passman53

Hello, For the last two years i've happily driven my mk 4 LS and prior to that a mk 3. No problems, no unexpected bills, just put in petrol. Now i'm in the position to change for something a little bit newer. Until recently I just expected to get myself a LS430 however I've been reading about electrical problems and worse still the saga of the rear height sensors-sounds expensive. I doubt if I can afford dealer prices so its unlikely I will have any sort of warranty. If I go for a GS 430 I can avoid the potential Height sensor problem BUT, my wife -who can barely tell a Mini from a Merc- took a look at a GS and said "oh thats nowhere near as imposing is it? It's up to you though." So What would you do? LS or GS either way my number plates not going to be right either

Hello, As you can see I currently run a ls400, but have been offered a GS430 Sport at what i think is a reasonable price, (£4k). The car is a 2004(54) and has done 137k which shouldn't be a problem. It's had just one careful owner--West Mercia Police. It has a full service history at a Lexus dealership. The snag is that the radio/stereo unit has been removed so that extra equipment could be fitted and now the police stuff has been taken out there is a big hole left behind. Has anyone any idea if an original unit -perhaps from a breakers, would be much of a job to fit or are there any coversion parts available to fit after market products. I haven't had a chance to see what wiring is or isn't there. OR should I just walk away and look for another car which would be older (at that price), but all there?

I have a Mk 4 and at the speeds you say would expect to get at least 28/30 on mainly dual carriageways. The LS is very good on fuel (for its size), obviously not so good in town when realistically it will increase its consuption to 18/20. I don't find any difference on fuel in power rather than economy mode. The tank capacity is 18.5 galls/85 litres.

The good news is that the car should not be due for any major service items at that mileage. The cam belt should have been changed at 63,000 or 7 years. The not so good news is that the car (in my opinion) is overpriced. I paid £3,500 for my 98 LS 2 years ago and would not pay more than £2,500 for one the same year now.

Hi Guys, Fitting these is quite a simple job. Raise the front of the car for easier access and simply turn the wheels to full lock. The wheel arch liner does not have to be removed but can be be freed at the front and pulled back to give more room. The parts you need are held on by (from memory) 5, 10mm nuts which were removed with a 1/4 drive socket. You get at the nuts from above. When I changed mine the car was 12 years old and all came undone. (You may need a quick spray of WD40). It is a bit of a fiddle to line up the bolts and holes when re fitting, but certainly not difficult. It's a couple of years since I did the job, but I'm sure it was no more than 1-2 hours max. I seem to remember that Jellybean had the same query and I think he said the parts were around £35-£40 per side. On the 95 car (Mk 3)it was certainly seperate pieces. I've never changed the alternator but I'm sure it's much harder than this!

I have to say that both my current mk4 and previous mk 3 have brakes that don't inspire confidence when I first tried them- feels like quite a lot of pedal movement before much happens(compared to some other cars), but when I've needed to stop quickly they've never given me any worry. I think it may just be a matter of getting used to them.

I'm with Graham on this. I think my Mk 4 is great but i'm willing to do a straight swap for his 430! Just about the only thing I'm not too keen on, is that mine has gold badges-though I haven't bothered to change them.

Welcome, car looks really good.

If it's a genuine disc, it's a real bargain.

Is this ok or am i gonna be doing some serious damage to my car? Hello. You have actually lowered the gear ratios slightly so you will have increased the fuel consumption as at a given speed you will be doing more revs. It will accelerate slightly quicker for the same reason. However the differences will be very small and will not cause any problems. The wheels are the same as I had on my Mk111 with 225/55 tyres. The sat nav may be out a little on the distances

I have L40 OPD and for the last three years have had it on the car as L400 PD (guess my initials). I have never had any problems as the font is clear and ANPR can read it. My local MOT guy insists I put correct plates on when he MOTs it. Says there just maybe some jobsworth around who would report him if the plate isn't spaced properly.

I got a 2007/2008 cd from www.Cheaptoyotaparts.co.uk about 3 months ago. Cost £109. Much better than the old one which I think was the original, but still has the limitations of being a cd system. Still at least I can drive on the M6 toll now without the sat nav thinking i'm in a field.

If it's any help I had a mk 3 on 17" wheels and 225/55 tyres which seemed fine at 32psi. This gave even wear and didn't seem to make any difference to the ride or noise.

Hi, My 400 sat nav wants to send me the shortest route. I don't know the area you mention, is it possible that this is the same thing? Shortest doesn't always mean quickest or easiest though.

This is going to sound really stupid but, have you had the rear wheels balanced too?

[Hi Totally agree with the first bit above, you can always get a quick take off as opposed to trying to balance a fierce clutch with all that power, if you can get the jump on them and they bog down just a bit then you usually win.... Regarding the second comment that must be the market sector Lexus aimed at and are you my brother?? Hi Pete, No I'm sure we're not related though I have relations in Selby. Sad to say that my brother drives a Hyundai but I am working on him.

The thing is the Subaru driver has to be really good, get every gear change spot on and change at exactly the right revs etc to get his 5 second 0-60 time. In the LS you only have to hold your right foot down. I read years ago that very , very few owners would achieve the times of a road tester, simply because he wouldn't risk wrecking his own car. 0n most roads(with bends), I would certainly not expect the LS to beat the Subaru. It is fun against all these kids with Saxos, Fiestas etc with big exhausts at the lights, though being a grey haired, middle aged(old) fat bloke, I really should know better.

Hope you are enjoying your new car. My aerial goes up whenever the CD,Tape or Radio is on but not by simply turning the key. My previous Mk3 only extended with the radio on. I got a 2007/2008 sat nav cd from Cheaptoyotaparts last month for £116. ( local Lexus dealer was talking around £150). This now means I can drive on the M6 toll and not through fields as the old cd thought I was doing. As Pete has said you cannot search by post code, I think this is due to the fact that you can't get as much information on a cd as the newer dvd based systems. My lady hasn't got a name.

Passman; you mean the Mk THREE was introduced in 95.....John Lawley; send me your email address and I'll send copies of an article on the changes. You've STILL got a great car! Ooooops again, yes you're right Chris.

Ooops wrong button, i'll try again. The mk 2 was introduced in Jan 1995, but obviously some mk 2 were in the sytem so registered after that date.. You have 240 bhp, the mk3 had 260 and the mk4 280. If you go on to Lexus UK site and click on approved used vehicles you can get up the specs of the different models.

Doh! thanks, when did they start making the mk3? may/june '95? does this mean mines 240bhp not 280bhp? thanks.

Sorry but that is a mk 11 not a mk 111. you need to know as a lot of bits are not the same and you don't want to order the wrong thing.

Open the boot and by the boot seal at the side of the outer lights are two round plastic covers(10p size), pop these out, they have a small slot for a screwdriver and undo the scews behind. Then gently pull out the lights. Hold the edge where they meet the rear wing and keep them straight as you pull as the have plastic lugs locating them. It's a 5 minute job. :winky:

According to my handbook there is no code set at the factory, it's up to the owner to put one in if he wishes, I assume that in the past someone has done just that. The problem is that to turn the security system off, you first have to enter the code-- which you don't have. It appears that you can have 10 attempts to enter the code before the system becomes "completely inoperable" at this point the book refers you to your Lexus dealer, (so they can do something for you, at a price). I can't see the point of setting the code as the system is no good to anyone without a Lexus and we wouldn't pinch one would we! Have you just bought the car and inherited the previous owners problem? If not I can't understand why the previous owner has no knowledge of the code or the problem.

Oh dear, I'm afraid that mine has the "cheesy" gold badge option. Could this account for the difference in size? (If I'd bought it from new I would have had the chrome too).