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Nothing wrong with a dealer stamp. Both my cars (2002 & 2006) have a book each full of them and that will continue. Brakes and the like I'll probably use a regular mechanic but don't forget Lexus offer reduced prices for older cars. I think I was quoted £300 for a cam belt on an RX300 from Lexus Sheffield. Not unreasonable. The local economy angle is a bit of a stretch. If I use Lexus Sheffield I'm actually using Monty's Motors, formally Toyota dealers who have been a Sheffield institution since God was a lad. Plus the service I receive from them is far better than any I've experienced in 30 years motoring.

A rough month indeed and one that I don't envy you, and one that I would not like myself. However, with the greatest of respect, it didn't really need to be quite so rough. Your car is 11 years old, so why would you even consider taking it to a Lexus main dealer unless the problem was one that only Lexus could rectify, say, a hybrid system fault for example? Most cars have cambelts and water pumps and replacing them are 'bread and butter' jobs for any mechanic at any garage. I had cambelt, idlers/tensioners/pulleys replaced, water pump replaced and 10 litres of new Toyota Super Long Life Pink coolant for £460 all in on my RX300. Somebody, somewhere, should have been able to give you a personal recommendation for a garage (as your mate did later) or if not, give your local trading standards a call to see who they recommend. There just is no need (and in my humble opinion, no sense) to take a car of that age to a main dealer and pay their over-inflated prices unless, as I said earlier, it is something that only they could do. Plus, keeping money in the local economy gives you a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that your money is being put to good use rather than just buying yet another bottle of bubbly for some corporate fat-cat.

I've spent my afternoon yesterday and today removing the alternator and power steering pump. I never want to do this job again (not without a lift and exactly the tools I need to do the job anyway). It was almost impossible to remove the alternator without removing as many things as possible around it. The instructions say its easiest when it is lifted out from underneath the car, but I cannot think of a way how this would ever be possible, the anti roll bar sits exactly in the spot where the alternator would need to go through. So I lifted it out from the top of the engine bay, but I had to remove the fan fluid reservoir (why does this exist in the first place?!) first, otherwise that would block it from coming out. I also had to remove the heat shield while the alternator was still awkwardly hanging inside there which was a major pita due to poor accessibility. Removing the intake tubing and pump wheel, so far so good... This is as far as it would come out, even with the reservoir gone. At least with that out of the way removing the lower bolts on the power steering pump was easy, with the alternator in place this would have been next to impossible really. Contrary to the instructions, you cannot remove the pump reservoir before taking the pump off either, one of the nuts holding it in place touches the head/valve cover before it comes off. Filthiest alternator ever. All in all, really not something I enjoyed doing, especially with 25 years of oily grime covering absolutely everything. At least none of the bolts snapped which really would have ruined my day. Thats what it looked like when I opened it up, definitely still was on its original brushes. Can anyone tell me which parts I should order to rebuild the alternator apart from the brush holder and rectifier? The bearing seem perfect (probably around 100k miles on them) and the voltage regulator didnt seem to cause any issues before, I might replace it anyway. I dont think there is much else I can replace, is there? Is it a good idea to rebuild an alternator power steering leaked on in the first place?

Hello, I'm new user from Finland. I just bought couple days a go 2000 year model JDM Toyota Celsior (Lexus LS430) which has only been driven 34500km. So, now I have couple of questions. 1. Because JDM nav is of course filled with mysterious signs and Japanese map. I dont need nav but is there easy or hard way to change those maps? 2. The car has a MD player, 6 disc CD changer below radio and 6 disc DVD changer in upper glove box. What is the easiest way to connect android phone via bluetooth or some cable to car radio? Now I can not even use radio because different FM frequency. 3. The car has Data System ASC680 Air Suspension Controller but screen is "broken" and I only can see blue/red colors and something in the right side of screen but nothing else. Using right side up/down buttons I can change I think preset values but it is practically impossible to change the values. Whether anyone has a similar problem with the screen? 3.1 What happen if I press High/Normal hight button in center console? Whether the ASC680 exceeds the standard height adjustment? 4. What is this button in back mirror? 5. What is this small black box above back mirror?

John, it will be fine it's just not a good idea to use an abrasive on painted leather, it will not take too much to remove the surface of the leather, a stubborn spot of dirt and a good rub with the magic eraser and you can do permanent damage. I love the magic erasers, they are brilliant but not for repeated use on anything delicate...

Have you thought of just getting them wrapped in body colour or fake CF?

It has been thesame pattern in multiple threads over time. Linass writes down a polarized opinion, other readers react to this and The Linas Conflict is born, he seems to thrive on conflict and hijacks the thread with a constant agressive and sometimes offending diarrhea of opinions. As long as others bite he will continue. i have been reading this blog less and less over time and that is the reason why. On topic i drove a 250 for 4 years and a 300 for 3. Both great cars in my opinion. 250 more refined and 300 more modern. 250 - buttersmooth engine but a little too weak for a six, not enough torque below 4000rpm, chassis a bit choppy and when really pushing the car it starts to fall through, steering too slow and brakes too weak, but a great cruiser with bankvault like buildquality. The 300 is newer and has a better overall package, roomier. Chassis lightyears better can handle many more horses. accelleration from standstill to some 40mph is way faster than the 250, above that it starts to slip. Both enjoyable but heavy drives . you cant go wrong with either of them really.

So after a week with my initial Bolton to Milton Keynes drive hitting over 50MPG, I did a little more driving. My hotel just outside of MK to my customer site in MK MK to Hertford - avoiding the motorways as I couldn't face the M1, M25 and the A10 on a Thursday night Hertford to Bolton via the M25 and M42 due to issues on the M1 (I wish I'd gone up the A1) My 'Since Refuelling' indicator is saying 47.5MPG over about 450miles. Range is showing about 150 miles and well over 1/4 of a tank of petrol. Can't really complain with that, 2 things come to mind .... Firstly with the CVT gearbox, it is poo on a track due to the noise. Why you would want to take a hybrid executive saloon onto a track is beyond me. Saying that, I've seen an Italian video by Lexus taking folk out with a test driver on the track with heart beat monitors connected. If you can find it on YouTube it is very funny, Secondly, the motoring press have no idea how to drive a hybrid. You do have to adapt your driving style. Being smooth is king. My car goes in for the 70K mile service and MOT on Friday. Other than my rear brakes which the 'visual inspection' has flagged as amber for the past 30K miles, I don't expect any problems.

Modern technology, its great, I was shocked to see 34.3mpg from mine on a run up North, steady 70 mph apart from roadworks, the ISF only achieved 30mpg once.

I've got it booked in for Friday for the mechanic to sort out ( I did try and remove the centre console inner bit to get to the proximity sensor but struggled to get it out-if I carried on I know I would break something, I'm too clumsy to tinker with cars) I've disconnected the battery so at least it'll be quiet for the next few days

A much braver (and more skilled) man than I. If it helps, I had my 1992 Soarer 1UZFE alternator rebuilt after the leakage problem, and it ran fine for years afterwards.

Lexus dont sell lcd screen separately, and i havent been able to source one else where either i think you best sit down when i tell you how much lexus want to replace this, bearing in mind they dont replace lcd screen but whole unit £2900 plus vat and fitting....

Very interesting to read the discussions about "Sold as Seen". To be honest, I did think it was illegal and certainly will not be signing anything I'm not sure of in relation to the Lexus. My final roll of the dice was to go back to the dealer and offer £7600 if they would also do the water pump and service the Hybrid system and they have agreed, so I am getting the timing belt, and water pump replaced and getting the Hybrid system serviced for £350, which I believe is a great deal as my own mechanic reckoned £400-£500 to just do the timing belt. Wish me luck with my new car......

You have to press the green arrow at bottom right to access that computer. You will often have to do this more than once to get communication. Try the drivers door first. Then entry & start. John

Peter, thank you for that, all done and cleaned out filters. Much appreciated

The new ones are completely different and have different codes. The old part codes were 23021-36010 and 23021-38010

It is really simple to fit, I'd happily do it for you if your local, use this guide by Peter P18 Link and you won't have any problems. To summarize: Pop off the side panel on the dash (I used a blunt kitchen knife) Pop out the switch blank, there's a little clip on the top and it just pops straight out. Get in the foot well and undo 2 or 3 screws holding the panel with the odb port on it, and carefully move it to the side (I didn't disconnect any cables) At the top of the throttle peddle the is a connector, un-clip it, the clip faces towards the door. Fit the Apexi switch, drop the switch wire down through the hole into the footwell, connect the ISF specific harness to the throttle pedal connector and the switch into the Apexi box. Now you will notice a red dot on one side of the Apexi harness connector which needs to connect to the connector which was on the throttle, connect it with the red dot on the same side as the clip. Fit the Apexi switch into the blank hole, use a bit of double sided tape to hold the switch in place. Now press the start button twice (no foot on pedal). Car won't start put dash will power up. Now do the setup process as guide says above. Now put everything back together and use a couple of the supplied cable ties to secure the Apexi cables and box out of the way.

Yes, I did the same on my 15 year old Merc and it worked a real treat.

Denso use U to indicate 2017 on their plugs, so that could be a date of 18/12/17. Not that it really matters. Good reminder that I need to get mine done.

So I see that @tomRCFcarbon was spotted yesterday near Spa in Belgium in his lovely Carbon Rcf....... Big Rat

How did you manage to receive a txt and call your wife if you didn't have your phone with you? I'm confused

And there was no one around to send it!

Hi, I've just bought an RX300 too. I've also got a knock going over uneven roads. I've had a waggle of various bits and on mine it looks like the knock is due to worn anti-roll-bar bushes at the rear of the car. They are quite accessible. If you get under the rear bumper you can see the roll bar running across the car held by two tubular rubber bushes. Give the bar a hefty waggle and if you feel any movement then the bushes are worn and need replacing. I've just ordered a pair from eBay . The bad news is the back end is caked in mud so I'm going to have to wire brush all the cack from the mounting brackets and bolts before I can apply some wd40 and let it soak in for a few days before I can undo the bolts and replace the bushes. Mark.

Fair enough. But I don't have a problem, save for people who denigrate other people and think the road belongs to them and their particular peccadillos. However I can't help but note you don't actually own a 300h. People who own them, in the main, adapt to the capabilities of the car (like the use of the sport mode) it is like having 2 different cars. Just having one for 24 hours is not the same. Hit the sport button and throttle is more sensitive and drives very different. Never have problems with acceleration out of junctions, hills etc. Some people (like you) don't like them. It is a free country, many more cars available.

Ist paragraph. I do not recognise any of that whatsoever. My 300h has great power delivery and no inconsistency. 2nd paragraph . Condescending arrogant tosh. I have owned well in excess of 50 cars, from a 380bhp 4x4 cosworth to a brand new Peugeot 406, 1.6 (company supplied) ! I have also driven in europe, many time, America too. Never felt the need to travel in excess of 100, except in the cossie (uk) when I was younger and more foolish. Maybe this describes you? Your post has me in mind of a 'hard driver' I encountered on the A3 recently. Cutting in and out, tailgating people who dare to travel at the 50 mph limit and generally being a dangerous jerk. 6 miles later he's 50 metres ahead of me, stuck in traffic. 20 minutes later I choose another route to the same end and there he is stuck at the queue at lights as I cruise past. All that 'hard driving' to end behind me by some margin. Pointless. If you want excess speed and thrills, try a track. Unfortunately I've seen first hand the results of inappropriate speed, most of the time other people pay the price. Owned both 250 (2nd and 3rd generation) and 300h , from no stand point is the 15 years old engine of the 250 comparable to 300h in power delivery or refinement. Done a motorway journey in 300H at steady 70-80 pretty much all the journey, 52 mpg, what loss of efficiency?. Sound is not an issue for me, I have read the journalists reports of the cvt drone and its not something I experience at all. The 300H has out sold the 250 and 200T many times over, hence the decision by Lexus to drop both from the UK, so the 300H has in effect made them redundant.

Looking forward to the photos. The knock, as I've discovered, could be a multitude of things. Hopefully it'll be something simple, good luck with it.