Big Den

No physical difference just updated version

There is a little cutout in the panel under the steering column to thge left of the bonnet release, socket has a plastic cap over it.

Not sure about the Mk1 but Mk2 has plug on drivers side down by the bonnet release at the bottom of the steering column, there is also a Toyota one under the bonnet but Toyotas own configuration. Not sure what year it came in but after a certain year all manufacuters were obliged to fit OBD sockets as standard.

I think its fair to say that since asbestos was taken out of the pads they and the discs do not last as long as they used to, it seems almost par for the course to have to replace discs every 2-3 years. I also think the quality of the disc metal is not what it used to be either.

I chopped in a 328 for the Lexus after trying Mercs, Saabs and so far no problems. Although i enjoyed the BM and fuel was not so much an issue they are not built to the same standard as Lexus and everyman and his dog has one. My mate has his own car electronics / fuel injection business and although he drives a Merc he rates the 330D Bm very highly and he chips them which apparently makes then fly. My rating for reliability would be : Lexus BMW Saab Merc This is on my experiences although i have owned over 300 cars (and 18 bikes) i have not owned many Jap cars.

Not sure about engine noise could be many things even the power steering pump ? Noise from the front could be a wheel bearing but it would have to be pretty bad to give a grinding noise, you could jack the car and spin the wheel and grab top and bottom of tyre moving back and forth to check for play in the bearing, this would also tell you if the disc's / pads are at fault sticking calipers, pads down to metal . Make sure you jack it safely and remember you are checking for play in the bearing not trying to push ther car over

Without looking, if there is no obvious adjustment on the catch (unusual) are there rubber bungs at either side on the front edge of the bonnet ? if so these can be screwed in a bit to lower the front of the bonnet. Sounds like the bonnet latch may not be catching as well so check the diameter of the bar on the underside of the bonnet, get a screwdriver with the same diameter and press it into the catch to see if it holds/locks it if not sounds like the catch is u/s.

Had the same problem after changing plugs and cleaning the inlet manifold but mine was idling @ 1500, tried giving it a blast down the road then disconnected the battery for 5 mins, still no good, pulled off the grey plug and idle settled to normal so new it was something to do with the TPS. It was going into Lexus for a check the next day so left it for them to sort, by the time i drove there it was fine, they checked it and all was back to normal. Pretty sure ecu has self learning mode, just seemed to take longer than i thought, maybe i have a thick car

Mine has the jolt too and it has just been in to Lexus who could not find it, i suspect it maybe something to do with the fueling/idle speed as when coming to a stop in traffic or junction then accelerate away there is a delay in drive taking up and then a jolt when the gearbox kicks into drive. I was hoping a gearbox oil change would fix it.

I would say its a reasonable assumption, if they are down to min thickness they would be more prone to warping, mine are down to min, just ordered replacements. Havent got the judder but the braking is not very good and they had new pads 3k ago. Checking for warping is done with deflection gauge, most people won't have one you could take the wheel off and spin the disc and if its bad you might see it by eye. I would go for new discs an pads as you need them anyway and hope that cures it.

What year is it? 1998 How long have you owned it? 3 weeks Did it come with Full Lexus History? yes from new Have you had any problems with the ABS pump? No although it maks a lot of wirring when turning on the ignition, presume this is it charging up

Aido, i at least have a starting point, i will use the offset calculator now i have original settings, many thanks

No one has an opinion, dont believe it

I am looking at a set of 7x17 5x114 ET40 wheels for my 98 series 2, can anyone tell me if these are gonna be ok as i don't want to mess this up. cheers

can't see any problem buying tyres from the interwebnet, just make sure they are a reputable company, such as mytyres. disclaimer: other online tyre shops are also avaliable. £465 is for 4 x alloy wheels with tyres fitted, £436 is just for tyres from local place, so basically i can get a set of wheels with tyres for £30 more

Will do. Has anyone tried www.alloywheels.com ? for example they are doing a wolfrace Kantana 17" for the GS300 with tyres for £465. I have been quoted 16" P6000 tyres for £436 but the tyre/wheel place warned me about buying wheels/tyres from the tinternet as they said they could be dodgy wheels and may not fit the car, scare mongering ? Presume if i go from 16" to 17" the speedo will be slightly out ?

Hi Guys, i have looked at the spec sheet for my car and it says it should have 235/45 R17 tyres but is actually fitted with 255/55ZR16's. All four need replacing due to perishing presumably because the car has done very little miles (53k on a 98 plate). I am a bit confused with all this offset stuff but am going to ring round for a set of tyres but if they are £100 odd each i have found a wheel website that does a set of four alloys with tyres for £555. Do i trust the supplier to deliver the correct wheels for the car or do i tell them the correct offsets etc. ? wadda you think

Cheers Rikos, i can go home now with peace of mind, never seen that on forums before, seems fair enough but you can understand where someone could get slightly paranoid only seeing it on their panel :o :o :D

go on then what are they for ? i am having a thick day , new child no sleep an all that

Me again, Mr Moderator, just noticed something under my avatar "warn" and some % and blue squares, check two latest newbies and they don't have them. Just interested to know what they are for ? Are you expecting me to be naughty ? and this is a warning gauge

Had mine a week and not looking good, done 156 miles and half a tank gone mostly 50 mile round trip to work (Birmingham) so A roads and city. Is that 13mpg ? ***** didn't think it was going to be much worse than 328 BMW but looks like i was wrong. Don't rely on the gauge, instead see how much it takes to refill the tank. Mine usually has the light on for 'low fuel' but when you refill it, it only takes 60 litre or so - meaning there was still 15 in the tank despite the panic lights being on! So don't rely on when the needle says half-full for meaning you've actually used up half a tank. Incidentally, these cars have 75 litre tanks. So half tank = 37.5 litres = 8.25 gallons. 156 / 8.25 = just under 19mpg. So not quite as bad as you thought, anyway! Plus it's probably used less than that, it reality, so you're likely doing comfortably over 20. Didn't realise the tank was that big ! Thanks Mike usefull to know, the light was on when i bought it and it took 62ltrs to fill so that tallys up.

Has anyone checked the service schedule at main dealers ? on both A & B services all they do is the oil and filters the rest are "checks" anything else is extra and the customer is advised if anything else is due or needs doing. When quoted £422 for a B service at Lexus Coventry i thought this would include everything that was due at the miles covered ie 63k cam belt, spark plugs etc. but no all are extra. So i am happy when its time to sell the car i would point out to any prospective buyer that all the scheduled servicing has been done by X garage because Lexus don't actually do anything but oil changes and charge a fortune for anything else. Wouldn't be so bad if they had cheaper rates for older cars. Other option is to just have A services to get the stamp and get everything else done at local garage.

Had mine a week and not looking good, done 156 miles and half a tank gone mostly 50 mile round trip to work (Birmingham) so A roads and city. Is that 13mpg ? ***** didn't think it was going to be much worse than 328 BMW but looks like i was wrong.

Seen em on Eblag

I wil take the advice on the alignment. One more befor i move to main forums, spoke to a guy i know today , he used to work 4 a big dealer network which had 2 Lexus franchises. He said that if they had a Lexus in as a px he was told by his collegues at Lexus not to give proper money for one with gold badges !! He doesn't remember why but has anyone heard of this and if so the reasons for it ?