The-Acre

Aha! So I bought glass cleaner for £7? Mind you, it does say on mine "rain repellent" as well. I'll nip into Halfords later to see if they have any. Thanks.

Thanks all for your replies. Is it just me being dense then, or have I got a different product? It does clearly state glass cleaner.

I bought some recently, not cheap at about £7 a bottle, but I can't see what all the fuss is about, it's hard to wipe off and doesn't seem anywhere near as good as normal glass cleaners. Am I missing something?

Just like Elvis Presley! 🎵

As I said, I may just go with the AA after all as they don't seem to ask many questions! It's not something I've really thought about until I looked at making some arrangements for this year. Last year we went in my GS which was 13 years old so wasn't an issue.

You just have two wires to connect, one to earth and the other to a reversing light positive. To be honest a decent local mechanic would probably do the job for about £60.

Will do, thanks.

The hole cutters supplied with these aftermarket sensors are generally 21-22mm, so as Neil says, it depends on the original hole size. You won't be able to use any of the original wiring though. I fitted a set on my Celsior a few weeks ago and they work a treat. I only paid £19 though, £34 is too much, especially as they're not vehicle specific. Easy job really. The hardest part was finding a way through to the cabin from the boot for the speaker wire.

I guess it'll be easier just to take out the AA cover in the end rather than trying to save a few quid. Sadly I bank with the Bank of Scotland and they give nothing away. Also I should maybe just hope Lexus reliability will prove itself. We're not going for a while yet so I'll get the car booked in and checked beforehand. I've changed the radiator so hopefully one less concern. In about 12 years of Lexus ownership I've only broken down once with a duff coilpack on my MK2, even that allowed me to limp home!

Mine does the same at 12mph, although I'm not sure it does on non imports. I like it as it means passengers can't open the doors until I'm in park.

Has anyone else with an ageing car experienced this? Although my Celsior has only covered 64k, most breakdown companies won't cover me due to it being over 15 years old. As far as I can make out the AA is the only one that doesn't specify age, and naturally the most expensive! Although being a member I get a small discount. Are there any alternatives I don't know of? I was hoping to use Gem but again it's 15 years.

A tyre would always be my first port of call with a droning sound, even when they look OK. For some reason the tyre drone often happens around 50mph.

Excellent! 👍

Thankfully all the snow had disappeared, including the A30 at Jamaica Inn!

I didn't! I'm now in Cornwall so I'll look out for you on the way back!

Welcome to the LOC. I don't know the answer to your question but I'll be driving through Exeter around midday tomorrow so if I see a 54 plate SC430 I'll wave!

Actually that does look like good fun! I've got to drive through Hampshire in the morning so I hope your 11" has all gone!

Very useful photos. When I originally changed my bulbs I put my phone down inside to get pictures of the area I couldn't see and kept referring to them.

I couldn't agree more about tool quality. In my work as a carpenter the quality of tools makes can make a massive difference to the end result. Sadly my garage at home was built in the days when cars were about 4' wide. If I had a bigger one I'd do much more myself.

Well you'd hate my back windows then, being an import they're very dark! Something I did to mine (due to some nocturnal creatures chewing it three times) was to replace the roof antenna with a shark fin. It works well, very subtle, but looks like it belongs.

Thanks for that. My current Celsior is likely (due to me no longer being a spring chicken) my last "impractical" car so I'd like to make it last. With an immaculate body and just 64k it should be possible. The one thing that always plays on the mind is the suspension, so what you're doing is so helpful. When I got mine a rear strut had an oil misting and a tad bouncy so a bought one from a breaker. It's absolutely fine now but the interesting part was the way the mechanic found the job so easy, and that included removing the rear seat. I guess if you're never going back to air it'll be even more straightforward as the airlines can just be cut for removal.

I'll be really interested to know how the ride is when fitted. Keep us posted as this info could be invaluable to some. To be honest, I don't think my air suspension rides any better than the conventional setup on my LS400's. Also if you could eventually give some info on how straightforward the replacement is. I believe Strutmaster also supply the info for disabling the warning lights after removing the old system.

So the struts were still 699us? In pounds that only about £550 so if I did it your way sometime it could work out around £800 plus import rip off and Vat.

That's what I'm wondering. Is there a way of estimating the customs charge? I had an o2 sensor from Rockauto last year and customs was £18 on a £50 item!

That's much better. Are Strutmaster happy for you to arrange your own shipping? I just wondered if that's a way of them making more from you. I'll follow this with interest. I think the original air struts are about 9.5 pounds in weight, I was surprised when I picked one up at just how light it was.