Haylands

A change in circumstance means the LS430 is now up for sale... see the for sale section... Offers invited..

You should be able to see if the bushes need changing, they are viewable with just a bit of jacking up. If they are well worn you will have a similar feel to warped discs, a pulsating pedal...

If they look like this they will need changing...

FYI, I change brake fluid every three years and coolant at 5 years, makes me feel better....!!

On 2/8/2019 at 7:12 PM, jdanielca said:

Toyota does not make bushings alone 

Indeed, Febest are an OEM manufacturer...

Just a word of warning, I tried to change just bushes in the bottom arms of the 460, the arm broke before the bushing came out... they are very awkward to do...!! 

Look at the condition of the wheels, I know Lexus wheels suffer from corrosion but they are awful....!!!

I'd rather fit the LPG myself as you never know what some cowboy has done, very easy to make a car work on LPG, just overfuel it everywhere.... it'll run nice till it knackers the engine...!!! 

There is a link in my signature strip...

Good luck with the search...

That sounds like a car that has lived near the coast and will be rotten throughout, if rust has got to the stage of being on an advisory then it will be everywhere... My advice.. walk away... Mine has no visible rust anywhere underneath...

Thanks for the thoughts guys, yes cancer is a PITA, hopefully she will beat it again then we can go back west and sit and sip cocktails on the poop deck...

As to the steering wheel I love it more the more I drive it, the last time I changed a wood wheel was on the old CL500 I had, I then wrapped the rest of the real wood in genuine fake carbon wrap.... now do I have the gonads to do that to the Lexus...!!!!!

I used to be a wood and Marmite man but the splinters really got me down......!!

Make sure you take it for a good testdrive to see if you like it, I went from a 430 to a 460 and really didn't like the car... the 430 (and400) drive like a Mercedes, IMHO the 460 is totally different and drives like a BMW... nothing wrong with it but the ethos of the car is totally different and won't suit everyone...

Watch this video of my 460 with a worn strut, do this test on all four corners WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING, it should be like the first side I bounced...

The front two were gone as well, this, along with electrical issues with the display and the fact I didn't like driving it LED me to sell it on...

So just make sure you like driving it....

13 hours ago, The-Acre said:

Sorry to hear of your wife's predicament, mine went through chemo and radiotherapy 5.5 years ago, not nice, but fully recovered now thank God.  As for something less important like a steering wheel, a very nice job but I love the look and feel of wood!  Interestingly, I also love marmite, and have consumed some not 15 mins ago!👍

It would be a boring old world if we all liked the same thing, me, I'm a leather and Marmite man......  LoL....

2 minutes ago, jonthetourist said:

Sorry to hear that Peter. Hope she gets a rapid and full recovery. My dad has just been diagnosed with his third cancer but I was up in Yorkshire this weekend driving him to Goathland for his 90th birthday party. He loves being driven in the Lexus 😊
 

So the boat plan is working out for you then? Good to hear.

Jon

Yes, we love it, just got it fixed from the damage caused by Hurricane Michael and she is sat in a Marina being looked after by friends..

3 minutes ago, jonthetourist said:

Interesting, as always. Shouldn't you be island hopping in the Gulf of Mexico at the moment rather than scraping frost off the car this morning?

Jon

Yes but unfortunately my wife has been diagnosed with cancer for the second time so we had to come home early..., she had an operation last week and is feeling fine, we are waiting to see if she needs chemo, we plan to go back out as soon as we can... the wheel retrim was a present so I sort of had to do it... fitting it in around my nurse maid duties... !!

Well the next mod to mine is bound to cause a few raised eyebrows, it is certainly a Marmite issue.....

Wooden steering wheels..... My 2p worth....

I hate them, I can think why anyone would want to hold something so hard and cold, the steering wheel should be tactile and a pleasure to hold, after all it is the one part of the car you touch the most, a wood wheel is hard all the time, they are usually thinner than a leather one and this makes it worse, your hands sweat on them in summer and they are freezing in the winter, they serve absolutely no purpose and are just a fashion icon... 

And the only thing I hate more than a wooden wheel is a wood and leather one...!!! Another 2p....

They remind you what a decent wheel would feel like but then ruin it with wood where you need to touch it... If you let the wheel feed through your hands it sticks and then runs free depending on which bit passes through your hands.... 

So you have probably guessed what I've done....

Gone from this... (Google pic but you get the idea...!!)

To this....

I had it recovered in leather by http://royalsteeringwheels.com/ They charged around £160 and it took a couple of weeks...

It is about as close a colour match as you can get and it feels superb.... I really like it... if it's not to your taste they can just do the leather parts

IF ANYONE WANTS TO BORROW MY SPARE WHEEL THEN LET ME KNOW...

I have put a brief rundown on how to remove the wheel on my build thread.. 

Well the next mod is bound to cause a few raised eyebrows, it is certainly a Marmite issue.....

Wooden steering wheels..... My 2p worth....

I hate them, I can think why anyone would want to hold something so hard and cold, the steering wheel should be tactile and a pleasure to hold, after all it is the one part of the car you touch the most, a wood wheel is hard all the time, they are usually thinner than a leather one and this makes it worse, your hands sweat on them in summer and they are freezing in the winter, they serve absolutely no purpose and are just a fashion icon... 

And the only thing I hate more than a wooden wheel is a wood and leather one...!!! Another 2p....

They remind you what a decent wheel would feel like but then ruin it with wood where you need to touch it... If you let the wheel feed through your hands it sticks and then runs free depending on which bit passes through your hands.... 

So you have probably guessed what I've done....

Gone from this... (Google pic but you get the idea...!!)

To this...

I had it recovered in leather by http://royalsteeringwheels.com/ They charged around £160 and it took a couple of weeks... It is about as close a colour match as you can get and it feels superb....

If you want to know how to change or remove the wheel, read on....

I bought a cheap wheel from eBay for about £20, it is in terrible condition but was still round and worked, I sent mine to be covered so they would have the colour (the one I bought was a beige one) my wheel had a lot of crazing on the wood part of the rim, not sure if this was an impact or sun damage but the colour had been sun bleached 

To remove the wheel first disconnect the Battery and wait a few minutes for the capacitor in the airbag to lose charge..

Use a trim tool to remove the piece of trim around the cruise knob, it has fixings front and back that will just unclip with a bit of persuasion.. you will then see the T30 torx screw on that side... The bright silver screw...

Then you have to remove the switch panel on the other side, place you finger where mine is in this picture and you can feel an edge, it doesn't take much to pop the switch panel off, it's only the top bit that comes off...

This is what comes off, don't worry the rest is fine as it is and no bits will fall out...

Then you can see the airbag bolt that side, the bolts are tight so be careful you don't slip off and damage something with the spanner..

When they are both undone (they are held captive so they won't fall out) you can lift off the airbag, just turn it over, top towards you and unclip the horn wire from the bottom, you then have to remove the two airbag connections that look like this...

You have to prize up the yellow tag in the middle, I used a fine screwdriver, they are an all plastic plug so no bother with shorting it out or effecting it with static...

This shows the yellow tag on the orange connection where it needs to be to remove the plug, pull the plug straight up off the airbag, I used a small plastic trim tool to prize it off... remove both of them and put it somewhere safe...

You then have this in front of you...

To remove the wheel unplug the connector at the top of the wheel that goes to the squib (clock spring) then undo the 19mm nut but leave it on a few turns, make sure the wheel is straight, grab it both sides and yank it quickly to remove it from the splines, mine came off reasonable easily, if yours doesn't then a cheap three prong puller would work... Remove the wheel feeding the airbag wire through the wheel..

You are then left with this...

DO NOT PLAY WITH THE SQUIB, DO NOT TURN IT....

It is like a clock spring inside and will only tolerate turning a few turns each way, if you turn it you can damage or snap the wires inside and they are not cheap to replace...

I then took the wheel apart to send it off but you can send it as is, if you want to take it apart it is easy to do, just take some pictures so you route the wires correctly on reassembly.

Refitting is the above in reverse, if you put the wheel on a couple of splines out and it's not straight when you drive it, don't go far before you correct it, the clock spring is a steering wheel sensor as well and it will through fault codes if it's not straight....

That's it... 

IF ANYONE WANTS TO BORROW MY SPARE WHEEL THEN LET ME KNOW...  

On 3/20/2019 at 1:30 PM, The-Acre said:

I'd be surprised if it was just for the phone as the pre-facelift had the same aerial but no Bluetooth.

Seems to be..!!

On further reading it appears to be part of the Lexus Link System, there is a separate emergency GPS module in the boot... I presume it is like the GM onstar system, probably only offered in the USA... 

5 hours ago, The-Acre said:

No, the old base stays, you just remove the stick, so no work to be done inside the car. The wire from the original aerial is soft, like the outer part of coaxial cable so that simply connects to the new one, then it all fits inside the shell of the shark fin.  This was mine taken yesterday morning.

 

Cheers, according to the manual it's a phone aerial so I don't think it's used anyway...

I have ordered one... 

Thanks Phil, I presumed you would have to take the old one completely off and that means removing the headlining...!!! The plastic on mine has just died, it's flaking off...!!! I shall copy your great idea, cheers...

On 11/18/2018 at 3:22 PM, The-Acre said:

After having my roof aerial chewed off three times I replaced it with a plastic shark fin which looked really good, this morning footprints on the car and a hole chewed in the aerial!  This is driving me nuts.  Looking at the prints I would say it's a cat.  Now I've got to park on the street!  Maybe it's coat hanger time.

 

Phil, how is your new aerial..?? Can I ask how the original one comes off and what type of sharks fin one you used to replace it..?? Cheers.. 

Well it's been a few months since I posted an update, a lot has gone on....

I bought my wife and I a Lexus each as we are planning on being snowbirds for 6 months a year and spend winters in warmer climes on our boat... we left in October and spent the last 3 months there but have had to come home unexpectedly..... I hoped that two Lexuses (Lexi..!!??) would wait happily on our drive and work when we got back, I thought long and hard about preparation for leaving them, Battery conditioners etc but in the end just disconnected the batteries and left them alone.... Both started first time when we returned and both have no faults or other issues, even the batteries had enough in them to not need a jump... I took them both for a good drive to get them nice and hot before they were left and this resulted in the tyres flat spotting which took several miles to go until they were warm again... I did think at least they wouldn't have to get covered in salt as we shouldn't have been home till the end of March but alas they are both now covered in salt.....

We left our boat in Panama City, Florida earlier last year, it was fully shrink wrapped and looked like this...

We got back a week after Hurricane Michael, a few miles away from the boat the wind was recorded at 202mph...!!! Our boat looked like this on our return, apparently shrink wrap is good for about 120mph......

Substantial cosmetic damage and no canvas left.... a lengthy insurance claim followed...

But I digress, that is another story... back to the Lexus...

We had to go to London before we left and attend the American Embassy to obtain visas as we would be in US waters longer than an ESTA allows... we drove down in the 430 and ended up sat in traffic for a while, all appeared well until I pulled away, as the gearbox changed into second it felt like we had been rear ended, the jolt was very violent... it then seemed to change to third okish but you could tell something was wrong... We pulled over and I had a look.... There was a lot of oil all around the front of the front undertrays, nothing dripping, just damp, it transpired that one of the genuine "Jubilee Clips" I had used for the new gearbox oil cooler had failed, it sort of peeled apart, never had it happen before and I always use genuine Jubilee when I can as I have always found them excellent...!! This had let gearbox oil out and the box was now low on oil and hot.... Presuming that the gearbox was now ruined anyway, we carried on and left the Lexus in the Hotel car park for a couple of days, we had a nice time being London tourists and secured our 10year Visas and drove home late in the day to reduce traffic, the 430 drove "ok" but not right, changes were noticeable but she never slipped... I set the cruise for 60 and 200 miles later we were home...

Garage visit the next day confirmed my thoughts and it is amasing how much of a mess a few liters of oil will make... The undertrays and most of the lower half of the engine were covered in it, took several hours to clean it off... The leak was found and repaired and I drained the gearbox, on removing the sump plug about a cupful came out... Having read that most people get something a little over 3 liters out I pumped three liters of the correct fluid back in to keep me going while I sourced a new box or rebuild kit....

To my absolute astonishment the drive home was as if nothing had happened, the first couple of changes, as I left the garage, were harsh but then they smoothed out and were back to being virtually imperceptible by the time I got home... We had another long trip the following weekend and were going to take the IS but we chanced the 430 and it did 400+ miles with no issues at all.....

I have since dropped the oil in the sump and changed it a couple of times to change some more oil and it is more red than brown now....

I also fitted one of these, I have used them before and found them to help autoboxes, it is an inline oil filter with a magnet and a bypass should it get blocked, I fitted it in the oil cooler lines just to introduce two more Jubilee clips to fail....lol....

It has now done around 2,000 miles since and is changing gear better than it ever did...!! I imagine it has affected the longevity of the gearbox but there is no point changing it now, it looks like I dodged a bullet for now.....

The only other thing of note is that some kind person drove into the front N/S and has broken at least three clips off the front bumper which is now hanging down a bit... the bumper doesn't seem to have any meat in it where the clips are so a repair maybe out of the question and I may have to find a replacement but I'm going to wait till it is warmer....

Doesn't look much (the white mark to the left of the bottom of the front wing is a crack in the paint) but my OCD won't allow it...!!!

I have just had delivered a Blackvue DR590W-2CH dash cam, this is a twin pack front and rear camera and plan on fitting it in the next few days...

https://www.blackvue.com/dr590w-2ch/

I will have to find a suitable position for the rear camera that misses the rear sun blind...

I'll post some pictures when done....

Vias Technology MML-T1 ipod integration recieved and fitted, It now looks like I have a poltergeist in the car, it was worth the money just to not have to agree with the car every time you start it... and now I can listen to Barry Manilow and Abba all day....

Vias Video

It is about 5 or 6 inches higher than the high pressure one but BEHIND the radiator, it's difficult to see, you will find an air con rubber pipe there, run your hand down it and you will feel the valve... it's a pain to get to but not impossible...

Look down where the red spot is...

And you will see it....

Good luck

The later 430, post 2005 doesn’t have a clutch on the front of the compressor, it doesn’t work like 99% of other ones... All the magic works internally... so no way to tell if it’s engaged or not.. find someone with Techstream and they can read live values for all sorts... 

If you google LS430 aircon test you can do a diagnostic yourself IIRC it’s press recirc and auto button as you turn on ignition... top center console display then gives fault codes... google is your friend..!!

IMHO the ultimate Lexus....

2005 LS430....

(but I might be slightly biased)

Droning usually comes from resonators (center box) or cats, if you have changed the resonators and the rear boxes then it must be the cats... you will probably find that welding the rear boxes needed some use of a hammer which has dislodged the honeycomb in the cats and is making the noise... try to knock the cats gently with your hand, if they rattle or sound hollow ( the honeycomb can shatter and get blown out the tailpipe in small bits causing a hollow sound) then they have failed... a decent exhaust shop should find the culprit...

On the original check over I noticed the brake pads were getting low so I ordered some PowerStop Ceramic brake pads from Rock Auto, they arrived a while ago and I fitted them when the 430 came out of the paintshop, I have used these pads before and they are excellent, they are more progressive than the original pads and have a better initial bite, they are also better at feathering out when you come to a standstill. The best bit is they are very low dust pads and keep the wheels nice and clean, these two pictures are from the LS430 and my wifes IS250, both have done a similar amount of town driving, the difference is marked...

They are also nice and cheap, only around £40 delivered from the USA and that's for front and rear sets...

I have just ordered a set for the IS, the pads on it are OK but I have to clean it so it's a no brainer....!!!

I have also just ordered a Vias Technology MML-T1 ipod integration for the 430, I had one in the old one years ago and found it excellent, it also presses "I Agree" every time you start so it's worth it just for that...!!!

https://www.vaistech.com/product/mml-t1/

They currently have $30 off in an Independence Day Sale..!!

43 minutes ago, Fat Boy said:

When you use spacers the off set changes and you will need camber bolts to adjust 

the stranded camber won’t take the off set and the handle of the car changes for the worst 

will advise 2 things 

get the right off set wheel 

or spend more for camber part ie lower and upper wish bone 

Totally agree, use the wrong offset with spacers will ruin the suspension geometry that Lexus spent millions in developing, uneven tyre wear and undue stress on suspension components will happen. Not to mention ruining the ride and handling...

Just do a google on failed wheel spacers and see how common it is.... do you want someone with them driving past your childrens school...???

You also HAVE to inform your insurance company of ALL modifications. They will not like it..... Have an accident with an undeclared modified car and you will end up paying the whole claim yourself when the insurance company refuses to.....

Just my 2p.....