steve2006

I have never had any dealings with this company but maybe worth a look for information. http://www.smiffies-soarer-sanctuary.com/

Slight problem there as the series III and IV use Sumitomo 4 pot caliper brakes and there are no slide pins involved as the pistons act directly on the pads each side. I have found from experience that some aftermarket pads are poor in comparison to OEM with regards to brake efficiency, squealing and brake dust production,however Blueprint seem to have a good reputation. Talking of Blueprint their lower ball joints for the LS400 are actually more expensive than OEM Lexus!

Hello and welcome to the LOC. I'm no diesel expert but the symptoms would suggest a fueling issue at the revs you mention which would suggest extra fuel is being injected for some reason at that point.

I always thought that new cars with damage were replaced not repaired?

I have a spacesaver spare tyre,used it once fora couple of miles to get to the tyre fitters where they replaced the leaking valve and that's it in nearly 9 years.

Offset at 38 is OK, rim width is 7" and 17" diameter so fine, bolts holes looked tapers so get the correct wheel nuts to suit. Just make sure the hole in the middle of the wheels is at least 60.1 mm (bore) or they won't fit on the Lexus hubs.

According to page 3 of this link Lexus Ipswich give you a 10% discount on gold membership, so a £300.00 service will recover the cost :) http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/discounts/

Mmmm, nice choice,being a V8 man I would be looking at no.1 but 2 has low mileage and 3 is the ultimate in Soarer world. Is the 3.0litre engine the same as the Lexus GS300 then with a straight 6? Prices are certainly not moving up like the late model LS400s. Could be tempted myself here, been thinking of selling my LS400 import but it's never let me down and continues to run great so only reason is having owned it for 9 years I fancy a change and knowing the V8 engine is an advantage.

Sounds like a good buy to me, just make sure that you get the correct type of wheel nuts as aftermarket nuts are usually the tapered type while OEM Lexus use sleeved nuts. Fitting the wrong ones may result in damage to the wheels and the risk of them coming loose.

Symptoms suggest a bad battery, alternator is obviously working as there is no charge light on and the lights brighten when the engine is revved and the alternator output increases. Expect to pay around £80.00 for a decent replacement battery, Lexus aren't to bad pricewise so consider them as a source.

Hello and welcome to the LOC. It's not just the tyre size that's important, the wheel size is OK at 17" but they have to have a stud pattern of 5 x 114.3 PCD to fit the Lexus hubs. The wheels appear to be multifit types so may be OK but then you have to consider the offset (how far they stick in and out) and the centre bore of the wheels ( the size of the hole in the middle of the wheels as you may need suitable spigots). All this information should be stamped somewhere on the back of the wheels. Also Lexus OEM wheels use straight sleeved wheel nuts and aftermarket tend to use tapered wheel nuts, these are not interchangeable so you would need the correct type. Also if the original wheels where 16" you may have to inform your insurance company as this could be considered as a modification, failing to do so could leave you with invalid insurance cover.

We've not had any this year and it's a little cold this time of the year in a pub car park. Perhaps worth looking into next year with a bit more warmth and sunshine :)

Hello Steve and welcome to the LOC, now if your name had been Joey there would have been comments :) Question is which model Soarer, 4 ltr, 2.5TT probably the latter with your Nissan past. If you find a suitable buy feel free to post up the link and we will advise.

Hello Andy and welcome to the LOC. Also thanks for supporting the club with your gold membership, there are some good discounts around and not just servicing.

Hello and welcome to the LOC. Only test driven a CT200h a few years ago so can't comment on MPG, depends on the driver's style I would think, petrol engine can kick in at any time dependant on the hybrid battery charge status and extra demands like demisting and heated seats. Good stuff Mark Levinson on par with Bose.

Straight fit on a series I, no caliper clearance to worry about and wheels will easily clear suspension and arches with such a small difference in offset so no spacers needed. PDC is obviously 114.3, are the wheels Lexus or aftermarket?

Hello and welcome to the LOC. I would be asking my next door neighbour that question, makes me wonder why he sold it to you :) It could be something as simple as the 12 volt battery on it's way out, any half decent place will be able to check it for you.

Hello and welcome to the LOC. I this is your 1st hybrid have you got used to pulling out of junctions in complete silence wondering if it will actually pull out and get going in the gap between passing cars. I drove one on a Lexus Open Road day and found it weird to begin with.

I think the same guy has another LS for sale with a driver's side wiped out.

Hello Alfred and welcome to the LOC. As Ambermarine suggests try a new battery 1st, I take it you have the key with the single button on the side. If you have a spare key try that to see if it works correctly.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, managed to get the stud remains out without thread damage so original caliper now back on. Oh well the only MOT advisory has now gone on the retest, car has also been sold.

I think it is the salt content of Fairy Liquid ( other brands are available) that causes problems with paintwork.

I use Castrol Magnatec 5w30 fully synthetic, usually buy it from Halfrauds when on offer but now have a trade card so works out OK at "trade" price.

I think this has been mentioned before but Driving Licences also have to renewed every 10 years and IIRC the DVLA do not send you a reminder when this is due. Having paid my £5.00 for my "lifetime" driving licence up to 70 in 1977 it annoys me that the government then move the goalposts when photo licences were forced into play by the EU (or so I was told).

Interesting point, I would assume that if the original vehicle specification required cats to be fitted then the replacement engine should have the same. I think cats became a legal requirement for cars in the early 90s.