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Just returned home after having the 8 year service and MOT. Dropped the car off at 10.00 Tuesday and was loaned a 68 plate ES300h. Fantastic car and a pleasure to drive. Called into Leamington Spa for the day. Whilst having a late lunch, I was called and told that the air con condenser was leaking, but not to worry as the warranty company had already been called and gave the ok to replace, and would be ready Wednesday. We have baby sitting duties on a Wednesday involving a late finish, so was told to keep the ES, and please return early Thursday. I always wake early despite being retired, and so arrived just after 8.00 to bright and cheerful staff. Paperwork all ready and explained and I paid taking advantage of the LOC discount card. ISF sitting gleaming by the door, and so off home. The experience of purchasing and having the car serviced with them has all been superb. A good Dealer with a great bunch of people. Can't praise them enough.

Over the years, people have regularly asked whether of not you need headlight converters, spare bulb kits, and other items when travelling to France. There is NO requirement to carry spare bulbs when you drive in France. You MUST, however, use headlight converters, unless your car has a flat beam - which is the case for all current Lexus models as well as for the previous gen RX300/350/400h/450h. You SHOULD switch off AFS. In addition, you MUST carry a triangle, and at least one high vis vest. It is recommended that you carry one per passenger. You MUST display a GB sticker at the back of your car, unless it is built into your number plate. It is recommended that you carry at least one single-use, NF approved breathalyser (they are cheap and available from Amazon): you should be able to produce one - if asked - but not having one does not carry a penalty. (It used to be a compulsory requirement, but for reasons I cannot remember, the law was relaxed). Importantly, radar detectors are illegal and you WILL get fined if you carry one, even switched off. If you have a portable SatNav that shows the location of speed cameras, this facility MUST be switched off. Your Lexus built in system will not show camera locations in France. See: http://www.euroadlegal.co.uk/country/france.html (other websites are available, but I have found - after checking with the French Consulate during a recent visit - that this one is particularly accurate. Some additional clarity about using mobile phones / hands free kits: https://www.frenchentree.com/living-in-france/driving/driving-in-france-hands-free-kit-ban-effective-june-30/

Suggest the full title of that club includes, "and not stupid enough for an out of warranty BMW or Audi".

It looks as though we have enough folks to start the "We used to be Merc Boys 'till we discovered Lexus". Club :-) Just a point about cam belt changes. Always best to do the water pump at the same time.

This is very good advice. I had a 230E W124 and ran it for 10 years. It was a dream and so serviceable at home. Even the torque convertor was drainable........ but....the LS430 is a different league. I have done 40,000 miles in mine and had just a lamba sensor fail, (£260 fitted) and that was a huge shock as one gets so use to nothing happening. Funny enough the W124 did about 30-31 mpg and the Lexus does the same. The ride is simply sublime. We never drive anywhere, we just glide. Everyone who is in the car just marvels. At my MOT garage it is known as 'that silver Lexus' and even the young mechanics come and look. Buy with caution and simply enjoy. When the kids go tearing across the counry, you just waft, and try not to look too smug.

It never ceases to amaze me how 'young guys' ( I was one once.....but in an Hillman Imp!), seem to scream by and never have any idea just how fast and how furiously powerful a LS430 is, as it quietly progresses. Naturally, we look down on these screaming kids, but as I smugly say to my wife, there is little on the road faster or more powerful than this ....but it is all so beautifully discrete. That's the elegance.

I use Wynns engine flush and have done for years. I guess you need to use it continually at every oil change to notice a real difference. You can get this in quite a few outlets. I usually get it either from Halfords or ECP for around £6 I will use it before i do the oil change. Make sure first that your oil pan drain bolt will come off and also your oil filter will come off (loosen them a bit to make sure and retighten before adding this to your engine as you dont want to drive around with it in your engine if the plug and filter cap wont come off. Simply pour the contents into the oil and run the car for 20 minutes at 2k revs. Once done, drain the oil as normal and do your oil change. Like i said, you will need to do it at every change to notice a difference. Image of what i use is below ... It smells a bit like paraffin when the cans opened ..

The breathalyser thing was changed to "non-enforcement" as it was pointed out that you should have two in case you used one. Rather than rewrite the law they decided not to enforce it.

Coincidentally, my IS-F was in for a service at Coventry at exactly the same time. Dropped it off at 8am Tuesday. It was possibly in the workshop by the time you got there. Agree the customer service is excellent. Tom is a great bloke, the team really go the extra mile. When they do make mistakes they are always quick to rectify them and generously reimburse their customers in anyway they can. I got a tin of Lexus sweets left on my passenger seat this time! My family and I have been buying and servicing cars for over 10 years with them now, and quite happy to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. Luckily I work right around the corner from them, so very convenient for me too.

I'd hazard a guess and suspect the lower pin on the rear calipers. They can be quite a toad to free up. If it is the bottom pin that's seized, get the top pin out and try to rotate the caliper back and forth until it frees up enough to be removed. If you're lucky you may be able to clean up the pin and the socket (emery cloth is good, or plain old sandpaper) it goes into, re-grease and re-assemble. Don't forget to use Red Rubber Grease for the slide pins. This guide by Noobie will give some pointers.

I'll add in a Plus 1 to the never go back to a Merc comments. I had a few and my last one was a 2006 S Class - one owner, full service history, low mileage "cherished" example sold "as seen on behalf of a customer" from a local so called dealer. I should have known better 🤨 Electrical gremlins, dodgy suspension and the final nail in the coffin an faulty gearbox put the idea that an S Class was the ultimate car firmly out to pasture. (I was coming from a Range Rover and on reflection should have just spent the money doing it up and keeping it I would have saved myself a few grand. Anyway, enough of that I bought my 2006 model with a good service history and few niggles but all have been more or less sorted now for very humble money I had the cam belt done as a precaution as the car had only done 76,000 miles however it was 13 years old (I read somewhere do the belts at or before 100,000 or ten years) and it was on its last legs so a job well worth doing. My car came in from Southern Ireland and has a KPH speedo that I have to change and no sunroof (Sun? in Ireland?) 🙂 Everything bar the afore mentioned steering wheel motors works, I updated the SatNav with a Disc from the interwebs for £19 (2018) and the only problem seems to be the inability to type in a postcode but to be honest I rarely use it. Air con is still ice cold but do check the condition of the drivers seat cushion, mine has "flattened" out over the years and is a little uncomfortable slightly spoiling the entire "magic carpet" sensation (its not that bad I can live with it but its on my list to get sorted) And yes, you do see boy racers coming past - those that know nod in approval, those that don't sometimes find out there is a lot of life in a 13 year old 4.3 V8 😉

My money's on the pins, Lexus wont touch them and prefer to list the calipers as needing replacement. If you're competent, jack the motor up and remove the pins giving them a good grease. I do this as part of a 6 month maintenance schedule when I also change the oil, not a long or difficult job at all.

Forgot to mention that the facelift iteration can be recognised by a slightly different shape of the side lights on the front.

Most facelift cars from 2004. Mine had rust [four years ago, an '04 with 82,000] that needed epoxy mastic around the rear jacking points. Some will be unaffected by rust but others will suffer from it especially around the rear sub frame although should not yet be terminal. Worth crawling underneath with a good torch which is what I would do on any car of that age. Although Lexus/Toyota are more reliable than Mercedes [in fact than all other makes] the LS430 is an expensive and complex car. The silly bells and whistles do not worry me but the expensive air suspension is the major potential pain best remedied for me by either new Lexus parts or second hand from a well known breaker up north. I love mine and would buy another if only for the fun of owning a high quality car for old banger money. Would not buy one though if it were my daily driver and without reserves of cash. Good luck and let us know how you get on. As said above you will not buy another MB after an LS430.

Facelift was 2003 I believe. Yes, Woking isn't too far. If you find anything within a reasonable distance and want another pair of eyes just let me know.

Here are a few pointers when viewing potential purchases: Make sure it has a full or at least a good service history which includes the cambelt change. On driving the ride should be quite smooth comfortable with no noises or creaks from the suspension. Gearbox changes should not be noticeable Upon starting the steering should tilt and retract - test and make sure the mechanism works as motors are very expensive Braking should be quite and smooth - if you get a groaning noise when coming to stop that’s a sign of cheap aftermarket brake pads - they will need replacing. Check colour of gearbox oil it should be red with no smell of burning. Check colour of coolant - it should be red - ensure no oil in the bottle Check all electrics work Check the Sat Nav works - there have been reports of some failures Check the sound system properly to ensure no blown door speakers or woofer Check the air suspension works - when the switch is flicked the car should rise about at inch slowly - and the compressor does not make any noises Check the bonnet struts hold the bonnet Check the car has the correct Toyota red coolant Check for rust around the doors near the plastic trim and around the boot area Check rear quarter panel glass for cloudiness - this indicates the glazing has failed ( pre face lift) Ask if the cabin filter has ever been changed - these are often over looked. Check the bonnet pull works as it should - some of them fail Check toolkit is present Make sure there are no warning lights lit in the dash Ideally you want 3 remote keys Check the car has a matching set of tyres and wether they are branded or not - this should give an indication wether the car has been pampered or neglected Before driving off make sure you have the say nav code and locking wheel nut key. hope this helps

If you get an LS you won't go back to MB! The facelift model has a 6 speed transmission and Bluetooth, plus a few other upgrades. History is really important, as is evidence of a cam belt change. The only places for rust are the sunroof area and just above the middle trim on the doors, although not that common and treatable. Where in Surrey are you?

Have a read through this: Dec.

I had the same problem a few months ago. Definitely radio interference. I asked my new neighbours if they had any new equipment, but of course they said no. Shortly afterwards, everything went back to normal, and I was able to use my keyfobs again.

Overpriced compared to who? Is there another high street retailer with a similar range of products at lower prices or are you comparing them to amazon and ebay? Companies with a physical high street presence obviously can't compete with the likes of amazon on price alone. Debenhams just went into administration today, it's likely only a matter of time before amazon destroys halfords too. I don't have a lot of faith in our government implementing policy changes to resolve this, although they do sometimes witter on about it in the commons. Halfords is damn handy when you need something quickly, it'll be a real shame if it goes away. I think it's worth paying the small premium to buy from them for this reason alone.

i spotted these parts may be of interest to someone Item number: 332753628254 Item number: 332753631920 Item number: 332753634075

If one corner is higher, it's usually the height controller in that corner that needs replacing.

Had a phone call from the dealers today, Lexus Japan have decided that they will not warrantee the vehicle. So I questioned what they meant by that statement and quite literally Lexus have withdrawn the warranty on my car as it is being used as a taxi. So, I have a five year old car with no body corrosion warranty and no warranty on the hybrid battery or drivetrain even though it’s recently had a hybrid help chat. Toyota on the other hand will happily honour any warranty but they keep with their vehicles if it is being used as a taxi. When I pointed this out I was told that Lexus policy is different from Toyota. And the final kicker that the dozen dealer delivered was that Lexus could sell me a taxi warranty that would cover my vehicle if I chose to spend the money I told them very politely but neither myself nor my vehicle would be darkening the door ever again Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk