steve2006

I passed my driving tests back in 1977 when it was just a case of driving/riding around a set route and performing various tasks while doing so at the required level of competence. ”I’m pleased to tell you that you have passed” Upon passing, my pink provisional licence was then upgraded to a green full licence which cost a mere £5.00 and was valid until I reached the age of 70. Great value at less than 10p a year. Moving on a few years and photo-card driving licences are introduced for which we have to pay for. Just a minute my green licence last me until I’m 70 that was the deal for my fiver. ”Dear DVLA about this new licence charge” ”No due to EU regulations you now require a photo card licence and have to pay for it unless you never move house until you are 70 when you can continue with your green paper licence” OK admit defeat at this point and pay another £10.00 for the photo one. Ten years later “Dear Driver your photocard driving licence is due to expire and requires renewing” Another £10.00. Now just received another renewal at either £14.00 online or (work this one out) £21.50 which includes a £4.50 PO service charge at the Post Office. With all the local DVLA offices now closed it should be free! But hold on “The UK has now left the EU” “Dear DVLA” ”Photocard driving licences are the only licences now issued you cannot revert to the old style green licence once a photocard licence has been previously issued” To add insult to injury if you renew your licence before the expiry date it starts from the application date so you lose a month as well, mine will get renewed just before midnight on 11/06/2021 then. Having said that I will have to reapply at 70 anyway!

Yep, the FM radio bandwidth is the same so 88-108 Mhz so that should work. The Navigation should be DVD based so changing the USA disc to the Western European version should give you local navigation. Pretty sure there is no way of changing the temperature from F to C as the USA guys had the same problem with Japanese imports going the other way. Not seen, but there again never looked for a miles to km speed converter but the best option would to get a secondhand cluster for the LHD European market. Fortunately your steering wheel can stay where it is 😀

Many moons ago a slight leak from the header tank would have been sorted by a trip to the local radiator repair company. These were generally dark, damp and dingy places usually accessed via a well potholed unmade road on the outskirts of town. I remember taking my brother to one such place after his 3.0S Ford Capri sprang a leak, the guy took a look and immediately reflowed the solder around the header tank for a couple of pounds sterling. These places no longer exist, for starters you would no longer be allowed to just walk into the workshop and of course the use of lead solder has been mostly banned. Add in the fact that plastic has replaced the previously metal header tanks and there you have it...a non repairable radiator which results in purchasing a new one being the only option and a thousand years of rot down in a landfill for the old one.

Vidal Sassoon has a lot to answer for 😀

I found this today, second clip involves a Lexus maybe an IS. If it is a member’s and you wondered how it was damaged here you go.

Hi Malcolm and welcome to the LOC. Too far south for me to recommend anyone but pretty sure the more local guys will come back with suggestions for you. Which sensors are you having trouble with?

These guys will re-gas your original bonnet struts for around £17.50 each plus return shipping, had mine done here and great job. https://www.sgs-engineering.com/gas-struts/re-gassing-service

Here you go.

Talking of “Computer says no” my brother recently moved into a brand new house and tried to change his car insurance and V5c online. The property has a street name and postcode but because it is not on the OS Map data it couldn’t be done online so envelopes and stamps it was. Strangely the utility companies and local authority had no such problems getting their computerised bills out.

Short and sweet, apparently the car still survives.

Same with parts, a local Motor Factors has “Any Part for any Car” plastered on the back doors of their vans. One day I’m going to ring up for a Fender Pole 😀

All you can really check are the 2 12 volt supplies and the ground. If they are all present and correct chances are the amp has an internal fault. Due to the location of the amp it is subjected to moisture which eventually destroys them. Dependent on which system is fitted you can pick secondhand Pioneer units up from £50.00 but the Levinson units fetch a hundred plus. If you do buy I would be happy to check the amp for you.

Hello Mary and welcome to the LOC.

Mine was around the same until I got it on classic insurance which dropped it to around £180.00 but the car has to be 20 years plus to qualify.

Can I buy it please?

There is only one part number listed for the radiator and the exploded diagram doesn’t show the expansion bottle take off point. Having looked at a couple of videos it would appear the expansion bottle rubber pipe connects onto the fitting where the radiator cap goes. Apologies for the picture quality, video screen shots.

I would love to see it, obviously I would bring my own eye protection PPE, are you near Petersfield. 😀

This is a very serious matter and is now being looked into, personally I think you are just far enough away from Essex to get away with just a warning. 😀 I’m not into wrapping myself but like some Eminem songs.

I have one of the early LS400 models built in 1994. It is said that Toyota made a loss on everyone sold due to the amount of money spent on development and build quality and can quite believe it. At over 27 years old it is still quiet and refined with no rust or rattles. The pinnacle was reached with the last version of the LS400 built between 1997 and 2000 when every possible niggle with previous models was ironed out. When the LS430 was introduced the first thing to disappear was the standard factory fitted stainless steel exhaust system, this became mild steel and soon after back boxes became a required replacement item due to rust just like any other car on the market. Cost and profits are the only things recognised by Toyota today and so the build and materials quality suffer, you can still get early Lexus quality from the likes of RR and Bentley but you’ll certainly pay the premium.

Mine is similar regarding what I call “transmission jolt” when cold, takes around 4 minutes to reach “normal” on temperature gauge at fast idle but less if immediately driven. The transmission fluid also takes time to warm up, the temperature is also monitored and top gear will not engage until fully warmed up. Once everything is toasty there is no transmission snatch and changes are only noticeable from the RPMs dropping.

Sorry to hear that John, I do like the heat but always sit in the shade especially on the beach and of course factor up. Fantastic bus service on the island even better since they built the new road through the mountains to Mogan, the old cliff edge road was a bit scary.

Reminds me of that Christmas Train set and the sellotaped pack of Exide zinc carbon batteries, twice around the track and that was it until the shops reopened for some more 😀

When it gets to this temperature just book it, Radisson Blu at Puerto Mogan will be fine for a couple of weeks 😀

For some time I noticed that my temperature gauge was not reaching its normal halfway point, this was more evident on a longer run on a motorway when it barely moved from cold. I also found higher fuel consumption. After my failed attempt to purchase the parts from Amayama I obtained the genuine parts from LPD ( thermostat, seal ring and 5 litres of red coolant) and went about the replacement. Easy enough to do and the change was immediately evident in the much quicker warm up time and the gauge once again steady at the halfway mark. A post mortem on the old thermostat soon revealed the reason, the rubber seal on the thermostat itself had perished and begun to break up allowing coolant to pass when closed. This would appear to tie in with the previous symptoms of a long warm up time and constant over cooling. The old one looks original so not done bad over 26 years and the missing section of seal in the pictures fell off on removal so hopefully nothing has entered the coolant system which could cause problems. Not a general service item but may be worth checking given the age of these cars now.

It sounds about right and the same as mine, idle is 650 RPM +/- 50 when fully warmed up.