Glyn Radcliffe-Brine

Car is well out of warranty, and it has passed its Lexus Hybrid Battery Healthcheck. So I guess there shouldn't be any problems on that front

Hmm. This is exactly what it says on the MOT test certificate: Pass Monitor and repair if necessary(advisories) (rear cat removed) As this MOT certificate was issued by Inchcape Toyota, I imagine that they must be pretty certain as to the requirements - But it still seems very odd (not that I am complaining) 🙂

A year ago I bought a 2008 RX400H with a brand new MOT from (I believed) a reputable dealer. Yesterday I had it serviced at a Lexus dealer. The new MOT had one advisory on it: "The car doesn't have a catalytic converter"! So at some time in its life it would appear that the cat had been stolen. It certainly wasn't stolen during my ownership, so what happened? According to Lexus, the cat had been removed and replaced with plain tubing. So how come it passed two MOT's? I was told that the emissions can't be tested on a hybrid because, when the vehicle is being tested, the engine isn't running. So as the emissions can't be tested, it is perfectly legal to drive the vehicle without a cat. I confess that I am amazed, and am now trying to decide whether to try to find out which previous owner made the replacement, or whether to just accept that I am lucky because no-one is going to steal my cat. I'd be interested to hear the views and experiences of other hybrid owners

Fascinating!

Many thanks for asking. Yes the car saved our lives. I spent an hour in an ambulance with severe shock, but my wife was fine. What was amazing was how little incursion there was into the cabin. It was a key reason for me finding another LS430 - If it had been a smaller car, even a more modern one, I don't think I would have survived with just bruises, and I certainly don't think my wife would have stepped out completely unharmed. I've been driving for over 45 years, and I've owned or driven all sorts of vehicles from a Ford Anglia Van (top chopped off, "big" engine and Jag back axle), through Morgan +4 to Jensen, Aston Martin, etc and the only other vehicle to which I was really attached was a 1986 Mercedes 560 SEL that I bought in 1997. That was a great car, and I cried when it finally succumbed to rust. I never thought I would feel the same about a car, but my LS430 turned out to be even better than that. I've just bought a 2001 LS430 with 92,000 miles on the clock with full Lexus service history - So the love affair goes on...

Hi Dave, I note that you are in Lincolnshire. I'm in Surrey, and I think the market may be different - I found that GS300's that I looked at were owned by mature people who purchased them for their own use - They were generally very well looked after, and were often on their first owner. I think I looked at 6 GS430's. Not one of them had been cared for, and all but one had multiple issues. On the one that didn't have multiple issues someone had tried to hide massive rust in the sunroof mounting. I found that all of them had companies as first owners - So they were being used by people who didn't have any incentive to look after them. Typically after two years they were sold to people who couldn't really afford to run them, and from that point on they went downhill rapidly. Maybe there were fewer sold as company cars further away from London. If that's so, the new price of a GS430 would ensure that any private first owner had enough money to maintain the car in good condition, and keep it longer. At the time I couldn't find a good GS430 as far afield as Oxfordshire, which is why in the end I gave up. Clearly there are some around that have been cherished, but I couldn't find one. I've just hit the same problem with LS430's. Last Saturday the 2001 LS430 I bought in 2011 was hit side on by a vehicle travelling at high speed. Result - Write off. I looked around for another LS430 (because, other than possibly an LS460, I can't think of any other car I would want). Again in Surrey and the home counties I visited a "lovelley" car in excellent condition that had two broken wing mirror mounts, a steering column with failed motors (£2004.30 to be rectified by a Lexus main dealer) and dead rear amplifiers. Someone had tried to get the sound working, messed up, and done a bad job of putting it all back together again (As I write I think it's still being advertised). Another car looked great on Autotrader, but in reality it was fit for scrap and nothing else. I was just about to give up when I found one of those cars from fables. 2001 with 92,000 miles, always serviced at Lexus main dealers and since 2012 it had only covered 1000 miles. The elderly owner had kept it in immaculate condition, but had switched to a Mini in 2012. I checked it very very carefully including talking to Lexus Bracknell about its history, and I now have a car that should last me 5 - 10 years (unless I meet another idiot). One final thought - It's probably a good thing that I didn't get a GS430 because, like the BMW 3 Series, they were so good to drive that they brought out the hooligan in me. Driving an old man's car instead has probably saved my licence...

Don't know if this discussion is still going, but: I've just had a rather surprising result on depreciation. In 2011 I bought an LS430 with 99,000 miles on the clock for £4,000. Last Saturday, with 170,000 miles on the clock it was hit at high speed directly on the driver's side, causing £7,500 worth of damage. I insisted that the insurance company inspect the car in my presence (it was in virtually perfect condition), and they valued it as a write off at £3,750. I can't think of many cars that would depreciate by £250 over 70,000 miles and four years - This is seriously cheap motoring!

Just a note regarding GS430's. Back in 2011 I wanted to replace my 200,000 mile GS300 with a GS430. I gave up in the end because, unlike used GS300's, every GS430 had been thrashed to death. I bought an LS430 instead.

Hi, I have a 2001 GS300 (which I have had from new). I want to connect my iphone 3GS to the audio without going to the expense of replacing the radio. I also don't want an FM/cassette interface. I'm sure I should be able to replace the CD Changer with an adaptor lead. Does anyone know if it's possible? Also, can anyone tell me the model of the CD Changer in case I can find an adaptor lead for a Toyota that uses the same unit? Many thanks, Glyj