steve2006

"It was perplexed" ?? (Yahoo Babel Fish.) Brian :) That must be the literal translation,it actually says (being related to a sat nav question) "I'm lost"

No problem Nitmoi and a merry Christmas to you

Being an electronics engineer I did my own 1994 climate control LCD and ribbon cables are the norm in appliances these days. To avoid damage to the vents and wood trim panel get yourself a 2" wallpaper scraper then wrap some insulation tape around the blade leaving 5mm of the edge of the blade exposed. This will enable you to prise the items out without causing damage.

Hello and welcome to the LOC. If the leather quality is as good as my 16 year old LS400 there shouldn't be any wear problems,my back seats are still like new even now.I do treat mine regularly with leather cleaner and feed. I think the fabric seats are treated to help repel stains so they should be OK and hard wearing. Stone chips are normal wear and tear but at 32,000 miles excessive chips could indicate a lot of high speed motorway/A road driving,providing they are treated correctly this should be more of a cosmetic problem given the multi layer paint coats on a Lexus. One concern with lease cars is was it leased to a single driver or a company where it was a pool car driven by everyone. I would be a little concerned about the lack of a Lexus service history but providing the servicing has been carried out to Lexus specifications using genuine parts and can be backed up with documentation it should be OK. I assume you are getting a warranty with the vehicle?make sure it is comprehensive,you may even be able to get an extended warranty/service package with Lexus given the age of the car. I think Lexus dealers will give the car a complete check over free of charge but be prepared for "we would recommend ..... costing £1000s" Good luck with your purchase and let us know how it is when you have it including pictures of course!

Hi, I think there should be voice instructions do you not have the owners manual I think there is a separate one for the nav sysytem. In the mean time 迷ってしまいました。

Hi, It sounds very much a mechanical misalignment of the loading mechanism,plastic gears don't last. Problem now days is you cannot easily get manufacturer's technical support so repair and realignment are more or less impossible,years ago I could strip down a Pioneers 6 disc player replace the problematic spindle motor and realign in 30 minutes but I did have the service manual to hand and better eyesight!lol

Welcome to the LOC Charlie Brown,nice link for the repair AlanR,It's nearly Christmas Nitmoi show a little compassion for a new member lol, TBH I would also have struggled to find that info provided by Jon Evans. Looks a lot of work and delicate stripping down to replace a couple of bulbs but the cost savings and the satisfaction of DIY is priceless! Just a point on the ribbon cable removals mentioned in the tutorial as stated these are clamped into the socket on the PCB and to release you lift the latch at the top of the sockets then pull out the ribbon,when refitting you need to make sure the ribbon is inserted correctly then push down the retainer on both sides at the same time or it will seesaw and not fully clamp. A magnifying glass is always a useful tool in situations like this.

Hi and welcome to the LOC. Your present car is Japanese so no problem there, going to the Lexus IS is prestige Japanese!!! :D

Also have a look at the prop shaft,I think there is a rubber coupling in there somewhere that can wear out. Just had a look on Toyodiy and there are indeed rubber couplings at both ends of the propshaft,I have seen these on ebay but the part no. is 37511-30020. Check the UJ also

Hi and welcome to the LOC. We have a resident Lexus Dealer on the club (ACLex) who does some good deals on parts offering discounts it may be worth contacting him for a price,even with shipping it could work out cheaper,then just pay the fitting charge.

Mine is also a Celsior albeit a little older and I used to go to Toyota for parts until the parts guy mentioned a surcharge on parts as it was "an import". The part numbers for the same year Celsior and Lexus LS400 are different even for common items such as oil filters but they are exactly the same parts only the Celsior price is always higher. I now ring my local Lexus parts department and after checking the Lexus model part numbers quote these only so Toyota and Celsior are not mentioned and low and behold the part fits the same but the price is lower. It makes me smile all Lexus cars are imports they are built in Japan and imported into the UK. My local Lexus and Toyota dealers are next door to each other,when I bought 10 litres of ATF 5 came from Lexus and the other 5 from Toyota! How about walking into Lexus at a combined dealership and after taking a seat in the plush showroom with your cup of freshly made coffee you politely enquire about a test drive in a Yaris!

Cheers guys,I know a lot of JDM models had velour like the Celsiors but never realised any other models outside Japan had this.

I didn't know they made this model or is it a JDM import? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1997-R-Lexus-GS-300-Legato-3-0-AUTOMATIC-4-doors-/250650943703?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3a5bf5e0d7#ht_1642wt_1141

Come on guys can some one help out this new member? Sorry I can't assist mine is too old and an LS. If the battery is beginning to fail I would get it replaced ASAP because I think even if you find the manual key hole (I don't think there is one BTW) the car still may not start if it doesn't receive the security code from the key fob. A Lexus dealer can do this for you but obviously at a charge but it's still cheaper and less inconvenience than being stranded. Do you not have a spare key to use in the meantime? Finally welcome to the LOC

Sorry guys managed to put the info on the old thread http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=59279

The link below should help BTW i don't know if it is common knowledge on this forum but the guy who wrote all these tutorials Lexls has been involved in an accident in his LS which has resulted in it being written off. Fortunately he is OK but nevertheless it's sad his car is no more. The tutorials have help me and thousands of owners over the years and I'm sure we all wish him well. http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/cooling/fanconversion.html

Hi Brian and welcome to the LOC. We have lots of GS owners on the forum unfortunately I am not one of them but I sure help will come shortly. The main things to look out for are suspension clunks,these are heavy cars and do wear suspension parts and make sure the car has a full (preferably Lexus) service history. Dependent on mileage check for cam belt changes and if one is coming up make sure the replacement cost is negotiated in the purchase price. Servicing costs vary dependent on which service and what needs doing and dealer prices do vary so if you have several around you check for the best price,cost are generally on par with other prestige makes but there are cheaper independents with Lexus training. Parts also vary but lately I've found dealer parts cheaper than other sources,there is an official Lexus dealer on the forum who offers discounts. Good luck in finding the GS300 for you,take your time choosing there are plenty on offer and once purchased enjoy!

Hi, Plenty being broken here http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=lexus+is200+breaking&_sacat=See-All-Categories

The offer has now ended

Something interesting on Radio 2 earlier in the week,I only heard the last bit but the crux of the matter related to the fitting of "winter tyres" and that some insurance companies are pulling faces as they are claiming fitting these tyres are a 'modification" and you must therefore inform your insurers of the change or your policy may be declared invalid. We all know that some insurance companies will do all they can to avoid paying a claim and this appears to be another one. I can't see the problem, the tyres should be of the approved type and road legal but there is no stipulation in UK road laws to say you have to fit them. So if in doubt find out first!!!!

I agree with others,get a second opinion regarding possible engine damage,although the engine appears OK at the moment there is always a possibility of damage to bearings which could now fail prematurely. The failed seal sounds like it could be the oil filter rubber seal, happened to me once I removed the old filter and failed to notice the old seal was left on the filter mount, fitted the new filter and started the engine only to see all the oil pumped out all over the driveway. I wouldn't have expected a professional outfit to do this, however. I see you are from the USA (the UK may be different) so take what ever action you need to with the garage that did the work but make sure they receive a written complaint informing them of your proposed intentions.

Hi firstly welcome to the LOC. The nitrogen cylinder provides the traction control system with the required pressure to operate the rear brake hydraulics when the TC is operating and also the ABS modulation,mine has the same problem albeit on a intermittent basis at the moment. What tends to happen is after a short time the Trac light comes on and as you have correctly diagnosed produces code 19 Trac pump operation too long. There have been reported successes by opening the bleed nipple on the Trac accumulator with the ignition on and bleeding the system then doing the same on the ABS block but I think the outright cause is low pressure in the accumulator possibly due to leaking seals so the pump tries to compensate by staying on too long. I have found a company in Leicester who say they may be able to repair/recharge the accumulator but have not yet had the time to remove the thing which would mean having the car off the road. I haven't noticed any other problems with kick down etc when the light comes on. There is a Celsipr being broken not far from me and I am considering getting the accumulator off this and fitting to mine then seeing about the repair of the original. Once the snow clears I will get it done and then come back with the results. UK spec cars are not fitted with TC and also no troublesome EGR pipe to worry about. BTW are you in Perth Australia? If you are have a read on the link below for more local places to you for recharging/repair http://soarercentral.com/sc-forum/messages/9739/166885.html

I sent the seller a message regarding the T plate and although curt the reply was "It's an import" not particularly helpful as we suspected that already but no expansion on where it came from and when,given the response I wouldn't even consider buying it.

Would you like to tell us the cost? Even though I do under 6000 miles a year in mine I am still thinking of having my Celsior converted,there is a company in Leeds offering a full sequential system for £1300.

The floor mats look original and if an import will have Celsior written on them,one or two of the controls will be in Japanese,there should be no EGR system fitted and also mileage could be in KMs. Ask the seller for an under bonnet picture to see if it says Lexus or Toyota on the plenum chamber. Benfur is an expert on the LS,nice to see you posting Maurice