scythe

... though I notice that precrash is missing from the specs of the new, overpriced LS460 cars!

They have the 'Advanced' precrash

http://www.lexus.co....mpact-avoidance

Well, perhaps if you have ten minutes you could click on the 'request brochure' button. They will email you a brochure, price list and accessory list almost straight away. That tells, in its wishy washy way, a somewhat different story - that this stuff is only available on the LS600.

I think they're just trying to dump Lexus in the UK. To me, its what they seem to be doing with this car - making it more expensive and less well equipped. When they started with the LS460 they sold far more SELs than basic and SE cars. People wanted this stuff in their new car. The only way to get it seems to be to buy one of their 600s.

It makes me sad.

... though I notice that precrash is missing from the specs of the new, overpriced LS460 cars!

On my 460 I've had the precrash for both the front and the rear go off, each on two separate occasions, though none of them were in conditions that resulted in an accident.

The rear precrash simply brings the head restraint up to touch the back of your head. The first time it happened, I felt it touching me, and thought to myself "oh no, the head restraint has worked it's way loose, I hope I've got a screwdriver in the boot to tighten it up" I turned round to look, and saw the passenger one returning to it's normal position, and it was only then that I realised what had almost happened. The second time it happened I was at the back of a queue; I knew to push my head back into the head restraint that had come up to the back of my head, ready for a collision, and looked in my rear view mirror to see a 4x4 just managing to stop in time. That was a bit worrying.

I believe the front precrash has some different responses available to it, including starting to brake the car. My two instances were both at roundabouts. Both times I was driving fairly smartly up to the roundabouts, and both times I changed my mind about going straight in, and braked moderately firmly, to let a car joining the roundabout from my right go first. In both situations I was comfortably able to stop. However, the car decided otherwise.

My car must have spotted the other car with its cameras, and the fact that I was braking, and decided to join in a bit.

The first thing that happens is that you hear the doors unlock. At the same time as this, the seat belts in the front tension themselves, drawing themselves back in. For ten seconds or so they hold you so tightly that you can't breathe. The moderately firm braking is suddenly magnified, as the brake assist comes in. Other things happen too, such as the suspension tightens, and the electric steering sets itself to give maximum response, though I noticed neither of these.

For me and my passenger, this was all a bit of a surprise for me, but the second time it happened to me, when I knew what was happening, and why, I found it very reassuring indeed.

If the question is, in a car that costs £70kish when new, is it worth an extra £4k (if that is the cost) for this, then I'd be prepared to say yes, open eyes or not.

Incidentally, the front radar (which wouldn't have been involved in the situations above, but which is part of the precrash system) is required anyway for the adaptive cruise control, which I think is very well worth having.

: o )

Parking sensors weren't fitted to any 430s until 2002

: o )

Hi Harry,

Sorry I wasn't more explicit. What I was trying to say was this car didn't have the full spec, so wasn't worth as much as the much more common SE-Ls.

For the basic model:

Optional Upholstery Upgrade package*

Optional Advanced Safety package*

Optional 19” 5-spoke alloy wheels

(245/45R19 tyres)

Optional IPA (Intelligent Park Assist)

Optional Power boot closer

Optional electric sunroof

Optional Mark Levinson

® audio package

(19 speakers; DVD; 5.1 surround sound)

Optional Rear Seat Entertainment **

(9” roof-mounted VGA screen with

remote control)

Optional PCS (Pre-Crash Safety)/

ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control

For the SE:

Rear Seat Upgrade package

Electric sunroof

Power boot closer

Mark Levinson

® audio package

(19 speakers; DVD; 5.1 surround sound)

Rear Seat Entertainment

Optional Upholstery Upgrade package

Optional Advanced Safety package

Optional 19” 5-spoke alloy wheels

(245/45R19 tyres)

Optional IPA (Intelligent Park Assist)

Optional PCS (Pre-Crash Safety)/

ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control)

Optional heated wood trim steering wheel

for the SE-L

As LS 460 SE, plus:

Upholstery Upgrade package

Advanced Safety package

19” 5-spoke alloy wheels

(245/45R19 tyres)

IPA (Intelligent Park Assist)

Card Key

Optional heated wood trim steering wheel

those packs:

Advanced Safety package

(must be ordered with electric sunroof

and Rear Seat Upgrade package)

PCS (Pre-Crash Safety) with

ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control)

Advanced Obstacle Detection System

(radar and stereo camera)

Rear PCS (Pre-Crash Safety) including

Intelligent Front Head Restraints

Driver Monitoring System

Emergency Steering Assist

LKA (Lane-Keeping Assist)

Lane Departure Warning System

Upholstery Upgrade package

(must be ordered with electric sunroof

and Rear Seat Upgrade package)

Semi-aniline leather and trim details

Alcantra

® roof headlining and pillar finishing

Rear Seat Upgrade package

Cool box

Power rear seat slide/recline

Power rear head restraints with memory

function

Air-conditioned rear seats

4-zone air-conditioning with rear seat

separate left/right climate control and

roof-mounted diffusers

Rear audio controls

Electric sunshade for rear doors

Rear side airbags

Wood Console package

I hope this helps.

: o )

oh, and to finally answer your question, there's nothing wrong with 2007 cars. Many cars sold in 2008 and 2009 had been built in 2007 - it was the really bad time for car manufacturers, when everyone thought the world was going to become austere and end.

If you're worried, get one from a lexus dealer. The car will come with a year's full Lexus style warranty.

Hi Harry,

First thing to look at is the alloys. How many spokes do they have? On a 460, five is almost certainly good, but more perhaps not so - depending on what you want in your car.

There are three grades of 460, the basic 460, the 460 SE and the 460 SE-L. The SE-L came with five spokes as standard. The 460 and SE had more. There is only one optional extra on the SE-L, which is the wooden/leather steering wheel, which is rather nice as it has more texture and feel to it, and is also heated!

If this is the car at Taggarts you're looking at, "A MASSIVE SPEC WITH EVERY CONCEIVABLE EXTRA", well, lets just say that its wheels have too many spokes!

: o )

Hi abdallian,

Is this failure is due to an incident in the snow - some sort of soft collision? Because if so, isn't it your insurance company that you should be turning to? The alternative is that it's straightforward component failure, but it doesn't sound like that from what you've said.

Good luck with it - and do let us know how it all turns out.

: o )

Hiya Chris,

The difference is that one is marked RF, which means run flat, and is a tyre that has a poorer fuel efficiency presumably because the walls are so rigid.

If you want this particular tyre, there is no choice for you really as you should only use runflats when your wheels monitor the pressure in the tyre, and 'bong' you when the pressure in one goes down so you know you've got to drive below the maximum 'flat' speed. You therefore get the better performance and the cheaper tyre!

To answer your question, I do think that there is one thing missing from the ratings, and that's a wear rating, to indicate how many miles each tyre will cover. Good grip comes about mainly through using softer rubber, which increases fuel consumption and reduces tyre life. In the US, tyres are marked with a wear rating.

: o )

PS the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx RT looks a bit better?

Cool!

For all the nonsense you read about Lexus Dealers being the best, they do sometimes get a bit confused about things. When they sell you a used Lexus, the warranty they supply (see their website for this) should be at least equivalent to a manufacturer warranty in its depth of cover. If they've given you a different warranty..... well.....

The missing bits of fastereners, I suspect is a sale of goods thing. And the rust .... well.... if they'e sold you a rusty car, I don't see how they can get away with it.

I'd write a letter to their dealer principal, sending it recorded, listing your problems, and wait for a response. Then give Lexus GB a ring, and tell them why you're disappointed. Lexus as a brand only has one thing, and that's our trust.

all that battery junk is ballast and a large waste of fuel

hahahahahahahahahaha!

That's engineering speak, then is it?

I tend to agree, by the way.

I'm surprised that they've said no to both the rust and the tyre valve. The missing clips for the covers and the undertray, well, it's probably them when they serviced it, but I can see why missing bits wouldn't be covered by the warranty - shame its so hard to pin their missingness on anyone. I'm presuming that the warranty is a proper lexus one?

But rust though - that's not a problem I've had with lexuses before....

: o (

Hiya. At night, my 460 has five lit up buttons - the four windows, plus the 'lock' section of the rocker. The unlock is not lit, nor is the button for preventing the other windows being opened. On the passenger side, there is one lit up window button, plus, also the passenger "lock/unlock all doors" rocker has the lock section only lit.

When the car is in park, the handle itself is lit, so you can find and operate it readiy.

I don't want to be prescriptive here, but I'm a firm believer in learning where all the buttons are without looking, whether they are lit up or not, and do train myself when I get a new car.

The other thing is, all the door handles light when you are in park, so anyone can see their handle, unlock it manually if they wish, and open the door. Oh, and, the passenger door has that rocker switch too.

It's all to do with training. : o )

Hiya. I'm not sure about the LS400, but I had a minor problem with the gps on my 2002 430. I presume it's similar.

If so, you're right in thinking there is a device under the cover under the front windscreen - its more than just an antenna, it's a complete gps unit that sends time and position details back to the unit in the boot, which then does all the processing. It does sound as though this isnt doing its job properly.

The first thing I think I'd do is to check the fusebox. There is a backup memory of the car's position, and it sounds as though it might be losing this. When you start the car, it should remember where it is, and be ready to go straight away. If it's not that, then I would suggest that you do disconnect the Battery for ten minutes. Be aware that you'll need a code for the radio to use it again. Your dealer may be able to tell you what it is, or it may be in the service history booklet, carefully concealed on the inside cover with the word RADIO next to it <g>. This is what sorted my unit out - it had become confused, and stopped working.

The route guidance does continue to work when there is no signal, or when the gps unit is not working. Wierd, I know, but what happens is that it counts the turns of the wheel, and has a compass to tell which direction the car is pointing in, and does it's best to use that. It means that in wooded valleys and tunnels and things the sat nav doesnt let you down.

The gps unit should know where it is when the car is restarted - unless you've been on a ferry or something - then it may take ten minutes or so to find satelites again. Does it manage to find itself in the end if you don't set it? And does it sometimes make mistakes at roundabouts?

The minutes of the clock are controlled by the gps. This makes your clock more accurate than the beeps on the hour from the radio, even. But you can on the 430 at least turn this off, so the clock runs by itself. Its somewhere on the menus - I can't tell you where. Sorry

Oh, also, there should be a GPS thing that comes up on the screen when it can see satellites. Does this come on at all?

Anyway, good luck with it. I do understand the person above saying about is it worth it when you can get a tomtom, but really, also, if you've got something, its nice to be able to make it work!

For balance, I should say that the 600 has two things the 460 doesnt. One is that the 600 has LED headlights. I don't know how much better they are than the 460 ones, which I've always found more than adequate. The other thing the 600 has is all wheel drive. The 460 is not completely useless in the snow, but it really isn't very good. You will need snow shoes for the tyres if you're going out in proper snow.

Whichever car you buy, there's some stuff that should come with the car that they might not mention if they don't have. Obviously check for the spare and the toolkit, including the torch! The torch is a bit rubbish, but it shows something. However, also check that you have the remote for the entertainment system (needed by the people/children in the back so they can watch/listen to something different to the Radio 4 that you've got on in the front), two sets of infrared headphones (again for the people/children in the back), plus also the keyless entry key.

The keyless entry key is part of the list for the SE L, and should therefore come with the car. Replacements are about £400. You may not want one (I think my one is great, because I don't need to carry any keys any more) but you can certainly use the lack of one for downward negotiation.

Incidentally, if you come across a car like your high mileage one, that has lost its history, you can still check with a Lexus dealer, who will tell you everything. Any Lexus attention the car has had is listed. I think they have more data than that as well.

Patience is everything! At this time of the year dealers are starting to accept that any LS they have now is going to be hanging around til next summer, and the closer you get to Christmas, the lower the prices will start to become. Just remember that you're keen, but they are desperate.

Good luck, anyway, with your search.

In answering this question, I'm a bit worried about offending people. However ...

If you're really keen on the idea of having a hybrid to play with, then, obviously, buy the 600. If you do this, then I'd suggest trying to find a short wheel base version. This won't have the seat in the back with the bit that sticks out, but it will have three seats instead of 2, which is often useful with grandchildren. Also, that extra 30cm of car is a nuisance. 5m long is fine, but 5.3 leaves you sticking out in carparks and things.

Otherwise, I'd suggest buying the 460 SE-L. Get the SE-L version because that has all the toys. Apart from fuel consumption around town, and not having the option of the couch and four seats, the 460, for me, wins on all counts.

It's 200kg lighter than the 600. It's quicker to 62 mph, and possibly quicker to stop as well. It requires 98 load tyres instead of 102, so they are a little cheaper.

The boot of a 460 basic model is an ok sort of size. The SE-L has enough luggage space for 2 people. The 600 is smaller still.

The extra cost of a 600 will be partly recouped by better around town mileage, but you'll have to go a long way to break even; even then a point will come when the Battery needs replacing, which may be around £5k. If you have the car still when its 10 years old, it might be you paying for it. If not, the next person may have to, and will be offering you a lot less for the car as a consequence.

In the UK, the slightly lower carbon dioxide figure of the 600 originally bought a considerable reduction in benefit in kind for company cars, and a lower VED (tax disk) as well, but the escalator on that has now removed that advantage. Both cars are

harshly treated under our tax laws.

Which? magazine recently did a comparison between noise inside a 460 and a 600 when cruising. The 460 was quieter.

As far as the box of toys goes, the 460 SE-L has one important one that only a few later 600s have, which is the lane keep assist. This does two things - bongs you if you go over lane markings, and gives the steering a bit of a nudge, just so you know. But it also helps steer. It's not perfect, but somehow, having a bit of assistance vastly extends how much I can drive before I start to feel at all weary.

There's some other minor stuff too.... cost of insurance, what happens when the car catches fire etc ... but for me it was an easy decision.

Lexus stopped bringing in the 460 when times became tough in 2009 (and have all but finished with the 600 as well). I dont think we'll see another car like it, so I'd say to grab one while they're still around!

Yes

: o )

I knew that one had made it here, but of course, couldn't find out where it was.

Better in the snow, I believe!

http://www.rrg-group...exus-ls-46-se-l

I've known that it existed, and waited for it to come out of the woodwork. Now I see it, I know that it's the wrong colour for me - I much prefer darker colours. I believe it's the only one of its kind in the UK, and was sold just at the point that Lexus stopped selling us the 460.

If you look through the spec, it's got something that no other 460 on British roads has. I could tell you, but I know how much everyone likes a good puzzle. But here's a clue. If you look at the DVLA page you'll notice that its CO2 figure is 274, more than any other LS. They've also had to reduce the power of the engine, compared to a standard 460, to stop it doing too much damage.

: o )

Hi Erik, sorry to hear about your problem. The good news of course is that you're alright! As for the car, it's a tough old thing, but yes, there could be other problems. A common one is that the engine mounting blocks, the thick dense rubber blocks that hold your engine to the chassis, can fracture. Not a difficult problem to solve for someone who knows what they're doing to solve, but an irritation.

My first step would be to look on www.askmid.com to check that the person who struck you (and who is entirely responsible) is insured. If they are, then everything will be ok either way.

What you do after that is up to you. I'd try to sort out any cost implications with the person who collided with me. At the other end of the scale you could release the dogs of war, and ask your lexus dealer for details about accident management companies, who will try to extract as much money for themselves from the other person's insurance, and possibly sort your car out too - but this would leave you feeling ..... well, not good, anyway! If there is damage, the other person's insurance company will pay, and you can even deal with them directly.

Good luck.

Hi Mike,

Sorry to hear you've had so much trouble.

For me, the question would be 'why is one tyre different to the others?'. My guess would be that the original one was badly damaged and punctured - and the thing I'd be asking myself is whether this has affected the geometry of the steering.

Certainly mixed tyres on the same axle are a problem, but as a minimum they should be taking the car to their favourite tyre centre to get the geometry checked as well.

Incidentally, be careful about which tyres you have - I think that all variants of the 600 need a load rating of 102 (rather than 98), and you should know whether you've got run flats on or not.

I've chosen not to have run flats on my 460 on the basis that I've got a full sized spare.

Anyway, good luck with it all.

Well, your satnav has two ways of knowing where it is. One is that it uses the GPS signal, and when that's available, there's nothing better. Drive through tunnels or trees or anything that restricts the signal, and most sat navs will show you as stationary. However, your car knows which way it's pointing (just!), and counts turns of the wheel, so can have a pretty good guess as to where you are - and so will continue to work.

Change the tyres, though, and you might change the rolling circumference. Your sat nav would like to know so it can recalibrate itself.

Clever stuff, eh? <g>

Hi

What were the original tyres on a 2001 lexus ls430? Were they dunlop or michelin?

I had one with Dunlop SP Sport 270

Please accept my condolences for your father.

The car itself sounds great. If the tyres are original, do get someone to look at them, cos though they may not be worn out, the rubber itself will start to flake after a few years.

Good luck with it.

Brrr!

Oils and greases become very viscous and can even freeze at low temperatures. Maybe you should ask locally for some advice about suitable low temperature lubricants? It would be a shame to damage the rack or a greased joint by forcing it accidentally.

Me, if I look out of the window and can see the windscreen is frosted up, I just stay in til later <wg>.

got a mid frequency droning noise which is most noticeable at 70mph and can be made worse by a a long shallow right hand bend. Sounds like it's coming from the front offside but might not be. Any ideas? Thanks Mike

Well, in my LS I sometimes have a similar droning noise, though mine goes from mid to quite high frequencies. It can be quite persistent, often gets louder as the journey progresses and seems to be independent of either rate of turn or speed..

On other days, I leave 'her indoors' at home.