Parrot of Doom

Opinions are one thing but Top Gear is watched by millions each week. It obviously doesn't "miss the mark".

There's no need for a television programme that reviews cars and provides some form of intellectual stimulation; that's what magazines and the internet are for. You might as well complain that Blackadder wasn't historically accurate.

Like it or not, Clarkson and Andy Wilman have produced a format which is loved and watched by millions - the BBC ain't going to change that.

I can't answer that. But I do know that as a rule-of-thumb, TV costs at least 10 x that for radio to produce.

Now, just imagine that it used to be your car....

I think most of Top Gear is filmed rather than using bog standard broadcast quality video and filming is amazingly expensive. Hey its only TV licence payers money. Mike

Nope, all shot on video, but expertly shot, edited and graded. You'd be surprised how good modern videocameras are, and how cheap too.

TG makes the BBC a shed-load of cash, which is why it gets the big budget treatment. The programme has been syndicated around the world. I think the video clip shown is a DVD and nothing to do with the BBC - although the same production team were probably used (they're freelance).

Personally, seeing that LS destroyed doesn't bother me one bit. There are plenty of them around, the dodgy ones will end up at the scrap yard,the good ones will be cherished and become classics. The same objections were raised when they destroyed the Morris Marina.

Someone other than me left a Porsche Boxster S with there pants down just entering the M56 from the A556 returning from family hols 4 of us and a boot full of luggage, the guy was right up my backside quick press kick down as we came out of the bend onto the 56 and he was all but gone, he caught up with me on the outside lane as i eased off and gave me a glance as he overtook me, try that in your box with 4 people and 3 suitcases dreamer.

A pure case of 'av somma thaaaaaat'

I'd question if he was even trying - a Boxster S is a much, much quicker car than an LS. My old TVR Chimaera could beat a Boxster S, but there wasn't a huge amount in it. The Chim could do 0-60 in under 5 seconds.

Well the bolts in the old strut bars were so corroded into place that the garage only managed to do one side today. Here's the one (driver's side) that came out. It had to be removed with a blow torch.

So if this is a job you fancy having done, make sure you order fresh bolts and nuts (as fortunately, I did).

I wouldn't look at a car with blacked-out windows because to me, with climate control, I don't see the point - other than fashion. It's the same with chrome brake light surrounds, bling alloys, etc. It just cheapens the car. But that's just my personal opinion.

I would replace it. As well as the aerodynamic improvements, it will reduce noise from the engine (noticeable when you're idling). It'll also stop rainwater splashing up from the bottom of the car and coating the underside (ordinarily, engine heat removes any water that's got in through the front, but that's a lot less water than you'll get without the cover).

I need the foremost piece of plastic for my LS, the one that goes under the lights and radiator, as it's been broken by a previous owner. Anyone got one they don't need?

Blacked out windows is an immediate "uh oh" for me.

Got the parts, I thought I'd post some pics. They are extremely substantial. The car is booked in for late next week, I'll get the old bits and take pics for a comparison.

I've ordered two strut bars, bolts and cams. I did have a panic later on when I saw the bushings have separate part numbers but I'll find out when I collect them if the arms are complete. If they're not, it won't cost Lexus anything to put them back on the parts lorry.

Cost was about £150 + VAT per bar, bolts and cams were another tenner or so each, so £400+ in total. I could have saved on the bolts but we all know how threads corrode. I could have ordered just the bushings but for the extra hassle of pressing them in I think I'd rather just have the complete unit, that way I know the bushings are installed perfectly.

That is an amazing piece of footage and well executed .Looking at the second video it is apparant the busshes on both sides of the lower suspension arm are badly worn as is the roll bar bushing.

Its a shame you don't live a bit nearer to me as we could stick the camera on my mark 4 which as only done 23k and compare the movement.

The roll bar bushings should be fine as I replaced those last year, the links are original though (bugger to get off) but I have some replacements in the boot, the mechanic who'll change those struts will do them at the same time.

Can't help with the first issue you have, bet it feels horrid through the wheel when braking.

But you could try these discs & pads, i replaced my old Ls400 with some, i got mine from another parts dealer who don't stock them no more, they have real cheapo rubbish now.

http://www.eurocarparts.com/brake-disc

http://www.eurocarparts.com/brake-pad

Easy to fit as well if you take your time.

Odd, I thought ECP didn't do Japanese cars? They look fine to me, I may take a punt next week. After all, a brake disc is just a lump of metal IMO.

It's always looked as though the bush is designed to move around, I just don't see it needing to move around as much as it is. It's obviously never been replaced so even if it doesn't fix the problem (I'm confident it will), replacing both won't do any harm.

I may stick the camera on the rear suspension, just for the fun of it. It's interesting to see how everything moves around.

Unless the bushings are showing excessive play, and causing other problems, such as poor tracking, or crashing and banging sounds, or MOT failure, I'd leave them.

Don't buy the £50 arms, they don't last very long.

The car has developed a really quite nasty knock front the front nearside, while braking lightly at speed, perfectly in sync with the slightly warped front brake discs. Now I've lived with the warped brake discs for a while because I've been investing in my business and also spending money on the house, but now I'm in a position to sort all this suspension trouble out. Looking underneath, everything seems to be tight, and I don't currently have access to a ramp, so I thought I'd stick my GoPro camera in there to see if anything could be seen.

Here's the view looking backward. The camera is mounted to the bottom of the plastic wheel arch liner. If you have a keen eye (or if you simply look at the YouTube annotations) you can see where I'm braking, and where the knocking is happening (look at the dust shield and listen for a slight camera rattle). You might just be generally interested to see how everything moves around in there anyway. From this angle, I can't see what's causing the knock.

http://youtu.be/edse7-qs8ts

Here's the view looking forward. I mounted the camera to what I believe is called the strut rod - it has a large bushing at the front, and is mounted to the bottom balljoint by two big bolts. The camera is pointing toward the car's grille. You don't need annotations to see when things are knocking (although if you still can't, listen for the bips of the horn, they come just after it's knocking). Oh and the lumpy sounding engine, at one point, is a motorbike; my engine runs very smoothly thanks!

http://youtu.be/w4r8oigbAbs

Now I'm only a layman but if you watch that front bushing, it's moving around a hell of a lot more than it should. And the fact that the camera bounces all over the show when the car is knocking seems to suggest to me that the strut rod is the thing that's vibrating most.

Would people agree that the likely suspect is the front strut rod? I'll get a second opinion next week (pry bar + ramp) and if this is the problem, I'll order two new ones from Lexus, next week (can't be bothered messing around with bushings). I also have to replace the front discs and pads, I'm not paying Lexus prices for a simple lump of metal so does anyone have experience with a decent alternative? While the car's in there, I'll also get the roll bar links changed.

That's a very good point - mine looks like the surface of Mars. I shall investigate and replace. I don't suppose you know the diameter, is it 8 or 10mm by chance? I have a big roll up in the loft.

Well it got really loud all of a sudden, so I checked the fluid level again and it was pretty low. Topped it up and it's gone quiet again, except when turning the wheel in reverse - there's a slight groan there.

Something to be monitored, I think.

Tesco value skewer, £1. Works perfectly. If it breaks, another £1 to fit a new one.

There's a bit of a groan lately from my power steering, when significant demands are being made of it (turning while stationary, etc). Fluid level seems ok (although discoloured). I can feel it slightly, through the steering wheel, and perhaps I'm imagining things but there may be a little bit more resistance.

I'm going to siphon out the old fluid and put some new oil in there but I doubt that'll fix it. What's likely to be the problem, the pump? The car tracks just fine. If it is the pump, well, the car will need a new cambelt in the next 12 months so I'll probably just have both replaced at the same time.

I've left my mk4 for longer than a week and it's started without any trouble. I'd check your Battery isn't on its last legs.

Yes but you'd want it to sink into the atmosphere and not collect in the boot.

Regarding the filler position, I thought LPG filler points had to be lower than the tank the gas is stored in, so that in the event of a leak, the gas can exit under gravity?

The cable is broke. It's easy to fix, just remove the aerial and motor, order a new plastic cable, remove the old broken cable, reinstall the motor, feed the new plastic cable+aerial down the hole and guide it into position when the radio retracts it.

Remove the armrest and gear selector bit first, then the cig lighter tray.

As others have said, it'll be a dirty throttle body, possibly a bunged up idle control valve. It's fairly simple to get to the throttle body, you just need to remove a few large bits of plastic.

For the clunking, you need to jack the front of the car up and check for excessive play in the wheel (rock it top to bottom and side to side) and all suspension components.

This being a Lexus, all repairs are costly.