SimonR

I'm advised that the material of the belt degrades over time and that the time interval is as valid as the mileage interval. I'd always err on the side of caution with timing belts as the damage to your pocket if one breaks could be serious.

Yes indeed. I did meet London Bill face-to-face for the first time. I also spoke to BigBloke (a very nice man). It’s difficult for a new face to socialise, particularly in an established club where so many people already know each other. Perhaps one of the clubs should organise a “new faces” day, where all those people who are afraid to come to meets because they don’t know anyone could gather and mix? I imagine that that there are a lot of people who read LOC and TIF who would like to attend meets but who feel awkward about showing up on their own. How about it Steve?

Nice to meet you Steve (I was the first of the TIF lot to arrive) who was the guy I parked next to, there early?

It was me. I didn't know anyone there so I didn't talk to many people. Did you enjoy the museum?

My insurer told me that the only car with a higher rating was the Sierra Cosworth.

Credit to Claire and Steve for a very well organised event. I personally was overwhelmed with the terrific turnout, particularly the soarers (who ruined it at the end....).

What did they do? I had to leave early and was away by 12:30.

A BIG well done to Claire for organising a top event!!!!!!

Seconded. And thanks for the plates, Steve.

i have prolly 1 set left... they are stacked in the car but get to me early and I can do you a set

I take it you'll be there tomorrow. How will I recognise you? Any distinguishing features?

And is anyone going to give me a hard time about whether a Soarer is a Lexus or a Toyota?

That's K106 something something something, not actually K106 XXX. D'oh!

Good luck. If you come to Gaydon tomorrow (sorry to post so near the time) I believe that you will see some Soarers. If you see the guy who owns K106 XXX it's me. No point describing it as the green Soarer - half of all the Soarers in the UK are green, I'm told.

Team Lexus plates? Does the LOC do number plates? I want some! (Apologies for going off-topic).

For everyone coming south along the M25 – don’t for get all those cameras on the temporary 40 stretch between the junctions for the M3 and the M4!

They are indeed fantastic cars. I can’t stop laughing at the power and acceleration. I don’t think that I am going to keep my license for very long, though. On reflection, I may have been better off buying a V8.

If there is a problem with the TT, it is that the engine is a bit wheezy below 3,000 rpm then the power comes in and it’s away. This is fine when the guy in the 911 next to you at the lights wants to race but not so good for normal driving. My LS400 is actually quicker below 3,000 rpm. Does that matter? Well, I suppose that it depends how much time you want to spend with the engine above that figure.

Having said that, I beat a Honda S2000 hands down yesterday. It felt rather good. Buy one.

I can’t say about the V8 Soarer, but if my LS400 (same engine) is anything to go by, you are both quite right. Lots of torque is good for cruising. I get reasonable mileage on a long run in the LS400, on Sunday I got 28mpg between Glasgow and Kent. I could have done better if I’d kept the speed legal, though.

“Switchable Sports Automatic” raises the revs at which the ‘box changes up a gear. It may as well be renamed “have a lot of fun but watch the fuel gauge drop at a visible rate”. During my first week with my Soarer I got 10 (yes, ten) mpg. Colin at PowerHouse has just given the car a clean bill of health so that fuel rate must have been a result of my driving with my right foot welded to the floor and the Switchable Sports Automatic permanently on. Mind you, it was an absolute riot. I’ve never had so much fun.

Can anyone advise on the local speed tax camera sites to look out for? I don’t want a ticket to remember the day by!

I'll bet that the auctioned one was a dog with fleas. Why else sell at auction? All those problems waiting to come out of the woodwork, big bills coming soon for someone I think.

I believe that classic policies tend to limit mileage, no? I do about 12k per year. Forgive my ignorance – what is DIG?

2k? Blimey, I fell off my chair when I was quoted £1,600.

How would I go about advertising the car on this site?

Having just bought a ’92 Soarer TT (http://www.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/album06?page=16), it’s time to say goodbye to my old LS400. I hadn’t realised that I can’t use my NCB on both cars (doh!) and I’m being quoted premiums that are making my teeth itch.

However, I’ve no idea how much to ask for. Anyone that knows me won’t be surprised to hear that I have spent £8,500 maintaining her over the last two and a half years. This has proved to be a wrong move as I could have bought a newer model in the first place, but some lucky sod is now going to get the benefit of all that expenditure.

I have receipts to show that virtually everything that needs it has been replaced inc timing belt, knock sensors, all springs and shocks, front bushes, bonnet struts etc etc etc. Anyway, any idea how much I should ask for a ’90 LS400 with 180,000 miles? I know that I can't expect to recoup what I've spent, but I think that I should expect to get more than the average Autotrader specimen.

Just fixed this problem on my '90 LS (180,000 miles). New knock sensors. £600. Ouch.

Can someone ask Matthew to change his avatar please, after i have been staring at it for five minutes I start to feel seasick.

It just goes to show how variable individual experience can be. I used Lexus Bromley for work on my LS400 for the first six months that I had the car.

They certainly tried to be helpful but the level of expertise was poor, which LED to the car being retained for days for diagnosis of any small problem. Also, I never had a courtesy car offered on any booking. To be fair, when I had a flat Battery, they sent a chap to my house with a new one and fitted it for free. The desire to help was there but the knowledge required was absent.

After six months I switched to an independent specialist in Camberley. I always get a courtesy car, labour is £25 per hour (not £75 for the same teenagers who work on Toyota Corollas) and he can diagnose most faults on the basis of a telephone call (that’s not an exaggeration).

It’s a long way to drive for an oil change, but I’m happy.

Do you find that it makes any difference if the engine is hot/cold? I only ask because it sounds similar to my pinking problem.

Still no noticable problems after 4,000 miles. No squeek. Better braking. If I were boiling my brake fluid, how would I know?

I has this problem on my ’90 LS400, although it used to happen at about 80 mph. I found that balancing the wheels didn’t make any difference. However, when Powerhouse Garage next had the car in for some work I asked them to check my wheel alignment. This sorted out the problem.

You may also wish to consider rotating your wheels front to back as the tyres may be wearing unevenly. There are a number of potential causes for this, but it may possibly contribute to your steering vibration.

I’ve sorted out this problem on my own ’90 LS400. To be more precise, Colin at Powerhouse Garage sorted it out for me. He replaced the pads with a softer compound. The squealing disappeared instantly and the braking performance is better too. The noise has not returned after 3,000 miles.