steve2006

Hello Damian and welcome to the LOC. I know little about the Beams engine other than I believe it was fitted to the Altezza and is a four cylinder engine not the usual 6 but here's another idea...how about a V8 UCF 10/20 engine and a manual transmission?

Bottom image shows sidelight with the lug at the top left (passenger side) top image shows same side headlight unit with 4 fixing points

If you look at the very front of the inner wing you should see a black plastic tab held with the small black screw, remove the screw and lift the tab slightly then pull the sidelight slightly outwards and forwards to release the retaining clips ( these can be tight and need a substantial tug to disengage but I haven't broken one yet doing so.) Behind the sidelight is a headlight securing nut in a horizontal position, a bolt below it and 2 more bolts on the other side of the unit (all 10mm). Once all the bolts and nut are removed the assemble should be loose enough to waggle out, just take care as the front bumper lips it slightly.

It's better than that Stuart, that amount includes the MOT cost at £40.00. I did the one that broke myself and discovered that the strut can be removed and refitted by simply removing the anti roll bar top drop link connection which allows the suspension to lower just far enough to allow removal of the strut. It's a little awkward to do this as you need to pass the bottom of the strut between the lower and upper control arms, carefully get the top past the wheel arch and then jiggle it back into position to bolt it back up, apparently the garage managed it without even removing the drop link!

Another MOT passed with no advisories so yet another year of ownership for me, purchased for £3750 11 years ago and with mainly DIY servicing never let me down until the other week when the offside rear spring gave up after 23 years of service probably as a result of the state of UK roads. My local garage also fitted the nearside rear spring for me whilst in for the test, total bill came to £82.00. At just £42.00 inc VAT to remove the strut, replace the spring and refit it just wasn't worth getting my hands dirty.

Good to hear the AA sorted the problem for you. I did read in Classic Car magazine a while ago that the AA refused to look at a member's car because before they arrived the owner had attempted to repair the car themselves, not sure on the whole picture but perhaps worth bearing in mind.

When I looked at the first picture I thought the seats were so thin like aircraft seats then realised they were two tone but the backs blended into the background. Anyone noticed the lastest UK TV advertisement for the CT, the demo car is LHD which is a bit strange given the Japanese drive on the same side as the UK.

I would be thinking more along the lines of anti roll bar bushes, I took a rear strut off mine last week and the top mounts were still good at 23 years old.

Hello David and welcome to the LOC. I have a JDM imported Toyota Celsior ( Lexus LS400) it came into the UK with just 62,000 KMs and I bought it off a dealer in Blackpool. Still going strong over 11 years later and not clocked up 100,000 miles yet.

Same story here, a set of Bosch were awful smearing and squeaking, a cheap set of aero flat blades from ebay are still working perfectly 6 years on.. The Lexus LS rear wiper blade is actually listed by part number for a Toyota Landcruiser Prado 2002-2009, had it been a couple of quid I would have bought it and taken it and the car to my local Lexus dealer for fitting :)

Just had a quick look around for any cheap LS parts and came across this...now spot the obvious mistake. No prizes but just for fun, which vehicle does it actually fit?

A good dose WD40 springs to mind when it comes to things seized.

The cam sensors are located under the 2 plastic covers which fit over the timing belt pulleys and continue over the area where the spark plugs are located, if you look from the front at the sections covering the cam gears you will see a wiring loom coming from each this are the cam sensor looms, following the wiring to a connector and check for damage as it passes near the serpentine belt

As above, they have been known to snap off completely if left neglected with the wheel ending up facing sideways!!!!!!

Has the wheel alignment/tracking been checked recently?

There was topic on here some time ago which if I remember correctly involved several members who may have purchased UCAs from this or a very similar sounding company and discovered defects with the product a short time later, the main concern was the rubber ball joint boots splitting and falling apart. I agree that non OEM parts may not have the lifespan of genuine Lexus spares but there is a vast difference between years of reliable service and months. I have not specifically stated that this company sold these items it was in fact put as a question merely asking if any other members remember the UCAs in question.

Isn't it a code reader job on 95 on models? Regarding the link method make sure you have followed the instructions precisely, transmission in neutral etc, there is a tutorial on lexus.com. Non of the work you have done would cause the EML light to come on as spark ignition is not monitored, check to make sure the cam sensor wiring has been redressed correctly when replacing the plastics over the plugs and cam belt as it is easy to get the wiring into contact with the serpentine belt if not careful. Also check all the air intake piping and vacuum piping is securely refitted.

A2Z autospares is that the same company selling the suspected chinese UCAs with the ball joint rubbers that split in months?

They seem to have gone up a bit Messi, now showing at around £10.00 each but part number should be 90917-06072

My local garage uses the Autodata system to determine labour time and therefore costs, I would think no more than 3 hours for both or ring Lexus for the "book" times.

Hello and welcome to the LOC. As Sharpor mentions you really need a diagnostic code read done to point you in the right direction as to the cause. Common problem is the EGR valve getting clogged up completely, did you notice excessive amounts of exhaust smoke when the speed started dropping?

The springs arrived as promised yesterday (KYB Proflex) so I would assume OEM quality but my local garage couldn't fit it onto the strut until today. Bit of a squeeze but managed to get it back with just the drop link disconnected and a bit of pushing and shoving so back on the road again. Going to get the garage to fit the other when it's in for an MOT in a couple of weeks, my days of greasy hands and dirty fingernails are coming to an end these days.

Hello,welcome to the LOC and sorry for the late response. Even though the EGR has been cleaned is it confirmed to be working i.e. is the valve opening and closing, you should be able to activate it with the correct diagnostics.

I never had the "standard" tyres on mine as it arrived in the U.K. with aftermarket alloy wheels fitted and I've used the same profile with replacements. If you want to trial fit a couple of rims fitted with 245/45/17s I have to see how they look feel free to pm me.

I think you hit the nail on the head in your opening post where you said there was only one maker of that particular size of tyre......and of course the manufacturer and retailer know this and can therefore ask basically what they like, take them or leave them. I would certainly be looking at alternatives with a lower profile it won't make a lot of difference to go from 50 to 55 or 245 to 235 with the 55 series the taller sidewall could even improve driver comfort and the rolling radius would be so slight the speedo would still be accurate. I am running 235/45/17 Rainsport 3s on mine.