Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


Paulus

Members
  • Posts

    35
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Profile Information

  • Lexus Model
    GS430 SE

Paulus's Achievements

Explorer

Explorer (4/14)

  • First Post
  • Collaborator
  • Conversation Starter
  • Week One Done
  • One Month Later

Recent Badges

0

Reputation

  1. Hello :) Looking for a good independent in S Wales/valleys/beacons area, the GS430 needs a service and the engine light has just come on Any recommendations? Thanks, Paul
  2. Nice one Don, glad your problem's fixed and could be useful info for someone else as you say Merry Christmas to you too :) Cheers, Paul
  3. Nice idea but it seems unlikely Lexus are going to go down that route at the moment.
  4. Thanks mate, it's certainly quite a faff :) I've done an update to the shopping list for ultraleds in the OP as I got some things wrong and missed some others. The Ultimate I 501/T10/194 1 x 1 Watt that I got for the sidelights are an excellent match for the OEM HIDs and much brighter than the original tungstens. Care is needed when fitting them though as they need to be shoved firmly home in the bulb holder or they can work loose and fall off inside the cowling (agghhhh!). I also blew a 10A mini-blade fuse (driver's footwell) and have had to temporarily swap the one from the fuel opener. :tsktsk: Particularly pleased with the results from the front dome light and rear courtesy lights, much more up to date looking and lumen output it at least as good as the tungstens. (With a grey or black interior the cool white LEDs may be a bit too chilly but in our sand/beige one it now feels less like sitting in a tub of clotted cream)
  5. We get a lot of frost here (fairly high up in the mid Wales mountains) - I just use 2 x1.5L bottles of water, one tepid (first) and one handwarm; start the car, apply the water, good to go in under a minute.
  6. Hiya, Have been researching changing interior bulbs for cool white (xenon temp) LEDs having done this on our Bongo. I prefer the look, the output is better and you can leave them on for a long time without draining the battery noticably. I also want to replace the sidelights with something close in temp to the HIDs. Along the way I've found things are not as straighforward as they could be and there's a lot of confusing information around so I thought I'd post this in case it's useful for someone else. For exterior bulbs see this http://www.consumabulbs.com/files/nproduct...=33&md=4653 for UK references and cross check against this http://www.whatbulb.com/2001-Lexus-GS300GS430 which has US references but is more accurate and complete. But they're fairly easy compared to interior bulbs, I found a reference list on CL but it only gives US bulb types, here it is (thanks to rominl at CL, see his excellent FAQ for endless info about GS lighting): backup [reversing] light - m2 (in newer models it might need M6 instead) rear door bottom light - m4 rear passenger dome light - m4 front door bottom light - m4 front central dome light - m16 front map light - m17 side marker - m4 night time driving light - m4 (stock replacement) or m6 (brighter out of spec replacement) foot well light - #74 glove box - #74 ignition - #74 vanity mirror - m24 (a bit fatter in shape but should fit) trunk light - m4 rear license plate - m4 Judging by the owner's manual I would say the rear courtesy lights are the same fitment (type "F") as the front map lights but at a lower wattage. The above list is just the start though as it's all US references and a pain to sort out so here's a load of cross references that can be used to find the bulbs in the UK (most common refs in bold) M2 - 7440, 382, ba15s, p21w, 1156 M4 - 501, 194/168, 158, 2821, 12256, 2825, W5W, T10 M17 - BA9,BA9S,233, 1895, 57 also fit 756, 1815, 1889, 1891, 1893, 12929, 12814, P8701W M16 -DE3021, DE3022, DE3175, DE3425, 211-2, 212-2, 12844 Dome light (10mmx31mm), 269, (10W) M24 - DE3021, DE3022, DE3175, DE3425, 211-2, 212-2, 12844 , T8 (5W) #74 - T5, 17 18 37 70 73 79 85 86 2721, 286 Hope this is useful. If you want to do most of the interior, the side repeaters with amber-flashing white-looking and the sidelights with bright xenon colour you're looking at about £60 for quality items from ultraleds, inc.p&p. My order should have been something along the lines of: 501/194/T10 New Mini Light Tower 9 x WA HB Leds AMBER x2 (repeaters) The Ultimate I 501/T10/194 1 x 1 Watt Ultra Xenon White x5 (sidelights, reversing lights & boot) U286W (286) Dash Board Slim wedge bulb White x3 (footwells and glovebox) 269 2 x High Brightness Xenon White SMT's 11 - 16v (One Bulb) x1 (front dome) BA9 1W Wide Angled High Power Led Bulb Xenon White x2 (front map) 501/194/T10 New Mini Light Tower 9 Leds Xenon White x2 (rear courtesy) Not doing the vanity mirrors, SWMBO wouldn't thank me as the wamer light is more flattering ;-) Happy to stand corrected on all this by someone more in the know! Cheers, Paul
  7. I believe you need one that talks the CAN protocol, not sure if the cheapies will do all the manufacturer specific codes or not.
  8. Paulus

    Tyres

    I've just gone on the strength of 1 but in the past it's been brand loyalty to Vredestein (which was actually started on recommendation from a mate who works in the trade) Had Contis, Michelins, etc. but Vredestein beat them all on my 200sx
  9. Many thanks for the offer kam :) After extensive googling it looks like the Falken 452s from camskill are the best bet, I can get them fitted 5 miles away for £15 ea which isn't a great price but at least saves a drive and keeps business local, total cost 171.70 for a pair Thanks again all, LOC forum kicks butt B)
  10. Thanks guys, good to know the higher load rating isn't needed Have been looking at sourcing online but according to mytyres my nearest fitting station is 25 miles away and charges £17.62/tyre!
  11. Folks, Need new rears on my GS430 (235/45/17). I'm guessing 97 load rating? (I'm guessing because I've yet to source a full owner's guide, only got the brief one) Clearly a Y or better speed rating. The load rating seems to make a big difference to the price. Currently most attractive option for that spec is Michelin Pilots at £155 a corner all in. Can get Dunlop Sport Max or Conti SportContact3 for slightly less. Ideally I'd like Vredestein Ultracs but can't source them locally or find them with an increased load rating online. Have got cheap ditchfinders on the front but not too worried about them at the moment; based on 2 days' experience I reckon oversteer from the rear losing grip is going to be more of a concern than understeer from the front scrubbing out, especially in winter conditions. Appreciate views. :) Cheers, Paul
  12. I know for a fact that Toyota have got serious concerns about the future of the brand, which isn't surprising really given that the whole car industry is falling over itself to move very rapidly towards small frugal cars and the fact that the US mfrs woke up to this so late is why they're looking for $bns in handouts. Still, there's a good eco argument for buying a 2nd hand car as well engineered as a Lexus and looking after it properly. As a side point I'm not sure how viable the single-franchised-dealership model of distribution is either, IMO the whole thing will get a lot leaner and look very different in a few years time.
  13. Hi Glenn I bought my GS430 yesterday (6th) as well. (4,500 w/out nav/lev but in great nick with a very good history.) Lexus did the belt on mine at 68,000 (now on 75ish) so that backs up what Mark said really. I started off on my way home slightly hesitantly but after 220miles and a blast on my home roads at the end I'm now officially converted, amazing car for the money. Cheers, Paul
×
×
  • Create New...