sorcerer

Sounds like you've not got the battery back in the key fob correctly (or it's dead) so it's not disarming the immobiliser. Glueing the key never works for long anyway so I'd suggest you order a new key from this guy on eBay then put your own electronics in the empty shell along with a new battery. EDIT: sorry, I thought I was in the RX300 forum and just realised that you've got an IS200. The guy on eBay may be able to help if you contact him or just browse his other listings on there, but I'm afraid that the link I gave you is for RX300 keys, sorry. SECOND EDIT: it seems that the keys will be ok for the IS200 anyway

Tried to add this text - the edit button was there but by the time I finished typing I couldn't save it, hence the separate posting: It's extremely rare for a whole traction battery to go faulty and you can usually replace individual cells as and when necessary. You can DIY if you're that way inclined or there are independent companies out there who can sort it if anything ever does go wrong with the traction battery. The 'standard' 12V battery is only used to power up the computers and get the car ready - once you start the car the traction battery takes over. That's about as much as I can offer in this discussion. We did consider a 400h but for the way we use the car, it made more financial sense to get a 300 and have an LPG conversion done.

Just to add a bit more information to Peter's post above - that £295 is the price for replacing the cam belt only. When changing cam belts it's good practice to change the idler/tensioners too and also the water pump. All these parts are in or around the same area and the biggest cost of the whole job is the labour charges for the time taken to do it. A good 90% of the work done in changing the cam belt would have to be done again to get to the water pump if it was done at a different time, so having everything done at once saves a lot of money. Mine was somewhere between about £425 and £450 at a local independent garage for the belt, idlers/tensioners, water pump, new coolant and labour, including VAT. Oh, and the belt needs to be replaced every 100k or 10 years, whichever comes first because they do deteriorate with age as well as use.

Just about to go out to an early job (and I haven't got a 400h anyway) but you may find at least a partial answer to No.4 in the second post down in this topic:

These are good people to deal with and if I remember correctly you can either buy outright, exchange, or have your own unit refurbed: http://www.carparts-direct.co.uk/power-steering-pumps

Traction Control relies on the ABS system to operate and there are LOTS of possible causes for malfunction, from loose and/or dirty/corroded connectors, broken wires, to faulty speed sensors and all points in between, even different-sized tyres. This is the sort of thing that separates the 'parts changers' from the proper mechanics with diagnostics skills. First of all, you need to hook up an OBD2 scanner and see what codes are present then go from there. If you haven't got a code reader or you don't want to do it yourself, then like Les said above, get it somewhere for a proper diagnostic check. I would imagine that almost all modern cars have ABS and TC so any good mechanic should be able to sort it, not necessarily just Lexus.

Just in case you suffer a breakdown of the sort that renders the car immobile but the engine still runs alright, you may wish to have a copy of this book in the glove box (I've got the paper version of the book and tried it with an old car and it does indeed work well!):

When my CD showed Error 4 I followed the instructions in post No.3 of this topic and it's never happened again, so hopefully this will work for you too:

I haven't got a GS430 so a complete guess - if the rear seats can be folded down then just fold about half way and take headrests out then. Audible brake wear indicators are usually just a metal-to-metal screechy-scrowly sound

That link goes to a Lexus LS430, reg No. BL02 ORK

Washer bottle topped up with winter screenwash in it Put the hi-viz in the cabin rather than the boot - you need to be visible the moment you step out if you break down in an awkward place.

You say "same commute, same roads" but that commute could be different every day, being affected by weather (especially wind speed and direction), minute differences in accelerator pressure and a whole host of other parameters. As for detergents and cleaners in the 'super petrol', your theory may well be right. If they have actually cleaned the engine and its components then you should now be able to go back to 'normal' petrol and see an improvement in mpg over what you used to get on normal petrol, now that the engine is cleaner. If it holds true, maybe the same effect could be had by chucking some Redex or other engine cleaner in the tank every now and then, which may work out cheaper.

To get a true mileage figure just sign up to fuelly.com (click on my sig to take you there if you like or there's even an app for your phone if you want to do it 'at the pump') and enter the details of a few fill-ups; you'll soon see the 'real world' mpg as the pattern emerges. And at the risk of igniting the age-old discussion, there's really no need to spend extra money on Shell V-Power or any other brand of 'super fuel' unless your engine is tuned to make use of it (and even then it's still very debatable as to whether there's any benefit or not).

Fair enough, very good points David, it does look to be in exceptional condition and I can see why you were willing to pay top dollar for it. Something you probably already know but it's worth mentioning - if the cambelt hasn't already been done then I'd suggest you get it done as soon as you can. They're supposed to be changed every 100k miles or 10 years, whichever is sooner because they do deteriorate with age as well as use. If it does need doing then it's prudent (not to mention just being good practice) to have the idlers/tensioners and water pump replaced at the same time. The labour charges are the highest cost of the bill and about 90% of the work done to change the belt would have to be done again to change the water pump if it wasn't done at the same time.

Looks great David, well done! I'm sure you'll be very happy with it, I know I'm over the moon with mine Any particular reason why you went for the model without satnav/reverse camera etc., etc., and what mileage has it done?

Have you watched the demo video for that gadget? It doesn't actually disable the "I agree" screen so that you never see it again. The screen still appears but then the Lockpick gadget essentially presses the button for you so all it saves is the effort of jabbing a finger at the screen - a hell of a lot of money to avoid a finger jab.

Your mechanic may be right Greg, I don't have an LS430 so I don't know. However, I do repair computers for a living and when you hear the time-honoured phrase "Turn it off and back on again" it really does work most of the time, but you do have to remove all power completely for a few minutes so that any residual charge drains away and allows the fault condition to reset. I'd say it's got to be worth a try on the car.

You're welcome

Disconnect the battery for 10 minutes to reset everything?

It would seem that Denso part number 89615-12090 is the correct one for 2003-2006 cars, according to this anyway:

The battery on mine is Lion brand. It was on the car when we bought it so I don't know how old it is, all I can say is that we've had the car about 16 months, done about 16,000 miles and the battery seems to be excellent. Of course, Sod's Law states that all the pertinent information you need is on the side of the battery facing towards the back of the car and can't be seen properly unless it comes out, which I ain't gonna do. However, I think you'll agree from this photo that it's a 70Ah battery with a CCA rating of 540A: EDIT - PS, checked that recall information and there's nothing outstanding on mine, so thanks.

In the engine bay according to this:

Why would anyone even consider going to Lexus for an exhaust??? When my Nissan Maxima QX needed an exhaust I couldn't get one from the usual suspects such as KwikFit, National et al, so I rang Nissan for a price and was quoted almost £800. I then had a custom stainless steel exhaust made that was guaranteed for the life of the car (even transferrable to the new owner if I sold it) for £395. I think you can guess what I'll be doing if/when my RX needs an exhaust. Regarding buying and selling, I've done both through eBay and I've done both through Autotrader over the years and (touching wood and desperately hoping I don't jinx myself for the future) they've all been easy transactions so I can't really say that one is better than the other.

Cassette or CD, doesn't matter, I tend to do the same with both. I make up a compilation cassette/disc and then play in random mode - you never know what's coming next My true love is classic rock (favourite band of all time is Led Zeppelin) so today I've heard tracks from Zep, The Who, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, Joe Bonamassa, Free, Queen, Bad Company and more. The beauty of randomness is that along with these, I've also today had tracks from the Mediaeval Baebes, Gregorian Chants from Canto Gregoriana and the music of the amazing Loreena McKennit.

I've also bought and sold cars through Ebay and everything's been ok. As usual, look at the feedback of the person; if they've only done a dozen transactions and have a low feedback score, then obviously stay well clear. If they've done over a hundred transactions and have a 100% feedback score then you can feel confident. You could always have an AA, RAC or other inspection done on the car if you want. That particular car has done above average mileage (12k/year is, I believe, the average) but at 77k, it could be said that cars like this have just finished their 'run-in' period Any modern car, even a lowly Ford Fiesta, should be capable of reaching 100k and beyond, let alone a Lexus.