u/Salty_Inspection_740

Hi everyone,
I have a 2018 Lexus CT200h. During a service, I was advised that both front lower control arm bushes were splitting, so I bought genuine Lexus lower control arms and had a local independent garage replace them. They also fitted new front discs and pads.
Before the job, the mechanic said I’d probably need a wheel alignment afterwards. However, once the work was done, he said it wasn’t necessary because the control arms are fixed and there’s nothing to adjust.
Since the replacement, the car drives fine and the steering wheel is centred, so I’m a bit confused. I’ve also noticed the steering feels a bit tighter, and there’s a slight vibration when braking, although the brakes are brand new and have only done about 30–50 miles.
Would you still recommend getting a four-wheel alignment check after replacing the front lower control arms, or is the garage right that it’s not necessary on the CT200h?

My wife has recently been told she is at risk of redundancy and has her first individual consultation meeting with HR on 28 July. She works in tech for a UK product-based software company.
She started on 6 August 2024, so she’ll complete 2 years’ continuous service on 6 August 2026, which seems particularly important as I understand that’s when she’d become entitled to statutory redundancy pay.
From what we’ve been told so far, it looks like her last working day may be Friday 31 July, although nothing has been confirmed yet.
Her contract says the company can either give 4 weeks’ notice or 4 weeks’ pay in lieu of notice (PILON). She also has around 13 days of annual leave remaining. She’s been selected for redundancy based on a selection matrix and has received a relatively low score.
I’m trying to understand a few things. If redundancy is confirmed after the consultation, could the company terminate her employment before 6 August to avoid her reaching two years service? If they decide to pay 4 weeks PILON instead of having her work her notice, does that affect whether she qualifies for statutory redundancy pay? Does her remaining annual leave have any effect on her termination date, or is it simply paid out?
We’re also wondering whether there is usually any room for negotiation in situations like this. Has anyone working in the UK tech industry managed to negotiate an enhanced redundancy package, a later termination date, garden leave, or any other improved exit terms?
Finally, is there anything specific she should ask for or challenge during the individual consultation, particularly regarding the selection matrix and the scores she was given?
Any advice from people who’ve been through a similar situation or who know UK employment law would be greatly appreciated.

During my Lexus dealer (Edinburgh UK) service in May, I was advised to replace both the front brake pads/discs and both front lower suspension arms.

According to the vehicle health check:
Front brake pads: The outer front nearside pad is down to 4 mm (around 78% worn). Lexus advised replacing the front brakes. The report also says the front discs are still above the minimum thickness (23.5 mm vs 22 mm minimum) but are slightly lipped and lightly corroded.
Suspension: Both front lower arm bushes are starting to split out of the casing, and

Lexus advised replacing both front lower suspension arms.

It also notes a slight grease leak from the nearside front lower ball joint, but the boot isn’t torn and there’s no play, so they said it’s okay for now.
I’ve since checked with a few local independent garages, and they’ve all quoted different prices and are using non-OEM parts.
I was thinking of buying genuine Lexus parts myself from Lexus Parts Direct:
Front brake set: £184
Front lower suspension arm: £187 each
One independent garage quoted:
£340 for the front brakes (using Fahren parts)
£524 for the front suspension arms (using Monroe parts)
From what I’ve found online, Fahren and Monroe are aftermarket rather than OEM.
Would you recommend buying the genuine Lexus parts myself and having the garage fit them, or is it generally better to go with the parts supplied by the garage? Also, if anyone can recommend a good independent Lexus/Toyota specialist in or around Edinburgh, I’d really appreciate it.

Hi everyone,
I’m new to Milky Way photography and would appreciate some advice.
I shot this with a Nikon Z6 II and the NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S at 24mm, f/4, 25 seconds, and ISO 1000. I was using Stellarium to locate the Milky Way, so I’m confident I was pointed in the right direction. I’ve attached the image.
One thing I’m confused about is exposure. When shooting the Milky Way, do you try to expose so the camera’s meter reads 0, or do you ignore the meter since the scene is mostly dark?
I shot in RAW and tried editing it in Lightroom, but I couldn’t recover much Milky Way detail without introducing a lot of noise. Looking at my image, does it seem underexposed, or am I missing something else?
What confused me even more was that my friend was using an iPhone 14 Pro Max, and Night Mode showed the Milky Way much more clearly than I could get from my Nikon. I understand the iPhone is doing computational photography and stacking multiple exposures, but I was still expecting a full-frame camera to produce a better result.
Were my settings (24mm, f/4, 20s, ISO 1250) appropriate? Should I have used a higher ISO? Is there a better way to process a single RAW file in Lightroom to bring out the Milky Way?
I’d really appreciate any advice. Thanks!
Link for the raw file Raw File
raw file