PJ S

Was your 08 GS the first iteration or the facelift, with the indicators in the door mirrors and full chrome grill surround? I thought the Gen5 Navi units introduced full postcode usage, but could be adding 2 and 2, and getting 5. http://www.lexus-mapupdates.eu/ - go there and type in the 2nd half of the number on your disc. I bought a disc from a German eBay seller - genuine, not copied - which came from a 4-disc EU set. Western was in the title, and covers UK/Ireland and the western half of the European continent. It's the latest version for the same Navi you have - Gen3 - but still doesn't show roads on the map that have been in existence for a good 5 years now. Thankfully I've only paid £50 all in for it - if it's the same as the dealers sell for 3-4x that, then I'd be mightily peeved off. Knowing then what I know now, I'd have just bought a cheaper 09/10 release disc - but hey ho. As for MP3 - ML plays mp3 discs, but as we're both in SE's, then the only option is an official (which a tech sort of warned me off) or Vaistech SL2i (or SL3i) from the US hooked up - which I'll be doing relatively shortly. In the meantime, if you haven't already noticed, the SE's CD mechanism can read CD-RWs - so convert a few songs using Roxio Toast or other disc burning software (if you're up to date with iTunes, which removed disc burning ability at some point!), and then rewrite the disc(s) when you fancy a change.

Are you sure it's not a dealer set option? I know the 3GS had a list of options that things could be set to/deactivated, all done via TechStream software Toyota/Lexus uses.

Try Parts Gateway for replacement parts from scrapped vehicles. Alternatively, I recall there being such parts on eBay Germany - Lexus GS Lichter & Leuchten Rückleuchten is the serach term.

Pistonhead member sent me this after going off topic a bit...... http://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/8816089/movie/8816089.mp4 An MIJ one as well - just re-read his post.....http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1170184&mid=46795&i=80

Joke review/article by a joker of a journalist, for the joke of a publication - don't bother wasting your breathe talking about it. It is the Daily Mail of the car sector publications, and only fit for wiping your bum with to save the softer toilet paper for special occasions. Nothing they write about cars should be taken in any way seriously.

Chris, as a new 300 owner, and halfway through a second tankful, the OBC is displaying 32-33 mpg average currently. As per my thread recently on fuel economy, I'm not entirely convinced the OBC's calculation can be safely relied upon, but we'll see how that is once I've done the maths with this tankful. As for the hybrid batteries - there's been a couple of cases on CL, and one car I was looking at, had the selling dealer reveal to me it'd had £2K's worth of money spent on replacing them. At that price, there's been Lexus involvement, otherwise it'd be nearer the £3.5K mark all fitted. If I've remembered correctly, then Lexus (in the US at least) having extended the hybrid drivetrain warranty to 8 years suggests they felt it was required for other reasons than they're a nice company! I've also been made aware of a few Priuses having battery issues - I think they were high mileage taxis used in and around London. On the whole though, they've been grand, and seem to go for strong money. Battery concern, that pre-owned price strength, and the boot space all prevented me from being a hybrid owner - but so far, the 300 is acquitting itself VERY well in the economy stakes, I'm not really disappointed in having a 450h.

No LKA, but PCC/ACCS for distance from the vehicle in front will be on some, if the original owner/supplying dealer ticked the box. Hybrid batteries have been known to go - irrespective of what Lexus sales people will say. That said, I think like the US, they have an extended warranty of 8 years - best ask the question of a dealer's service dept to see if that's remembered correctly or whether it's a US only offer from Lexus NA. Real life mpg will be whatever your right foot decides it's going to be, but any less than 35 and you'd be better off with a 300 or 460. Boot space is going to be a major issue - for some it's a complete deal breaker. Best look in one to see if it is for you or a compromise you can live with.

Might be best to have a good read through 2GS section of Club Lexus - you'll find many wheel sizes and types, along with offsets no doubt. IMO, anything more than 19's starts looking OTT for the car.

Beg to differ on the economy aspect......Obc Mpg Vs Pump Maths...... Got the dash and driver's door trim creaking, but that will get addressed in due course.

Timely update to this thread..... Long story short.......er......ish..... Just acquired '05 GS300 two weeks ago — loving it! — and received my first warning (TPMS) on the way home after collection. Stopped in services, spend a quid (a bloody quid!) on some compressed air, and inflated the tyres to the sort of level they should've been after 4-5 hours driving. Two days ago, was greeted with Check VSC warning — great! — took to the local dealership and had a tech plug the digibox in. Great news, code was somewhat remembered as being of the £2500 variety.......Oh borrocks! Reset, along with TPMS one, and no sooner had I stopped and restarted the engine after a short chat with Service about extended warranty option, up pops the (not-so-holy) trinity of beacons of wallet rapage. Deciding to refill with fuel nearby (20 mile range indicated), I duly filled it to the neck (and a bit more for the forecourt ground to sip on!), and set off. Mechanic chap, and a very good one at that by all accounts, is in a unit across the way from where I was visiting. After learning his diagnoser does speak Lexus, I asked him if he'd take a quick looksee.......just like a visit to the doctor's, it's worth seeking a second opinion if you're not convinced/don't want to hear the first one. So, looksee looked at, codes reset, he starts to impart knowledge and understanding unto me, especially as to why he didn't think the ECU was likely to be part of the problem. If it were, he'd have expected to see more codes and not be able to reset them. Diagnosis? One post-CAT O2 sensor. Remedy? Buy one NGK O2 sensor. Problem? NGK don't yet do O2 sensors (well, they do in the US, but not here in the UK apparently!) Solution? Import NGK sensor......er....no. The technical girl I spoke with at NGK said the US has different emission levels, so that won't work with the UK levels. Ermmm.......okay, although I think we'll agree to disagree on that one. What now? Buy an ADL Blueprint one for £120 or an official OEM one for £180+ the VAT! Next idea, trawl eBay looking for a bargain (hopefully), and found one doing OE for £125 delivered. Meehh....still twice as expensive as the NGK, if they only done them. Just as I'm about to resign myself to having to fork out a fair few ££, after planning on talking with said mechanic about the merits of US vs UK sensors, I read the thread on this very issue on ClubLexus. Deciding that WTF, I've nothing to lose, I head out to post a few letters off. Before starting the car, I open the fuel flap, undo the filler cap, pretend to know what I'm looking for, and then refit it, giving it firm downward pressure and counting (into myself — don't want to be deemed as senile by anyone passing by!) out 5 clicks. Go to the PO, come back, fart around online for a bit, go out and fill the screen reservoir with some solution, give the interior glass and door trim/console trim/dash/etc a good lick over, and set off again. Are you still with me so far? Good, I'll continue..........yes, we're almost there! So, two start/stop cycles and 12 miles or so later, I'm back in the car to head home once more. Select reverse, stop, select D......er....where's the lights? Study, yes study the cluster and LCD info display — nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. The demons have been cast from the dash, but they're probably still lurking in the ECU storage compartment — not after tomorrow they won't, that's for sure. And we've finally arrived at the conclusion.....don't presume the box of wizardry knows all the answers. As it happens, Lexus (whether US only or worldwide, I don't know) has changed the part no for the filler cap, which presumes they changed the O-ring to a better one that can withstand prolonged and repeated compression. I'll be speaking with them tomorrow to obtain a replacement F.O.Ffing.C — wish me luck.... :D

Don't know if you ever got the issue resolved or not, but it sounds like you've got poorly sealing piston rings. You don't mention mileage, which if high, might be worth changing the oil to a slightly thicker grade - 5w-40 say, instead of 5w-30/0w-30 that is generally used. I'd be throwing a good engine flush into the engine asap - BG Products/Liqui Moly/Motul - then refilling with standard oil again and monitoring how it does then. If still going through oil, then another flush and drain, before switching to the 40 grade, which should fix it, at the expense of a bit of mpg.

I neglected to mention, I sat at mostly 60-65 mph, with cruise on, and flicked the lever up or down to accommodate other road users. A few times I had to push it to 80 to get ahead of the elephant racers and caravaners in the inside lane, to slot in, and not become one of those dawdling MLMs (middle lane muppets). That and slowing down/speeding up at the various roadwork sites with 40/50 mph restrictions. The only break in the flow was just coming up to Carlise - the TPMS threw a CHECK SYSTEM up, so drove to the next service station (a few miles iirc), whereupon tyre pressures were duly raised to what they should've been! A quick adjustment of the personal fluid level as well, and off I set again — accelerating steadily back up to 65 ish once more. Like I said, if the assumption is correct, then the maths indicates a superb figure for such a car, and quite why you'd want a diseasel is beyond me. Even with the hybrid's better town/city low speed economy, I'm really pleased I opted for "just" the 300. As much as the maths doesn't lie, I still question the figures, even though I know they're reasonably accurate. I'll refill to the brim again, and note the amount I can put in once the pump handle starts clicking a second time. Wished I had really brimmed it in Dumfries, then there'd be no question of amount used. Would be interesting to see how things may've differed if I'd known where the nearest Tesco was in Aylesbury/Oxford - 99 RON the whole way! One other aspect that has me convinced the figure is not far off being true, is the amount of time the instantaneous mpg display was pegged at 90, and dancing back and forth between it and 60. At the end of the day, even if it worked out at 40 mpg, I'd still be a happy chappy — this is just an added and most welcome bonus, and one where I wished I'd been able to buy a couple of years previously. Funny enough, with your mention of (Esso) SUL, I rarely bothered with it in the Accord - never really seemed to make enough of difference over UL to warrant sticking with. I normally stick to using Texaco, as ours has Techron additive, both Northern and Southern Ireland stations — the same thing (only less) as BG44K, which I'd never heard of until I called into a Honda dealer for directions, a god few years ago now. Always felt the Honda ran a bit better with it, and Asda/Tesco were fine too, hence why I was keen to see how the Momentum faired.

Was just going to suggest Ferodo ones too, after having great service from them on the Accord. No doubt when the 3GS needs its pads replaced, I'll be checking to see if Ferodo have them for it.

Trust me noby, there was never another 8L of fuel fitting into that tank at Dumfries. That would've been another £11, and the pump was clicking at £30 ish. I rounded up to £32 (135.9), which gave the 23.5L refill amount. I'm happy to concede possibly 5L more may've been it necked - but that's still only 28.5L used, which is way over and above the manufacturer's suggested urban figure. That's what's thrown me - had it been 2-3 mpg more, I'd have written it off as within tolerance, more or less. That it's between 8 and 10 mpg more, is: a ) a bloody miracle b ) something wrong with the maths (the equation is correct!) c ) Lexus chose to be pessimistic about what it can achieve d ) Maradona was behind me the whole way! Since I don't believe in Santa anymore, that's (a) out, and I know the maths stacks up, so (b ) is out too. Can't see ( c) being the case, so that only leaves.........(d). There we go, solution was under the rear bumper all along - Maradona was pushing me with his Godly hand. Had I feckin' well known that, I'd have asked him for his autograph!

Any Toyota nearer than 60 miles away? If so, you can use them. If there's something their techs aren't sure about, they'd phone one of the Lexus ones for the info.

Following on from the photo in this thread - http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=77913 - I'm having a hard time struggling to comprehend the maths. Here's the story...... Picked up the car, range estimated at 43 miles or thereabouts. Decided to fill the tank nearby, before heading onto the M40 and M6, where I'd refill with Tesco Momentum 99 for a first time. So, 56.5L duly fitted in, I reset the trip and head off in search of the M40 at Thame/Oxford. Arrive at Dumfries, ascertain directions to the Tesco station, and refilled with 23.5L. Didn't quite neck the tank like earlier, but from pump clicks, I reckon I was shy about 3L - needle on gauge wasn't all the way vertical. Anyway, from the assumed consumption (circa 26.5-27L) and distance travelled (313 according to Google) - yes, I forgot to note exactly what the trip recorded, but recall the gauge being slightly above the half tank mark - the maths suggests I averaged 51-52 mpg! The OBC was rather less ethusiastic, claiming it was low 40's. Therefore, I know the maths is correct, and if the assumptions are accurate (which I believe they are), can anyone shed some light on the discrepancy? Even if I was 5L low, that still equates to just under 50mpg. If anyone else had said they worked out their mpg to be the same, I'd have laughed at them, and told them to put in a missing decimal point - but the more I work it out (there's only so many ways you can multiply and divide), the more I have a hard time getting to grips with the possibility that a 3L V6 can seriously do that sort of economy. I know we all give OBCs a bit of leeway, erring on the side of more than it really was, but this is so far off the other way, it has had me questioning my sanity - a car that heavy and with an autobox, and that size of engine, just doesn't do those sort of figures. I've never got anywhere near that in the Accord - and it was a 2.4L inline 4, with manual stir pot.

Thank you. 12 days in, it's still making me smile. 600 miles in, it's making me smile even more!

Dealer pics that pushed me enough to quit hanging around any longer!

You're focussing too much on just the engine - there's a whole raft of reasons more that goes into deciding which car to buy. Handling, options, looks, and so on. Maybe if Lexus used TRD in an official capacity manner like AMG for Mercedes, or the M division of BMW (or even Tom's as an Alpina-esque offering), then there might be more of a buzz about the brand to draw in people who would normally gravitate towards those marques. Who knows how things will pan out over the forthcoming years, now Lexus are going to be a bit more pro-active on the marketing/advertising front, rather than leave it to word-of-mouth as has been pretty much the case for the last decade or so. Hopefully it'll pay dividends with increased sales and interest.

Sure, Lotus don't have the same restrictions on meeting those regs due to their low volume manufacturer status. Aston Martin had to bring out the Cygnus so that their overall emissions level met or fell below the threshold. I imagine part of not having type approved the 350 was because the 430 was there to fill the power void of the 300, and you didn't have to compromise on boot space like with the hybrid. From memory, there was no real easy-fit price gap the 350 could've slotted into, so it more than likely would've cannibalised sales from either the 430 or the 450h, if not the 300, rather than drawing new buyers into the brand. Even if the 350 was brought in as the 4WD-only model in the line-up, the buyers that that's likely to appeal to, just aren't there - that's left to the likes of Audi or the Subaru/Mitsubishi. Our weather (on the whole) doesn't justify the 4WD, not least with poorer fuel economy. Different matter in the US, because of partly the weather is worse for much longer in certain regions, fuel is cheaper, and there's more than 10x as many Lexus sold there, as here in the UK, which is their 2nd or 3rd biggest market, iirc. So, if now with the new model and injected vigour in the marketing dept to push the brand more, Lexus start selling a greater volume of cars, then there's possibly a chance you'll see more of the Japanese domestic range making it into Europe.

Give that boy a biscuit.... And there's me thinking I could pull the wool over your eyes.

Aye. Not bad for an average over 150 or so motorway miles mainly, but up and down the speeds due to traffic and roadworks. Mostly sat at 60-65 mph up the M42 and M6.

3.5L V-6 engine wouldn't meet with Euro V or VI emission levels, so little point in trying to fit a square peg into the round hole. And it's Lexus Europe who decides what we (the EU) receive.

but can you guess what it is? Original iPhone, so sorry the imagery is pretty pathetic! In my excitement, I may've posted in the wrong section, so mods, if it needs to be moved, work away.

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