Jinja

Thanks Morse, That's funny regarding the Rev1/Rev2 date, 'cos I received my new Gita from Toyota in Yokohama when I lived in Japan on Sep 29 2003! The reason I asked about the 1/2 2bolt deal is 'cos I was worrying about the inlet vibrating.... but it seems to be a snug fit when the hood is down though.... I will see how it goes. Great to hear about the manifold, I didn't know it was ready. I only recently piped up my interest in an IS300 turbo kit with Dave, and he was mentioning the ongoing design of the custom built manifold.... I'd always been considering the PSF turbo kit until I learnt it wouldn't fit because of the RHD driving column. 15-30 bhp you say?? I'll be keeping a very close eye on how it turns out for you. Keep us all updated!

Hi, Whilst I eagerly await for Dave to R&D the IS300 turbo kit, I decided to get a K&N Typhoon to fill the monotony of waiting. I know I'll have to replace it for the a turbo kit when that opportunity arises, but it was either that or get bored with stock tuning and eventually sell the Tezza for a 350z... So I just fitted the Typhoon onto my 3l Altezza Gita. Took it for a v. brief test drive to test for problems, peoples heads were well turning with the noise! :D In the instruction sheet for the Typhoon, there's a lot of mention regarding the EVAP OBD canister. What the hell is that? I couldn't find what they were talking about, so I'm assuming I don't have one, and just skipped all those parts. (I now have a lot of left overs that I don't seem to need, is that okay???) Also, Scarface, I was looking at your garage pics, showing your Typhoon in situ.... You have left the stock air inlet duct installed, even though the instruction sheet says to remove it. I guess this is because every bit of cold air flowing over the filter the better, right? Also, your inlet duct seems to have 2 bolts holding it in place... however mine only has one, the one on the very right hand side. Did yours come with 2 bolts, or have you jury-rigged a solution just to hold the inlet in place better?? Can't wait till this evening when the roads are emptier, for a bit more road-testing!

Ahh, understand now, no, that wasn't me! ← kool, no probs. is the Gita 4WD? ← RWD with Thorson LSD (or is that standard on UK IS300 anyway? Can't remember, lexus.co.uk seem to have stricken the old IS from the website).

Ahh, understand now, no, that wasn't me!

Yup, That thar pic above is the one. The other one in my profile shows the gearbox cover option and the MD/CD combo. Raz, I live in N. Ireland, so wouldn't be passing through Oxfordshire this week... :winky: First 2 services were in the Toyota dealership I bought it in Yokohama, and 3rd service (@ 10K) done at Lexus Belfast. No kids/dogs/smokers, so car is in great nick. Only visible wear and tear is a couple of tiny dings (stone chip probably) on rear bumper. With the age and the low mileage, coupled with the reduction in price because it's an import, it'll be a bargain.

Or another option would be to buy my IS sportcross off me... :) But to be precise, it's a JDM Altezza Gita, as I used to live in Tokyo where I owned it before moving back home with it. But what you get is: IS300 Sportcross (Altezza Gita) September '02 17,000 miles (I work from home, so it's hardly broken in :D ). Altezza grill In-dash 6CD + MD player optional silver gearbox cover JDM Standard Rear Tint Eibach Swaybars (Front and Rear) - only mod. 1 loving owner Pics are under my profile: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...cmd=si&img=2120 http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...cmd=si&img=2121 Reason for sale: need to free up some cashflow for my business. If interested PM me. Cheers, David

Spot on colin. We did the switch/re-wiring work, but the other reason I failed SVA was because of the Wattage difference in the rear lights, and I think because the lamp cover hasn't a suitable refraction pattern(?). This is coming to me 2nd hand from my importer, so I mightn't have that 2nd point exactly right. We ordered parts from Lexus, so that's that taken care of. SVA crew will allow us a 2nd free test as soon as it's ready, since it's a visual only inspection. Sounds like Kavey was lucky and I wasn't. It all depends on the bloke running the test I suppose....

Colin, I bought it in Japan, and fitted all options to make it UK spec. But I didn't get the washers (it's an option in Japan), hence the problems. I mean, it's not like my car ever gets close to being dirty enough to make lack of washers a problem! ;-) And Jap IS300's/Altezzas come with indash 6CD+MD as standard, which I really dig. And no VSC, which I didn't want, just traction control. That'll just get in the way when the boost arrives. But I failed sva because HIDs need headlamp washers, that's what their report said. Take it for what it's worth. Maybe they're wrong, if so I have to show them. If not, Lexus have some explaining to do ;-) So the Lexus official body kit/no washers required thing is a bit of a conundrum, and hope to talk to Lexus this week. Damn I miss my Altezza!

UKPulse, That's exactly what I was hoping for someone to say, thanks. I will pass this on to my importer, and he can battle it out with the SVA crew / Lexus. Loz, I bought my new 2002 IS300 sport cross for 18,000GBP, add on 1,500 for shipping and conversion. But then I did live in Japan, so the fact I'm not paying import duties is probably my biggest saving.

I failed my SVA 'cos they said that rewiring (which I did) wasn't enough. The red cover/lens apparently is different, something to do with fog lamp intensity. I'm not sure whether this is true or not, hence my request for photos to compare UK lamps with mine.

Hi, I ask a favour. Could someone with a good digital camera take a couple of snaps of the rear lamp cluster on their IS, and email them to me at david_perry@hotmail.com, or post them here? I'm importing an IS at the moment, and the SVA is throwing up a few small quirks I need to get some background on. Jap JDM rear fog lamps are apparently different from UK ones, and I want to compare them. Any help greatly appreciated!

Hi, I have a strange but simple question: Does anyone have HID headlamps without headlamp washers? Anyone got a body kit that required the removing of washers? I'm importing an IS at the moment, and the SVA is throwing up a few small quirks I need to get some background on. Any help greatly appreciated!

Oh I have to reply to this one. I've just brought back my JDM Altezza Gita 3l back to the UK; it went through it's SVA today.... (failed 'cos it doesn't have front pop up light washers, how crappy is that!, but there's always next week). Anyway, the car came back on a ferry, and when properly loaded with the rear seats down, it came with: Solid 3'x3' Computer desk Monitor stand Concept II Rowing Machine 2 cased air rifles 1 x windsurf sail + accessories Boogie Board Remote Control helicopter 100 cds (nicely hidden under false rear floor) Collection of IT reference books 1 suitcase So now you know. It holds a sh!t load of stuff! And as for my opinions on the sportcross.... Not only has it plenty of space for a couple with no kids, but the F-R weight distribution is even better than the sedan due to the heavier rear, making for even sweeter handling on the curves. The only thing I HAD to change were the sway bars, which give too much roll. With my US imported L-tuned sways, the difference is unbelievable. I'm basically psyched waiting for my Sportcross to get through the SVA, we've been parted for 4 months now and it feels like it felt when I first got the car last year. Cheers!

Hi, I'm thinking of getting Tein Flex coilovers with EDFC for my Altezza Gita. Will insurance companies usually increase the insurance with such a mod (ie. non-HP boosting)?? Many thanks!

Oojoni, How much did it cost to do this? I live in Japan, and just received my brand new Altezza Gita yesterday. :smilegrin: I opted not to go for an immobiliser 'cos I too wasn't sure it would get the UK 'Thatcham Certified 1' approval when I ship it back home. So how much did it cost you for the alarm and fitting? Please let me know!

I think this is a classic case of German / UK miscommunication! Don't worry about Claire Canter, I think she was joking!

I think this is a classic case of German / UK miscommunication! Don't worry about Claire Canter, I think she was joking!

Thanks for the welcome everyone, I think I will have to get my gear shift changed or traded, 'cos there's nothing worse than being prevented from polishing your knob. Yeah, I was christened the Ginger Ninja before I departed the motherland, and it got condensed into it's present form. Which turns out to be highly coincidental as Jinja means temple in Japanese and now there's an African connection too. Ahha, great portents start off the day! :D

Hi all, I just bought my new Altezza Gita today just outside Tokyo where I live. 3,400,000 yen (18.5 GBP?) for a brand new AS300 L-edition (basically UK spec). Will take up to 1.5 months to deliver though..... don't know how I will keep my patience till then. My first car too, so it's a double celebration for me today. Ahh well, plenty to read up on on the boards here, that'll have to do! The only miff? The gear stick on the L-edition (which is a step above the regular AS300 range) is switched from shiny metal to leather!! What gives there? Give me my shiny knob, I demand it!! :wow: