Steviewevie

I would have thought that a seized water pump would just shred an ancilliary drive belt, there are separate belts that drive the power steering, alternator and a/c compressor, with the timing belt separate. I *think*, but am not sure, that the water pump is behind the drive for the power steering so that they operate off the same belt. So perhaps the water pump and power steering would fail together in that instance ? I don't know though, I'm only guessing from diagrams such as this one

Or you can often just force the connector in the "wrong" way round. It's worth a try and you can't damage things electrically if it's wrong, it just won't work one way round but should the other. I tried the more elegant solution of moving the pins around as Aido suggested, but I'm a bit cack-handed so couldn't manage it !

I don't understand why you'd choose to use something acidic on your wheels (which will therefore cause them damage over time, even if it's not noticeable at first), when there are non-acidic choices available.

The thread with part numbers (and diagrams) for the bypass seals (o-rings) is here. The thread where I was debating exactly the same issue is here, along with a pic of my old water pump (leaking underneath).

Do they come as part of the entire replacement water pump assembly or are they something else that is needed on top of that mate? The pump comes with a new gasket, but the seals/o-rings are a separate part. I'll try and find the thread with the part numbers in.

I'm actually starting to find that with having HIDs on dipped beam and halogens on main beam, if you flash someone at night then it's not very noticeable, presumably because the main beam flash is feeble compared to the dipped HID. I used to think that main beam HIDs would be a bit of a waste of time and also not a good idea due to the "wear" issue, but then I learned about the fact that your dipped beams flash anyway with the main beams, and I now quite fancy some main beam HIDs.

Good for you, well done, it does look a lot better IMHO. Glad you found the guide useful ! :D

Agree with all the above, I did mine at just over 50k, although my car was nearly 9 years old at the time. As Wozza says, it's worth getting the bypass seal/o-rings changed on the water pump changed as well, since they can leak. My water pump looked fine visually, but when it was changed I could see that underneath (hidden from view previously) it was actually leaking.

I had an Oric-1 (still got it in the loft somewhere), which on paper seemed better than the Speccy, which is why I got it. Unfortunately it never really took off though. A mate at school had a Dragon. Another one got a Sharp MZ-80K

Don't know, sorry, I got mine online. I wonder if it might end up being more expensive in a shop ?

You could always have asked the mods if they could change your username on your existing account ? Or did you try that already and they said no ?

Mine is a manual and has the chrome gear knob. I love it, and am actually kind of shocked that anyone doesn't like it. Each to their own though, it would be a boring world if we all liked the same stuff ! :D

Indeed, I also used the word "factory" when what I really meant is that you bought it with 18" wheels as a new car, so they must be ok. I should have been more careful with my choice of words though !

I've only limited knowledge on this but I believe that the Lexus coolant is important to use because it helps to prevent corrosion within the engine, it's designed also for that purpose. I have no idea what effect mixing some other coolant would have. Like Wozza I was a bit sceptical about what sort of difference a geometry setup at WIM would have. I was absolutely amazed at what a huge, noticeable difference it made to the handling of the car. I would not have believed it if I had not experienced it for myself.

I took my broken head unit apart to get the CDs out of it (which were otherwise stuck inside). It was a 13902 bottom-loader. The CD unit was sort of separate at the bottom, in that it was connected together with screws etc to the top section, but there were of course electrical connectors between the two. Are they the same model of head unit that you're thinking of swapping between ? Even if it the same model (and therefore should be no incompatibilities) then the currently working CD unit will likely fail at some point (since they pretty much all seem to do so). If they're not the same then I would imagine there's a good chance of incompatibility. Personally I wouldn't bother, and I'd just get a new aftermarket unit as Stav suggests. At least that will have a warranty. That's what I'm doing with mine (see my separate thread).

You could always try a Camcon, which lets you alter the way that the VVTi works, but from reports on here (I've not tried one myself) it doesn't make a big difference and is quite expensive. You could try installing some IK20 spark plugs which are supposedly a bit higher performance than the OEM plugs, but again don't expect much of a difference. I would suggest a K&N filter but you've already got an induction kit.

Will the tyres fit on those wheels though ? The 17" IS200 alloys are 7" wheels, those tyres sound pretty wide

No, the OEM head unit doesn't have a security code.

18" rims were a factory option on the car, so shouldn't be a problem.

I was at school when the BBC Micro originally came out, and I got on quite well with the computer teacher. He let me take hom a BBC Micro over the school holidays, and I remember pretty much playing Scramble and Defender non-stop ! (before Elite had come out, I think) Ah, the days of typing in whole progams listed in computer mags, and loading games off cassette tape ! :D

If you haven't already done it, check that your bulb holders are fully inserted, i.e. that they're twisted right round till they "click". Your profile indicates you've changed the headlamp bulbs, so it's possible they're not fully sealed now.

No, Colin's article contains the OEM Lexus (incorrect) settings. Whilst hunting for the new seconds earlier I came across this and sent a PM to Colin querying it. He says that he is planning to update it. So don't use the settings from the article, as the other guys have said you need to get them from Tony at WIM (ideal solution = go there yourself and let them set the geo for you).

I replaced one on my car, on the passenger side too, cost me around £21 from a Lexus dealer. Or you could get a used one from a breaker's though it could be scratched.

I really want an HKS Silent Hi-Power. Personally, I think they look fine without the lip. But stop talking about it though, you're reminding me how much I want one ! :P

Now I've edited my post too ! :P Yeah, the fact that it's interference means you really shouldn't go past the manufacturer's interval for change, could be a *big* bill if you do Phil, I understand where you're coming from, I got Lexus to inspect my cam belt for free when I bought the car (I didn't get it from them). I didn't have any details on if/when the belt had been changed before (my car had done 50K miles but was nearly 9 years old. Lexus told me that the belt looked ok visually, but even so I didn't want to risk it and got it changed (along with the water pump, which you may as well change at the same time because you have to take all the belts off to get at that too).