derkins

There's several options for Bluetooth streaming. Both of which I have used. Firstly a simple Bluetooth receiving unit plugged into the AUX port in the centre console that pairs with your phone or secondly a Bluetooth FM transmitter. Into 12v socket and transmits to a vacant frequency as a preset in the FM. Both tidy options needing zero surgery just the 12v accessory socket. Presently using the FM transmitter as auto-pairs better than the Bluetooth AUX did. Neither cost more than £25

Has anyone got a definitive "this was done" on a GS 450h following this 100k major, £750 service? It all seems a bit "this should be done" based off the website list...but the get-out of "model dependent" throws the GS hybrid v GS standard into a confusing state of will MY GS get all that it needs and not what takes somebody's fancy. Beyond simple oil and filters there is a lot of 'checking' and not a lot of 'doing' on the list. I'd like to see diff oil and transmission fluid done at 100k. All of the coolants and other fluids changed and the known problems for these engines checked such as timing / vvt gear and valve clearance requiring a bit of actual work to justify the cost but alas the chance of all that is probably wishful thinking! I'll drop a grand if it's going to add to the life of the car...but I'm not paying for a feel good valet and a splash of fuel in the tank...and my local dealership although well reviewed by many here were a tad unhelpful and generally a bit of a pissy tone to emails as it's not been serviced by them for some time (independently).

According to the manual the SPORT only firms the suspension, more of a 'normal'/'firm' switch. POWER gives it all the beans with a much improved throttle response and all available power. Think Low/Medium/High instead of Snow/Normal/Power. Using both is advised if pushing along on twisty roads. NOT advised in the wet or poor road surface (potholes). The regeneration also appears to be more active in POWER mode... Probably due to the more time spent braking after piling into corners harder! Well that's my experience. 2009 Gs450h

Also a fan of the Uniroyal RS3. Used to put Pirelli P-Zero on everything but tried the RainSport 3 on my last Jag and was well impressed. Going on the GS as soon as the ones it came with wear enough to make the spend worthwhile. The no-name things that the dealership put on for me are dire, "Sh"tGrip 3000" or whatever slide all over the place when pushed. I believe Uniroyal are owned and manufactured by Continental.

Always been a fan of ZYMOL (Leather Cleaner). Use it on the car and in the house. Soft scrubbing brush / nail brush and a soft absorbent cloth...and it lightly conditions.

Housing & lens are plastic but the heat output is probably less the 55w halogens (UV's a bit more thought!) but not like they're used all the time. Loads of space behind the wheel arch liners to bundle up & zip-tie the mass of extra cabling, ballasts etc out of harms way. It's a REALLY tight and hand crampingly awkward to twist in the HIDs compared to standard lamps (thickness) with the liners just folded / twisted out of the way...do it on a warmer day for more flexibility. Not a fan of HIDs on main beam (maybe likely to fail MOT?). My last car (2015 Qashqai) had full LED headlamps - dip & main. Awesome pure white - WAAAAY beyond anything Halogen or HID. Ah, modern technology...

Hi John, well I tried the G4 LEDs and although beautifully bright (and 12v)...and not suffering any odd strobing that several other 12v LED '501' fitment lamps has I wasn't too happy with the way I'd got them to stay in the holder (packing out behind the contacts) so in a moment of friggin' genius...went to Halfrauds and got a pair of 12v LED '501' lamps. NOT CE rated as allegedly 'off-road only'...but now have a pair of white lights to match the HIDs instead of a couple of orange glow worms...and no future issues. ps. voltage at the contacts...not exactly inspiring at 11.9v but OK...but not the 'I thought it might be closer to 6v (like half voltage DRLs) as the lights were so crap'. Whilst I was in the mood...I changed my fog lights to HID (4700k) as I had a spare set of kit lying around...zero glare but double the light output. Plug 'n' play so easy to put back to stock.

Apparently owning a Lexus in the US is a prestigious affair...and they take errant noises more seriously. Over here, more of a "whatya expect...". Seems this cover fits the injector pump of the V6 and V8's (2).

Sure it's been covered a few times and believe me I've tried to find it on here! That annoying DI pump ticking that once you hear it...it's all you hear. Did some digging here and on a US site then spoke to my friendly Toyota garage about getting some sound dampening covers ordered in. Ordered up parts 12606-38010 & 12605-38010 (two halves of the cover) for £33 and voila...50% reduction in the tick noise. Dead simple. Main engine cover off, and both ends of the air intake (jubillee type bands) to get a bit of space & light. NOT easy to squeeze a hand in the back and seat it in the right place and a little bit of plastic surgery (snip..snip) on the front half to get it to go past the fixing bolts..and that's that. Next thing - wait for the warm weather to solve the the freezing cold piston slap / knock...like a sewing machine for the first 10mins in the morning...most embarrassing.

Found my 450h is fairly good in fresh snow...But terrible on ice / very compacted snow. Actually managed to get stuck on just the camber of the road pulling out of my parking bay! Traction control isn't good on ice and there's not an LSD. New(ish) 'wet weather' pattern tyres...So not a great tread for grip but does shift water. Bit of grit and all good again.

Yes, let's not start an argument where one of us ends up looking a bit foolish...and if that's me then good on ya! (Ex-Electrical Technician...) I think we should get out our respective retired multimeters...and actually see what the feed is for the sidelights as up to now I have postulated that the standard 501 6w 12v lamps run under voltage to get the sad orange glow. ..and this same low voltage feed causes strobing in 12v LED 'lamps' (internal resistors to drop the normal 12v to around 5v as is common for most white LED modules). So...with the 6v LED 'lamps' they should operate (in theory) happily in the 5-9v range...and they'll draw whatever current they fancy. Check it in daylight tomorrow. ..

The voltage for the sidelights isn't dependant on there being a voltage drop caused by the resistance of two 6w bulbs in series. (otherwise you'd lose both if one failed). eg. in a simple resistive circuit, two 6v lamps is series over a 12v supply - works as the internal resistance of each drops the voltage over each component ... two 6v lamps in parallel with a 12v supply - blows. The lamps have a fixed resistance. Current will vary depending on the voltage applied. The two sides are separate regulated voltage feeds at well under 12v. There isn't 12v potential and it'll remain at that set voltage regardless of the current drawn by varying lamp resistances. ps if the wiring had a resistance as large as 6ohms for the insignificant length...it'd heat up a hell of a lot. Typically I'd expect to see less than 1 ohm per 100m of copper cable at that small CSA. Dave

Quick before & after of the reduced length gear selector...maybe should've made a better job of cleaning up the cuttings. Could probably get another 2-3mm out of it if I really wanted.