Bluesman

So (comments about cleanliness and such already dealt with....) does this thing work by transmitting through the existing hi-fi set-up, somehow?

(I have an unused iPod thingy that does this)

as the existing radio is pretty poor -reception wise - except for Radio 5 footy, (though lovely on CD) it would seem a good addition.

Would put pad on back to preserve polish on the wood, if not already provided.

It recieves the Digital signal through the arial you stick to the windscreen (Not very intrusive visualy) and then transmits to the car arial.

I am very sceptical about gadgets, I think it stems from my childhood trips to the Ideal Home Exhibition and my Mum & Dad would by all thos gadgets that only ever worked for the demonstrator at the show, but this is brilliant. I spend alot of time listining to Talk Sport which is MW and is a terrible signal especialy at night but this brings it to you in crystal clearness.

I have also found Jazz FM National again, a station that I could never get on the incar radio.

Mike

Things were going OK until you mentioned Jazz, I thought only VW Golf drivers liked it! :winky:

Not so much the Jazz which I do love but for the Blues.

Mike

Now you're talking! have you tried 1.FM on the net and listened to their non stop blues?, fantastic and by far my favourite music.

Never heard of that one but will definatly give them a listen, many thanks.

Mike

So (comments about cleanliness and such already dealt with....) does this thing work by transmitting through the existing hi-fi set-up, somehow?

(I have an unused iPod thingy that does this)

as the existing radio is pretty poor -reception wise - except for Radio 5 footy, (though lovely on CD) it would seem a good addition.

Would put pad on back to preserve polish on the wood, if not already provided.

It recieves the Digital signal through the arial you stick to the windscreen (Not very intrusive visualy) and then transmits to the car arial.

I am very sceptical about gadgets, I think it stems from my childhood trips to the Ideal Home Exhibition and my Mum & Dad would by all thos gadgets that only ever worked for the demonstrator at the show, but this is brilliant. I spend alot of time listining to Talk Sport which is MW and is a terrible signal especialy at night but this brings it to you in crystal clearness.

I have also found Jazz FM National again, a station that I could never get on the incar radio.

Mike

Things were going OK until you mentioned Jazz, I thought only VW Golf drivers liked it! :winky:

Not so much the Jazz which I do love but for the Blues.

Mike

So (comments about cleanliness and such already dealt with....) does this thing work by transmitting through the existing hi-fi set-up, somehow?

(I have an unused iPod thingy that does this)

as the existing radio is pretty poor -reception wise - except for Radio 5 footy, (though lovely on CD) it would seem a good addition.

Would put pad on back to preserve polish on the wood, if not already provided.

It recieves the Digital signal through the arial you stick to the windscreen (Not very intrusive visualy) and then transmits to the car arial.

I am very sceptical about gadgets, I think it stems from my childhood trips to the Ideal Home Exhibition and my Mum & Dad would by all thos gadgets that only ever worked for the demonstrator at the show, but this is brilliant. I spend alot of time listining to Talk Sport which is MW and is a terrible signal especialy at night but this brings it to you in crystal clearness.

I have also found Jazz FM National again, a station that I could never get on the incar radio.

Mike

The ashtray needs emptying of all those sweetie wrappers and don't blame the dog!

I wonder why they make a DAB radio for a car that works on 5 volts instead of 12 volts? It would make more sense and easier to wire.

Is the reception good all the time? Mine in the house is a bit hit and miss and you get that horrible garbled noise sometimes.

It looks a neat package,I thought they were bigger than that,nice job.

The ashtray needs emptying of all those sweetie wrappers and don't blame the dog!

I dont blame the dog its the wife I blame she knows how to operate a thing called an Vacuum Cleaner.

Mike

Look at the state of that passenger footwell, you should be ashamed ;)

What you can see is the dirty side of a piece of material that goes over the passenger seat so my puppy can sit on when she comes out with me. At the moment she has started to loose her puppy coat. The carpet under that is spotless.

The other thing you can see is my walking stick which is black and has many teeth marks from you know who.

Mike

I can report after having had fitted the superb Pure Highway DAB that everyone should have on.

They are BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had an auto electrician wire in the cigar lighter plug by soldering on a couple of wires from the cars cigar lighter and onto the DAB lead. The reason for this is the DAB works off 5V.

The Airial/Transmitter is attached to the top of the windscreen with cable chased in under the interior trim.

The DAB sits perfectly as in the picture and is held there with Blue Tack.

The gear stick misses it by a gnats hair as does the ashtray.

The sound once the incar radio is tuned in is fantastic, why did I wait for so long??

Lastly it fits in with all the dash illuminations it lights up green.

Got to admit, they really do look good on that colour :) not that they would'nt look good on any LS ;)

Andy

She looks beautiful. Dont see that colour often.

Enjoy Mike

Very nice, but I hope that hat on the back shelf doesn't mean you do 30mph in a 50 limit!!

I resemble that remark. No I keep to the speed limits these days as I have had a clean licence now for 3 years and before that was when I probobly got my licence in the first place but I hate dawdling as much as the next person. We should have minimum speeds like the States have as well as the upper limit.

When I photographed the car the thought passed through my head should I remove the hat.

Mike

This is the first time since I bought Lexie in April 2010 that I have her nice and clean and time to take a few pictures enjoy.

Has been running on LPG since I bought her with no problems. I love her to bits. I have had many cars over the years from top of the range Fords and Vauxhalls to Daimlers, Jaguars, Mercedes to mention a few and not one of them comes even close to my 13 years Young Lexus. Every time I sit in her a big smile comes across my face and all is well with the world.

Mike.

Take the wife and the dog to the pub, leave her alone at the pub with sufficient money for the day, tie the dog up outside the pub with sufficient food, water, shelter and a sign next to it stating "Owner broke, Owners wife drunk in pub, Owner's car broke please donate generously" then return home and fix the car in complete peace and tranquility.If you don't have any cans of beer make sure you get these at the pub before leaving!

It sounda a very familiar senario as I have apparently spent "too much time" looking on the internet for a replacement Lexus, then spent too much time travelling the midlands looking at them when the garden is an absolute disgrace and the grass needs cutting. Personally I think she's fiddled with the clocking in machine in the hallway.

.I thought about scrapping the Celsior and fitting the engine into a lawnmower combined with a rotavator and buying a local bus timetable.

I also chamfered the handle of the sweeping brush so it would fit up my a**e more comfortably when "multitasking"

Absolutely brilliant.

Its so nice to meet someone else who has to clock in and out of his own house.

Mike

update - we changed all the injectors from his car to mine. Took him quite a while, but it has made no difference, the engine warning light still comes on. Worse than that now the VSC light is coming on

Anyone any ideas?

Mike

Mike I am sorry you are still having problems and even more from the sound of it.

I dont know what to add to the advice I have already given you but to say the longer you leave it the weaker your legal position will become. Good luck.

Mike

if someone were to bump me, i know for sure they would write it off... the labour charges alone would exceed the 3qtr value in most accidents with this car. They'd prob offer 700minus excess which takes the p!ss

If someone bumps you and it is their fault then you won't pay any excess. The excess only comes into play if your own insurers pay and not if the other drivers insurance pay.

Its still down to you to get your excess from the other party and prove you have done so. I know this is normally done through your claim handlers but if you dont they will knock you NCB and up will go your premiums for many years to come.

Mike

I would fully expect to be able to buy the same car or a car of equal value with whatever sum they gave you after an accident.. but thats not the case... 3 qtrs of the value of the car is all they pay out minus your excess (which can be very high if you wanted a cheaper quote).

I valued mine at £1500 - its a 50k car and cannot be worth anywhere near 500 unless its scrap... if someone were to bump me, i know for sure they would write it off... the labour charges alone would exceed the 3qtr value in most accidents with this car. They'd prob offer 700minus excess which takes the p!ss to be honest.... what could i get for £500? It shouldn't cost you at all if its anothers fault, i'd want that car bringing back up back to the condition it was in the second before the crash, parts paint, labour the lot... if they can pay someone £1200 for 'whiplash' without even having that person properly medically examined with no bias results due to funding, then i want my car fixing as it was.... or a cash sum that would cover the cost of replacing the car with an equal car and insuring it etc.. when you look into it, it would cost me twice the value of my current car to suddenly have to change... and all i'd get is 500 quid.. that shouldn't be allowed..

Insurance Co's have been mastering the art of 'legal fraud' should we say for years now... i've been had over by several since 1992... including holiday ins too....

i had a few accidents in my 1st 3 yrs of driving, 2 were my fault, 3 were others.... most of which ended up 50/50 as they say???? another scam...

I'd like them to explain in detail the reason behind the massive price hikes since i started driving 17 or 18 yrs ago... back then they blamed all the car thieves everywhere.. now they say its all the uninsured drivers..... well excuse me but shouldn't they be made to pay for thier sins when they have an accident..??

and are you sure there really is "all the uninsured drivers" that you say there is?? In todays Britain?? with every police car equipeed with equipment to combat this? plus roadside monitors that take the reg of vehicles entering & leaving most towns & cities in the UK????

are they sure its not just to cover the cost of thier secret friends in the claims dept of the murky financial world... they actually encourage 'victims' of accidents to claim.. is this why so many cases are now 50/50?

Cars are now safer than ever with more & more gaining 5star awards, braking is so different now than the old drum brakes, etc etc etc

Car theft is now minimal compared to when i was growing up...

The doctors we had to go see after an accident... he virtually filled in the words for me.... and that was 1995.. its scandalous.... but all money motivated.. I've heard of 18 year olds being quoted 5000 pounds for a 1.0ltr car... its ridiculous and it needs looking into...

Why have we got to change every year now beause they like new business?? its like they are all scavengers after each others customers, its quite patheticernment... shouldn't good business be built on reputation? so what if they dont earn the extra 50 million, they already have 600bn in the bank.... its morally wrong, ethically wrong, a great big scam that needs somebody like Dispatches looking into it.... the ombudsmen just seem to sit there and do nothing (must be on the payroll too)

and i know they are more cars on the road now & possibly more accidents, but shouldn't the influx of new drivers be the influx of extra cash they crave and not every premium being raised every other month followed by lame excuses for it....

It certainly is a can of worms if opened, but it needs looking at... if there is anyone honest left in todays world....

Hi Manc

I hear what you say and agree with it all. Its just legalised theft pure & simple.

We did have a new member on here that was in the insurance game and did add to this thread but he seems to have gone very quiet since the questions have become deeper, if he is still reading this thread I would love to hear some of his answers.

I have always said that if its required by law then it has to be supplied by the Government i.e. Road tax, MOT etc where the Profit element is taken away.

I am convinced that when your car is involved in an accident the declared value is £3000 they get that but keep most of it themselves by offering you miserly amounts. They know that most people dont want a fight and will eventually give up.

Mike

Latest update!

After a bit of confusion the hire car was dropped off ( a Voljswagen Golf diesel ) but as arranged my car (still a Celica on the paperwork) was too big and heavy for the trailer the Golf came on.

The delivery guy was very helpful and arranged a bigger truck to come and collect within 90 minutes and 30 minutes later the correct type truck arrived followed 5 minutes later by another recovery truck!

After a brief discussion the 1st to turn up decided he was transporting the car to the correct repair centre in Chesterfield ( the other guy had been told to take it to the Nottingham depot!) and after completing the paperwork and taking numerous photos it was on its way.

Several hours later I got the telephone call confirming my worst fears... for just the parts I listed earlier £1900.00 then another £2100.00 for labour and paint the guy said the car is in immaculte condition but it looks like a write off.

On the way home I decided to go and have a look at the Lexus/Celsior I spotted on Autotrader (link above), the 1st problem was finding the place as the name on the building was not the same name in Autotrader.

Once located the car was pulled out so I could see it better.

I have never seen a 2000 plate LS400 in such a bad condition, the silver paint was flat and filty, there were cobwebs on the passenger wing mirror and boot lid,there was enough mud around the rear arches I could have grown potatoes in there, it was so bad I couldn't see if it was on springs or airbags until I crumbled the mud away!

The many stone chips were actually through to the metal and were rusty.

The interior was in the same state no effort had been made to make the car presentable for sale and the boot looked like it had been used to carry bales of straw!

Under the boot cover the boot was all rusty along with the rim of the spare wheel so theres the usual boot seal problem.

The bonnet wouldn't stay up as the struts were gone but I did manage to see that the coolant level was at the bottom of the resevoir and the oil was just on the tip of the dipstick.

Underneath the car was extremely rusty as if it had been stored in a field for several years.

If this is described as good condition mine must be concours!

This should have been enough to walk away but I thought Ok there are problems but these can be sorted so the test drive. The tax had expired 04/11 but no trade plates were offered and when I mentioned insurance the "dealer" sarcastically came back with "my pemium is £21,000 a year I think you'll be covered"

The place is on an industrial estate so I had a drive around there, it seemed to drive OK until I hit the brakes and was met by a mechanically clonking noise from the front nearside area.

I decided to stop and have a good look at all the controls and found the paperwork in the glove box, the car appears to have been imported around 2002 but the Lexus service history stopped at 18,000 miles after that there was a few invoices for oil and filter changes at fast fit places up to 30,000 miles so where the other 85,000 miles have gone I don't know but given the coolant and oil levels maybe it has never been serviced since.

Also discovered that the in/out motion on the steering wheel didn't work so theres a £200 motor needed plus of course the sat nav is great if you want to find a street in Tokyo

So back to the premises to be greeted by the proverbial "So what do you think?"

I tried to remain polite so pointed out the various defects and the fact the car was not a Lexus LS400 as described but a Toyota, sarcasim set in again at this point "well you obviously know more about it than me I'm just a car dealer"

I had already mentioned that my car was probably being written off and that is why I was looking for a replacement so when I said the asking price was too high for the condition he came back with "well you're not in a position to negociate at the moment are you?"

That was the last straw with this complete igoramus.

I gave him the key back ( just the one of course) and walked away.

I always thought cars "dealers" of this type had gone long ago but there appears to be at least one left.

So if anyone fancies a rusty neglected LS400/Celsior feel free to call the sarcastic idiot.

Will I be able to find another like mine????

What are you trying to say?????????????? LOL

Sad about the old car written off but just be patient and one honest LS400 will turn up.

I dont know how you kept a civil tongue in your head, at least Arthur Daley was always perfectly mannered as he ripped you off.

Mike

Hi, I have posted stuff on my recent total loss on my M 94 Reg LS400 too on the Insurance posts on here.

Now, SAGA claims handling company negotiators were a little bemused and stumped when I reminded them that the whole ethos of insurance was that I was to be put back into the position I was at just prior to the time of the claim !

And that meant I should have a 94 late Mk2 40,000 miler LS400. Impossible to find.

That bumped up their need to improve their total loss offer to me to £2k....... way above Glasses guide

So, the moral of this story .......... try to insist on a replacement....... and if they can't ............... screw them to the ground as best as you can.

Malc

What a shame you are even put in that position to have to justify your position.

I could never understand when my Jeep was written off a few years back by a 16 ton truck coming straight out at me from a side street not only writing my beloved Jeep off but me as well nearly.

He was taken to court by the police and fined £480 £600 costs banned for 18 months and licence endorsed with 6 points. He lost his job as well.

Why did my insurance company not fight on my behalf to get back what the car was insured for + LPG conversion I had put on the car when I first bought the car. It wasnt going to cost them a penny.

I do wonder whether these insurance companies do get all the money and more but keep it for themselves. I cant see any other explanation.

Mike

Well things are now moving on, having confirmed the other party is admitting fault the Claims handling company have now arranged a hire car to be delivered and to arrange collection of the car by an approved workshop. I did say that I would prefer a Toyota dealershio but they assured me their company was recognised and approved by Toyota.

Now the amusing bit!!!

After sorting out that my car is not a Toyota Celica and was in fact a Toyota Celsior (which is not recognised on their database of course) I was asked if mine was automatic to which I replied yes.

"so would you like an automatic hire car?" again I replied yes.

Some time later I received a voicemail telling me that the largest automatic car they had was a VAUXHALL CORSA!!!!

After a further conversation I am now going to get a "larger" manual car, I can't wait!

Strange thing is a friend at work damaged her Volkswagen Golf and got a Lexus IS220d as a hire car.

Sounds like I'm with Budget!

I would definately push for who ever you would like to repair the car.

Just because they say the are recognised or authorised to repair Lexus Toyota dosent mean they can do the job properly like the dedicated main dealer.

My son found that out when his Ford Focus went into one of these authorised repair outfits, months later it eventualy had to go back to be repaired again and this time by Ford who did the job properly.

One of the things they pointed out was that the reason none of the panals fitted correctly was because they were not Ford parts but pattern parts which are nearly always compromised in the fitting dept.

Mike

Interesting comments.

My car being 18 years old is covered under a classic policy so premium wise I don't do too badly. How much do you expect an engineers report to cost, and who would be classed as an engineer?

Phil

Hi Phil,

I'm not sure who this is addressed to?

Mike

Nice post to read. I work for an insurance company based in south wales and i am actualy a senior manager on the total loss team.

My job ( well my old job and now my teams job) is to place a value on a vehicle using the glasses guide as a guide price which all insurance companies will use as its supported by the FOS and settle that case. we are fair and make sure we have evidence to support our values

ALL insurance companies though will have a "market value police" so what ever you value your vehicle at when you take out the policy will not make a difference. you could value your £4000 is200 at £1500 aslong as the market is showing it at £4000 to buy you will get £4000 back if you wrote it off.

my best advice is just when you make a claim do your research and if anyone wants help with values email me and ill take some details and get back to you.

I Hear what you have written but it still does not answer while your happy to accept a car is worth X at point of insurance sale the very next day the car is not worth anything like what you the insurance company have accepted the car to be worth 24 hrs earlier at point of policy sale.

If as you say cars are only worth what the trade guide Glasses guide say it is then this should be put right by the insurance company at the point you sell us the policy and not when claims arise.

A car is worth what you paid for it which is far removed from what the Glasses guide says it is worth. Dont forget the Glasses guide is published for the trade and not for the public.

If we can show you an invoice for the amount paid for the car then that is what it is worth.

Also as The Acre has posted Insurance companies are more than happy to shell out hundreds and sometimes thousands to car hire companies without so much as a wimper but start moaning and penny pinching like mad as to how much they pay us for our cars with values they were more than happy to accept earlier at POS

Mike

When insuring your car it gets to the thorny question of value and the figure you put is accepted by the insurance in the amount you pay for your premium. ie Value declared £2500 Premium £300, same car Value declared £10000 Premium £750.

I know there are alot of other criteria which are taken into consideration but the larger the value of the car the more premium you pay.

The very next day sadly you are involved in an accident and settlement time comes when suddenly the car which the insurance company offer you is worth but a tiny fraction of what your car was valued at and accepted by the insurance company at time of buying the policy.

I know protracted negotiations then take place but its very rare you ever get back what you declared the car was worth and what the insurance company accepted it was worth when you first took out the Insurance by size of premium.

I know there are policies with assured values for which you pay extra but shouldn't every policy be that?

Insurance companies are quick to find a loophole which allows them a get out of paying anything when claim time comes but are quite happy to accept your car is worth what ever value you put down with the size of the premium they charge but suddenly do not accept your car is worth the value declared and accepted.

I have always felt this is Fraud and Theft on behalf of the insurance companies and should not be allowed to continue.

Mike.

Thanks Guys,

Having concluded already that the car will be written off I had a quick look on Autotrader and came across this one, and it is a Toyota Celsior although advertised as a Lexus LS400 the steering wheel and the retrofit rear fog light gives the game away ( amateur job mine are intrgrated into the rear clusters).

I've emailed the seller regarding the fact it is non UK spec asking about service history,tax,MOT and the cambelt change.

It's on my way to work so I may call in to have a look this week, it's too much money at the moment but who knows!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201123389905611/sort/priceasc/usedcars/model/ls/make/lexus/radius/100/postcode/de554bd/page/1/quicksearch/true?logcode=p

Seems I got that one completely wrong.

Would it cost more than £2500 to get your beauty fixed. Seems such a shame.

Mike

SON OF MARMITE

Mike

Just received my Car renewal for my LS400 - Mk4 - 1998 for £420.00 - Comprehensive - 4000miles per annum - NCB - and I am aged 76 from SAGA stating that they would match any lower offer - got onto Confused.com comparative insurance site and the lowest quote was £425 - then decided to add my wife also 76 years - 40 year licence and no claims and received 22 quotes below the above price - lowest was then £309.00 contacted Saga on adding my wife, who has vowed she would never drive the Lexus. who then offered a renewal premium of £311.00 paid quarterly - no extra - which I accepted - This obviously is a worth while exercise - although I do not understand the logic of it.

Yes I knew of this and its always puzzled me especially if you knew my wife, (just a joke darling)

Mike

Thanks Bluesman - appreciate the offer. I'll let you know how I get on

Mike

Mike

g

Are you still having problems,

i had my LS430 converted last november and have done over 13000 miles. Idid have a warning light on which the installer sorted in about 10 mins. His name is Nuzza (Bham auto gas) 0121 326 7171. Call him for advice.

Ifty

Sorry Ifty - just spotted this. Yes I am still having problems. We have swapped the evaporator and the Romano ECU from a car (his car) that was giving reasonable consumption on a run (25mpg on gas. But it's still the same on mine. Light comes on and consumption is 21mpg. I guess it's got to be down to the injectors?

We can reset the system and the light goes off briefly but after about 3 start-ups, it comes back on.

Might give you guy a ring soon.

Thanks

Mike

Hi Mike.

You poor ol thing, I had hoped as you hadnt posted that it had been sorted.

I do hope you get a solution so you can enjoy quality motoring at an economic price.

Good luck Mike

In 1977 I would have loved it, I would have also been 12, Would also go down well in Ilford lane with the bollywood comunity :winky:

Without doubt the worst I have ever seen. I think he should have gone to Specsavers.

Think what you could have bought with what that cost to get to this rock bottom leval of taste.

Mike

Limited mileage, up to 10,000 and an agreed value are bread and butter for some insurance companies now in the classic car market, they are cheaper than you would think, it's all down to risk. They know that people who own cars such as this tend to be very careful drivers, they don't leave them where they would get damaged or stolen... so a low risk.....

Steve.... Of course I miss it, who wouldn't.... I see It's still on the picture on the first page when you get onto the owners club, I hate that picture..... me at my fattest.... lost 7 stone since then!!!!!

Backs still not too good, lets face it, it never will be.... so a lowish car is out or I'd buy this one!!!

This is my "toy" at the moment

Has a V8 B) and I've just resprayed it Satin Black

Hows your 400 doing??

Well done on loosing that amount of weight. That must have taken some doing.

Mike