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Haha really, i'll keep using it until it starts adding BHP on top of the standard amount lol

Barry, you can try fleabay, I got mine off there. They were very cheap and came with the correct Lexus type fitting, but sadly, not Lexus quality as I've never been able to totally eliminate the squeaking that occours intermittently when they're being used. By the way, don't ever go to Kwik- Fit to get your wipers replaced. For convenience I popped in there once to buy some replacements. Kwik-Fit couldn't for the life of them, work out how to remove the old ones!! I left in disgust without buying any blades and got some off e-bay instead. I managed to remove the old ones myself in about 1 minute. (I would never trust Kwik-Fit with my car). On reflection, I would say that genuine Lexus wipers would be your best bet even if they cost more.

I have no desire whatsoever to change from owning my LS400 mk4. These cars are definitely worth throwing money at as they age. What else drives like one of these? A new modern car instead? No thanks. My Mk4 is 14 years old and has just sailed through another M.O.T. with no advisories. That tells you something.

Take look at this http://www.caradvice.com.au/14639/toyota-prius-the-taxi-champion. There are very few stories anywhere of hybrid battery problems. Honestjohn (UK) tells of Glasgow taxis covering 400,000 plus miles without problems. Try a Hybrid on test and see what you think.....it`s incredible motoring, but not as economical as you might think, but certainly significantly more economical than any 3.5 litre petrol engine. Happy motoring. Regards John

If there were mitigating circumstances like you were being chased by violent muggers, or your wife was going to give birth any second you would have a chance, but as said, not being aware of the limit is a non starter I'm afraid. My wife has worked for a firm of solicitors for many years, she would tell you just to accept it, unless anything like the above reasons apply.

It's a pity we can't predict which cars will become sought after classics, with values to match. If I could have seen the future, I would have bought every vw camper, Mk 1 Golf GTI and Ford Cortina in sight, back when they were cheap. It could have been my pension fund. Other cars are sought after by those who may have owned them and formed an attachment in the past, but they do not have mass appeal. It is down to supply and demand. Big, expensive or complex cars are not likely to appreciate dramatically. Exceptions include the E Type jag and to a lesser degree the Mk 2 Jag. However, parts are still available for these cars, thanks to specialists.I love the P6 Rovers, having had several 2000s but they are relatively cheap. The Lexus LS 400 has the potential to be very sought after, which will be good or bad depending on whether you are seeking to buy or to sell. Not many people are aware of just how good they are and as the looks are not its strong point it is all about the driving experience and the fact that it is modern enough for daily use. ( I think they look elegant btw but they are not an E type jag). Compared to the LS430 and later cars they are relatively simple. Spare parts are a concern and perhaps the owners club should look at having common parts manufactured,? This could start with an initial order from members for parts which are no longer available, to cover tooling costs.

On my Mk2 and Mk3 I bought Lexus replacement wiper rubbers. Expensive but don't smear, squeak or rub away at the screen AND they last about 3 years. Other brands just don't perform. Malc

I can see where your coming from but the one big difference between your Rovers of any age and Lexus is that all Rovers were rust buckets and once you have to start hacking large amount of body work metal they become hugely expensive to repair and so they just go to the breakers, this of course is true of many other marques. Its rare even on this Lexus club too see them finish their days because of rust. Replacing mechanicals by comparison is cheap and as long as bodies hold together can go on, many Lexus owners do a lot of the mechanicals themselves keeping costs down where as bodywork needs all sorts of specialised equipment and skills.

The meet was in Notts, There's oe planned for Sheffield next year and another at Notts...Dates TBA.

He also has an ebay registration showing him in Derbyshire. It seems he has a mate there and they swop as and when it gets to hot in a certain area.

Currently own a 2008 RX400H as well as a BMW 335D Automatic Coupe. The BMW is absolutely useless in the snow. Fitted with ultra low profile 19 inch run flats and lots of electronics to stop the wheels spinning it's a car to leave parked up until the weather gets better. Decided about a month ago to investigate winter tyres for the Lexus instead. The stock tyres are Bridgestone Potenza summer tyres, great in the good weather, but they didn't look as if they would be that good in the snow. As I started to investigate I realised that there is a very, very limited choice of winter tyres available in the OEM size of 235 55 18. Also saw that in the USA some RX400h's come with 17 inch rims as standard so I started looking for a secondhand set of 17 rims. These are fitted to the RX 3XX series in the UK and as these cars have been around for a lot longer than the RX400h there is a much better chance of picking up a set of secondhand rims from a breakers. After a few weeks of looking managed to find a set of Lexus 17 alloy rims, complete with centre caps for £150 from a breakers yard in Milton Keynes. One wheel had some scuff marks on the rim---but what the hell, they were only going to be on the car in the bad weather. Then discovered this really useful wheel and tyre size comparator here http://www.rimsntires.com/rt_specs.jsp Comparisons were: OEM 235 55 18, Rim width 7 inches, offset 35mm Proposed new size was going to be 225 65 17, Rim width 6.5 inches, offset 30mm The comparator told me that there would be plenty of clearence and that the difference in diameter would alter the speedometer reading by 1.3% and that at 60mph my speedometer would be reading 60.8mph. I think that I can live with that. Next thing was to source the tyres. Costco had a special offer on---buy four tyres and get another 20% off what are already very competitive prices, although you are restricted to buying Michelin tyres. After a bit more research I settled on the Michelin Latitude Alpin. They had to be ordered in, but arrived within four days. With the discount the tyres worked out to around £146.00 each. Had them fitted to the bare rims and waited for the weather to get worse. Looking at the forecast I decided to fit them on Wednesday of last week----what a transformation. I have been out and about in around 18 inches of snow and the car really drives as if it is on normal roads. Even up steep hills the rear wheel drive rarely kicks in and the really impressive thing is the ability to brake on ice or snow. Unless you are looking at a panic stop the ABS doesn't even need to operate, the car just comes to a fuss free stop. When I told my friends that I was going to invest in winter tyres I received lots of comments about "waste of money" "we never have weather bad enough to justify them". Those same friends are now ringing me up to see if I can give them a lift or get some shopping in for them. Until you have driven in the snow and ice with a decent set of winter tyres you can have no idea of just how good they are. I cannot reccomend them highly enough.

I had the same dead battery prob on my 2007 400H,I got lexus to permanently power up the socket on the floor and bought a £28 solar charger and leave it plugged into the socket when my car is parked up for vacations and have never had any more dead batteries.

Im not a mechanic but do have good understanding of engines - I think the hardest thing would be remembering what went where - but it certainly is back breaking and you would probably skin a few knuckles on the way!

I'm a complete convert. And to start with I was a total sceptic!! So they must work lol Last year the Lexus, even through all that bad stuff, was awesome. Uphill, down hill, on Ice, in the wet etc etc. If you haven't tried them, I would say try them - get a cheap 2nd hand set if you're worried about the cost. I bought 2 off ebay with 5-6mm on each for the rears for £80 for the GS, 2 new ones on the front from www.mytyres.co.uk (all same pattern), and they were brilliant. The crisp turn in on cold dry days, in the wet and of-course the slippy stuff. I have Pirelli Sottozero 2's. EDIT: Now is the best time to buy. They are much cheaper. The tyre fitter also stated that you can run them all year round - especially the Hankook iCepts.