Haylands

Steve You could buy these of course..... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FACTORY-16-...sspagenameZWDVW Pete

Steve It usually costs more to rechrome than chrome in the first place as you have to remove all the old chrome then mirror polish the wheel before plating, probably be far too much.... just stand further away when you look at them....... Pete

Yes well I never was that good at maths, you are quite right the 85000 mile one should be less than the 95000 mile one but it won't..... I think I confused myself there!!??!?!??! Pete

Hi A couple of links to info on the LS430 if your interested, as Jim said go for the premium pack it has the air suspension as well... http://www.automotive.com/2001/12/lexus/ls...ions/index.html http://www.birmingham101.com/motors/lexusls430.html Pete

Hi See here for DIY replacement, the rest of this site is excellent, you won't be going to bed before midnight tonight!!!! http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/engine/timingbelt.html Good Luck and welcome to the LOC Pete

Steve Clublexus seem to have the answers to these modding questions we keep getting asked.... personally I am aspiring to some chrome wheels.... now where do you leave yours parked????? Pete

Did you mean the other way around? Did you buy yours LPG converted or you have it done ? Hi No I mean a 95000 mile one has just had well over £1000 spent on it for its big 90000 mile service, a 85000 mile one needs it spending very soon.... so the 95000 mile one SHOULD be cheaper but as I said second hand car prices don't work like that.... I converted mine myself, it has a Prins VSI system... see this thread for details http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=49175 Pete

If you want aftermarked wheelies.... try this site in the US, all they do is put big wheels on them and lower them till they hit the ground... but the info is usefull and I like the look even if it is impractical.... http://www.clublexus.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=183 Good Luck Pete

They do eat mileage very well 250,000 with no problems.... A 430 with 100,000 and full Lexus history sounds OK to me if the price is right.... I would get it checked over... HPI'd etc and personally take it for a very long test drive trying it out in all conditions at all speeds... Check pads and discs as well.... One good thing about 100,000 miles is that if it has full Lexus service history the cam belt will have been changed at 90,000 and that costs well into four figures... so ideally a 95,000 mile 430 should be cheaper than a 85,000 mile one but second hand values never work like that.... I'm saving for my cam belt now!!!! Pete

Hi...... Well what a question.... this is my personal view it is not the view of the management or anyone with a late 400.... I had this dilemma as well, in the end I decided the 430 suited me better, it’s quite a bit bigger inside and you sit higher, there are more knobs to play with... I drove both and to me there was a massive difference between them, you could tell that 80% or so of the 430 is new..... I have had mine a 2001 for just over a year now and done 20,000 miles in it (bought with 57000, now has 76000) It has been serviced by Lexus only. Everything on it works, every button does what it should.... I replaced the boot struts when I bought it, apparently these go through lack of use!!! (Cost about £70 for the pair) The only failure I have had in the 20000 miles is one rear bulb!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, nothing else has gone wrong, yes I've put tyres on it and a parrot Bluetooth kit and an IPod adapter but the car itself just works, from the soft close doors and boot to the aircon seats and superb sat nav.... If you can afford a 430 I would go for it, the 400 was a great car but the 430 (In my opinion) is much better.... If you buy one check the following 1, Sat nav disc... has it been updated (latest one is about £130) 2, Does the boot stay up when opened, you have to lift it yourself it doesn't open on its own but it should stay up when fully open.... (£70 for new struts) 3, Tyres.... the inner edges wear, check front tyres on full lock (£70-£150 a tyre depending on make) 4, Check every single button, this should take about an hour..... Do they all work?? Apart from that it’s just the usual second hand car checks, Lexus will inspect a car for you for about £55-£60. I had mine done when I bought it, the only thing they noted was that the high height air suspension setting only raised it 14mm... anyway that was probably due to lack of use as it rises 20mm now... Good Luck I am sure there will be lots of other thoughts on here soon............... You don't say where you are but if you are near Hull and want a look/ride/play with a 430 then let me know... Pete

Hi Don't think you will get much respoce on this UK site, personally I've never heard of Megan's suspension.... don't think you can get it here unless you import it...] Try this USA site they are well into suspension mods...... VIP is king there http://www.clublexus.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=183 Good Luck Pete

Looks looooooovely..... when can you do mine??? Pete

Hi Welcome to the club... can't help with wheels but I have still got these for sale, they may fit your year, the part numbers are there to check http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=49992 Pete

Hi I'm sure I read somewhere about this being due to flat batteries in the wheel sensors, to replace them is very expensive, sorry haven't a clue how to turn it off.... Pete

Here is a picture of mine, its done 115,066,632 miles, had a few problems with the odd nose cone tile... but all fixed now, after all its not rocket science is it??? Pete

Steve I will give you £701 cash for your car now, as is with all its faults............... Pete

Before you decide on just the bushings you have to find out if the ball joint is OK, the arm has two bushings at the back and a ball joint at the front, most of the time if the bushes are badly worn then the ball joint will be on its way out too.... apparently you can't replace the ball joint, its part of the arm.... I expect someone could cut it out and bolt in a replacement but it would not be easy.... Steve, The arms are very easy to replace, I had never done them before, did my brothers on his drive with hand tools and it took under an hour to do both so £160 for labour is well over the top..... Pete

For info my original 2001 DVD was a single layer with 3.8gb, the updated 2007 DVD is a dual layer with 7.5gb and works fine with the earlier system, so I suppose there is more to it than just the size and year of DVD. Just after I bought the car I asked Lexus about an update and the woman said it was imperative that they have all the numbers off the old disc to ensure they supply the correct one, also that you can't update the earlier systems by just changing the DVD. I got the update disc from the on line store... much cheaper than Lexus direct. If anyone is reading this and needs a new disc this is where to get it, they are in Europe but the delivery is very fast. http://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/ Pete

Hi The early and late 430 sat nav systems are very different, they use different hardware, but look similar. That is why you have to specify the year as well as the code numbers to buy a new disc. Your 06 disc will work ok in pre 04 cars, stick it on ebay with all the numbers and see what happens, someone may need one, a lot of people take them from the car when they sell it so people may need one, have seen a few on there and they always seem to sell. Do not offer a refund and give the reason that they can be copied.... I copied mine just in case and it works OK. Pete

Steve Changed my brothers on his 1991 with the "cheap" ones from USA and he is very pleased with them, they looked very "original" if you know what I mean and have been on for about a year now and are still fine, impossible to say how long they will last but as you say the genuine ones are a bit too pricey... I think he got them from ebay.com. If you can;t find them let me know and I'll find out where he got his from, believe it or not he spoke to the woman and paid with a credit card on Wednesday and nearly fell over when they arrived on Friday morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck Pete

Hi Go here.... https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/csmco2/index.jsp It costs £50 to register, which you get back when you win, don't forget loss of earnings i.e your time in dealing with the claim. I have used this on the gas board and electricity suppliers with a good result in the past.... keep copies of everything and get names if you phone anyone. Good Luck Pete P.S. A credit card purchase has to be OVER £100 to qualify for protection.....

Hi all Just back from holls.... took ferry down to Bilboa then drove into France across to the Alps, into Italy and Switzerland, then back up to Calais and the ferry home 2300miles driving, in 8 days, 21 mpg average with four adults and a boot very full... so not too bad..... Anyway when you see this on the sat nav you know you are in for some fun.... Used the "sport" setting for the shocks for the first time in anger.... it does help.... Here is the car posing at about 7000ft up in the Alps, you can see the snow in the distance... Anyway it ran like clockwork, and LPG is so readily available in France it was great to not have to hunt for it... Pete

Hi You can pull them out through the bumper, mine have a small in line connector on the end and there is enough slack to get to it. Had three replaced when it got rear ended earlier in the year the inner ones were just over £200 each and the outer one was a positive bargain at just under £200..... cheaper to employ someone to stand behind you.... Mine is an earlier car though so they may be different... Pete

Hi The early 1uz engine that you have in yours would not be damaged by a cam belt failure, the pistons do not hit the valves if it fails, so although the belt does need changing regularly you do not have to worry too much Pete Hi Pete, thats interesting, i am under the assumption that most engines destroy themselves with cambelt failure . i.e.. pistons and valves bent . So how does lexus design a engine that overcomes this failing and then not use it in later models !!! it does not make sense, would it be a cost issue maybe . but then they just wouldnt have used it it the first place. I think im looking at it to simply maybe lol cheers steve. Steve It’s all down to design. In some engines when the valves are fully open they are below the upper level of the pistons when they are fully up.... this doesn't matter when the camshaft is connected to the crankshaft as the valves are never fully open when the pistons are fully up, however when a cambelt snaps the camshaft and hence the valves stop moving and the pistons keep moving, if the camshaft stopped in the "WRONG" place then there is serious damage to the pistons and valves, sometimes its just a few slightly bend valves if you are lucky, In the early 400 engine the valves and pistons don't get near each other, I can't answer why, I don't know I would imagine it is something to do with combustion chamber design, swirl pots, valve timing or valve overlap. All these things make a difference to the power and torque characteristics of an engine and how the manufacturer wants the engine to be, I don't think sense comes into it, it is more important to them to get the engine right and leave it up to others to ensure it is serviced correctly. There are quite a few engines that do not get destroyed with cambelt failure but the garages never mention this so people get paranoid about damage, I did see a list somewhere once but I can't find it at the moment. Pete

Hi The early 1uz engine that you have in yours would not be damaged by a cam belt failure, the pistons do not hit the valves if it fails, so although the belt does need changing regularly you do not have to worry too much Pete