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OK, so my car is now on SORN, battery charger bought and connected. Photos attached. Thanks for the help and advice

Hello to everyone, I am 69 years young I have had 3 toyota rav4s spanning the last nearly 25 yrs and still have one, going through something of a late life crisis always dreamed of Lexus but could not afford one, decided to look for a weekend soft top that would accommodate my small dog (a havanese) so I am now the very proud owner of an Sc 430🤔will try and put up photos when I learn how, technically I am a bit thick!

Paul Best treatment for the strength in place is the aluminum mesh soaked with epoxy resin then applied as a plaster,this will bond better than fibreglass and will wear better. When it as gone off build it with more layers and shape into the contours.

many many years ago driving in France I wondered why some idiot in a little French car was ambling along well below the speed limit ..... so, I overtake safely and WHAM, yes, my overtaking speed did it for me .... instant 90 euros fine I believe but no record anywhere at all... but i did get the receipt for the cash paid, to make sure it didn't go into their tea fund ! Malc

Unlikely to need theft cover as an old Car and nobody allowed out. Fire risk is negligable, unless I do something stupid which is always possible if I mess around with fitting a Reversing Camera. Does that count as a "modification" needing insurance approval? So my mileage could work out at 78 miles in six months. I can reverse and forward the Car in the drive to keep the Brake discs clean and use a battery charger as needs require. Fact is, of course, the pleasure of driving even a short distance will be lost at this time of low morale. Any need arising for a Hospital visit may prove extremely difficult to arrange. LV via Chris Knott was charging me similar until two years ago when i decided not to stay loyal. Yes Malc you are no doubt right. Glad I'm not a Name!

Here are some photos after buffing the front end, clay bar - 3 stage buffing and then coating of Gtechniq C2. Done the roof and front end so far. Will do the doors and rear end over the holidays then wheels off again, clean and coat with Gtechniq C5 wheel armour to stop the brake dust sticking to the lacquer. The colour has really come out and you can tell it’s a very dark green and not black, hopefully it’s visible in the photos. There are still scratches in the paintwork when examined up close which can be corrected but will take a lot of time. For the time being a relatively quick detail and polish etc will do until next year when I can spend more time per panel.

Well, as I’m working from home for the next 3 weeks for the most part I decided to do some stuff on the LS400. Things that I had planned to do anyway at some point and now I have the time. I had planned to remove the cill covers and have a look at any damage and rust, mainly the rear arch issue I have. I did this today and below are some photos of what was underneath before I did anything apart from the bottom of the off side rear arch which I removed all the gunk and rust. Pretty good condition I have to say and was pleasantly surprised. I also removed the off side wheel to investigate the rear bottom arch rust problem which wasn’t as bad as I thought. Near side may be worse when I remove the fibreglass patching. Anyway I’ve wire brushed and rust treated anything I could find on the cill seams etc and will post after pics tomorrow. I have bought some plastic clips to fix the covers back on, all the plastic clips broke apart from 2 or 3. I knew about this so bought a bag full of them. Not tried them yet though so I hope they are right ones!

Hi, I don’t think I’m the only one that considers the overall sound quality of the standard audio system in the IS300h to be disappointing. Upgrading the speakers can result in an improvement in sound quality in just about any audio system and that’s what I’ve begun to do with my IS300h, starting with the dash speakers. Unfortunately it was not a straight forward plug in and bolt in job, a bit of tweaking and butchering is required. I replaced the stock dash speakers with a pair of Pioneer TS-E1002I. The stock speakers have standard bolt spacing and that is the only part of the fitting that was right from the start. The stock speakers are unusually small for what are essentially 10cm speakers. I measured the speaker cones at less than 5cm! Some headphones have drivers that size, they really are feeble, nasty things. The Pioneers are deeper and wider than stock and it was necessary to use a stanley knife to trim away some of the internal plastic of the dash to make some space for the Pioneers. More of this trimming was needed for the passenger side than the driver side. The speaker space is not symetrical between left and right, indeed the speaker grilles are different sizes which I didn’t notice until I had them off. Luckily the plastic is quite soft. Because the Pioneer speakers are deeper than stock I had to mount them 5 or 6mm higher up to clear some of the ventilation system ducting that runs close to the speakers. I used rubber grommets as spacers, If I had some washers of the right size at hand I probably would have used a stack of them instead. I might go back and do so yet. As a precaution I also trimmed away some plastic from the underside of the grilles to create a little more clearance above the speakers. The biggest fiddle was electrically connecting the speakers. I scoured the internet for ready made IS300h dash speaker adaptors but couldn’t find any. That left two oprions, cut the existing plug off and use crimps or make my own adaptor using the sockets molded into the stock speaker. Although crimps were my first choice I decided against them because the loom wires feeding the speakers are short and you have very little working space with them tight into a corner. So I carefully cut the sockets off the stock speakers, filed them down into neat pieces and then soldered on the wires supplied with the Pioneers. A lump of epoxy putty at the back of the sockets sealed the connections in. All in all a bit of fiddling and faffing about but the result was worth it. The improvement in sound quality is substantial. Front doors next

I'm also with LV and so is my wife's Jazz. Use to be Saga which were fine for years, always bettered a competitor quote by £1 but they stopped offering me that and their premiums started to rise a lot. No claims and no speeding tickets so no real reason for premiums to rise above inflation. I agree with Roger, I also noticed a step change with LV at my last two renewals as I always go on the comparison sites, find a competitive quote from a known company and if it's cheaper than the LV quote use that as a bargaining tool or I often found a quote from LV on the comparison sites at a far lower price for as exactly the same cover, but they have changed their tack and don't appear to be offering lower prices on the web than the renewal price which I find quite refreshing.

@JeffLI received my CTEK 5 a few days ago, I should get it long time ago as it is a very nice and good piece of kit! I reconditioned my GS battery too!

Thanks to all for welcome I think I have managed a couple of piccies for now but something popped up about lack of memory, don't know if this means me ! Or my tablet

I've just insured my 1996 LS400 through Adrian Flux with an insurer called Markerstudy. The premium was £196.60 for comprehensive cover and an annual mileage of 3,000. It is a net rated policy, which means there is no No claim Discount to worry about. The policy is based on market value, but for an extra £15 I can get Agreed Value cover. They were not worried about me having the alarm/immobiliser disabled or fitting tyres that are not W rated, as specified by Lexus. I am 72 and live in Buckinghamshire, but as all quotes are individual, it might be worth getting in touch with them on 0344 381 6502. Another company I have found competitive in the past is Classicline Insurance.

Sounds a good plan! Or cut out fully and get a new piece welded in? Depends if keeping car long term. I tried the fibreglass filler to fill over my Auris Cat cover bolts and its awful stuff to work with. Mesh bonded in the resin, then filled over sounds the easier and best option. The older Volvo models are easy to change the timing belt as easy access at the front of the engine. I have never been confident to do it myself but buy the genuine Volvo timing belt and as car new to me the tensioner. Garage charged me £60 Labour. I change it every 50k miles. Apparently most rwd Volvo engines are non interference, but not all. I used to do the same with the old service items on my 240, I would put them in the boot cubby holes as spares just in case. A funny story. 5 months earlier changed the spark plugs on my 240. Drove down the A38 at 70 in the fast lane and suddenly a massive bang and engine misfiring! Pulled onto hard shoulder and lifted the bonnet and saw the disconnected HT lead and no spark plug! It was nowhere to be seen. Got an old one from cubby hole and fitted fine and was on my way! Never found the plug! James.

well, strange though it may be ... I carry my old one in the boot at all times ...... just in case i go on a big trip somewhere and the ( new 24k miles ago now ) timing belt snaps and I'm in some god forsaken place where one's just not available ...... middle of sub Sahara or summat ............ probably get one in Timbuktu though ! But by then of course the engine will be knackered and I'll have to buy another car maybe to get home ! or maybe my RAC breakdown and recovery membership will do the honourable thing and get me home Maybe I'll just bin it, the old belt that is ! Malc

This is a one time opportunity the Police have of catching the neardowells! pity they;ll only get a slap on the wrist and told to be good boys in future/. Bring back the Lash - Priti

I know told you in the past about my old Volvo ownership, and as I've now got time to do the jobs I've been putting off I was in my garage last week and hanging on the wall, covered in cobwebs, was the timing belt removed from my 740GLE all those years ago! Although I've no idea why I kept it. A shame all timing belts aren't as easy to replace.

Texas could be right. This stuff has got to be worth a £10 punt to save an otherwise serviceable system. I don't know where it would be best to apply it but as Nemesis says adding weight will alter the resonant frequency and this stuff might add damping as well. John

Hi John, I feel for you with a record like that, and the way the Police have behaved to catch you. I have had 3 speeding convictions over the years , all clear now, but one was in Scotland on the A74 and two in North Wales. Both these Forces are known to target motorists, I believe as more of a money grab, than anything else. I am these days happy to wallow about in my LS430 at the speed limit and let the world go by🤓. Interestingly, during our recent holiday in Australia, during which I drove about 2000 miles, over an 8 week period, everybody drives at the speed limit. I knew from a previous visit in 1997 just how unforgiving the Police are, but I’m afraid to admit it has affected the way people behave, with no high powered idiots thinking they own the road. However the thought of being caught is at the forefront of your mind when driving, and when approaching roadworks or safety imposed restrictions everybody behaves, which is good. I do remember my first conviction which really p***ed me off for ages afterwards, but “don’t let the bu**ers get you down” and enjoy your enforced stay in the motherland, keep well, Roger

I received my CTEK charger a few days ago, without knowing how old my battery is I connected and left it for Reconditioning and Charging, the battery took charge and all is good now. Happy that I bought it, my motorbike battery needed it mostly as was struggling to start the bike!

Once sorted the most important thing is to use the Handbrake every trip. The brake shoes are very thin by design and I bought a new set must be five years ago but decided against putting them on as they would not have had the "grip" the existing ones have. They are not something that gets wear as rarely are left on by mistake as I think there is a buzzer warning?. So, they don't "bed in". Not had a fail with MOT or an advisory.

I too have been with LV which has given great customer service particularly when I have needed to add co-drivers for my regular trips to/from Spain. Annual renewals have either been lower than the previous year or of such marginal increase that to seek to look elsewhere was rendered unnecessary. I am not looking forward to my next renewal however as I have picked up my first speeding ticket and that will no doubt have financial consequences.

Well thank you very much 😀Yesterday was my last day of working due to redundancy, and with the lockdown I have to keep myself busy somehow otherwise I'll go stir crazy!

I must say Andy you are a revelation, willing to get stuck in to anything, with brilliant reports, which are both entertaining and informative, well done, Rgds, Roger

However I do think it is a competitive market place, so shop around. I noticed a step change with LV at my renewal, who I have been with for 18 years, with a great quote and no bartering...which had become a ritual. On the other hand if you are not loyal to them, what would you do, so a double edged sword. I work on the principle that you can always buy cheaper , but not necessarily better, and I am always extremely careful with these comparison sites to ensure you are comparing like for like. I prefer the peace of mind of knowing I am covered, which you will only know about when you claim, even if it means paying a bit more. The last thing I would want to see is regulation, as from my experience the market works extremely well. There are exceptions as in any walk of life, but I would not vilify all.

On my Mark 1 the cable seized within the outer cable at tne exits around the horse shoe junction it also seized at the entrance to the back plates, I had to strip most of it out to free it up as that was preferable to fitting a new one but it took a full day if I remember correctly . The adjustment tutorial you have is spot on and saves a lot of faffing about.

Check your hand brake cables aren't seized in the fitting which fastens to the back plate. The fracture can be hard to see as the rubber cover can hide the break

Not bad for a 24 year old car. My P Reg Volvo 940 petrol Auto is good. Every few years I underseal it. Just the body needs work as previous owners scraped the OSR quarter. 203,000miles. It was scruffy when bought in 2016 for £250 but a great workhorse for my business and ever since purchased goes through the MOT with no advisories. Never had any welding yet. My 1989 240 GLT auto had both jacking points patch welded twice on the passenger side in 10 years. cost was around £100 a time. Sold it on and still on the road today. 234,000 when sold. Hope my 2015 Auris remains rust free! James.

Ganesh. As reported in an earlier post you found the same as I did that even after very long periods the hybrid battery does not suffer from high internal discharge rates, and so maintains it's charge very well. John.

Thanks for replying, Sorted it, was just a loose connection. As soon as I took the battery cover and connecting cover off, the bulb came on. I just pushed the connections in tightly. But did notice that the black plastic 'screws' that hold the covers down were missing. Where could I source them from please. Regards, Sukhi.

Just thought I'd chime in - my GS450h was parked in a garage for 12 months untouched. It was connected to a wall charger to keep the (then) factory 12V battery topped up. As it entered hibernation, it was 10 years old, had done 105k miles, had half tank fuel, tyres at 40psi all round, and hybrid battery showed 4 blue bars. I just parked it up and didn't lock it with the fob. When I got back to it a year later, the factory 12V battery had depleted anyways and tyres had lost between 10-15psi each. After a new 12V battery, it started right away and hybrid battery still showed 4 blue bars 🙂 Rear tyres had flat-spotted (Michelin Pilot Super Sports with 3mm left), but the fronts were perfect (Pirelli something, newer pair with ~7mm). Aircon gasses had escaped (yet the system passed the pressure test prior to regassing - strange). Also never needed regassing in the 2 years that it was running thereafter. The car has just been SORN'd again and parked up in the garage as above, but as I'll remain in the country and home-bound this time, I plan to keep the tyres topped up for a change 🙂

The model designation of car can be found by the Nader pin on the off side ( Drivers ) 'B' pillar.

Question is....did you eventually find the clips or was it a case of tentatively asking the other half “You know those clips I bought, have you seen them anywhere” then increase social distancing while waiting for a response. 😀

There is no Lexus part number as the complete assembly would be replaced by a dealer. The bulbs themselves are available but will require soldering to remove and replace. The bulb Type is called T1, these are generally referred to as “wire ended” so you remove the old bulb and holder, remove the old bulb from the holder, fit the new bulb bending the wires as required then resolder to the board. The green caps as you appear to have already discovered merely push fit over the bulb. Here is an example supplier but if you tap in T1 bulb into ebay they are also available from sellers on there albeit more expensive but given the current situation more likely to supply quicker. https://www.nationallampsandcomponents.co.uk/miniature-light-bulbs/bi-pin-and-wire-terminal-filament/wire-terminal-filament-lamp-t1-12v-60ma-7219?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpejV4ubB6AIVCbrtCh3-dAlXEAQYASABEgLd2fD_BwE

F sport Takumi in Fuji red, Looks metallic on the chart above, but it's not. I only went for a test drive and ended up buying the demo. 2019 car but list was £39,995 so just under the £40000 mark

Work today, rear bumper removed which took me a couple of hours. There are 2 x nuts holding the rear bumper on (plus all the others in the boot) which are in the arch, plenty of patience needed to get them off without snapping the bolts. Plenty of Plus Gas, undo until it stops, wind back in and repeat until they come off. This took the most time. Degreased the bodywork underneath once bumper is off and washed. Scraped all the rust off that I could from the bottom of the arches, cleaned and rust treated. I’ve got the stuff I need to repair the holes into the boot and the other side. Aluminium mesh, body adhesive/sealant and a glass fibre kit if needed. Pics below.

Paul, I'm incredibly impressed with the near perfect state of the insides of your cills ......... just goes to show what amazing build quality came from Toyota / Lexus 24 years ago Thanks for doing this, it gives me so much confidence that I shan't be worrying about mine ever hope the plastic clips work ok ..... Malc

Yep, what I’m doing on the car isn’t the most important thing in the world. Following government advice is though, which I am doing. But I need to occupy myself doing something and doing stuff on the car is my way of occupying myself. My wife works at Sainsbury’s so is out of the house a lot of the time, customers in retail can be difficult in normal circumstances but at the moment it’s pretty frustrating for staff in supermarkets. And that is putting it very very mildly, people can be so moronic and stupid which beggars belief!

I guess lots of us will have a chance to get things done that we've been putting off. For me it's laying new lawn and (if) I can get sand and cement some repointing!

Yes Alan and the problem is that we tolerate them too much.

Thanks Roger. I spoke to him today and the fever seems to have gone and he feels much better than he did two days ago.

Car all detailed and polished, didn’t get all the scratches out but it looks better than when I bought it!,

I think you'll find that the clips at either end of the bumper are adjustable. There is a little screw thread which allows you to pull the bumper into a really flush fit. You may have to go to Toyota/Lexus to get those. I had to get my front bumper re-sprayed after hitting a deer and the shop that did it told me they had to get new clips from Toyota because they were the adjustable kind.

Yes, I think that's all correct and thanks it does look good with the gold badges. The chrome trim really stands out as well being a dark colour. When the car's paintwork has been sorted out and nice and shiny I'll post some pictures. Struggling at the moment to get it done with the weather and dark nights. The link below gives you the information on the model history and there is a buyers guide plus lots of other information as well on the site. http://ls400data.com/history.html

Cheers, I didn't forget about the pictures. I was waiting until I'd detailed all the bodywork but below are a few of the bits I've done already, roof and boot. Just bought the car Roof etc and work in progress

The choice of attendance at a speed workshop is not always offered ( for various reasons ) and even if you chose the workshop over the 3 points on your license then some insurance companies actually ask in the renewal notice 'have you attended a speed awareness / workshop in the last 12 months" 😡