finest1

Sorry to hear it's such a faff. I tried to remove the ball joint from the arm first, sometimes they were held on by circlips but there seemed to be no way of separating the two so I don't think it's recommended. The nuts on mine were soft as well and I was worried that they would round off, I used a quick sharp impulse on the spanner to break the 'stiction' of the nut when the car was originally painted which I believe 'glues' the whole lot together making it harder to undo. I know this doesn't help much now!

I think an LS owner on here had to grind his off in the end. Have you tried mini mole grips or water pump pliers on the nut? Unfortunately it is an agricultural way of doing it and will mangle the nut but may be successful. Heat may help to loosen things BUT I wouldn't try with the petrol tank so close. Have you spoken to SGS to see if they have any ideas? Failing that Lexus?

Sorry can't be of more help,

Dave.

hi dave,

yes i have tried heat technique.

i phoned SGS and couldn't help much as i told them what i have done, and concluded that was the advice they were going to give me anyway!

never heard of mini mole grips before.

at this point i don't mind breaking the nut, just as long as i can get a replacement one easily and not end up being a specialist kind i have to buy from lexus, and with that the cost!

thanks to all for their input, it is really helping :D

hi all,

i noticed that the glove box light was not working. naturally i went and bought a replacement bulb. after installing it, it still not lighting up.

what should i check next?

thanks

;)

they have stated the nut will be hard, but surely there must be something wrong with mine! it surely can't be welded. i just don't see lexus going that far....would they!

does anyone know if i can pop the ball end off?

thanks as always

;)

Might sound stupid but have you tried turning the nut the in the opposite direction?

yes, both directions. the american lexus forum suggested that on the drivers side you pull downwards towards the spare wheel. on the passenger side you pull up. i did both ways and it wouldn't budge!! very very odd !

thanks for you input

Will the gas struts pop off the pivot ball joint so that you do not need to remove the nut? Or pop off so that you can get a socket on?

good point

not sure, there is movement, but the resources i have read before attempting removal have not mentioned anything about popping the pivot ball joint off. they have stated the nut will be hard, but surely there must be something wrong with mine! it surely can't be welded. i just don't see lexus going that far....would they!

does anyone know if i can pop the ball end off?

thanks as always

;)

well i've taken every advice i can think of. i have just got back in from the car. the nut will not budge. in the end the nut is rounded off now.

i've applied WD-40, i went out and bought a blow torch pencil to apply direct heat, used different types of spanner. even found my aston super wrench from the shopping channel :winky: and that didn't shift it! what make it worse, the nut is "soft", not sure if that exists, but anyway, 2 tries and thing starts rounding off!

this is the right side

this is the left side:

these were taken before i attempted anything today.

any ideas how to remove the nuts?

my friend has a connection in the business that can remove any type of nut, if he has to break it, can i just get standard replacements from a DIY store or do i have to order via lexus?

im pretty sure if i bought this into lexus, they would break the nut. i don't see how you need any special tool to remove this nut!

:tsktsk: :tsktsk:

hi all,

thought i'd share a deal i saw today.

i've been after engine oil, and happened to stumble on a deal at tesco out of all places!

it is for the Castrol GTX magnatec 5W-30 oil. it comes in 2 litre bottles for £10.76. i bought 3 which works out to be £32.37. so that's 6 litres for £32! Halfords is doing it for £30.00 for 4 ltrs.

however, you can only order it via tesco direct, and not through the store. when ordering you can get it delivered to a local store to save delivery costs. i've got a store a mile away!

here's the link:

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-4007.aspx

:D

sorry to hear the bad news

keep us updated

thanks rick

according to the SGS company, if they re=gas the struts and it doesn't take, they can supply you with one and not charge you for the gassing. apparantly a few people have tried the replacement ones and said they were very good. in this case, it is competitive with eBay.

can you send me the eBay link anyway?

thanks

hi all

i've been asking alot of questions lately, as im planning to service my car (weather permitting) next week.

i attempted to buy some brake discs. this is not really a complaint against the shop, but when i gave him my chassis number, he said it didn't come up! he spoke of other chassis numbers that were in my year range. he advised that he'd rather get the chassis number correct to save the hassle of returns and postage and lost time, which is sensible to me. but now its delayed me.

my chassis number begins with JT153JSE engine number: 2JZ

car : mk1 gs300 sport

year: 08/1997

front:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEXUS-GS300-3-0-S-SE...1713.m153.l1262

the rear ones must have been sold

question i think i'm asking is, where can i get parts that i need, and do i really need to stick to the chassis numbers? i have bought from this seller before, and they're pretty good.

thanks

great !

advice noted!

can you, or anyone, recommend me other units to consider?

still need help on installation etc

thanks

hi all,

i've been saving up to buy and install a new head unit.

i have the MK1 gs300 sport. these versions did not come with sat nav or anything so i would like to change it. i DO want to keep my 6 changer in the back and still run that.

here is what i've got my eye on:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TD702G-7-Motorized-C...%3A1|240%3A1318

i have taken the measurements and it theoretically fits, however, i don't know the depth of the OEM. the depth of the unit on the e-bay ad says 169mm. i need to know if it will fit in my slot.

i also need:

tips/tutorial guidance on how to install the head unit once i get it.

i also need to get a facia to fill in the gaps. the mk1 has a sort of trapezium shape. so not sure who or where i can get it from.

hope you can help, looking forward to watching dvd's whilst dossing at work !!!

:D

thanks rick, and everyone else!

i am planning to send the struts to the company above SGS.

i tried to remove the bolt, although i had a very good fitting and grip with the 12" wrench, it just kept spinning and it feels soft. i gave up after 3 attempts as i was scared in case i strip the nut. how did you remove yours? the nut is painted in a blue colour like my car, not sure if thats anything to do with it, but i don't want to damage the nut as i may need it when i re-install the existing ones. or, maybe i get new ones if i buy a replacement. ideally i'd like to send off asap as i have next week off work and therefore ample time to install them.

any help will be appreciated

rishi

ok

yes i saw the struts. i thought they looked simple to move, but obviously not ! well...according to you guys.

is there a tutorial on how to remove them? i've got a week off work, so i won't be using my car.

also, once gas has been replenished, when i open the boot via the catch inside the drivers area, will the boot automatically rise up, or will it just release the catch?

thanks

;)

thanks

what is "SGS" mean?

does anyone know where to get these supports and how to install them.

thanks again

does this apply to the MK1 sport?

hi all,

i didn't go into work today due to the heavy snow, so i'd thought i'd post a trivial question that has been bugging me.

my car is the Mk1 gs300 sport. i've noticed that when i go to shut the boot, the lid slams fast and hard. i usually have to guide it slowly down. the spoiler must be real heavy!

if someone closes my lid i have to warn them, but usually its too late. a friend of mine said that a car of this kind should have a restrictor that slows it down. i told him i bought the car like this, so i don't know any different. it did get me thinking though...

so, is the boot lid supposed to be like that, or do they have some sort of restrictor.

thanks

enjoy the snow! :winky:

hi all

i saw this website from the states that does wood dash trim styling

http://www.wooddashexperts.com/customer/home.php?cat=6024

this site is obviously from the states where i will have to pay import charges. does anyone know of a british firm that does these or similar, or any where that sell them

can anyone vouch for the quality. and or give me some alternatives

many thanks

rishi :winky:

thanks guys

i will post this on DW to see what response i get.

its using the machine thats the issue as i've never used on before, and don't want to mess it up.

as i said, worse comes to the worse, i'll go pro and do it.

anyone know where i can get a good dva?

Hi all,

I have a wedding to go to in the last weekend of march. Hopefully by then we’ll have some good weather. Problem is, my car suffers from bad swirl marks. I would like to buff these out (paintwork correction). I was contemplating buying a DVA polisher like the Meguiars G220, but I have no experience in this. I really want my car to be a showpiece in the car park on that day! I have the following options:

Buy a DVA and learn myself, which could be costly,

Rent a DVA and do it myself. Not sure if I can rent one.

Ask someone to show me how to do it. I have no one, so I’ll put the offer out to the people on this forum, this way I can learn a new skill.

Pay a professional to do it.

what do you guys think?

:)

hi

does the mk1 gs300 sport have a pollen filter?

does anyone know where i can get one from

thanks

here in north london we have a recycling depo. you can put it in any container, just as long as you leave it in the right area. check your local council website

yeah i get what you're saying. even if this item does not get all out, at least if you reach underneath to undo the sump not much will come out. if you get the oil warm enough to be as much liquid as possible then it has a better chance of being removed. thats what the reviewers are saying anyway. its very popular with boat engines. for £35 a go, its worth giving it a go. even if it's not brilliant, you can always give it to someone as a gift next xmas! or to someone that owns a boat!

aido,

according to the pela website and videos on youtube, you simply put the plastic tube in to the channel where the dipstick usually goes. this is where the oil is drawn from. yes, you may have to question the diameter of the dipstick channel and the plastic tubing, but if all these components are made equal, it shouldn't be a problem. member IPHJ has mentioned it above, not sure if he's actually used it, or seen it been used.

i think i'll keep researching until someone who has used it on a lexus can verify if it works well.

thanks

according to lexus manual, the oil type should be 5W-30. has anyone used other types?

i use my car for work and do alot of short journeys around traffic. i do use on motorways but not often, possibly once every 2-3months

regarding PELA oil extractors. i managed to source one for £35 inc P&P which i will be ordering tomorrow. apparently Mercedes-benz do their oil change this way, but not 100%. i have read some good reviews about it. considering how messy oil changes could be, and i don't have a private drive, or garage, this makes sense and be very practical. for those that are interested, here's the link:

http://www.seamarknunn.com/acatalog/PL176634.html

:winky: