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Did you check under the seats for any snakes? 🐍

Cairngorms in between Grantown-on-Spey and Aviemore, heading back home after visiting my kids whom I hadn’t seen since lockdown...extremely pleasurable 614ml trip on Monday just gone

When I was little and in London, used to stare through the window of Hampstead Cars on the Finchley Road. Loved the American cars! When I could finally afford it, went to see one, was underwhelmed, and bought a Soarer instead!

So since picking up last Thursday two new tyres on the front cleaned the thoroughly gross interior new battery oil, oil filter, plugs, air filter, cabin filter (done today, knackered!) sourced luggage cover, fog lights, driver and passenger mirrors Currently about £1500 in, which isn't bad at all. A little bit of bodywork needs doing (£250-£300) and rear sensors then it's handed over to my wife. So a big, comfortable, safe family car for less than £2k. So long as everything goes to plan I don't think that's too bad.

Hehe, each to his own eh...I love a challenge (or maybe I'm stubborn!)

For a new CT200h (or nearly new CT200h) assuming the first service hasn't been done yet at 10k miles / 12 months, then for the three services it's intermediate followed by full 20k followed by another intermediate. Look at https://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/servicing-and-maintenance/vehicle-service/#pricing and scroll down and select model CT200h and you will see the pricing - and for 2x int and a full 20K it comes to £865. This is the official Lexus prices and so you should certainly not be paying more than that. The service plan allows you to spread this cost into 24x interest free monthly payments. If the initial 10k intermediate service has been done then it's a full 20k, int 30k, and full 40k which would be £1,055. I would be pointing them to these figures - your best quote is still higher (just) than the official Lexus figures for the 2x full and 1x int (so that assumes your car has already had it's first 10k int service - you don't say what the mileage is on it now). Now, if they are adding something that is fine - but you will not need an MOT for 3 years (does the plan get you that far - it's normally a two year plan), chances of a bulb blowing are very remote in that time, you will get a free wash and vac anyway when it's serviced with a Lexus service plan and so the only thing might be free puncture repairs that may be an extra to the standard Lexus plan...

Sprayed the inside of the car twice yesterday and left it locked overnight with the movement sensor off. Let’s hope Mr Mozy or Mrs Moth have departed this world. I suspect it was Mrs Moth as my wallet has not been opened much since March.

I didn't dare do that, they were so hot on motorists. Our police aren't allowed to hide but over there they hide behind anything and you don't know you have done anything wrong until you see the lights flashing and a quick burst on the siren. 55mph was the max in those days I don't know what it is these days but 55 and in many places 45 was dangerously boring.

All the more reason for keeping my LS400.

That's appallling. Its not like its difficult or expensive to change either. If you've had the car serviced at a garage and been charged for that filter I'd be having a chat with them around whether they think its acceptable. If you've had the car a while and serviced by same garage, check back to see how many pollen filters you've been charged for. This is one of the reasons I do all of the work on my cars myself.

Hi Anthony if you get your car serviced at your local lexus service centre the hybrid check is included in the service price and your hybrid battery warranty is then extended for an extra year, if you have your car serviced at a non lexus centre you can still have the hybrid check for the price of £58.

Received an email from Lexus Cheltenham in which say up to 31st August they are offering 20% discount on car accessories. It's not clear whether a 'Gold Member' will benefit any further, whether the offer applies only to their branch or Group. However, if you are in the market for anything it could be worth your while giving them a call for a comparative quote.

I shop at Aldi this is how I save money to run my Lexus lol

Hi Mike , I have been recommended the Hinds Head garage Chorley by another Lexus owner , the owner Paul has a lexus himself . Small family firm with good reviews ! My car is going there next week to have the transmission filter changed .

I see Steve has now replied with an update, no problem l’m always happy to help a fellow member, my commission rate funnily enough is 15% 😀😀😀😀😀 Pretty sure you will recoup more than your membership cost on your first service.

Ah well, worth a mention. Hopefully someone else will be able to impart their wisdom.

It’s had a battery health check and a intermediate service on June the 20th and I’ve just done the price check on the Lexus site and that comes to £1055 thinkbi can live with that.

It seems that a multitude of electrical issues on the LS430 are solved by disconnecting the battery for 20 mins or so, if you didn't do it after fitting the actuator motor it may be worth a try.

The test is there to purely to extend the warranty on the hybrid battery for 12 months, so that is how often it is intended to be done. There is no predictive maintenance done. It was really designed to reassure owners/potential owners that the hybrid battery isn't something to worry about as scare stories in the press about new batteries costing thousands of pounds could have affected used car values. If you have a problem with your hybrid system you will know about it by warning lights - a hybrid health check isn't going to stop that happening. Also be aware that the warranty only covers the hybrid battery. Not the inverter, transmission, hybrid cooling system, electric motors etc.

I've just noticed you're in Sussex, anywhere near Worthing?

I took it out in July 2014 with the intention of not buying another car. I mean having had a Lexus GS, where else does one need to look ?

Oh, Lee.What have we done? You said yes and I said no! Poor Vlad is now in a quandry. You`d better get up there matey !

There is a YouTube video with info on how to fix the rattle, it does unfortunately involve duct tape! A friend of mine has an is250c and had the same rattle which he fixed with this method. Not what you'd expect to do on a Lexus but apparently it works!

Hi Gary and welcome to the club ;I'm sure you will enjoy your 250C especially when the sun is shining .I have owned mine for almost 5 years and it is a great car especially for continental holidays ( to be continued when the present fiasco has subsided ) I am afraid I can't be much help to you as I carry out all my own service work ,the only time I visited a dealer was for the airbag recall.It might be worth you checking this has been carried out ,it may have been missed if the car has been away from the main dealer system. With regard to the roof I have not had that problem, the only company I have had recommended is Cayman Autos in Redhill ,I don't know how far you are from them ,they have a good web site worth looking at if you have queries Regards Dave

Other spark plugs were fine, so I will be more upset if I brake a few plastic clips while doing the spark plug as if just leaving it alone! lol! I might give it another go. This is embarrassing, I have change spark plugs on a few cars in my life so as my dad (who is still here, thank to lockdown) but this one is proving to be the hardest to change! 🙂

only if you are a Supporter 😉

@Vlady sure it's a tricky plug to change but it's not impossible and £90+ is just silly to change one plug. If you've done the other 5 then get back on to #6 and sort it. I can't recall needing any special tools to get it out #correction: you will need a long allen key to get one of the manifold bolts out (or an extension). The coil pack was tight against wiring, which needed easing loose to get just enough clearance.

Phoned Lexus Glasgow to find out how much will they charge me for changing 1-off spark plug (other 5-off I did myself), it would cost me £93! Apparently manifold partially needs to be disassembled to get access to coil and spark plug! So, what did I do to my Lexus? I opened a bonnet, removed the engine cover, looked at it, confirmed that it looks complicated, put the engine cover back on and closed the bonnet! I need to do though Battery Health Check and also buy engine oil, oil filter and diff oil for the next service.

Would you believe they landed this afternoon 😵 so that's 2 days for delivery - I've waited longer for local parts! Lesson learned when ordering from the states, use FedEx 🙂

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2003-Lexus-SC-430-Repair-Shop-Manual-Original-Set-New-SC430-FEO-Service-2-Volume-/401599800024

An indi list is being compiled by John, see here and you may find one local to you

Update: It was a bad tire after all, which was cracked all around between thread and on the side. It would drop to 29 psi in couple hours after inflating and stay like that for months.

Same here...I service all my cars...

I bought my Castrol engine oils from a eBay seller that turns out to be Eurocar Parts.

Welcome Garry. This is all I have currently. Lexus Indie Garages.docx

Welcome to the LOC Gary,hoping you find the forum educational and informative and congratulations on your new purchase 🥳👍

I used to travel to the States, Chicago on a regular basis in the 70s-80s and was a great fan of the Rockford files, well we only had a couple of TV channels in those days. I used to use the same car hire company every time I went and I always had a red Pontiac Firebird with a 5.7 litre engine and a Firebird on the hood/roof, what a beast but it was so wound down it wasn't as fast as what you think it would be but it used to make an amazing noise.

Technical glitch....originating in my brain stem ! ☺️

Hi' welcome to the forum. Has your vehicle had all the recall work done? 2004-6 vehicles maybe affected with a soldering issue that can light up the dash. You can check if your vehicle had had this work done on the Lexus website 😉 More info; https://blog.lexus.co.uk/lexus-announces-voluntary-recall-of-rx-400h-in-the-uk/

Hi Zuke. Don't think you'll need 6 litres. I've been researching trans fluid refills for the is250 and believe the actual volume is 7.6 litres. But I believe only 1 maybe 2 litres comes out of the drain plug or taking the bottom housing off. The rest is supposedly in the valves and other gubbings. I'm wondering however if the bottom housing is removed is that where the filter is? I'm thinking of the GS300 or RX350 and an online video showing this. Let us know how you get on because any threads on here ive seen are a good few years old.

Just to follow up on this I decided to stick new pads in and replace the springs all in one go and discovered that very few UK dealers sell the pads with the hardware kit. Of the 3 I contacted via email only one bothered to email me back to say he did not have the kits nor could he get them! 5 minutes on rockauto and not only do they have brake pad kits with the hardware they also sell the illusive springs as well from £5 up. I was able to purchase a full set for the car with springs and even sent via FedEx the cost was roughly the same that some here wanted just for the pads. So, provided her majesty's finest customs don't nick the parcel (which should not happen as duty has been prepaid) I should have the bits by tomorrow or Monday.

HI Terry Packs go out on friday so you should get on Sat or Monday at the latest as they get sent 1st class. cheers

Hi Steve, there is plenty of room at the front of the engine so I doubt it will be an awkward job. Check this video for a quick how-to to at least it gives you an idea, skip to 5mins in for the actual swap. Good luck. Cheers, Lee

I've always suspected the engine covers are purely cosmetic for the benefit of customers who purchase the cars new from the dealers. The people who buy these cars new don't buy them with the intention of doing their own engine maintenance! They buy into the concept of having a luxury car with everything taken care of by the dealer, and the sight of a complex modern engine that needs looking after can be off-putting to them. These cars are sold by the driving experience, comfort, technical toys and dealer service, not by the mechanical bits under the bonnet. In fact I would be surprised if many potential buyers ask to look under the bonnet before signing on the dotted line. There is nothing wrong with this situation, the new cars have to be presented in a way that appeals to new car buyers. If they weren't they wouldn't sell and I wouldn't be able to buy an LS430 with 95K on the clock for £2,900 ! John N

That's a cheaper way of doing it. If you bought these and left them in place permanantly you would get a little more wind noise. You would have to check what is involved and the ease of fitting and removing if these are not left in place permanantly. My Lexux side rails came with the longer bolts and alternative fittings needed and these are kept permanently in place. I will fit the Lexus cross rails as and when required as this is an easier and better solution in my opinion. I am sure I have seen Thurle and possibly other after market alternatives but they don't look as good. If you keep the original parts and the next buyer doen't want rails/crossbars, you will find a buyer easily, especially for the side rails. There have been at least 3 people including myself looking for some in the last year or so just on this forum. My car is a 2015 RX450h but the accompanying leaflet for the side rails shows 2008- coverning upto and including the 3rd Generation.

I'd like to know who makes these decisions. Seems to be some random person as it is different on every model. There are newer and older Lexus vehicles where you have the option to lock when you move into drive and/or when speed reaches a certain speed. If you have an option to unlock, it would make sense that there is a option to lock in the first place but your manual (for your year) will tell you.

I forgot to add that I also took the oppertunity to change the shift position bulb to a blue LED. But when changing that bulb you need to wrap or black out underneath the bulb so that you reduce the light from bleeding. I also polished that perspex shift position trim. It's plastic so scratches up very easily. Mine was in a nasty condition so a polish has made it like new again. A few pics of that below:

Obviously diagnostics are always the first move but the most common part to fail thermally on any modern car is the crank sensor. If you can gain access to it a good test to confirm thermal breakdown is to spray it with “freezer spray.” ( ebay is a source or RS components) When the fault appears cool the sensor down with the spray, if the engine then starts and runs normally the sensor is the problem. If you want to do the testing on the driveway use a hairdryer to heat the sensor and see if the fault appears, then use the freezer to see if the fault rectifies. Notice you are in Derbyshire...if you want some spray or even want me to take a look I’m near Alfreton.

Removed aircon compressor, fitted new compressor, drier and replaced the seals on the aircon line fittings etc. Also put back the stuff I had to take off to get the compressor out in the first place. Under tray, fan shroud and fan assy in order to lift the compressor out from the top.

Absolutely nothing, for a change🤪