Leaderboard

Being disabled myself I get fed up with those who say "I saw a bloke pull into a disabled bay & it was clear he wasn't disabled" 1st how the hell do they know, simple they don't but they think it gives them the right to park in those bays. I had one *** market trader who was blocking one of the very few disabled bays in the town centre say to me when asked to move the boxes filling the bay "you people think you can park anywhere" I asked "who are these you people you refer to" A great deal more was said but I won't bore you suffice to say he/they have been banned by the town clerk from plying their junk at the market. A previous post referred to someone leaving their vehicle with walking sticks obviously pretending to be disabled because once in the store they didn't need them. My response to that is once thay had a shopping trolley they wouldn't need the stick as the trolley would act like a Zimmer frame. Also if their limp was for the beneifit of the DSS who might be videoing them why would they stop once in the store, would'nt the DSS follow them into the store, of course they would so that comment is utter nonsence like many I see on the web It amazes me that many who critize the benefits the disabled aquire are actually jealous of us. Anyone can have my disability AND benefits provided I can be well again. Any takers?

If you leave the alloys without washing them the brake dust will turn them that colour for no cost.

I had a feeling that some would not get where I'm coming from. To the posters who seem to be in denial that some people have blue badges who do not need them, please credit me with some intelligence. I'm aware that some medical conditions are not obvious, and I'm not talking about people using shopping trolleys to support them. I'm talking about the people who so obviously do not fit the criteria "having a substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking" it is ludicrous. I have worked with people with various disabilities, injuries and illnesses, including assessing them and helping them return to work and know a little about this. and many people in my area are abusing the system, it may be different in your area although I doubt it. The damage these people do is twofold. They take up spaces which are then denied people with genuine mobility issues, and they also increase the potential for the able bodied to disregard disabled markings and park inconsiderately by reducing levels of empathy for the genuine. Not something I would do, but one reason, perhaps why people do it. I would not like to put a percentage on those who are abusing the system, but I reckon most would be astonished how high it is (disregarding those who use relatives' blue badges etc. which takes it even higher). If in doubt, take note next time you go shopping etc. Strangely, I have noticed that some people with the most severe disabilities sometimes seem to be more determined to be independent and don't even appear to have applied for blue badges. I sometimes see them really struggling from the far reaches of the car park, even when disabled spaces are available.

An article I read in a motoring magazine seems to suggest that green coolant is good for 2 years and red for 5 years. I've just bought 5 litres of Toyota red concentrate to replace mine after 5.

I have no time for able-bodied people who park in disabled spaces, but just because somebody appears to be able to walk away from their car unaided does not mean that they do not have a disability which requires them to park close to their destination. Disabilities come in many forms, and there are many medical conditions which mean that a person has no obvious mobility problems, but that they may have very little energy and are unable to walk any distance. Prosthetic limbs have also improved hugely these days, to the point that it may not be obvious that somebody is using one. Heart or lung ailments may reduce the distance that somebody can walk. And the list goes on. OP: have you posted the photos on YPLAC? (Sorry, it's NSFW so you'll need to search for it if you don't already know what it is!)

Bill, yes, that was it's first water pump at 105k miles! The mechanic said it'd probably do it again before needed replacing, but as I gave them all the parts (I gave him the timing belt, tensioner, water pump w/new gasket, fresh concentrated coolant and spark plugs to do), he did it anyway and it was fortunate it did get changed or that gasket/leak would never have been spotted - prior to seeing this, I hadn't noticed any coolant loss. Toyota is now using even longer life Pink coolant, but I have lots of toyotas which use Red so have a stash of Red coolant (20L drum!) - I'll dig out the name as it is the same as the Toyota branded stuff but industrial sized as they use this in the service department workshops at Toyota dealers. I got this from Toyota parts for £22 inc vat. Oil, filters and Coolant are not expensive really from the dealers, the main thing is to change them frequently! Plus if you use your dealer parts counters, make sure they open an account on their system for you! I managed to get almost 50% off my Lexus water pump & gasket (£48 all in!) the cheap nasty eBay ones cost more than that (plus delivery!) as I do put business their way and like I said on a different post, they do have the occasional offer on oil (£15 inc vat for 5L) and the buy 3 service items, get the fourth item free promotion. Brake Pads are also OK prices compared to cheaper rubbish. One other point to note is that when I saw the spark plugs that were removed, it was obvious that whoever did the 60k service was a blaggard as the hard-to-get-to rear 3 plugs had never been changed, whereas the front 3 had! I was glad I got the plugs done at the same time as the timing belt, as this saves the engine being pulled about again in 12k to get at them, plus with the mileage we do (and assuming we keep the RX long enough) they'll get done again when the Timing Belt is next due. The garage I used charged £412 inc vat, but I probably won't be using them again as they snapped a few under tray bolts, didn't change the ATM, Power Steering and Transfer & Diff box fluids (which I supplied) as requested and took a week! :/ Hard to find a good Indy this way especially with Lex knowledge. I will be trying Toyoda Tech (or whatever they are called now) in Southampton next.

Ok so today was a trip to ligh****er valley. Set the cruise control on at 70mph as I wasn't in a hurry. It works about 60 miles for me so 120 miles in total 3 adults and 2 children in the car in normal mode + a heavy picnic hamper. Managed 35.4 mpg :) I'm going to Gloucester for a wedding in 2 weeks. It's 340 miles in total so will post that up too

Hello Guys. I've decided to give a lexi fresh look with the alloys Feerygreey custom made colour from cardip What you think guys?

I also agree that Ian Duncan Smith should take up fishing and maybe a game of bingo every fortnight rather than sitting in Westminster. I seem to have open a can of worms here, I didn't start this topic to have a discussion about who's wrong or right. Maybe it's best if admin deletes this topic and we all continue to post about the many, many faults of the Lexus Ls :)

Hi and welcome to the LOC, we are a friendly bunch and some of us even know how to pull them to bits and put them back together again, with of course the one bolt and washer left over. Regards Mike.

I am just not a lover of black wheels, Silver seems to highlight the car much better. I'm old, cant help it. Mike.

........... I used to find it brilliant when taking my late dear old mum local shopping, opticians, hearing aid shop, pharmacy, bank, post office etc etc just to be able to park on a double yellow outside and feel a little smug .......... with her blue badge of course ............. and when she was about 91 then . and a few years prior too ( and in a wheelchair often ) Two proverbial fingers to the traffic wardens gave me a sense of a little empowerment, reversing the usual feeling. Malc

Yes, ASC through the ML would be a cool mod. :) 5.1 Exhaust, that's a new type of boombox.

The TM button is for TrafficMaster - http://www.lrseries.com/shop/product/listing/17266/LRSNAV-TRAFFICMASTER-SMART-NAV-SYSTEM-GPS.html As Chris says, the module on the dash with a wire in it is a GPS receiver. Quite possibly from the TraffiMaster install. And also as Chris says, the standard sat nav is not worth the time or money to fit. You'll end up having to strip the entire inside of the vehicle, change the entire wiring loom, quite possibly the stereo and/or amplifier, and at the end of it you'll have a 10+ year out of date, non touch screen, non 3D sat nav.

Thanks Gang, very informative! I'm not in a rush (although I generally find instant gratification is too slow) as I've a year or so left on my Lexus PCP. However, much as I love the IS I really don't see me paying off the balloon and keeping it! Both the new Tesla's look interesting, I like the NX F Sport too so it could be an interesting year or so. Unfortunately my wife finds this all very wearing and dull so thank goodness for forums like this! Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

Cant find that through the link, registered and still cant find it but in the meantime here is one for all the law abiding motorist able or disabled to warm your heart and to see someone get payback.

Rock on Hugh I am with you all the way. Mike.

Red is long life coolant and needs replacing every 2 years, pink is super long life and is replaced every 5 years (after the initial 10 year factory fill). I think a 2003 RX uses Red, check your service schedule and typically there is a sticker to indicate extra long life coolant is used. Toyota red coolant sometimes needs to be diluted with demineralised water, typically it is pre-mixed for supply in the UK.

Hello as far as I am aware Lexus Birmingham where I take my RX has always uses the red fluid and in fact I did not know there was a pink. Maybe other people will know more. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

My LS430 runs on LPG. To fill the tank is about 75 litres, which is about 16.5 gallons. For that I get a range of about 350 miles. My daily 120 mile commute is a mix of country lanes, main roads, dual carriage way, motorway and a little bit of city driving. So, 350 miles using 16.5 gallons is about 21mpg. LPG has a lower calorific value than petrol. However, you have to factor in the cheaper fuel. I pay 52p per litre for LPG. My local Tesco is selling unleaded at 116.9p Therefore, LPG is about 2.25 times cheaper than unleaded. So, on a pound-to-pound basis I am getting the equivalent of 47.25 mpg As the car already had the LPG conversion done when I bought it, I am not having to offset the cost of the installation, although I probably paid a small premium on the price of the car. There are websites where, if you are thinking of converting your car to LPG, you can put in all the essential figures and it will calculate how many miles you will have to travel to reach break even point. I am on my third LPG car (this LS430, Mercedes S-Class and a Mondeo), and have no complaints.

Thanks for the advice chris/dennis. I think i'll go for the later 19" RX wheels as they don't shout "boy racer" (unlike many of the aftermarket rims available). I'm aware of keeping insurers informed ... back in 2008 I had a very modified Citroen AXGT on the road at the same time as my current BMW 730ise. The Citroen insurance was double that of the beemer! (But it would keep up with E38 540i's). Just for the record I'm old enough to be a grandfather, so don't start thinking I'm some yoof looking to bling up me ride.

I've heard of a few occasions where only the front three plugs have been changed. The rear ones are a real pain to get to, no special tools needed just time which people unfamiliar with the vehicle will underestimate.

Alright Janner (that was said in my best West Country accent) Used to work with a ton of Janners in Brizzul lol

I did post pics of the car including registration all over Facebook :) And no, it did not have a blue badge displayed. In reply to a post - I see people without badges park in disabled bays at Asda, or other public car parks all the time. To park in a designated disabled space in a small, private car park, far away from the main road and at a dead end which has large signs saying 'RESIDENT PARKING ONLY', tops my list of inconsideration, anti social behaviour and simply being a selfish ****. amen :)

I dont need to know :eerrrmm: its a spanking car too drive,does what it says on the tin and all for lemonade purchase money,so whether its doing commute or out for jollys at the weekend or on Holiday, its a joy too drive B) just fill um up lads its a V8 after all

I'm not ready to pull the trigger for a while, and the Tesla is certainly well in the running. I'm not sure I'll buy brand new though. Although the experience is a great one the depreciation is a killer, especially as I like changing my cars every few years. We will see, I've time to do some more research! Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

I believe the series I RX plug schedule is every 60k miles therefore they wouldn't need doing until 120k miles. Seems Lexus were correct and the independent wrong.

My LS400 Mk4 on LPG returns 21 (calculated) long term.That's with a fair bit of motorway and dual carriageway driving. I can get an indicated 30 if I fill up at a motorway service station and cruise sensibly, but the indicated MPG is what I would be getting from petrol, not what I actually get on LPG

You started with a Fabia? Blimey you must be a baby my first car was a 1965 Mini I bought for £50 (and I was done!) it was only 6 years old at the time. I have a list somewhere, its long and varied with some very nice what now would be considered classics........if only we knew then what we (think) we know now!