Matrixabc

One way to tell would be to find a place where you know it will happen , like a drain or pot hole then drive over it with your brakes on if this stops the noise then you have found the area of the problem, if not your back to square one

I have always used Mobil 1 (5-40) fully synthetic, allegedly one of the best oils out there. £24.00 for 4.5L (about £34.00 @ halfords)

it might be worth pulling a spark plug and see what it looks like? if is black and sooty then that could be the cause ( carbon build up), but then again the anti knock detector should prevent pinking.

Hi, I just smashed my passenger side door mirror this morning, Lexus are quoting £397.00 without fitting, any one know anywhere else I can try or a breakers yard? i have tried the breakers on the internet, nothing yet.. I have fond one on eBay USA, just waiting to see what the postage will be.

With a car with that many miles on the clock it may be a safer bet to go for the thicker oil (10w-30), if you use the thinner oil you may suddenly find a few new oil leaks.

I had the Varomatic Volvo 340. solid heavy car, I hated the way it just sat a 3000rpm wherever I went. but the new Lexus use a similar two stage system!

My Cars were (cannot remember the years) first, Volvo 343 :duh: Escort mk3 1.6 :tsktsk: XR2 1.6L Nissan Primera 2EZX 2.0L Toyota Celica 2.0L saab 900 2.0L turbo Audi A6 V6 2.6L Audi A8 V8 3.7L B) BMW 540i V8 4.4L B) Lexus GS300 S6 3.oL Lexus LS430 V8 4.3L

How unusual, thats like getting two punctures at the same time!, lucky you have warranty. strange that both should suffer internal faults at the same time. please let us know the outcome. Regards Alex.

Hi Pete, I have just read the manual, the text "fuel door" on the instrument panel has an arrow next to it this is to tell you which side the filler is on!! , I thought is was an indicator to tell you the fule door was open. I should have read the hand book..

Hi, On my LS430 2001, i noticed that the fuel door was open but there was no indication on my dash, there looks like there should be an indication, should it light up during the lamp test stage when turning on the ignition? where is the switch on the fuel door, I cant see one. only the solenoid can you get to the bulb easily what type is it I do have the Lexus repair manual but for some reason that section makes my PC crash, i think the CD is damaged

Hi Mark, I have just replaced one strut on my LS430 (2001) myself as it had a leak. in answer to your questions the air bags do not have any hydraulic dampers they are basically an air bag or bladder, and a week spring inside , they are pumped up , and the ride hight is controlled by the ride hight sensors, the two rear air bags are controlled independently, so technically one could go flat and not affect the other. if you had a leak on one then that side would lower over time, mine dropped 30mm overnight. it turned out to be a small leak in the air bag. they change from normal to sports mode by turning a small needle in the top of the strut by 90 degrees, it is supposed to stop a bypass valve (not quite sure of the operation). I did put up on here the costs of replacements, Lexus wanted to charge £600 for one strut. I managed to get one for around £480 from "cheap Toyota parts" if it went suddenly then i think it must be a control problem possibly the common three way valve feeding the rear air bags. does the other side react when you push down? as i said they should be independent, and when the ignition is off there will be no control at all, and all the valves locked shut. the air bag is just an "air bag" which rolls over the outside of the strut, the shock absorption is controlled by the amount of air in the bag and the strength of the air bag walls. is it possible that the air is being pushed from one strut to the other? when you lower the suspension the air is released through a common valve to the front of the car where the air compressor is , which is behind the drivers front headlight. I was told repeatedly that the air bags are very reliable and they have have had very few failures. if they fail it is usually down to an air leak. I didn't think they could wear out (im sure some one will correct me) If you jack the car up you can see the air bags and a dust cover around them. Let us know what you find. Regards Alex.

Does any one know the make of the gear box? on my Audi A8 it turned out it was a ZF gear box and it was used in BMW , Renault, etc and the "audi oil" was a re branded shell product which you could buy for 50p per litre as apposed the the £11.00 a litre Audi wanted.

I'm sure someone said Lexus charge around £60.00 to change the battery. if you read the manual it says it must be changed by the dealer, it does give instructions for the normal key battery but not for the smart key.

it should take around 20 minutes of driving to recharge your battery, when you start your car you battery is putting around 200-500 amps in to your starter motor, if you only drive for 5 mins it will not recharge your battery fully and so eventually it will go flat. you can get your battery discharge tested, this will show if the battery is not holding charge, basically they short the battery through a big resistor , it should discharge high current for a set period, if it is old or faulty it will discharge very quickly. also never charge the battery in the car, if hydrogen collects and you make a spark they will go off like a bomb, showering sulphuric acid everywhere, I have seen a few go off ( from a distance luckly)

I am sure it is supposed to tell you if the battery is getting low. it should display it on the dash. you can also tell is it is working OK by looking at the two leds on the dash next to the steering wheel there should be a red and green one.

I had the same problem when I first got my LS430, you just need to "wiggle " the steering wheel as you turn the key. make sure you change the batteries in the key fob, I did mine myself for around £3.00.

For Michelin pilots try a Costco store if there is one near you.

I have been driving my LS430 for over six months now and I am still tweaking the driving position, the only time I usually get it right in previous cars is after a drive to the south of France and back, after 11 hours driving you know if you have it right or not. on My A8 i had one setting for town and one for motorway driving, but it would let you change while on the move, where as the 430 you have to be in park.

I would give these guys a ring, they got me some genuine parts cheaper then Lexus could. http://www.cheaptoyotaparts.co.uk/ and DHL straight to you, but get a price check from Lexus first (but make sure your sitting down and have no sharp objects within reach)

Hi, On my LS430, after a night of heavy rain , when I reverse one of the rear sensors comes on all the time:- has any one fixed this problem? do they pull out through the front , or is it a bumper off job? How much are they each? when it dries out is works normally again. thanks

I would say people who buy a Lexus know about cars... people who buy BMW think they know about cars!

I got a lead off eBay for around £20.00, there is a wide range of software which will read the basic standard codes, it you want more info you would need dedicated software which will be very expensive if not impossible to get. try to find a OBD11 forum there are some good sites with loads of information.

If the battery and charging system are working correctly then you should not need a battery charger, by topping up your battery you are just treating the symptoms of the fault, when the ignition is off there will be a very slight drain in the battery but it should be able to last for several months with out going flat. On the BMW I had if you left anything plugged into the cigarette lighter IE a phone charger, ipod etc, it would see it as a load and not go in to sleep mode so draining the battery, also I had a faulty radiator fan which had the same effect. a good auto electrician should be able to trace the fault, also there may be some fault codes stored which could pinpoint the fault?

I would not recommend buying a battery charger, they can do more harm than good. If the battery will not hold charge you must replace it. The battery should have a date on it, if it is over three years old ( the normal warranty period) then replace it . If the battery does hold charge then you either have fault with the alternator or a drain on your battery when parked with the ignition off. If you leave your "smart" keys anywhere near the car it will cause your battery to go flat, the keys must be at least 15 feet away from the car.

I am not 100% certain of the type of switch you have , but you should be able to replace the bulb separately. you need to pop out the switch and have a look at the back.