The-Acre

Wow, 333k, that should give you confidence with a mere 197k!

Good luck with it all Dave. We look forward to some more positive news from you! Hopefully everything can be sorted without the need for too much expense. Brake problems on the GS are common but in many cases the calipers can be cleaned, freed up and lubricated. The good thing is you say you got it at a good price and expect to spend some money on it. Just out of interest what's the mileage?

I believe it keeps the headlights level so with one broken you'll have uneven lighting.

Dave, let us know how you get on if you're going to contact the seller. I know Lexus will do a hybrid health check for only about £60 so it may be worth considering, unless like me you live miles from the closest one. There are plenty of knowledgeable people on this forum so keep posting questions. Sometimes answers are a bit slow as Lexus aren't the most common cars.

If the seller is a dealer, and it sounds like he is, I can't help thinking he should be sorting these problems for you or giving you your money back. And does that mean you bought it with just a couple of weeks MOT left?

Welcome to the LOC Dave. The TPMS has been mentioned a few times lately, a forum Search may help you. Post the codes when you have them and go from there.

I thought the dealer prices sound very good as well. I'll also give my thumbs up to Pagid, I've got their pads on both my cars and they seem fine.

I will, they've been there for 13 years so I'm expecting some resistance!

You've inspired me! I've just ordered rear bushes for mine, a little job for the weekend.

Do you think a cooler will cool the transmission well enough? The reason I ask is because I fitted one to my first LS430 and it did get very hot, too hot to touch at times. I just wonder how it will be in very hot weather in traffic holdups. On the move it'll be fine of course, but the fans won't do much at standstill I wouldn't have thought. If and when I do get another 430 I'll be wanting to do this as a priority.

Thanks for the info. I'm seriously considering doing it, even if I don't keep the car. A good LS will take a very long time to find and there's no rush at all. I'll let you know if and when I do it. Thanks again.

Hmmm, thanks Mark. Sooo many wires, looks like the noodles I've just eaten. It's just a thought really, if I keep the GS I may do it/have it done. We're already thinking about next year's road trip but annoyingly in my mind I see us doing it in an LS!

Just bringing this post back to life. Would it be possible to replace the sidelight bulbs on the gen 3 GS with LED's and have them as DRL's?

Because the Lexus isn't my main car, by that I mean my Volvo estate is more valuable to me because it's practical, the Lexus is more or less a plaything which means the budget it limited. So it means a really good late 430 is likely to be a better buy than an early 460 for the same price. The problem as I've said will be finding a good one. I'm happy to spend around 7k for a very good 430. It also means, as is always the case, I'll loose a fair amount on the GS that I bought in January, but I'm convinced I can't take it with me when I'm gone!

Interesting comments/observations. I do feel that it'll be a 430 for me. Just out of interest, did you notice anything much that was different on the facelift version? I've only had two pre facelift ones.

I have considered these in the past but I can't help thinking there's no substitute for taking off the sump plug and letting everything drain. I just wonder how these pumps would cope with any gunge that may be at the bottom. Makes me want one though just because they're £12!

More dribbling today! Walking the dog again and there was the same LS430. It was outside a little upholsterers having the leather seats worked on, so obviously I had to talk to him. It turns out to be a car from Brighton, the upholsterer told me he renovates leather car seats which is well worth knowing. He'd done a great job and the car (silver) was mint. Naturally I told him to let me know if the owner wants to sell!

Hi John, I'm afraid we didn't on this trip, we simply ran out of time. It would have meant only a day and a half in both Salzburg and Vienna, which even with three days in each wasn't enough really. I'm thinking of maybe doing it again next year with a different route so it's a possibility. We did go to Berchtesgaden in Bavaria as we were so close, just for kaffee und kuchen!

Thanks, David. Interesting how it's been reduced and yet "still awaiting photos" I guess it is a bit overpriced, although I'd happily pay that for a really good example.

Just out of interest, do they have a website with the car on, or any more info?

I agree about the roads. Having recently driven through 7 European countries I can confirm ours are by far the worst.

I think the main issue for me is something I've mentioned in the past, its that the 430 has that classic limo shape. As rare as they are I saw one parked up when I was walking the dog yesterday, it was absolutely immaculate, showroom condition. I did wipe my saliva and fingerprints off it though as a courtesy to the owner!

It's worth pointing out that mine hadn't failed, I only replaced the radiator as a precaution after reading about the possible problem. You can see the rust beginning on mine and I believe it's the spread of rust that causes the joint to fail, that perhaps coupled with the slow failure of the o rings (as used to happen with the early LS400 power steering pump) Here are some more photos that I think show the real possibility of impending doom! The first is the radiator upside down showing the two connections that join the transmission via the rubber hoses, easy to access from underneath if raised up, the second is the bottom of the radiator cut away showing the cooler, the third shows just the cooler separated and how things were deteriorating. As you can see, the cooler is actually very small but in perfect condition in itself. And yes, the coolant needs to be drained but you don't really loose trans fluid, just a tiny amount.

Yes, I've noticed almost every GS300 advertised says CVT but they're not, which goes to show how little most sellers know about them.

I don't think it does, surely that's just the hybrid.