BarneyTT

Hi Mark. I have recently been through what you are going through in terms of looking for a GS430, there are not exactly a lot about and I had to travel about a fair bit. My advice is to keep on top of places like Autotrader every day as good ones can get snapped up quickly, mine was only listed for an hour or so before I spotted it and arranged to view it the next day. One thing I would advise you check on any potential car is the inner sides of both exhaust back boxes (get right up underneath if you can) as the cars I looked at seemed to have common rot there. A replacement box is over £400 per side from Lexus. The cambelt on the GS430 I bought was due next year but for peace of mind, Lexus Bristol did mine recently for £295 which is a damn good price as it took them 4 hours plus. Not sure if it's common but my GS has some minor bubbling on the leading edge of the bonnet, the other car I looked at didn't. I wish you all the best in your search, hope you find the right car soon.

Pretty certain there was never a four wheel drive Sportcross. Compared to the GS the Sportcross will be a more sportier ride, firmer suspension but not too firm. Seats will be a little narrower, but still very comfortable, fantastic load lugging space should you need it with the rear seats down. Performance is brisk, gear changes in the auto are near seamless and MPG similar to the GS. Depends what you like/need but I'd have another one.

Hi Jordan and welcome to the club. I would suggest, if it hasn't been done recently, a full service including a new set of plugs, at least then if the misfire is still present you have a sound base to work from. As the plugs aren't cheap they sometimes get overlooked on a service but could be a potential cause of the misfire. You could easily source the correct plugs online, ebay for example http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-GS300-3-0-NGK-LASER-IRIDIUM-SPARK-PLUGS-x6-01-00-04-05-IFR6T11-4589-/130662114817?hash=item1e6c11a601:m:mgeFL8kO2jPV2wEy9iP8KEg

Is it more of a knock than a rattle, reason I ask this is the IS is known to suffer from a knocking noise from the front of the car. In my case when I owned my IS300 Sportcross, I had the car checked over by a trusted friend who runs his own independent garage and Lexus, both could hear the knock but neither could locate the cause? After having all the ball joints, links etc checked with no issues I first had all the brake caliper components renewed without success, I then purchased aftermarket front shocks and Lexus top suspension mounts, once fitted the problem was 85% better and acceptable to live with. If you search the net and on here there are quite a few threads on the subject and my conclusion is there is no single, common item causing this "knocking" sound. The original shocks were known to have a faulty internal valve problem which caused a knock, I think Lexus at the time, replaced these under warranty. Sadly it seems trial and error for each car is the best way forward. Obviously the above relates more to a knock than a rattle, but thought it worth posting just in case...... I wish you all the best in sorting the problem out.

Hi Bob and welcome to the club. Wishing you all the best in your search.

Welcome on board Mike, don't forget some pics when you've picked it up. Hope your IS gives you many reliable years of enjoyable driving.

Have to agree with Paul on this.

Welcome Mark, your new GS looks rather nice, I'm sure it will give you many a happy mile, enjoy and roll on Thursday

Welcome to the club Craig, good to have you with us.

It's a 2006 GS430 Not the easiest of jobs from what they said, including the check over I was there about four hours.

I had my GS in Lexus Bristol last week for a cam belt change and a general check over, this is the first time it's been into them since buying it, as always with a new (old) car I was slightly nervous as to what they might find. Pleased to report it's got a clean bill of health and I can rest easy knowing that and it now has a new cam belt. The belt change cost me £295 which for a main dealer, I thought was very good indeed. As always, fantastic service from Lexus Bristol. My next planned job is to get the wheels refurbished and change the tyres.

In terms of wear, as I do such small mileages per year (2-2.5k) the wear aspect isn't really an issue for me, which kind of makes me lean toward the Dunlop's.

Interesting, not something I have seen or heard of before, kind of adds more questions as to what to go for. As I don't need tyres straight away I'm going to have a look into these ratings. Appreciate your input. I have read good reviews on the Dunlop's and it's good to hear you have had good previous experience with them, they are still my preferred choice but as I'm in no hurry I will check out the UTGQ ratings etc. and go from there. Agreed, reviews are very subjective and our bad roads don't help matters. Would welcome your current thoughts on your new Dunlop's once fitted, thanks for your input.

Thanks John, I had Bridgestone RE050A's on my Sportcross and they were a fantastic tyre but the road noise was quite high which is in line with your post. I was at Lexus Bristol yesterday and we had a discussion on this very subject and Dunlop SP Sports seem to fit the bill, my research also shows these to be a good choice especially for low noise levels. Again, thanks John. As mentioned above the Dunlop SP Sports are looking like a strong contender, all the reviews I have read say they are one of the best for low noise levels.

I will be buying new tyres for my GS430 soon and was wondering what the original brand was when the car was new? Also, any recommendations would be welcome, I'll be looking at premium brands but want something that keeps road noise to a minimum to keep the smooth ride, the tyres I have on the car at present seem fine but have never heard of them and would prefer something I can research and are a known quantity.

It's the paint touch up sticks for my car colour that they can't get anymore, I may well give the above mentioned dealers a call just to double check, thanks Dave. Never thought of that, cheers Colin.

That's what I thought Colin, but nothing on the door pillar. My local Lexus dealership have given me the paint code (9AB) but they can't order it as it's now discontinued Sadly not Dave............in fairness it is nine years old and I suspect long since used/removed.

I haven't located the VIN plate as yet, wondering if it under one of the engine bay covers? Cheers anyway Colin.

Where can I find the paint/trim code on my car (2006 GS430)? Thanks.

Gliptone leather conditioner is good as is the Poorboys freshner: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Poorboys-Car-Air-Freshener-LEATHER-Kills-Mould-Bacteria-16oz-473ml-/231323679456?hash=item35dbf73ae0:g:YSgAAOSwnDZUBsoJ http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gliptone-Liquid-Leather-Conditioner-GT11-250ml-/251358184749?hash=item3a861d852d:g:77gAAOxyfpJSXCES

Welcome to the club William.

Thanks Duncan, I have to say my smile is rather wide! Cheers Mark. Still getting used to the car but so far really pleased with it. The ride is exactly what I was looking for, it's quiet, smooth and for a big car feels very sure footed. The real bonus in terms of ride is it has a sport suspension mode which firms the ride up but doesn't detract from the ride quality. The tyres that are fitted to the car are ones I've never heard of (ECT) but to be fair they seem to handle well and road noise is a sort of waft rather than being intrusive. I will be investigating what was originally fitted to the car and will probably change them in due course.

Wanted, a really good set of four alloy wheels for a 2005/06 Gen 3. GS430. Remember to reply to this thread offering anything for sale you need to be a Gold Member otherwise it is against the terms and conditions of the LOC. It also applies to private messages offering articles/car for sale.

Update: I have now bought myself a nice GS430. I purchased it privately and it involved two trips, one 300 mile round trip to view it and a three train journey plus drive home one when I bought it. It's a 2006 55plate (falls into the lower road tax bracket) in mauve with 69.5k. Full service history although not all Lexus, with two previous owners It needs a few jobs including a wheel refurb but all said and done it's a great car. I'm now starting to clean and detail it. As an added bonus, I put the Sportcross on Autotrader Saturday morning and in less than 48 hours it was sold for the full asking price, the buyer said it looked brand new! He had one hell of a long journey and was a really nice chap, already owned a high mileage IS200 Sportcross and wanted a low mileage, late model IS300 Sportcross. Thanks for everyones help and advice.

Hello Alan and welcome to the club. Looks like you have found yourself a really nice IS, hope it gives you many miles of smiles!