Lex Steele

I think you ment to say "near side". :duh: I think you ment to say "near side". :duh: And I meant to say "meant" :duh: :duh: Yep, near side.... (off side- been watching the footie all weekend)

Ok, so I was driving along when somebody in front of me decided to turn right, leaving a lexus width gap (i thought) down their off side... Anyway, end result was some scrapage to the passenger wing mirror on a dry stone wall.... (stupid I know) - at least nobody saw.. The damage is limited to the painted plastic cover, So, does anybody know if I can get a pre-painted wing mirror cover and just replace that rather than replacing the whole wing mirror? Cheers

£12 for key insurance for a year..... You could lose a key and claim on the insurance for a new key... They will pay up to £1500 for replacement keys/locks. My car only came with one key... it cost me £12 to sort that little problem out.... No excess to pay either.

This might be a daft question but will this by-pass cable work on cars with Nav? Cheers

Having looked at the diognostic screen, it woudl appear that the signal to the box is not great. Im using a scart to the Tv so their is little I could do that would make a huge difference in picture quality....I dont think... The diagnostic screens are only for info - NTL installers use them.. SNR of 35 is perfectly acceptable. Glad the RGB change sorted the problem.

No probs.. so are you saying that the problem is between the box and the TV or the signal coming to the box? I was under the impression you were meaning the latter. How have you got your TV connected to the box? SCART is obviously best but if your using the UHF (arial type) output then that could explain it...

Hi, The NTL service is digital (unless you are still using the very limited analogue service) so the picture quality will not improve if you add a booster unless you are suffering from picture break-up (macro blocking) or audio 'squeaking' or complete loss of picture. If you are generally displeased with he quality of the picture and there is no audible or visual symptoms such as squeaking or macro blocking then a booster will not improve the quality of the picture. The poor picture quality could be attributed to the fact you are viewing a standard definition broadcast on a large LCD screen (always looks pants) :duh: There are some secret menus on digital NTL boxes that allow you to check the signal details. Power on your box whilst holding the up and down keys on the front panel. After some time. the box will boot into diagnostics mode. I can’t remember which page has the signal info on but its easy to find. You are looking to check the signal level and the SNR. Also, I think the screen will display in Green if the signal is good, amber if its border line (you would see visual and audible issues) and red if its poor. The optimum signal range is approx -10dB to 10dB but you need to ensure that you have an SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) of at least 31dB. When you have finished checking the diagnostic screens you just re-power the box Anyway, if the signal is poor you can 'boost' the signal by getting your self a signal amplifier. You will need one that supports a frequency range of at least 0 to 850MHz and it must be a 2-way amplifier. I would only recommend doing this if you are sure the signal is low (i.e. visual and audible defects) other wise you could 'over-boost' the signal which will have an even more detrimental effect. If you’re unsure about your signal level I would get your installer to come and have a look for you. Hope this helps.

Thanks for that, might give that a go.. Will check with Dave first to see if he is expecting to get any more plug n play style in stock first... Thanks for that, might give that a go.. Will check with Dave first to see if he is expecting to get any more plug n play style in stock first... ............but just realised that I have Nav so this option is not feasbale!?

HI all, I'm after an AUX-in adapter for my IS200SE.. Have mailed Prolex about one but no reply yet, not sure if they will be getting any more. Anybody got one they will part with? Or is there an alternative? like building my own? Thanks

Thanks for the advice. Have decided to go for either Tein (TDi have them for £150) or TTE/eibach. Gave Drury Lane a call in Oldham and they quoted £160 to fit and £40 for allignment - seems mighty expensive for fitting 4 springs. what is a reasonable sum to pay for fitting? Thanks for the advice. Have decided to go for either Tein (TDi have them for £150) or TTE/eibach. Gave Drury Lane a call in Oldham and they quoted £160 to fit and £40 for allignment - seems mighty expensive for fitting 4 springs. what is a reasonable sum to pay for fitting?

I have seen some GMAX lowring springs for the IS200 on Ebay. They supposedly lower the car 40mm. Has anybody got these fitted with the standard shocks? They are approx £100 Any advice would be greatfully recieved... If not then will probably go the safe TTE/Eibach -35mm route... In which case, where is the best place to buy them?

Had my car for two weeks with the intention of just buying it and running it..... then I made the fatal mistake of 'just seeing' what can be done to an Is by reading this site..... Oh dear... lets just say, I have already made a list and schedule for quite a bit of work..... Already put some 18's and a rear spoiler on. Some body mods, suspension lowring and supercharger on the horizon me thinks. Ok Mrs lets cancel that wedding :duh:

Hi all, I'm thinking of removing the wired Nokia handsfree kit I have already and installing a parrot MK6000 bluetooth handsfree kit. The added advantage of the Parrot kit (besides working with my new non-Nokia phone)is it will also allow me to play music from my phone through the car stereo speakers. It also inclueds auto mute features and voice recognition. has anyone got any experience of a parrot MK6000? or has anybody else got an alternative they can recommend? Thanks PS its in an IS200 SE

Cheers for the tips. Might take advice and leave it as it is.... :) nothing wrong with too much brake light i suppose!

Thanks for the replies. I presume it unclips from above the parcel shelf? i.e. it needs to be pulled quite firmly? I thought it may have been attached with a clip on the under side (in the boot maybe). Thanks for the tip about the resistor (spoiler lights are LEDs). What size resistor would I need? I may just black the parcel shelf brake light out so it is still functional but not visible..... Thanks