jonthetourist

This was my vendor https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/fe.le66?ul_noapp=true

They are the only non-standard thing on my car, and get more comments than anything else!

In which case swap them over??

So my annual service is coming up. 2004 LS430, 123,000 miles. After a couple of years spending big on fluids, belts etc. last year's service was cheap and routine. Quote from Osaka - " I would love to charge you more, but it doesn't need anything." So my question is, should I factor in anything extra for this service? I am thinking control arm bushes, after seeing Haylands' on his recent build thread at a very similar mileage. There's a fair bet mine are past their best at this age and mileage. It is a case of ordering things in advance and planning it in for time (Osaka are an hour and a half away), so anything else the panel think might be a good idea to order at this stage? Cheers Jon

Sorry to hear that Peter. Hope she gets a rapid and full recovery. My dad has just been diagnosed with his third cancer but I was up in Yorkshire this weekend driving him to Goathland for his 90th birthday party. He loves being driven in the Lexus 😊 So the boat plan is working out for you then? Good to hear. Jon

Interesting, as always. Shouldn't you be island hopping in the Gulf of Mexico at the moment rather than scraping frost off the car this morning? Jon

Courtesy to advise the new battery arrived and was fitted by me today. I waited until this week to order it in case I needed to fit a new one while I was away for the weekend. I did need my powerpack to start it once, but that can go back in the garage now. We had a heavy frost last night. Because my car was recently waxed, the beads of moisture had pooled before freezing, so I had mini icebergs on my boot lid. Which promptly slid off when I opened it. Very entertaining. Thanks for all the input. Jon

Thanks all for the feedback on the battery. The current one is a Bosch 027, available from Tayna at £78, which seems keen. Jon

He postponed me on the grounds of a family illness, then didn't answer, and when I reached him said he had sold it. Full Lexus history wasn't full, and I am not sure the belt had been done. Mine is very sound mechanically, according to my man at Osaka, but there's a bit of rust coming through the driver's door, sadly.

Why thank you Sir. The thought was to trade in mine for a younger 430 with half the mileage, as I am determined to be driving an LS430 for at least the next decade . . . Jon

So after nearly trading in my lovely car last weekend (dodgy vendor, didn't happen) I thought I owed it some loving. MOT, new wipers, vacuum, wash and polish. Looks lovely though I say so myself, and ready to take my Dad to his 90th birthday party this weekend. Only downside was I left it on the drive with ask the doors open for about three hours, and when I went to start it I just got a clicking noise. Half an hour on the charger fixed it, so I reckon the battery is on the way out. I certainly haven't changed it in 4 years, so not surprising. Any recommendations?

I think it might be variable valve timing. My mechanic says it helps with accelerating, but you don't really notice if it's not working.

Yes, I wasn't totally confident after speaking to him on the phone, so I am not unhappy, but that colour combination is not easy to find. I have actually looked at grey 600s online, as thye are more common, but more pricey, of course. Jon

Just to finish the story, seller messed me around re viewing date and sold it to someone else. Full Lexus SH wasn't full either. So the search for a pristine facelift 430 in grey with a cream interior continues. Anyone got one to sell? Jon

Yes, Yes, Yes . . . but is your old 600 for sale?? 🤣

Thanks for that. His story is the owner has dementia and eventually came to terms with not being able to drive it. Family then sold it to him. He has basically given it a spruce-up, an MOT and an oil change. But he will take a p/x, which helps with the logistics.

It is. Have you had a look?

Hi folks My 2004 LS430 is coming up to 4 years in my ownership (2 previous owners) and is currently at 122,000 miles. Having fallen in love with the 430, I am contemplating swapping it for a slightly younger model with genuine 60,000 on the clock. Logic is I can't see myself ever driving anything else, and Low mileage examples will get ever harder to find. My mechanic (Osaka, know everything about Lexus) says mine is good for 200,000 without any further work, so it's pure indulgence on my part. Cost to change around £3,300. Any thoughts appreciated, over and above - why bother? Jon

On my facelift version, there are a pair of buttons for smart lock and tyre pressure warning reset. There is also a knob for adjusting beep volume. (Why not control it in settings I don't know.) Jon

Instead of replacing the puddle light, you could upgrade to Led projecting the Lexus logo down. It's the only non-stock thing on my car, because I like the look. Simple push fit and about a tenner on eBay Jon

I think the main virtue of the key blade is getting into the car if the electrics have failed for some reason. I don't *think* you can recut an existing blade, because it already has a set of bits cut out. A US key could be a cheap source for a blank blade, but otherwise useless as it works on a different frequency. You can get there in the end, and all these issues pale into insignificance compared to starting with a 2-button key. Cheers

Hi Malcolm - sorry, missed your question. You are very fortunate to have the master key - saves a world of pain. Any competent auto locksmith can now turn a used Lexus key (ebay or Paul Frost) into a second key for your car. If you and the blade to work, i.e. to physically use it rather than just press a button, you will need the dealership to programme a blank for you. Hope all goes smoothly. Jon

OK, he's a friend. He's offering you first refusal on a car you know the history of, not a special price. You have a car you like, but suspect this may be an opportunity. Thye are different cars. So I suggest you use your friendship to request an all-day test drive. Go somewhere you fancy going, and see what you think after driving the 460 fr at least 4 hours. Then you should be able to make the choice that works for you. Good Luck!

Hi Woody Is your current key a 3 button master key? If so you have no problems if you find someone with techstream. If it's a 2button job you have problems. I did 😒 Jon

Just before Xmas I played golf near Gloucester. After the round my playing partner commented his neighbour had just bought a car like mine. Half an hour later, after a coffee, I walked out with a different guy, who said the same thing. You must live near X, I replied. Turned out they live a good 5 miles apart. So there may be two new LS430 owners in Gloucester. Wow! Jon