true blue

Hi ,another vote for Nigel Langs ; excellent service with attention to detail , I have 2 cars which can give problems the Lexus and a Mazda MX5 RWD Rules

Hi , won't work for me either ; link comes up error 404 Dave

Those look really good ;suit the car and in my opinion are a big improvement on originals. The more I see of these SC 430 ,the more I fancy one . I'll wait to see what happens to the prices when the winter comes Dave

Hi ,with regard to the grease ,toyota do have a recommended grease but I have never been able to track it down .The grease I have used sucessfully over the years for this job is a tube of Loctite Superlube .It is a clear synthetic grease with PTFE .it says on the tube that the melting point is 232 deg C ,and I have not had any problems with it drying or washing out . I got mine from R S components a couple of years ago but I am sure it is also available elswhere . Don't forget to still use a small amount of copper gease on the rear of the pads and the edges of the pad backing plate where it slides in the carrier to prevent siezure when the winter salt comes .

Hi , as Pete has said ,cleaning out the filter will probably cure fault 1349 however if the code is 1346 (vvt sensor circuit range/performance problem ) then the cause is almost certainly the cam belt timing which will be 1 tooth out .This happened to me when I changed the timing belt although I was very careful and checked everything ,after a re-check I found it to be 1 tooth out (it still ran OK but with the light illuminated) . I would take it back to whoever did the work and ask for the code . if it is 1346 get them to remove the cam belt cover and double check their work . Dave

Hi if you look on the Livingston Auto parts web site; they list a fitting kit APKIT 1059 which is cheaper than the lexus set . With regard to your post on slider pins ,I have not been able to find an alternative supplier . hope this helps

Hi ,had a senior moment on holiday last week ,pulled across on a narrow cornish lane for an oncoming vehicle; didn't see a rock hidden in the grass :msn-cry: need a repair involving some cutting /refabrication welding and paint ; Can anyone recommend a good bodyshop in the Leeds area Thanks Dave

Hi just purchased one today for a W/E service , number on the box and filter 90915-YZZD2

Hi ,might be worth talking to Livingstone Auto Parts www.livingstoneautoparts.co.uk I have had a front set off them and they have on their site front shims and rear brake shoe set as in stock but no mention of rear shims Dave

Hi I have just been through this common problem myself . the 1st check is as stated the discs are warped ; before buying new discs get the run out checked with a dial guage ;if this is OK it will be the caliper ;Mine was 2 thou so I fitted new calipers ;No need to pay Lexus prices ,find a good independent ,they will fit rebuilt calipers for less than half what Lexus charge .If you are confident on working on brakes yourself it is not a difficult job . I do all my own repairs and bought rebuilt calipers from Livingstone Auto Parts only £161 for the pair including £24 refundable surcharge and free next day delivery . At the same time I fitted stainless brake lines and now the brakes are superb .At these prices it is not worththe hassle of rebuilding them yourself .Site for reference www.livingstoneautoparts.co.uk. I have no connections and I find their service excellent

Hi , you will have to get under the car to change the gearbox oil , I have done it so here are a few pointers ; get the car to a SAFE working height , ensure the axle stands are secure ,DO NOT work under jacks only . There is not a lot of room ,so you will need a ring spanner ( 24m/m as I remember ) to remove the level plug remove this before you remove the drain plug as it is a real problem if the level plug wont come out and the gearbox is empty . Life is made easy by using a metal oil syringe to refill the box ( you can buy them on E bay for about £8 ). fill until oil comes out with the car level . I used a fully synthetic oil which will last longer and seems to have made the box quieter hope this helps

Hi , Thanks for posting this link ,it will assist me, I'm leaving the Lexus in the garage and taking the MX5 to France for 3 weeks next month fresh air and fun

Update , the article in the April issue (out now ) ; part 3 may be of more interest to members as it covers the basic service for plugs ,oil and filter change and pollen filter .They say they are covering the cam belt change in the JUNE ISSUE . I think they paid a lot of money for the Denso plugs £97.70 !!!! . there is also a useful practical write up on understanding and using a multimeter ( always handy for those among us who are electrically challenged )

Hi ,have tou checked the immobiliser system ? does the tell tale light extinguish the same as it used to ? .If you have not got a engine management light I can't think of any thing else

Hi Chris ;the engine should not knock when started from cold . You may get a slight rattle for a couple of seconds while the oil pressure builds up and fills the oil filter ,I have seen this in the past .It is important to ensure that you use an original Toyota oil filter as some of the cheaper ' motor factor ' ones allow the oil to drain back and the engine will rattle for what seems a long time on the first cold start of the day .If you think this is the case check for the Toyota trade mark on the filter body ;if a pattern part is fitted ,my advice is to change it .

Hi Peter , the original spark plugs are iridium plugs which are long life ; and should be changed at 60,000 miles . Replacement iridium plugs are available , manufactured by either NGK or Denso . they are not as cheap as standard plugs I paid approx £7 ea 2 years ago . This kind of decision is difficult if you did not get any service history or old bills/receipts at the time of purchase ,as it is not easy to tell how long a plug has been in by removing and inspecting it unless it has been in so long the electrode is badly eroded and the gap excessive. It is not recommended that these types of plugs are cleaned or wire brushed

Hi what you require is a good quality 5w/30 grade oil . You can use either semi-synthetic or fully synthetic you pays your money and you take your choice . If you are driving quite a lot of miles or doing a lot of stop start motoring with a short commute I would go down the synthetic route ; but semi-synthetic is perfectly adequate for every day use .I always use the fully syn thetic mobil 1 but thats just my choice . I can recommend www.opieoils.co.uk who is on this forum and gives good prices and excellent delivery . If you want a professional opinion ,I'm sure he will advise Have a look on his website

Hi , as far as I am concerned ,once a lexus gets to this age a main dealer service stamp will not add any more to the resale value ,( which is why most people shell out top doller rates to maintain the history ) If you can get the work done at a reliable independent ,go ahead and keep the records for if and when you sell the car. I do all my own work and find the car quite straightforward to service ;you have had the important cam belt done and I presume at the mileage quoted the spark plugs have been changed . On the plus side the money you save ,you can spend on petrol ;) Dave

Hi ,I have looked into this grease problem before ,and ended up confused . although I would not wish to argue with the workshop manual ;the lithium soapbase glycol grease is designed for use with items in contact with rubber and brake fluid as in caliper and cylinder assembly ,I suspect it would soon wash off with water. the Toyota part number for this is apparently 08887-01206 . There is also another grease Toyota disc brake caliper grease 08887-80609 which may be more suitable .Can any of the professional Toyota techs on this forum shed any light on the suitability and availability of of this caliper grease ? . as an aside I have used a ford synthetic caliper and dialectric grease on my cars without any problems ,it stays soft and does not wash out .

Hi Andy I would post pictures but I'm not much use on computers I'll have a look at the instructions on here . As for Mercs my daughters coupe is 7 years old and like a lace curtain ,rust breaking out on wheel arches all over .

Hi Gary , thanks for the tips , I had clayed the car and done all the preparation which was why I was so hacked off with the finish .I've been looking at it for a couple of weeks and I'm still not happy so I cleaned it all off with 'Limeprime ' and bought some BILT HAMBER finis wax; because I find their wash so good .Well all I can say is this product is brilliant ,I know its more expensive than ultra deep shine but the wax is easy to apply ,polishes up easily and the finish is brilliant on my blue car . I also polished my other car ( a silver MX5 ) and if anything this lighter colour came up even better . I can certainly recommend this wax ,it says it is very durable so I will wait and see . Dave

Hi box brownie I am in Morecambe Lancs where we have a local stockist we are just looking at winter tyres for my sons car; Stockists do seem a bit thin on the ground ,it may be worth a google search to find a stockist near you

Hi, as said previously I don't think you will have any problems with the Kuhmos .I fitted a set to my Mazda MX5 NC which are very fussy on tyres and they are brilliant wet or dry and quieter than the original bridgestones Without wishing to confuse the issue have you thought about Vredestien as an alterative ? these are budget tyres ,I have had a set on the lexus for 7000 miles and cannot fault them . They are especially quiet on Motorways .I fitted these because I got a better deal locally than the Kuhmos

Hi thought I would treat the car to a real good clean ,did all the prep, wash ,clay dodo juice lime prime, metallic blue looked a real treat. Now to the issue, I decided to buy some Autoglym ultra deep shine ( allegedly very good for darker colours) .I could not get it to polish off it left white marks everywhere no matter how long I left it on ;I left it for a day washed it again and it looked even worse white marks on all the panels. I have eventually sorted it with a long session with quick detailer which has taken the residue off . Has anyone any experience with this polish and can tell me where i've gone wrong ?

Hi I also think the dealer is covering their tracks to avoid a problem caused by the tensioner .I had a similar problem with my sportcross at 57000 miles ,the engine management light came on ,I posted the code on here and was assured it was the timing belt . I was very dubious about that but subsequently found the belt had jumped 1 tooth .I replaced the belt with the tensioner and idler and have had no further trouble .As I previously posted to the chap who did a cheap belt only change ,it is sound engineering practice to change the set especially with the history this car has with belt problems .By the way ,why are you using expensive main dealer servicing on a car this age ? I do all my own servicing , these cars are quite straight forward to work on so find yourself a good reliable independent garage and save some money .