The-Acre

Thanks, much appreciated.

Well done that man, an excellent result!

As long as you remember your name and where you live you'll be fine!

Are you certain it's a cat? What error code do you have? An oxygen sensor failure can also bring up cat inefficiency. Failing that, give Paul Frost a call, I'm sure he'll sort you out.

Hi Mark, where did you get your bulbs, I fancy getting some for mine. Presumably it doesn't give a bulb failure warning like some.

And then you've got the horrendous road tax to pay in the ROI. How much would it be?

Ditto! Looking forward to seeing more photos.

Ok, I'll be there if the freebies included a whole new suspension system, oh, and some jelly babies! Where is Castle Coombe?

Very good prices I think, I'd be more than happy with that, plus you know it's all safe now. I'm having all my steering and suspension thoroughly checked on Tuesday, all in preparation for our next European road trip.

Looking fine and dandy!

Hmm, I don't think they'll be too keen on providing that info, it's my money they want!

And as Del Boy often said, "you know it makes sense"!

It reminds me of the scene in Woody Allen's film "Sleeper" when the VW Beetle starts first time after 200 years or whatever it was!

I'm glad you've sold it to someone decent and it hasn't gone to Dudley! Unfortunately our trips to Sennen have to be in the estate because of the dog, I'm not having wet sand in my pride and joy!

The UK spec radiators have a hose fitting at the top far left (looking from the front) that connects to the expansion reservoir. The non UK spec, i.e. from Eurocarparts, doesn't have that so a hose has to be taken from the reservoir to the nozzle that comes out of the back below the rad filler cap. On the UK spec I believe this nozzle is solid, whereas the non UK is open. I did notice recently that there were a couple of eBay sellers now offering the direct fit ones. Probably safer to buy a genuine one for ease to be honest. Looking at the one you mention on eBay, it does have the correct fitting on top, I'm not sure about the fittings for the transmission, they should come straight out but theirs are 90 degrees.

Interesting. I'm not sure how to find the part number though.

So let me just check this with you. Some LS430's in the US didn't have what they call the UL package, which meant that some had conventional suspension, as did some on the JDM. So are you able to supply/source those? Failing that, it's interesting to know you can beat main dealer prices.

Are you referring to conventional coil struts rather than air? I did buy an air strut from you which is working fine, I'm just thinking ahead as I plan to keep the Celsior as long as possible. There's also the sensors on each corner to factor in to it, so doing away with air also removes the risk of them failing. Thanks for replying. PS, when I said I bought an air strut from you I'm thinking of lexusspares direct, apologies!

As far as the rear goes it would probably make sense to replace in pairs as access is much more difficult. I'll see what Tuesday brings before decision making.

I guess it all comes back to the fact we hear only about the problems, so it plants a seed of doubt! I'll see what they find on Tuesday, if anything. If all is sound I may take everyone's advice and hold off for a bit, but if there's any hint of a pending problem I'll order the parts from the US. I suppose the good news is the fact that the conversion system is very affordable. Thanks all for your comments.

They asked me for my VIN so they can be sure the new struts are correct. Most coilovers seem to be Chinese, but Strutmaster are made in the US which gives me more confidence. They also make them specifically for the vehicle you request them for and claim they will sit at the right height without sagging after some time.

I understand what you're saying, and I may be doing the wrong thing, it's just peace of mind, but as you say, they don't fail often. It's going in to a trusted garage next week to have the suspension and steering joints and bushes thoroughly checked. I'm going to ask their opinion first. If they say there's any sign of wear I'll order the replacements straight away. If they say everything is solid and clean I'll think about it further.

Eurocarparts have Denso iridium plugs for £10 each if you use their sale code, not sure how much less you can get the genuine article for elsewhere.

Correct, but don't be fooled by the cheap ones from the likes of eBay, they can be poor imitations!

As we all know, the concern for anyone with ageing air suspension is always there. I've been in contact with Strutmaster in the US and they've come back with a very tempting offer which I think I'll go for. When I bought my Celsior a rear shock had oil misting and the corner was a tad bouncy, so my thinking is if one was leaking the others may not be far behind. As the car is immaculate, and I plan to keep it, converting to conventional suspension seems to make sense. All in, with shipping it's £1,150. I reckon that's not bad, and that's with taxes paid up front.