The-Acre

Bear in mind the coolant will be at those temperatures, and the fluid with the original setup runs through it. I found my external cooler got too hot to touch but it was fine.

So my school reports were correct, I should pay more attention!

If you're fitting a separate cooler you don't really need to block the old holes but simply plugging them with something like silicone sealant will stop dirt getting in. The internal cooler is aluminium so doesn't rust. Just to add, once the transmission pipes are re routed to a cooler, the rest of it in the radiator is obsolete.

Did you manage to do it without removing the rear seat? I found it possible just to bring the back of the seat forward enough to reach the top mounts. Maybe not so easy for someone if they had sausage fingers! Have you had to do the front yet? They're a lot harder to disconnect due to limited space but doable.

To give you an idea, I phoned Lexus to get a price for a pair of upper control arms, over £1,100. The pair from Rock were (and these weren't their cheapest) less than £100 including taxes and delivery for the pair. Regardless of what others might say, I knew when the parts arrived they were excellent quality, and three years on still fine. The parts not to buy from Rock are heavy items like brake discs because shipping goes by weight.

Practically every LS430 suffers with the speaker foam breaking up, there are kits available to repair them though. The amplifiers are also prone to failure but you can get them repaired/rebuilt.

The LS430 is a superb machine but sadly no hybrid. The problem is finding a really good as they're getting long in the tooth now and the later ones are in the higher tax band. Either way you need a decent contingency budget when you buy a used luxury car. If you've not driven an LS430 I'd recommend doing so .

Yes, LS430 is compliant.

It's so important when ordering from Rock to choose FedEx economy, that way all duty is included, and as you probably discovered, they arrive within a week.

Good to know she's still performing well! I can't remember which pads were put on, at my age I forget easily! I'm about to order Bosch ones for my Volvo as I've read good things about them. Sorry you had to spend £16, shocking!!

Steve, you know I'm a great fan of Rockauto, Bosch Pads delivered including taxes and shipping £40.

I've no idea who makes these but I would be very suspicious of an air strut claiming to be OE quality when it costs the same as a spring. If I were you I'd go for the Arnott ones from Rockauto and choose FedEx economy for shipping, that way vat will be included and you'll receive them within the week. Bear in mind the fronts fit either side but the rears are handed. You can go through the Rockauto process and you'll get the total price at checkout but you'll have the option to cancel, that way you'll know the total cost. I would also trust them for wheel bearings.

I bought a used air strut for my LS, it cost £200, then another one went. You may just be chasing your tail with used parts, especially when they take time to replace.

I agree. A little bit of digging often shows that what a main dealer is charging for is the same product available for much less because the label or stamp is different. I recently bought an alternator belt and tensioner, genuine Volvo parts, but the tensioner was stamped Dayco.

Lexus air shocks were about £900 each 3 years ago so probably more now. Arnott are the only aftermarket ones I know of but because they're made differently you would have to buy a pair. Lexus offered me a set of 4 genuine ones for £2,800 but again, that was some time ago. I see Rockauto do the Arnott ones for £445 each or FSC (don't know who they are) for £390. You've got tax and shipping on that. In the end you're probably better just to go to Lexus for everything, it'll give you peace of mind