Britprius

I have the earlier GS450H, and find both performance, and comfort are all I could wish. Perhaps surprisingly battery problems are not really an issue. When the battery is at a point where the guarantee has or is about to run out all that is required is a service by Lexus or Toyota "the minor service will do" and the guarantee on the battery will be extended for 10,000 miles or one year. You can also pay a fee of about £50 for this instead of a service, but it is free with the service.This can be done up till the cars tenth birthday irrespective of millage. Leaking shock absorbers are common over £300 each not fitted, and the extended guarantee will often not cover them. The boot space for some is a little small something I do not have a problem with personally. John

This is not so unusual with the Toyota/Lexus hybrid cars. My Prius had 128,000 miles on the clock when I sold it still on the original pads all round with more than 50% of the pads left. Stories from the US forums often quote 250,000 plus miles on a set of pads for the Prius so much the same should be expected from say the CT200H. John

I agree the overtaking performance from say 40 to 70 mph is stunning. John

Ha ha the GS450 is quick, but not quite that quick. John

I was not aware that bonnet struts are a common problem on the Lexus, but my GS bonnet has suddenly dropped shut a couple of time in a slight breeze. John

I might be able to make the Cannock meeting. It is only about 50 miles from home. Back in the late sixties after I got married I lived in Heath Hayes at that time a small village outside of Cannock. John.

Hi RandOm. Welcome to LOC. I am reasonably cirtain the problem with your car is the AC amplifier. You could try pulling out the connectors, and refitting at the amplifier to see if this corrects the problem. May be someone else will have a better solution. By the way your English is very good. John.

I do not know what the level of tint is "if any" as this is as it was when I bought the car. The rear side windows are darker than the fronts although that does not really show in the pictures. The pictures were taken shortly after a hand car wash, but the car has not been polished since last October when I waxed it ready for the winter. I will wax it again in the next few weeks ready for the summer. I think the bodywork had been reasonably well looked after, but servicing or at least service records were somewhat neglected. After buying the car I changed all the fluids, and filters. The plugs had been changed, and as I said earlier the wheels had been totally refurbished including replacing the TPMS valves, and tyres. Hopefully it will prove as reliable as my Prius was, but that is a big ask. John.

Best of luck. I just did a search, and found some decals. Are these likely to come off with a pressure wash or do they stick on solid. John

I noticed the calipers, and had thought about doing that myself. I thought perhaps silver for the calipers body, black for the flat decal area with silver or white decals. Where did you get the decals from? I see you have new discs as well. John

Great looking wheels Richard. I have not seen that colour GS before. Mind where I live you rarely see a Lexus possibly due to the fact there is no Lexus dealer anywhere near me. John

The braking effect is not uncomfortable, but noticeably more braking. Probably ideal for descending a winding mountain pass where you accelerate on a strait stretch then wish to slow for a bend. Of course if you touch the brakes it cancels cruise. John

Not an expert on the GS300, but if it's auto almost certainly it cannot be towed. If the car has the keyless entry system you can use the mechanical key to get into the car. You can then hold the fob close to the start button, and provided the 12 volt battery is ok or has a jump battery attached the car should start. John.

Yes it regens heavily while slowing. John.

Has anyone noticed that if you set the cruise control "not radar distance control" to say 30 MPH, and then accelerate above that speed to say 50 or 60 MPH on removing your foot off the accelerator the car has much more engine braking than if the cruise was not set. In the area I live I set the cruise when going through villages so that I know i'm not speeding. On leaving a village I accelerate to the posted limit, and decelerate at the next village. This is how I found this phenomena. John

The main question has been answered, but having the same problem as you I bought a 12 volt impact wrench that plugs in the cigar lighter point. This saves all the struggle with nuts that are to tight put on in a workshop with an air wrench. It comes in a nice tidy carrying case, and means wheel changes are done without effort in minutes. The same company does an electric scissor jack that works in the same fashion. This comes in larger carry box with the jack, wrench, and extension lead. John.

I did not know the DS23 Citoen had 5 wheels. John.

That question after just having read "The acre's post No longer a Lexus owner" puts me in a difficult position that I had not intended. Please read that post. John.

Yes I did all the work myself apart from the actual machining as being retired I no longer have access to a lathe. John.

It has taken me a while to find suitable seals. I have found some high quality hydraulic seals that I have to import that will work at pressure in excesses of 10,000 PSI, and designed, and had machined some caps to carry them along with the ability "a port" to refill the shocks. These seals will work happily on a worn shaft as long as it is not scored or bent. I have designed the caps so that the seals can easily be replaced if it is ever required. Once fitted the shock can be topped up while still on the car if required without any dismantling. The only criteria for fitting these is that the shock absorber they are being fitted to still holds gas pressure. In other words the shaft still extends under pressure when removed from the car. Something around 90% do as the gas is held in a separate section at the base of the shock even if all the oil has escaped. John.

Pre 2008 cars had that system. I do not know if it changed then with the face lift or when the new model came out around 2010. John.

The DVD type of satnav used in the Lexus only accepts the first 5 digits of a post code. It then asks for a road name, and house number. Antiquated to say the leased. I am working on displaying an android tablet or phone controlled by a ball mouse on the OEM screen. Even if you have to buy a tablet to do this it is far cheaper than Lexus map updates. John.

The only majour problem with the GS450H that had not been sorted was the leaky shock absorbers. The transmission problem has been solved "hydraulic pump motor bearings". However now being able to cure the problems with the shocks has made the car much cheaper to maintain. Towing a caravan puts a much greater strain on particularly the rear shocks. I have been able to refill these with a slightly higher viscosity oil to increase the damping effect with the van in tow, and this I find improves the normal ride. The best way I can describe it is the shocks act like they are in the sport mode when in normal mode, and more noticeably stiffen up when in sport mode. This difference was difficult to perceive with the OEM shocks in standard form. John.

The wheels had been refurbished before I bought the car, and I try very hard not to damage them. The interior is cream leather. Once I have sorted the problems with the mirrors, and other items I will post the details of the modifications. When doing electrical modifications I try to keep things simple, and easily returnable to OEM condition. John.

I was by trade "now retired" an electronics engineer servicing industrial automation production lines "industrial robots". This required not only the the electrical knowledge, but a strong background in mechanical, pneumatic, and hydraulic engineering. Solving the problem of leaking shocks saved me a lot of money that I can spend in other areas. John