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Hey guys, Hope everyone is well, sorry haven't been on in a while. Clayed my car 2 weeks ago and then decided to have some spoilers that I've had for a couple of years, sprayed and fitted. After that I spent some the weekend doing a Meguiars 3 step cleanse, polish and wax and it came out looking great. Just need the wheels refurbing now, next month maybe, anyone know a good place near Croydon? Cheers for looking, James

So after years of want a 430 I finally have one. I collected the car Friday lunchtime and drove down to Sennen, setting off early Saturday morning from Sheffield. The car is as I expected, wonderful. The pictures can't do it justice and as Paul said when he posted pics of his car, you've seen it already. My car really is in fantastic condition and it was superbly detailed to a very high standard. The drive down was supremely comfortable and relaxing. I felt king of the road! I never took the car over 80 and when I refilled at Hopwood services it was still a further 275 miles to Sennen and from there I averaged about 31.8mpg, my Espace never managed more than 37 so I'm very happy with that. Again I realise you all know this, but the smoothness, combined with the subtle but effective power is astounding. Of course cream leather with the kids is not the best option, but as one of the pics shows I have done my best to protect the car, however I will at some point buy a rear seat protector. I don't think the rear seats have hardly been sat in and fitting the isofix seat was a real struggle. Despite the car's weight and size I think it handles well for what it is. Today we drove to Penzance via Lamorna and Mousehole and it was such a lovely thing to steer, like a yacht drifting along the narrow lanes. The few times I've stepped on the loud pedal it has astounded me..... my decision not to go down the A8, 7 and S route has been justified in these last two days. Engine, ride and rarity apart my favourite thing has been the stereo. Talking Heads have never sounded so good. So glad to be part of the forum!!!

87k pfff, your car is still virgin ;) I am sitting at 248k and still feels and drives like a new car :)

Dad has had 2 ISF's from new. I wanted one since driving his first back in 2008. Only being 21 at the time. He just took delivery of his RCF, so was able to buy his second one off him at the start of this year, now that insurance and the like is actually affordable. He got it because of the exclusivity, subtle styling and lack of "image" German competitor cars have. He liked it could blend in, rather than be all loud and shouty. I agree wholeheartedly. We keep going back to Lexus because on the whole, service is excellent, reliability is good and they are willing to do a deal if you get the timing right.

Some things in life are certain......death, taxes and Lexus !! Regards John

It's funny with these big cars - I drive like that too mostly with the LS. Now and again I'll floor it just to remind myself that there's a 4.3 litre V8 under the bonnet, but most of the time I just enjoy wafting around. Am hardly ever above 2000 RPM.

Yes I know!!! and that's what Sally keeps telling me but you know that first weeks or two when you park it right carefully and don't want dirt anywhere near it, that's where I am right now. Does he, well I hope he has the roll back roof model as he can keep his Papel hat on.

Yes Norman and Piers, They are the Next Base ones. I have removed the leads in the pic as only use on way here and back. Once home i take them out. Quality wise there a bit pants and do seem fragile. One i had replaced under warranty and the remotes are very fiddly. But Leo at 7 can now operate himself. I appreciate having two different players so different films can be watched simultaneously. Also they came with wireless headphones, which eventaully i swopped over to corded headphones, Sony's at about £16 each. Much less hassle. I think the player was about £120. The air con works well I think, but next weeek its going to Lek Tek for a once over. (or is it Tek Lex?) I will ask they check that, not that it should need it as the garage was very good in getting the car ready.

delighted to be back as a GS450h owner. Bought today from Lexus Sidcup and they're delivering it to me on Thursday (all the way to South Wales). It's the Premier model. Can't wait!!!

Sunny day today! a good day to wax my lexus :)

Thanks for the reply; I think you may have hit the nail on the head. The only reference I can find to that part number is in fact for an RX450h 2015+ edition. I didn't notice the difference in the picture, but, I can see it now that you've called it out. I'm not sure why the dealer didn't flag that, but, it would make sense as to why it doesn't fit correctly, it's not designed to go with part number PZ483K212000 which is definitely for a series 3. It's installed too high up the rear divider. I've managed to bodge an install by removing the supporting post, that was the cause of the rattle. I've zip-tied the divider at the bottom to give it a smidgin more support, although it's pretty solid without it. There's no annoying rattle any more. It's going in to my local dealer on Saturday so I'll quiz them about it. They were added by the supplying dealer at my request to sweeten the deal for me. If I'd known that the divider was for the newer model, I would have been OK with it, as, the rear guard fits perfectly so I wouldn't want to have gone without that, and, you can't get a third-party divider which would install to the OE guard. I'm just pleased that there's a reason it doesn't fit together very well and it's not just a poor design by lexus. It definitely wouldn't be protect the dog if the car rolled, but, then not much would other than something like a Trans K9 box and they take up too much room in an already small boot. Thanks to everyone who replied, and, hopefully this thread will help any future Rx450h owner with queries about said accessories. Andrew

No doubt you have already viewed this really good installation video. Where is the external DAB aerial going to go? Are you drilling a hole in the roof? It should be simple to feed the USB cable back through the centre console to the armrest if that's where the USB lead is going. On the SC430 my USB cable is cut into the seat heater control for easy access. I searched but couldn't find a decent tutorial for the ISF glove-box removal. If it follows the usual Lexus format, there should be fixings, probably 2 x 10mm bolt/screws at the bottom that will be revealed when the trim in the foot-well is removed (pulled down) and then I think there will be 3 x 10mm bolt/screw fixings inside the top of the glove-box to take out and no doubt a light connection/contact before the whole glove-box will release. Once the glove-box is out, threading the cable should be very easy. If it's similar to the SC this might help a little (page 20) forum.lexus-world.com/threads/a-darker-shade-of-grey.438/page-20 Below is a schematic for the centre console and armrest. Hopefully that will explain how the components fit together. I would try to find a convenient point for the USB plug so that it can be easily reached.

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/lexus-ls-400-lpg-/142344386070?hash=item212462f616%3Ag%3AmnQAAOSwAANY69ap&_trkparms=pageci%3A0edc385e-1ed5-11e7-a9b1-74dbd1803347%7Cparentrq%3A5ddfee7015b0ab4cc3058464fffc67ad%7Ciid%3A2 Just a heads up for anyone that might be interested in this ls400, I remember it from couple of years ago, it's a cat c but seller hasn't mentioned it and he does know it is a cat c.

I have traded in my old lux model (with premium nav) for a premier. After having previously driven a mark2 is250 SE-L, I had missed the luxurious electric leather seats, but otherwise had been very pleased with the Lux, which didn't miss a beat in three years. Am I right in thinking that the seat backs and armrests /door trim in my new premier are made from the same synthetic tahara material as in the lux? it doesn't matter really because that material always looked good and proved very tough, but the soft leather in the seats seems much nicer to the touch. The new car has covered only a fifth of the miles of the old one and drives and rides beautifully, despite the bigger 18" wheels. The ride quality seems if anything better - and my wife, who has spinal injuries and is very sensitive to such things, agrees. Overall the new car feels more luxurious and special. But I am not yet quite convinced by the Mark Levinson sound system. Some seem to praise it to the skies, but I would only say that it is okay for a car system, like the one in my old is250.

I think the biggest issue with Lexus sound systems is that the standard systems are of very high quality. Many of the Lexus standard sound systems would put other manufacturers premium sound systems to shame. ML is great if configured right but can be hard for most ears to distinguish the difference due to the high quality of the standard system.

Ah, so that's why yours is in such good nick! 😁

my Indy in Margate fixed mine a couple of years ago at a tiny cost ....... but that's a long long way from you Malc

Same paint code (1H9) for both.

It reminds me of my beloved Soarer. A sweet 4 litre Toyota V8. Effortless...

If you do not put the car in park before turning it off. Then put it in park the radio will work, and the alarm will not go off. John.

Welcome back Gareth.You must let us all know how it compares to the GEN 3 MODEL. Regards John

I don't think I've had a car where one of the heat shields has not rotted. As mentioned above, I've made large square washers out of sheet metal and sealed them with flue sealant I use on my wood burning stove. This I believe stops further rotting of the shield. Does a lovely job.

Buying from eBay is not a crime, nor should you assume that eBay sellers are selling counterfeit goods. I have sold many items on eBay as well as buying.

The car looks great, what wax are you using?

Okay so step one: take it into garage to check what i actually have. Step 2: whatever is in there get them realigned if needs be. Step 3: if Halogen get Hid conversion kit or just buy new headlights. Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

Yes.. that is true, BUT HID kit is not equal factory HID, and that won't fix AFS. What I would advise is to go to the good garage and ask them to make sure your headlight are aligned correctly first, the last thing you want is to increase power on headlights which blind other drivers due to bad adjustment. Then you can go for good LED bulbs or HID conversion kit (illegal one) or complete HID retrofit (effectively retrofitting what came on your car as standard.. what a mess). Whatever you do... please post before and after, because this is becoming FAQ....

You may want to find a local Powerflow Exhaust centre and refer them to this thread for a job done at same cost? Rotten cat flanges and y pieceexhaust sorted

Funny you mention this as I was just thinking the exact samething. I will definitely have to take out the bulbs and see what is what. Which would further explain the AFS blinking light and also why the headlights do not move up and down during start up. Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

That is a bit of mystery.... if you have AFS it should be HID, but HID would have washers. Maybe you can take out the bulb, which would give a concrete answer? Finally, if you have HID, I doubt LED would be brighter than HID, because based on the experience of other forum members depending on LEDs they might be even dimmer than Halogens. Personally, I didn't even knew LED bulbs with DxS socket existed until now (apparently they do exist). What I would advise, before "upgrading" to LEDs try better quality HIDs and if they won't improve anything just return them to amazon as non-satisfactory.

Piers All the LS range from inception to present day have been rear wheel drive.

Yes it is.

Heat shields can usually be secured back in position with a large penny washer under the offending bolts. I'd keep the heat shield in place if you can.

Well worth being a member of the club then!

Welcome onboard. Your new baby looks brilliant, so do what we all do...........enjoy...Rgds, Roger

Thanks Katana...worth a try if the problem persists

You are spot on, my GS450 died 3 years ago so I leased a E Class diesel which I have hated almost every day since. Collecting my next GS 450h SE L with adaptive cruise and sunroof tomorrow, sod the economy can't wait !!

you're probably kicking yourself for leaving it so long to buy a Ls ................. all those years you've not driven the best Malc

Yes Paul they did. The car was as they said it would be when I arrived to see it (which was not washed etc as only just come in) but still in very good shape and upon collection a ten out or ten. The detailer, Desmond had done a superb job and i can't believe it's nearly 11 years old. More or less like a new car. As i mentioned my photos don't do it justice. I read the comments about the dealer and noticed you'd left one and I'd guessed it was you!

I actually didn't mind the US version as they covered some pretty classic motors and a couple of odd balls also. My favourite all time line was when they the Lamborghini Urraco.... Edd said.... Finally there's a bull in the China shop..... always made me smile. 😄 Good luck to him, I think he could do so much more......I think he would also be a good ambassador for mechanical engineering teaching kids, young people etc. & lord knows we need some of that in this country. Sent from my iPad using Lexus OC

The more I use it the more I'm finding I easier to navigate. The keyword search is perfect for trim levels

I also own both the gs450 and the RX450 and I still feel amazed at how smooth and quiet the GS is even compared to the RX. as has been mentioned, it's a hard car to beat as a excellent all rounder.

Driveway looks nice

Actually, I recognise that dealership from those shots. Same place I got mine. I trust Tariq and Ed looked after you well :).

Lovely. Nice clean car and has radar cruise control :) bonus same color as mine :)

Gorgeous !!!! The car.....not you Nick

Steve The bulbs are all the same type in that combination lens the reason for the third wire is one of the wires goes to the lamp fail ecu that is located in the boot just inside the left hand boot hinge if you pull the flap to one side you will see a green module that is wired in series from the lamps in the combination lens and when the bulbs fail(whichever) it sends the signal to the lamp on the handbrake icon.

OK thanks for the help, will give the local dealership a shot 1st and give them "it's getting stuck" routine, failing that, I'll be trying from the thread given!! The suns been out all day so couldn't wait to give the car a good clean, but then the mrs got me roped into doing hers!!! :-( ....... Need it be said i'm now totally nakered!!, but atleast the cars are now clean!! Click to choose f

Hi all, Tony Richa is back, after 3 long years trundling around in a diesel Mercedes ( faux leather seats yuk !!!) I have bought another GS450h SE L . This time low mileage and a less " in your face colour" Semi retirement means annual mileage will be a fraction of previous levels so hopefully will last a while.

(Post hi-jack warning....) I got the 3090s a couple of years back rewired etc.! In MY impoverished youth I bought Leak sandwiches from an auction.....still got them, keep out of nostalgia. Show your wife THESE?

Update.......don't panic, I received an email today from the dealers with a video attached, it took me through the steps to programme the DAB, easy when you know how😜👍🏻 Thanks Lexus Cardiff top job.