MaximusPrime

A very good video on the subject:

Hi Linas, a very interesting read, and a big shame that these practices are allowed to exist, as like you said, technically no crime has been committed at the point of listing. I am pretty sure these car listings are just a drop in the ocean, and there will be similar scams for electronics, clothing, and so on. Anything where there's money to be made, they will do it. Facebook could easily get rid of these scams by introducing mandatory VIN / V5 checks for every vehicle, to encourage genuine listings and validate proof of ownership. All of this can be linked to a government / DVLA database, I suspect this is why you never see fake adverts on Auto Trader, and even eBay seems to be above board in this regard. Secondly, they can add warning banners before even allowing you to message the seller, something along the lines of "Be wary of scams", "Never send any deposits before seeing / test driving the car in person" and so on. Also introducing communication guidelines, and discouraging speaking to the seller outside the Facebook app could help. All goes back to the trusted mantra of "If something sounds too good to be true - it probably is".

Hi Julian, with the car sitting (presumably untouched?) for 12 years, I would highly recommend for you to leave it exactly as is and get in touch with Jonny Smith from The Late Brake Show channel on YouTube, this sounds like a perfect premise for another one of his Barn Find episodes! He's recently done an episode with a 1992 Lexus LS400, and it sounds like your car might have some interesting stories behind it as well. Jonny usually helps the owner with uncovering the car, taking it out from the garage, cleaning it, and trying to start it for the first time after some diagnostics. The cars featured on these episodes have a very high chance of being sold later on, as Jonny has a very large fanbase of car enthusiasts, and having it feature in an episode would give you incredible exposure 🙂 Here's the caption from under the LS400 video with contact details: DO YOU KNOW OF A CAR THAT MIGHT BE WORTHY OF JONNY HELPING UNEARTH ON VIDEO? DO YOU OWN A CAR IN A BARN/HEDGE/GARAGE THAT MIGHT JUST RUN OR NEED A NEW HOME? Email (ideally with details, photos and location) the Late Brake Show via contact@thelatebrakeshow.com Please keep us posted if you do, would love to see a Soarer featured in Barn Find episode!

Beautiful car, Blazej, that ultra white color really sets it apart and it looks so classy, great choice! Looking forward to future updates as you get more familiar with the car! 🙂

Funnily enough, a brand new listing for a 2013 600h F Sport in White has just appeared on AutoTrader! https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408142872262 Have a look at this one, the only thing I am not sure about is if you can actually fit a roofbox on an LS, would be the first one I have seen for sure! Other than that, the F Sport trim for this generation of LS is a bit of a poverty spec in the rear, I am pretty certain the back seats do not recline at all, the rear armrest is nothing but a slab of leather, no controls whatsoever. It still has the ML sound system, heated and cooled seats out front, as well as a heated steering wheel.

Thanks Colin, that does seem to be the case! Also noticed the right back box is positioned a little lower than the left, that's definitely not by design 🙂

Hello all, have had a look at a 2016 (66 plate) GS450h up for sale near me, and was wondering if someone with a similar car can confirm if the back boxes on the exhaust of this example look to be factory / original. Not sure if it's the angle of the photo, but none of the other GS models I've seen have them as prominent as this one, usually the rear diffusor obscures them from view:

Is this the car you are referring to, Tony? 2013 Black Lexus GS 3.5 450h V6 F Sport CVT Euro 5 (s/s) 4dr for sale for £5,495 in Thrapston, Northamptonshire (autotrader.co.uk)

Just tried my 2005 LS430 and it say NO, how is this possible haha

Hi John, their website is not the most helpful to be honest! But you could try narrowing this down to the area most relevant to you: Aberdeen: aberdeencity.gov.uk/services/roads-transport-and-parking/low-emission-zone Dundee: dundeecity.gov.uk/lez Edinburgh: edinburgh.gov.uk/lez Glasgow: glasgow.gov.uk/LEZ Glasgow City Council LEZ Enquiry and Payment Line: 01412871072 (Option 1 for payment. Option 2 for all other enquiries).

Hi Sam, happy to hear about the progress you are making with the car! 👏 For the wheel bearing P/N, try this link from Amayama, I've set the search parameters for UCF30R-AETGKW, which is listed as 3UZFE cars made from 07.2003 - 08.2006 (facelift), and specified options as 6FC (6 speed Auto), RHD (Right-hand drive), and EUR (European market): https://www.amayama.com/en/genuine-catalogs/epc/lexus-europe/ls430/UCF30R/11379/chassis/4102 It's listed under "42450A - HUB & BEARING ASSY, REAR AXLE, RH" section, and here is the diagram, it appears that the part you are looking for is 42410-50010, as that's the one specified for RH (right-hand) cars. Your other best best to verify this is to call the local Lexus dealer and ask for Parts department, they are usually very good when it comes to things like this 🙂 LexusPartsDirect on the other hand, do not specify the generation of the car, it is instead listed as "Suitable for Lexus LS Phase 3 2000-2006" and "Lexus Genuine Part Number: 42410-50030", again, might be worth getting in touch with them to confirm 👍

That looks amazing Mark, mirror finish, they've done a great job! 👍 I'm potentially exploring a respray, what's the ballpark for something like this?

Hey Sam, happy to see the progress you are making on the car already! On the subject of BlueMusik Bluetooth adapter - assuming no one else has answered yet! - it's probably been the best pound for pound upgrade so far on my LS430 👍 It works 100%, 99% of the time, in a sense that you might need to go to Bluetooth settings on your phone around once a week and just give it a nudge to reconnect to the in-car adapter again, but other than that, it has been flawless!

Hey Sam, welcome to the club! What a good looking car, and what a bargain at £1800 🙂 As long as you stay on top of scheduled maintenance, it will serve you so well, the LS is effortless motoring personified! Would love to see more of the car, do send more pictures, the black paint is pretty rare from what I've seen.

Hi Barry, happy to hear that the refoam kit did the trick! 👍 As far as the adapter - I don't think you need a functioning CD player to make the adapter work, all you need is a working DISC button, which you tap twice and it should switch to the Bluemusik dongle for you, I could be wrong, but it's worth a try!