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Dear me, Graham, You're driving the top-of-the-range LS.......and you're putting cheap batteries in the headphones. You know what they say - 'Penny wise, Poundland foolish' :)

There is another possible option.... go bald ! For about the same price as a replacement end cover you could get all four blank plates and brackets and just remove the roof rails altogether. No good of course if you use them but I know that I will never carry anything on my roof so I just took 'em off and stored them. Can't believe how much easier it is to clean the roof and sunroof and it also gets rid of the possible corrosion issue. I also think it looks better but that is just my personal taste, some do.... some don't.....

I checked the MOT history on-line. The mileage checks out but there are some advisories; One of the Upper Control Arm bushings is worn slightly, the front discs need replacing and both front wheel bearings are noisy. Apart from that it seems a well looked after example. Just bear in mind that it will need a bit of money spent on it to bring it up to scratch.

Mine was serviced last October at Lexus Manchester, just a month before I bought it. Therefore, for the majority of the 2 years warranty, my only commitment is one service at Lexus. Early last month I noticed water ingress into the nearside headlamp assembly with constant condensation. I've been to Lexus Cardiff today and had it replaced under the warranty. I understand the assembly is £500+, so add in the fitting and 2 years Roadside Assistance.....looks like I've already had my money's worth, with 20 months still to run

Ive had mine 4 years and covered 40k in it. here is the list of parts ive replaced, apart from front discs and pads; 1) eh,hold on, mmmm, no, cant think of anything.....eh...

You want to see a proper invoice for the cambelt.

I took the car back in today for further investigation. They offered me a hire car as they said it may be an overnight job. I got a call 3 hours later to say they'd diagnosed the noise as coming from the top mount and this had now been fixed and the car was ready for collection. Can't say how relieved I was. I hope this is the last time I need to take advantage of the warranty. I picked up a space saver at the weekend. It was from a 2010 Prius which had been used once and the tyre is in very good condition, it cost me £31, so I was very pleased. Thanks to the forum member who pointed out that the Prius wheels were compatible. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

Looks good to me and the mileage ain't that bad either + its had the cam belt and pump changed That alone could cost a few hundred

Just had an email from Halfords, 3 for 2 on some car cleaning products, including the marvellous farecla claying mitt and a few megs and autoglym products.

Thank You Mike. I will be very busy on this forum for next couple of days, as I think. I have two sections to read . Tommorow another great day. Gold RX comming onto a drive way.

Nice riposte

Ah... Verbout... I seem to have inadvertently tossed the terrier a bone - you won't let this go, will you? Yes, you really should take notice of your signature. People of your obvious superiority should never bother with the hoi polloi... we're all idiots, after all. My next FSQ will be along shortly - there is one thing I would like advice on, and I may tease you by once again using whimsy on the subject of age. Sharpen your virtual pencil in readiness, mon brave! Rob

Thanks Dave. Really means a lot to me. Can be quite tough at times when you are doing something like this. Last thing I want is to devalue the brand, or fit parts that make the car look cheap. Lexus aren't known for making performance cars apart from the LF-A(but that's way out of most people's price range!). the IS-F is an amazing machine in so many ways. I'm hoping my car will help people see that for themselves. Really isn't much that can compare to the F. Spacious, reasonably economical compared to other big V8 cars, cheaper than its rivals to maintain, well spec'd (our 8-spend box came out in 2008 remember), and possibly up to 650-700HP once the supercharger kit is finished! Add some personal touches (I like real carbon, I also like to hear my engine. What's the point in buying a V8 otherwise! Lol), and you have a great all rounder. Hopefully you'll be at one show or another. Be good to see things in person. Photos don't do it justice!

You could get a box of 60cm deep, 46cm high, and 110cm wide in there according to my measurements just now. Its a bit of a funny shape so you would be able to pack other softer stuff around this mystical box.

Just read your thread from start to finish on club lexus Peter, STUNNING. I'll be keeping an eye on that one, inspiration for all of us I think.

Hi Brain The car you posted a link to looks great with only 65K miles and a new cam belt when you buy. I may have had a look at it if I had not just bought a load of new bits for my old heap - I'll write a post about that sometime. Bluesman made great comments about LPG - I have done 150K of the 250K miles my car has covered using LPG and never had a problem. It will save you a fortune. The steering wheel tilt moor shims do get knackered and is not expensive to fix (fit a new one) and if you have a mind (I don't) you could fit yourself - Phil was spot on about using the wheel for leverage when getting in and out of the car :). I am a big lump and need all the help I can get. I am on my third steering column motor - an old Lexus mechanic told me that I was causing the problem. I am not sure messing with the fuses is a great tactic. Good luck with the 430 mate. Bren

Not at all. . My systems are down at work so I decided to download this months Japanese Performance. They've put a small write up of my F in the readers rides section! Did say they might do that when you submit for a full feature. Think I'll do the main feature in Banzai. PM me if you like. Saves hijacking this thread!

I really should read the manual! Had the car since 1st July last year and only just discovered the parking change holder - it had 5 £1 coins in it from the previous owner! Result!

Watch this space! Feature will happen, just trying to get a few more things done first.

Hey Gib. Possibly. Depends how far I've got with my current mods. If not, will be doing some other shows before the end of the year for sure. Got a feature to do with Banzai or Japanese Performance as well. Should be fun! Cheers. Peter

Ha ha ha! No Brian, even I wouldn't suggest a polystyrene choc. The part I am referring to is outside the wheel well and is made of plastic abutting the rear panel of the car. It matches the height of the wheel in the Well so that the Floor lays flat. Maybe it was only on earlier cars. Sorry I don't have a picture.

Before or after you shot it?

I keep hearing about blown speakers; in 19 years of LS ownership I've never had any problems with Mark Levinson's products. What sort of volume are folks playing things at. I find that I can enjoy music without having blood pouring from my ears........and I listen to a LOT of rock music :)

Welcome to the forum. I am hoping Martins experience is rare and you only ever hear / remember the disasters. I have had mine 5 months and had completely the opposite experience... Everything works !! I do occasionally worry about what might happen after hearing Martins unfortunate experience but what other manufacturer could you trust for an 11 yr old car with v8 power and Mercedes s class comfort at fiesta money ? Good luck with your search Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk

I've had an LS430 which ended in disaster when the gearbox failed. Make sure you dip the transmission oil, it should be red and also make sure it doesn't smell burnt. I'd change the radiator as a precaution because the transmission fluid is also cooled by the radiator and if the radiator gets any corrosion it can allow engine coolant into the transmission fluid which can cause the gearbox to completely fail without warning. I think that's what happened to mine!!! Gear changes should be barely noticeable. The suspension is prone to problems mainly due to water ingress into the ride height sensors and is VERY expensive to fix, some owners replace the air suspension with standard coil over suspension because it's much cheaper than repairing the air suspension. The ride should be smooth with no creaks or knocks, put the switch to high, the car should raise by about an inch and the compressor should be quiet. Make sure both steering column motors work, again very expensive to fix. Subwoofers can be repaired with varying degrees of success, new ones cost £350 or more from Lexus. Door speakers can blow too so take a CD with you with lots of bass to check all speakers. Parking sensors are a common failure point. The double glazed side windows can become delaminated with age. Bonnet and boot support struts can be weak but are cheap and easy to replace. The heated and cooled seats often don't work very well. Check for correct red Toyota coolant. Full service history is vital and check for cam belt changes every 100k or 10 years. Check all electrics work and there's lots to check!!! Check AC works in both front and rear if premium pack fitted. Check no warning lights are lit on dash. Check sat nav as this can go wrong. Make sure toolbox is present and the locking wheelnut. All the other checks you would do on any used car. Personally after my experience with the LS430 I would be very nervous getting another, if I was going to get another Lexus I would find a nice mk4 LS400. I have no experience with LPG so can't comment on that. Lexus are great well engineered cars that do last well but they CAN go wrong and DO go wrong and can be horrendous money pits if you get a bad un. Tread carefully and you should be OK. Get it right and you have a bargain luxury saloon but get it wrong and it can be a whole world of hurt!!! Good luck!!!

Hope I am not too late to add to this thread. Definitely an emphatic YES to the extended warranty, however it really is worth shopping around all the Lexus main dealers asking for a discount or seeing what offers they may have. Dealerships earn commission/ have targets on warranty/service packages so they may be keen for your business? You will certainly be more likely to get a favourable discount if extending your warranty by 2 or 3 years depending on how long you were planning in keeping the car? In the past I have always managed to get discount on the extended warranty whether it be negotiating on its own or extending it by a couple of further years or as part of a service package. Trust me its well worth several phone calls! Incidentally a couple of years ago I obtained a good discount (20%) by extending the warranty to 3 years rather than for one, I paid monthly so there was nothing upfront. Then when I changed my RX for a younger model about 10 months later, all I had to do was cancel the direct debit for the warranty with no penalty! (As with anything though- do read the small print first-agreements are changing all the time!) Do your homework and save yourself some money!

Everything should be covered except service items and consumables such as tyres and brake pads. If there is a problem with the suspension then that will be covered provided it isn't accident damage.

yes £20 just to fit, as the part cost £60 he didn't want to brake the new one fitting it him self