johnatg

Isn't the front styling on all specs the same after the face lift - 2016?. My GS300h Premier has adaptive suspension - not sure about the steering - certainly in Sport+ the suspension is a lot stiffer (bordering on uncomfortably so) and the steering is heavier - but you don't seem to get any better feedback - maybe the ratio is a bit quicker but frankly I rarely bother with Sport+ I wonder if anyone would miss rear wheel steering - it seems to come and go on top line Japanese saloons - some have it for a while then it gets dropped only to reappear - but at the mo it's mostly dropped.

Is the F-Sport spec really important? It's just a bit of different trim, bigger wheels, different colour range. Not much to see there. I started off looking for a F-Sport but settled on a Premier (and for 2014 the front end styling was a bit different, but it wasn't from 2016 on). Take a peek at some different specs - it'll be easier to find a car you'll like!

Earlier hybrid catalytic converters used a higher precious metal content (Rhodium and Palladium) than non-hybrid ICE cars so are a target for theft. Later ones (eg GS gen4) have less Rhodium and are less valuable - but I don't know if the thieves know that! Cat theft started hitting the headlines when Rhodium cost about $10K per ounce - it's $29K today! The primary cat (GS300h) or cats (GS450h) is/are incorporated in the manifold and is pretty much impossible to remove on a driveway or car park - it's the secondary cats that are the target on the GS. You can get various locks and protection plates - they are advertised on eBay - the cost is north of £200.

The 7th gen ES uses a Lithium ion battery instead of the NiMH one in the GS. It frees up some boot space as the battery is 119mm lower depth than the GS battery. (The 7th gen is the first ES to be sold in Europe and has replaced the GS - the 1st gen ES debuted in 1989)

You definitely don't need to code the battery to the car. It's stop/start cars that need this doing.

I can understand Linas's frustration with insurance companies, but really, you can't get away with things which are simply untrue. Apart from Sergio's point re other countries, let's take 'they pay 0 taxes'. The accounts of public insurance companies are available for all to see - eg in 2019 Aviva paid £378M in Corporation tax. LV is owned by Allianz (basically a German company) and their corporate structure is extremely complex but they certainly pay a lot of tax in a lot of countries - too much to quote here. I expect those two cover quite a lot of people here but similar is the case for other insurance companies. Tax rates are set by the Government and are based on profits. Insurance companies do not claim to make no profits - just read the annual reports. Insurance companies are not the only ones who decide who can drive - (the courts have quite a say) - they might charge a lot for some people but insurance costs are based on statistics. They show that particular people in particular cars are more or less likely to incur accidents than others and insurance costs are set accordingly - it's perfectly reasonable that a 50 year old experienced driver in a Seat Mii should pay a lot less than a 24 year old in a modified BMW. Insurance costs are so high because people crash cars and sometimes they do a lot of damage or cause devastating injuries where the courts award enormous compensation to pay for the ongoing care needed for victims. Someone has to pay. And in some areas of the country there are a lot of scroats about stealing cars and causing damage - that's why it costs a lot to insure a car in London or Manchester but a lot less than in Devon or wherever. It is perfectly reasonable for insurance costs to be based on statistics - a driver's history and the history of drivers in a similar circumstance - age, previous offences, occupation, car they want to drive and so on. Re sharing of information - people lie. If they didn't, insurance companies wouldn't need to share information. Some things are a bit of a mystery (eg why does it cost less if you name your wife as a driver, rather than if you don't) but overall I think insurance companies are fairly reasonable - even if it pains me to say that!

Also, 25 year olds in near 400 bhp cars are not popular with insurance companies. Bit of a far cry from all but the most powerful Civics.

They are relatively expensive and complex cars (compared with Civics etc) - expensive to fix. Ergo, expensive to insure, especially when you're under 30.

Or even just last year....

This is sometimes caused by seized rear brake calipers/sliding pins. They can usually be freed and lubricated but if you go to a main dealer they'll want to replace the calipers at vast expense. Find an independent garage which understands IS250 s. Unless the MD will fix it under warranty.

I doubt it. NiMH technology was well outdated even by 2012. Lexus used it because in traditional Toyota style it was reliable tried and tested tech. But development was going nowhere. But Lexus and Toyota have pretty much switched to Lithium batteries now like the rest of the world.

Result! Well done. Can't help with the lip - are there local car scrap dealers?

The rub of it is - the mechanic probably won't undo the outer ball joint - he'll just wind the rod into the track rod end until it looks right and then set the tracking.

You live and learn - mostly by failures! Think of it as a positive experience!

If you're going to try and separate ball joints in future you'll need a splitter. Piece of cake with one - really hard without.

Just look at the discs through the wheels. If you can see two discs with a quarter inch or so between them, you've got vented - if just one disc they're solid. If you can't see, take a wheel off - then it's obvious.

On Wheeler Dealers, Edd China (and probably Ant Anstead too ) always separates ball joints by hitting the joint from either side, simultaneously, with two hammers. That's never worked for me - I wonder if they separate the joint off camera then put it together loosely for the live take! 😕 I have a Laser one similar to but much less sophisticated than Paul's, but it works fine on the scissor principle.

Yep - that's it. Best to remove the whole rod including the track rod end, make a bit of a jig to record the total length then put the old end on the new rod and adjust to the exact old length - although yours is wrong anyway. Then reassemble and get the tracking adjusted.

It's pretty simple really. The tie rod screws into the rack - there are flats on the inside part of the ball joint. I haven't done the job on a IS250 but I have on other cars - they are all much the same. You will probably need a BIG spanner - an adjustable will do. Note the torque setting - 76 ft.lb. That's pretty damn tight.

Stuart - does the V5c show the same Vin as the car? Did you report the VIN when you applied for the V5c or did it come from DVLA records?

I hate to suggest it, but I'm thinking there's a strong possibility that Stuarts car is cloned. That would explain all the anomalies he's reported so far, eg invalid number on the green slip, showing as still taxed etc. I'm afraid that the authorities will come checking one day. Then it will depend on whether they can identify the car. My late brother-in-law bought a Fiesta at auction for his son once (20 odd years ago) - did it up - the 'authorities' identified it as a clone (or at least a duplicate of another car). They came to check but couldn't find a VIN number - they had all been removed (the car came from Liverpool.....). So he got to keep it. The car was issued a Q number though. Does the mileage check out with last MoT - 131071 on 15th October 2020 and have you viewed the test location? (You need the V5c for that) Anyone think of another explanation? And Richard - I suspect you may get a bill for a month's tax, at least, unless you put the Honda on SORN when it changed hands. I don't know how on the ball they are with enforcing instant tax or Sorn at the point of sale.

The 2000- Gen 3 LS430 with the 3UZ-FE engine uses a timing belt rather than a chain. Gen 3 & 4 GS450h and GS300h use chains.

The life of a timing chain is highly dependant on oil changes. They will last 250000 miles and more if the oil is changed frequently - I always change mine at least twice as often as manufacturer recommendations - eg 5000 mile intervals. Manufacturer service intervals are a compromise between cost and service life for fleet managers. They know that fleet cars are generally disposed of before about 80K miles, so the service intervals are set so that the car can be expected to be reliable up to and a bit beyond that. Service it more often, ie change the oil more often, and the car will last longer. Lexus GS are good for 200K miles and more if serviced effectively. Of course, most GS start life as fleet cars. Unfortunately it can be hard to know how well a car has been treated in an earlier life. All IMHO and maybe I'm a bit cynical!

It's a 3 litre V6 3GR-FSE, yes? If so it has chains - three of them. I guess it is just possible that one chain has broken or jumped, in which case a repair might be feasible, but more work than just that would almost certainly be required. Would you get away with removing just one head? - who knows? Only way to find out how much this would cost is to do some stripping down - itself not an inexpensive process. I don't think John's suggestion of fuel pump stands up if it was running perfectly and stopped suddenly. The total lack of compression in one cylinder is very worrying - means serious piston damage or a valve not closing. Latter unlikely when running at speed unless serious valve/camshaft/timing chain damage.

Oh dear. Sounds serious. Whatever the problem is, and it sounds like valves/ valve gear - it is going to cost several thousand pounds. If it was just a head gasket there would be some compression and it wouldn't have stopped suddenly. It wouldn't run at all with a broken timing chain and if it had jumped a tooth or several teeth it should run but poorly - maybe not though. Even fitting a replacement engine is going to be expensive. The car is probably worth about £1.5K max in p.ex. or £3K in a private sale (in excellent condition fully fixed) - but if it was fixed you probably wouldn't sell it. Sale for spares on eBay - anywhere from £200 to £600 or so. A replacement similar car might cost up to £5k with lower mileage. Dilemma! Me - I'd be tempted to call it a day on this car. Shouldn't happen to a Lexus at this mileage.