NigeSt

Think that must be the same Ultima I saw heading into Silverstone yesterday, where was it heading? Nige

I found a small pot of clear brush on lacquer at Homebase. It was next all the multicoloured spray cans in the 'craft' section. I was a little worried that I needed some high-temp resistent lacquer, but several months later it's still as good as new. Nige

Sorry to let you down guys but I won't be able to make it :( I'm back in the UK now, but I now have to travel up North on Sunday. Believe me, I'd rather be meeting up with you guys... Have fun. Nige

Ahhh, I used to own an AX GT, my first fast car. What a hoot. Pity about the build quality... I remember the advertisements, "Power to weight ratio of 120BHP/ton, Just like Rocky" Nige

I'm flying back from California (where I am now) the day before, but will try and make this. My wife may have other plans for me :-/ What time are you meeting up? Cheers, Nige

Hey Javaboss, Sorry to hear of your dent. I had a similar problem recently and was very happy with the repair I got from a place in Swindon, but that is probably too far for you :-( On the bright side, it is possible to get excellent repairs from these type of services. BTW, I was in the Lake District myself a couple of weeks ago. Here's a photo of my car on Wrynose Pass... http://www.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/album01/Lakes2 Couldn't get too close as the car needed a good clean at the time... Hope you get your car sorted. Nige

Best of luck Senora Mop! :luck: Nige

I believe 155 mph is a 'voluntary' restriction agreed by some car manufacturers. The intent is to prempt a legally imposed limit. Obviously not all manfacturers play ball , but the more mainstream ones seem to. Nige

This one? Beetle thread

Agreed, a manual IS300 Sport.... please! I'd trade up today :D My biggest grip is the paint, too prone to stone chips. A minor gripe real-time fuel economy gauge is useless. I'd prefer an oil pressure gauge or a decent trip computer. Other than that, love it Nige

Had a great afternoon pampering my car... Weather fine, but not too hot to polish, so I spent about 3 hours today giving my car the works: all over wax polish, followed by all over high gloss protection... Had my iPod playing through the (home) stereo on shuffle and it chose some great tracks to polish by :) ...then out for post-polish raz Funny how the car always seems that little bit smoother, that little bit faster, after a good fettle. I'm just dead chuffed to have the car looking immaculate again. Nige

Cheers mate One more question :winky: Did you need to remove the grille to get them in? Nige

Hi guys, Just took a look at the Halfords ones. They look a lot bigger than the standard (but pants) ones. How difficult were they to fit, both mounting and electrics? Thanks, Nige

I'm sure you'll have no trouble selling. I've never had a car that so many people have asked what I think of it, so there's a lot of prospective owners out their. You're also doing the right thing by making painful, but sensible, short term decisions (i.e. sell the Lex) until you get back on your feet. This should help your finances recover more quickly when you find your next job - you'll be back behind the wheel of a Lexus in no time... Good luck :luck: and let us know how you get on. Nige

I should have asked the bodyshop, but can anyone tell me if the repair would have been both painted and lacquered, or do they get away with painting only? The repaired patch is superbly blended at the moment (I can't spot the blend) but I'm wondering if I should take extra care to wax etc this area. Thanks, Nige

Cheers Zee, let's now hope that Claire can get her car fixed equally satisfactorily... Nige

OK, here's the outcome.... As reported, I decided to risk the £110 (+ VAT) option and try one of those repair services, and went with www.bak2nu.co.uk in Swindon. They advertise a mobile service but requested that I left the car with them. I handed the car over this morning, and my confidence wasn't helped by the rather gruff service - the guy grumbled that he hadn't been told that the car was booked in... but said they'd look at it anyway. Anyway, just been to collect it and they've done a terrific job! I'm very pleased. The bulge is completely invisible i.e. gone, and the paint is a perfect colour match by my eye, and in today's daylight at least. Oddly, there are a couple of very minor dimples where the minor indents from the rough stone were - most have gone completely, so it's very slightly disappointing that this more minor aspect of the repair has been done less well given what they've done with the rest. The dimples are very minor and small, and aren't noticeable unless you know what to look for, so I'm quite happy. Hopefully the repair will weather well... £129 including VAT, compared to the options that were: ~£280 (independent body shop, repairing damaged bumper) or ~£450 for the Lexus recommended bodyshop, replacing the bumper altogether. If you're looking for a minor bodywork repair in the Swindon area I highly recommend you consider these guys. It's great to have the car looking great (from every angle ) again! I actually feel less concerned about any future dings having seen what can be done. Nige

OK, call me pedantic, but how come then it's "brake" and not "break"? Does this mean the 'Sportcross' should infact be the 'Ikea' for those that need the extra space for the trip back from Ikea? :D Nige

Link to post in Gold forum Nige

Yeah, what is that with the "shooting brake" name? As AM don't have a type-approved 'estate', I believe prospective owners have to buy a standard car and then immediately hand it back to AM's Works Service dept and have it chopped in half and extended - cRaZy Interesting that the sector demands an estate. I see what you mean about a 4x4 sportscross as an advantgae, a 4x4 saloon would be nice too ;-) Nige

Very sorry for you Claire, hope you're OK. How bad is the car? Did the lorry have one of those 'how's my driving?' stickers on the rear - if so, you could phone it and vent...

I recall Jenson was driving a diesel BMW because, over in France, you're only allowed to drive diesels when under 21. Says something for how diesel performance has come on, but I still think it will be a sad day when there's a diesel Lexus... :ban-em: What's it to be diesel or Nos?

I have the optional larger rear plate from www.fancyplates.com, they quote 520mm x 152mm. Fits great. Nige

Sorry, I have it on Sky+, but I don't have a VCR. I think both series of the show are excellent. Perhaps, I enjoyed the second series more. Intrigue, gadgets, fit women and regular Lexus appearances! What more do you want from a show??? :D The show certainly kept me guessing last night, though a series ending cliffhanger was inevitable. Not sure where all the relationships are going to go with the next series though... A return to 'normal' self-contained episodes will require some unravelling first. Nige

An update: I got a couple of quotes: The Lexus recommended body shop just want to replace the bumper. The guy estimated £350 + VAT though the official quote hasn't arrived yet. I'm expecting it to be around £500 all in Chris Shipley helpfully let me know the price of a new rear bumper £110 + VAT. Unfortunately they come unpainted :duh: However, the price is a lot less than I expected given the price of a sports grille (around £220!) The next place, an independent body shop, said they'd try and save the bumper as it wasn't an insurance job, and quoted £200 to take the bumper off, sort out the damage and respray. The battle of the bulge: The 50p size bulge that appeared as a result of the bump is the most awkward bit to fix and seemed to be a hurdle to a straight scuff repair service. Getting a quote from the independent bodyshop yesterday, the guy said they'd apply heat to press that back into shape, so taking Bazza's good advice that I might as well have a go myself before giving up and replacing the bumper, I set about it this morning with an ordinary clothes iron (and some greaseproof paper). Good progress: on the hottest setting the plastic melted so I found the hottest setting that didn't actually melt the plastic. I also used a sharp knife to shave off some of the more awkward bumps. After an hour or so, I felt I'd got it to a point that a chipsaway type service might be able to tidy it up. I looked in the yellow pages and found this local place in Swindon: www.bak2nu.co.uk (naff name) Went along, and the guy quoted £110 to address the damaged area. He said that the plastic can harden when heated which might not help, so I'm regretting that now Anyhow, the guy seemed confident that the minor scuffs can be easily sorted and that the bulge could be made near invisible. I've booked it in for next Tuesday, so I'll let you know how they do next week. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the help and advice. Cheers, Nige