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The new (used) unit arrived this morning, all plastics transferred and the unit fitted back into the car - less than an hour! But boy is it good to have the reverse camera back but in addition EVERYTHING now works... Won't be attaching GPS sucker to screen any more - it's too expensive a mistake! Very many thanks Chris for your help that I couldn't have done without. So now have just the RX400h Nav screen complete with plastics vent grills for sale if anybody is interested. Regards, Jim

For anyone worried about a cat back exhaust invalidating the Lexus extended warranty policy.... It doesn't, I called the Lexus extended warranty company directly and it is viewed as an enhancement to an existing part as the cats are retained :) Stu

I have been inspired by some photos posted on the forum showing members vehicles in various interesting and beautiful locations:- Here is mine:- A castle built by Henry VIII!

Nice spread of Motors there Nigel,man after my own Heart,would like an old Laurel or cedric,also an old Cressida would be nice too :) There are a few lads at work that are well into the JDM Retro stuff Give uz the nod when there is another track day like that,would love to stretch the legs on my 460 quid LS :D

Doubt the single missing locating screws would make any difference as the wheel bolts it all up tight. Check you didn't loose any balancing weights off the wheels when doing the job!

Bought my Rx 400 Se 3 years ago and the battery was a couple of years old then ... I leave it stood for weeks on end all the time (I do less than 4k a year) ... I have no solar panels, no trickle charger and had no problems, evidence seems to suggest this may be just an Sel problem .... namely the Levinson audio system ...I think it may be the 2 extra speakers ... lol has anyone else checked thier amp lately ... >>>>

It depends how big the potholes are, if it has air suspension & how much air is in your tyres ... It is a car not a hovercraft and uk roads arent the best... lol .... if you do think there is something wrong though take it back to the dealer sooner rather than later ... You should always do your homework on different specs/options available & be sure to get the spec you want.... as regards the Rx 450 Sel's ride ..."lexus is a lexus" ....is not always the case I'm afraid it depends which options you want & which model you buy ... heres a quote from the telegraph regards the Rx 450 Sel ride ... "The powertrain may be flawless, but the £50,460 RX 450h SE-L's ride quality isn't. Criticism of the previous car has stung Lexus into trying to make it handle like a saloon, which it never will. The upshot is a WOE that corners acceptably, but sacrifices too much straight line ride comfort, leaving customers no choice but to pay for an optional air suspension which does much to rectify the damage done."

Still do. The Laurel flew through its MoT earlier this month and I used it for work yesterday. Here's the other one, with a bonus Lexus that isn't mine: #6 On the road again by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr After three years of being stored in the previous (and only other) owner's garage it also went straight through its MoT. Free tax too! It does need a clutch and tyres ideally, and a service, but I use it every so often. And all of my non-daily drivers together: Toys by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr Horses nothing to do with me! Camry estate was written-off with rear end damage, I have a tailgate and bumper to get it repaired as it was such a handy old thing, but while the Lexus is on the road as a second car to my Avensis Tourer daily driver there's little point. And I have another Camry as a project/spares car....

In regards to aftermarket pads sometimes the sides of the back plate need to be grinded down a little bit. Pads might seize up because of heat. I would not recommend using 'Copper Slip' for aluminium brake calipers. Furthermore 'Copper Slip' dries out and disappears in high temperature. By the way OEM pads are ceramic ones. Next time get: Toyota high temp brake shim grease: 08887-80409 (due to ls400/UCF20 repair manual) or for EXTREME temperature get stuff like 'PERMATEX 24125 Ceramic Extreme' brake parts lubricant (-46°C to 1649°C ) or or GRANVILLE Ceramic Brake Grease ..............................................................................................(-40°C to +1200°C) PS: I am wondering if anyone tried ATE Plastilube yet? (Not sure if -45°C bis 180°C is enough but should be good for the rear brake) 'ATE Plastilube' is a clear, high temperature grease designed for braking components. Also works great for window regulators, sunroof mechanisms,plastic gears and rubber bushings.

You can get them from anywhere online and just get Lexus to fit them

first thing to do is burp the system it is quite easy, but it takes time. start the car and turn the temp up to full take the res cap of and wait. you will see the water rise and burp air out after every burp add coolant keep going till no more burps, this can take 20 to 30 mins. also change the thermostat it is very easy to do, it will take 10 mins. one more question do all vents blow cold are just or two, if that is the case you have a servo issue?

I just had to leave the Waftomatic at home and go lubricate the environment,with a Cheshire grin for a jolly along my local coast :)

This is what owning a cheap, fun car should be all about. Well done that man.

To give you an idea of the dirt on the front seat a couple of photos taken while cleaning the drivers seat with saddle soap tonight. Regards Iain

Most motorists DIY shops will sell rolls of double side tape for attaching things to cars.

Japan vs. Anywhere else, any day!

If it helps, you can buy this by the metre on Amazon or eBay. We just got some for our Celica as one of the roof rail rubbers had started to lift, so we removed it and used the double-sided tape to stick it back down after cleaning the old one off. I'm currently on the hunt for the off-side rear quarter plastic trim as mentioned as this is missing on my car at present and Lexus won't sell it without the whole glass unit! They seem fairly tricky to come by and quite a common issue!

The reason for the next operation was intended to compare the digitiser screen with that on the unit removed from a 400h, to do this meant dismantling not only the defective unit removed from my car but also dismantling the perfectly useable but unsuitable 400h unit bought in error. First job was to remove the plastic outer shell from the defective Nav unit, the plastic shell comprising the air vent grills will later be fitted to the replacement (used) unit bought on eBay a day ago. Attempting to get at the Digitiser screen the next job was to remove the switch unit mounted below - held by six self tapping screws, with the switch unit now dangling on its short multi wire harness the digitiser screen comes into full view appearing to be held in place by four screws, with these screws undone the screen showed no signs of wanting to release although the screen's ribbon connection became clearly visible and could have been disconnected using a pair of tweezers, at this point I had to review my future needs. With a correct replacement (used) Nav screen due to arrive within a few days - and a now redundant perfectly serviceable 400h unit there is no point cutting OEM cable ties on the 400h unit just for the sake of making a comparison of the digitiser screen, but having gone this far it has been possible to identify the digitiser screen by a part number embossed on its stainless steel frame, the number, presumably manufactured by Futaba Ten, is: # 134835-121. Jim

What a pair of oldies, Ians been, gone and come back again. Nurse !! pills please. Mike.

Paul, great bike, great spot too. I used to ride its smaller stablemate years ago, a 250cc YDS7. Had great fun on that bike. Love 2-strokes. All that blue smoke!! fantastic. The environmentalists eventually killed them off, of course. Shame really, they had real character and were fast for their size. Today's diesels are proving just as environmentally damaging. The latest VW doctored 'emission tests' hide the fact that NOx and particulates are actually at harmful levels despite todays technology. Are 'dirty diesels' days numbered, I wonder?

Is it actually the boot (tonneau ) cover rattling?

Here service interval is every 15.000 km. (less than 10000 miles), with a intermediate and complete service alternating. Intermediate is basically a change of oil and filters.

Just as a quick trial, drive without a rear passenger but with the rear armrest in the down position.

In relation to Gap cover, my wife purchased this on a car we bought 7 years ago, unfortunately i wrote the car off which p×××ed her right off. As the car was a total lose the gap cover would cover a max of £5k difference, the insurance assesor submitted his report and after a period of time i was offered a settlement figure, the figure given left us with a 2.5k shortfall. I told the insurance that i thought the car was worth more, they informed me that they had searched Autotrader amongst other sites and that was the best offer. I got intouch with the company who supplied the Gap cover, and Yes they refused to pay as they stated that they thought thw car was worgh more, i informed them that i had asked this and i was told this is what the car was worth and i would not get another offer, GAP refused and we ended up paying the shortfall. Becareful with these companies ( pinnacle).

I hope everything is OK but why Oh why don't you ask these questions before you give them your money? Mike.

Whilst I can empathise with your problem, I am afraid that I cannot be much help. I am convinced that you and only you can decide what is important to you, and with two such differing cars it's a bit like trying to compare a pet rabbit with a pet dog, both are excellent in their own way, but at the end of the day they are completely different animals. I chose my RX because I wanted the size, comfort and "waftability", but I can see that a Prius would give reliability at a lower cost, and if cost is an important factor then that could sway the decision. The problem is of course, if you follow that line of thought to it's logical conclusion you would end up with a Smart Car. Best of luck, but remember that in the end you only have to justify your decision to you.

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