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A very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2016 to you all. Drive safely.

Update - new hyperlinks for easy navigation. Interior section will be coming soon and I will be making changes throughout Last updated - 19/10/2015 Thanks to bluenose1940 for egging me on to get this finished! Rayaan's Guide To Detailing Your Lexus.pdf

After a lot of trial and error I have finally found an easy way to get bluetooth music and hands free phone in a 98 LS400 with Satnav (UK Model). This method involves no soldering whatsoever and is plug and play. You need to buy a Dension Gateway Lite BT, as shown here: http://www.dension.com/products/car-multimedia-solutions/gateway-lite-bt. I paid about £90 for main off eBay. You need need to plug the supplied three-way harness into the back of the CD changer and into the wiring loom that was plugged into the CD changer. The third plug plugs into the Dension Gateway Lite BT, I put mine in the glovebox as it also had a USB port and a line in that may be handy. Instructions on how to get to the CD changer are here: You then need to put some blank audio CDs in the changer to fool the system into thinking it is playing a CD. That's it, wire in the microphone somewhere and pair your phone with bluetooth. You can no now listen to music, skip tracks and answer and end calls all with your stereo controls, all wirelessly and it sounds great! The phone audio quality is also very good. Disclaimer- this works great on my car but don't blame me if it does not work for yours! The CD display indicator flashes on the EMV but otherwise it plays and acts normally. I'm also not 100% sure the bass speaker on the rear parcel shelfs works, but I'm not sure it ever did as I never used the stereo before installing this kit. This was tested on an iPhone 6. If you need a blank CD making message me! Good luck.

Si, before you buy any just double check the connections as there not all the same!!!!!

I am having mine done with Grove Garage after Christmas.They did the Y piece in the Exhaust earlier in the year and they are a great bunch of helpful people. They have quoted me £471 to include VAT and replacement water pump all with genuine Lexus parts. They are also lending me a car while its being done so I can have a nice day out in Brighton. Lets hope the sun shines. Mike. That's not bad, and I had my y-pipe done by them too, they seemed a good bunch, as you say. I was planning to do mine shortly, but at that price, I'm tempted not to get my hands dirty, plus I'd have paperwork should I need to sell the car. Does that include new pulleys Mike? Not that I am aware of. Mike. I guess he'll fit if needed then, easy enough to feel for any roughness or play once the belt's off. Still a good price though. Enjoy your day in Brighton.

Alfred, if Brighton is too far, as an alternative, I can recommend Japex Automotive near Hemel Hemstead, Herts. They know these cars inside out and don't mind fitting your 'bring along' parts. Very friendly bunch who do a thorough job at a reasonable price too. I've used them a few times. Tel No. is 01923 260707. Ask for Stuart if you're interested.

Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all! :hohoho:

Thanks for that, hadn't seen that one before. Happy Christmas Mikeyv and all your family. Mike.

Yes the amp powers the stereo and the satnav, sounds like the previous owner had an aftermarket stereo fitted before they sold it and removed the amp to fit the amp baypass cable. You need the oem amp.

A work colleague and I changed at the same time (August) he went for the new XE Jag and I went for the NX300 F Sport.......guess who's the jealous one ! :-)

Hi Folks. A while back I had this problem with my 52 plate 300. Now you may find this hard to believe but it was down to my petrol cap not being tightened up properly. The rubber seal gets a bit stiff and doesn't seal so well. There's a sensor near the filler cap that can smell the fumes and the eml + tc lights are the cars way of telling you. My car drove perfectly with these lights on and next time I went to fill up I made sure I gave it a good few clicks on the ratchet on the filler cap.

It possibly is a good price, BUT if for eg air suspension is near its end would work out expensive car. Also if it needs a number of smaller jobs they all add up, so in my eyes I'd sooner pay £1000-£1500 more for a car that seller can assure me. Plus lower mileage, there's a nice one for £2700 a lot lower mileage. I've just been looking at rx's never had or drove one so can't really comment on one but seem to be reasonable priced I've had many gs's ls's aristo's. All been super so may give a rx a try.

Alfred You say you have little experience with cars ,so I assume you are planning for someone who as got experience with cars to fit these cam belt parts .It is not a job for someone without some technical know how the task is full of pitfalls and serious problems will occur if it not done properly. If you have not got someone in mind to do the job take it to Lexus.

No need to seal is an amateur mistake, no need to feed yes, but the top layer still needs sealing, hence why leather was stained in the first place. Gliptone twins aren't the best imo. The cleaner is somewhat rubbish at anything other than very light dirt and the conditioner softens the leather but also attracts dirt. Basically dodo juice leather cleaner (tried and tested, similiar performance to Dr Leather advanced cleaner but much cheaper) and the dodo juice sealant is enough. However, I can't see why you can't use a conditioner under the sealant to soften it and not attract dirt. I've written a whole guide on this in the detailing section if interested

Hi Murphy, That's an interesting post. Might be worth popping the tailgate cover off (as if changing a bulb) to see if there is any condensation trapped in there, causing poor electrical connections on the camera plug and socket and control unit (it's responsible for your 'steering wheel turned too far" message)... A little cleaning with a cotton bud and di-electric grease (or Vaseline at a push) may get rid off the problem...

Hi Phil. That wouldn't be a high mileage burgundy one would it

VW will come out of this OK in Europe. People have short memories, and the badge carries some cachet, although I think they may be too burned in North America. Its a different market and they are not so badge focused. If you look at Toyota a few years back the used car prices dipped and then came back up to pre bad publicity levels. Ref the engines I'm not suggesting Toyota adopt someone else's engine, but VW and Ford have developed very good low capacity units with low down torque. Fords Ecoboost engine is a tiny 1 litre capacity yet in 125 BHP form gives more power than the CT's 1.8 litre unit. Ford produces 170 Nm torque, CT 142 Nm. The VW Tsi units offer similar performance so I think that if Toyota had a similar unit they could integrate it into a hybrid and I'm sure it would produce a highly efficient system with better performance and lower fuel burn

Did you use the proper Lexus oil for there auto boxes

Seasons Greetings and Prosperous New Years to you all from sunny Kent!

Been reading and it does seem to be 90% likely it is the immobilizer has kicked in. Have read several ways to reset it but haven't tried any as of yet due to the time of day (most says I have to put the key in the door at some point, which set's the alarm off on my car. The neighbor's would love me even more if I did that at this hour). Is there a definite way to do it for the later model LS's? Also, if for whatever reason one of these resets failed to work, I'm guessing the next step would be to call Lexus and see what they say/can do? Hopefully it'll be sorted tomorrow, otherwise i'll need to find a push bike for work next week! Edit: Crisis averted. :) I'm friends with the last owner and said to him the problem. He laughed and told me what to do as he had the same problem when he fitted the new battery this time last year. :) Was the put the key in the ignition and turn 2 clicks, wait 5 minutes(Dont open any doors) then take the key out. Started no problem.