Tomtit

The sooner the better !

If you need to remove the roof rails in the future you will be able to cut through the silicone with a Stanley knife or similar.

That is proof that you are on the mend after your accident. Keep up the good work !

I repaired the sub on my LS430 using a kit obtained online. That was a couple of years ago. It has been fine since then.

Copy of relevant page from 2002 workshop manual.

I think I have read somewhere that there is little difference in ride quality between air suspension and coil springs and dampers on a RX300. It may be the same on a RX330. My wife's RX300 (on air suspension) feels crude compared to my LS430 on springs and dampers.

I had this problem on my LS430. One of the rear corners kept dropping. The cost of one new air strut would have equalled the market value of the car. There was also the possibility of another strut failing. It made financial sense to fit conventional coil springs and dampers all round. I bought all the parts for £1000 and fitted them myself. My suspension will now last the lifetime of the car.

I have the workshop manual for the 2002 model and it has the measurements. I don't know if it is the same measurements for a 2005 model. If it is, I can let you have them.

According to the Haynes manual, the recommended fluid is Toyota ATF Type T-IV. For a drain and refill the capacity is 3.9 litres.

My LS430 sometimes does this. I just put the battery on charge to top it up and the problem goes away.

My post dated 27 January 2023 has some info and a couple of photos. My SC is 22 years old so I expect to have a few issues. My Z4 had heavy steering, but only in summer temperatures. When the weather was cooler it behaved normally. That is one problem that was left for someone else to sort out.

Russell. I did this job recently. It can certainly be done by a DIY mechanic with a reasonable toolkit. It is a challenge, especially if you are working without a helper. The inlet manifold is heavy and difficult to move in a tight space. I managed it and I have had no formal training as a mechanic. I posted some tips on this forum for anyone who fancies doing this job. There are videos on youtube. It will be a shame if you get rid of your SC. I had a Z4. It was fine for 2 years then it gave me 11 problems in 8 months. I was glad to see the back of it.

It sounds like you have picked up a good one with no serious issues. The reach adjuster on my steering wheel has failed but I can live with that. Relax and enjoy the comfort.

I bought a refurbished fuel tank from Paul Frost, trading on ebay as lexussparesdirect. It has been fine.

The black leather and maple wood look superb. An excellent contrast.

I had M.O.T. advisories for the ball joints on the front upper arms which were creaking. Mileage 132k. When I took the arms off, the ball joints were dry and rusty. I bought two Delphi arms from e-bay and the noise has gone. Cost of parts: £145. Cost of fitting: nil as I did it myself.

It sounds like you have acquired a car which has been well looked after. That counts for a lot. Enjoy it.

I went from a money pit S class W220 to the LS430 and never regretted it. The LS does need occasional work, but so does virtually every other 20 year old car.

I could not find anything about this in the Lexus workshop manual. I have sprayed all the moving parts with white grease, on the basis that metal parts moving together will eventually bind and seize without lubrication. The prospect of being unable to close the roof during a heavy shower was enough to persuade me. I have also sprayed the rubber seals with silicone lubricant, to keep them supple and prevent cracking, drying out and subsequent water ingress.

I had this problem a couple of years ago. I bought a refurbished fuel tank from Paul Frost, trading on ebay as lexussparesdirect. It has been fine. It might be worth asking Paul if he has one.

I bought a set from the U.S. last year. I have saved a lot in labour charges and it has already paid for itself.

I have just replaced the front upper suspension arms due to wear in the balljoints. Here are a few tips for anyone about to do this job:- 1. The shock absorber and coil spring have to be removed. The bottom securing nut will be TIGHT. I needed a 3ft breaker bar to move it. It has to be torqued to 157 Nm when being refitted. 2. Before I could remove the above nut I had to stop the bolt turning with the nut. There is not much access to the bolt head. Disconnecting the anti roll bar drop link allowed me to get a socket and 2ft breaker bar on the bolt head. This held the bolt still whilst I undid the nut with the 3ft bar and socket. 3. When fitting the first new suspension arm I had difficulty lining up the 2 fixing bolts. They would only go in so far. I then realised that the bolts do not go in horizontally; they are at a slight angle, but you can't see that with the arm in place. When removing the second arm I laid the 2 bolts on the floor at the correct angles, to show what I was aiming for. I knocked the arms to the approximate correct position then used a screwdriver through the holes to wiggle the arm slightly until the arm was in the correct position for the bolts to go in. It was trial and error with a few minor tweaks needed before everything was correctly lined up. These points are probably obvious to a trained mechanic (which I am not) but they might help others who may tackle this job.

Malc. With the amount of rain in our part of the world I am concerned that water could get splashed into the alternator. As it happens we have had a dry morning and I have refitted the undertray.

Because the engine undertray was hanging down at the crossmember I could not see properly to position the trolley jack. I have obtained some of the correct clips to go into the crossmember and I will screw the undertray back in place when it stops raining and snowing. (Wish I had the luxury of a big garage).

I have had a replacement steering rack fitted. The squealing when cornering was still there. The mechanic said the noise was from the front offside and may be a sticking brake caliper. Back home I could not see anything amiss in that area. I removed the brake caliper and disc. Flakes of rusty metal from the disc dropped onto the floor. I wire brushed the remainder of the rust from the back of the disc and the backplate. I put everything back together and went for a test drive. I was able to corner in silence ! I have since driven over 20 miles with no squealing noise. The flakes of rust were hidden from view until I took the disc off. They must have been causing the noise. I hope this information will help other owners.