harrylime

It seems someone else has come up with a similar suggestion while I was typing. Do these tend to stay in place? The equestrian ones are heavier and larger than these, which I have seen

I'm going through the same thought process myself . My garage is not yet built and I will probably incorporate some insulation in the floor, If I were going down the wood route, I'd consider a decent exterior grade plywood, placed on a damp proof membrane, treated with exterior stain or varnish. Condensation could be an issue, rotting it from underneath, and cupping / warping might be an issue, as with any wood product. I'd avoid laminate, in my experience it doesn't even last well in domestic situations. If warmth is an issue, there are interlocking rubber mats available, you can buy them for horse stables

I had a minor leak from my gearbox sump. Lexus dealer sorted it out for me, as far as I recall, the oil was topped up but not completely changed. If the 430 is the same as the 400 there is no gasket as such, they use some sort of flexible seal out of a tube. It wasn't cheap, into three figures I think for the job, but took a while, as they had to manipulate the front suspension a bit to get the sump off

Thanks Steve, that'll be the next step, just ordered some off eBay, toyota red

the front screen demister was not on. I haven't checked the sensor yet, but the coolant is on the low line, although there does not seem to be much between low and high

Thanks chaps, I'll check those - any more suggestions?

I was out in the car yesterday and suddenly started to get cool air through the vents rather than warm. I had to turn the temp to the late 20s to get warm air through. The force of the air vents also seemed to increase at the same time as it cooled. Does anyone have any ideas please?

Did you get this resolved? I was out in mine today and suddenly started to get cool air through the vents rather than warm. I had to turn the temp to the late 20s to get warm air through. The force of the air vents also seemed to increase at the same time

Use my sunroof a lot, I love it, but then my first car was a Rover 2000 with a Webasto sunroof

Back in August I rang Lexus Swindon to ask for an IS300h for test drive the following Monday. This was arranged immediately and on Monday I picked up the car. As soon as we got onto the M4 heading west we realised it was too noisy - I couldn't hear my wife speak. We made some sound measurements at steady 70mph and recorded levels between 75 and 80dB. The noise was tyre roar. I could not hear the engine. We took the first exit and went back. I don't think anyone had ever taken a car back because of noise before. It was on 17" rims and the low-profile though not run-flat tyres are noisier than tyres on 16" wheels. (The added noise though the speakers was off.)

We got back in our 1998 GS300 and continued west. On the same stretches of M4 at same speed the GS measured 70 to 75dB. The old GS was also more comfortable! I do have hearing problems so noise is an issue.

I guess I am the wrong demographic for an IS. I should have asked for a GS and indeed I now have a 2007 450h which is even quieter than our old GS. I don't have dB measurements yet as I've not been down that bit of M4 since.

J

80 dB is ridiculous, it is the first action level under the Noise at Work regs, at which hearing protection must be provided. Noise is a killer for me, and I once sold on a Skoda Octavia Scout very quickly because of road noise. I would not have expected it to be a problem in a Lexus, and must be careful when I change my car not to make assumptions based on my LS experience

I'd love a newish LS, but not if I lived in the depths of Cornwall, just not suited to those roads

would it have been more appropriate to use a driver?

Took my 400 out this morning, it was a bit cool, so turned the heat up. I could not believe how quickly I was getting warm air from the vents. Within half a mile or so, it was blowing toasty air. This is a 4 litre V8 that appears to warm up quicker than my wife's 1.2 Panda. How do they do that?

On a different note, I did about 900 miles last week on holiday in Wales. I think my car may be due for a service, but it was absolutely sublime and never missed a beat. I felt even more smug when I came home and found that my neighbour's new Vauxhall Viva is at the dealer's to have a new clutch fitted (it has done 20 miles). I increasingly appreciate the engineering in the Lexus, and the fact that I can have total faith in a 16 year old car (touching wood now)

I also like the forfour, and funnily enough I also keep looking at Citroens, the C5. The reliability record seems patchy, but the more I read, the more I conclude it may be no worse than anything else May as well be siiting in comfortable seats as I await the AA man

I wouldn't touch a modern used german car with a barge pole. I know too many people who've owned one who have spent fortunes on repairs. I'm not talking about basic replacement of worn out components here, (as in most older Lexus cars), but catastrophic untimely failure of parts that should last for many, many years .i.e autoboxes, dual mass flywheels, A/C systems, timing chain adjusters, swirl flaps, and Diesel particulate filters to name but a few. You would have thought that any buyer after a second hand motor would learn to avoid German makes but the 'kudos' is too strong obviously. Top Gear did an excellent propaganda job.

I agree, and the more you read, the more depressing it becomes, as these are clearly not the occasional isolated problem. Even Lexus aren't immune from problems they seem unable to solve. I quite fancy an RX, but it appears that they fail to start if left for more than a few days, due to inadequate auxiliary batteries. Owners are having to come up with solutions, including solar chargers , rewiring cigarette lighters etc., which should not be necessary

.

One day no doubt I shall have to move into another Ls I guess but the air suspension woes just simply put me off .................. just trying to think why I would want to change from my 1995 Mk3.

No rational answer ever seems to spring to mind

Malc

That Malc is because you have not yet driven a 430 converted to coilovers :)

Is this an easy conversion, and what does it cost?

I was thinking about buying a GS 450, instead of a Mondeo fo the added refinement. Not so sure now if owners have to resort to this to make the car quiet. Not great for a premium brand.

Despite cars getting better in most ways, it is getting difficult to accurately forecast what many cars will cost to run. I agree with Carl that many owners get stung for thousands for repairs, and as I pay for my own repairs, it would be brutal to get hit with a bill like that. Journalists obsess about this car being a second faster to 60 than that car, and about fuel consumption, but never seem to explore long term ownership costs, or build quality.

Car makers don't appear to care about the albatrosses they hang around owners' necks. When I read about problems on newish cars with DPFs, dual mass flywheels, failed turbos, air suspension systems, EGRs, timing chain and tensioner failures, catastrophic engine failures (Mazda 6), power steering failures (Vauxhall) pedestrian airbags going off while driving over potholes and costing a fortune to repair (Jag XF), cars that car thieves are able to effortlessly steal with a laptop and a bit of software (BMW and others) I wonder where the JD Power team get their data from. Some forums for quality, executive cars are just a litany of expensive sob stories.

Many owners seem to lose their cars for weeks for repairs, having paid a fortune for them in the first place. Clearly, it is dissatisfied owners that tend to post, but the sheer scale of problems is staggering. I remember going on a holiday with mates and the engine failing in our cortina mk 1. Two of the lads had it towed to a scrapyard, found a suitable engine, and replaced it within a couple of hours, and probably with just two or three spanners. I sometimes think we would be better going back to basics. Or here's an idea. What about manufacturers not waste any more time on their current efforts to gain 1 mpg, so that they can advertise a better headline rate of fuel consumption, which is never remotely achievable anyway. Why not stop wasting time trying to reduce emissions with clumsy devices like filters, which by their very nature, will inevitably get blocked and land people with a big bill,. Why don't manufactures stop concealing from drivers the fact that they cannot take short journeys, only long ones, thus ignoring the driving habits of the vast majority of car owners. Why not stop wasting time trying to add more and more technology to cars, to the point where driving needs more concentration than docking a Shuttle at the International Space Station. Why not instead focus on what drivers really want, which is refinement, low levels of noise, vibration and harshness, components that last years before they wear out or fail, rather than months. Why not, as road surfaces deteriorate before our eyes, focus on ride comfort instead of the ability to shave off half a second at the Nurburgring. People can opt for sportier models if they wish, but I'm pretty sure most of us value our vertebrae over a few minutes off a typical journey. I'm pretty sure a 1960 Morris Oxford rode more comfortably than the majority of modern cars. Just watch some old films of the 50s to the 80s and you can see, as cars pull up, the lovely soft suspension settling. Do all these things and perhaps, after owning over 70 cars, and currently being in the market for a 2 - 3 year old car, preferably a hatch or estate for daily use, I might be able to think of one car, at any price point, that I can truly say I aspire to, because I can honestly say there is not one car that fits the bill at the moment. For many years, I could not afford a decent car, but now that I can, I'm stumped. (My 400 is a weekend/hobby car btw)

after persevering to stop the leaks in my aircon system, I was considering buying a newer car, to cut down on the time sorting out car problems. I looked at BMW 5 series and it seems that newish cars, 2010 onwards, have had air con condenser failures in the thousands, with BMW importing replacements at the rate of 450 a week.Owners are having to wait many weeks or months to get the repairs completed, as dealers are swamped. Another problem seems to be timing chain and tensioner failures, which also seem frighteningly common and which costs between 4500 and 6000 to put right, depending on whether the crank is affected.. One owner paid 1000 for a warranty, only to have his claim rejected as it was "fair wear and tear". The garage said it was mechanical failure. He paid the 4500, I would have fought tooth and nail.

Many owners seem to be very critical of BMW, as deteriorating in quality over the past few years. I always liked how BMWs drove and my 2004 330 D estate was one of the best cars I ever owned. It's a shame, and an absolute disgrace for a company with the engineering resources of a company like BMW. I feel for the owners.

So BMW are off my shopping list, as style seems to be over substance nowadays. Unless my usage changes, the fuel consumption on my LS seems to be a small price to pay for the total confidence with which I set out today on my 5 hour journey to West Wales. The journey was a joy, so easy oasy, as Billy Connolly would say.

Now, about the LS 600H, can any owners give a review of their ownership experiences?

and this

this is quite impressive

I have the contis on my Skoda, they are excellent

Again , may be an age thing but black wheels don't do much for me. I prefer silver wheels but much more grey than silver, I think gunmetal grey wheels would do more for that lovely car

saw the same ad, had exactly the same thought

The part number is 88716 - 50230 in case anyone needs one . I just hope it does the trick, as I would prefer to be wafting around Pembrokeshire in the Lexus on my hols