Anthony B

Thank you - so this tinted rear window must have been a factory fit. But how on earth does glass get scratched in this way?

There are several scratches on the inside of the tinted rear window of my LS430 which I didn't notice when I bought the car four months ago. I guess that someone has placed some sharp-edged objects on the rear shelf on several occasions - the scratches are random in position and length. They're certainly on the inside, not the outside nor within the laminations. Any advice on how to deal with them would be welcome. They're not obstructive but zthey're certainly an aesthetic issue once you notice them.

Thanks to all who have given advice here. I've decided to try Falkens when the time comes. A first time for me - time and driving skills will tell. Anthony

My LS430 (four months into ownership now, and no regrets) has three Avon ZV5 tyres but one Marangoni Verso on the offside front. All are in good nick for the winter, but I've never liked running on an odd tyre. (Odder still, the spare is a Dunlop SP Sports 270.) Does anybody have any experience of Marangoni - not a brand I had ever heard of. When I decide to splash out and get re-shod what's the word on the street? I'd be looking for a low road noise as well as good roadholding. According to various websites the Marangoni scores well on noise, but blogs show up the usual diversity of experiences and views on them.

Correction - I just checked (should have done so earlier.) My premium with GA is £233.

I used a price comparison website - can't remember which one - when I bought my 430 a few months ago. I'm age 72, 5 years ncb at least, and had stuck with Lloyds Bank quoted insurers for years. Amongst the best quotes (but not the absolutely cheapest, which I'd shun anyway) was General Accident, part of Aviva Insurance, which I accepted at £320 or thereabouts, quoting from memory without going upstairs to get the paperwork - certainly lower than Lloyds had quoted me to renew on my former Rover 75. Hope that helps. Perhaps there's value in being my age and a boring driver.

i bought my LS430 from John Churchill at Yate near Bristol, and he quite often has Lexuses (or should that be Lexi?) available. Try him on 01454 273302 or 07973 170170. Mention my name if you like.

Thanks for all these hints and tips. We'll be sailing to France from Portsmouth as always, so no need to worry about the roads around Calais.

As I've said more than once on this forum, albeit as a very recent purchaser of a ten-year old 430, I am a convert to the notion that it pays to own a quality car, built to last, and the 430 is a good example. I've been lucky to find an example in very good nick and with full history, and although fuel costs call for careful driving I have little doubt that I shall win on total ownership costs.

Thanks for this guidance. In fact I married the world's best navigator 40 years ago, and we also enjoy good quality atlases. Off to France next week ,and in decades of exploring the continent have never got lost yet. So I'll probably stick with the current satnav when I need it (the moving map is itself useful even without detailed guidance.) But I'll also try eBay for a useable update CD. Anthony

The satnav maps in my LS430 date from 2004. I'd like to update, but today have been quoted £108 by the Lexus dealership in Bristol. Are there any cheaper - but legal - options available to me? (I'm told that, apart from better maps, one of the benefits from a new map CD is that you can input your destination by postcode, which my current installation won't do. Any hints tips or offers? Incidentally I was very positively impressed by the chaps at Lexus. They've quoted me a very acceptable fixed price for a timing belt replacement job which I'll need to have done in the next few months (for peace of mind) and were forthcoming with free advice on several issues. I came away impressed. Anthony

Latest update on my LS430 - I'm getting around 27 on a mixture of rural and mid-distance stuff. Longer runs I already know will show better than 30. So I'm content - the car is too enjoyable for fuel costs to be a big consideration amidst other domestic expenditure - but I'm seriously thinking about an LPG conversion next year.

I guess we should stop the climate change debate on this site and get on with enjoying our cars. Thanks for the entertainment. Anthony

I've been assured by my garage that it is indeed bearing noise and it's to be fixed next week. Thanks for the inputs. AFB

Hate to spoil anyone's enthusiasm, but not many people now believe Al Gore to be a reliable source of information or insight. His reportage in that film was so selective as to be unbalanced. Climate matters are a good deal more nuanced than he gave the impression. Admittedly mankind is wasteful and we often have a damaging impact - but the factors causing climate change are dominated by the sun and the oceans, not by carbon dioxide. Driving quality cars, as Lexus drivers do, generating most electricity by nuclear reaction, helping poorer nations to develop as we have and spreading health and literacy, will achieve far more than Al Gore's simplistic and mistaken notions ever will. Anthony

I've been happily married for 40 years but I'm in love again - with my LS430. But seriously, just for a moment, I've asked my local garage, which I trust, to quote for a cambelt change. They'll tell me tomorrow. What can I expect?

Two months in, and I'm very pleased with my 2003 LS430 - 90,000 miles just coming up and she's a treat to drive. I shall never want to step back down to anything less. I'm planning to have the cam drive belt changed before winter, and probably a new water pump while they're at it. Otherwise no problems - just two queries. I've noticed that when I'm rounding a right hand bend there is a small but noticeable growl (not an especially ugly sound) which does not happen on a left handed curve. Any ideas? The car has a hands-off phone kit which gives off a sharp bleep, through the car's audio system, just after starting. I don't intend to use such a kit - in any case the cradle doesn't fit my phone. How can I best silence it. Thanks Anthony

Speaking as a newcomer to this club and to my LS430: I've done about 700 miles in it so far, a mixture of short rural stop-and-starts and a few longer runs at 65 or thereabouts. I'm learning how my driving can radically change the mpg I get. Anticipation, minimum use of accelerator and brakes, cruise control wherever possible and trying to keep the revs below 1500 much of the time. I believe I can achieve 28 average and better than 32 on long stretches. If I achieve 28 this will be two thirds of the 44 average I used to get from my Rover 75 diesel, and I'll be pleased with that. The car is superb and one to keep and look after. Incidentally it's inevitable that the instantaneous consumption figure will vary very quickly between near zero and 99.9 - watch how it changes with the revs - but that's of no relevance to cost of ownership long-term.

Thanks - I'm in keyless mode, but I'll check the fob key - no warning on the dash, though.

Can anyone explain why, with the engine of my recently-acquired 430 started up and running smoothly, seat belts fastened, all doors closed and no warning lights on the dash, a loud beep sounds for perhaps half a second. It is designed to sound imperious, is loud enough to startle and me and my passenger, and is unlike any of the chimes and beeps caused by, for example, the parking aids - but there is plainly (at least in my judgement) nothing wrong, and subsequently the car drives perfectly.

I'd welcome an answer too. My LS430 has done only 89000; some say 100,000, others say act early and do it soon. One of the 430's I nearly bought had had a new belt at 100,000, and the owner used that fact as a selling point. Anthony