CMarkC

I asked this question a couple of years ago (2005 GS430). The answer is (confirmed by Lexus themselves) that it is omitted from UK spec cars. I tried the button push sequence in the US manual with no joy before asking the dealer who confirmed the worst - shame. Cheers, MarkC

With a GS: turn on Snow mode and turn off Traction Control (keeps revs down and allows wheels to spin). Be (VERY) gentle on the throttle. Get winter tyres (or, at the very least, new tyres - I need some so will be doing that). Snow socks work (and they are relatively easy to get on and off). A pair for the rears is the minimum but front as well if you want to be able to steer. They wear out quite quickly on tarmac though. DON'T do what all of the people down here in Reading (in their rear wheel drive BMWs, Jags and Mercs) did - i.e. drive like plonkers. I took 3 hours to drive 2 1/2 miles because no-one knew how to drive on snow. You would not believe the stuff I saw (well - you might). My GS 430 (new shape - 05 plate) got me to within 5 feet of my normal parking spot (before becoming beached in a foot and a bit of fresh snow in the car park in front of the house), driving down roads where other people had got very stuck. It just takes a gentle touch and the knowledge that you have to anticipate much further ahead, keep moving where possible (wheels turning = good, stopped = bad), don't brake or accelerate or turn suddenly. Generally use common sense. A few tips here: BBC snow tips 2pass tips AA snow tips Hope that helps, Mark C

Have you made the phone discoverable? I have a Nexus One (essentially the same as your Desire) and it works fine with my 2005 GS Mk3 Cheers, Mark C

I went to the one at Englefield House (Berkshire). Drove the GS450h (too similar to my 430), LS600h (VERY nice - quiet, refined and LOTS of toys) and.... The IS-F - All I can say is WOW! What a fantastic noise and fast as a fast thing! Cheers,

I think I raised the original question last year and, no, it was never resolved. I too forgot to ask when I last took mine in for a service - must remember next time. I've got into the habit of hitting the lock button every time - but I'm always scared that I'll forget. Many years of driving around the rough parts of Manchester and Salford taught me the benefit of auto lock on drive away! If anyone finds out how this can be done for a Mk3 GS I would love to know as well. Cheers, Mark

Glad to help. Brilliant, isn't it? - once you get it working :D Cheers, Mark

I had to do this recently and the instructions in the manual worked for me: First - turn bluetooth on for your phone and make it discoverable (which you've already done). Then - follow these instructions for registering your phone with the car... 1. Push the “INFO” button to display the “Information Menu” screen. 2. Touch the “Telephone” on screen button to display “Telephone” screen. NOTE: You can also push the telephone button on your steering wheel to display this screen when the vehicle is stopped. 3. Touch the “Settings” on screen button to display “Settings” screen. 4. Touch the “Add Phone” on screen button to connect your cellular phone to the system. 5. When the "passkey" screen is displayed, input the Passkey displayed on the screen into the phone. If you want to cancel it, touch “Cancel”. 6. When the connection is completed, device name and Bluetooth Device Address is displayed. I hope that helps - it worked for me. I believe it's about page 225 in the manual (certainly in the US version, which I have as a PDF, it may be slightly different in the UK version). Cheers, Mark

Great topic - 44 years old and my list is as follows: VW Scirocco 1.6GLi - 1980 - blooming brilliant! Audi 80GL 1.8 - 1984 - also quite good - I'd probably never have bought another car if this hadn't had someone run into the back end of it when it was parked outside my parents' house. Volvo 760GLE 3.0 V6 - 1985 - complete rubbish, cylinder head gasket blew after about 2 months and the car was uneconomical to repair Ford Sierra Sapphire 2.0 iGLS - 1987 - potato (bland but filling) and the easiest car to steal in the world, ever! Rover 414 SLi 1.4 1991 - boringly rubbish (and unreliable - don't get me started!) Nissan QX 3.0SE - 1996 - utterly brilliant in every way, reliable, fast, inconspicuous and safe (someone ran into this car at 60+ miles an hour and my ex wife survived with minor bruises!). Peugeot 206 GTi 2.0 - 2000 - excellent (company car - so I wasn't worried about the dodgy electrics and could just drive the nuts of it!) Rover 623 SLi 2.3 - 1994 - one of the best value cars I've owned, bought it for £2700, sold it for £1800, drove it for 4 years and 40,000 miles, never went wrong, amazing. Renault Laguna II 19.dCi Dynamique Sport Tourer - 2002 - AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!! This car was, without a doubt, the most expensive automotive mistake I have ever made. I bought it new (import - £17k, saving £3k on UK list), sold it 3 years later for £5k (ouch!) and spent about £6k in servicing and repairs over that period. RUBBISH, RUBBISH, RUBBISH - I defy anyone to have a worse car. Audi A4 1.8T Sport Quattro - 2001 - Good car but rubbish dealers spoilt the experience a bit. Nissan Maxima QX 3.0 SE+ - 2002 - bought to replace the Renault (and because I'd had the previous model). Everything that I said about the other one applies again. Tens of thousands of miles of trouble free comfort able motoring. Jaguar X-Type 3.0 SE - 2003 - Brilliant. Up to this point the best car I had owned. Fast (very), comfortable, reliable, safe, 4wd (good in winter) and.... it's a Jaaaaaaag! Lovely, plus the dealers are second only (maybe) to Lexus. Lexus GS430 Mk III - 2005 - So far - best car I've ever owned. We'll see if I feel the same after the first service. Currently I would rate my top 4 as Lexus, Jag, Nissan(1996), Nissan(2002). Bottom (by a loooooooong way): Renault. Cheers, Mark C

Prompted by the recent news that Lexus UK have dropped the GS460 I was wondering just how rare certain cars are. I have a Mk3 GS430 and, although I see a few GS450h and GS300 on the road I can't say that I've seen many of the 430. I guess that the GS460 is even rarer (released 2008, deleted 1 year later and not many sold anyway)? How would I find out how many of them there are on the road? Does anyone here have a clue? Cheers, Mark C

I've had my series 3 430 for about 2 months now and I'm loving it. A bit juicy (she's a thirsty girl) but a really "nice" car. I've had quite a few other motors (just swapped from a Jag X-Type) and the Lexus is definitely the best that I've owned. the nearest I've had before have been a couple of Nissan QXs but they weren't really in the same league. The only downside is that teh boot (although quite large at 430 litres) is a bit of an awkward shape and it doesn't quite fit 2 large suitcases. Don't know if that's the same with the Mk2 though. Cheers, Mark

I've been watching them build the place for the ast few months. I hadn't realised that it was going to be the first in the UK - I'll have to drop in for a looksee. Funnily enough, I've just been to Canada and Lexus, Infiniti and Acura (the Honda equivalent) are everywhere. There seem to be slightly fewer "Lexi" on the road there - whether this means they are more exclusive or just more expensive - I didn't check. If I drop in to the Reading Infiniti dealership I'll post my findngs here. Cheers, Mark C

Does anyone happen to know if this is likely to be a problem on the GS430 as well? I hope not as I've only just got mine (05 GS430 Mk3). Cheers, Mark C

No full exterior photos yet but here are a few for starters... I used to have one of these... It's a bit of a change! Cheers, Mark C

Hi there, I have an 05 GS 430 and wondered if it could be set to auto lock the doors on drive away? The manual for the US model gives these instructions: AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKING You can select the following functions: Locking linked with the shift position All doors are automatically locked when the selector lever is moved out of “P” position. Locking linked with vehicle speed All doors are automatically locked when the vehicle speed goes above about 20 km/h (12 mph). You can set or cancel the automatic door locking functions: Be sure to apply the parking brake when performing the following operations. To select the locking linked with the shift position: 1. Close all doors and select the engine switch in “IG-ON” mode. 2. Shift the selector lever to the “P” position. 3. Within 10 seconds of selecting the engine switch in “IG-ON” mode, press and hold the driver’s side power door lock switch in the lock position for 5 seconds and then release. The doors will be locked and unlocked to indicate that the function is set. To cancel the function, do the above operation again. To select the locking linked with the vehicle speed: 1. Close all doors and select the engine switch in “IG-ON” mode. 2. Shift the selector lever from “P” to the “N” position. 3. Within 10 seconds of selecting the engine switch in “IG-ON” mode, press and hold the driver’s side power door lock switch in the lock position for 5 seconds and then release. The doors will be locked and unlocked to indicate that the function is set. To cancel the function, do the above operation again. Whereas the UK manual does not have this entry. I tried the above without success - is there a way of doing this on a UK car? Cheers, Mark

Just a little hello to all you guys (and gals) on this forum. I've just entered the world of Lexus ownership (05 plate GS430) and am liking it so far. I'd like to thank everyone here for the information that I gained before purchasing - you were very helpful. Cheers, Mark C