Bluesman

Hi

here is the e bay link.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280693967856&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_1483wt_1139

Please contact me if I can be of any help

Regards

Tel

Is there no way we can help this poor guy out. He is obviously going through a very traumatic time and is in need of some professional counseling.

While he is still staying with the Lexus badge he will forever be driving around and on seeing an LS400 will become a danger to all on the road as he fights with his conscience, racked full of guilt that he could still be in one.

Mike

Thanks John - I will relay those comments to the engineer. Just as a matter of interest can anyone tell me whether after they have had an LPG conversion, they have had the engine warning light come on like this. Engineer has suggested it often happens and is just one of those things.

Mike

Hi Mike,

In all the 16 years and many cars we have had converted never once has there here been any warning lights of any kind.

I know you say the guy who has done your conversion is a really nice guy and always listens to your complaints but this doesn't hide the fact that there is a problem with the installation.

To say this happens often is total rubbish.

Do hope you manage to get the system sorted somehow or other.

Mike

just been contacted by AA offering an upgrade in breakdown cover. For an extra £12.82pm they will cover the cost of any repair that cannot be done at the road side (parts & labour) up to £500 a time. and up to 6 claims a year.

That covers both my cars (didnt thnk to ask for a single car cost) but for covering 1 car only i could claim for up to 5 claims.

Any thoughts on this? It seems like a good deal for me as the LS is 18 years old with 184k on the clock and the Rover is 9 with 165k on the clock.

BTW: i checked that they are not bothered by age or milage of the vehicle.

What happens if the repair costs £510, do you just pay the £10?

I'm having a legal wrangle with a waste disposal company at work because I didn't read the small print properly.

I would read it very carefully!

I would read it very carefully! Very wise words.

Its worth spending an hour reading them.

There is an excess of £25.

Mike

I've had good service from the AA in the past when I have broken down (the last time being about 5 years ago ).

When I take out breakdown cover with either AA/RAC I never go direct through them, I go through a site called topcashback.co.uk.

This site gives you back cash for clicking on their site first and they then direct you to AA/RAC site and you proceed as normal.My AA cover would have been £105 but I got a refund of £50 from topcashback.co.uk, making my AA costs only £55(this was for aa/relay/homestart). The only downside is it can take up to 5 months for them to pay you as they can't pay you until the AA pays them. They also offer cashback for ebay as a buyer(you get back 40% of the sellers fees) plus MANY other companies. I have used them many times and they have always paid out ok, but you do have to be patient to receive your money.

It always amazes me how do they do the maths and why cant AA RAC offer you that price minus the £50 to start with.

Would be very interesting if anyone does know how they do the maths.

Mike

ChrisM: they didnt mention the service record.

Steve2006: please dont take this the wrong way mate as i value your opinion on the forum as im sure a lot of guys do and i respect you a lot, but, the AA are not a "get me home ive broken my foot" service.

I was also told of another case where a lady driver..... refused to help as the car was still "driveable" and technically hadn't broken down. This suprises me as i have always has excellent service from both the RAC and AA. I think the moral of the story might be "i once know a man who know a guy who once spoke to a bloke that had seen a chap talking to a man who had seen a blokes friend who said his mate know a man with a talking monkey that juggled 6 squirrels while riding a bicycle with an elephant on pillion. Sorry Steve2006 i get a bit carried away sometimes and the AA is usually very good. And you are one of the most helpful guys on here.

I did ask the AA woman to give examples of what it covered. She said it covered parts and labour at an AA aproved garage if a repair could not be done at the raod side. this would include failed clutch, gearbox, engine etc.

I told her that at the weekend i had had to have the front brake pads replaced as they were worn out. While the wheels were off the mechanic (me, but i didnt tell her that) had found that the calipers had siezed and had to be replaced. "would that be covered"? "Yes" can the replied but not the pads as that is wear and tear bit the calipers are a failed part.

Her other example was "if your cam belt fails we wouldnt pay for the belt but if the engine was damaged we would pay for the engine to be fixed"

Seems fare to me. Ive asked for some more details. When ive picked over them ill report back.

Have a look through this lot http://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/pdfs/breakdown-repair-cover-policy-jan-2010.pdf and then see how much of your car they will still repair when that dreadful day arrives.

Their big get out will be the evidence of the car being properly serviced in accordance with makers guidelines and they will take it further from that point untill you are so far away from any hope of them paying for any repairs what so ever.

I doubt there are to many of us can say they have a cast iron service record with stamps and invoices. We may well have plenty of service bills but they wont be what the Insurance company will deem as being serviced in accordance with manufactuers guide lines.

These people are in the business of making money and not repairing your car for a few quid a month. They are ruthless when it comes to paying out.

Mike

This is not the 1st time the DVLA have issued a plate for an imported car that suggests it is younger than it is,they can only go on the information provided at the time of UK registration if this is vague it can result in this situation.I think the person registering the car has to make a signed declaration that the information is correct as far as they are aware but obviously "mistakes" can happen.

My car is registered as a Toyota and there is no model on the V5C and therefore the tax disc (often thought about insuring it as a Yaris or even 'it's just a Toyota I don't know what model it doesn't say on the logbook!) but the guy I bought mine off had another same model import that the DVLA registered as a Lexus LS400.When it comes to insuring and selling this little detail can make a big difference!

Last point on my V5C the colour is stated as bronze,the actual colour is Lexus Dark Silver according to the paint code.

So there you go a 1995 model could have a W plate.

Here you go boys, straight from the horses mouth. Mike.

You may not make a vehicle look newer than it actually is by transferring a registration that bears a later year suffix or prefix letter. For example, you may not put a plate with an S year suffix on a car that originally carried an R suffix registration. The same principle applies to prefix registrations. You may, however transfer an older registration to a newer car (an R reg plate to an S reg vehicle for example). Vehicle registration numbers that do not contain a year identifier may be assigned to a vehicle of any age.

I have just joined the AA after buying a road legal quad bike and wanting cover for both that and my car.

I did see the Repair Cover, but thought it would be full off loopholes and get out clauses, so just went for the straight roadside and recovery, for which I am paying £7.21 per month.

I'm not saying it is a farse, it's just that I was worried about how good it would really be and too lazy to find out. In principle, I must say, it sounds amazing??

Thanks

Mike

One of the requirements that they wont make much fuss about at point of sale is waranted mileages but they will require proof that the car has been serviced in accordance with manufacturers recommendations when you make a claim.

This will be the next product on "Watchdog"

Mike

I've fell out with the AA after they left me stranded at Manchester Airport unable to drive back after breaking my foot on holiday with no other driver available.After I complained they simply quoted their terms and conditions so I would suggest before comitting you do the same regarding this service.

In retrospect what I should have done was told them the throttle and brake pedals were both going down at the same time,forgetting to mention this was due to a large plaster cast attached to my right foot.At least then they would have attended and I may have been able to persuade the guy to relay me home!

I was also told of another case where a lady driver whilst at Twycross zoo for the day with her children had the catalytic convertor stolen off the car,again the AA, a "Breakdown Service" refused to help as the car was still "driveable" and technically hadn't broken down.

Moral of the story always read the small print

I have usualy found that these things are riddled with loop holes and get outs in favour of them, the normal one being if any componants that that causes you to brake down is fixed to the car with either Nut & Bolt, Screw or Weld it isnt covered.

Much like those warranties they give away generously when you buy a used car which turn out not to be worth the paper they are written on.

Mike

Hello Mike,

I fully agree about the width of the seats. This looks in accordance with the retractable steering wheel; a feature that I do not need.

I am quite small and lean, so initially I had my reservations about the wide seats.

Though they do not give the side-support that I like (and that I was used to) I still find them very comfortable.

My back does not have the right shape, and is very critical in this respect.

In the LS430 however, I can drive larger stretches without having back pain than in any other car I tried.

Still, for me the seats would have been even more comfortable if they were designed for people that don't have the width and weight of the standard fat executive :winky:;-)

Jac

This looks in accordance with the retractable steering wheel; a feature that I do not need.

I am quite small and lean, so initially I had my reservations about the wide seats.

Great for us disabled drivers big or small.

Mike

Thanks @Beavisrules; I didn't know there's a lumber support adjustment. Where is it located pls?..I'll go have a snoop around.. The chips're on both sides of the front grill..Perhaps it's just me being a bit finicky...

Oops, gotta go take a drive..70 miles to/from work today...(Lawwd, been through 2 full tanks in 3 days)..This is discovering the pleasures of driving all over again..

So glad I found you folks... 50k+ monster for 2.8k? My heart goes out to the initial owner(s)..

I assume the lumbar support adjusting is all working? , shopuld make a noticable movement when pressed.

I guess you could get an upholsterers to stuff a bit more padding in where you need it.

I wouldnt worry about stone chips on the bonnet , will take forever to rust noticably as the LS paint is very think and the metal too.

Stone chips in other areas is different , if its wings or near the windscreen get sorted as they do rust.

It took me 6/7 months to find out all the tricks my car had and thats even with reading the instruction manual.

Goodluck in wales. Lets us know how you get on.

Mike

I have to thank all of you very dedicated LS 430 enthusiasts for helping me take the plunge for an LS 430. I have been a silent reader of this wonderful forum for about 1 month.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING DRIVING CRAPPY CARS ALL THESE YEARS?? >:-(

I finally got my 430 -Series 1, on saturday; a decent number with 120K miles on the clock, for 2800.00. I am absolutely stunned with the sheer blitz of gadgets AND sublime driving that the 430 has to offer... I tell you, perhaps people would easily pay 10k+ for the pleasures of the kit that the LS comes with!!

My questions/concerns:

1] After 2 days of pure driving pleasure, I am worried that the Lumbar Support of the driver's seat may not be as great as the rest of this swesome machine.

I think that this is going to be a problem for me, as I have a bit of Lower back pains, after just 2 days of driving.

Q- Has anybody had this issue? What would you suggest??

2] I am hoping to do an LPG conversion next mth; Q- Is it feasible to fit TWO LPG tanks in the booth space? I am hoping to fit mine in Wales, like some of you suggested. Does it make sense traveling across the pond to get my LPG fixed (servicing etc)?

3] Does anybody know a reliable Independent Lexus mechanic in N. Ireland?

4] I have more than a few pebble chipping on the front bonnet; would you suggest I 'do something about it', or leave well alone, they're not very prominent, but I worry for rusting?

This is one happy Lexus man, I tell you folks.. A big thank you to you all!! (Averaged 23 MPG today...hmmm, that needs to come down)..(Feel a bit embarrassed driving around in a Lex with the country in recession; getting strange looks from the neighbors)

More than feesable to fit two tanks one do-nut one cylinder. They will do a great job at Profess. Getting the wifes Mondeo ST24 converted in the next couple of weeks.

Mike

Thanks Bluesman. The guy is genuine and will sort the problem if there is one. He even lent me his own LS430 to go down south when a wheel bearing went recently and we couldn't get a new bearing in time. But that's how I know that mine is worse consumption than it should be - his was returning 25mpg for a similar motorway trip (and even 23mpg with a hang-glider wing on a roof rack.

I wasn't going to tinker myself - I was just hoping that there might be on here some experts who knew where we/he could download some proven maps for the LS430. I used to have a Powercommander for a motorbike, and as well as the official powercommander maps you could download others that people had tweaked for different exhauasts and air filters etc.

There doesn't seem to be a Romano website.

Mike

Is this any good. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Romano-LPG-CNG-Programming-Interface-Tuning-Kit-usb-/370513229287

I meant to say that none of my cars have ever produced error codes.

Mike

Had my LS430 (2001) converted back in March but the consumption is pretty terrible compared with petrol. I decided to run the gas empty and check what the car does on a run on petrol (teesside down to London via A1). I got 31.8mpg which incidentally was better than the fuel computer was saying. This contrasts with the 21.3 mpg I got on LPG on a trip to cardiff and 21.7 on the return.

Round town I am definitely getting about 17mpg on gas and the fuel computer was previously showing 22.3 mpg on petrol.

The garage that fitted the LPG have had it back two or three times for 'recalibration' but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

I think the LPG mapping is out - particularly as the engine warning light comes on with LPG but not if I revert to petrol.

The garage want to remap but say that this would not be with anything provided from Romano. Does anyone know where I could get suggested maps for an LS430 to suit the Romano multipoint?

I'm nervous about them leaning it off and wrecking the engine.

Mike

There appears to be some serious issues with the way your LPG system was installed. I would certainly not advise having a tinker yourself.

In all the 16 years I have had LPG on my cars I have never had any difference in MPG from what I originally got from running on petrol and thats despite everyone saying you will loose some power and about 10% MPG.

I think you know what I'm going to say but its got to go back to them.

Can I ask how you paid for it? CC DC Cash Cheque etc.

Mike

Still looking starting budget £1K then £1.5K NOW 2K ish (If you have a good one let me know you might stretch me..)

I would love to buy a MK4 BUT can't seem to find one at 'sensible' money and milage.

Steve2006 what wheels and at what cost do you have fitted in the pic you posted (I like them).

Also did you import the smoked indicator lights?

Might source a good MK3 if no luck with MK4 ...............

Hang in there Graham. Patience is worth more then money in the bank.

One will come up.

Mike

Another I have found (Essex Again !!) I am in York.

Offered by dealer (non-lexus) without a warranty

T reg Green

67K miles full Lexus service history up to 63K with belt changed at 57K (by Toyota garage)

Full years MOT

All electrics working

Been dry stored for past 4 years

No rust at all

5 Keys

V5 present

Only fault noted is slight paint 'scuff' on rear bumper.

Asking £2995

Thoughts Welcome.

Where did the £895 price tage on the advert come from?

I Know Frinton on sea and it has a very very high retirement age population. This car has likely come from one of them.

I think I would definately go and see this car and see if I could negotiate a decent price.

The private plate is I think a red herring as its probobly its original reg number and that no paperwork showing ownership of the plate belonged to the registerd owner of the car.

I havent put the very well.

I have a private plate on my car and I have a certificate of ownership from the DVLA for the plate which I use to transfer when I change my car.

This guy I think has just put the number up for sale in the hope That TOD will come along and the G14 part of the plate will have some significant meaning for him.

I doubt that very much and he is just trying to talk the price up by at least £800. Dont fall for it.

Mike

The series 4 one looks good from the few pictures and cheap!

Steve, this one has it's pictures taken January 2008 tho' !!!!!

Malc

Have phoned seller ...

Car has

done 232K miles

Cambelt @194K

Mot expires end of month (thinks only hand brake needs adjusting)

2 keys (1 master)

All electrics work

No Rust

Owned by seller for 2 years

Says photo's just been taken and happy to re take if I request.

Any thoughts ... my biggest problem is Benfleet is not easy for me to get to for viewing ..

Always a problem as these cars always come up the other end of the country from where you are.

Where are you based Graham?

I must admit I would give the low mileage MKIII serious consideration as that car with such low waranted miles has to be a serious consideration for anyone wanting an LS400.

Both the Mk IV and III have pros and cons going for them.

The only advice I can give you on the Essex one is to definately view it before you make your mind up but then that goes for any car.

Good luck let us know how you progress.

Mike.

Still Looking ... So Any Members Thinking Of Selling Give Me A Shout ;)

Hi Graham.

Have a look at these. http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/lexus-ls400/81274648

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/lexus-ls400/80896737

Mike

Hi Miq.

Thanks very much for the offer but I thought that somehow they fitted so you couldnt see that it was just a cover. They make a good job of photographing those ones on eBay to make you think you cant see the join.

What is the square screen in your car?

Regards Mike

To the moderator who has censored this thread.

You have done the memembership a diservice by censoring this thread which showed ste42 was more than happy to not just actualy indulge in Shill bidding on eBay but to come on here and bragg about it and insist that the rest of the membership were no better as we would all do it as well.

Shill bidding is an criminal offence in the UK.

I got several unwarranted and unwanted PM's from this member but feel its far better to allow the rest of the membership to see what type of person this is and not get invloved with this member.

STE42 was quite happy to rip off one of the members of this Lexus Forum. I for one dont ever want to deal with this sort of person.

All that said his last post is asking the Forum membership for help. What a cheek.

Mike

Anybody know whether these are any good?

MikeSteering wheel cover

So who backed out on the deal as on eBay its showing as being sold?

Mike

correct from a lexus dealer

I have yet to find an Lexus dealer that hides behind a mobile telephone neumber and also has such a bad feedback. I would doubt any Lexus dealer would sell on eBay like this, they would either sell from the back yard to an known Trade Dealer or put it through a car auction.

Mike

the car finishes shortly my numbers on the add ill answer any questions

The numbers might in your mind but they prove nothing

Is this the same car Item number: 190525856953 where it sold on the 24th Aptil 2011 for £1275?

Mike

its wrote on under bonnet twice at different intervals ,the previous ownr on logbook that would of done it ive just googled his details and hes coming back as a company director registered at companies house ,i suppose if i had a little more time i could confirm all your questions mike ,sorry i cant

Sorry wasnt me that asked this question.

Mike

cant get that link up

Try Copying & Pasting.

Worked for me.

Mike