ColinBarber

You need more than the tracking checked, you need a full wheel alignment that checks camber and toe. I would ask you dealer about getting this done for you.

Where is it stocked? Had a quick look in Halfords the other day without any luck.

If you are doing high mileage then you would choose a hard wearing tyre like Michelin (my bosses car has Michelin Pilot and he got 50,000 miles from all four tyres, driving like an idiot). I wouldn't buy a car which had tyres on it that I had not heard of, or if every tyre was different. If the tyres are cheap then was the owner also using chip fat for engine oil or washing the car with washing up liquid etc etc.

My wife's IS has Dunlop SP9000 on the front and SP2000 on the rear. I have on a couple of occasions had the backend break away when it wasn't being pushed hard. I don't know if this is a problem with mixing types or that the SP2000 are rubbish. Front end grip seems very good so I may replace the rears with SP9000. If I wanted the best grip then Bridgestone SO-3 are the way to go however price, wear and noise are also things to consider and the IS200 really doesn't need the performance of the SO-3.

Lexus are saying 50%. http://www.lexus.co.uk/news.php?page=artic...le&id=highvalue But I don't know if that is their retail price or what an owner would get when trading in. I guess the first option. The MKI RX has held it's value well, although they may start to drop with the MKII now available.

Bilsteins are good shocks, infact one of the best. Toyota use them standard on some models or as factory options (Supra, MR2T etc).

60% dealer price but not trade-in.

Where are you buying them from? Very expensive. My rear SO-2 tyres for my Supra (255x50x17) were only £130 each. I recently paid £115 for SO-3 on my GS Try: http://www.micheldever.co.uk They import most tyres into the country. Also Bracknell tyre and battery give excellent prices.

I like the way they pretend to chrome the GS300 grill. It's already chrome, they have just removed the black paint!

Why don't you test drive a new SC and compare it to yours. There have been 3 modifications to suspension bushes in the US to stop clunking noises from the rear end, I don't know if they improve ride. Run flats are now only an option in the US, normal ones are standard. Ask the guys at http://www.clublexus.com for their comments on tyres or modifications.

Try lifting up the handbrake pedal with your hand when you release it with the level to make sure it comes all the way up. If it is coming all the way up then maybe the switch is faulty. I take it you have checked your brake fluid?

Where are you going to mount the camera? I have looked into this on my GS. I have a NTSC camera and purchased a composite to RGB converter. Works fine on the screen. I have also designed a timer circuit so that there is a 0.3 second delay in switching the signal so that when I go from park into drive it doesn't try and change the signal as the gearlever passes through reverse (not a problem for manual gearboxes). However I don't know where to mount the camera. If I use the boot lock then I will only not see any of the rear bumper. If I mount it where the number plate lights are, facing downwards, I can see the middle of the bumper but not all of it and I don't know if at night the light from the number plate lights will affect the image. Any ideas?

I went to the Tunbridge Wells event on Tuesday. The best thing was it makes you feel young again, very few people under the age of 45 B)

Be careful with wheel covers as they can restrict airflow to the brakes. Can cause brake fade or warp the discs. Even different wheels can cause problems on some cars - for example the Supra TT wheels have a spoke design which draws air onto the brakes to aid cooling.

76 ft lb for every Toyota/Lexus I have ever seen although I cannot confirm this for the LS430.

It's only a cosmetic problem, doesn't affect braking performance.

try Fensport. They do a 3S-GTE conversion for about £2000 including engine, gearbox, loom, ecu etc. They may also do BEAMS engines + ancillaries, worth speaking to them. http://www.fensport.co.uk

Just over 50 dealerships in the UK. Lexus Guildford is the largest in Europe.

They didn't have the sport the other day, only the SE. Would have liked to have seen what they have done with the suspension. Still I cannot afford a new one so the sport is not an option as it's only been out for 2 weeks.

I'm thinking of changing my GS300 with either a GS430 or an IS300. I like the GS but the IS feels more solid and better build with excellent handling. I tested both the other day on a Lexus open road event to help me choose but liked them both for differnet reasons - IS for it's handling and looks and the GS for it's power (I think I am missing my old Supra TT). I will try and arrange some 24 hour test drives to help me choose however is there anybody who can comment on the two?

13-18 mpg?? :o

The GS is due for a replacement before the IS. Once the new GS is out I would guess the IS will appear 12 months later. Maybe Lexus will launch in the middle of the year from now on like they did with the RX. June 04 for the GS and June 05 for IS???

Supply your own oil if you want to save some more money.

You can expect to get less trade-in for a yellow car. Dealers say they are harder to sell as it's a love/hate colour. Obviously a salesman will tell you the opposite when you go to buy one. Happened to me with my yellow MR2. Back then (9 years ago) it was a real head turner as there were very few yellow cars, these days most manufactures seem to do a model in yellow. I personally like the IS in yellow. It's a nice strong colour rather than some manufactures washed out attempts. The only problem will be the large number of flies and bees you will get around the car. :D

Guys in the US are talking about the 05 model as the all new model. Their next year models normally appear around October time the year before so maybe we will see something in 15 months time. Minor changes for 04. Different paint colours etc.