jonthetourist

Congratulations on getting Peter's car - I am sure that will prove a very wise buy. And yes, the forum is great. Jon

Good Luck. Lexus Cheltenham said they could do it, but they couldn't make it work. To be fair, they didn't charge me because they were a bit embarrassed. Jon

You rang, m'lud? It's bad news, I'm afraid. There is no route from a valet key to a a master key. Not even at dealer prices. Sorry. I know it's hard to believe, but I hope you can prove me wrong. I ended up changing the locking ecu with one bought from a scrapper. Jon

My previous 430 came from Ireland (Galway) and had no sunroof, but I have not seen another without in the UK. Jon

Some people may not have been around long enough to know what a Haylands car means. Peter is an obsessive and talented fixer, so I imagine that everything normal people might find "acceptable" has been transformed into first-class. I would buy it sight unseen had I not made my big purchase last year. Jon

Well remembered John. I bought from Stellar just under a year ago. Paid over £8k for a 2004 430, when I already owned one. 😳 Subsequently I spoke to the only previous owner. Stellar bought the vehicle from him within an hour of him putting it on sale, for very close to the asking price. They then put it on their forecourt at a big markup and waited for a willing customer to show up. I was that man. The price was high, but it was exactly the colour combo I wanted, one owner, 41k and serviced every year by the supplying dealer (who I also spoke to). So I got the car I wanted. Stellar enabled that, and charged me for the privilege. Which I see as fair enough. My previous model went to a good home via this forum. I don't think Stellar are anything other than traders, so I would recommend doing your own research on the history of whichever car you are looking at. But I didn't think they were bad people. Hope that helps. Jon PS I looked up the previous owner's address on Google Maps. His was the only house in the street, off Grosvenor Square, which didn't have an embassy flag out front. I don't think the cost of maintenance was ever an issue . .

My indy did it at at around 120k. Said the best way was to do it twice i.e. with two annual services rather than trying to get it clean in one hit. I can understand he wouldn't want to run it round the block after each litre. Jon

This looks relevant Derbyshire Police @DerbysPolice · 3h Replying to @DerbysPolice Cars were parked in both the car park and on the hill up to it. A bags of stones that was at the entrance as a roadblock had been pulled to the side to allow cars to enter. Plenty of people were walking, many of which had parked up in cars before heading out for their walk. 20 16 94 Derbyshire Police @DerbysPolice · 3h Some number plates were coming back to keepers in #Sheffield, so we know that people are travelling to visit these areas. Daily exercise should be taken locally to your home. Under government guidance all travel is limited to essential travel only.

The best thing I have read on how the future looks is this one. First time I felt I understood the background, the changing response, and what the future looks like. https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-the-hammer-and-the-dance-be9337092b56 Jon

Osaka know much more about Lexus than my main dealer, and charge a lot less. been a happy customer for 5 years now. Hypothetically, you could book an hour's inspection with them for an afternoon, paying an hour's labour, and get to Coleford to take the car down. But public transport to Coleford is not easy. Jon

Looks nice. Previous owners is the missing info, I would say. just a thought. From Coleford, you could take an extended test drive and get Osaka in Newport to put it on the ramp for a check. If the garage is OK they shouldn't resist that idea. Jon

Well that just begs the question . . . Sold? Visited and didn't like it? We need to know! Jon

Which Puppy???

Do you have a belt change due any time soon. That's when Osaka suggested I get mine done, when they are already into the engine.

I went through all of this a few years back. A talented, if slightly mad, locksmith managed to crack the immobiliser, but not the smart locking. Eventually I got Osaka to replace the locking ECU with one from a scrapper, and that fixed things. Cost less than I expected and way less than Lexus quoted me. Jon

And the same applies to expensive ones! The one previous owner is very wealthy (well lives just off Grosvenor Square anyway), didn't use this car very often, and used the supplying dealer for maintenance every year. And my favourite colour combo! (carbon quartz / flint mica and cream) Jon

So far so good. Took it into Lexus Cheltenham for its annual service (intermediate) who gave it a clean bill of health. However I had asked them to fix the alignment on the headlights as part of it. They did the dipped beam, but not main. When I called them to point it out, they said main beam can't be adjusted. So I sent them some detail from the US forum on how to do it, and took it back in. Despite the unbroken Lexus service history it's going in to Osaka next year - they are just so much smarter on these cars. The paintwork was in good nick, but felt a bit matte. 15 years of London air, I guess. Eventually I got a clay mitt onto it and it is transformed. Much quicker job than I expected too. Jon PS Just realised most people won't know the back story. After 4 years with my Irish 430, I decided I couldn't see myself driving anything else, so this year bought the best one I could find, for huge money. One owner, 42k miles, full Lexus service history.

I had one of those as my only car for 5 years before I switched to my first LS430 (now on my second). Great fun if you take the revs past 4k, very calm otherwise, and practical with a hard top for winter.

And to find a buyer!😮

Funnily enough I have been using my Hi button over the last few days to get through flood water. It takes at least half a minute to go up though. You can check it by sighting something close ahead, like another car's plate, then pressing the button and waiting. Jon

So the story so far is I exchanged my 2004 LS430 for a 2004 LS430 a couple of months ago. One owner, low miles, full Lexus SH. Today I gave it a wash and wax, which is how you find all the little imperfections you need to know about. One thing struck me. It came up shiny enough to look at - pics will follow - but the paint did not feel slick. if a blind man had run his hand over it he would have concluded it was a matte finish. I don't remember this with my previous car. Anyone any thoughts? Colour is Aleutian Grey, aka Flint Mica aka Carbon Quartz. Jon

Lovely looking car. I was quite surprised to see those blinds, assuming that they probably had some technology now to adjust the tint level in the glass. Not that it will trouble you in the front . . .

Enjoy!

Thank you Phil. It's not a usual stomping ground for me, but a meetup of the fine folks of this board sometime would be a lovely prospect. Jon