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Hello I went out to my 160k '98 LS400 recently after it had been stood for a few days and the nearside front was down in the weeds, not good. The front spring had decided to break at the bottom near where it sits on the strut, and the rest of the spring had now gone right down to the bottom of the leg. Using OEM Lexus parts is out of the question, having seen the ridiculous prices, so I started shopping around for a pair of springs and shocks. The least expensive I could find for a set of KYB - which I have used on other cars without problem - were coming in at £220 plus delivery. Casting the net wider I looked in California. It is common in the USA for entire struts to be supplied, pre-assembled. So, not only do you not have to mess around with springs compressors, transferring bits and pieces, but you get a new top mount, bottom bush, dust boots etc... No idea why the UK market has not woken up to this idea yet. Anyway I ordered them, and six days later they were sitting in my kitchen - £210 for the pair including air freight and customs charges. Fitting them was a doddle, less than two hours to do both sides working on the driveway. It still drives exactly like a Lexus should, so I am very pleased. I will be ordering a rear set next week - may as well do all four at these prices! Regards Tim

Hi everyone. just wanted to share a few pics of my nice clean IS200 after his bath today. As you can see, he was a mess and now I can take selfies on the side of him! If you are into a bit of detailing then come join our Forum at AutoDetailUK and on facebook, twitter and instagram.

So we've had the car for 1 week, had a few hours free today and given the 'soft' paint of our last Honda I was keen to try and put on some hard sealant. Lots of choice on the market, but went with Wolf's, suppose to last 12 months, but we'll see.... By no means a proper detail (have never been that obsessive :)), but the car scrubs up good and like the way the colour changes with the light!! I'll keep the post updated on how well the coating lasts over the months

So, I left the golf club after lunch and a bird had decorated one side of the car. So home to wash the car on a pretty miserable day. Each to their own, but I just love sporty cars with nice skirts, bumpers and wheels in white. She's a beaut !!

Stuart hi , if I remember correctly from doing my MK2 cig lighter repair, the procedure is pretty much as Roy says in his post . Put the gear shift in low and pull with two hands on the ash tray ,should just pop out . Dont know why you would need the key turned to the ACC position either . Good luck

Just about 4 years. Got onboard with an IS200 Sport (still remember the excitement of buying my first premium car :) ) Now rolling around in a GS.

Well I have just finished fitting the new ABS sensor. At first I was disappointed that the dash warning lights and the message were still visible but as soon as I took the car up the road for a test the warnings disappeared. I think the system reset when the car got up to about 10MPH. All I have to do now is get the old girl through the MOT and I will be smiling for another year. Thanks for all your replies. Steve.