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Skoff

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  • Lexus Model
    LS

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  1. Quick update - I did some more searching and found a couple of posts out there that suggested that the LS430 nozzles would fit. So I called the dealer back and they agreed to let me try one out. Fantasitcally they fit. They aren't colour coded to the car, they are dark grey, but that's fine, I can now see where I am going. I also ran a solution of bi-carb through the system a few times the other night, and there didn't seem to be any gunk that came out, so hopefully that's an end to the issue for a while.
  2. Thanks Eric, I will give it a go. I have never been able to get the jets clean to the extent that they deliver as they should, but I can improve things a bit. I can see the gunk inside the jets as a darkened area showing through the white plastic of the body of the jet. The bi-carb is something I haven't tried, though I have flushed out the tank with fresh water quite a few times. I might take the tank off the car and try that to get a really good clean. Also thanks Mark, I will take a look at amayama and see if I can find what I need from there.
  3. Right, that's it...I have given up trying to unblock my windscreen washer jets, they just will not unblock for any length of time, and life is simply too short to spend any more time with a pin, bycycle pump, bits of wire, boiling water, and all the other wierd and wonderful solutions I have tried. I have also tried some cheap 'universal' ones from Amazon and they were pretty rubbish, and a real nuisance to fit. So I thought whatever the cost, I am just going to buy some new ones. Unfortunately the computer at the Lexus dealer says "No". Aparrently my car is too old for them to be stocked anymore, and the very helpful chap in the service centre couldn't tell me if newer ones would fit. So, dear forum gurus, can anybody point me in the right direction for an alternative? I have my MOT coming up soon and I really need a solution. Does somebody know a supplier with a secret stash?
  4. Thanks for that info, I have found a caliper repair kit on that auction site that seems to include the boot, plus the little rubber bush that goes around the end of the pin, only £13, so worth a punt. If I don't get any joy with that I will give Lexus a call with the part number. Thank you for your help chaps, such a great owners community here!
  5. It is a 2001 GS300, I need the front offside. I haven't had a good look at the pin yet as it is currently cooling off, but I'm assuming that it can be cleaned up. I'd be fine about paying £12, but I draw the line at £250!
  6. Wow that was a super fast reply! Thank you, I have just fired an e-mail off to them as some of their online store is being updated. Thanks again!
  7. Hi all, I have just used Tigerfish's superb instructions to change my front brake discs - Thank you once again for posting those guides, they are really helpful During the process I found one of the slide pins to be seized up. I have managed to get it out with a liberal application of heat, but the rubber boot is not in a fit state to be used. I phoned my local dealer, and whilst they sell the pins for about £8 each, the rubber boot is only sold as part of the caliper, for £250. I don't really want to spend £250 on a caliper just to get a £2 rubber boot, can anybody suggest a source for the boot on it's own, or an alternative that I could use? Thanks! Greg
  8. I just wanted to say a big thank you to TigerFish... I used your instructions for changing the top control arms today and it worked really well. I had fun and games getting the inner arm bolts off, and I couldn't get my torque wrench on them to tighten them up so had to guess that bit, but I got there in the end and the wheels didn't fall off after the test drive, so I guess that's a good start. Thanks again!
  9. Cheers guys, great advice. I got the gear knob off, and it actually cleaned up quite nicely, the 'wear' was actually just dirt (urgh!), so I don't think I shall be replacing with an OEM one at £400 (ouch indeed). The wishbone replacement looks pretty easy to do (great write-up TigerFish!), so I will probably have a go myself. Do I need to worry about camber settings? Parts seem a bit pricey at £400 per side, but if there's an advantage to OEM parts then I can swallow that.
  10. Hi TigerFish, The advisory says 'wear in both front upper ball joints' Also thanks for the advice on the fog light, that saved me £18... One other silly question, is it possible to remove the auto gear knob? The one on my car is pretty old and dirty, I'd like to replace it. Thanks again
  11. Hi all, I just picked up my first Lexus! It's a 2001 GS300, and I am very pleased with it. It's a very nice car and I am sure it will serve me well as my daily commuter car. It does have a couple of things that need sorting out, but I factored that into the purchase price of the car, which was criminally low considering how refined the thing is. It has a full Lexus service history, the most recent of which was carried out 1 month and 1000 miles ago including a new cam belt. So, on to my questions... There is an advisory on the MOT about wear in the upper ball joints - is this a big / expensive job? I have a sizable repair fund as the car was purchased well below my budget, so if it is that's not a problem - Though if it's not too tricky a job, I might even consider tackling it myself. The N/S fog lamp is cracked - I have found one on that well know auction site, but it's from a '96 car, do you guys know if it will fit my 2001 car? Finally, I am based in the South West near Taunton... Are there any good Lexus specialists in that area that you guys would recommend? Thanks!
  12. Yup I saw that one, and depending upon what SWMBO has planned for me this weekend I may go and take a look. Thanks!
  13. Cheers Stu, always good to hear the other side of the argument. I hadn't considered LPG until mentioned on here, and I'm not trying to run the car on a tight budget, so not really too worried, it is far from a priority. Having said that I do cover over 25k miles per year, so even at only a smallish cost benefit I think my payback time might be fairly quick. Of course the other stuff you said about insurance, the potential for the price to go up due to greedy suppliers or a greedy government, and the fact that it clearly is quite an intrusive installation, does make me think that I'd be better focussing on finding the best car in the first instance and then look into LPG after I am settled with the car. Annoyingly, I am finding that there are not so many cars for sale down here in the South West, and even the ones I see advertised further afield have the potential to be unloved examples (so not worth the travel to go look). There don't seem to be many on here for sale, but that in itself speaks volumes.
  14. Hi All, I'm a newbie, and a bit of a fraud in so far as I am not actually a Lexus owner (yet). I'm here to research a probable purchase of a LS 400 Mk IV. I have considered a 430, but am a bit put off by the additional complexity and potential for expensive failures, particularly with the air suspension. My budget is £3-5k, so I guess I'm looking at a nice example of the MK IV, with recent cambelt etc. I currently run a BMW 530i touring for the daily 100 mile motorway slog, and a TVR for weekend fun. The Lexus will be a replacement for the E39 as, well to be honest I'm a bit bored of the E39 and would like more toys to play with! Thanks to mike213735, ManicMark, and steve2006 who have already offered up some useful advice in the New Members thread. I will definitely consider LPG, I'm guessing buying a car with it already fitted would be the ideal. Though fuel costs aren't actually my primary concern as long as I get within 10% or so of the 530, which does 30mpg on the motorway. I think this should be easily achievable as I adopt a pretty relaxed style of driving on my way to and from work. So, on to my first questions (of many no doubt!) First is a Q about independent servicing. If it's anything like the world of BMW, then I'm assuming that, especially for older Lexus models, independent servicing / repair work is cheaper and often better than main dealer. If this is the accepted wisdom then could anybody recommend a good garage near to Taunton/Bridgwater? Second is relating to steve2006's suggestion to go for a car with the DHP as I am coming from a BMW. My Q is does this have a dramatic effect on the ride of the car? I'm looking mostly for comfort, but no harm in having sharper handling as long as the compromise isn't too great. Also what premium would you expect to pay for a car with the DHP? My final (dull) question relates to child seats. Is Isofix standard on the LS? Not the end of the world if it isn't, but I'm about to buy the next size up car seat for my daughter and might as well be prepared! Thanks!
  15. Cheers Mike, That's similar economy to my 530 on the motorway, though to be honest fuel costs aren't really my primary concern. I look at it from the point of view that fuel is only going to go up in price, so best enjoy the big engines now before it gets to be REALLY expensive. I am certainly hoping for a step up from the 5 series in terms of comfort. I realise the Lexus will probably be less nimble on the twisty bits, but to be honest it will hardly ever see a corner anyway. It's also great to hear about big mileages being the norm on these cars. It makes economic sense for me to buy an older car with high mileage for the sort of use I plan to give it, a newer low mileage car would be subject to crippling depreciation. With a £3-5K car there is only so far it can drop in value.
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