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I don't own a GS, but have a 300h Premier as a loan car while I await delivery of my new NX on Wednesday. It's a car I've had on three occasions now, and I love it. I find it quite quick enough for normal and spirited driving, and I guess it will be perfectly fine for 99% of drivers. The interior is a thing of beauty. The standard equipment is fantastic. The ride is smooth, and progress is quiet and civilised. The motoring media are biased in favour of German marques. Yes, that's an opinion, but having owned and driven many different cars over the years, it is my conclusion. The Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series aren't as good as this as far as I'm concerned. On a side note, I consider the IS to be at least as good as a 3 Series and better than an A4. 'But what of the awful CVT gearboxes?' I hear the media cry. Well, driven by a normal human being rather than a boy racer journalist moron, they are just fine. Smooth and economical, and far better than the unreliable and jerky DSG offerings so beloved by people who should know better. I can't own a saloon car long term due to mobility issues. If I could, I'd have one of the last GS models like a shot. I think it's a real pity that more people don't trust themselves to make a decision rather than following - and believing - the herd. I hope the ES is as good. Even as a non-owner I'm sad to see the GS go before more people have had the chance to try it.

Until you’ve driven the same car both with and without runflats you can have no comprehension of how bad the ride is with them fitted. Same as many others in here. Had a 335i with runflats from stock, always thought the ride was very was firm but not horrendous as I knew no better. Replaced the wheels and had the chance to replace all tyres with standard (non runflat) performance versions and the ride was transformed. I could not believe how much better it was without the hideous runflats. Same size wheels and same size (profile) tyres. Vowed never to have runflats on a car again, they are the devils work. Swapped a set off my wife’s Cooper S too, exactly the same result. Going out of your way to put them “on” a car is insane, it will end up being a very costly exercise which you will definitely regret.

It is noticeable that on the RCF they use ZF Sachs instead of the usual Toyoa/Lexus KYB shocks. I wonder if this is because of the seeming poor reliability of the KYB units. I would also ask for both to be changed as it is considered bad practice to replace just one across an axle. John.

I think that might've been me. 😄 The quality of their work is superb and the accuracy of the finish is extremely close to OEM. The wheels I bought have a "Titanium" finish from the factory, not standard silver and they pretty-much nailed it. I would recommend them very highly. Their listings often have a best offer option (I managed to get some money off my set), so they seem open to a bit of negotiation. I'd suggest messaging them with an offer.

It'll be a reminder to not put any weight on every time I get in/out of the car! lol

If my car is stolen, I never want to see it again. I’ve had cars stolen in the past - and I really wish they were never recovered.

I've a GS premier and can safely say it's the best car I've owned. I really look forward to driving it especially on long journeys. Always a pleasure to be in and always get out feeling relaxed.

@Bluethunder Nean unfortunately many garages were built for cars like this...... Big Rat

Yes, that's the one! Because of recent car theft in my area I decided to clear-out my garage today... It's a very tight fit!!

@GibletPH Gib I've looked through my photos and found this if it helps. Big Rat

@Toothy David that's unfortunate that's a substantial leak, funnily enough I've just left Lexus Cheltenham to book in my Rcf for its major service, will get them to check. In my experience other manufactures are reluctant to replace pairs on such a low mileage vehicle, let's hope Lexus are different, my belief is Suspension components are best replaced in pairs. 🐀

It's a bumper off job. You have to remove most of the boot floor to get at the fixings. If you look for the rear reflector led upgrade its shows you how to remove the bumper.

This is one from Lexus Edinburgh am I correct, went down for a drive one night about a week ago and seen it parked up at the back. Walked round it salivating, mint condition.

I agree about the roads. Having recently driven through 7 European countries I can confirm ours are by far the worst.

I had an LS400 for 15 years then, 6 years ago, went for an LS460. I cannot comment on the 430 or 600 as I have never driven either. The first thing to say about the 460 is that it's an LS. That, in itself, means a lot. It does have lots of goodies on it ……...but a couple of them (the self-park for instance) I never use. I do like the automatic parking brake and the, many, programmable features. I can't really comment on the power because I didn't use all the power on the 400 and, certainly, haven't done so on the 460. I want to keep this car for a long time and, therefore, I look after it. Let's just say the power is 'sufficient'. It certainly upsets the odd Golf/Corsa/Seat driver who annoys me at traffic lights :) The 460 has a timing chain, not a belt, and does not have the oil cooler/radiator configuration as the 430 does. They do have air suspension and, according to the US forum, this does cause problems. I have done 40,000 miles in mine - it is my daily ride - and the car has a total of 80,000 miles on it. I get the annual service done at my local Lexus agent here, in Holland, the prices are reasonable. Up to this point, I have had no problems with the suspension and the service manager says they have changed one set of shocks on a 460...……...at 210,000 miles. I would add a word of caution here: I live in Holland, the roads here are great. I don't know how long the suspension would last on those awful road surfaces you have in the UK. I come 'home' twice a year and am appalled at the road conditions. The discs in my satnav are 6 years out of date and I thought I would have to spend a fortune to get them updated. I hate to think of sticking a TomTom on the dash. Imagine my surprise when the Lexus garage told me that they just update the discs I already have. It takes two hours (time for coffee, biccies and a drool over the new cars) and costs 128 euros (£110). A good reason for using a Lexus garage is for the many computer updates issued by Lexus. You can always tell when there has been an ECU update; it takes the car a couple of days to re-adjust to your personal driving style. At the end of the day it is up to personal choice. Best of luck.

Streaming? Spotify? Bluetooth? What is this witchcraft of which you speak? Can't we get back to sensible discussions about balancing carburettors and so on? 😉

Hi all. After my last post and pictures see link. I thought i would show a couple more pictures off the IS on holiday this time. We went down to Somerset for a few days nice run pity about the M25 as usualbut what more can you expect i used the Lexus sat nav big mistake that was as most of you know only 4 parts off the post code so ended up about 5 miles from my destination down a dead end road and as you can image i was some what pi***d off at this had to get the mobile phone out and google maps!!! Well we got there in the end and was doing 40.0 miles per gallon on the dashboard screen but soon went down to 36.o miles per gallon. Car performed brilliantly and was all i hopped it would be. I have put two picture up for you to see. Roll on September when she goes to Sherwood forest for her next holiday. As you see in the first one she is poking out from behind the tree, And the second one she is at her stately home for a well deserved holiday. 65mike.

Okay, so the reversing camera is sorted as per my other thread, I've fitted LED reversing lights, a USB socket in the dash and today I replaced the rear anti-roll-bar bushes during lunchtime at work. Yep, less than half an hour to do the bushes. I had to do it at work as the car park is the only level parking space the car sees! A couple of the bolts had eroded so a normal 12mm socket spun on them. Out came the gripper sockets and they won the battle. Anyway, while the rear of the car was jacked up, I checked out the rear suspension. Then the car gave me another job: the link for the headlamp height adjuster attached to the offside wishbone had sheared. Looks like one of the joints had seized and snapped the arm. I've doused the thing in penetrating oil and I'll have a look at it over the weekend. Hopefully I can strip it down and fit a new threaded bar. Although the rear ARB bushes have gone quiet, there's still a small clunk from the front ones. so replacements have been ordered (£16) and will be fitted in due course. Not as simple or accessible as the rears though so maybe not a lunchtime fix.... This car does like to keep me busy.....

spotted this coming up for auction next week at enfield bca done 28000 warranted miles obviously bonnet needs painting .last service was 12 month ago

Hi everyone, I picked up my 1st Lexus today and drove it from Edinburgh to Glasgow. I love it! Honestly, so far I like everything about the car! Here are a few pictures guys, I hope you like it too. I am still discovering all the toys he has and how to use them! I like this forum as well, very easy to navigate (almost identical to BMW forum) and very very interesting to read!

Here are some examples of mine. Cat Back and intake pipe only. Full details in the description on YouTube.

Ooooops. I loved mine too. It was strata silver I think (the dark metallic grey) with superb tan leather interior. It was the 1st car I did a hifi installation. It was also the 1st of 3 800 series Rovers. The other 2 were vitesses 2.7 V6 and then the 2.0 turbo. Loved all 3 of them. Oh very happy years.

Even if some of them did come with air suspension I think it would be the VED at £555 that put me off!

The Mercedes tech doc on replacing shock absorbers states only replace in pairs if the mileage is greater than 80,000 km unless the part number for the component has been superseded, in which case both must be replaced irrespective of mileage. Curiously ABC (the active body control system) suspension components are never replaced as pairs as the plungers work "wear free"! It'll be interesting how Lexus deal with such a low mileage failure. If it failed due to a manufacturing fault, surely the second unit is at similar risk (bad batch?)

@Jon_B Great news matey be good to catch up 👍 🐀

Wow a fellow lexus owner whose owned a Rover 800 Sterling too. What''s the chances of that?

The IS is crying out for a more powerful engine, to atleast make it a viable alternative to the 340i and similiar However, with Lexus being a niche player in the UK, its quite unlikely, unless the head of Lexus Europe decides to become a petrolhead

Well I just spent a happy hour or 2 fitting a cheap camera. Easy job and it works a treat. Thanks for letting us know how to do this.

This has made for very funny lunch time reading. Maybe Noby you can explain the principles of 'inertia' to us uneducated ones.

Fixed the links. It was annoying me too much.

It would certainly be a good option because the new VED structure means there is no benefit to a hybrid bar fuel economy if over £40k. If they introduce a 300t especially for the NX and RXto begin with, price it £3k below the hybrids and I can't see why it won't sell.

Lee I think that goes on the underside of the mounting point! John

I have tried it.... but here we are at risk of starting whole new Armageddon... It is faster, but "just"... gear changes are quicker, but it never seems to find the right one and it sounds pathetic, there is as well flat spot on power in low rpm. If you just cruising then yes.. there are no difference, but if you rev it or launch it from stand still and compare it like for like then it is terrible. Is IS200t 2014 better car then IS250 2008 ~ yes in some aspects, is it worth me paying £18k versus £4-6k for IS250 - no never, because value you get is just barely better (and that it is ignoring the fact the car is 6 years newer, so should be significantly better) and the price you pay is over 3 times higher. In short for me IS200t is not an option - it is not sufficiently faster, not sufficiently better equipped, significantly less refined and significantly more expensive. Even if we say they cost the same mk2 IS250 and mk3 IS200t, I would actually choose mk2 IS250. Further I would probably take mk2 IS250 over mk3 IS250 as well, but that is more complex to justify. When I say I want more power, I don't mean I am willing to compromise on other values which I associate with Lexus e.g. refinement. So for example IS350 fits the bill perfectly, it is just as refined (tad front heavy), but it is significantly faster - yet is not IS-F, so it is still somewhat practical.. you can still use it as daily driver without much of the issues.

The Crown strut spacers fit [emoji4] ...the bolt pattern is the same [emoji6]

A heavily filtered version of a photo from last year; wishing I was there! Good luck Toyota!!

The LS460 does indeed have an 8 speed box. 1st gear isn't normally selected by the box (unless your hill-starting, or rapidly use kick down when you're pulling off, but it does then slip almost imperceptibly through a range of gears. Also, you can use the gear selector to choose a certain gear if you want some engine braking. I've found that keeping the ECT switched to power always makes sure that it's in the right gear at the right time. When I bought my 460 I still loved my 430, and wasn't sure I was doing the right thing, so I kept the 430 for a couple of months, and took each car out alternately. The ride is different in both cars and in some ways I preferred the 430. The 430's turning circle was also better, and the shorter wheelbase helped slow speed manouverablity as well . There was more room in the back of the car. The 460 was more responsive though, not just engine-wise but also in steering. One day though, I decided I had to make a decision. What made the final difference for me was the extra technology on the 460. Adaptive cruise (I had an earlier 430) and lane keep assist both increased how long I could drive for before becoming tired, plus the extra safety stuff (precrash front and rear, knee airbag, waist airbags in the back) made it, in the end, an easy choice. I kept the 460.

If I was going to get another LS (which I probably will one day!!!) I’d probably go for either an LS460 or LS600h this time. The main reason especially after having the GS450h back again is I like the more modern feel and look of them. I can understand being a bit apprehensive about the hybrid option, my first one went horribly wrong but then again so did my first LS430!!! I just put that down to my bad luck now. I’ve had this hybrid for a few weeks now and I am absolutely smitten with it, the LS600h will have loads of power, a big V8, the instant torque of the electric motor and because of the hybrid system will probably give similar or better fuel figures than your current GS300. Only the hybrid options in both the GS and LS have a CVT transmission which really suits them, the rest are standard automatics despite what most of the ads say!!!

got it thanks

My choice would be the 400 or 430 all day. This is my personal opinion others may disagree but I dont like the CVT gearbox which youll get in the 460 and you can feel the drive in a 430 where as the newer shape 600h I have feels far too comfortable to actually enjoy driving. There is no feedback from the car or the feel of the road. Excellent if its being used for chauffering but as a drivers car it would have to be the 430. Ive got the full range of LS from the facelift 400 to the 600h (460 shape) mainly id say its the gearbox which sees me get into the 430 everyday. The noise from the V8 is excellent too!

I assembled the array of relays myself quite a simple process. FET transistors could be used just as well to reduce size, but I used what I had at hand, and space to mount the box by the 12 volt battery is plentiful. The indicator circuit does require some visual or audible warning of bulb failure on the trailer. This was accomplished by fitting 2 diodes in series in the supply to the indicator relays, and a piezo crystal beeper wired across them. Mounted the beeper up by the woofer speaker so that it could be heard in the car, but not needing a long wiring run. The voltage drop across the two diodes is enough to drive the beeper without reducing the light output significantly at the bulbs. If you need a circuit diagram I can draw one up. Just ask. John.

One thing thats often/always overlooked by all of us with posts about the glories of the LS is the price of it as a new car😨

You've obviously not heard my wife singing!

Wax cylinder for me, mate. But that was only a recent innovation. I much prefer the actual artiste in the car, nothing like a live performance.

I won't say he's talking BS but... First of all, if you took it into a Lexus dealer for a timing belt change then that is all they would do. They wouldn't change the idlers, pulleys or water pump unless you specifically told them to do those items as well. The main reason why people change all those items at once is cost. It's a long job and the vast majority of the cost is the labour charge. Now then, the water pump and all those other parts live in the same area as the cam belt. If you asked them to change the cam belt, we'll say that the job costs £300 as an example. If you ask them to change the water pump at the same time, it may add on, say, £50 to the job, making it £350 in total. However, if you only have the belt changed and it costs you £300, if your water pump starts leaking 6 months later, 90 percent of the work to do the belt will have to be done again to get to the water pump, so instead of just an extra £50, you'll end up with another bill of more than £300 - which is why people have them done at the same time. Also, belts deteriorate with time, not just mileage. It may look perfect to the naked eye or to you and me, but there will be microscopic changes to that belt and it's just not worth taking the risk of it failing. Preventative maintenance is the operative phrase. Extreme example, but I remember a milkman who thought his timing belt looked perfect so he went beyond the recommended time to change it and paid dearly for that mistake. I can't remember the exact ins and outs but the van spent a lot of time idling while he was out of it actually delivering the milk. The odometer said something like 70k miles or whatever but the belt had actually covered the equivalent of more than 100k or something, due to all the time it spent with the engine idling but no wheels turning, so no mileage clocking up. Our 2005 RX300 had a new cambelt, idlers, pulleys, water pump and 10 litres of Toyota Super Long Life Pink Coolant for about £460 at a local independent place at about 80,000 miles and 11 years old. I just wouldn't risk it.

Hi Wayne welcome to LOC. It rely makes little difference to fuel consumption which mode you drive the car in assuming you still drive it in the same way. The hybrid system looks after itself very well so do not worry on that point. You make a bigger impact on fuel used than any setting. To get the best mpg do not baby the car. Accelerate briskly up to speed then remove your foot from the accelerator, and reapply just enough to keep momentum. Be prepared to loose a little speed on up hill slopes. Brake gently if needed anticipating when to slow down rather than braking. Keep tyre pressures correct or at the higher settings shown on the door label. Hope this helps. John.

Congratulations & grear colour choice - it certainly does look good in the flesh . I’m sure you will notice the positive attention & comments 👍🏻

Time moves on. Same drivers - no IS-F, no Exige. Quick snap on the iPhone.

Few photos from my Europe tour last month. Went to see the Monaco Classic GP, then took the scenic route back. 2,360 miles in total. Both Lexus' were faultless. Driving highlights included chasing a Ferrari 358 through tunnels on the south coast of Italy, all of the alpine and black forest passes, and hitting 160+mph with a local M3 on a de-redistricted section of the autobahn.

3/3-1/2 hrs for me, enjoyed it last time, will have to check dates prior to commitment and obviously “the insignificant other” 🙄......May possibly coincide with the 2018 Yarmouth motorbike ride out that I’ve already said yes too......sods law 🙄

Totally agree with @Big Rat and @rayaans. My wife had a 325i (E90?) with run flats before her RX450h. The ride was atrocious. Properly awful. We switched the tyres to normal ones and the car was utterly transformed. I think it spoke volumes that BMW didn’t fit run flats to their M cars of that generation. Do they now? I would never fit run flats to a car, and I’d take them off anything I ever own in the future if at all possible! I’d take a slight inconvenience one day every 5 years compared to putting up with run flats for the rest of them. Just my opinion!