like the non-hybrid Lexus models or the Audi A6 V6 55TFSI or BMW 540i - some of us do want to scratch the 6-cylinder itch still...
I've never had a six cylinder and always tempted by one but these days just want a simple reliable car.
 
But anything I would be looking for to replace my wonderful Saab would have to be at least 4 years old to avoid the luxury tax.....

4 years more would bring more gems like the non-hybrid Lexus models or the Audi A6 V6 55TFSI or BMW 540i - some of us do want to scratch the 6-cylinder itch still...

What SAAB did you have? A mate of mine had a 9-3 2.8T V6 that was remapped and whilst the peak BHP was anything silly, SAAB really seem to know how to tune their gear ratios and in third gear this thing was a rocket (couldn't get traction in 1st and 2nd). I left my then F30 330d for dead on the motorway. I've always been tempted with the AWD 2.8 version of the 9-3, maybe even the 9-5 version, but now what with the age, parts and emissions etc it wouldn't be sensible.

My all time favourite was the classic 900 Turbo in black.
 
the one on the right, it's the 2-litre Turbo4 New Gen 9-5 (petrol 220PS), bought in 2017, parts are an issue but it is a stunner. Zulu is apparently an earlier build, sold at the same time, even though it is the same model, colour and interior trim colour, there were quite a lot of differences between the 2 cars. It can be tuned north of 260Ps but as the timing chains are a weak point on the A20NHT engine and it is still on its original I am hesitant to get it mapped, but without the map hauling a 2 ton car is a little too much for 220PS. It is a manual and in Saab fashion, when I am pootling along at 50 mph in 6th gear, the car goes like stink when I floor the throttle, no downchanges required.

Previously I had the old gen 9-5 Aero 2.3HOT (3rd phase Dame Edna) which replaced a 9-3SS Aero.
IMG_1139.jpg

My favourite, though, was this:
Saab 99GL Nena OGH686Y new.jpg
 
Previously I had the old gen 9-5 Aero 2.3HOT (3rd phase Dame Edna) which replaced a 9-3SS Aero.

Scratching the grey matter here, but I'm sure that's the one that Jeremy Clarkson said in 3rd gear from 40mph (or was it 30mph) could accelerate faster than a Porsche 911 turbo?
 
hybrids are definitely the current future for middle ground driving especially PHEVs which can with a reasonable battery say 80miles do 95% of there driving on cheap off peak electricity charging from home :-)
 
hybrids are definitely the current future for middle ground driving especially PHEVs which can with a reasonable battery say 80miles do 95% of there driving on cheap off peak electricity charging from home :)
The problem for plug in hybrids is they’re going to get clobbered with pay per mile surcharges soon. Luckily we’ve got a self charging hybrid, which is still exempt.
 
The problem for plug in hybrids is they’re going to get clobbered with pay per mile surcharges soon. Luckily we’ve got a self charging hybrid, which is still exempt.

clobbered or efficient
similar same
 
A former colleague had the Cat removed from his Auris hybrid when parked at one of the airport hotels in Manchester, this was about 10 years ago.

I do like the look of the Lexus cars, especially the ES and GS, would prefer one without the hybrid tech (standard auto rather than CVT)...

I thought cat thefts was old news... more recently it was door mirrors and similar from BMWs but now parcel shelves seem to be in vogue.

Sorry..I overlooked your last sentence. Yes,you're right it is 'old news' but in my second paragraph..original post, I did say that I'd checked to see if this was still a problem expecting to find that measures had been taken to put the converter out of reach of thieves. As you see..whilst some attention has been paid to the problem the Lexus ,in particular, is still amongst the most vulnerable hybrids.
 
But anything I would be looking for to replace my wonderful Saab would have to be at least 4 years old to avoid the luxury tax.....

4 years more would bring more gems like the non-hybrid Lexus models or the Audi A6 V6 55TFSI or BMW 540i - some of us do want to scratch the 6-cylinder itch still...

I've looked at the AudinA6..The likes of Autotrader and What Car ?,four instance highlight serious problems. Hesitant gearbox and reliability problems.


What Car ? Section of a review last November.


Reliability

According to our Reliability Survey, Audi A6 petrol and diesel models show mixed reliability and service experiences.

Owners frequently report electronic issues, especially faulty sensors and warning lights, leading to multiple costly and time-consuming dealership visits.

Engine reliability is also a concern, with fuel system and turbocharger problems mentioned. While some Audi dealerships are responsive and helpful, others offer inconsistent service, with long waiting times and poor communication reported.
 
hybrids are definitely the current future for middle ground driving especially PHEVs which can with a reasonable battery say 80miles do 95% of there driving on cheap off peak electricity charging from home :)

Yes.it seems so, which is why the industry needs to address the vulnerability to theft of the cat. converter. I'd love to have another hybrid.
 
Yes.it seems so, which is why the industry needs to address the vulnerability to theft of the cat. converter. I'd love to have another hybrid.
its a good point but the issue is not with the cars its the thieves
 
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its a good point but the issue is not with the cars its the thieves

Nothing quite like a bit of circular reasoning to state the obvious. :D

There's always going to be criminals, you will most likely never be able to remove them from the equation, so the realistic option is to make it more difficult for them.
 
...it is but in the meantime the cars need to be protected as much as possible. It's a cat and mouse game..no pun intended re cat...'catalytic' :) but, re. vehicle security in general, the thieves are all too often one, or even, two steps ahead. As ever, it would help if meaningful sentencing was the order of the day.
 
If we were talking about a person and not a car, someone would be shouting about victim-blaming by now. :rolleyes:
 
If we were talking about a person and not a car, someone would be shouting about victim-blaming by now. :rolleyes:

You've taken the words right out of my mouth because I was going to say something along those lines but ...well, I just let it go. I thought it might come across as adversarial. He meant well but , yes, you're right.
 
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