Newbie from Cornwall, (Living in Poland)

CDB1984 · April 13, 2017

Thought I would drop in to say hello as I've been reading through this site with interest when looking for how to guides on some of the jobs I've decided to take on myself over the last year.

We bought our LS430 a year ago and its been quite a journey, I've had quite a few Lexi over the years including an is300 (First shape) and an SC430 and after a break and 5 years of BMW ownership which came to an end when the e90 we had was stolen I decided it was time to get back in a Lexus, I test drove an IS250 and then had a look at the is200t and didn't really feel anything for them, (especially not as I would have to finance them)

I had a look at an older LS430 (2005) and decided that it was the car for me, On the plus side it could be bought outright without any extra monthly costs above maintenance and fuel which was a bonus, On the flip side they are fairly thirsty beasts (Compared to diesel BMW's) After a little bit of convincing my wife agreed and we came home with an 05 LS430 with a shade over a 100k miles with full service history and 1 owner from new in reasonable condition bar a non functioning navi and steering telescopic motor.

After driving it to Poland to visit the in laws (Literally the day after buying it) I found the ride to be very bouncy indeed, Further investigation revealed that 3 shock absorbers were totally gone, (Somehow it passed an MOT the day before)

Whilst in Poland an LPG system was installed along with a fuel tank hidden where the spare wheel used to be, Filler is hidden behind the petrol flap to make the system practically invisible. Currently a return trip to Poland which we do every month costs around 100 quid which is similar to our old 4 banger german disaster with no noticeable loss in performance.

Without to much ado and realising I will be travelling large distances within Poland during the summer months I opted to swap out the potentially problematic air suspension for coil-overs as firstly they were far cheaper than replacing 3 blown shocks at 700 GBP a piece and secondly they are cheaper to replace if/when they go wrong.

The end result was a massive car, very low on rather small wheels which I thought looked strange,

Cue a search of Yahoo Auctions Japan and a few weeks later I had a set of 19" RTS trafficstar wheels which I thought to be a massive improvement,

After fitting them I thought they looked much better however after 6 months I decided that the rear needs more dish, The Trafficstars were 8.5j all round, Not ideal but after searching for many months these were all I could find.

More yahoo Auctions action yielded a set of 19" Riverside Lehrmiester wheels, 9j fronts and 10j rears, Made by the same company as the first set I knew the quality should be good and decided to bid, 3 weeks later they arrive at My flat in Poznan, A set of 4 Uniroyal rainsport 3's later and They are fitted!

Also in the midst of all this I had the rear 3 windows tinted in a light smoke and fitted a set of Chrome Pillars from the USA,

After spending far to much time trawling Yahoo Auctions and also Up Garage a ING Aero Kit and a new Navigation drive turned up this morning at our flat in Poland, Booked into the bodyshop for next week as I thought I may as well make a trip worthwhile.

I know modifying these things isn't to everyones taste but personally I love the outcome and think they look fantastic with larger wheels and the aero kit, After spending 2 weeks test driving (Brand new) replacements for this one I couldn't find anything I would rather drive 3000 miles a month in. (Now to get that navi working)

Oh and the old wheels didn't go to waste, Set of new tyres and they fit the wifes is200 perfectly :) (More on this one later..... )

Anyway thanks for reading and more pictures to follow post bodyshop visit!

The Lexus Enthusiast · April 14, 2017

Wow, the first pic of the car all OEM looks stunning, and what better country on earth to cruise along in the 430

I myself was born in UK but am Polish. Would love to move out there permanently with our LS430s

Also congrats on the LPG system, I had not known that you can hide all trace of it!

Enjoy the car and wszystkiego najlepszego!

Alex

Bluesman · April 14, 2017

Hi Chris and welcome to the LOC. We are a friendly bunch so please don’t hold back asking questions big or small should you have any problems with your car. We always welcome ideas on how to overcome problems with our cars but as they are the finest cars in the universe they don’t go wrong that often.

Great to see another LPGer. Enjoy.

Happy Lexus Motoring.

Mike.

The Lexus Enthusiast · April 15, 2017

Seems I completely overlooked that this was your first post on here. So I should add, welcome.

Alex

steve2006 · April 15, 2017

Hello and welcome to the LOC.

What a brilliant first post with lots of pictures and a great detailed write up!

The car looks excellent with all the subtle modifications, is an LPG kit cheaper to buy and install in Poland compared with the UK?

Regarding the 3 defective air struts after a new MOT did not not consider consider appealing the pass result with VOSA as it sounds like it should have been failed and did you contact the previous owner to discuss this major and expensive problem?

At the end of the day you have done a great job and obviously spent some money but got the end result you needed.

Just thought could you let me know which agent you used for Yahoo Japan please?

CDB1984 · April 15, 2017

Hello and thanks for the welcome!

With regards to the LPG system it cost just under 1000 GBP (Depending on exchange rate) fully fitted, Could have it done cheaper in Poland however its very much a country where you get what you pay for and the vapour injection systems can be done for less than 500 however the payoff is economy and performance, I have noticed any difference in either with 25mpg being the norm. The only very slight annoyance is when sat at traffic lights you can hear the slight ticking of the injectors but I see that as testament to how quiet the car is as in any other car you wouldn't hear it.

(Alex I will take some pictures of the install if you're interested, The only thing visable in the engine bay is the "Reduktor" I don't know what its called in English, And the fuel gauge in the interior which is woefully inaccurate in any case) The rest is all hidden, I park in an underground garage when in PL so its essential that nobody knows its on LPG :)

As for the MOT, I wasn't aware that I could complain? Its nearly expired in any case now and all the issues I found we just had sorted on subsequent trips to Poland. brake discs, Wheel bearings, and front wishbone bushes being the main issues in addition to the suspension. at least its now sorted for a few years and should fly through the next one!

As for ordering parts from Japan, I use Nengun, They aren't the cheapest however the service i've received from them has been truly excellent and I would highly recommend, Items come very well packed too and are reasonably quick, The aero kit I bought was a copy of the ING kit and was supposed to be a cheap FRP copy. It arrived on Thursday and it transpires its ABS plastic as per the original! (Not bad for 150 GBP) However Tuesday will reveal how well it fits!

Bluesman, I Agree 100% With the exception of basic maintenance and a little bit of catching up on the previous owners lack of fixing small issues These things truly are bombproof in terms of reliability, Especially for what is now a 12 year old car with 115k on the clock. I honestly don't know what could replace it (Except a new LS600 however they are way out of budget for now)

The Lexus Enthusiast · April 15, 2017

5 hours ago, CDB1984 said:

Hello and thanks for the welcome!

With regards to the LPG system it cost just under 1000 GBP (Depending on exchange rate) fully fitted, Could have it done cheaper in Poland however its very much a country where you get what you pay for and the vapour injection systems can be done for less than 500 however the payoff is economy and performance, I have noticed any difference in either with 25mpg being the norm. The only very slight annoyance is when sat at traffic lights you can hear the slight ticking of the injectors but I see that as testament to how quiet the car is as in any other car you wouldn't hear it.

(Alex I will take some pictures of the install if you're interested, The only thing visable in the engine bay is the "Reduktor" I don't know what its called in English, And the fuel gauge in the interior which is woefully inaccurate in any case) The rest is all hidden, I park in an underground garage when in PL so its essential that nobody knows its on LPG :)

As for the MOT, I wasn't aware that I could complain? Its nearly expired in any case now and all the issues I found we just had sorted on subsequent trips to Poland. Brake discs, Wheel bearings, and front wishbone bushes being the main issues in addition to the suspension. at least its now sorted for a few years and should fly through the next one!

As for ordering parts from Japan, I use Nengun, They aren't the cheapest however the service i've received from them has been truly excellent and I would highly recommend, Items come very well packed too and are reasonably quick, The aero kit I bought was a copy of the ING kit and was supposed to be a cheap FRP copy. It arrived on Thursday and it transpires its ABS plastic as per the original! (Not bad for 150 GBP) However Tuesday will reveal how well it fits!

Bluesman, I Agree 100% With the exception of basic maintenance and a little bit of catching up on the previous owners lack of fixing small issues These things truly are bombproof in terms of reliability, Especially for what is now a 12 year old car with 115k on the clock. I honestly don't know what could replace it (Except a new LS600 however they are way out of budget for now)

Very nice of you to offer Chris, if you get a few spare minutes any photos would be brill (we love our photos here on the LOC) I have often wondered if performance is decreased at all following fitting an LPG system, and if it feels/sounds different to drive?

Cheers,

Alex

CDB1984 · April 15, 2017

12 minutes ago, The Lexus Enthusiast said:

Very nice of you to offer Chris, if you get a few spare minutes any photos would be brill (we love our photos here on the LOC) I have often wondered if performance is decreased at all following fitting an LPG system, and if it feels/sounds different to drive?

Cheers,

Alex

Here you go, Excuse the mess in the boot, We have just driven to Poland for Easter and its still full of junk!

Heres the boot,

Under the false floor where the spare wheel used to be, (Can of Tyre weld and ADAC membership has replaced the spare wheel, Not ideal but carrying around a full sized spare is a bit impractical)

The filler behind the fuel door, Given every EU country has a different filling nozzle it made sense to install the threaded filler and then we can use the adaptor according to which country we are in.

With the British and Dutch Bayonet connecter, (By far the least user friendly of all the filling systems)

Fuel Gauge

Engine Bay, Note the slightly cut out engine cover in the top left had corner to make space for the Reduktor (Vaporiser i think)

And thats pretty much it, As for Drivability I personally can't tell the difference, It starts on Petrol and switches to gas once the coolant is up to temp totally seamlessly, No hesitation etc just a beeping sound from the module. When it runs out of gas it switches back to petrol with no hesitation. Usually when under load and low on LPG it will switch back. MPG is between 23 and 28 depending on how I drive, I think the wife gets closer to 30 on a run but she drives quite slowly.

As I mentioned earlier the only thing I notice is a very slight ticking sound coming from the injectors when idling at lights, You can't hear this outside the car so I'm thinking the noise is being transmitted through the bulkhead. I'm being very picky as it really isn't loud at all,

All said and done I think my 15 years of car ownership it was probably the best investment I've ever made on a car. Its a great feeling driving around with a silky smooth v8 and it costing peanuts to run.

Long term longevity. Allegedly these engines have hardened valve seats from the factory so flashlube isn't required however to be on the safe side I run it on petrol for 100 or so miles a month to both keep the petrol injectors in good order and also to prevent any valve seat recession.

Bluesman · April 15, 2017

Great stuff. I smile to myself every time I go into pay.

Spacewagon52 · April 15, 2017

7 hours ago, CDB1984 said:

The rest is all hidden, I park in an underground garage when in PL so its essential that nobody knows its on LPG :)

Excuse my ignorance, but why is it essential that people do not know it is on LPG? Theft?

The Lexus Enthusiast · April 15, 2017

1 hour ago, CDB1984 said:

Here you go, Excuse the mess in the boot, We have just driven to Poland for Easter and its still full of junk!

Heres the boot,

Under the false floor where the spare wheel used to be, (Can of Tyre weld and ADAC membership has replaced the spare wheel, Not ideal but carrying around a full sized spare is a bit impractical)

The filler behind the fuel door, Given every EU country has a different filling nozzle it made sense to install the threaded filler and then we can use the adaptor according to which country we are in.

With the British and Dutch Bayonet connecter, (By far the least user friendly of all the filling systems)

Fuel Gauge

Engine Bay, Note the slightly cut out engine cover in the top left had corner to make space for the Reduktor (Vaporiser i think)

And thats pretty much it, As for Drivability I personally can't tell the difference, It starts on Petrol and switches to gas once the coolant is up to temp totally seamlessly, No hesitation etc just a beeping sound from the module. When it runs out of gas it switches back to petrol with no hesitation. Usually when under load and low on LPG it will switch back. MPG is between 23 and 28 depending on how I drive, I think the wife gets closer to 30 on a run but she drives quite slowly.

As I mentioned earlier the only thing I notice is a very slight ticking sound coming from the injectors when idling at lights, You can't hear this outside the car so I'm thinking the noise is being transmitted through the bulkhead. I'm being very picky as it really isn't loud at all,

All said and done I think my 15 years of car ownership it was probably the best investment I've ever made on a car. Its a great feeling driving around with a silky smooth v8 and it costing peanuts to run.

Long term longevity. Allegedly these engines have hardened valve seats from the factory so flashlube isn't required however to be on the safe side I run it on petrol for 100 or so miles a month to both keep the petrol injectors in good order and also to prevent any valve seat recession.

Wow, Chris, that is great. Thanks for making all that effort. It is good to hear how performance and overall feel is not at all effected by it and how well you have hidden it away. We have always been tested to go down the LPG route and this is very persuasive

Cheers,

Alex

Bluesman · April 15, 2017

1 hour ago, The Lexus Enthusiast said:

Wow, Chris, that is great. Thanks for making all that effort. It is good to hear how performance and overall feel is not at all effected by it and how well you have hidden it away. We have always been tested to go down the LPG route and this is very persuasive

Cheers,

Alex

Dont waste any more time or your money on exspensive petrol. I am paying 44p a litre. Go on you know it makes sense.

CDB1984 · April 28, 2017

Finally back from the Bodyshop, Had a few other small things repaired along with the Aero Kit fitting, Personally I love the look, Not too in your face with the skirts and rear diffuser being OEM Toyota and the front being a subtle ING lip. (Covers the kerb damage nicely too)

Now as with everything there is always something else that needs doing... Currently on the lookout for some new exhaust tailpipes as the original ones now look a little bit lost in the rear bumper. Not really wanting to change the exhaust as I love the sound of silence when driving.

Annoyingly my Celsior Navi drive doesn't quite fit either, There is one small plug that doesn't fit into the drive, (The rest fit perfectly) which I think is the video/visual output to the main screen, Anyone have a wiring diagram for the Navi ECU? Also looking for where I can source Toyota/Lexus OEM plugs :)

steve2006 · April 29, 2017

On 15/04/2017 at 7:52 PM, Spacewagon52 said:

Excuse my ignorance, but why is it essential that people do not know it is on LPG? Theft?

I would think due to the additional risk of fire and explosion should the system develop a leak below ground level and the lack of access (low roof) for emergency vehicles to attend if needed.

I understand that LPG vehicles are also banned from Eurostar for similar reasons.

CDB1984 · May 2, 2017

I prefer the LPG to be hidden for 2 reasons, Firstly I can't stand the sight of unsightly fillers reminding me that i'm a cheapskate, Secondly its down to where we park, (Underground garage) Despite LPG conversions coming on in huge leaps and bounds since their heyday in the 90's people still seem to be of the opinion that they all leak gas which simply isn't the case, (Single point ones possibly as they usually smell of gas) Modern systems have a 3 stage cut off system and don't have the facility to vent gas into the atmosphere unlike the old ones. When the ignition is off the gas supply is cut off at the tank using a solenoid and in the engine bay. Theres another cut off somewhere else as well but all my manuals are in Polish,

For this reason there is a blanket ban on LPG cars in underground parking lots, Most people in Poland ignore this judging by the sheer amount of perfectly visable LPG fillers on display in our underground car park but I preferred not to draw attention to it. Parking outside simply isn't an option as car theft rates in Poland are insane and having already lost one car recently we are a little bit paranoid.

As for using Eurotunnel, I would never use it again in any case, Much prefer the relaxing ferry crossing as its less claustrophobic and as we bulk buy crossings through the business it works out at less than 20quid each way.

Finally got back after the May weekend so thought I would take a couple of pictures of the car in daylight :)