Kelraine

I get the feeling that th 99/2000 GS300s were slightly dodgy. Mine's never been anything near 'whisper quiet' - and at the moment with all the windy weather, there's a constant wind noise coming from the top of the windscreen and a lot more coming from the side windows. I've been in other Mk-II GS300s (since buying mine..) and they're a lot quieter. I know there were some technical service bullentins for wind noise from the side windows, but I suspect they won't make a huge difference! I think I'll probably be getting the windscreen replaced again though - this will be their sixth attempt! They don't seem to be able to bond it in a way that lasts more than a few months.. Still, there's always the stereo!

Yeah, maybe I'll just turn the radio up.. How quiet should a GS be at 70 to 80? Mine's never been particularly quiet but then I guess there's so little engine noise that you tend to notice everything else.

Just wondered what you other Mk II GS owners think of the cabin noise when doing about 60 to 70? I get quite a bit of wind noise - some from the windscreen (which I think might have started after the screen was replaced) and loads from the side windows. My GS has always been like that - but I've been wondering whether it's normal and if there's anything I can do to quiet it down a bit on those long commutes..

They only seem to do them for the IS200 at the moment - had a quick Google and couldn't find anything for the GS300. Any ideas?

Excellent.. I'm using Black Diamond combo discs and Predator pads so hopefully when they've bedded in they should perform pretty well. Where did you get your steel brake lines from, Maneesh? How much of a difference do you reckon they make? I've always thought the brakes on the Mark II GS's were a bit spongy - definitely nowhere near as good as on the Mark III Lexus Hatfield loaned me while they were sorting my Cam belt.. very nice car, lovely engine and brakes that felt as if they could put you through the windshield and over the bonnet. Interesting to see that Lexus still haven't sorted out the old rattling dash problems though! :o

Yeah, it's posible I didn't clean the disks thoroughly before fitting them... how long do you reckon it would take to burn off any residue of the coating? As for the fluid - I bled about a Litre of new stuff through the system when I changed the pads so I reckon that should be okay, and I'm pretty sure there's no air in there. They appear to be getting better so it probably is just 'bedding in'.

Just fitted new Black Diamond front discs and pads on my series 2 GS - has anybody else done this recently and if so, how long did they take to bed in? I've done about 20 or 30 miles so far and they don't appear to be very good at all - quite a bit of braking effort required and lots of travel before they 'bite'. It was booked in for a timing belt change anyway, so I asked Lexus to look at it and they agreed that the braking performance was poor and could only point to the non-Lexus discs and pads (not a huge surprise!) I've seen that people here have used Black Diamond stuff and been very happy with it.. any ideas what might be wrong? do they take a long time to bed in?

I'll soon (okay, very soon) be needing new pads all round and wondered what people would suggest? I'm fairly happy with the OEM pads, but can I get something better and cheaper elsewhere? Also, I've heard suggestions that the discs should be replaced after every few pad changes... is this really necessary?

Yeah, I'd come to this conclusion - all the pads are fairly worn (probably a couple of thousand miles left in them). I -have- topped up the fluid and it made the problem go away.... I noticed a warning about overflowing fluid in the IS200 help section (on changing brake pads) - I'll make sure I draw off some fluid before I put the new pads on (in the next few days by the looks of things). Interesting though - like you said, the fluid contracts slightly in the cold which is why it seems to do it first thing in the morning. It would be nice if the handbook mentioned that this was a possible cause.. Oh yeah, while we're on the subject of brakes, has anybody changed the brake fluid on a GS? I get the impression that you need some Special to Type equipment to get air out of the system.. is this true, or can it be done with the kind of gear you can buy at Halfords?

I've had a look - and the brake fluid level is down to 'Min'. The light is coming on while driving and sometimes when braking, so I suspect it's right on the edge. Is this likely to cause the light to come on (and not stay on?) - I'm going to try topping the level up, and if that doesn't work I guess it's time to visit a dealer. <Shudder>

My brake warning light seems to be feeling a bit left out and has started coming on - it's always when the car is cold, and it comes on while the brakes are on and goes off again when they're released. After a few minutes it stops happening. Any ideas? I'm hoping it's something simple like a bad connection to a bulb..

I believe they do - Denso seem to manufacture most of the electronics in the Lexi too. Called Lexus Hatfield today to ask about the price of a cable clamp (the small plastic clip holding the ignition cable onto the top of the coil pack). They wanted just under £20 each. TWENTY POUNDS! For a tiny piece of plastic. They're usually very helpful but on this occasion I do believe they should have been wearing masks.. Anybody know where I could get these at a reasonable price (not much more than the 3p it obviously costs to manufacture them for example)? I tried Halfrauds but they reckoned it was a dealer only item. Oh dear.

Cheers! That's spot on. Think I'll have another go - looks like I'd done the hard part.. I got cold feet when I managed to break the retaining clip for one of the igniter leads (they get very brittle..) hopefully Lexus will sell replacements for Not Very Much (although I can imagine them insisting on selling an entire new lead) Right - that's a job for next weekend, then. That article seemed to have a very negative view of Denso Iridium plugs - they seemed convinced that Torquemaster plugs made a big difference.. I've got NGKs in at the moment and am a bit worried that the Densos I've bought are going to turn out to be a load of rubbish. Surely there can't be that much variation between manufacturers, can there?

Well, I got the TB off (not hugely difficult, just frustrating...) - and then totally failed to change the plugs because I couldn't figure out how to remove the igniters.. I think a step-by-step guide with photos (by somebody who knows what they are doing...) would be really helpful! I reassembled the throttle body - any views on how important it is to replace the gaskets (I didn't..) - and does anybody know how much torque to use? (although it's slightly acedemic as there's no way my torque wrench is fitting in the gap) It's funny - it seems one of the most obvious things to want to replace - but 'alldatadiy.com' and some dodgey 'Lexus' service manual I got off EBay both fail to tell you how to change the plugs. It can't be that difficult, can it?

Cheers for that - appreciated. I'll have a go at installing them this weekend...

This is odd: Denso plug selector (GS) It looks as if they recommend IK20s for most vehicles. Is this wrong? Hope not...

Oh dear. Any idea what's likely to happen if I run with IK20s?

I've just bought myself a set of Denso plugs off Ebay and would like to fit them... problem is that I have only managed to find two plugs that don't appear to be buried under random bits of engine. Has anybody changed the plugs on a 2000 Mark II GS? Where are they (I'd never have imagined I'd own a car where I couldn't actually find all the spark plugs!) and what's the easiest way to get the throttle body out of the way? Any help much appreciated - I'm beginning to feel a bit disheartened! Oh yeah - I bought a set of IK20s (which the Denso part selectory thing seems to think are the right sort for that age of GS300) - but have since seen that IK16s are recommended.. Anybody know what the difference is and whether I'm likely to have any problems?

Now, that... is a fantastic idea. :D

£350! :tsktsk: :tsktsk: - That's a lot less than half what I was quoted by Lexus! Was that cambelt / plugs and all fluids?

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.

My 2000 (pre-facelift) series II GS is nearing its first big service.. I've had a quote from my local dealer which brought tears to my eye and reckon I'll get it done by a local garage - however I'd rather provide them with the bits than have them use whatever they happen to have on the shelf.. Is there a list anywhere of part numbers / descriptions - for example, what type of spark plug, cam belt, oil, fluids etc? And while we're on the subject - what do you reckon an independent would charge to change the plugs / cambelt, filters and fluids? Any help much appreciated - I'm teetering on the edge of being able to afford to run this car these days!

I wouldn't blame the car - I've had lots of problems with the V3 and my handfsree kit (a Parrot CK3100) - I've done a bit of investigation and I suspect the problem is more likely with the V3. I plan to buy a new phone..

I vaguely remember that if you pair the V3 with a device with auto-reconnect turned off, it won't reconnect even if you turn auto-reconnect on afterwards, so: - Delete the pairing on the V3 - Turn auto-reconnect on on the V3 (I think I actually had to turn it off and back on again) - Re-pair with the handsfree And that should sort it.

Yeah, I've had them for over a year and they're great - much better than the rubbish Lexus put on the car when it's new - good in the wet, they wear well and generally feel much more sticky than the stock tyres. I got mine from mytyres.co.uk - seemed pretty reasonable.