BigCliff

Time to call it a day with this car.

tell that to the bloke when his IS200 had a snapped belt and trashed nearly every valve and piston

Does anyone know of a Lexus engine that has snapped its cambelt?

Black smoke = fuel

Blue smoke = oil

White smoke = water.

Sounds like your head gasket might have gone. That would explain the sludge as well.

Advisories - are what they say on the tin - no need to rush out and spend big bucks straight away.

how and why did it loose its coolant ?

As Bazza says

Firstly why and how have you lost your coolant. Was it a leak or faulty waterpump or damaged radiator etc.

That's a good point.

My LS400 has a low radiator level warning light on the dash does the 430 not have this feature?

It says in the earlier post a damaged radiator. Do Lexus say the damage was "act of G*d" type stuff rather than mechanical failure so that's why they won't assist here? If so could fully comp. insurance help?

Anyone who has switched from the GS to the LS, how do the two compare, which do you prefer and why?

:) :D :P ;)

Problem solved got me an LS and i love it can see why you LS owners hold on to them

What is better about it than the GS?

Hi

I have a 2001 GS 430 and my does the same, so far I have had 2 new sets of rear pads and still on the same front pads.

The wheels spin freely on mine too

I may be wrong but I seem to remember reading about a sensor on the car that assists braking when you have four or more occupants in the car at once and there for needing less pressure on the brake pedal.This sensor may be sticking .

Yep, some cars have a hydraulic valve/regulator that regulates rear braking force depending on how much weight there is in the back of the car from passengers and luggage. If the rear brakes are applied too hard the rear wheels can lock up as weight goes forward on braking and that can cause a skid/crash.

Correct, but NOT on a car with ABS fitted

Hence the word SOME

Hi

I have a 2001 GS 430 and my does the same, so far I have had 2 new sets of rear pads and still on the same front pads.

The wheels spin freely on mine too

I may be wrong but I seem to remember reading about a sensor on the car that assists braking when you have four or more occupants in the car at once and there for needing less pressure on the brake pedal.This sensor may be sticking .

Yep, some cars have a hydraulic valve/regulator that regulates rear braking force depending on how much weight there is in the back of the car from passengers and luggage. If the rear brakes are applied too hard the rear wheels can lock up as weight goes forward on braking and that can cause a skid/crash.

Correct, but NOT on a car with ABS fitted

Hi

I have a 2001 GS 430 and my does the same, so far I have had 2 new sets of rear pads and still on the same front pads.

The wheels spin freely on mine too

I may be wrong but I seem to remember reading about a sensor on the car that assists braking when you have four or more occupants in the car at once and there for needing less pressure on the brake pedal.This sensor may be sticking .

Yep, some cars have a hydraulic valve/regulator that regulates rear braking force depending on how much weight there is in the back of the car from passengers and luggage. If the rear brakes are applied too hard the rear wheels can lock up as weight goes forward on braking and that can cause a skid/crash.

Try A1 Jap Spares in Manchester on Monday tel. 0161 682 2221.

Wow! What's interesting is not just the facts about Lexus but how people feel about them (or how it makes them feel)...some of the comments does make me want to get one now (or at least ride in one) even though as I said earlier I know nothing about cars.

It's quite unsual -if I asked someone to sum up a Merc or BMW in 3 words or something you have a good idea what they'll say, but with a Lexus it seems like it's a luxury car which is good value for money, with better specs than other luxury cars and has qualities such as reliability strongly associated with other cars like VW or Toyota (although same maker) which are not at the luxury end. Maybe it's interesting because it's a lux car with advantages of non-lux cars. Or a lux car which is good value for money-not something people ususally associate. I wonder if this exclusiveness is deliberate on Lexus's behalf.

Personally, I like the name. Lexus. Sounds like a very smooth, luxurious car...

:winky: Nice wind-up.

Are you sure you need new dampers? They work by having oil or gas pass back and forth through a valve, so it's not really a case of them wearing as such. If you press down on a wing and release it and the car goes back to normal in one movement without bouncing, then they're working okay.

Spot on with that reply,rad has gone at bottom and leaking for a while .just need to source a new one now .was going to put it on autotrader this week as well ,will have to wait now .but then again i have found lots of reassons to keep car for the last year or so :D

Seems v. likely overheating is due to low coolant because of leaky rad then. Best keep it topped up until replaced as overheating can cause major problems such as cylinder head gasket failure or engine warping. And sooner or later the rad will go big style and leave you stranded.

Why not take the 3rd one? 5k miles is nothing on a Lexus and IMHO I don't think you are legally justified in rejecting over a paltry 5k miles. And they have offered you the SE-L which is the top spec. Go for it. Life is just too flipping short!!

What do you like best about Lexus cars? Which has more of what you like best?

hi all,

have a 92 w/ 130k. everything fine and well maintained, except i'm losing about 1/2 coolant reservoir slowly over every 2 months or so. no smells, no startup mist, no water in oil per oil report, power fine, etc... any thoughts? thanks.

Does the radiator drain plug have a rubber o-ring round it? If so then if the o-ring wasn't renewed when the antifreeze was changed it could be the source of the leak.

Had my wheels off today and noticed a stress crack on the passenger side brake disc

So need replacements was planing on it just not yet

Any one recommend a make and a supplier, please

I've got a MK1 GS300 Sport 1994.

Thank you

Hi Craig,

If you want OEM quality at a great price try www.buypartsby.co.uk. I've bought from this company before and they're excellent.

Cliff.

Thanks for that - good advice.

As for Toyota dealers - my local one didn't want to know as soon as they heard it was a Lexus - they said 'take it to a Lexus dealer'. I suspect if I had owned a Ford or a Vauxhall they'd have had a different attitude... it all seems a bit incestuous to me.

When I pushed it further they claimed their system didn't have a 'menu' for Lexus servicing so they couldn't do it. A shame - because they would have been much cheaper (on labour rates, anyway).

I plan to buy the bits and have it done at a local garage - I think I'll probably do the minor services myself in future.

Have you done your own servicing before?

TIS also have International Accounts, for 1 month at $50 or 1 year at $350, which can be set up manually over the phone with them using a credit card that has U.S. funds available.