lesz

With the paint protection film a lot of it depends on what product is used. Some products have had a tendency to yellow over time more than others. Some are promoted as "self-healing", so that, if there is minor damage to the film, it will repair itself. Whether you need it or not depends a lot on where you drive and how you drive. If you drive on gravel roads or roads with gravel shoulders, you are, obviously, more likely to have gravel thrown up into your vehicle. On the other hand, if you get into the habit of leaving plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you, especially with dump trucks, semis, etc., you are less likely to get damage from objects thrown toward your vehicle by other vehicles. The bottom line is that, somewhere along the line you are likely to get, at a minimum, pinhead-sized chips in the finish, and, even with the paint protection film you are likely to get some in unprotected areas. As I said in an earlier post, one of the most vulnerable areas is the lower part of the bumper, and, unless you are willing to pay substantially more to have that area covered, you will be leaving it vulnerable. The reason why covering that area can cost much more than covering the front of the hood and fenders is because of the more complicated shapes that must be covered. Besides the quality of the product used, the skills of the person installing the film are also a big factor in determining whether you will be happy with the film or whether you will have issues with it.

I've had wheel locks on many vehicles, and I've never had an issue with corrosion or with difficulty removing them. On the other hand, if you live in and will be parking in areas where theft is less likely, I'm not sure that having them is a must.

I've come to really enjoy having the heated steering wheel. Even though only the leather part heats up, that is where your hands should be anyway. What is nice about it is that the heat starts to become evident within seconds after turning it on. When you combine that with the fact that the ES heated seats also start putting out heat within seconds, the combination of the heated seats and heated wheel makes things more comfortable on cold days during the time it takes for the actual heater to start putting out heat. Normally, I turn off the heated wheel and heated seats after a few minutes and after the interior of the car has started to warm, but it is still nice to have those things during those few minutes.

mspearl95

I've heard of false activation of the pcs, but haven't ever had it happen. Do a lot of both city and hwy driving. I've set it off before (briefly) by coming up on cars too fast when I go to pass. I really like the feature, especially the adaptive cruise control part of it. I'd get it on any future car that I purchase.

Kijug

I have a '14 ES/UL/ML--everything. My DCC/PCS uses radar, I dunno about a laser in the '16 system. However, I like to use DCC a lot, even in rush hour (which moves 30-70, doesn't really stop). The system is designed to supplement the driver, not take over. So if you are speeding along and heading into another car, YOU are supposed to be ready with the brake--which gets primed and takes 1mm pedal movement to engage the brake and it brakes hard. Kinda nice but takes getting used to it or you'll stop too quickly! The only false positive I get with PCS, which the car will slow down thinking there is an obstacle, is on a sharp turn on surface streets with a pile of cars (30-45 MPH). The DCC/PCS doesn't know the road is curving ahead and cars are all moving sideways (to the DCC/PCS radar) and it can figure out there is a turn but depending on the traffic, your steering wheel (which helps it to figure out you are turning), etc., it might try to slow down quickly thinking you are approaching and about to hit something. Now that I know that, I am OK with it and ready for it.

In conclusion: DCC should not be used to "self-drive" the car; PCS should not be depended upon to save you from front end collisions. Both work really well, but since they aren't human, aren't 100%. I use DCC a lot. BUT... =) DCC is nice when I turn my head to the stereo to choose a song or whatever...I know the car won't run into something and if it starts to slow down, I can reengage my focus immediately back on the road.

My two cents: I think Lexus is putting the Safety System on the '16 for $500 to encourage everyone to get it so they can get more statistics on how all the systems work. I heard rumor that Lexus is working on a self-driving car also and what better way than to collect data on all the cars on the road.

I only wish I paid $500 for all the fully-loaded stuff. The '16 folks have it great! =) My '14 safety features cost $3500 (BSM/RCTA=$500, LDA=$1000, IPA=$500, DCC/PCS=$1500) for what the '16 folks are getting for $500 now...but I do enjoy them all. I use LDA mostly on long trips to ensure I don't fall asleep or something.

TechNut

I had a 2006 Prius without the film, and when traded at four years and 40k miles, it had quite a few dings and road rash in the paint on the front of the car. Then we traded a 2010 Prius at five years and 45k miles, which had the film applied. The front of the car was in much better condition and there was no discoloring of any sort. In other words, it works but there are undoubtedly different qualities of films. It will also depend some on how they maintain the winter roads in your area. Here they use Potasium Chloride de-icer and gravel (highway dept calls it sand but the thumb-size pebbles suggest another name). Anyway, the film works very well here and in general I recommend it.

As for the wheel locks, no particular opinion. We don't have a significant problem with rust in our arid climate out here so the argument may vary with conditions in your area.

As for the heated wheel, we have found it to be of limited value since it is only heated on the leather part. It is nice driving home from a winter car wash when my hands are Popsicles but never really use it otherwise.

rxgs2011

OK it's Winter now! Like you, I wear gloves when it's really cold. Well, today I walked out of the house not expecting it to be as cold as it was. It was 18 degrees. I tuned on the heated steering wheel in my 2015 RX450h because I was too lazy to go back in the house. Pretty nice feature. It works really well. I was surprised. Sure made driving the car more comfortable while the car warmed up. The wheel warms up quickly, just the leather parts of the left and right side of the wheel. The areas are about 4 or 5 inches long, where they want you to hold the wheel now days. The wheel sections get noticably warm. Eventually warm enough to turn off. I think it's worth the money. The option came with the Luxury package on my RX. I would order it as an individual option now.

About the paint protection film.
It came on my last car. I had no choice.
Don't waste your money!
It does protect the paint, but... The stuff eventually yellows and cracks. It's hard to remove once it gets old. The edge where the plastic ends gets scratched from trying to get the wax out of the seam. Your friends will say, "Your car is beautiful, but what's that line on your hood?" You always see the place where the plastic ends and the uncovered paint begins.
When you do finally get tired of your friends pointing out the line where the plastic ends, and you work hours removing the plastic, you find the paint under the plastic will never quite match the paint that wasn't under the plastic. And there is a line across your hood from the abrasions at the edge of the plastic from the detailer removing the wax. Never Again!!