The-Acre

I couldn't agree more. The suspension on these as we all know can be troublesome, and for that reason alone I'd stick with the way it was designed. Although.........my last one was down on one side at the back so I did have the sensor adjusted to raise it a bit, but I'm sure it's not ideal.

The front gap is always much, much bigger for some reason, mine is exactly the same, and so was my last one. They always seem to look like they are down at the back as well. When you switch to high the rear should rise by about an inch.

Soooo, the polish isn't the final step then? Back to Halfords I guess! I've just ordered a dual action polisher as well so maybe it'll make things easier in the future.

Too late, they've done it!!

I would love to lay claim to the set, including the double garage, but alas, it's only a borrowed set! And thank you for giving me the opportunity to use a fine and underused word like alas!

Inspired by the Scottish scenery framing a shiny green car I decided to give mine the same treatment today. The very good East Europeans did the hand wash and I applied the Autoglym, an excellent product (unless you put the bottle down too hard like I did so it shoots out all over your face!) Obviously my backdrop is a little more uninspiring.

I've got a theory which may or may not be right. I've noticed (and I do the same) that people often get out of their cars holding the steering wheel, and I'm wondering if the extra work the steering motor has to do when someone's holding onto it causes the motors to wear? When I turn my engine off and get out of the car the steering wheel is still retracting.

Winter tyres certainly won't help when it comes to detecting noise, they can make it sound like a tractor.

How about a wheel bearing, or sticking caliper, not uncommon? I wouldn't be condemning it yet, it may be something straightforward.

Its just that rubber bushes can groan when they're cold which would at least give some idea of what to look for. My Vectra that I parted with last year used to groan something rotten over bumps on a cold morning, but stopped as the day warmed up.

That looks lovely, the wheels really look good! I tried some 5 spoke on my last LS400 but they were just a bit too open, the 6 spoke really work. Although that doesn't look like the best weather for driving a big rear wheel drive car!

To be honest it hasn't really sunk in just how lucky I've been to find one this good, not just the condition but also the impeccable history. The only thing I have to do next week is have the three rubber mounts replaced on the suspension pump. it works fine but I can hear that it's slightly loose. Fortunately only a small job with the parts costing less than £10. Interestingly it must be a common problem as I got Blueprint ones from eBay. Apart from that I'm chuffed to bits with it, even the windows show no signs at all of delamination, maybe its due to being garaged all these years? Obviously the speakers on the allegedly wonderful Mark Levinson system need repairing, but that's to be expected on a 15 year old car, and a job for the warmer weather. I like the way the previous owner has even put a rubber mat down on the drivers side to protect the original carpet!

As promised some photos of the latest acquisition. It's only an average phone camera, and naturally it started raining! Although the parking sensors were fitted from new the colour is naf so I'm having them painted next week. This morning it had two new Goodyear tyres.

Does the groaning seem worse when the weather is really cold or is it like it all the time?

I think you're right! I'll get some photos on over the weekend.

I said something in his defence recently, but I'm not sure why I bothered, there was absolutely no need for his comment.

Thank you, I picked it up today and it really is lovely! Because of the condition inside and out I'm happy to spend some money if and when needed to keep it that way. It would be very hard to find another one as nice.

Even your headlight bulb skills will be stretched on the LS430!! Because the radiator is a straightforward job any decent garage will do it, and it shouldn't cost that much, but I would certainly use it as an opportunity to have completely new coolant, about £25 for 5 litres from Toyota.

Thank you for the reminder, I'd completely forgotten about the Lexus eBay store. I was looking at their HID bulbs, even cheaper than Eurocarparts and Halfords!

Interestingly we often hear that a main dealer price is good for a cam belt change, and you know its been done properly. How much for the rad if you don't mind me asking?

I wouldn't worry too much about the things you read. I've said this before, but you only tend to hear about the things that go wrong, and not about the majority of cars that go on for years without major problems.

I replaced the radiator on my last LS430, it's a very easy job. I posted some photos of where I believe the problem begins. I took the old one apart and the cooler inside was fine, and made of aluminium, but the unions where the transmission pipes join it outside were going very rusty.

It's a long shot but on many cars with auto transmission the key/ignition switch can seem stuck because of a problem with the transmission switch, which won't let you take the key out. Have you tried to turn the switch whilst moving the gear shift a bit, obviously with your foot on the brake pedal?

I certainly wouldn't worry about the age of yours. I was curious so I checked online again and found that the 93 MK2 I had has just passed another MOT without an advisory!

I'm not generally like that, it must be old age maturing me! At least you didn't land yourself with a duffer today. My Volvo is a lovely car and I use it as a nice workhorse, but we all need a toy as well don't we!