Sanman

I got a letter from Lexus Worcester offering the 18" styling kit wheels with Dunlop tyres for £900 (or was it £960?).

I'd get a second opinion on the pads or check them yourself. My local dealer told me that my rear pads on my old IS were 'dangerously worn' and almost 'metal to metal' - i checked them myself to find that they had about 80% of the lining left. About the water pump seal leak - it's a known lexus IS200 fault for the waterpump bypass hose to leak slighty. Another Lexus dealer told me not to bother getting it changed as the replacement part is exactly the same (i.e. not been modified) so it will only end up leaking again.

My GS300 came without locking wheel nuts and i want to get a set. I've got a set from my IS200, but the taper at the end of the nut doesn't look the same as the ones on the GS. Does anyone know if IS nuts will fit the GS? If that doesn't work i'll probably get the mcgard ones - anyone got these on their GS? Seems to be plenty on ebay at the moment, but not sure which model no/type will fit the GS. Cheers, Sandeep

Congrats on the purchase. I too have recently purcahsed a GS300 SE after owning a IS200 for a couple of years. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. About the upgraded rear lights - i have purchased the newer style rear light units (there was a mild revamp to the GS series in 2001) and give the rear of the car a modern look. If you do a search, you'll find a really useful article from Brettster on how to fit these lights as a slight modification is required on the wiring loom. I'd recommend that you join GOLD as this will get you discount from most Lexus dealers on parts and servicing (i saved 15% on my rear lights for example). Cheers, Sandeep

Cheers Claire - I really wanted to keep my IS, but with second baby on it's way i needed something a bit bigger and the GS seemed like a natural prgression and besides i really wanted to stick to the lexus brand. The GS seems like it will soak up 2 x car seats, pushchairs and other paraphernalia a bit better than the IS.

Cheers Brettster - made sure i printed off the instructions before even I ordered the lights!

Picked my GS300SE yesterday. It's a 1999 in black with black leather, sat nav and the optional aurora alloy wheels (made by OZ I believe). Dropped it off this morning to get the wheels refurbished (some kerbing and corrosion) and getting new tyres fitted (last owner put on some korean made budget tyres). I'm having Pirelli P Zero Rossos fitted. I've ordered the newer style rear lights and will hopefully fit them over the weekend. Looking forward to a few years reliable motoring, just like my IS. Will post pics soon. Cheers, Sandeep

I've got some Denso Iridium IK20's that were originally purchased for my IS, but i never got round to fitting them. Can these be fitted into the GS with the same gaps or will they need to be regapped? Does a lot of stuff need to be taken off to get to the plugs on the GS? Cheers, Sandeep

Cheers guys - I've give it a go oevr the weekend. While i'm on the subject of sat nav, does anyone know if individual trim parts are available. The car that i've purchased is in great condition, but the only thing that is cracked is the small shiny plastic piece that sits around the sat nav screen. It's almost like a filler piece of plastic between the front of the console and the actual screen. If this trim piece cannot be purchased on it's own, does anybody know how esay it is to get that bit out so that it can be repaired? Cheers, Sandeep

I've recently purchased a 1999 GS300 SE and it has a car phone bracket inserted between the edge of the console and the radio/sat nav unit. I want to remove this and i'm assuming that i'll need to remove the radio/sat nav unit to get to it. I've tried searching for instructions on how to do this, but couldn't find any on teh site so apologies in advance if i've missed them. Also, does abody know if MkII GS radios have a code? Cheers, Sandeep

Respraying the whole bumper shouldn't cost you a fortune if you shop around. I paid £80 for insurance approved bodyshop in Birmingham to respray the bumper on my wifes 2004 Polo that someone had reversed into (and left no details). It's always my preference to have the whole panel sprayed rather than a local repair as long as its being done by a competent bodyshop. Sandeep

I've been looking to change my IS for a GS with the imminent arrival of our second child (and i don't want an MPV just yet). Dealers (lexus and independents) have been offering fairly low PX prices for my car (1999 T SE Manual in Granite Sky 78k sport spoiler with history in immaculate condition i.e no dents, dings, scuffed alloys etc). They've been offering me between £5500 and £6000. If i were to sell it privatley, what do you think a reasonable price would be? Any advice would be appreciated. Cheers, Sandeep

I too use the Autoglym leather cleaner and just use a cloth dipped in some warm soapy water for the escaine. If you've got more stubborn staines on the escaine you might want to try some mild household carpet shampoo. Sandeep

They probably use an elastic band to measure the thickness.... Sandeep

Rav, The new mats they supplied free of charge and they are exactly the same as ones that i had originally. The only difference that i could spot was with the clips, as the new ones are curved at the top towards the seat and therefore its difficult to get the mat off them. As far as i can remember, the old clips were just like a bit of upright plastic. Hope this helps. Sandeep

I popped into my local dealer last week as they sent me letter that i had to have my carpet mats changed as they could get caught under the accelerator pedal. They changed the mats for exactly the same type as my old ones already had a retaining clip on them, and i got to keep them too! While the car was there they carried out a visual safety inspection they notified me that the rear brake pads were worn 90%, "almost down to the metal" were the words the service advisor used. I thought that this was a bit strange as the rear pads and disks were replaced about a year ago and i have only covered about 6000 miles since then. When i got home i took the rear wheels off and checked the pad thickness and it looked about 8mm left on each of the pads - surley that cannot be 90% worn. Does any one know what the pad thickness is when new? Cheers, Sandeep

I was speaking to a service advisor at Lexus Birmingham recently and he was telling me that the service package would cover a timing belt change. Sandeep

Welcome JU570, Insurance will be quite steep becuase of your age - try elephant.co.uk as they have been quite cheap for me on my other car. The insurance group for the IS200 SE is group 12, while the Sport is a group 13, which is quite low when compared to similar enginged competitors. Sandeep

I'm sure the current issue of CAR magazine also says the same thing.

Funny that you mentioned this - last weekend while travelling on the motorway, the mrs said that she could hear a sort of 'sloshing' sound coming from from the rear of the car. I couldn't hear it though, and she hasn't heard it since.

I changed the bulb in my TRC/Snow switch about a year ago. I had to get the bulb from Lexus (it's one of the smallest bulbs i've ever seen) - it cost about £3. Sandeep

Steve, I'm using a Maxi Cosi Priory XP car seat for my 10 month old son and it fits very well. The seat comes with an additional mechanism to tighten up the seat belt to ensure a good fit. The colour of the seat (black, grey & silver) matches the interior great too! Sandeep

Lot's of sad tales, but most of us have experienced them at some point - a few months ago someone scuffed my front bumper in a car park, and my dad's E-Class has been keyed for the 3rd time in 10 months.

I may be wrong here, but i heard somewhere that Z rated tyres shouldn't be repaired for saftey reasons. I'm sure someone on here will be able to clarify this....

I asked my lexus dealer about these when my car was last in for a service - they wanted something like £400 fitted. Sounded a bit expensive seeing as you can get aftermarket ones for £100 or less. Cheers, Sandeep