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11.7 hours, according to the invoice they have sent to the warranty company. Plus £151 for the pump and £26 for coolant. Plus VAT, obviously. That 2 year extended warranty has paid for itself.

I was reading the thread which mentioned the need to change a complete headlamp in the event of a bulb failure and the very high cost of doing so and also having looked into it the amount of work necessary to make the change. Furthermore, if we go back to cars of a few decades ago a failed headlamp bulb was something most people could readily do, even where it involved changing a sealed beam unit. Of course headlights have improved considerably over the years and this is most welcome and they have also become more stylish but all at considerable cost. This is true of other manufacturers too but I do question whether more uniformity and better standardization as well as easier installation/replacement and being able to just replace a bulb could be achieved if there was the wish to do so. But altering the shape of headlights and grilles is a relatively easy way for manufacturers to carry out a 'Face Lift', help sales until a much changed new model is marketed. Headlights are of course only one item and one can think of many things that have changed which have been of great benefit, improvement in braking systems, and to suspension systems, power steering, safety features of various kinds and to engine efficiency and management and transmission systems being the main ones. Also, air conditioning has become pretty standard along with ever more sophisticated infotainment systems. So if you want all this you have to expect to pay for it but why should parts that are essentially the same be so much more expensive now even allowing for currency depreciation and devaluation? It is understood that there are more components to house under the bonnet such as aircon compressor fan and radiator, ABS unit, power steering reservoir and pump although this can partially be offset by relocating the battery in the boot. Notwithstanding this, when it comes to replaceing a component, so many other parts frequently have to be removed to facilitate this. It is almost as if the car is designed to provide extra time for mechanics to do this. (I appreciate additional space is required to accommodate the hybrid system but the same applies to the non hybrid system when it comes to changing the rear plugs of the rear bank for instance.) Then there is extraordinary time and cost involved in replacing a water pump as discussed on another thread. I contrasted this with my experience on a MK2 Humber Septre I had about 46 years ago. We were about to go away on holiday and I had done all my checks the previous day. I started the car and noticed a small amount of water on the drive as a few last minute things were loaded. A slight trickle was coming from the water pump. Luckily Grimes at Coulsdon who stocked Humber parts were only about 15 minutes walk from where I lived at the time and I purchased a new pump and fitted it and was ready to go within the hour. I also got an allowance from Grimes on my old pump in due course. My car lacked power steering, air con and electric windows and just had a radio. It was an automatic with solid rear axle and leaf springs. I replaced the standard carb with a Webber and it would cruise comfortably at an indicated 85mph, probably a genuine 80mph, Top speed was about 96mph but I never had it flat out. (It had disk brakes up front). Apart from normal maintenance the only other thing I replaced was a noisy universal joint on the prop shaft. How simple it was in those days! My car was in a fairly dark metallic green. My father had the same model in maroon. It was an attractive car in it's day and still better looking than some even today. Here is a red example of the model from an era when cars were so much easier to work on. It shows various aspects if you click on main pic. Almost every car I have had since has become progressively more complicated and difficult to work on and require more tools. http://mrdarcysclassics.com/car-classified/preview.php?controller=pjListings&action=pjActionView&id=39

And if you really want all the nasty details, check this Technical Report: "EVALUATION OF THE 2008 LEXUS LS 600H HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE SYSTEM" https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/947393 It is for LS600h, but GS450h is quite similar (as far as I know)... BR.Sami

Search for "Prius Power Split Device" (PSD) for more information. One example here: http://eahart.com/prius/psd/ (requires Flash, but explains quite nicely the function of the PSD) BR.Sami

Some more loose ends tied up, finally put the interior back together. Its been a long time with it all stripped i forgot how good these cars look for there time. (So i cant load the all import pic of the seats back in as it keeps showing me a warning message saying -200) ??? Any way..... ive also started on the exhaust. This has had to have some fabricating done to tuck the huge 4inch system up to the body to help not grounding it out. As you can see its sitting pretty close to the prop shaft, its also very close to the drivers side lower arm inner joint, im planning on heat wrapping certain sections of the exhaust to protect components from heat. I currently have the center section off the car and im repositioning the vband to get the exhaust to angle better towards the body. Pics to follow..... hopefully! Ive also fitted the accelerator cable, i got a universal 3meter kit off ebay and just cut to to fit. As ive had to flip the throttle 180 degrees the cable is now attached from the underside, this has also allowed me to tuck it away neatly. 20200205_183545.mp4 Ive been left with a small issue though, i cant get a fully open throttle the pedal is hitting the carpet. So looks like i will be removing the pedal and bending it up to allow more travel.

It is actually the Viaduct de Garabit in France Roger.Just off the A75 which runs from Cleremont Ferrand to Montpellier and is about 80 kms North of the famous Viaduct de Millau. It was designed by Gustav Eiffel of Paris fame.It is a magnificent structure which carries a railway line. And that is my 17 year old Merc !

Feel for you mate. Another tip he gave me was when driving at night, as you can only see a set of headlights behind you, don't accelerate as you can't see what type of car it is our any markings. Wait for it to overtake you before you speed up. And if you get caught by a fixed camera, you're stupid because they're all sign posted !

Thank you Peter. I'll call in one day and get them to do it along with linking my remote to my windows.

All that is for is to allow the Nav system to calibrate the wheel diameter so when you lose GPS signal it still accurately tracks you on the road. It has no connection to the vehicle engine/transmission/drivetrain.

That very subject was covered not long ago in this topic so this should help:

It makes no difference to your premium at renewal because they all seem to ratchet that up by 10-30% at the end of the first year now whether you claim or not. I am now so bored of it that I just use a comparison site every renewal now, for car, house, and motorcycle insurance. Likewise for energy supplier. This year the LS insurance ended up 20% cheaper than last year and nearly 40% cheaper than the renewal quote. Loyalty is a 2 way street, something insurance companies (amongst others) seem to have forgotten. Could have saved yourself £200 but glad that yer sorted 😀

I had a similar problem with my son's Grand Voyager. To keep costs down I put a relay in between the battery and the devices giving the excess battery drain. The relay was operated by turning on the ignition switch powering up the devices. This cured all his battery discharge problems, and is still working 3 years later. John.

eahart .com has possibly the best depiction of the basic Toyota transmission. I have recommended it for many years. It has however become more difficult to open the page fully as you now need to enable Adobe flash each time you use the page. Using the sliders on the nomograph at the bottom of the page rely shows how the MG's work particularly MG1. It is not very apparent, but the engine drives the stubs on which the planet gears sit powering them in orbit around the central sun gear. It also shows the phenomenon of the engine inhibiting reverse operation if it is running. It will be noted that MG1 can go from -6500 rpm to +6500 with the car moving forwards. This is for the gen1 Prius. The gen2 Prius had different gear ratios in the planetary gear set, and MG1 was able to run from -10,000 rpm to +10,000 rpm. After the gen2 from 2009 most transmissions were fitted with a second planetary gear set between MG2 and the ring gear that drives the wheels via the diff. This was to reduce the speed of MG2, and increase it's torque. It also reduced the possibility of the magnetic rotor exploding due to centrifugal forces at high speed. There are now even later iterations of the system using more gear sets. In each version there has been a significant improvement in efficiency. John.

Hi When I was buying my GS with LED headlamps I've read somewhere they should last at least of 50000h. That is almost 6 years of being constant on. Even if you assume you drive with light always on (valid for daylights) and let say use you car 4h per day that would give you almost 36 years before failure - I would say plenty of time. Of course they can fail earlier as everything but I wouldn't be worried too much that suddenly all 10 years old cars will need new headlamps. Just as a comparison typical halogen is 450-1000h and HID got expected 2000h.

It was a Sunbeam Rapier, I had one a long time ago.

I've had 2 Toyota Priuses and am on my second Lexus NX and nothing has ever gone wrong. In the Toyota/Lexus family I've only ever paid for standard servicing and new tyres.

Very annoying - and as expected, no contact details left. I did however manage to polish most of it out, doesn't look too bad for now. In the summer, I'll take it back to the body shop and book in the wheel refurb. I've also managed to find genuine F-sport fogs from two different breakers, planning to fit these in soon.

Thanks for explaining. I agree. I would have liked to know but I already paid £130 to find out there's a parasitic drain from the onboard body control module and that the body control module also powers the audio module which is another item that can sometimes have this parasitic drain problem. I would have had to pay nearly £200 for Lexus to investigate it further or take it out of London for a (non-Lexus) specialist to check it out and THEN pay to fix it. You're right. It was a headache and I'm so glad it's over and done with. 🙂

Hi Rob, would you be bringing this car to the Lexus meet in April?

Oh dear, sorry that you'll be without your beloved GS for a little while longer. At least they called you to keep you updated.

Thanks but no thanks as i'm putting the car back to a standard look as the previous owners changed the wheels and removed the rear spoiler and front grill. I've sourced those two but will keep my eyes open for a set of wheels... 🙂 Cheers!

Well that is interesting because on my uk spec LS, there is a sensor that switches to recirc if there are fumes in the air so I sit there smiling 🤗🤗

Great stuff Rob, as always. I find the work you're doing absolutely mind boggling. I also just checked and I've had three Lexus since you started this

A quick update. I've had the GS 300h for just over a week. Its a wonderful refined driving experience. The car has returned about 44mpg on my short traffic filled commute (a massive improvement on my Kia diesel) and around 55mpg on the motorway, no mean feat in this weather! I had the transmission fluid changed at Lexus Hayes last Friday, the total cost was £145, it took about 90 minutes. Thank you all again for the tips on this. The Service Manager (Mark) was incredibly helpful. After the job at my request he kindly sat in the car with me and took me through all the features and we did a test drive to see different styles of hybrid driving. I'm very happy with the car. Thank you all for your bits of advice.

From what I understand the Prius is an easy target because the cat is located at the back end of the exhaust. On the IS the cat is just behind engine, a much harder place to access. Am also pretty sure you need a low profile (bigger) jack to get under the IS, where a Prius is easier to lift. Finally for every IS300H a potential thief sees they will have seen half a dozen Prius as well, so why would they go for a harder to steal target when lots of easier targets available.

They don't commonly fail but will do like most things at some point

Bionic eh?

How can you mock the afflicted? She's only bones, and now one tooth less and me £500 less! Whatever happens with all this stuff in the future, I bet a looked after LS will still be running!

Very good news. And I think it's time for us to get together again so our Celsiors can catch up on all the news!

Well got my windscreen replaced today... and rather well I might add not the usual 3rd times the charm as i have had before ... due to weather mostly I would say not the installer. Thanks for all the advice guys. I paid for the screen myself... fine print is the key.... claiming on your insurance doesn't effect your no claims..... but normally effects your premium. For the sake of 250 whole pounds and a coffee and cake at costa.... which was almost as much, its completed... and peace of mind is achieved. again thanks to all.

Rather than removing badges/stickers and risking paint damage, why not add some instead as a deterrent...

Long wave and medium wave on my GS but why anyone would want either is beyond me. Even back in the pre-FM days I rarely listened to the radio because the sound was so unbearably awful. I can imagine listening to TMS but definitely not music. Anyhoo, in lieu of functioning parking sensors I've decided to buy blindingly bright LED reverse lights. There's some logic there somewhere. Old on the left, new on the right. I also fitted an O2 sensor spacer to hopefully reduce the number of times the emissions light pops up. I'll try and get a pic later.

Hi Tom. Make sure you view the Lexus video on hybrid driving. Some good tips for economy there.

For the money the Quicksilver is a very nice sounding exhaust, as mentioned it can drone at certain motorway speeds and on a few occasions have had to find the sweet spot in the revs to stop my passenger (wife) moaning, whereas on my own I just turn the sounds up higher. Having seen and heard the Armytrix and the GT Haus if I were in the position of choosing an aftermarket exhaust I'd buy one of these two, purely for the fact you can switch it off. Plus of course the secondhand market for them is a damn sight livelier than for the cars.

Got it home last night, spent some time this morning phoning anyone mentioned on the history ect, apparently it lived in an underground car park in Dublin for many years, the owner spent most of his time in Spain hence the low mileage, spoke to a dealer who bought it of another dealer and had it on his lot for a long time these cost 1800 euros to tax in the republic of Ireland, he just couldn't get rid of it. So far I have ordered a new key but need the gubbins, a digitizer screen for the sat nav as its stuck on the one screen. Even though the oil is still reasonably clear think I will put it in for a essential care minor with a dealer which includes the hybrid check, then change the timing belt water pump ect or maybe do the belt first. The tailgate wont open on its own closes perfectly, opens 1 inch beeps then closes, think the struts are fairly stiff looking cars not had a lot of use, what do you think? Voice command is a dopey cow, just have to use the buttons, want to get the wheels off check the rear calipers slide pins, fuel tank straps and the height adjuster thingy for the lights, will treat the backing plates and give the underside a coat of waxoyl. Headlights are ok but would benefit from a polish, need a clock spring as the cruise control isn't working but otherwise very happy with our purchase. what did I pay just over what the dealer was offering, its a good deal for such a lovely car is almost perfect condition, wont put it on the road just yet want to get all sorted but hopefully by the end of February. This is the worst wheel after 15 years

No offence to Stu above but I wouldn't go with his suggestion because when I did, I couldn't find any local locksmiths and/or key cutters to cut it. They all refused saying their machines had been damaged in the past by these very hard "eBay specials" as they called them. So I used this guy instead and can highly recommend him. Still an eBay trader, but he cuts the blank himself from either your key code if you have it, or a photo if you haven't.

Welcome Tom. I agree with the first line of James` response to you. If you did buy from a Dealer , Do not however, follow his advice in his next paragraph,,,,,,, lest the Dealer disowns the car claiming that you have done something that has caused your niggle(s). If you bought the car privately, then take it to your Lexus Dealer and obtain a quotation for remedying such problems as they find. Then report back to the Forum with the findings so that we can advise you further. Good luck.