Malc

and I doubt a 1993 model ever had electric mirrors ...... my 92 and 94 models didn't ! Malc

be careful with cassic car insurance ............... usually no NCD and take care it has windscreen cover ! Malc

ok,.........., France about 1.43 euros / litre for 95 octane .............. and Italy between 1.55 and 1.87 euros /litre for 98 octane UK 95 octane is I guess about 1.56 euros equivalent ............ £1.15/litre at 1.36 exchange rate

... watched the Top Gear France the other day ( in France ) it seemed quite ok and better than the JC variety to be honest ! Malc

suggestion .......buy your new Mk3 battery from lexus / toyota ............... it fits properly and costs less than most other suppliers too Malc

............... forgot to mention, they don't sell 95 octane unleaded in Italy, just 98 octane but Lexus drove wonderfully on it ( as it does every day I use it anyway ) Malc

.... 5343 miles door to door .... an amazing and wonderfully scenic trip that I never dreamed Italy would provide for me. Up in the Dolomites and around much of the ( total ) coastal length from top to toe ................... if you suffer from vertigo then don't drive, the hanging off cliff edges is for real and if you suffer from claustrophobia likewise ... some of the tunnels are so long, airless, badly lit and tbh quite dangerous. Never complain about our UK Highways Agency again ... the Italian roads are just unbelievable ..... starved of funding and literally almost 100% falling dangerously apart. BUT wow, what scenic marvels, never dreamed the journeying and adventure would be so astonishingly beautiful ................... I avoided Rome Naples and Venice .............. we can do these by train later in the year maybe....... I doubt there is a single Italian car in Italy without battlescars. Now for my annual service and MOT next week and to get my cracked windscreen replaced pronto ....... I heard a few creaks and groans in the mountain goat mode but these vanished the last week of my journeying .............. so here's hoping ! Now the cars I saw ........ NOT a single Lexus Ls ( neither old nor new ) ........... so mine is the only Ls in Europe I guess ! ( travelled through France Belgium Switzerland and Italy ) One CT200 ( new ) one old Is200 and a handful of RXs of allsorts and an unbelievable spaceship type Lexus chasing down the autostrada outside Naples ...... no idea what it was, looked very expensive and the guy probably traded in his Ferrari for it. A wonderful 1960's Morris 1000 Traveller in BRG ...... looked in showroom condition, a Mazda 323f ( old one like mine but in white ). One Rolls Royce, 3 Bentleys ( one on a garage forecourt for sale in Switzerland ) One Maserati and half a dozen Ferraris. The speed limits seem to be vigorously enforced everywhere ( maybe a source of income ) and to hear the roar of the Maserati doing max 130kmph was ridiculous, it should have been doing 130mph for the noise it was making. the rest were just ordinary cars tbh .......... mostly Fiats, Lancias ( wow, I was really impressed with some of the beautiful Lancias around ) Alfa Romeos. masses of Toyotas, BMWs, Audis, VWs, Opels and a few Mazdas and a couple of old Jaguars. Testing driving conditions in Italy when comparing the driving on Belgian roads, akin to driving on Axminster carpet with the occasional loose floorboard ! ............ guess it's the state of the economy maybe. Malc

... seems to be rather too much worrying here guys .... our cars are 20 years old and the rust problem is just simply tiny tiny tiny .... any other car would have gone to the knackers yard by now with the rust mouse prevalent and taken over Malc

hi guys just got back

.......... hahahahaha .......... the Ls 400s are just so beautiful ...... especially the earlier models methinks ......... beauty is in the eye of the beholder ! Malc

.............. I've been running Ls400s for 14 years now and never used other than " ordinary " oil, and now it's complicated, using semi-synthetic .... my indy reckons it fits the bill ok and tbh I've enjoyed spot on motoring for many years now and maybe @200k miles ......... on semi-synthetic ( of late ).................. like Heineken maybe. I won't be changing anytime soon............... and it's about £15 for 5 ltrs at Wilko :outforcount: Oil change once a year and it always looks like new on the dipstick. Malc

............. now on 168,500 and use Wilko semi synthetic 15 / 40 ........... for 40+000 miles, since I've had the car. seems ok Malc

. ............I remember my visit to Australia in 2012 and checking out the prices of new cars .. The Ls600 was the equivalent of £220,000 ......... yes POUNDS .......... the Oz car taxes on new added about 100% to the UK priced equivalent. ( Aus $ was then @ 1.45 / £ and its a lot different now tho' ) Just astonishing. Malc

I'd like to think that would happen with Lexus when they reach 50 but I doubt it. hmmm ...... mine will be 50 when I'm 95, maybe not driving it then BUT it might just be added to my classic collection of course .............. wonder if I'll be driving it in 20 years time Malc

...... and I finally sourced a set of points for my 1932 Triumph Southern Cross sports tourer from Australia :outforcount: , the Melbourne outfit there had cobbled together all the aussie stuff left over ... . so whilst I could have just ordered them on-line I actually felt compelled to make a personal visit ........ bit expensive tho' at £26 BUT there they were, in a brand new Lucas Birmingham box, ready to go ................. from the 1930's. Just impossible to then source from anywhere in the UK ............. UNTIL......... the guy looking after the car had 3 sets given to him by a buddy who had found them in a carboot jumble for a £1 somewhere. The car works well now with new points !! Don't doubt we will always be able to get just about the right stuff for our beloved limos when the time is right Malc

Steve 2006 is the font of all knowledge with getting the correct type and quality capacitors .......... pm him on here I would suggest Malc

... aha ............... . you'll be driving her for the next 20 years then .......... just like me Malc

.............. if you're sorting the power steering pump it might be wise to check out the cooler pipe running in front of the radiator and the mild steel pipes to and fro from the pump itself. These corrode and might suddenly and catastrophically ( like they did with me ) pee out pas fluid when they go ........... relatively inexpensive fix with a length of the appropriate copper tube for the cooler pipe and flexi hoses replacing the conglomeration of mild steel pipes higher up. Malc

................ you should be ok with the cambelt change 10 years / 100k miles whichever the sooner. The same engines in the USA recommend 100k miles ........... and 10 years is quite norm .............. the belts themselves rarely snap below 150k miles in any event. Malc

Hi, where are you located ?? Malc

............. thank you for your advices guys, much appreciated. Switzerland ............ ah ..... so lucky in the early '90s to have a buddy then living and working in swissieland. Visited a few times and drove around quite a bit ...... . in my Vauxhall Carlton, brilliant car..............., had never heard of a Lexus then !! Stunning scenery and the crystal clear waters of the lakes too, just astonishing. Malc

when was the cambelt last changed ? ever ? Malc

.............. I have read on here before somewhere the EGR pipe can just be taken out / bypassed and blanked off without repurcusions. Also that some models don't actually have the EGR pipe BUT I don't know that for sure Steve on here might be a good font of knowledge on this one for you. Good luck Malc

................... these cars can and do drive like a " dream " even with 168k miles on the clock ( like mine ) if they have been looked after well. Hopes your car will perform and last the way you envisage it will. BUT never trust a car seller tho' eh !!! Malc

Booked my ferry for next Tuesday and back 12th May ........... . used my Avios points, didn't know I had so many tbh ........... gone are the days when 1 Airmile point was 1 mile. Avios are 10 to 1 and it cost me 18,000 points + £4 to cross on the P&O ferry ( equiv of the old 1800 airmiles ) so it's not great value anymore. Ho hum ..... yep, I'll take great care driving, I'm in no rush to go or get anywhere .................. I heard that the boot of Italy is a bit of a " no-no " for tourists .... is that so ??? My afternoon ferry back from Calais is 16.40 . afternoon and in the daylight, so I'll leave plenty of time in the day ( hopes ) to absorb any challenges on the journey. Malc