passman53

Hello,

Don't have a clue about the seat height, but have you checked the filter behind the glovebox as if this is blocked it will cause problems with the air con, Mine would switch itself off and when I put it back on it would work for a while so it sounds similar.

Oh, welcome to the club.

Pete

Try any MOT station. I think they should check the alignment as part of the test - mind you mine just checks the lights are working. The whole thing should only take a few minutes- its only a couple of adjustimg screws. You can do it yourself by looking at the beam pattern on a wall and lowering it but obviously this will not be totally accurate. Several years ago i asked my dealer to "set them as high as is leagal". After this I rarely needed main beam But did sometimes get flashed by other motorists. There was no extra charge by the dealer.

Hello,

On both my Ls and Rx the head lamps are self leveling-a legal requirement with HIDs. However there are still adjusters on the lights. This means the beam is set and then levelled from that setting. IF someone has put them right at the top of the range of adjustment then you are driving with lights that are aimed high so that, together with the bright HID light, can cause drivers to think you are on main beam, hence the flashing. Happened to me on a previous LS.

Hope this makes sense.

Pete

Actually Mike, the LS 430 had auto dimming mirrors too.

Pete u should say hi when u see me. I see a LS430 occasionally in Oakham. Is that u. Next time I will say hi if I see u.

I'm usually in my driving school car when I see you, Audi A3 with Stickers all over it, Looking at prices I would have thought around 4K as its got the LPG.

Malc. The 430 only has a cambelt change every 100k or 10 years so I change is correct.

Hi Ifty,

No idea what its worth - are you taking the number off? Hope you're not leaving us as you are the only LOC member I ever spot-this morning in Dudley.

Pete.

Hello,

I'm lucky as I currently have LS430, RX300, Audi A3(for work) and my wife a little Hyundai I10. I bought the Rx when I had a particularly bad spell of back and knee pain and needed something higher to get in and out of. Just after this the pain eased with different treatment and somehow I just never got round to selling the LS despite being reminded that "you can't drive 2 at the same time".

The Hyundai is actually fun to drive as its so small and nippy in traffic, It also has heated seats which keeps the wife happy. The Audi is Ok but I really can't understand why the Press rates them so highly.

The RX is very good and it is nice to sit that bit higher up and it may well be very practical this weekend if the snow arrives. HOWEVER, there is nothing like getting back into the LS which is the best car I have ever owned. The overall package of performance and comfort along with all the goodies is unbeatable, though the Mk 4 400 I owned was a very close second.

I gave up on motorbikes when it was pointed out that my expanding waist didn't suit the biker image any more--unkind but true.

Pete

Hello,

I'm on my 2nd 430 and at the moment have a Rx too. On each the auto wipers have been anything but "auto". They either have a burst when they go too fast or don't go at all. The amount of rain seems to make no difference. I have tried adjusting the sensitivity but it seems to have no effect. I much preferred the normal variable intermitent of the 400s I had, after all It wasn't hard to see a wet screen and flick a switch.

Such is progress!!

Oddly my brother in law has a vauxhall Astra and he complains of the same thing!

Pete

Hi and welcome the the 430's i think i know the car your on about very well priced, don'y forget the extra gear as well 6 speed box in these,

Now i can reverse a 40ft-er with one eye closed in a dark ally, but for the love of god that reverse camera has me all over the place what's the deal with it, my reverse eye is in, before i can move that blood green box about. :arrrggg-matey:

As for road noise check what boots it's wearing mine are dunlop and are very silent, but does depend on the road surface some god dam shire roman crap up here

Hello,

I currently have a Rx with a camera.( I think it's the same as the one you have but i don,t have one on the LS to confirm). I find that it's easier to ignore the Park Assist mode and have it so you just have the 2 green lines and the 2 curved ones. As you look at the screen the straight lines are the car. Go back into the gap until the line is just short of the kerb then steer to the right and keep the end of the left line just off the kerb. This combined with the dipping mirrors make this the easiest thing to reverse in the 40 years since I passed my test. I must admit that prior to having this feature I had thought it was just a gimmick but it's really great.

Pete

"Fairly certain this is the car that was featured a couple of years ago when a local garage refurbered it from the bottom up including a full respray .

The price for the job was that the car had to sit in the showroom as an example of excellence for an agreed period of time".

Actually this is a different car, The one you're thinking of belonged to Pete Haylands brother. It was for sale on here last year when it had done 124,000 miles. Hard to believe there are two in such condition.

Pete

Hello Mr JellyBean,

I can only sympathise with you on this. Do you remember the good old days in the mk 3 when all you needed to know was how to change a rear light bulb and the bits that fit below the front bumper? Oh and we had a tyre pressure gauge from Halfords that cost £2.

Seriously, though it does make you wonder at times if all the goodies are worth the cost.

Pete

PS. yes I am jealous that you have a 460

Hello again,

We are perhaps going a little off the original topic ( if you're after economy stick to your GS), but I recently had a 60k service which included a change of plugs. I haven't got before and after figures but it seems to be going that little bit better(smoother) and according to the computer is better on fuel. Have you had the plugs/filters changed recently?

Pete

I have a 2005 RX300-58,000 miles. Last weekend I went from the midlands to Selby for the day, a round trip of 306 miles. I brimmed the tank at the start and again on my return. The average was 29.3mpg, the computer said 31.5. This was mainly motorway and average speed was 63mph.

Considering the size and weight of the car I think this is fine. 22.5 at 68-70 with a light foot seems to indicate a problem.

Pete

Hi Guys,

Sorry but I had a 98 mark 4 and it was quite clearly stated in the service schedule that the cam belt was due to be changed at either 7 years or 63,000 miles which ever came first, the same as the mark 3.

Contrary to what people have said the first cam belt change at 10 years/ 100,000 miles came with the 430.

I am sure that Lexus are conservative with the miles a belt will last BUT do you really want to take the risk?

Pete

Hello,

Look at www.Lexus Mapupdates currently listing the 2011 version at 114.88 euros + p&p. Delivery 5 days.

I think they usually update around feb each year so 2012 is out early 2013.

Pete

Hello,

The mileage (130K) is not a problem for this car, but make sure the cambelt was changed at 100K so check the service history carefully. It may sound obvious but Test every switch to make sure it does work especially try the sport mode, you can feel the difference when driving as it firms up the suspension, if it makes no difference then the air shocks may be worn and they ARE expensive. Otherwise just the normal checks you would do on any car.

This car has been advertised on E bay and in Autotrader so they have had it in stock a while so make sure you haggle.

Finally there are quite a few for sale around the 4k mark so if you have any doubts walk away. A proper 430 is a brilliant car but a dodgy one will leave you broke.

Pete

That wouldn't have been the essential just the normal Lexus one discounted for age. The essential would have been £279.

Yes but the essential at £279 would not have included the plug change,which looking back at earlier posts is around £200!

Hello.

I must get a new photo now i've changed the LS!

I have a 2005 RX300 thats done 57K. I took it in to Lexus Wolverhampton and had a 6yr/60K service as last year it only had the smaller service done. (I assume because it had done 50K at the time). When I called to arrange the job I was told the cost was just under £600 but as the car was over 5 years old I would qualify for a discount which reduced the price to £438.78.

The invoice shows that all the items listed in the service schedule have been done and yes, it does include the new spark plugs.

I was provided with a CT 200 whilst mine was done and the car was spotless inside and out when I collected it.

The service book was stamped as normal

I don't know if this was"essential" service but I consider the price for a major service and plug change to be very reasonable.

I have used Wolverhampton since I first had a Lexus 9 years ago and have never had any problems at all. Ironically i have only actually bought one car from them, my first Lexus-!" year old LS 400. but would always return for service.

Pete

Hello,

As i have owned 3 LS400 and a 2001 430, my opinion is that fine cars that they all were, the 430 was the best. Not the best looking at the front but then you don't see that when you're in it.

Firstly how common is common? I know i never had a problem with a transmission sensor , delamination of the double glazed windows or paintwork bubbles anywhere on the vehicle.

Neither did I have any problems with the height sensors.

I know that some have had the height sensor problem and that it's expensive to put right-is any thing cheap on a Lexus?

I also know from this site that breaking springs are common on previous models as are dashboard problems on the mk 2 and 3. In other words they all have potential problem areas.

I would certainly go for a 430 with the normal warnings to check everything works and that it has been properly maintained. There are plenty about with full history so don't go for one that hasn't. it's a buyers market for big V8 cars so you can afford to be picky.

Regretably I sold my 430 as I needed something higher to get in and out of, I now have a RX300 and good as it is there is usually some point in every journey that I wish I still had my LS.

Pete

Hello,

I have recently bought a 2005 and the only beep I get like this, is telling me it hasn't been able to connect to blue tooth,(a message comes up on the sat nav screen too). This doesn't suprise me as I havn't got far enough through the manuals to know how to do this yet.

Pete

Hello,

Well after months of putting it off, I finally got round to advertising my car last week in Auto trader. The first guy that called came to see it and bought it. He collected it on friday and I must admit that even though it was "just a car", I (and even my wife who has no interest in cars except that they go), felt really sad when she'd gone.I have had 3 LS over the last 8 years and all have been excellent. The first was a mk3 which I sold with 232K on the clock and 5 years later it is still going strong. This was followed by a mk4 and lastly by a 430. I can not compain about any of them and apart from servicing all I have spent other than tyres etc, has been 1 new Battery and 1 brake light bulb. On this basis I would say that they have been very economical to run as what I've spent on petrol I've saved on repair bills.

The only reason for selling is that I need something higher due to a knee problem and obviously after my Lexus experience I am looking for a RX.

I'll still be reading the posts on here and I hope you all enjoy driving around in what I believe are the best saloons you can get.

Pete.

PS the guy that bought it has now joined the club.

Actually they aren't 430 wheels. They were a dealer fitted option from a few years back. I had them on a mk 3 and (my opinion) I think they look better than the DHP or the 7 spoke 430 wheels.

Pete

I have had 6 Hyundai including I20 and 1.4 I30-My wife currently has a I10- and none have given any trouble. I currently use a 1.6 diesel for work(driving instructor), which averages 55mpg. The 1.4 gave around 40 which considering the low gear use and constant stop starting was good. It did 39k in 12 months with no problems at all. I

Whilst they are not in the same league as the LS they are solid reliable cars at a reasonable price.

Oh yes, and they have a 5 year warranty with no mileage restriction--better than a Lexus!!!!!

I too am about to sell my Ls but only cos I need something higher to help with knee and back problems, the RX seems ideal.

Good luck whatever you choose,

Pete

Hello,

I have a 2009/2010 disc in my 2001 430 and whilst I can not enter new destinations on the move, I can enter previous destinations. This is a help as if i am going to several places i just have a session of putting in the details and can then call them up as I go.

I would expect the 460 to have a more up to date system than mine so I agree with Knitware that a newer disc may be needed.

Pete

Pete - don't suppose you got postcode entry facility did you. My car is a March 2001 and I think they were fitting several different versions of the satnav during 2001. By the way I have an intermittent problem on mine at the moment - Quite often it tells me to open the disc door and replace the disc

Mike

Mike - mine is april 2001 and no It won't do postcodes As i said just using previous destinations is a help to me, and i'm pleased to say I've never had a problem.

Hello,

I have a 2009/2010 disc in my 2001 430 and whilst I can not enter new destinations on the move, I can enter previous destinations. This is a help as if i am going to several places i just have a session of putting in the details and can then call them up as I go.

I would expect the 460 to have a more up to date system than mine so I agree with Knitware that a newer disc may be needed.

Pete