Mark W

Had battery issues on both my GS and SC if left standing for a couple weeks - always flat. I bought an ABXAGM battery part # AX570760 No problems since - It uses Absorbent Glass Mat and is dual cell - using similar tech to marine batteries for longevity plus normal car battery for power output. Definitely be careful as there are lots of battery sites online that state batteries will fit the GS or SC and they don't. (mentioned by other poster too) although the above definitely fits my SC as a perfect fit. Can now leave my car for weeks without any issues.

Magnets - don't work and never will. You'd wonder why the auto industry spends billions of pounds a year on efficiency if it could be solved by a £2 magnet. The only effect they have is psychological - so save yourself some money and just be lighter with your right foot. Petrol - supermarket petrol comes from exactly the same refineries as BP, Shell, Esso or any other oil companies. Its not a cheap version of petrol other than the price and if anyone states any different they are talking crap. In fact, due to the high turnover, it could actually be of better quality than some that has been sitting in a tank of a quiet village station for some time. Quality and maintenance of the tanks are key to the quality but it's always the same stuff that goes into them whether it's Esso, Shell or a supermarket (apart from the already mentioned points of additives)

There is only 2 times I have ever hated driving my Lexus cars and both times were when it snowed. It's not the moving part of driving - it's when you need to stop that they are just uncontrollable. My LS and GS were both pretty much the same. Crawling along without any throttle but touch the breaks gently and you are off - sliding until you hit something. (luckily for me it was always a kerb). For that reason I won't be driving my SC anywhere if it's snowed. Guess it's mainly due to the weight and large tyres - rather than a fault of the car as such and any other car with same will behave in a similar way.

You will be surprised just how many places (including dealers) do not know how to balance wheels correctly. Lexus cars seem particularly susceptible to vibration from wheels that are not perfectly balanced. I spent a fortune in my GS replacing parts, getting the geo done and had the wheels balanced more times than I can remember by at least 10 different places (including 2 Lexus dealers) and never solved the vibration I then took my car to Lexus Derby - and they did the trick - car felt so amazing smooth. A few months later I needed new tyres - bought them online - drove to Lexus Derby - they fitted and balanced perfectly and again no vibration. All was fine until some idiot pulled out on me on dual carriageway and wrote my GS off - I've now got an SC and Lexus Derby will get a visit from me shortly to balance my tyres ;)

I'm now a member of the SC Club :)

Thanks for the info Paul...appreciated

Hi , Looking at 2 SC's Sunday - anything I should take particular attention to other than the usual (and that the roof works ok) ? Read through quite a few posts and doesn't appear to be any common issues (in fact doesn't appear any at all) but would appreciate any input. One will be due cambelt in the not too distant future - How much does a dealer typically charge? Thanks for any advice

It might not be comparable to some of the tom-tom or other devices on the Market in terms of features etc but what I do like is, it's just there - no cables, power issues, loss of GPS signal or suction pad holder marks on your windscreen. Mine never failed me and always got me there. That's what a sat nav should do :-)

Plug in an odb reader and pull the codes. Will help identify - multiple codes (eg 4 or more sensors showing faults) indicates it's likely an issue with the loom for example (bs all 4 sensors failing) Not sure if the 95 LS had seatbelt pre-tensioners? These will also cause the airbag (actually SRS not airbag) warning light to come on. Again multiple failure codes point to a wiring issue rather than a component sensor problem. Finally - don't suggest messing about with it yourself - airbags are dangerous (explosive) and could do you severe harm - get a qualified person to look.

Officially written off today - agreement on price and cheque in post. Decided to opt for a change and looking to add some cash and buy an SC430 instead of another GS So if anyone know of one going, please let me know - gonna have to be ~2003 given the money I have Cheers

My GS officially written off today - fancy a change so in the Market for a SC430 if anyone knows of one going. Looking for ~2003 model given the money I have to spend. Thanks

Sounds to me like you are the main driver. Be very careful.

Got to admit it seems a strange route to charge a phone. Also a theft risk surely? If you really can't charge your phone at work using a plug and have to leave in the car - why don't you just switch it off being as you obviously can't answer it. If you do need to keep on you can get solar power chargers for mobiles from maplins for a few quid - better than hacking away and running cables in your car. However, if you do insist, there's a permanent 12v feed to the stereo (or sat nav if you've got one) you could take a feed from that.

Sorted the car kit - didn't need to remove satnav in the end as all the connectors conveniently located behind the glovebox. Turned out to be quite easy. Wow - sorry to hear you lost yours too - sounds like you come off ok too?

Thanks for all the comments guys. Appears I spoke too soon on the feeling ok. Saturday morning woke up with severe neck pain and it got worse throughout the day. Apparently its normally the case that it takes 24-48 hours to start :( Steve - thanks for the personal number plate info..luckily someone at work pointed it out to me and it was something that I wasnt aware of. You are correct, you need to get a letter from your insurance company stating they have no financial interest in the plate and fill out a retention form on with the DVLA as you point out. Another £105 that im going to have to fork out :( but better than losing the plate. Car is now back on my drive until they collect it - need to get all my stuff out including my Parrot car kit - had it professionally fitted but need to whip it out today. Anyone know how to remove the OEM SatNav as its not obvious and need to get that out to remove my car kit? I'm currently driving for the dark side - theyve given me a brand new Merc E350 Estate....only 36 miles on the clock and that was the guy driving it from the lease place to my house. Nice motor and has more gadgets / tech than I could possibly list...But dont worry, I wont be defecting....Next car WILL be a Lexus :)

Absolutely :)

Thanks guys.......thanks to the build quality and safety features i'm fine. Other than a large bang and the airbags going off I wouldnt have known that I'd been in a crash from the inside. Car did its job as you say. I'm absolutely gutted as I'm 100% sure it will be a write off...Just spent £300 on new tires just over a week ago and the inside/outside was immaculate. Only just under 40mph - but the car literally pulled straight infront of me and stopped. Its only a car....but I'll miss her :(

Well, due to some person not looking where they were turning today, my lexus now looks like the below...... Looks like I'm now in the market for a new car.... :((

Doesn't a flashing airbag light usually mean it's possibly dangerous to drive as a serious fault with airbag? If it's constantly lit- fault but de-activated and not a danger? Suggesting taking out a bulb or covering up is a little irresponsible IMO - an airbag isan explosive device and I would get the fault checked out first.

Engine mgmt light, vsc light and the dreaded beeping sound meaning you going to have a huge bill :-((

Hi Gordon, After having at least 3 replacement boxes I did a little digging around and the main problem (particularly with the original Sky+ boxes) is the hard drive overheats and over time it destroys it. Which isnt surprising as there is no fan (like you get in PC's) and the hard disk is working pretty much 24 hrs a day (as its always recording to allow you to rewind tv at any time) Opened mine up after it failed again, bought a new hard drive (double the capacity) and kept the cover off. Since then (touch wood) not a single problem and that was about 3 years ago.

We ordered a SOT-913 and another lead (can't remember the number of that one) to fit a parrot to a 2004 GS300 with Mark Levinson. I will let you know if it works when they turn up! Just be aware when fitting Parrot kits - They use "French" ISO connections (Crazy I know - but there is a French International Standard !!!) Everything is correct apart from the Ign power and Continuous power - which are reversed. Parrot kit will work - but you'll have no end of problems with it until you correct these. You know you have them the right way around if you get a "goodbye" on the screen (if you have a parrot kit with a screen)

Not a completely fair comparison to your situation - 5 months vs 24 months (and a lot has changed since 2 years ago) plus dealer selling price vs trade in price. Also....Its the cost to change thats important - not the value they put on your car.....taking a car to a dealer to take off your hands is never going to get you the best price for your car. I feel for you, but no dealer wants extra cars on their forecourt at the moment - which is why they offered you an insulting figure - They just dont want it unless they know they can shift very quickly and make a few quid.

Also, having the correct equipment is no good if you have a monkey operating it - I know of 2 places local to me that have the same Hunter Hawkeye equipment as Tony (1 in derby, 1 in Hinckley) and having used them in the past I know they dont do the job - and thats a standard setup for a GS. There are only 2 places in the country I currently trust - and WIM is the closest one for you.

Thats a shame....from your previous posts appears you know your car well and have spent a lot of time on it - shame to start from scratch again with another car.....£600 sounds a little excesssive for a head gasket?? Who do you normally use in Derby? (Know it well as born & bred there)