Scribe

A while back I replaced both battery terminals. In July I went away for a few days and the car behaved faultlessly, including a high-speed journey home of about 100 miles on the motorway. Four days later, parked on the driveway, everything was dead - not a light or a spark anywhere. I disconnected the battery (terminals were still tightly done up) and recharged it. The car then started fine and went for its MOT. My mechanic said he would replace the battery (still under warranty) if necessary but that it was charging as it should, with no drain. The next time I used the car, I got about a mile from home and it died on me - again, not a light or a spark. I wiggled the negative battery lead and the power came back on and I got home okay. Battery power seemed normal - the car started as it should - but since then it's gone flat in a few weeks of non-use. The car is going in to the garage on Friday to be investigated, but I thought I'd ask if anyone had any thoughts. Could it be a loose connection in the battery leads? And would this cause a slow drain? Or could it be something else?

Took me a while to sort out a new battery, but I've just put it on. Positive terminal connected first, and as soon as the negative one made contact there was the sound of clicking coming from somewhere inside the car, so I knew we had power again. This didn't happen when I reconnected the old battery after charging, so it seems like it really was knackered. Followed George's suggestion and recorded the boot closing and opening from inside, and the light goes on and off as it should. I'm going to wait till tomorrow to check the car starts okay.

That makes sense, but I've never used the phone cradle in the car. At one point I thought about removing it, then decided to leave it for the sake of 'originality'.

Update: returned the battery to Halfords, who don't have a replacement in stock and can't order one - they just arrive when they arrive. They checked mine and said it was fine anyway, but offered to keep it on charge to double-check. Apparently they can tell whether a cell is faulty even though the charge stays high. When I went to collect it today the young man who served me had the sense to check it again first, and he discovered it wasn't holding its charge as it should. Would I like my money back or wait until a new one appears from somewhere? My mechanic says he can get me one, so I got my money back. If nothing else, I've had 18 months of free battery power. Hopefully the new one will sort everything.

Thanks for taking the trouble to supply all that info. Does 'normal' drain (under 50Ma) result from the security system? I notice that the red light on the dashboard flashes continuously even when the car's unlocked, so I guess this system operates permanently.

The battery is a Yuasa with a 5-year guarantee. It's now on charge so we'll see what happens. When disconnecting it I noticed that the negative lead wasn't fitting as tightly onto the terminal as it should, and I wondered if the problem was simply a poor connection. But after tightening it up there was still no power, hence the charger is now on. If this doesn't work, presumably I can take the battery back to Halfords and get it tested (and possibly replaced)? It has been very cold but the car is kept in a garage.

Hi Malc. I'm going to wait till tomorrow to disconnect the battery and charge it. Car has been running fine, with no electrical oddities, and in the past the battery has never gone completely flat - just too flat to turn the engine over to start. And the new battery cured that anyway.

Went to start the car today for its weekly shopping trip (and foot down on the dual carriageway) and the battery wasn't even flat - it was completely dead. Everything was fine a week ago, and the car has started throughout the coldest winter weather, but today there were no lights, nothing. Battery is less than two years old. I'm wondering whether there's a battery drain. Any ideas what and how to check? My first thought was the boot light staying on, so I could take out the bulb when I've charged the battery. Any suggestions appreciated.

Back to the car in question: it's one that I know well by sight. The previous owners live on the seafront in Brighton, and I often used to see the car parked there on my way into town. Perhaps the location explains the state of the paintwork and the amount of corrosion?

(Hi Phil!). Grove Garage in Brighton are still Toyota/Lexus specialists, and Leigh the owner rates Japanese cars more highly than German ones (including prestige brands). But they work on all types of cars. Leigh changed the cambelt on my LS400 a few years ago.

Grove Garage in Brighton are still in business, and working again after lockdown. Call Leigh on 01273 508606. I've been using them for ten years - since I got my LS400.

I had to read the original post twice - I thought it said 'both black boxes'. I guess even the 430 doesn't have a flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. Well done, anyway.

I've asked staff at three local filling stations - Asda, Shell and an independent - about this, and none of them knew anything about the change to E10. At Asda and Shell they also didn't realise that the standard unleaded pump is marked 'E5'. My mechanic didn't know about it either until I told him this morning. He's going to investigate, as he maintains a lot of old cars (mine was registered in January 1998, so probably manufactured in late 1997).

Even though mine has needed the dreaded starter motor repair and a new cambelt etc. - two expensive jobs - it hasn't cost a lot to run over the 9 years I've had it. It rarely needs attention, and it's probably worth 40% more than I paid for it.

Whether or not it was me that Phil (Newbie1) saw on the A22 south of Uckfield, I discovered soon afterwards that I'd been driving around for two months with an expired MOT. Whoops. Good news: after 21½ years and 159,000 miles the car passed - with no work and no advisories. I'm happy.

When my sister was staying with me recently she looked at my Lexus on the driveway and asked what kind of polish I use on it. I had to confess that I haven't polished it once during the nine years I've owned it. I've always intended to, but somehow it has never happened.

I didn't see another LS all day, so it probably was me. Went to The Laughing Fish at Isfield for a meal. The car needs a good clean, so it could have looked even more beautiful.

I was on the A22 south of Uckfield on Saturday evening - maybe you saw me? My handbook gives the colour Kensington Green - is this the same as Imperial Jade?

How many more times do you have to have the rules spelt out to you? The rules are simple , clear and easy to understand. 1 - As far as I can remember I've never had to have the rules spelt out to me personally, and I object to being spoken to like a naughty schoolboy. 2 - Other longstanding and valued members, whose integrity is obvious, HAVE had to have it spelt out or at least reminded, which proves that however clear the rules are to you, Mike, they're not so clear to some other members. Instead of ticking them off, why not try to prevent confusion in the first place? The terms and conditions state quite clearly that anything that even hints at advertising should not be posted. Fair enough. But wouldn't it be helpful to have a pointer there to Gold Membership? That would direct people appropriately.

Fair enough, rules are rules. But Mike, it's pretty obvious that some rules are unclear - to longstanding and valued members. Perhaps, instead of shouting at us in bold type, you could think about clarifying certain rules so that this issue doesn't actually arise again? That would be a tactful and constructive way of exercising your responsibility as moderator. If not, I think I've had it with this forum. It's not the friendly place it used to be.

Nice one. I always liked the big Citroens but never owned one.

It looks higher off the ground than normal, like a Citroen with the suspension raised.

What a beauty. No wonder you're pleased.

Congratulations. It shows that you have to be prepared to travel for a good 'un. We look forward to hearing about your experience of the car.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if manufacturers mark up the price of a part for an expensive luxury car while selling something very similar for a cheaper car at a much lower price.