jsj24uk

I've just bought a 2004 LS430. I pick it up on friday. Once you have had a good long drive in it, the last thing you think about is fuel economy. It really is that good. I would imagine it is like everything else. The more lead in your right shoe, the more nectar points your gonna get.

Thanks for that. I know what you mean. I spent all morning driving around in this LS430. It was very quiet, staggeringly comfortable (made the GS300 feel a bit ropey), and had lots of grunt. While my GS was in having the brakes done, I had an IS250 to potter around in. I must say, Friday can't come quick enough.

Hi People. I've just traded in my 2001 GS300SE on a 2004 54 plate LS430. (Will stick some pics on when I pick it up on Friday). One thing I was wondering, is there going to be a huge difference in MPG between the two? I'm not too bothered if there is. Also, I have just fitted the stage one brake upgrade kit from Prolex to my GS300. I will have all of four days use from it. Will this brake kit for the LS430? I only went to have the brakes fitted by Lexus Hatfield and I came away buying another car. Many Thanks.

I believe that in America, if the driver had gone for the SE-L model, that it comes with a labrador and a blind cane to stop these kind of mistakes from happening.

Hi People. I just thought I should say thankyou to everyone on here for all the very important information you have given me over the years. It has made running my GS a very nice experience but unfortunatly it has to go. Friday is my last day with it and as you can see from the pics in my last post, I have looked after it very well. It is a very sad day. But, !!!!! The replacement. :duh: A 2004 on a 54 plate LS430 with 55,000 miles on the clock, solid black with grey leather interior. I pick it up from Lexus Hatfield friday morning so long as there are no complications with paperwork. Now if anybody needs me, I shall be studying the owners manuall for the next 48 hours trying to find out how it all works. I also want to say a special thanks to Kiran Tailor at Lexus Hatfield. He has done the marque proud and I highly recomend dealing with him. Many thanks again Keiran if your reading this.

Thanks for all your coments. The colour is Sheldon green. It looks almost black but it's a very dark metallic green. I got the HID kit from ebay. It's a rebranded Philips kit and was about £100. I'll try and find the link. I havn't had any problems from road users. My lights were aimed quite low anyway. According to the last service done at Lexus Woodford, they couldn't be raised any higher. Found the link:- http://stores.ebay.co.uk/HID-LIGHTING-KIT Don't know if the neighbour belongs to the LOC but I do like the IS. I did sort the wipers out after I took the pics. They are back where they belong now. It is a bit of a pig to lift them to the position in the pics. I hope this is normal. Cheers for your comments.

I dug the bucket and sponge out and gave it a clean. Lighter pic of Hids http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x122/jsj24uk/IMG_0055.jpg Pic of the front http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x122/jsj24uk/IMG_0054.jpg Back angle http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x122/jsj24uk/IMG_0053.jpg Front angle http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x122/jsj24uk/IMG_0052.jpg All I can say is it's a :tsktsk: to keep clean. Hope you like them.

Im a driving instructor.

Many thanks for your comments. I have already booked my car in at Hatfield for the brakes to be done. Kind of makes me wonder how much Woodford want my business. Thanks for the heads up with the brakes as well. I am looking to do my ROSPA advanced driving test in my GS in the next couple of months. I didn't want the examiner pulling the plug on the test because the brakes were shot. Gets embarising when your steering wheel wobbles undre braking. Thaks again for your comments.

Thanks for your response Janey. If that may be the case, then Woodford are more than happy for you to supply your own oil (even though I supplied my own oil last time, not that they used it :tsktsk: ). Why not brakes? Seems a little daft to me.

I have orderd the Prolex Stage 1 Brake Upgrade kit for my GS300 and it should be with me in the next couple of days. I phoned Lexus Woodford to have them fitted as I have always taken it there for servicing (even the 60,000 service and cambelt change ) and was informed that they couldn't do it as the parts I am supplying arn't genuine Lexus parts. I then tried Lexus Hatfield who were more than happy to fit them for me. They said they can't guarentee the parts which is fine but they are still happy to fit them. Does anyone know why one dealer will do this and another wouldn't? It kind of makes me want to change dealers when it comes to servicing.

When I get the polishing clothes out twice a year, I always do my headlights with autoglym. Seems to make a bit of a difference but I always end up polishing them last by which time I'm knackerd and don't do a good job.

At the end of the day, I defanitly think it is going to affect your driving when using a phone, either hands free or holding it to your ear. If you were to take the learner test today, using a hands free kit with someone on the end of the phone, I am almost sure you would fail it. Some people might say that the learner test is very out of date and as a driving instructor I would agree with them. But, if you were to take your ROSPA advanced driving test with a hands free kit and someone on the end of the phone, you couldn't keep up a high enough standard of driving to pass the test. It is everyones responsability to drive to the best of their ability and using a phone whilst driving isn't going to do anyone any favours. It's downright selfish in my opinion and shows a lack of care and attention. I'm all for the law and the sooner it gets tougher in terms of penalty points and fine, the better. That's just my ten bobs worth.

Nurse, My sides

I have got two Michelin Piolot Sports fitted to the front of my GS. All I can say is that all the road noise I seem to get comes from the back. I have Bridgestone Potenza's fitted there. Will defanitly be getting a pair of Piolot Sprts for the back when they are due a change. I find I get more feel through the steering and the grip in the wet is fine. I also got mine from Costco. Two tyres 235/45/17's came to a shade over £230. I had them fitted at a tyre specialist up the road.

I must be doing somthing really wrong. I have been a driving instructor since December 2003. Since then I have had 2 Peugeot 206's and now I am teaching in an automatic Nissan Micra. I would have thought that this was a joke. I dare not put my roof sign on my GS as I will be inundated by calls of people wanting lessons in my Lex.

I went to the Lexus Open Road in Barnet the other day. Had a go in the IS220D Sport. Not much to report there. Also I got to spend a good half hour in the LS460. All I can say is, if you have never driven one, then it is as good as you think it is. It's quiet, powerfull, smooth, and unlike Merc S Class, BMW 7 series, Audi A8, you don't look like a berk when you drive it. The only weird thing I found was the 8 speed auto gearbox. It gets a little flusterd when you hoof it one to overtake. Too many gears in my opinion but that is the only thing I thought could do with changing. Apart from that, the LS430 is on hold till some used examples of the LS460 come on sale. In my opinion, it really is that good. P.S. I am a driving instructor so I don't work for Lexus.

Mr brakes are defanitly getting worse. I am suprised at how quickly it is happening. I know it is a big car and will be heavy on the brakes. I would imagine that IS owners wouldn't have this much of a problem but RX and LS owners would have it worse. Will have to get into Prolex in the next couple of weeks and spend some pennies.

I have a 2001 GS300 SE Navi. I have noticed on the GS430 model that there are controlls on the left hand side of the steering wheel. Are these audio controls and if they are, can they be fotted to the GS300 steering wheel? Thanks.

Thanks for your opinions. I was out in it today. So long as your gentle with the brakes, then it doesn't happen. When you get them a bit warm, that's when the juddering starts. I think I shall be purchasing the Prolex-UK Stage 1 Brake upgrade kit alot earlier than I thought .

When I dropped the car off, I told the service guy that the two cans of Castrol Edge were behind the drivers seat. I really wanted them to use this oil because it is loads better than the chip fat they put in it. I imagine there was a communications break down between the people who booked it in and the workshop. I did tell the people who rang up a few weeks after the service was compleated that I was not happy that my own oil was not used but nothing was ever said or done :tsktsk: . Fingers crossed they will use it next time as it has been sat in a cupboard now waiting till December for it's next one. Hope it doesn't go off .

Just a quick word of advice when you supply your own oil. Just make sure they use it. When my GS300 went in for a service in December of 06 at Lexus Woodford, I supplied 8 litres of Castrol Edge fully synthetic oil. They ended up using their own. The down side, it's not running on the oil I wanted :tsktsk: , the plus side, I didn't get charged by them for using their own oil .

Hi. My 2001 GS300 se seems to have a bit of a problem under braking. If I am driving towards a roundabout at 60mph approx and slow down normally, then about three of four seconds into braking I can feel a slight shudder through the steering wheel. It did have a service in Dec 2006 (and a damn big and expensive one at that at Lexus, £1200 ) and they said the front discs would need changing by the next service but I get the feeling they will not hold out that long. Does this problem with the judder through the steering wheel go along with knackerd discs?

From what I have read in what car magazienes, unless it is a 3 series or a 5 series BMW, then it is no good. I have driven a 1 series to a 7 series and to be honest, they are no where near as good as a Lexus. And always remember, when it goes wrong, the trouble you would have at Mercedes, the incompatence at Jaguar, and the eye bleeding bills that you would get from BMW, then Lexus really starts to make sense. Also, look at it from the other end of the spectrum. I used to own a 2001 Peugeot 206 1.9 Diesel as a driving school car and Peugeot want to charge for a cambelt change, and wait for this, £900.00 So a cambelt change at a lexus main dealer starts to sound really cheap. I say, Lexus all the way.

I passed my driving test back in March 1994, first time, but I did have quite a few minor faults but back then, you could have as many minors as you liked so long as you stayed away from serious and dangerous. In 2003 I passed my part one theory second time to become a driving instructor, then passed my part two driving test 1st time with only three minors, then passed my part three, test if instructional ability third time about april 04 and got a 4 and a 4. Six months later I had my first educational visit from an SEADI and instead of advice, he gave me a grade 5, the higest you can get is a six. Currently I am doing my ROSPA and have my mock this Thursday so will hopefully be going for a gold.