Mk4 To 430/460

[ambermarine]

That is Pepe a shining example of the model and is a credit to you and your artisans.On the point of Reg plates I to do not wish to advertise on my Mark 4 or its predeseccor Mark1 but was informed by my plate supplier he as by Law to put on his monica and postcode .I accept that and he made it as small as possible and to that end it does not look out of place it does not have to be a certain size by the ruling but as to be legible to the naked eye.This law only applies on vehicles manufactured after a certain date and if new plates have to be issued because of cherished plates being applied to the vehicle.

[Shiner]

Re the number plates...

I suspect Halfords know what they are doing..so no worries there....

[Lexmanic]

Re the number plates...

I suspect Halfords know what they are doing..so no worries there....

I shouldn't count on it mate. As they have in the past did they insist on photocopying any of your documents "for their records" :megaangry: cos if so they shouldn't as they have no secure storage for your data AND all they need do is record the unique document numbers that your V5 & DL contain . They certainly don't need copies

[PEPE]

Re the number plates...

I suspect Halfords know what they are doing..so no worries there....

I shouldn't count on it mate. As they have in the past did they insist on photocopying any of your documents "for their records" :megaangry: cos if so they shouldn't as they have no secure storage for your data AND all they need do is record the unique document numbers that your V5 & DL contain . They certainly don't need copies

In order to address these points, and insofar as I currently have three cars running on Halfords plates, I went to Halfords myself earlier today, and for the avoidance of doubt here is what I found out:

1. They do not photocopy or scan any documents. All they do is scan a barcode on the V5 document. That information goes straight into the DVLA computers and Halfords DO NOT keep this information in theirs. The purpose of this is to inform DVLA that Halfords has sold new number plates to the person authorised to own them.

2. Albeit discretely the name of Halfords, together with the pertinent postal code is clearly readable by the naked eye, as prescribed by law. The same applies to the BS specification which applies to the numberplate. All this can be clearly seen in the photos I just took for this purpose:

Many thanks for raising these points.

Pepe

[Lexmanic]

I can assure you Halfords did photocopy the docs & kept them for their records. However they were threatened with legal action for breaching the DPA and as a result required to return the documents to the data subject without retaining their details other than the identifying numbers on the said docs

Clearly they have upgraded their systems allowing them direct communication with the DVLA

[Shiner]

So what are you trying to prove Lexmanic?

The question is can one get a new number plate for their car from Halfords or not!...clearly the answer is yes!

End of!

I am amazed at the energy you have for this simple topic!

[Lexmanic]

I'm not trying to prove anything I'm having a discussion about a subject that some may know little of, the so called right claimed by some no. plate makers to hold your personal details, which is unlawful. What are you doing? apart from being snotty that is

[Shiner]

Hi Lexmanic

Sorry I upset you ....didn't mean to!

Being snooty is not my aim...

[Shiner]

Or even snotty

[Adam Evans]

I would just like to say that regarding the number plates and having BS AU 145d stamped on the corner only came into practice on 2001

Whats to say that the blank plate with no advertising isn't the original from 1998

I was told by the police on my import that the spacing was wrong and I must use motorcycle letters and spacing, he let me off but said get it changed. A few days later he caught up with me and said that my plate now had the correct spacing but didn't have any marking of where it came from but as it was on a H Reg car there was a grey area on the law so let me off again, Never been stopped since !!!!

However, if he REALLY wanted to dig, he would have found out that my car was imported in 2003 so that plate was obviously made after 2001.

Anyway, I am not fussed as my Lexus is legal !!!

[Tulpen]

To get back to the main theme of this thread...........I have recently gone from a 1994 LS400 Mk3 to a 2007 LS460.

I bought the LS400 in 1997 and, until the end of 2012, it was our much loved main transport. In 2012 we came to live in Holland and, because the cost of Dutch registration was prohibitive, we decided that it had to go. It wasn't worth much and we decided to give it away. Some of you may remember that I offered it, here on the forum, to anyone who would give it a home. One of the 'senior' members of the forum did just that.

We had always had 2 cars; the LS 400 and a hatchback to carry all the bits and pieces for DIY etc. Here in Holland, used cars are pretty expensive so we decided to replace the LS 400 with a 2009 RX 400h. This was not a complete success. Don't get me wrong, the RX is a nice car .........but!

For a start, the turning circle was terrible (apparently, the older ones are even worse). The starting Battery was not reliable. I left it at Rotterdam Airport for 2 weeks and when I got back, the Battery was flat (apparently this is known glitch and.......older ones are even worse). The batteries take up a lot of room and the luggage carrying capacity is not as good as you would think.

Anyway, my lovely lady wife and I were discussing the car one day and I asked her what she thought. Her answer was short and to the point 'It's not an LS'.

So.......a few days later I went back to the dealership where I bought the RX, and came to an arrangement with the sales guy. For a small consideration, he was willing to swop the RX for a 2007 LS 460. The 460 was the garage demonstrator for 2 years before becoming the personal transport of a company director. It had just over 40,000 miles on the clock (62,000km).

I don't need to tell you how great it is to be driving an LS again.

The LS 460 has lots of electronic wizardry, some of which I doubt I'll ever use, but some of the innovations since 1994 are really useful. I find the automatic parking brake and the parking brake ''Hold' function really useful. The 8-speed box is a joy and the 'looking round corners' headlamps are amazingly useful.

The automatic parking function is, in my opinion, a bit of a gimmick, and I prefer to do it myself. The parking sensors have already justified their inclusion.

The main thing is - it's an LS. Going from the 1994 LS 400 to a 2007 LS 460 was absolutely no problem. All the controls, switches and indicators are exactly where they should be. It is quiet, powerful, comfortable and great fun to drive.......just like the 400.

As I said, it's an LS.

So, don't worry if your 400 gets to the end of its days (or becomes un-economical to maintain)......the 430/460 is waiting.

[Shiner]

Hi Tulpen

Just in case you didn't know, the LS460 was voted the World Car of the Year back in 2007!

Hope it gives you years of pleasure...I too hope to own one when a one , with the right owner credentials comes along!

Shiner

[Tulpen]

Thanks for that Shiner,

I, too, hope that the legendary Lexus reliability continues with the 460. The 400 was incredible; it never let me down. I had it serviced regularly and it repaid me by giving me sterling service.

The only problems were self inflicted by myself or my good lady. There were a few front and back bumper scrapes and we both managed to take the car through a car wash with the radio aerial extended. The first time was in 2000, in Scotland. The Lexus dealer told me that the complete aerial needed replacing at a cost of 285 pounds. The second time it happened, in 2002, we were on holiday in Holland. I called into the local Lexus garage expecting to have to pay the same again. The mechanic told me that Lexus recommended an aerial change but that it only needed an insert. The insert for a Toyota Camry is a perfect fit. He fitted it for me in 5 mins for a total price of 30 pounds.

Hopefully, with integral antennae and parking sensors, I won't have these problems with the 460. Famous last words..........