wicked677

Ah right, I imagine mine is the original too as it has aged then, I have not had to spend a penny on maintenance for the car. Except some new wipers at 6.79 off eBay. This is why I have been so reluctant to "give" my car away as a part exchange, so decided to keep it until I run it into the ground. As the majority of cars around seem to have at least 150k on the clock, I imagine I have many years of "free" motoring ahead of me.

Really? They blow like mad in the cold. Bet you notice now lol :) Why don't you think you have a stainless steel exhaust? They were standard. I just assumed that because it was a charcoal colour and not shiny that it was a bog standard exhaust.

Never noticed this at all on mine, I don't think I have a stainless steel exhaust though. I think you have seen it one time from when your car is cold and it's playing on your mind. I expect tomorrow morning I will take more notice now too LOL

For me, getting a car to work is considerably cheaper than using public transport. And also twice as quick!

Am I right in thinking that the sat nav looks a little off-center, I had a go in one and it looked like it was placed for left-hand drive cars, or is it just an illusion?

Yeah have had a go in one, little on the large size. I don't think I would park it very well at works tight underground carpark. I held off the 3-series, as noticed for an extra few g's can get a 5-series, test driving again tomorrow...

Depends what will tempt you more, practicality or money-wise with fuel. The price of fuel is expensive anyway so either way it will hit your wallet pretty hard, I'd go for the RX. Have you considered other brands, I know this is a Lexus forum but it's a big competitive market.

whole9yards try ebay, you can pick up a bargain there.

Done, only a small amount but hope it goes a long way. And well done for finishing seems like a gruelling challenge.

Looked into those cars further, It's a shame they don't have the nav system, or the other goodies. I am going to sign for the Beemer this Saturday, unless I hear back from the guy at Lexus with the lowest price he is willing to let the car go for. Lovely motor, shame the dealer won't budge. Appreciate your comments and opinions as always.

The parts department may not have heard of or seen this part as it's off the Japanese version, Altezza. Oh and if your 300 has heated seats you may have to cut the bottom bit off as it comes as one piece.

Originally I purchased a cheapo fascia from ebay for about 10 quid, but the finish is really poor, and involved some minor cutting. If you want one with a good finish, like the one I have in the pic above it's £50.50 + VAT from Lexus/Toyota. They will have to order it from the warehouse in Belgium, so will take a few days to arrive. Toyota Part No 55413-53010

No problem, we are all friendly and helpful here. If you come across any problems along the way, you know where we are ;)

I believe you just slot the connector into the back of the unit as normal, the only time it has got complicated for people is when they have tried to install a grom system (used to connect iphone). So if you purchase a new unit from halfords you will need to purchase a separate adapter cable, they sell these. If you ask them nicely they will let you slip one out of the case and see which one you need. As the salesman didn't know the type... they are usually pretty good. The adapters are usually 15.99 at halfords but if you can find the correct one and want to save some, you can pick them up on ebay for a few quid. This link will help if you have a nav system: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=79425 Managed to find an image of the back of my old one.

I wouldn't recommend getting another Lexus unit as they are notoriously problematic. You will find that finding one with a working CD player is like finding a needle in a haystack. And if you are lucky to actually find a working unit, it will probably pack up again shortly afterwards. Stick to the safer option and get an aftermarket unit for about 100£ from Halfrauds. We can help you get it connected as it's slightly different for an amplified system. If you "HAVE" to have the OEM unit, make sure the numbers are matching as different versions of the unit are not backwards compatible. The numbers are located on the left side of the tape deck in white. I got this cheap JVC one from halfauds for £100 Matt is right, they are too much to repair, I tried independents and they knew all about them and didn't want to touch it.

Welcome aboard Tom, how is the car? Everything that you expected?

If I recall correctly from a conversation I have had with a dealer on the phone earlier, he says it will be a hybrid with the same horsepower as the IS250, obviously better MPG and I think tax will be free or cheap. I've yet to see any pictures of it, I am guessing it will be a mini-GS. Starting price of 28k, at that price I imagine it will have the nav and such as standard to compete with the 3-series and audi a4. I'm a little sceptical about hybrid cars. Maybe aclex can add more info?

I believe that there is one slot free for external use, it will be on the far left of the back. Are you able to press the eject button with the lights flash for a second and then the system kick back to radio mode? I had an issue whereby my CD player and tape would not work, no errors on the screen.

welcome aboard icedeyez - Hopefully we can help get that noise issue fixed!

Ha, jomo. I was expecting a single LED in the little red door marker, but wow, looks good!

I remember someone on here was looking for a sportcross, I can't remember their screen name though. For someone who would be specifically looking for your car (lexus estate), I'd recommend Autotrader as a good place to post an ad, not sure how much they charge though. If you are desperate you can use webuyanycar or trade-in at a dealer but expect peanuts for it.. just a thought.

T-Car, welcome to the club

I might be able to show up for this one!

Not sure about Sheffield, but Leicester is easy for me to get to, will go and arrange to see it Friday. thx for that

Possibly, but it's highly likely the car will go to auction, so will not have any of the costs to the dealer. I am going on what the whatcar guide is saying, which of course dealers hate. But at the end of the day, what else do we have to go by right? I have already been offered 1650 by mercedes and they didn't even have a look at it to see if it even runs. So with a little work I am confident it will get a part-ex of 2k minimum. It's a buyers market, so am not bothered if he doesn't accept. Still looking at a BMW, getting a quote soon on the spec I need as they seem to come with nothing as standard. It's so draining buying a car, might give it a rest for a while and see if they chase me. Appreciate the comments, thx