steve2006

Although this was a more local set up with maybe 12 branches I took my old 94 Celsior there back in 2007 for its MOT. Car passed but had advisories for corroded front discs and cracking front brake hoses. After then it went to my local independent garage in the village for every MOT still presented with those apparent defects as I never changed the discs or hoses and it never got a mention of them after another 14 years had passed.

Not my intention at all…..I’m from the generation that can remember electric milk floats that used lead acid batteries to deliver to your door in recyclable glass bottles. I also remember the planned power cuts in the 1970s when due to industrial action there was not enough electricity being generated to satisfy demand. EVs are a great idea but the infrastructure needed I.e. the power grid will not be able to cope without serious upgrading, investment and consumers having to pay for it all.

Assuming the amplifier is still OEM or the replacement is in the same place it is in the boot area as shown in the picture ( number 2). No ideas sorry on where to have it repaired, did your auto electrician not locate the amplifier when testing?

There’s also mine “ You can’t get better than a Kwik S**t fitter” 😀

Been there on a cruise, bought spices from one of the stalls outside the cruise terminal and jewellery from Colombian Emeralds. It wasn’t you I spoke to whilst driving your Altezza through the tunnel just up the road was it?

If you’ve ever wondered why the standing charge has increased so much and remains at the same cost even after the recent Ofgem unit price reduction the video link below, although from the USA, may explain that. The grid requirements in the UK will also need upgrading to cope with demand for charging EVs. Guess who’s now having to pay for it!

Good result, now firing on all 6 again, where are you located?

Given the age of my 2004 Celsior the paint wasn’t in bad condition at all but I had noticed weird marks in the paint when washed, dried and hand polished in certain sunlit conditions. After asking my local paint shop 3 times for a machine polish and never getting it in I began to look into DIY. Many YouTube videos later I was more confused and hesitant by the various stages of polishing, which polishing pads to use, which cutting compounds to use, which polishing machine to use and what speed plus all the methods involved in applying the compound, amount of pressure to apply etc. I ended up buying a £50.00 DA machine, 2 Chemical Guys pads (green for the cutting and red for polishing), a bottle of Chemical Guys VSS scratch and swirl remover and a tub of Armor All polish. Over 3 days I rinsed, snowfoamed, rinsed, clay bared, cut the paint and then machine polished. After reading all the horror stories about paint thickness, hard/soft paint and panel edges I took my time. I wasn’t looking for absolute perfection but an improvement. I think it came out pretty good, the weird marks have gone which was my main concern. OK there are still scratches in the paint if you look closely but overall I’m satisfied with the results.

Consumer Rights Act? Goods must be of reasonable quality …..can’t really argue there. And last a reasonable amount of time….could argue here that a 2 year old car stolen off your driveway did not last a reasonable amount of time.

Not long after I bought my 1994 Celsior I converted to HID headlight bulbs, no problems after the garage I use for MOTs adjusted them. Just before selling the car I changed back to the original halogen bulbs which I had wrapped up in kitchen roll and stored in “the shed” Given they were by now over 25 years old they still worked!

To see the cars wrapped in a polythene cover is impressive for a used car dealer, looks like the collection and presentation experience was as good as a brand new car from the dealership especially when paying less than a 10th of the new list price which I remember being £101,000.00. Enjoy 😀

I think given the above you may have found the problem 😀

Camry but similar

Similar damage to my old 1994 Celsior from MOT tests.

Apparently the food and drink at that particular cafe was awful, Lexus link system recognised this and went into don’t let them out mode. 😀

I have this part number for the belt, given the price I would be looking at aftermarket ones like Gates. 99367-C1550 1 € 103.15

It may have been damaged when the rear pipes burst and it lost the refrigerant if it was left empty too long maybe.

Have you checked the condenser? Being mounted at the front they are fully exposed to debris, also when the car is idling with the AC switched on do you hear the cooling fan kick in and out? Other items to check are the external air temperature sensor and internal cabin temperature sensor, the latter can get clogged up with carpet fluff giving false readings to the climate control ECU.

I’m guessing it’s a similar system to the UK Malc i.e. cars and motorcycles over 40 years old are classed as classics, don’t require an MOT and get free road tax. Being Spain however it bound to be complicated and probably involve a lawyer, fees and 2 years processing.

It could well be the reason, I know the Aisin transmissions have a fluid temperature sensor fitted which via the ECU prevents shifting to top gear until a specified fluid temperature has been reached. Engine coolant would certainly help achieve the required temperature quicker.

Hello Mario and welcome to the LOC. It looks like a very good example that you have purchased. I’ve never had the opportunity to examine a failed radiator/cooler to determine the exact failure cause so can only surmise it is either down to internal corrosion of the transmission cooler or fractures of the pipe work due to constant heating and cooling. I would also suggest that the fluid mixing occurs when the engine is switched off so no hydraulic pressure but coolant pressure would remain higher until cooled down allowing engine coolant to flow into the transmission cooler. When it comes to replacements the easiest method is a direct like for like replacement with a decent quality aftermarket unit or as you mention fitting a new coolant radiator and an external transmission cooler kit, the latter I feel being an improvement over the OEM combined set up. From what I can gather from previous failures it seems to happen between 8-10 years so for preventative maintenance I would stick to these figures for service life. Basically if the radiator is still the original do it now as a £200.00 part is certainly better than the cost of a replacement transmission and the labour costs involved. Replacement fluids should of course be OEM Toyota only.

Hi Josh and welcome to the LOC. Having looked at the MOT history it is a bit of a jump from no advisories to a “dangerous do not drive” failure of the subframe as you mention especially with just a few thousand miles between MOTs. You also have to weigh up the cost of the sill repairs which given the multi layer construction and cutting back to good metal (which may reveal rot in the wheel arches also). The rest of the failures regarding brakes is probably a seized calliper (pins never get removed and re-greased even at Lexus dealers), seized handbrake cable ( usually due to lack of use) and brake drum cleaning and shoe adjustment. Finding a good used sub frame may also prove difficult and a new one if still available would probably cost more than the car plus the labour involved in replacing it. Another member recently required a rear sub frame for another model and found one at a Lexus JDM breakers here in the UK in excellent condition ( no road salt and kinder climate in Japan). It does make me wonder if the previous owner was aware of the upcoming problems and sold it with a short MOT instead of renewing it early. (I assume it was a private sale and not a dealer?) Not good news sorry and worrying that nothing was mentioned on the last test before the current one.

Hi Robert and welcome to the LOC. To be honest the motors can be replaced ( I even have some as done a few myself) but you need to solder them in, beware of flying springs and get covered in grease. Probably the best option is to buy a complete actuator unit, there are several on eBay or try Paul Frost who breaks LS models. https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=lexus+ls430+rear+door+lock+accuator&_sacat=0 They are a bit of a pain to get out as obstructed by the door glass guide but doable with care.

Unfortunately yes, just as the Mayor of London wanted! Thinking about it hypothetically if Nissan has built the all electric Leaf model in 1999 that also would have been Euro 2 standard and also not compliant!

Looks like they are unpainted as they normally give the paint codes, plenty to chose from as well.