Stevie

Torrent, the weakest part of the GS300 sound system is the door speakers and tweeters. The door speakers have a really nasty peak at 1.5 kHz that makes them very aggressive and 'shrill'. If you swap out the front door speakers and tweeters it will make a big difference. Not the ultimate, but at least listenable. Stevie

I just love the way my bad language has been asterisked out! :P

There is a problem with the radio in the Mk I GS300 that involves the eq. Dunno about the Mk II. There was a message on the forum about this last year. It is a (***** poor) design fault. To get anything like an accurate sound on FM, you have to turn the treble control right up. Stevie

OK, guys, so why is the stainless steel exhaust on my 95 GS going rusty? I thought stainless steel didn't rust. How long does a Lexus exhaust last? I need some kind of warning so that I can start saving-:) Stevie

>i'm presuming that the large speaker in the middle of the parcel shelf is indeed a sub? if so can someone give me some info about it? i.e. what size is it? (i'd guess at 8 inches but??) what sort of standard amplification is used? (the head unit is branded as a pioneer) and where is the amp (if there is one) hidden? I'm not familiar with the LS but there is an excellent site at http://www.retrodrive.net/ which goes into sound system installation in an LS in lots of detail. The amp in the GS is in the boot at the driver's side under the CD player (which may or may not help). I think the sub is indeed an 8 inch. >also what would people recommend as a replacement? should i change the amplification? Speaking for the GS again, the standard amplification will give you quite a reasonable SPL for normal listening. If you change the speaker, consider installing a 10 inch, which will give you a bit more volume. Mount it on a baffle board underneath the parcel shelf. Make sure you get a 'free air' model. Standard drivers designed for an enclosure will not work properly. Pioneer do one that's not too bad and not too expensive. For the same price you could get a Vifa (far superior) but I don't know anyone in the UK who carries it. No probs in the US, though. >at the moment bass seems to tail off the more i turn the volume up so at 1/2 way it's starting to sound a bit mid/toppy. That sounds like power amp compression, which I suppose could occur if you have the bass control turned up full. It's also possible that your speaker could be shagged. They do wear out, unfortunately. Stevie

1. If I disconnect my battery, will my radio have to have a code entered when its re-connected? Yes. 2. What make is the audio system? It's made by Pioneer specifically for Lexus. It's a non-standard OEM design, which means it's tricky to change the head unit/amp/CD player separately. 3. Where can I obtain a wiring diagram ? From your Lexus dealer. Call your nearest one and ask him to fax you the wiring diagram from the service manual. He should oblige. Stevie

Can't help with the IS, but what I can say is that the Lexus speakers are absolutely dire and not suitable for anything other than a Reliant Robin. You will get a major improvement in sound quality if you just upgrade your speakers to quality aftermarket models. Upgrading the head and amp is more complex, more expensive and will not give you as big a bang for the buck as just swapping the speakers. Stevie

So *that's* why the radio in the GS sounds so ****ty. Would it be possible for you to post the circuit diagrams of the Pioneer system, Justin? Stevie

Have a look here: http://www.retrodrive.net/ Stevie

Forgive the stupid question, but why were the disks shot? Surely that's not normal. I thought there was an audible warning when the pads reach the end of their service life. If you have the pads changed in good time why should the disks need changing? Stevie

Thanks, Vic. The situation could be more complicated than I first thought then. I think the trick with cars nowadays is to find a competent dealer. But they seem to be pretty rare. With the Lexus labour charge, I would expect the mechanic to have at least a B.Sc., preferable a doctorate. Stevie

So you decided against replacing the sub? Stevie

But the petrol tank doesn't intrude into the space very much. If that area were panelled in and carpeted you'd get oodles more boot space. Or does that sound dangerous? Stevie

I had a look at the new Camry at a Toyota dealer yesterday. It is surprisingly similar to the GS300. Naughty. I was impressed by the huge boot, though. Has anyone modified the Mk I GS300 to enlarge the boot? There are acres of wasted space in between the rear seat and the rear panel of the boot. Does the Mk II use the space better? Stevie

>Where are you from Stevie? Northwich. I think I have the only GS300 in town-:)

No one is allowed to use the Lexus logo for copyright reasons. Stevie

I'm surprised nobody has responded yet. Your best bet is probably to visit the American Lexus site, where they go on at length about Focal and Dynaudio. I'm currently upgrading my GS300 Mk1 speakers and am using Vifa and Audax components. These are quality components from the actual manufacturers - not some marketing organization. That doesn't help you much, however, as I am designing my own crossovers. I will be posting the information on the Internet when I'm finished - in a couple of months. Suffice it to say that the stock Lexus speakers are absolute garbage. For another 5 - 10 dollars at cost, they could have installed real quality drivers, which would have put the sound system into a different league. I don't understand how the Japanese corporate purchasing manager thinks. Stevie

Thank you Shreck and the others that have expressed sympathy for this problem. Stevie

>I think you ought to replace your suspension with a new IS steve! Go on you know you are tempted No, I love the GS300. Finest car I've ever owned. I'll get to the suspension problem once I've sorted the fuel consumption. I finally got around to explaining the problem to Lexus UK. Nice people, sympathetic. I was impressed - even though the 'technical department' was non-commital about the problem. I now know that I get nearly 30 to the gallon on long runs. I know that the emissions measure OK. I assume that the Lexus dealership found no problems with the central computer. I'm waiting to hear, and I'll let you know. Personally, and I have to admit that I'm not an expert, I think there's a problem with the fuel injection component that adjusts the mixture as the engine is warming up. Why else would there be such a strong petrol smell? Maybe I'll post the problem on the American site, although I see that there are some engine tuning specialists online here. Surprised I haven't heard from them. Stevie

OK piccies to follow this weekend - if I can figure out how to upload them. Stevie

As promised in a parallel thread, here are the details of a company that can produce carpets for your beloved Lexus. Trent Developments 552 Hartshill Road Stoke-on-Trent ST4 6AF. Tel. 01782-638327 The car mats I received were of superb quality - thick pile, nicely finished and a reasonable fit. I can't imagine the Lexus mats are any better. However, they are a typical, small British outfit. Don't expect next-day turnround, and don't believe their delivery dates. I waited a month for mine, although I was promised delivery in 10 days. The light grey is not a perfect colour match with the Lexus carpet, but close enough not to matter. If you can't get there in person, I suggest that you send them your old mats so that they can use them as templates. The cost is 45 pounds plus 7 pounds for delivery. They can do boot liners as well, but I don't know the cost of these. Stevie

Go to your Lexus dealer and ask him to copy the relevant pages out of the manual for you. If you have a fax, just call him up and aks him to fax them to you. That's what I did for my GS. I can't see any capacitor in the diagram, though. Stevie

I've discovered a breaker's yard that deals in Lexus. They're at: http://www.cleavemotorsalvage.com/cleave_frame-1.htm They currently have a GS300 and an LS400 in stock. They offer a trade discount of 50%, which the list owners might be able to negociate on everyone's behalf. Waddaya think? Stevie

The car was checked by a sole Lexus dealership. I can't knock the Toyota garage where I bought the car. I discovered this problem within a month of buying the car. They suggested that it would be better for a Lexus dealer to sort the problem out and they paid for the checkup. When they discover that there was no problem, it's going to make me look like a bit of an idiot. I have 3 Lexus dealers all about 25 miles away. If it was a problem with the way the engine was running, I could just call in and say, hey, listen to the engine. But to observe this problem the engine needs to be cold. Which means leaving the car there all day. Maybe, as you suggest, I'll call one of these up and see if I can get some kind of sensible response. Stevie

>no way the smell is normal !!!!!! Thanks. It's nice to have that confirmed. I've owned lots of cars and I've never known any of them to smell of petrol like this. It's not the smell of a rich mixture. I'm aware of what that smells like. This is unburned fuel coming out of the exhaust. I talked on the phone to the mechanic who checked the car out. He said that what I was smelling was normal. I got the impression that he either didn't believe that I was smelling neat fuel, or that I was confusing it with the normal smell of an engine on choke. I specifically left the car overnight so that they could check it out from cold. No one I talked to said, yes, we started it up and you're right about the smell. The service manager told me that they could not check the fuel mixture with the engine cold, but that if the mixture was wrong, the engine would run rough (!!). However, they had put the engine on the analyzer and the emissions were low. That's the gist of what I was told. Before taking it to this dealership, I had talked to another one. I explained the problem and the service manager said, we'll give it a fuel consumption test, but if there's nothing wrong and the warranty doesn't cover it, we'll charge you a hundred pounds. I wasn't very impressed with that. It was as if he hadn't listened to a word I'd said. My diagnosis, for what it's worth, is that there is a problem with the choke. I've had two emissions tests and the offer of a fuel consumption test. Why can't anyone just fix the choke? What do you guys think about resetting the ECU? Could that fix it, or could I just make matters worse? Stevie