Tony Hawk, which as most of you probably already know, is a professional skateboarder who even has his own series of video games, shot a video of himself performing the jump.

Here’s Lexus’ reaction: “Thanks Tony Hawk for taking the LFA to new heights. We’ll pretend we didn’t see this video skate across our desk. It’s the least we could do to celebrate your birthday. We hope it was as great as you are!”

If you really do not know anything about cars apart from a leaning towards a particular model as long as it is painted your favourite colour, then it really is quite a risk to buy a car from a private seller, particularly if the seller is a stranger. We all would like to trust our fellow humans, but experience teaches us that to do so is not always wise.

The safest way to buy a used car is from a reputable franchised dealership. It is essential to such a dealership that it maintains its reputation and the last thing that that it wants to do is to tarnish this by selling dodgy cars. Should such a dealership find that they are saddled with such a car, for instance as the result of a part exchange, they are more likely pass it on to another dealer or car auction than to sell it to you.

If you want to be even safer, then you can restrict your search to manufacturer approved cars from the franchised dealer. These will have gone through strenuous tests designed to select only quality examples and they will be sold with what is effectively a new car guarantee. Naturally you will have to pay a little more, maybe 10% to 20%, but you can be confident that you are buying a good car.

The middle of the road way is to buy the car from an independent trader, If you want to have a look at some visit Motors. This way you will at least have a reasonable amount of legal protection. It is against the law for such a dealer to sell a car that is not fit for purpose or is not correctly described. This means that they are obliged to point out to you any problems that they know of. Should they fail to do so, you can legally demand a refund.

The facelifted 2013 Lexus RX revealed in leaked brochure somewhere in Japan. It’s one of the top-selling models from one of the top-selling luxury marques. The RX is now on its third iteration, with a fourth on the way – and this appears to be our best look at it yet.

The 2013 Lexus RX is apparently undergoing a facelift that will bring its appearance in line with the brand’s latest design language – centering around the pinched chrome-edged “spindle” grille that characterizes the front of the latest GS sedan. Reshaped headlamps with a strip of LEDs flank either side, and, of course, it’s all riding on new wheels.

While the RX may not be exactly what you’d call “performance-oriented” – floating as it does down the road and communicating less through the steering wheel than you’d expect from a pouting pre-teen behind a slammed bedroom door – the new model is apparently getting an F Sport trim kit. That would include a new front bumper, honeycomb grille, rear spoiler, bigger wheels and tinted lamps, with sportier trim to match on the inside.

We’d expect to see Lexus officially release the new RX sometime within the next few weeks, with a probable debut at the New York Auto Show in April.

This belt is responsible for keeping the bottom end of the engine (the crank) in time with the upper end of the engine (cam or cams).

Typical Service Interval: 60k-90k
Timing belts may look brand new up until the day the break or cause problems. Mileage is the only real way to tell service interval.

Why do we replace/service:
A timing belt deteriorates over time – it stretches, can crack, and become brittle.

What happens if we don’t service:
If a timing belt breaks or the teeth wear off / strip off, on many modern engines, it means that the valves in the head interfere with the pistons in the block. If this happens while the engine is running, it typically means at minimum, the engine needs torn down, head removed and valves replaced. Some engines are not interference engines, but most are anymore.

General Recommendations:
Timing belts can be a somewhat expensive replacement, but timing belt maintenance is always much cheaper than the Lexus repairs that may be required should a belt break while the vehicle is being driven. On many vehicles, the water pump is behind the timing belt, or is driven by the timing belt. Many choose to replace the water pump when the timing belt is being replaced, as there is virtually no additional labor, and, should a water pump fail, the timing belt will have to be replaced, again.

Hydraulic fluid that is moved from the master cylinder (behind your foot when you press the brake pedal) to the braking system at the wheels, typically calipers in the front and calipers (disc) or wheel cylinders (drum) in the rear.

Service Interval: 2 years, or as required when tested
Many manufacturers like Lexus do not have brake fluid change intervals. Brake fluid deteriorates over time and can be tested for how much metal it has leached from the system. Test strips, which test parts per million of copper, show how much metal has been leeched into the system. Brake fluid is also hydroscopic, which means it absorbs water. Although it is a mostly sealed system, moisture can still be absorbed into the system, making the brake fluids’ boiling point much lower, which can result in a very soft pedal under heavy braking.

Why do we replace/service:
Aside from the benefit of bleeding the whole system at the time, returning a better pedal feel, brake fluid becomes corrosive over time. Replacing it replenishes the corrosion inhibitors.

What happens if we don’t service:
It actually can leech copper out of the brake lines, eventually leading to leaks (internal and external) and potential ABS hydraulic unit problems.

General Recommendations:
Another relatively inexpensive service, the gain in pedal feel from bleeding the fluid at the same time is a good thing, as well as preventive maintenance for the system.

Pumped from a high pressure pump attached to the engine, power steering fluid under pressure assists in turning at lower speeds.

Service Interval: Undetermined, 45k-60k perhaps
Most vehicles like Lexus never list this as a maintenance item whatsoever, aside from checking the fluid level. Aside from a very dirty appearance, it is difficult to evaluate this fluid by looks or feel.

Why do we replace/service:
Power steering fluid typically has a high amount of detergent and is generally similar or may even be transmission fluid in Lexus vehicles. These detergents wear out and the fluid breaks down over time.

What happens if we don’t service:
Over time, fluid break down can cause premature wear on the power steering components.

General Recommendations:
Many vehicles never call for anything more than a simple fluid level check. Performing a fluid replacement every 45-60k miles may be good insurance against failure of these components.

Located in one or both of the valve covers, allows excess crankcase pressure to circulate back in to the intake to be burned.

Service Interval: 25k, sometimes never (inspect only)
Many may last indefinitely, many do not have suggested service intervals, some vehicles do not have typical PCV valves at all. A proper PCV typically has a metal ball inside it that will rattle when the PCV valve is not stuck closed. Just because it rattles does not make it good, however.

Why do we replace/service:
Over time, the one way check valve may stick, usually in the closed position. This allows the crankcase pressure to build up.

What happens if we don’t service:
Excess crankcase pressure that builds up can cause multiple oil leaks from many different places. This is probably the #1 cause of oil leaks in car engines today.

General Recommendations:
This is an inexpensive part that can cause lots of money in potential repairs.

Service Interval: 5-6k miles for rotation, Every month for air pressure checks
If you notice uneven tire wear, an up and down pattern along the tread, or outside edgewear, it may be time (or past time) for a tire rotation. With radial tires, and especially with lower profile radial tires, it is difficult to determine air pressure simply by looking at the tires. A tire may look the same whether it has 15 psi or 50 psi in it – the only way to truly check is with a proper air gauge.

Why do we replace/service:
To promote long tire life and prevent uneven wear.

What happens if we don’t service:
Tires may wear unevenly and cause damage to the tires. If a tire is run even a few psi low, it will wear faster, not handle as well, reduce fuel mileage and if ran that way long enough can cause irreparable tire damage. If a regular rotation schedule is not followed, tires may start to cup or feather (when the tread blocks become uneven and have one side higher than the next). This causes excessive noise from the tires. Also, depending on the drive configuration of the car, the drive tires may wear faster.

General Recommendations:
On average, a tire may lose 1 psi per month, and when the temperature changes, may lose 1 psi per 10 degrees change cooler, or vice versa. This can be reduced by using nitrogen in tires, however a tire filled with nitrogen will still lose pressure through typical punctures or leaks and should still be checked monthly. Rotations are not possible with all cars. Vehicles with staggered fitments front and rear may be left to only rotate side to side. This is not very easy with directional tires and on those vehicles, it may be recommended to use asymmetrical tires so that this is possible.

How the wheels and tires are positioned and angled, relative to the cars chassis.

Service Interval: 6 months – 2 years
Many manufacturers do not specify an interval for alignments. Many cars are not really well aligned, even from the factory. Some obvious cues for an alignment being required are the car pulling one way or the other, an uneven steering wheel and uneven tire wear. The types of roads, driving style, and quality of roads driven on all have an impact on how often an alignment should be performed.

Why do we replace/service:
To ease the driving experience, minimize tire wear and minimize wear on suspension components.

What happens if we don’t service:
Left unchecked, a bad alignment can cause uneven and accelerated tire wear, costing potentially more than an alignment would have cost. It can also cause wear and undue stress on the vehicles steering and suspension components.

General Recommendations:
It is very hard to get an absolute perfect alignment, but that is ok, it doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect for good tire wear and to avoid a pull one way or the other. Excessive camber (the upper part of the tire leaning in) can lead to tracking the road and wear on the inside edges. Toe is the number 1 tire wear angle and it is very important it get as close as possible to the exact specification. Caster is an angle that only affects the front tires. It is how much the wheel leans back, similar to a motorcycle. Caster is an angle that can cause a car to pull if it is not correct, and excessive caster leads to better high speed stability, but more steering effort.

Lubricates the internal engine components, transfers heat and the filter keeps the oil clean.

Service Interval: 3k-15k, 6 months – 1 year
For many years, the general advice was to change the oil every 3k miles or 3 months. With advances in engine and oil technology, these suggested intervals have grown. Many, if not most vehicles, have a suggested service interval of 5k, and some oils suggest service intervals as high as 15k or more. Undeniably, lots of money is spent unnecessarily on oil changes that are not required at the time. Unfortunately, the only way to really tell how much longer oil is safe to use is to send it in for a used oil analysis. The problem with this is that it costs just as much for the analysis as most oil changes cost. It is also suggested to replace oil every 6 months or 1 year as well, regardless mileage. Aside from a used oil analysis, it is impossible to tell how dirty oil is just by its looks. Some oils are very dark even when brand new.

Why do we replace:
Over time, oil breaks down. Some oil will seemingly last forever without breaking down, however over time it becomes contaminated and the detergents and additives are diminished. The contamination is caused by wear of the cylinder walls, bearings, and blow by, which includes combustion gases and unburnt fuel.

What happens if we don’t service:
As the oil breaks down and the additives are not able to keep the oil passageways clean, the oil will start to solidify, or become sludge. This leads to poor lubrication and wear on the engine surfaces – cylinder walls and bearings take the worst of it, and of course, they are also the most important. As time progresses, the engine will start burning more oil and the additional wear on the engine will cause lower oil pressure, which will lead to a catastrophic failure.

General Recommendations:
There are many choices in oil. The type of oil to use is a personal preference. For the most part, so long as oil change intervals are followed, you should have no problems. There are also many different weights of oil. The builder of your car knows best and their suggestions should be followed as far as the weight of oil to use. Many think that higher mileage engines require heavier weight oils. In general, this is not true unless the engine is burning a lot of oil. By using heavier weight oil, you increase oil pressure, but lower the amount of oil that flows through the engine. In modern engines, flow is more important than pressure.