Mark W

most the myths about plasma TVs are untrue - especially with newer technology and the lifetime of a plasma typically matches that of an LCD. Without any regassing my son has a 42 plasma in his bedroom and is never off his playstation plus regularly forgets to switch it off- no problem with screen burn yet -

personally I don't think you can beat a plasma for the bright rich and vivid colours- no LCD tv I've looked at ever seems to look as deep and the contrast just doesn't seem to be there. I'd stick with plasma - but that's just me. Plus the heat they give out saves you turning the fire on in winter ;0))

8k plus your old car way too much...didn't pay 8k for my 430 se navigator a year ago when fuel was somewhat cheaper than it is now- and didn't trade in my old car. similar mileage/age - interior and exterior spotless. walk away and wait - I've seen an ls400 on a forecourt last year for 8k and been watching the price fall - had to drop to 3995 before eventually shifted last month garage prob not happy because I originally offered him 6k before i got my gs and he turned it down unfortunate for us owners but prices have fell, but I just look at the car and see it is exactlyvthe same as when I bought it and I intend to keep a long time. I'm obviously tired as I'm waffling - but 8k + your car - he's making a killing!

get the code read at a garage and it will tell you where the issue is. Could be a number of things from your symptoms but o2 sensor sounds a likely culprit. but until you get the codes read your stabbing in the dark

skoda felicia

Think stealers charge around £150 for the 02 and £175 for the geometry at full whack......which aligns with your charge.... >£100 /hr and it doesnst take much to hit big numbers....

the 450 without a doubt....sure I read somewhere the hybrid section is covered by 100k warranty ? I currently have a 430 and drove a new 300 for 3 days last week. Lovely car but definately lacked the power I was used to...didn't quite feel as refined either. don't get me wrong....I wouldn't say no...but if given the choice I'd choose the 450.... Although it could cost you points on your licence without trying ;0)

Right - eventually fixed mine - plugs out - plugs back in again - now running as smooth as anything - no change when I turn on/off the aircon and slightly rises revs for about 2 seconds when I drop into N or P and then drops back down again - throttle response is now super quick and I no longer have that delayed feeling anymore - press the pedal and go.... shes off ;o)) Now always revs at 550 when at a standstill and absolutely no judder/wobble whatever I'm doing....guess the last place didnt quite fit them correctly Well chuffed ;o)))

nice link maneesh i'll be downloading some of those ;o) Bought mine a couple of weeks ago - excellent piece of kit - although I wonder why everyone is crazy on unlocking from o2? £35 / month for 600 minutes / 500 texts, unlimited data and free access to The Cloud and BT Openzone wireless hotspots. Struggle to get a deal like that on any other network anyway wouldnt you?

On the car....

Think these are the ones....but I'll double check at lunch http://www.ozracing.com/at-team/wheels/rac...erturismo-gt/en

If I get a stock set then yes - they'll be up for sale. I'll pop out at lunch ant take a piccie. I dont have a picture of the stock wheels for my GS - I'm at a stealers tomorrow so I'll find out if they are suitable though (correct offset etc) Are they in decent condition?

Wishful thinking but anyone got a set of stock rims & tyres for a GS430 they are willing to sell? 235/45 x 17 Bought the car with 18 inch OZ racing rims - look good - but prefer stock rims on my car.

Its all part of the cunning ploy - Increase duty on fuel, increase Road Fund Licence, Tax you on Insurance, Increase the MOT, take out any section of dual carriageway and replace one lane with a bus lane and finally ensure the roads are in that bad state of repair that it damages your car so you incur more cost. You can then try and argue with the people that the local council have employed using the Council tax money that you have paid. We can then all go back 50 years in time where only the really wealthy can afford to buy and run cars and anyone else is forced to use public transport - Which is such a pleasant experience nowadays - with opportunities to be spat on, kicked and punched by groups of 15 year olds who then cant be prosecuted because of their age. Parthiban - really sorry about your rims - I'd be gutted - and hope you get somewhere in getting back the money you paid for them. I'd also go for some comensation of time spent having to resolve and re-fit.

Have you tried leaving in "N" for several seconds - When I drop mine into N - revs rise for a time - then ECU must compensate as revs gradually drop back down again - its then I get the "wobble". I wouldnt condone trying to atrificially raise the idle speed - For at least 2 reasons; 1) Increase on consumption 2) Theres probably a "fault" somewhere and I think doing that would just mask the problem. Which in turn prob means you are always running inefficiently - you just dont experience the wobble due to the increased revs and the frequency at which the fault is occuring.

35 quid! bargain for hids are non auto levelling hid setups not illegal though?

resetting ecu made absolutely no difference to mine. also goes away (or less noticeable) when a/c on due to higher revs if you drop in neutral does it get worse? going to get the plugs changed next week-definitely thinking one is duff or not been fitted right. if it fixes will report back driving me nuts cause no one else (even a stealer) notices- but definitely there

Looks like mine went at the "right" time then....I suppose its the price we pay for a relatively rare car - not many in breakers yards and when the new price is so high for a part - they've latched onto it. You may want to check a little more into the US part number and whether it will fit - I did hear that Lexus changed the design in ~2001 for a larger version that supposedly doesnt exhibit the same issues - maybe thats the new part number rather than the version you have - I'm only guessing - and dont know even then if its suitable for the car as other things may have changed - but for the price differential I'd certainly do a bit more investigative work. As I said, PM me if you need help in getting it shipped....I can prob save you something.

Estonia ;o)

Mine had a recon unit fitted in 2006 - £350 +vat + fitting so worth asking around in UK. PM me before you consider flying out to the US - I may be able to help.....

If you are claiming on insurance then why are you concerned about the cost? (or are you worried ins company will write off but you want to keep the car? - but even so - you could look at buying it back) Also - I'd prefer to have the work done at a dealer than an independent if given the choice. I'm guessing the other vehicle involved also had a reasonable amount of damage too? - so by you saving a little would it make much difference to the overall payout?

All pretty hard to conceal - O2 sensors (if faulty) will give MIL on display, Master brake cylinder will make strange noises you cant miss.....but these assume they are already gone......just be wary buying a car around 100K mark if these havent been replaced recently. Can't completely comment on the age vs mileage - but from experience and reading lots of forums - 100K seems to be the magic number - irrespective of age for these type of things.

I put mine in snow mode when the wife drives it - and she prefers it - normally driving a 1.6 focus she tends to be a little heavy footed in mine and dont want to end up in a ditch. Power I tend to use when doing stop/start driving as makes it a little more responsive and stops it changing down too quick. Other than that - In "normal" mode all the time.

Not 430 specific but as you are considering a mkII - Make sure you take it for a good run above 60mph and dont get any vibration - MkII very sensitive around 60mph and you can spend a fortune trying to resolve (because so many different things can effect - dont just assume wheel balancing) Brake master cylinder tends to go around 100K mark - very expensive for part - (again thats MkII related rather than just 430). Also check O2 sensors as these tend to give up around the 100K mark too - OEM parts not cheap and theres 4 (2 x pre, 2 x post cat) And as its a V8 - Spark plug changes are not cheap - plus its COP so 8 coils too. Once youve driven one - you'll be hooked by the sheer power - thrown in the back of your seat when you hit the pedal at whatever speed you are doing and they just keep on accelerating ;o) Loads of torque at low revs means you dont have to thrash it either. Only time I've not enjoyed driving it - In the snow....even in "Snow" mode - You dont feel like youve got any control of the car at all - but any rear wheel drive car is a pig in that situation. Fuel consumptin - I'm getting around 23mpg - I do 80 miles/day to/from work on mostly dual carriageway/motorway - but I'm not exactly light footed. Ive had around 27mpg out of it when I drive sedately - Around town or start/stop driving - mine often drops below 18mpg.

Small !!! accident ??? At 4.3K its worth losing any no-claims bonus anyway.....its never going to cost you that much extra. If out of the 4300, only 1600 is labour - most your cost appears to be parts related - and guess you'll need Lexus parts for most if not all of that so poss not going to be able to save much. Also - check the quote includes VAT - otherwise you could be looking at over the 5k mark. How old is the car?