pb3

Hi Bobski, The topic of the new taxes has indeed come up quite a few times in the past. :) However I'm almost certain that the new bands did not cover Y reg until now (someone correct me if I'm wrong), and only applied to 51reg or later. It is this particular twist that I'm highlighting.

Apologies if this has already been posted. Times Article Looks like the exemptions for older cars have been quietly dropped. I take this to mean that Y reg larger engined cars with high CO2 emission rates like the GS430 (296 g/km) will now be caught up in the net. My understanding from previous posts on the topic was that Y reg would be exempt, with 51reg and newer attracting the new rates. Seems like this has now changed :(

Hi Folks, Does anyone know whether the spoiler on the 1997 (P Reg) GS300 MK1 Sport has an integrated brake light? I've flogged off my 2001 GS430 with sport styling kit (basically Gordon Brown has priced me out :( ) and I'm considering the MK1 GS300 sport as a possibility - smaller engine and better enconomy and no CO2 data available. Little touches like this make all the difference :) Is it my imagination or is the s/h prices of larger engined cars plummeting these days? Larger engined 3 litre cars seem rather ubiquitious (and cheap) on the s/h market, while smaller models are fetching a premium. I guess this has always been the case to some extent but it does seem to me that the growing anti "SUV and large car" brigade are having a signifcant impact. Many thanks, Peter

How many miles were on the clock? I understand they are liable to fail anyway after about 50,000 miles, but will last longer with a well maintained engine. Around 84K at the time so I guess it was a very well maintained engine. In fairness though the feature on Channel 4 (it is headline news now) appeared to be saying that the problems occur almost instantly after filling up. Rough running with car going into limp home mode. In my case the engine management light came on but I was able to use the car for almost 2 weeks without incident before Lexus could look at it. On another note, are religious references automatically censored on the board regardless of context? In my original post I used the well known phrase starting "act of" followed by the reverse of dog. The last word seem to have been replaced by ***. I'm certain I didn't type *** in my original post unless I've been inhaling the fumes from the dodgy petrol :)

I notice a major story seems to be in the works (started on the auto newsgroups yesterday but now it is on Teletext) that hundreds of drivers are complaining that their cars have been damaged by "contaminated" fuel allegedly sold by Tescos and Morrisons. Apparently it is to do with the level of ethanol in the petrol and knackers the oxygen sensors. This is all still conjecture of course and both Tescos and Morrison's says that they have not found any evidence of this in their tests. It got me wondering though. I posted back in December about my engine management light coming on, resulting in a 300 quid bill to replace the O2 sensors. Lexus did do a visual check and washed it as well but I was peeved when I realised via the board it is a relatively easy DIY job using sensors sourced from the US. Anyway the car is 6 years old and the failed oxygen sensor could well been an act of ***, but I happen to always fill up at my local Tesco which is 5 minutes walk from my front door. I wonder.... I guess I'll never know, but I'll be filling up at alternate petrol stations for the moment - just in case!

Darn Maneesh, I think you've jinxed me! :) Not a week after I read your post the engine malfunction light on my 2001 GS430 Sport came on for the first time since I've owned it. The car was driveable but I noticed it was rather sluggish on acceleration and the average mpg was around 17 mpg. Also in cold temperatures the exhaust smoked massively. I took it in to my friendly Lexus main dealer who diagnosed a faulty oxygen sensor. This has been replaced and the car is back to its old self - acceleration similar to the space shuttle and the huge billowing clouds of exhaust smoke in cold weather seem to be gone (touch wood). I wish I was skilled and confident enough to change the O2 sensor on my own though - it would have saved me a fortune :( BTW - As a previous owner of a Ford Granada Cosworth, I thought that its 0-60 acceleration was phenomenal, the GS430 is in a completely different league however. When you floor the pedal the engine roar and the resultant acceleration is simply phenomenal :) Seasons greeting to all Peter

Just an update. The AA came out yesterday morning and diagnosed a flat battery. Everything worked after he did a jump start but the engine turnover was quite slow, he then ran a battery test which indicated that the battery was faulty. Given that I had last locked it remotely, the car was operating as per normal when the battery ran flat, and yes the alarm did go off when I opened the door with the key. Not sure why the battery ran flat so suddenly. The AA engineer could not detect any obvious power drain, and I'd definitely not left the lights or anything esle on. I've now purchased a new batery, however for the moment I'm locking the door using the key rather than remotely, just in case there is a battery drain issue somewhere :) Thanks for all replies and BTW, it is definitely worth it to pay the extra for Home Start option to the standard breakdown cover. PB

Thanks for the reply Rich_Bee, I'll try to unlock using the key when I return home. I didn't want to do this at 06:15 this morning as I'm sure I read that doing this sets off the alarm. The neighbours in my flat block certainly wouldn't have thanked me! :( Thinking about it, I renewed my AA membership a few months ago and added home start to my options. I may well be able to put this to good use tomorrow if my problems persist. I'll have to persuade the AA bod to tow it to the local Lexus garage. Not a nice thing to happen on one's birthday :( Peter

Hi Folks, I start work very early. Tried to get into my car (2001 GS 430 sport) this morning to discover to my horror that the doors would not unlock. I tried both key fobs with the same result - not a thing :( As I had to get to work early I was forced to rush off and arrange alternate transport. I plan to have a further look this evening. The only point to note leading up to this is that I collected the car yesterday morning from a bodyshop after having had a respray last week. The battery had been disconnected (clock was wrong) in connection with removing the rear parking sensors. Other than that it seemed OK yesterday and indeed I drove it to work, locked it, unlocked it in the evening, drove it home and locked it. Then this morning no joy :( Could this be a flat battery? I assume that if somehow the battery ran flat overnight then the doors would unlock, but can anyone confirm or deny? Assuming in the worst possible case that it means the dealer needs to come out to look at it, does Lexus offer such a service at cost? Any suggestions as to what to try would be most appreciated. This feels somewhat surreal :) Thanks Peter

Thanks for all replies to date. From my Googling to date it looks like tramlining is a "feature" of wider tyres, with some makes particularly worse than others. Looks like I need to book a session with the legendary Tony "Doctor" Bones of Watford. Perhaps I exaggerated slightly when I described the twitchy steering as "bucking bronco style" but you do need to actively grip the steering and make corrections when driving over uneven roads. The steering sometimes seems to have a mind of its own when the road is uneven. Even though I haven't been in danger of running of the road, the twitching can be unnerving. I'll have a play with the tyre pressures as well. Peter

Hi all, Hopefully one of you most knowledgeable folks can help me. I own a 2001 GS430 Sport (basically one of a limited number of GS430 SE's with the sport styling kit). The car came fitted with 4 x Dunlop SP Sport 9000 245/40/ZR18. The tyres all have good tread and are relatively new but I've noted that the offside rear tyre has two puncture repairs. Anyway I have handling problems when the road is uneven or rough - unfortunately this is the case with a lot of the roads in my area. Basically the steering twitches like a bucking bronco, and needs constant minor adjustment. If you come to a stop on a sloping road the steering turns gradually in the direction of the slope. The car handles quite well on flat roads and there is no steering "pull" when braking except of course if the road happens to be uneven at the time :) I did take the car in to my Lexus main dealer, and they checked the suspension and shocks (all OK - phew!) and did a 4 wheel alignment (over £100 quid - ouch!). Though the geometry was slightly out, the alignment has has not cured the problem :( Now I understand from reading the board and Googling that the symptoms I've described are the classic symptoms of tramlining, and tyre pressures could be the problem. The tyres on my GS430 are all set to 32 psi. The owner manual has a printed sticker in the tyre pressures section which states a recommended pressure of 32 psi front & rear for up to 4 people for speeds of up to 100 mph. Now I notice from the knowlegebase that the recommended GS300 pressures for 245/40/ZR18 tyres are 35 psi front /32 psi rear for up to 4 people for speeds up to 100 mph. Before I try these pressures, could any one advise whether they are running 245/40/ZR18 tyres on their GS? If so I'd appreciate if you let me know what pressures you are running at and whether you have any tramlining issues. Is it worth having the repaired tyre replaced? Any help/advice much appreciated. On the bright side the tramlining is keeping me honest. About a month back I was treading cautiously along an uneven stretch of the A30 (dug up by the cable TV installers), and I came upon a speed trap around a corner. If I didn't have tramlining issues I possibly may have been issued my first NIP ever! I guess every cloud has a silver lining :D

Hi all, I've seen a number of past threads on the board generally singing the praises of Chips Away for fixing scratches and stonechips. I have several stone chips and a some scratches on the front/rear bumpers due to parking dings (not by me I hasten to add) which I need sorted out as well as some kerbing marks on my alloys. Now there is a Chips Away outlet not that far from me and it would be rather convenient if I can use a one stop shop to do everything. So... has anyone used them for alloy work and what were your impressions? BTW my paint finish is Platinum Ice which I understand is especially hard to colour match. Any experience with Chips Away on this particular finish or am I better off biting the bullet and surrendering my wallet to my main dealer? Any recommendations as to reputable bodyshops in the Heathrow Airport / West London area would be appreciated.

Thanks for the reply. The fact a complete lock/key change is not required is somewhat reassuring. Done a search on the board prior to posting and haven't come across any instances of this problem before. Ignition barrel problems tend to be related to the key sticking in the barrel. Guess i'll be booking it into my main dealer. Peter

Hi Folks, A niggle with my GS430 in that the steering column lock does not appear to engage. I've tried wiggling the steering slightly after removing the key but no joy. I can insert and remove the key with no problem though. In the worst possible case does this mean a new ignition barrel, keys and locks? Is there anything I can try prior to going to my main dealer? Tia Peter

Has the board been hacked? In my case the email came to the email address (a unique alias) which I registered with and invited me to click a link to an executable. Smelt a rat straight away. Peter

Been on the group for over a year now while I await my ideal Lexus. I must say I'm getting a tad worried by vandalism stories such as this, also the thefts and Scarface's carjacking a while back. I guess there is some mileage to driving an old banger! I can leave my old L Reg Ford Granny unattended for hours on end in the most dodgiest of places and can still be almost 100% assured I'll find it there in the same condtion when I return :D Shame about this insane jealously and hatred of other people's success - some call it a British disease. Why is it no surprise that only the prestige "rich toff" cars got targeted in the Leeky's case :( It won't put me off buying a Lexus, but I'd certainly have to change my mindset wrt to where I park when leaving it unattended for long periods. Theft and vandalism will certainly become very real possibilities. Peter

Grr... I viewed the page this morning but luckily my AV program (Norton Antivirus) picked up the malware and deleted it. I was scratching my head wondering how I got the virus and was beginning to narrow it down to viewing the particlar auction before I spotted this thread. The must worrying thing is that apparently no one has reported it to Ebay yet!!! I was not on the Internet yesterday and viewed the page this morning. I've just sent in a report to Ebay and hopefully they will investigate and pull the listing until it is rectified. I've just viewed the listing with Java disabled and it has quite a few hundred page views already :( I'm currently running a full virus scan of my system. I'd strongly suggest that everyone who has viewed the webpage run a full scan ASAP. Peter

Looks like this is the way I'll have to go. Apparently the disabling of the lighter socket on ignition off is a "safety feature" Something to do with young children left alone in the car with a live cigarette lighter. Thanks for all replies Peter

Thanks for the info! Can anyone else comment on the GS300 / GS430? This won't play a major factor in my choice of vehicle but it would be useful to know if whether I need to put the item up on Ebay or not :) Peter

Hi Folks, I hope to become a first time Lexus owner in the near future. Hoping for either an s/hand IS300 or GS300/430. This is a trivial question, but hasn't been asked before and probably can only be answered by a Lexus owner. Does the cigarette lighter socket work without the keys in the ignition? I'm not a smoker but I do own one of those solar powered devices which sits on the dashboard and keeps the battery topped up through a trickle charge. It plugs into the cigaratte lighter and its only requirement is that the cigarette lighter socket is usable when the keys are not in the ignition. I'd like to continue using this when my dream car comes along. Can anyone give a definitive Yay and Nay regarding the Lexus range? Thanks Peter

Hi All, I'm in a glorious position of agonizing whether to buy a s/hand Lexus GS430 or an IS300 :) I've noticed a pretty reasonably priced 51 Reg GS430 in Autotrader (is it my imagination or has the s/hand prices of the IS and GS series dropped sharply all of a sudden?). I notice though that the mileage is 57K. From my browsing of the board I have a sneaking suspicion that a major service is due at 60K. Does anyone have an idea of the typical cost of this service for a GS430? I'd have to factor this in as well as the 300 quid cost of an independent inspection and also a warranty. Could work out to be a tidy sum! On another note, the GS430 is a rather large car, significantly larger than even my ford granada hatchback. Has anyone on the group moved up to this model from a smaller vehicle, and if so how did you find adapting to the much larger size? My first speculative insurance quote is £630 - I'm in my late thirties with 9 years NCD. Is this good, bad or average? Best Wishes Peter

Hi Folks, It's been a while - my last attempt to join the hallowed ranks of Lexus owners crashed and burned last year, but it's time to give it another go. I'm around 6' 6" and am pretty much used to cramped cockpits. I've always driven 2.9 litre Ford Granadas which are pretty large vehicles, though the driver legroom is not great. I like the compact look of the IS300 - it is about a foot shorter than the Granny and should be a breeze when negotiating tight parking situations. However a knowledgeable friend is arguing that I would be crazy to buy an IS at my height and should go for the much larger and more comfortable GS300. I've noted though that the GS300 is about 4cm wider than my Granny and 7 inches longer - a bit large even for me! I do like the interior - looks something like the cockpit of the space shuttle! :P In addition to the length of the GS300 techno-barge I'm bothered about the depreciation (significantly higher than the IS) and the curvy shape which really doesn't do much for me Though you may deduce that I'm strongly leaning towards the IS300, I'm still open to be convinced either way. I have a budget of around 13K. So, any thoughts from the group? I don't yet have a family so rear leg room is not an issue. Peter

Yes indeed I would. I believe the RAC inspection was worth every penny in this instance as there was no way the past repairs would have been evident to someone who is not a mechanic. The tell-tale marks on the sills were discovered after the mechanic inspected the underside of the car. I had spotted the dent and scratch in the bonnet but was willing to factor their repair into the cost of purchase. I was ready to purchase after test driving but wisely decided to give a deposit subject to a satisfactory inspection. Had I not paid for the inspection, In the worse possible case, 2 or 3 years down the road I could have been in the same position that the current seller is in now. The downside is that I'm will now be wary with any potential purchase even from a main dealer. In answer to your question I'm hoping for a blue Lexus IS300. I'm after the IS300 as I've only ever driven 2.9 litre Ford Granadas to date. The IS300 will go some way towards giving me the type of power that I'm used to :) Peter

Given that the repairs have been done by a Lexus main dealer and the car has passed both RAC tests (done by Lexus when they sold it) and by me a year and a bit later. I'm still minded to proceed. Am I being naive? :) PB3 ← My personal opinion ? Yes. I think you need to let this one go. There are plenty other Lexi's out there which are 100% okay. Go and buy yerself an Auto Trader and have a look around. :winky: Me being me would have walked away when I seen the scratch on the bonnet. ← Right. I must admit your advice is sound, and after a great deal of deliberation I've just spoken to the seller and agreed to call off the sale given the previous repair work, especially the body alignment bits. He will refund my deposit. To his credit he was remarkable gracious about it all, except he is planning to contact the Lexus Main dealer in question and take the matter to the top as he believes the car was misrepresented to him when he purchased it as an approved used car. He was allegedly told that the car did not have any accident history. He is muttering darkly about legal action as he is effectively stuck with a car which will be difficult to shift as he will need to declare these repairs if asked. He conceded that he would also have pulled out if the positions were reversed. So I'm 310 quid poorer for the inspection but certainly wiser. I guess I can't stress the importance of a full RAC examination although I think I was lucky in that I had an inspector who was really on the ball. Sadly I'll now have to bus it to/from work as my written off car was collected today. Oh the indignity! It will make me look forward to my future Lexus even more :D Thanks a bunch to everyone who has contributed so far. Opinions as to whether to proceed have been mixed (and indeed it was the same with a straw poll at work). In the end the decision is down to me, and given the not inconsiderable sum of money at stake, I believe I have made the right decision. Then again I've known friends with new cars who have had problems within weeks. Go figure... Peter

Given that the repairs have been done by a Lexus main dealer and the car has passed both RAC tests (done by Lexus when they sold it) and by me a year and a bit later. I'm still minded to proceed. Am I being naive? :) PB3