Smart key

I had a similar problem about 18 months ago. No-one could figure out what to do until a breakdown guy took a very large screwdriver and equally large hammer and hit the steering column underneath. Problem solved for about a year. Next time it happened, even a hammer couldn't sort the problem. Our local Lexus dealer (Lexus Guildford in the UK) spent hours trying to sort the problem (I am absolutely certain that they didn't charge me for most of those hours). In the end the steering lock needed to be replaced at a cost of £2000! There is a computer, just for the steering lock, which is the justificaion for the high price Why would I pay that much to sort a 2001 car with 120,000 miles on it? Simply because I can't think of a car I would prefer to drive on long journeys. Lexus cars very rarely go wrong, but when they do, they cost! I've had 3 Lexus cars over the last 17 years, and the cost of running a Lexus is about a quarter of the cost of running my previous car, a Mercedes S Class.