Tulpen

Have you tried selecting the 'HIGH' setting and see what happens?

I had the radiator changed at 100.000 miles, as a precaution. There are lots of posts on the forum about radiators failing on the 430/460/600 range, I decided on prevention rather than cure. I had the work done at my local Lexus dealer, here in Holland. I've had absolutely no problems with the air suspension. Once a month, I run the system through all it's different modes just to check it out. However, I don't have to drive on those awful UK roads. As far as the '13 plate goes...…….it's a great car but I think ALL of the latest Lexus range (and other car marques) have an Achilles heel. When my car was in for it's last service, they gave me an ES300 as a loaner. Nice car, but selecting anything via the scratch pad is a PIA. No wonder they fit Lane Keeping, Distance Keeping, Auto Braking, All-Round Cameras etc - it's to stop you hitting anything while your trying to make a selection. Or, maybe, I'm just getting old!

Paul, I have an '07 460 which I have owned for 8 years. The mileage is, now, 105,000 and the car has been virtually trouble-free. If there is anything you want to ask, feel free.

I was trying to be brief, Malc, which is why I suggested Ross read all the relevant stuff on the forum. I know that I'm glad I did...….and had the radiator changed.

On page 512 of the Owner's Manual there is advice on checking the coolant level. All you need to do is have a look in the aperture which contains the oil dipstick; the coolant reservoir levels are easy to see. If you do need to top it up then, as you say, you need to remove the forward plastic cover (very easy). I've got a funnel with a flexible rubber hose on it which allows me to get into awkward fillers. Having said that, I have never had to top up the coolant between annual services. You might like to know that there is a potential problem with 430/460/600 radiators. It is well documented on the forum but, basically, the oil cooler is in the water radiator and as the radiator ages, water can get in the oil. I had mine changed at 100,000 miles/12 years and it was getting ready to fail.

I'll have a look in my Owner's Manual tomorrow. We are in the middle of the storm at the moment and I'm not going outside...…..

Now, there's a first...……...the rest of us all think 'Lexus grrreat!' 😀

Back in the late '60s, I was serving with the military in Germany. We had access to duty free cars and the cheapest, brand new, on-the-road cars were the Simca 1000 and the Hillman Imp. Both cost just under £500. There was a big 'Buy British' push from the government at the time, and a lot of people went for the Imp. They soon regretted it...….as John says, a spare water pump was a must. I bought neither; back then £500 was way out of my reach 🙂 Sorry for the thread drift.

That's the first time I've seen an LS430 and a Hillman Imp featured in the same post 😀

I think you'll find that the clips at either end of the bumper are adjustable. There is a little screw thread which allows you to pull the bumper into a really flush fit. You may have to go to Toyota/Lexus to get those. I had to get my front bumper re-sprayed after hitting a deer and the shop that did it told me they had to get new clips from Toyota because they were the adjustable kind.

The filter on my 400 was accessed through the glove box. It is important to have one fitted, otherwise all sorts of crud can enter the heating/cooling system. I used to remove mine once a year and blow it through with an air line.

Having to change a steering rack at only 90k seems rather strange. Has there been some damage previously?

I live in Holland and do most of my stuff via a VPN. A couple of years ago, Brussels passed a law which restricts what a lot of foreign websites can show. I was researching a future holiday in the States and had quite a few access requests denied. Solution was simple...….make the internet think I'm in the States, via VPN.

I'm always a bit disappointed when I read negative comments on ANY of the LS incarnations. The LS is a superb car - period! If someone buys one which has had a hard life, the problems are the previous owners, not the car. One of the best bits of advice we read is to get a car with a good service history and then check the previous MOTs. If a car is dirt cheap, there is a reason. I've never even sat in a 430, having gone straight from the 400 to the 460, but I have no doubt it is, as you say, a superb car.

Try selecting the 'Audio' button, then adjusting the speaker bias. If you put everything to the front speakers that should check out the ones in the doors.