Haylands

Hi I'm sorry to disagree but it does not say anywhere on the site that they check the VIN number, they are very careful with the wording, even the guarantee only states that you receive information about the VRM not the VIN or vehicle it is attached to. They give you info about the current vehicle that is attached to the VRM. They will give you all of its details for as long as that VRM has been on the vehicle, if it was stolen/smashed/financed etc before the VRM you gave them was issued to that vehicle then you will not receive the information. You will however receive information about the VRM when it was attached to another car which is just confusing and no help at all.... Nowhere does it say they check the VIN it says they will give you the current VIN to check against the vehicle you are buying, that is not the same. If they do a VIN check then why can't you advise them of a VIN number and have that checked? I have no axe to grind I just thought I would let people know of the glaring deficiencies of using these cheap checks.... If you do want to try it then ask them the question.... Is this search on the vehicle or on the VRM? I promise they will try to avoid the question and say that they give a guarantee of £5000 if the information given is WRONG, well it won't be wrong it will just be about the VRM and not about the vehicle.... Buyer beware!!! Pete

Hi There is this place as well. It's in the USA, gets a good review on the USA forums, may still be cheaper than buying a recon one.... http://videoservicestop.com/radiorepairs/lexus.htm Pete

Hi I totally agree, I didn't mean get your car serviced by Lexus their hourly rate is far too high, all I said was pay the bit extra for Lexus parts. If you order a part from Lexus you know that it has been tested by them and is top quality, if you buy anything but, then you don't know where it has come from, it could be top class but it could be made by an 8 year old in a sweat shop in Taiwan to a very poor standard, a timing belt has cords running through rubber, who knows what the cords are made of, Is the rubber the correct type, is it heat resistant, will it stretch??? If you pay a bit more for the Lexus part you will know it will do the job.... Main dealers are always using motor factors to cut down on time, three days to order from Lexus verses 10mins from the local factors, but if you just buy the parts you can tell they are genuine as they come in the right box or wrapper, also the dealer is happy to order you the genuine part because they don't have a car on a ramp taking up space. Blueprint and QH can supply very good parts it's just that you can't always be sure how good..... £50 extra on a genuine cambelt now and confidence in use, or hundreds for a new engine when it snaps..... A small saving on the water pump now and it has poor quality bearings and starts to leak in 18mths and you pay to have the job done again......I know which I'd have.... Your car may only be worth £1500 in a years time but it maybe worth nothing with a snapped belt or cooked engine... Pete

Hi I'm a bit confused here..... On one hand you write this on a post here 12 months MOT is also always a good start, mine had 12 months and 12 months tax ! Service records are easy to forge, but see if they have the invoices to back up the service record, again mine did. This alongside old MOT certificates can also warrant the mileage. If not a call to lexus will also confirm if the car has indeed been serviced by an authorised lexus dealer. Check the tires especially on the inside edges, unscrew the transmission fluid cap and check the condition of it. Run the car engine dont be afraid of giving it a good rev look for all the tell tale signs of anything untoward. Take the car for a good road test check out the heating, even if its summer run the heaters on full blast,and the air con on cold even if its winter. Ask the owner lots of questions and ask to look at servicing invoices and repair bills. Also get the car checked out, mycarcheck, HPI etc When buying my lexus I was told walk away if it doesn't have full service,and a large number of previous owners is also not good. All very worthwhile points.... but now you are advocating fitting sub standard cheap parts to your, "full Lexus service history" car, surely after buying the best car you could find you would want to keep it in top condition, you expect it to be reliable and trouble free yet you want to fit the cheapest parts you can. Blueprint ADL have been around for about 20 years, they do not make any items themselves, they have shareholders, they are in business to make money, they import cheap items usually from Taiwan and market them under their own name, they do not have a name for quality, they have a name for cheap parts that the trade uses to increase their profit. A lot of independent garages will use Blueprint parts and charge the customer for genuine parts. Quinton Hazell have also been around a while and used to just make clutches and brakes, they have now widened this to a lot of other parts, again they source them from the Far East and market them under their perceived quality brand name.... They only have to offer a 12mth warranty so quality can be very poor on some items and they will have no problems with returns. Saving a few quid on parts is just not financially sound, you will pay in the long run, your water pump will have a reduced life, your cambelt will probably stretch and lower your performance.... If you want to save money then do the work yourself, it is not hard it just takes time and patience, but please use the proper genuine parts, keep the receipts and the value of your pride and joy will stay high.... I would say join the club as a Gold member and get a discount on parts but I have to say in practice I find if you ask the parts man for a discount as you have an older car they will usually knock off 10-15% anyway... Pete

Hi Companies like mycarcheck.com etc are a bit of a waste of time, all these cheap car check sites etc only search on the registration number, now as most posh cars i.e Lexus will have had a private plate for most of their lives a check on a number is little more than useless. You either get the result of the private plate history, or a number which has been on the car for a short length of time..... (my own personal plate shows it is on a written off Mitsubishi.... must be years ago because I've had it since 2001) Ask the seller for the 17 digit VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and get this checked, it will cost far more than the £3.95 these places ask but you will then find the history of the car and not the number..... Then when you look at the car, ask to see the V5 (registration document) and check the number against the one supplied and against the car, all cars now have a visible VIN usually at the bottom of the windscreen on the passenger side (RHD) I would also check the stamped in number under the bonnet, it's usually on the bulkhead, up near where the wipers are or on the inner wings. Any genuine owner will be more than happy to supply the numbers to you and let you check them, do not be embarrassed to ask..... If you do buy a ringer you will lose your money... Good Luck Pete

Hi When this happens on the 400's it's the upper wishbone bushes.... have also heard of some steering rack failures causing a similar noise. Let us know what they do... Pete

Hi 7j and 8j are the rim width in inches, what size tyres have you got on your original wheels? You will only get a reduction in ride quality if you reduce the depth of the sidewall, not the width of the tyre.... Pete

Save a search here they are..... Pete

Hi USA ones are a mirror image of your one, ie the buttons have switched sides, you would think this is the only difference but I suspect they will have other differences as well. My brother recently bought a heater control panel for his 400 from the USA and although the same size and look from the front the plugs in the back were totally different. Contact these people, they advertise that they repair all Toyota/Lexus touch screens http://soarer.tv/ They are in Dorset. Please, please post back here when you have some info as others will benifit from it Thanks and good luck Pete

Steve I have just read the post and then thought I would check what the struts were on the fridge..... guess what.... well look at the other thread to find out..... Pete

Steve I have just been checking the fridge in the rear of my LS430, re your other post about gas struts (by the way it has four and a remote controlled door opener with built in drinks dispenser) and it appears my car has been modified without my knowledge.... this can (pun) only have happened when it was at Lexus, so I have the first officially approved performance modification, I think the theory is similar to yours but of course the main dealer had to come up with a superior and more acceptable, in certain circles, name for the conversion I present to you...... drum roll please...... As my car is now sold (sob sob) this modification is now for sale and will fit any model Lexus.... if you want it don't tell the IS boys cause this goes great with their BEERS mod, and after they have had a few of their mods they will outbid anyone for this.....

Hi Pete, They are based in Derby so the phone number should be 01332 298126. Mine are getting lazy so may enquire. Website http://www.sgs-engineering.com/ Hi Steve you are dead right, used to live in Kent and 01322 is Dartford so I think my fingers went to auto mode..... I'll edit it above..... Pete

Hi As Mark said on the other post, don't use pattern parts for anything, it's false economy, you will make you Lexus unreliable, stick with genuine and it will last for 1000's of miles with no issues. Pete

Hi You can also try SGS Engineering on 01332 298126, they will try to recharge you old struts, if it works it's cheaper than new ones, if it doesn't they will sell you a pair of better than new ones for not a lot.... Give them a try their turnaround is very quick and service good. (edited) Pete.

Mike Oh well never mind at least it's getting sorted now, it might run a bit funny for a few days as the learning ecu has just been wiped..... Gearchanges may be felt and the throttle responce will be different. It will soon get to know your style of driving again though. Locking it with the key is the answer if your leaving it for a week though.. Pete

Hi. Chris Vince is the dash guru on this site, he will fix it for you, pm him from here http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...p?showuser=8565 Pete

Hi Have a look at this, personally I think it's a great idea, I've never used one or even seen it but it looks like it will work well and is cheaper than most bars.... http://www.handirackuk.com/ Pete

Mike When you reconnect the battery make sure you have the smart key in your hand as the alarm will go off and you have to unlock the car to turn it off, it's very loud with the bonnet up and will scare you to death... Pete

Mike That is the alarm going off, only you haven't got enough charge in the battery to make the horn sound, disconnect it now, it could damage the alarm or horns, disconnect the battery before you charge it, the pulses from a car charger can damage all sorts of components. Pete

Hi I'm pretty sure the special tools are to stop the cam shafts moving whilst doing the job, they are not essential if you are used to changing cam belts Pete

Hi How about one of these. I used to love it on my old Capri, you could wire it up to be used instead of/ as well as the stalk button, leaving the rest untouched.... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...274a4a4fe780829 Pete

Barney Don't know if it will hekp but this may give you what you need, if not those cheap workshop data cd's on ebay usually have a good diagram http://www.lextreme.com/wiring.htm Good luck Pete

Then when you've read that you need to speak to Chris Vince as he is the dash guru on this site, he will fix it for you, pm him from here http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...p?showuser=8565 Pete

Hi Personally I'd buy all the genuine parts from Lexus and get the garage to just supply the labour, using generic/pattern parts is the best way to reduce the reliability of a Lexus Which service is due, did it have the 99000 service late or the 108000 service early, if it had the 108,000 one early then the next one due at 114,000 is just an oil change and check over evrything else. Pete.

Hi Look here, tells you all about it http://www.lextreme.com/lcdtech.html Pete