MLW

Key batteries are funny. On a 'big' Toyota Prius service I misread 'replace key batteries' for 'replace one battery'. I put both in, and was charged £9.50 for the second. I had previously replace them at 4 for £1 at a one pound shop and they lasted for ages. Only did it as I thought it was free and included. When I got my Lexus 430 the book implied that the 'latest' Lexus key should really be done at a dealer. 25 pence later, job done.

Great pictures. How easy is it to get the steering column shroud off. I could not see any screws/fixings etc?

That is very interesting, but, can one crank it around safety to put it into a 'comfortable' position? If so, how? Is there an knee airbag risk?

Since my Prius when every Toyota garage overfilled it, I cannot understand why this is a big issue. Find out what 'the book' says is the correct fill up. Put in one litre less. That will likely to fill it to the bottom of the min on the dipstick. Start engine and run for 3 mins. Wait 3 mins and check dipstick. Then add a bit more, wait and check and bring it up to 3 mm below max. After about 3 oil changes on my old Saab, I knew that 4 litres was spot on. On my LS 430 it is 5 litres plus a small top-up to be perfect.

My LS430 last week took 5 litres and was half wayish down between min and max. I suspect about .3 litre will bring it up to where I like, i.e. 3mm below max. I am always very conservative on this, putting in just 4+ litres to start with. Too many garages just stick it in, and then watch as it is way over the max on the dipstick.

Mine is ok up and down, but nothing in/out. What are you chaps doing that fixes this problem?

UPDATE I have done 600 miles this week and all is normal and fine. Very scary, but oh for simple steel springs.

Went for a 5 mile drive today and everything fine and normal. It would appear that starting the engine 'up in the air' is the problem. I only did it as I needed to circulate fluids and check there were no leaks, before finishing the job off.

That is a relief. Yes my jack was also trapped so I had to use another to free it. Doing a flat tyre and seeing this would cause a nervous breakdown. I had visions of a £3,000 visit to Lexus. I wonder if one just always leaves it, drives away, and it always goes like this or if there is a method. Perhaps it is because when all the weight of off, or nearly off the car, the suspension thinks it has no work to do (in supporting the cars weight) and therefore relaxes down to the minimum bump stop? I did start the engine when it was up in the air, don't know if that effects it.

2002 LS 430, 35,000 miles. Doing a simple antifreeze change. Jack up car. Do change. Release car and the front suspension goes down and down till the car is 9 inches off the floor. Go for a test drive and suspension goes back to normal. Then do an oil change, same thing. Go for a drive, front suspension goes back to normal where it now is. Is this normal, that when the car is jacked up this happens. This is my first time without steel springs and it was pretty scary. Help/advice much appreciated.

Interestingly, I have just ordered this service kit from Lexus Birmingham on Ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Lexus-Service-Kit-LS430-/182322311882?hash=item2a7341b2ca:g:8M8AAOSwcLxYCMIU The Lexus oil filter is made in China. Air filter made by Denso in Japan, and the pollen filter made in the USA........roll on globalisation. Combined with Asda SN fully synthetic oil and Europarts antifreeze and distilled water (for a flush out)......the perfect combination!

Ok, maybe try 3 hours. Took the battery out of my 2002 LS430 and all was well, no problems. An overnight 'discharge' might be the better, but if you need it just try 3 hours.

As cars are so 'electronic' now, I would disconnect the battery for 10-12 hours, reconnect, and hope the computer 'sorts itself out'. Might work.

Oh I forgot about the Japanese! I have to say my LS has a 'made in Japan' sticker on the windscreen and it does make me feel warm and content inside, just like the Goodyear tyres made in Germany.

The reality of course is that the last decade has seen the best of both worlds; research and production standards set in Europe and the USA and products made to that standard in the far east. So long as it is a top brand the standard is set. That is why a top oil filter can often be £4.50p with Euro Car Parts discount. After all most of these car parts are fairly low tech. A brake master cylinder is only a casting with a fluid box on it and a plunger in a bore hole. Perfect for simple overseas production.

I do rather agree. I have to say I am a fan of Euro Car Parts having used them for maybe 15-20 years. In the early days they only did Mercedes, Audi, Volvo and SAAB. They now seem to do most cars. I know may garages use them too. Stick to Mann, Hengst, Bosch, Pagid, and 100% synthetic oil and one will not go far wrong. Look at the spec, not just the name. Having said that, I used a particular make of the same Goodyear tyres over maybe a decade. I fitted maybe 4 identical sets. The were made in .....Germany, France, China, and Germany. Crazy really, as Goodyear ensure the same consistency, and each set was the same. But when I saw the last set was 'made in Germany' I did feel a bit better. My Yve St Laurent suits were once made in Italy.....then Vietnam.....then Indonesia! The Duracell batteries have a 5 year guarantee, 2 years longer than Toyota.

The Goodyears mentioned above on my wife's Mercedes have a good rolling resistance and since fitting, the mpg has gone up by quite a bit.

So many relies infers that there is a real issue here. I hardly ever listen to music on the radio apart from Classic FM and Radio 3. However, a £1,800 radio really should be better than a £75 JVC which, if fitted would be infinitely better with USB and ipod connections. Sure, some of that is technology and 14 year's advancement, but I think there is an issue here. So, is there anyone who has added a £100 black box DAB or whatever, that has changed things significantly. I am looking for a simple non-obtrusive fix that will allow me to get 35+ stations.

Be interested to see how that goes, as I want to manually adjust the in/out on mine and then leave it as it is. If you can some pictures would be great. All the best with it.

The problem is tuning on a Mark Levinson system. On the 'up/down' button it will only identify the 'strong' stations BBC radio, Classic FM and maybe 1-2 others. I am in East Anglia which is not great for radios but my Prius was much better. Any ideas how to improve things?

I did mine on the driver's door when the battery was out, but I needed to manually lock it. I find the simple plastic cover rather nice. You can get any of them out with a nail file or small electrical screwdriver. A simple finger nail can sometimes work.

Yes, I never thought Duracell did car batteries (in the UK at least) till my wife's one was replaced. The advantage of Euro Car Parts, is it sells lots of stuff , so most of it is 'fresh' stock. Plus the 5 years kicks in from the day of your receipt. I have to say, the battery in her car is perfect, and could start a train. It sounds so strong.

My wife has these Goodyear's on her Mercedes and they seem very good.

Very true. Each to there own. In my case if it meets the standard, it meets the standard. That seems simple to me. As it is on a 2002 car the standard has risen by so much, it easily exceeds the SL (now SN standard) that was specified at the time by Lexus.

A very good web site. As oil is often seen as the 'blood of the engine' it is little wonder that each driver has a view. Mine is a simple one of reading the spec in close detail and going with that. Interestingly, in the USA oil is very cheap, because it is basically a homogeneous product that probably varies little, within the spec. It is also subject to huge economies of scale. i.e. it is very cheap to make given the huge volumes produced. I also agree that the LS seems to be an unstressed engine, so any good quality oil will be great. My next 5,000 mile oil change, yes, 5,000 mile oil change, is so cheap, will cost £20 with a Mann filter. Looks good to me.