rich1068

Agreed. About 18 months ago I ordered a replacement OEM head unit for my Mercedes from a supplier in Germany. It wasn't cheap to start with and by the time I'd paid VAT and duty it was ridiculous. Turned out to be faulty and the supplier was happy to replace it but then I had to go through the customs rigmarole myself and he had to go through it all over again at his end. He informed me later that he refuses orders from the UK now.

Cheers Jim

Should have mentioned, as you can see it's got those wind deflector things on the side windows which I'm also not keen on. I Googled the manufacturer and they're obviously high quality ones but they're stuck on rather than clipped. They also have a chrome strip which continues the chrome line on the frame. But like a lot of these they whistle at speed. Bit worried that if I remove them they'll pull the finish off where they meet the gloss black frame.

Thanks Alan. Regarding the hybrid certificate, I did wonder if it's back under warranty/could be put back under warranty if the whole battery pack was replaced last year? Ah, the badges are a thing? How odd. I'll try a bit of Autoglym too. And the bubbles on the bonnet edge. I wasn't aware it was an issue but I did notice one or two up for sale that had them and it did make me wonder.

I've already said hello over in the new members section but I thought I'd park a thread here detailing how I get on with my new GS. I'm a creature of habit. So I've been getting itchy feet recently and decided I wanted a change from my CLK 240. Lovely though it is I've had it 18 months and as always I decided to cast my eye over Lexus again. Due to them still being on the drop, the cheaper tax, no limitations to which cities I can drive into and the sheer pace I decided the GS 450h was the one to look at. I was due to view one in Lancashire which was promising apart from the colour (some sort of sage green) but for the right car I was willing to compromise. Popped over to see Dave at Lex-Tek to pick his brains about what I should be looking for and straight away he said it was a shame that old Bill whathisname had traded his in because it was a lovely Mesa Red one that had ££££ spent on it. As luck would have it we managed to find the dealer in Chesterfield, they hadn't listed it yet and it was going on sale once they'd prepped it. Crucially Dave spoke to Bill whathisname who didn't mind me calling him and getting more info including how much he'd got at trade in. £4000 Fast forward to Friday just gone and armed with the advice from Dave and Bill I did the short hop from Sheffield to Chesterfield. The car had been stood for a week or two, in fact I think it had barely moved since Bill dropped it off. But under the muck it was clearly a good one with full Lexus history until Dave serviced it in April. The dealer said they'd MOT'd it and were due to give it a service, valet and put a warranty on it. They were going to put it up for £6000. So not letting on that I knew Dave or that I'd spoken to Bill I said I wasn't bothered about a service, valet or warranty and I'd take it as is for £5000. They agreed and I drove it home. Easiest £1000 they've ever made 😀 After a good clean yesterday I could see I'd made the right choice. The paintwork is glorious (bar a barely noticeable little scuff on the NS rear quarter) and most importantly it drives beautifully. There are a couple of cover clips missing under the bonnet which I'll source next week, the red cover for the courtesy light in the OS rear door is missing and if I'm being super picky the Lexus badge on the front grille looks like someone's used something abrasive on it. But they're 500 quid from Lexus so I think I can live with that. As far as history is concerned it has a book full of Lexus service stamps up to 2020 and 67517 miles then a printed sheet showing further Lexus services in 2021 and 2023 up to 75461 miles. Dave serviced it in April this year at 80477 miles. It's now on a little over 83000 miles. I also have invoices for new genuine TPMS valves last month at Dave's, replacement hybrid battery pack at Lexus Chester in June last year (£3751.04!!) and a replacement O2 sensor in April 2021 at Lexus Sheffield. The car is riding on Tein coilovers so I assume the adjustable dampers gave out at some point but it seems to drive very well. I've never driven another GS 450h so can't compare. It's also fitted with the 18" LS430 wheels which I think look really good but not so good (for me) are the spacers. If the LS wheels fit over the brakes without them then they're coming off. And that's about it for now.

Fastest colour too I heard...

A couple of pics. Very impressed with this car. Most importantly both my wife and children like it. I don't think that's ever happened before.

Thanks Steve. Glad to be here again.

So I did buy the Mesa Red one. And a very nice thing it is too. 83k and a full Lexus history until this year when Dave at Lex-Tek gave it an intermediate service. Full hybrid battery system replaced by Lexus last year at a cost of £3700 😳 and currently sitting on coilovers as I guess the adjustable dampers went at some point. It's also fitted with a very nice set of LS430 wheels that really suit it but also spacers. I'm keen to remove these so long as the LS wheels will fit over the brakes. Pictures to follow.

If it starts to play up again genuine ones were still available from Lexus until at least a year or two ago. The motor is usually fine, it's the plastic toothed belt attached to the antenna itself that goes. Very satisfying to fit!

Always! Saab convertible went a while ago (along with the 9-5) and I've been running a Mercedes CLK. It's never missed a beat but I've done that now and I do like a Lexus. It's time to re-enter the fold I think. The GS is the logical choice because they're still a little on the drop and decent ones can be had for not a lot of money. Unlike my previous LS400s/GS300/IS300 etc which with hindsight I should have never sold. Hey ho... live and learn.

Airbags or air suspension? If airbags seems an odd question but as @Herbie says, no air suspension on the 400h.

I know you were all wondering where I'd got to. Possibly. Not at all 🙄 Anyhoo, after being away from the brand for quite a while I'm now investigating the (GWS191) GS450h because I miss Lexus so. Looking at a couple tomorrow and no doubt I'll pull the trigger on one of them. My money is on the Mesa Red. I'd also like to say at this point how sad I was to hear about John (royoftherovers).

Another LS400 ruined. What on earth possesses people? I know the world would be a boring place if we all liked the same thing but this? Air ride, quad exhaust, that gear shift and mismatched badges. I'm speechless. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202308130736227?advertising-location=at_cars&atmobcid=soc5&exclude-writeoff-categories=on&fromsra&make=Lexus&model=LS 400&price-to=9500&sort=year-dsc&transmission=Automatic

They make it sound like they're a private seller. First question should be "So, how long have you had it?"

12 months but registered January 2006 so just squeezes in to the pre-March cheaper bracket. That said all bands have gone up in the last week.

Similar solution to the ones I use. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CG48K5H?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Much want...

The factory fit units in my 17 and 18 year old Saabs are the same. Turn on the radio, the clocks change. More than a little amused by this thread

I may have to. Probably shouldn't have told the kids I'd take them on holiday once I've sold it. IS300 = 10 days, south of Spain, all inclusive 9-5 = wet weekend in Cleethorpes 😬

I'm having a hard time giving this car up. My Saab 9-5 is a lovely thing but it's like a tractor compared to the IS300

Probably correct about the old Bluetooth and new phone. Didn't really work with my '06 400h either. Have a look at gromaudio.co.uk for a solution. I've used their stuff for my IS, GS and my 400h. It'll give you phone calls plus streaming audio eg Spotify.

Your dealer will have them. lexuspartsdirect.co.uk (Lexus Swindon) list them at £17.20 ECP also stock a variety of brands. Not sure I understand your question about strip lights.

You might get lucky on eBay but sellers usually want to sell the entire unit and as the problem is common with cars this age the actual glass can be as bad as yours. You may still be able to get the glass from a dealer but that will be £££. If it's the same as the 400h then I know the glass was still available up until recently. Unfortunately your only option might be non-genuine stick on glass. It goes over the original and I'm told the heat still works but obviously not the auto dimming.

Another update to this. I didn't stay in the IS300, my father insisted his driving was "fine" and carried on pottering about in it. Sadly he now has an Alzheimer's diagnosis and will have to give up. So this will be going up for sale sooner rather than later. If anyone's interested give me a shout.

Can you not lock and unlock with the key? My LS had no fob at all when I first got it and until I sourced one I just used the key in the driver's door. That'll be Rich Scott's old car. He's never been a member on here but he's a good friend of mine.