brendangeorge

I had the local indi polish the head lamps on my LS430 and they were great for 6 months - I tried the toothpaste method and it does not work. I read an Honest John article where he said use Brasso and elbow grease - that works and lasts for a few months. Here is an interesting article from Instructables - worth a read - it seems sanding is not needed. http://www.instructables.com/id/The-30-sec-Headlight-Restoration/ Bren

They are indestructible Malc - my problem was caused by some knob not tightening the plugs after a service - at least that's all I can put it down to. When we compression tested the cylinder, when diagnosing the low speed miss, all 8 plugs were only hand tight. If you treat these engines well they run forever. I just bought a 4 year old RX450h to replace my beast. After 15 years of me it deserves a Viking funeral :) Bren

Hi Graham I hope you have an electrical or sensor problem mate - electrical problems usually manifest at high speed not low speed. I have a lumpy tickover or death rattle as my wife calls it. Unfortunately she is correct - I have low compression on No 6 => duff valve or oil seal = scrap car. 60 PSI on No6 and 160 on the others. At high revs the compression comes back up and the car runs smoothly like yours - I have warning lights and an intermittant miss fire error and other grief. At low speed an in traffic jams it is intollerable - motorway cruising I put in 4th to keep the revs up a little. I am shopping for a new car - 15 years and 255K miles is not bad I suppose. Paying out cash for a new motor is one thing (I am a Yorshireman) bit having to choose which Lexus I get is a pain - I think it may be an RX450h. Good luck Brendan

Hi Rob I am having a look at this thread because I am thinking about a RX450h - I have a very old LS430 so am usually on that forum - and spotted this topic. The plastic water tank you see under the bonnet is an expansion tank and is not used to top up the system. The colling system is sealed and should have no leaks and never need topping up. The expansion tank is needed when the thermostat is closed after a cold start - otherwise your water pump will have no where to circulate the coolant. Thermostat is a misnomer because it is not used to regulate the temperature of your engine but make it warm up as quickly as possible from cold. You will go nuts if you keep looking at the coolant level in the ET. If you car has no visible leaks - warms up quickly and the temp gague stay rock steady you will be fine. I fill my 430 up to the max line and it settles at just below min after a run - I played this game for a month or two and gave up. It is always good to be cautious after some maintenance - trust no one. Good luck Bren

Hi NIgel I assume you have changed the battery in your key and that you can lock and unlock the car using the key Charge up the cars battery mate - the problem you described happened to me a couple of times in the last 3 months. I had to get green flag out to a hotel one morning - very annoying :). I carry a jumper pack (truck version) and should probably buy a new bat soon. You cannot leave these big beast for very long and if your battery is old you may have probs. Another tip is hold the steering wheel when you try and start it - you will get better RF coupling for the immobiliser if you do. Also take your mobile phone out of you pocket to reduce interference. Good luck Bren

Great idea I'll send you a PM

Hi Phil I had some groaning from my rear brakes - I have brake warning indicator cable fitted and usually replace the pads on mileage to be safe. I always ask the mechanic if the pads will go to the next service - so try not to be a Muppet. Like you I have been busy with work etc and seem to have lost track things. Bottom line is I had worn the pads to the metal and that stuffed both rear disks => had to replace them both. I don't know why I did not get a pad wear warning :( I'd get to the bottom of the groaning quickly mate. It could be many things - including a duff caliper. You can get them cheap in the US from Rock Auto if you need replacements. Bren

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

I have 3 points - 10 years NCB and use my car for business so up to 20K per year - £211 fro Provident. Just Go- (you know what). I did not pay £800 when mine was brand new - that's a heck of a premium - however I run a 430 from your signature you run something newer. One of my pals has a multi-car policy and even with students on it saves money.

Hi Mark Your car looks spot on to me - exactly like mine did when it had air suspension and now when it does not. It can be confusing and after 14 years I often look twice. Check the door trim is level for a good indication and make sure you are on level flat ground.

That's about what I paid for my indi to do one - labour and parts (not Lexus). My drivers seat is a bit manky but I am afraid to scrub it too hard - there may be nothing left :)

See my comments guys - 14 years in a LPG LS430 with nearly 250K on the clock - the beast will be 14 in Feb :) and it is still rocking.

I love to see how oil reverses engine wear - there's a Nobel prize for physics in that and a million dollars :) - I'm serious but they take ages to pay. Bren

Hi John - good idea but done at the wrong time - I am an electrical engineer. Vas will insulate the terminals so you put it on after you have made a good connection. Clean the battery posts and clamps as well as you can - tighten them up and then apply the Vas to keep air and moisture out. This will stop air and moisture related corrosion but not galvanic action - you will still need to make sure they stay in good condition. I could blather on about conductors and connectors (I am an engineer) - however, if your cables are not thick enough they will not conduct well (they will heat up) - same for your connectors. How big they are and what they are made of (cables and connectors) will affect their conductivity - your battery has to deliver a short high current burst when you crank the engine so they need to be fit for purpose. Always take care when working around a battery - especially with a full charge in it - make sure you don't create an inadvertent short. Bren

You forgot to mention that the LS430 is ugly in comparison to the mk4 LS400 partly agree - the facelift ones look nicer though I never look at the chimney pots when poking the fire. If cars never went wrong we'd have nothing to moan about - I am not sure weather this comment is a fact, an opinion, a theory, a logical fallacy or me just being annoying :) When it comes down to good looks both models are darn ugly. However I have sat in 5 of them - I don't look at the outsides much......the insides are fine. Bren

Can you take the sensors apart and dry/clean them up? I have had zero success in 'bringing them back to life'. Once water gets in them or the crystal cracks they don't last long. Once the paint chips off I try and clean them up but a new sensor is inevitable. On the seat heaters and coolers mine work well - they will never turn your bum in to a snow ball but will make you comfortable in the summer. I get the garage to mess with filters. Bren

Mechanics are like forum posts: some are good and some are rubbish; some forum posts are opinions and some are facts and there is everything in between. You need to look at the information you have available and make a decision based on facts and experience but make sure the experience fits the facts. Also try and understand why the other person said or wrote what they did - I have to do this for a living. I am an engineering consultant not a psychiatrist :) Look at the recent posts on here about engine oil. There are some basic and simple technical facts to follow and for a good result follow the manual - that did not stop an 'interesting' discussion here. Breaks are a great topic - I swear by Green Stuff pads and EBC disks that in my experience work really well and last well on my car (430). The mechanics who maintain my car said I was wasting money - I won the argument because I was paying. I had some break problems that were resolved when I replaced a caliper. The car was not stopping as well as it should but was OK. When the car was serviced no faults found and the pads were OK. At pad replacement time we found out why the brakes were a little soft: a stuck piston. I replaced caliper and the brakes frightened me to death for a day :) Red faced mechanics but no harm done. The lesson here is check your calipers are in good order. Always bear in mind professionals or trades men hate self diagnosis by amateurs - try going to your GP, with a load of internet prints outs and tell him you know what medical condition you have :) and everybody knows the 430 is better than the 400 - that's a fact not an opinion :) Bren

Hi Martin I see you are receiving plenty of advice about the mirrors - mine often stick in the cold weather - plenty of WD40 often works. I had a new boot lid under warrant and it seemed to be a lot heavier than the original. My struts failed not long after - I replaced them but the heavy lid seems to defeat the new new ones as well. I'd be interested how you get on - my bonnet struts don't seem as stiff as they used to be (I have some sympathy with them) but they have lasted since 2002 and 250K miles. The parking sensors can be a pain - chipped paint = duff sensor usually because water gets into the ultrasonic transducer. I have one that does not like cold weather so always beeps first thing on a cold day - not it is not caused by crap on it. I buy them on AliBaBa in China - last time they were $25 plus shipping (very cheap) - there are two types of sensor. The ones on either side of the number plate are bigger but easy to fit. The small ones at the front are a pain - wheel arch cover off. The rear sensors survive well because they are not battered by the weather so much. Good luck Bren

The best part of this item is will post to the United Kingdom :) I'd like to see Postie get it through my letter box. This looks a much better option hummmm? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-LEXUS-LS430-AUTO-PALADIO-SILVER-RUSHMORE-LEATHER-NO-RESERVE-STUNNING-CAR/361347046611?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140122125356%26meid%3Decac472431cd445890cd1a6a441e36fc%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D281768564435 Bren

The only problem with the legal cover that comes with your policy is the insurance company will not care about you only their liabilities. They will not care that your premium goes up - also PNCB is almost fraud because the discount is applied after they set the premium :) Alway buy your legal insurance seperately so it is for you not your policy - this sounds a litte daft but think about this. You have a crash your car is bent and you are injured so need to persue a personal injury claim will the legal protection help? Probably not because the insurer is only interested in its liability that is assciated with the car i.e. getting that fixed so making sure you have a lawyer to take care of that. They will not care about your compo for aan injury. I often quote Honest John and this is one of his best pieces of advice - also it is cheaper than when you buy it with your car insurance. Good luck and I hope I am wrong. Bren

No probs Amber - any safety kit that is on the car must function or it will fail the MOT. As long as the headlamp alignment is in spec, for the test, it will pass because they won't test the leveling mechanism. So spare the tyre, all those old bags of cement and the dead bodies (from when I was a hitman) will need to be unloaded for the next MOT :) Cheers Bren

Thanks mate I will check it out Bren The War Dept. has just returned with the car. On checking, the LH footwell middle fuse second row from the top is shown as 'H-LP LVL', & as it is missing it's fair guess it's the one I pulled :) Thanks Stuart - I will have a look at this - the red triangle gets on my nerves. :) Bren

Sue the person who ramed you in order to recover all of your uninsured losses is your only recourse. The actuaries deal in stats not you as a person so .... rant away mate but get down the small claims court after - don't forget to claim for that time as well. Good luck Bren

There are people who fix ecu systems - have a look on Honest John's Web Site - don't buy a new one unless you are really sure. I'm with Colin - I would look elsewhere first. Bren

Hi I am not sure how the ride height sensors can affect the attitude of the car without the air suspension system (that I removed). I expect the ride height sensors alter the headlamp angle. I'll check with the garage, when I go in next week, about the MOT. However, one of my rear ride height sensors has been duff and wired in place for a couple of years and it did not affect the performance of the car because the air struts where on the way out - and the car passed the MOT without problem. I'll let you know what happens. Cheers Bren