Jusme

Hi Mark, Took the bloke less than 3 hours to do the job. Or at least it was 3 hours later that I got the car back. He charged me £100 'all in' which I found to be extremely reasonable. Especially considering he had to use considerably more gas than usual, due to leak. He is a refrigerant specialist and knew straight away what the problem was, as its a Lexus.???

Had my aircon re-gassed a couple of weeks ago, loud 'hisssssssing' noise from the rear. Top Bloke doing the job instantly said, 'rear pipes gone, I'll cap off the front'. He did the job and re-gassed, lovely and cold inside now.

Not wanting to hijack your thread Rob, but as its about aircon. Started up yesterday in that heat, put the aircon on and waited outside of the car for a minute, got back in and the heat coming out of the vents was hideous, lasted about 5 minutes then the oh so cooling air came out.. Is this normal? Apologies again Rob. :winky:

Hi Phil, sorry but I don't have much information. The bloke doing the aircon looked at the gauges on his system and immediately said, you've got a leak in the back, and just as Dave said earlier he said. There's a plastic cover on the nearside where the pipes link, he disconnected there,then they gave me a lift home. Delivered the car back to me 3 hours later all fixed. All I can say is, he said we had a bit of trouble capping them off as we didn't have the parts we needed?? Anyway, I took her for a drive and, its like a fridge in the cab now. Including everything £100. I thought it was very reasonable. Sorry about lack of info, I'll pop back out there and have a chat about the job..

After reading this thread, experiencing similar problems and not knowing the car I went to a refrigerant specialist this morning for a regas, I am now carless until this evening. After pumping in loads of gas... A loud hissing from the rear n/s. Chap says, 'we'll give you a lift home and then cap off the rear. Hopefully I'll have working aircon in the front this evening??

Really kept my eyes peeled yesterday on my journey to Bedford and back via the A.1. An insignificant journey compared to you other intrepid explorers? Covered a total of 217 miles and saw............. 1. GS300.

I thought that was bad enough Pete until I found the owners handbook has 454 pages....?

Hi Pete, I agree with the Lexus v the Omega comment, now that I have driven both. I hope you are right about my moving it on? I've got the 3.2, a 3ltr mini facelift and a...................Rover 75. 2.5ltr to shift too. Rover was the wife's car, she liked the interior?? I get 37mpg out of the 3L and the 3.2 at a steady 70mph. Not sure what the LS is returning but when I went to St Helens to buy it I used about a 1/4 tank in the Omega, used about the same on the way back in the LS at the same sort of speed. Only thing I am having trouble with is finding my way around the NASA designed cab. Must be an age thing???

OK Jeremy, I know the Omega is nothing to shout about, but I liked them for a few years. I remember the Senator well especially the one that couldn't catch me in my RS500... :winky: I think it might be one of the reasons the old bill hung onto the Omega too, roomy and quick, in its day.

OK. OK. Jeremy, you've 'sold me' on Japex, how long have you owned it??? :winky: Hi Pete, I had Omegas for a number of years, 'dunno why'? But I did like them, especially the 3.2 parked on my drive. (Must get it advertised.) You mention £2K on your Lexus, my Omega stands me in at £7K so it was time for a change. Now just got to get someone to buy it and the 3ltr further down my drive. thing is Pete, until buying this Lexus I thought the Omega was a fairly good car......

As I said previously Brian, thanks, and I have bookmarked their site....

Now that is something I cannot argue with Malc, but. Missus can't walk and I need to be home to let the carers in 3 times a day, not to mention my fear at 'er indoors' setting herself alight puffing away at her ciggies all day... (oooops! I just did mention it?) My excursions away from home are limited to about an hour out shopping... All together now. 'ahhhhh, poor old boy'.

Thank you for your Welcome Jeremy. Thank you for the 'heads up', but isn't a 270 mile round trip kind of defeating the object? Saving money in my case. I have to imagine and hope that there's a reputable and capable garage between Lincoln and London..? No offence. I have made a note of the name, thanks.

Thank you for that Phil...

Sorry for not replying about the steering Mark, but yes, yes it does work very smoothly. Had worries initially with it retracting all the time. Then I read on here about 'wiggling' the wheel. Issue fixed.

Hi and thanks to Mark and Phil. I had found a section on here reference resetting the tyre pressure monitor. Hope I won't need brake parts just yet, in truth the ones I was looking at were 'Pagid'..? Also found in the very useful sections on here about flicking the switches now and again, makes 'good sense'.. Yes Phil it was like a continuous little roll on a drum, not very audible but, when you are listening for something......? Would love to be able to tackle many jobs myself, having been a mechanic (of sorts?) back in the days of steam TV, but I'm afraid age and illness won't allow, (sad swine ain't I.) another reason I am so concerned about repair prices....... AT LEXUS... Thanks again for the info.. :winky:

Most interested in a meet in this area.. :)

I have just e-mailed the previous owner about the timing belt, hopefully I'll get confirmation? An independent is something I need, I hope there may be a member/members near me that might be able to point me in the right direction..??

Many thanks for your replies and help Malc, very much appreciated. Can't find any rust on the body, and the wheels were shotblasted, painted and lacquered, so no problems there, (at the moment.) Sticker on engine. Belt changed 9-5-13 @ 97500 miles. There is no invoice for that date, and reading on the forum that these stickers are '10 a penny', should I contact the dealer being used at the time? I know to some 'eurocarparts' is a dirty word, but they have brake discs at £53:99. each. Pads £31:49. Wipers from £6:29. As already stated I have no idea of the lift on the suspension, but nowhere near a Citroen I would imagine? Thank you once again, I'll look up the relative suspension/ radiator/gearbox subjects... :winky:

Hi Mike & Malc, problems I have already found.. Aircon not working. Warning on dash, 'tyre pressure low'.(seller had just had 3 new tyres fitted,) Last evening I thought I would try the suspension, not knowing how high it raises? hit the button and noticed.... 'nothing' except, the sound of a pump 'thumping' away?? The car drives beautifully, cosmetically it is fabulous for a 2004 car. 'Invoices' run from 2008 - 2014. mainly servicing..... 2008. Mileage 58605. 'Check for satnav/guidance not working, check blue tooth operation, check parking sensors not working, check for fault codes, recalibrate system........ £99:95.+VAT 2009. Mileage 69349. 70000/5 year service. £255:81. 2009. Mileage 67338. Check wipers in stock. £8.50. (£8.50 just to check stock???) Supply and fit 2 wipers. £61.38. 2009. Mileage 60923. 60000/5year service. £415:61. (Both front brake discs have corrosion on both faces. 2009. Mileage 70481. Check battery goes flat easily. replace front brake discs and pads. £391:79. 2010. Mileage 71996. s/f new battery. L28800-YZZAH/Battery. L28800-YZZJD. £93:83. 2011 Mileage 81472. MOT. 80000 service. VHC. Diagnostic check. Was & Vac. £494:58. 2011 Mileage 86559. Visual SR. (No attention required.) Replace bank 2. 1 oxygen sensor. Wash & V. £304:80. 2012 Mileage 91456. VHC. (Wear to rear brakes.) 90000 service. MOT. £289:37. 2014. Mileage 102400. Essential care minor service. MOT. VHC. (Front discs corroded.NS back box, heat shield detached.) Having gone through these invoices I am even more worried now. I asked the seller if the belt had been changed? I was assured it had.. Please understand that I have been a long time Omega owner and my brain is stuck in that mode. Servicing/repairs done by 'expert' members of the forum for a nominal price or.....'Beer tokens'!! Many members break Omegas, hence good parts are usually readily available. As previously stated by me, I was prepared for a significant increase in costs, but sticking to Lexus recommendations and using recommended fluids and parts, puts this car right out of my reach 'financially'... A shame because I love the car. Being, and driving like an 'old fart', surprisingly I find it as economical on petrol as my 3.2 Omega. .

Hi to everyone, just joined, bought my LS430 2 weeks ago. Love the car, but scared of the invoices I found in the service history wallet. Anyone know of any recommended garages (Non lexus) in Lincolshire? Thanking you in anticipation..

Thank you so much for your replies and welcome. I like the sound of this forum saving me money. Well done 'The-Acre' on your purchases, sounds more like my range of prices... I appreciate that repairs can be 'eye watering', but what stunned me, looking at the invoices I got with the car, are the prices from Lexus dealers, 'for the love of God' £30+ for a wiper blade???? Dearest from Eurocarparts £12:99. Anyway, rant over. Now I'll get back to the owners handbook to once again try to familiarise myself with this NASA designed cockpit..... :winky:

I notice the new member's posts have been removed. Whilst perhaps his words were a little strong, I understand some of what he means, for example, I notice my post has had 91 views, but 0 replies. Of course all forums will be different, but it is my opinion that with a simple 'welcome' it helps 'newbies' to break the ice and feel a part of the community. If part of the content of the 'newby's post is in the wrong area, I am used to members saying 'Hi and welcome' and pointing a newby in the right direction to hopefully receive answers that they need. I am not a member of numerous forums, but many members on my previous forum, 'are'. It is the general consensus of opinion on there that, 'this is the best, most helpful and friendliest forum I have ever been on'. Please do not take offence at my post as no offence is intended. I am not a 'gregarious' person but like to participate at some level, NOT feeling welcome is not conducive to interaction. After all, if 91 members have bothered to read my post, would 'hello' be too much to ask?? I mentioned in my post about the aircon not working, the tyre pressure warning, any pointers to garages in Lincolnshire (a large area) that members would recommend. Again, no comment? I apologise for this lengthy 'tome'.

Just joined and popped in to say hello. Bought a 2004 LS430 just over a week ago. 'Have I done the right thing'? My wife and I are disabled and retired, thought I would treat myself before I pop my clogs, not to mention having owned 4 Vauxhall Omegas over a number of years. I ask 'have I done the right thing' because, although I was prepared to raise the cost of my motoring, I was not prepared for, 'by how much'? I have just got round to reading all of the invoices from the previous owner, all Lexus. The cheapest is over £300? £80+ just for oil? Does anyone know of anywhere around Lincoln that I can get work carried out for less than the price of a Vauxhall Omega?? I hope i won't need much work doing, but noticed today that the aircon is not working, 'Ouch'! The seller had replaced 3 tyres before I bought the car, on the journey home up came a warning about tyre pressure, my mate said, 'they've lost a valve, they're £140' "Ouch". Sorry to have introduced myself with such a lengthy 'tome'. I do so hope I'm not to be Omega bound for life?? Thanks for reading. Rob.