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Now I have had my car for a bit, I thought I would post my latest impressions. Firstly, I have now run in the car and and have been giving it a few revs in Sport Plus mode when conditions allow. To my surprise, my last tank of BP Ultimate returned a real 24.3 mpg. The car computer recorded 25.2 mpg so the onboard systems seems to show better economy by about 3.7%. Next, I have now washed it a couple of times and would comment that it is a bit of a pain to get dirt out of the multiple horizontal features in the rear bumper area under the back of the car. The rest of the car washes off easily (Glasscoated). Overall, I am very pleased with it. There are no rattles and the performance is just what I was expecting. The downsides are small. As discussed extensively on another thread, parking can be a headache as the long (and very thick) doors have to be opened a lot to allow easy access. You need to plan ahead to ensure that you don't get caught out. Parking away from other cars in a carpark usually ends up with someone parking next to you for no apparent reason. I still can't get enthusiastic about the touchpad navigation controls.

'F' Car 10 Year Meet Major Changes Well had a long chat with Tim Huxley and his team at Cheltenham and due to circumstances beyond there control major changes have to be made. The two main reasons for the changes are firstly the huge unexpected numbers for such a small venue which will lead to both traffic and parking issues which clearly none of us want. And secondly on the chosen dates the now unavailability of the Lfa for the two days, it's a vehicle in high demand that has to be shared both in the Uk and Europe and Tim feels to just have it as a static display with the occasional start up defeats the object somewhat So plans are being prepared for the following......... The published dates of the 21st/22nd will become one day not known which as yet at Cheltenham Lexus as a purely Toyota performance car day of vehicles past and present with open house to workshops on site parking food drink and so on and all are wellcome. As and when I know more I will update as soon as. So as regards the 'F' car event this will be held off site at an as yet undecided location but will have much added interest that would have not been possible at the dealership. This will be held some time in May or June over one day, the venues that they have access to are 2 Hill climb sites which have many facilities and an airfield storage site that has a permission to use dragstrip. The drag strip and or hillclimb will be available to use subject to instructional presence which will be provided, there will also be a much larger number of 'F' cars available to drive test Rcf Gsf Lc and so on, all Owners club members and families are welcome. I can assure all that every effort is being made by Tim and his guy's to come up with the right mix of things to participate in so we can all get the maximum amount of enjoyment from whatever is decided upon. Big Rat

Although they call it paper it's not made out of old newspapers it's specialised acoustic card which has been used for years. Some high-end audios come with thin aluminium cones but they don't have the same warmth you get from a card coned speakers.

The RCF is getting a little common around here now, perhaps you should stick with the ISF. Better long term investment!!ha

Imagine my surprise this morning, when I spied an RX on the hard shoulder of the northbound M1. However, it soon became apparent that it was one of five vehicles with flat tyres in a space of only a couple of hundred yards. Unfortunate for the RX driver but understandable - something had obvious happened to cause so many blow outs in such a short distance. Coming back down the M1 this afternoon, I was even more surprised to see another RX, this time a black 57 plate, on the back of a breakdown truck. Hopefully, that's a rare sight. And if you were either of the unfortunate RX drivers, hope everything's soon sorted for you.

Thanks again for helping organise this & new format sounds good. Just hope it doesn’t clash with some key dates in those months & I can still make it 🤞

Hi, I'm new to the forum, have a new love in my life. 2004 IS200 only 72k full Lexus history. Had it a week and fallen in love, just got around to the detailing. What do you think ? Now should I keep the wheels as is, do need a refurb or change the colour ? Possibly 'Shadow Chrome ?

Hey everyone I'm nick i picked up this 2004 is200 se with only 29k miles a few days ago, it's a cat d but looks well maintained apart from a few paints chips here and there, the alloys are flaking bad and a bit of a paint fade on the rear door which I'm hoping will polish up, I got some future mods planned and I'm already loving it. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Thanks for taking the time to post up AJ the positives are very good especially the brakes. The larger size is expected by a negative for - Im already watching the wing mirrors when i drive exoecially where I live The negatives are BIG negatives for me and If I ever upgrade to one im going to make sure I take an extended test drive to make sure im fully satisfied. I remember when I bought my 430 (upgrading from 400) it took me many months to get used to it - I even bought another 400 to go back to but in the end was persuaded by family to keep the 430 - 5 years on and I'm still happy with mine. The only other car I keep thinking about is a GS450H but needs to be 10/11 plate, silver with grey leather. I think they are unique cars and i really want to experience the seemless acceleration from the CVT and since I do mainly short runs i think it will be well suited to me. Enjoy yours!

I don't know what spec your 430 had but, if you have the rear seat conditioner in the 460, the boot space is compromised. I don't have it in my 460 and the boot is huge.

To be honest the stuff I got seemed to be quite thick and the wrap itself was lovely to work with, it was just the parts I was using it on being a bit tricky. It's come out ok but obviously not perfect and I will revisit some bits again. I got the 8dm wrap? I know no different to be honest but it seemed of good quality. Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Paul Frost is selling these direct replacements for the subwoofer on eBay, could be worth considering. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-Ls430-Upgraded-Factory-Fit-Subwoofer-Speaker-800w-Facelift-New/202266957057?hash=item2f180cd501:g:-WAAAOSw4shYAgRP

The protective coating on semi aniline leather is much thinner than standard leather. The process of cleaning too often might rub the top layer off I wouldn't think they need conditioning. A sealant should be fine without attracting dirt, maybe that's why it's getting dirty enough to clean every 2 weeks! I leave mine for 6-12 months atleast unless they get something really bad

Hi all! Thanks for the comments and the welcomes! Yes Lee, patience is definitely key, especially when you are a beginner. But also key is using the right materials. If you are using cheap calendered materials you will make your life a lot harder. For interior bits it shouldn't make a massive difference but using top quality cast vinyl is just lovely compared to cheap calendered stuff. If you ever want any Avery Dennison or 3M vinyl then i am happy to order and post out for you. I know these brands can be hard to get offline from trusted places. I don't get the best rates from suppliers as i am not a big shop but i wouldn't charge any mark-up or anything for you guys. I don't have this facility on my website and i'm not an authorised re-seller or anything, but I am happy to do it now and again for you guys to help you out. Usuf, the answer is yes you can wrap wheels, technically you can wrap anything, but there are a few issues and to be honest it isn't done very often because its not the best solution. Obviously the wheel is a moving part which will put the vinyl under more stress and is very likely to reduce its capacity to last. But the main issue is wheels are very complex to wrap and because of this will make them very time consuming and therefore not very cost effective to wrap. Also the complexity means that wrapping in one piece is pretty much impossible, therefore with multiple pieces there will be seams which will mean it wouldn't be a completely flush, paint-like finish. For the price you would pay and the finish you would get you are better off getting them powder-coated etc as you will get better results. If the alloy has a large flat face, and you are happy with only that part being wrapped, then that is very do-able, and obviously less time consuming and therefore more cost effective, but then the whole alloy isn't the one colour, it would only be the face like in the below. Check out the below youtube videos of Christian wrapping alloys. He's got loads of great stuff too if you want to learn some more about wrapping, I've picked up a few tips and tricks from him in the past. I plan to start a Youtube channel later on this year with DIY videos and shop vlogs also. Thanks

I'm not coming down south until 2nd week in April....

Oh yes that was always in the plan unless Porsche wowed me which so far they have not, I haven't really left Lexus anyway other than losing the ISF, still have the trusty old LS400 and the Rx450h, was always planning to come back with another ISF although it looks like it might have to be RCF looking at all the other members that have made the switch!

Hit the front brakes today. Relatively easy to do, but i took my time cleaning and greasing pad slots on the caliper mounting brackets. Not a big fan of this grooved/drilled shenanigans, but must admit these discs look little bit better than the standard ones.

That is reasonable but its not a difficult job to do. Obviously if you are not mechanical minded, its peace of mind and big cost saving over a caliper. Plenty of indie garages will do this job i imagine. With the bad weather we have had recently, it is something to consider if not been done. Personally i would wait till april is out. Beast from the north east expected beginning of Easter.

You can often find the ADVICS ones on ebay for £120/130 from a Lexus trader...like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-OEM-Lexus-IS220D-IS250-N-S-Passenger-Side-Rear-Brake-Caliper/232707467941?epid=2235156801&hash=item362e722aa5:g:ZV8AAOxyc2pTYkt-

Hi Mike, Welcome to the club - the source of much information about Lexus (and life). The battery indicator in the speedo is the state of charge at the moment. As you drive this will go up and down. The is no way to check the health of the battery except by getting a health check at Lexus. I think this costs £59 and includes a year's warranty on the battery. If you buy from a dealer this health check should be part of the deal. If not ask for it to be done. If you are not buying from a dealer then ask the seller to get a health check done before buying. Look at the service record and the MOT history. This should tell you a lot about the car. 114k miles is not a lot for this car and many of us in the LOC have 450hs with more. I think the highest was 2 or 300k. The battery is unlikely to be an issue. Check the shock absorbers and the exhaust. And don't let it run out of petrol. If any concerns ask LOC! We love our 450hs. A awful lot of quality, reliability, comfort and performance for the money. John

Think you'll find you are covered by Paypal in the event of any dispute. Hopefully it won't come to that but that is the protection you get with Paypal. Like you I always have a look at the sellers feedback as that gives you a good indication of reliability. You should get tracking info to view the progress of your package ... gives an assurance to both parties. If you pay direct, outside of Ebay operations, then you would be on your own....not worth the risk. Any disputes I've had (only had 3 in 10 years, and they were all with UK sellers) have been sorted by Ebay and full refunds received. The last one suddenly had 200+ negative feedbacks in 2 weeks while I was waiting for my item!! Opened a dispute with Ebay and it was sorted with full refund. Never had a single problem with any overseas purchases thus far ... one of which was a £500 hi-fi item from Seattle. I've even sold items to China and Russia and they have gone without a hitch. I'm no expert but hope that helps a wee bit.

Please please no May.. I'm in Canada😣😣