matt-c

Exhaust system change will net you no noticeable gains, you can't chip it and air filters only add noise (in most cases, a cone filter replacing the original air box will lose you power). Force induction is your only real answer - but finding a complete supercharger kit is next to impossible. And if you do, you're looking between £1800 an £2100 for it. Personally, I'd go for a turbo conversion, which will cost similar money (usually a touch more) but get you more power - 240, 250, even 280 is not uncommon for a good turbo conversion on a good engine.

Raymond - if on the off chance you still frequent here (I suspect you do not) any chance of getting the pics up again? Links are dead

Couldn't tell you, as they were only done a couple months ago. Don't look any different yet though. Bearing in mind they have probably never been polished in over 10 years, they shouldn't change very quickly. It's advised to top up the UV protectant every 8-12 months.

Gtechniq P1 polish Gtechniq C2v3 (UV protector) Newspaper Microfibre cloth 15-20mins per headlight I don't agree that it's primarily the sun which yellows plastic headlamp lenses - not over 9-10 years anyway. It's mainly UV from headlight bulbs which don't have a UV filter (typically cheap high power ones). And I guess the yellowing is more intense on the insides, which means that to restore them properly you need to get the lenses off the light units and reseal them afterwards. Good luck with both of those. Always use branded quality bulbs of standard correct power rating incorporating a UV filter. There was no yellowing inside these lenses at all. In fact the only reason they were off the housings is because I was modifying the headlights. (and just FYI - toothpaste did not remove that, and the UV damage was not on the inside. It's simply about using the correct tools, in this case products, for the job)

It's a stupid design, which makes replacement a PITA- which is why I do not recommend fitting cheap LED replacements, as they typically don't last as long as regular bulbs, so you'll need to change them more often

Let's be perfectly clear - it's not about the fitter damaging parts; If a fitter breaks something on the car, then the company the fitter works for is liable to replace it. If the part is something that would normally be replaced anyway, such as clips or trims, then it's irrelevant because those parts would be supplied at the time of fitting anyway. However, if a part that shouldn't need to be replaced has to be because it's old and worn, or refitted badly from a previous fitment, then this is not the fitters fault. We can only work with the car, and it's condition, we have at that moment. You're very lucky that your insurance company is linked to a windscreen replacement company that has some of the best technicians in the field, and also probably the best resources and product supply. So less of the emphasis on fitters breaking or damaging things, when 9 times out of ten it's unavoidable and is down to the condition of the car/parts

Are these factory fitted xenons or aftermarket HIDs? Because factory xenons light up MUCH more quickly than aftermarket ones, because factory ballasts (typically Denso) are properly made an costs between £300-£600 to replace, and aftermarket ones are typically non-branded Chinese copy's that cost £15 to replace. There's your difference

The TM button is for TrafficMaster - http://www.lrseries.com/shop/product/listing/17266/LRSNAV-TRAFFICMASTER-SMART-NAV-SYSTEM-GPS.html As Chris says, the module on the dash with a wire in it is a GPS receiver. Quite possibly from the TraffiMaster install. And also as Chris says, the standard sat nav is not worth the time or money to fit. You'll end up having to strip the entire inside of the vehicle, change the entire wiring loom, quite possibly the stereo and/or amplifier, and at the end of it you'll have a 10+ year out of date, non touch screen, non 3D sat nav.

But you'd have to take your steering wheel off if you planned to swap it anyway....?

Gotta love a Daily Mail type headline, eh! And yeah, all that money spent on a Ferrari. Why not double it, and you probably still haven't reached the amount it cost to build that "little Volvo" in order for it to beat a Ferrari ;)

As Chris said, the mirrors don't close on lock as standard, so you will have an aftermarket box fitted to control this. I expect that the wiring wasn't done very well, and has been left exposed and either shorted against the metal inside the door, or get wet when you washed it and that's why your locks aren't working on remote.

Well, after a few days with them in, I think I can say I'm really happy with them. Sure, they aren't top-quality ones like the TRS Mori's, but compared to the HID bulbs in the stock reflectors, they're much nicer to love with. On unlit motorways, all three lanes are lit with a smooth, white, glow, country lanes are bright, and it looks great in the fog (well, mist anyway, will have to see what it's like in proper fog when we get some) with the cut off! Definitely worth doing I've decided not to run these in "bi" mode (both dipped and high beam), and just run them as dipped beam instead, 1) because the halogen big beams throw slightly further, 2) because with the halogens on, you don't really see the xenon high beam anyway, and 3) because they are from the cheap end of the scale, I don't want the cut-off shields (that flip down when high beam is activated, to allow the whole projector lens to output light) to get stuck or give up or anything. Thankfully when I wired these in, I did it using some spare HB3 harnesses, so I didn't cut into my standard wiring, so it was a simple case of unplugging the harnesses, plugging the stock connector directly back into the halogen HB3 bulbs, and tucking the solenoid/actuator wiring for the projectors out the way.

You should find the wiring diagrams on http://lexus.solar3.eu (you need to open it in Internet Explorer, not Mozilla, Safari, Chrome, etc)

I would tiger seal them on, myself. Unless you plan to remove them for any reason, of course