Neil E

Yes, I've played (never to any great standard) since I could walk. Makes people smile occasionally around the Sussex league clubs. Many years ago I never got around to buying A11 OUT for not much money when the DVLA originally released it. Some years later I saw it on a small hatchback on the A1 as A1 1OUT, what a waste......

Hi Mel I think you are choosing the right option to replace the rad with a new one. They can be repaired but better to have the benefit of the full cooling capacity of a new one. If the cam-belt has been done then it's likely the water pump was done at the same time. It's correct and common practice to do them at the same time.

Peter, I really like the look of the timeless wooden dash and the option to conceal the tech behind the motorised doors but I much prefer the feel of a leather grip. It makes a big difference to how the car feels. Thanks very much Colin, your knowledge is truly impressive, that's about as far as my research has taken me so far after hours of reading. I'm drawn to the IS wheel as it has the wiring, leather grip and paddles already. Apart from the safety aspect of the airbag, the piece that I don't yet know is if I could then modify the SC connector to match the IS configuration. If it uses the same connector, it may be a case of adding pins to run connections to the gear shift, if not, then it could be a case of changing the mullti-plug and If that's the case, then fabricating the paddles on the existing wheel would probably be more favourable. Then the issue is getting the signal from the existing steering wheel to the column. More homework required. I've been distracted today fabricating a missing headlamp washer nozzle u-shaped securing pin. Lexus said they couldn't supply it separately so I had to make one. All back together now and seems to work okay. Aligning the cut outs for the headlamp washers on the body kit bumper was a bit scary. Is it really worth all that hassle? Of course it is....

Hope it's something simple like a hose spring clip failure. At least the engine didn't get hot.

I just have the tyre repair kit but the space saver Supra wheel and the RX8 space saver are two options to consider.

I quite like pushing the boundaries and I'm not afraid to try and fail if it's worth a go in the first place. The box/ecu already allows for the 'up' and 'down' shift so it should be possible to get the paddles to work if it's possible to get the signals from the wheel via the loom. I know similar things have been done in the US on the GS model by adding paddles to an existing steering wheel. (So that might be plan B + a leather grip) The button arrangement is different on the IS steering wheel but the functions appear to be the same so I think that should be okay. I've changed wheels and manually reset airbag lights before but never substituted any so that's new territory. The connections look the same but research so far hasn't confirmed if it's possible/safe to swap them.

I'm just going to throw this out there. Does anyone know if it is possible to fit a paddle shift steering wheel from an IS to a 2006 SC430? I've been busy mildly modifying the car since purchasing it in the summer and the steering wheel is the next in line for treatment. I'm not a fan of the feel of the wooden part of the grip. It's a bit thin and too slippery. It could be professionally recovered in leather and neatly stitched to look as original as possible but I thought it might be fun to fit the IS wheel and attempt to get the shift paddles working. One obvious concern is compatibility of the IS airbag as for insurance purposes, it would need to be shown to be safe. If it's a step too far, I'll have to settle for plan B.

I would start by carefully and slowly opening the roof to see if the boot closes with the same gap when the roof is stored inside it.

Yeah, that's quite a gap. Have you tried opening and closing the roof slowly to see what happens with the mechanism?

Has the misalignment affected the roof opening and closing? If you stand by the boot as someone else operates the roof slowly in stages you may be able to see if anything is slightly amiss but as you say, if the Lexus guys can't figure it out then something is strangely wrong, assuming they know what they are doing.

That's a silly price for a lock + fitting and I doubt it's just caused by the lock for it to be raised by 8 mm all around. I presume you have carefully opened and closed the roof to check it's not something to do with the mechanism getting jammed before it finally closes.

John a few questions. Can you add some pictures? Does the folding roof still work properly? If the boot is raised that much all around, it is as if the roof hasn't completely finished its closing cycle. Can you see any physical damage or bow to the boot lid or the struts?

No worries. To be honest there's little risk in and around the gear selector area but as some circuits are permanently live there is always the possibility of shorting something out particularly when removing parts for the first time without knowing what else may have been done before. e.g. fixes or additions done by previous owners. With regard to the power drain, I will take some readings from mine and let you know how much it loses.

The most cost effective way is to repair the cones. Replacing the speakers with aftermarket units is tricky as you need to be careful to match the ohm rating of the original drivers to avoid damaging the amp. I was fortunate enough not to have to replace the door bass drivers but I did swap the sub. I think Polk, Alpine and others make dual 4 ohm car speakers that can be wired as 8 ohm drivers.

The LS430 AFS lights are some of the best I've used and have an excellent dipped beam pattern. The auto levelling system should be setting the Xenons up correctly when you first turn them on. Motors in the lamp assemblies move them up and down according to the info sent via the ECU that controls them. Height sensors are attached to the front and rear suspension. If the lamp motors are working (i.e. moving them up/down as you turn on) it may be that one of the height sensors needs attention.

Yeah, looks very good.

Neil' the fact that the battery died in the short space of time that you had the courtesy light on is telling you something about the capacity of the battery. Before you go looking for the remains of a tracker, if you really think there is an open circuit, why not take Colin's sound advice and try to identify it by pulling the fuses one by one whilst reading the voltage drop on the battery? One other point (and please shoot me if I'm teaching you to suck eggs) when disconnecting and reconnecting electrical components, it's good practice to disconnect the negative lead on the battery.

Swapping the run-flat tyres for proper rubber transforms the car. The later models have a tyre repair kit or it's possible to fit a small space saver wheel if preferred.

Fitting is easy and takes 10 minutes tops. Simply lift off the plastic strut covers, undo 3 nuts each side, place the brace over the studs and secure with the 3 nuts on each side. (The plastic cosmetic covers won't go back on) If you are near to Gloucester, I'm sure the seller would fit it free.

Sounds like a good hifi plan. I will be envious of the air ride too. I'm not easily convinced of the benefits of some of the intakes I see constructed. I've done my exhaust. Looks good, makes a nice a sound and it feels more eager through the gears but as expected, the dyno confirmed no significant power increase over standard. It's worth doing a bit of research, there are different ways of modifying it.

I doubt any harm will come to the head unit, its the amp that's taking the load. It may be possible to save the sub with a repair kit as a cheap fix. If you go down the route of replacing the head unit and installing multi amps or a 5 channel amp I shall follow that with interest. I would really like to swap my speakers and amp for JL/Alpine/Rainbow/Genesis but I know if I get started it will quickly go from spending hundreds to thousands so for now I am resisting and making do. I replaced the head unit with an Alpine double din multimedia unit so can help with the cabling if you do go for it and want to use the existing amp for a while. On the subject of air, that would be good use of the rear seat space, most of the tanks I've seen are fitted into the boot. Air is definitely the best option for our roads but again the favoured Accuair solution looks great but it's too rich for my pocket.

Take care with the stock amp at high levels with the 4 ohm speakers. I don't know how robust it is. I am aware of several failing in the US. The 8 inch free air sub fires at the rear seats from the boot and considering the power constraints it does pretty well. I've seen a few custom sub installs on the back seat and in the rear side panels that look very good. A pair of proper 8 inch subs on either side might be enough, the hardest part will be installing the O gauge cable from the battery to the boot.

Okay, well I haven't seriously looked into swapping drivers on mine yet but you may find the sub in the boot is16 ohm so take care. I can't confirm it first hand but a quick search suggests the door speakers were originally 8 ohm. I assume the new Focals present a 4 ohm load to the amp. At some stage I will probably swap the sub but use a separate amp with separate power taking the bass frequency range directly from the head unit. That should be a 'relatively' cost effective solution.

Well if it's the door motor/actuating mechanism it's not too difficult to replace it. I know there are a few tutorials around already but if you need help with instruction on how to get to it and replace it, let me know. I have a few pictures and can add a few quick notes for clarity. The gear surround, heater controls and radio unit come out quite easily. The tricky part is pulling off the wood facia on either side for access to the nav unit. There are some concealed screws and then it just pulls off but requires force and control to get it off without breaking the securing tabs.

Captain Fizz Reflected sound, yes agreed it can't help the sound stage, road noise, what's that? The LS has electric heated and cooled sofas in the front. Wish I hadn't sold mine. The SC is really nice but not the same. At cruising speed, the LS is so quiet you hear more from the car ahead. I would definitely be accepted into the dinosaur club but I'm not familiar with Alice in Chains. (Quick check on you tube.....sounds very interesting) If I had to choose one album it would be too difficult - Pulse maybe? Tomorrow it would be something else.