Slobbo

Hi guys, Insurance time again. Comes around far too often for my liking. Anyway I currently have the car on a Admiral multicar policy but they won't do agreed value on it. My car is very low mileage and immaculate and I paid a lot for it as a result so I would like to insure it for what its worth rather than be shafted for thousands should the worse happen. It is 20 year old so you would think it qualified as a classic but I have just tried Footman James and after spending 20 minutes filling in pages of info they took 2 secs to say sorry no can do. I would rather not spend days filling in forms to get the same answer each time. So which companies have people successfully managed to get agreed value classic insurance? Please don't say Adrian Flux I have had a bad experience with them and won't use them ever again.

Guys I've just bought a Bluetooth streaming kit that plugs into the factory head unit via the cd changer port. I went to install it but the cables are different from the head unit so I want to go back to the company with my head unit details. I have the premium sound logo. How do I tell what one I have? Does anyone have a picture of the back of the unit with the cables disconnected? And which one is the cd changer port?

Anything different about your car messi?

Really was that driving at 60 or something.

I listen to audio books in the car and find it sounds quite harsh at the loud volumes I have to listen at in my VR6 powered Syncro van. LS is low volume and sounds great. The street knows when I get in when I'm in the van where as the wife complained the other day because she can't hear me arrive in the Lexus.

Drove from Dunfermline to Cambridge today. Circa 400 miles and averaged around 30mpg. All of it bar maybe 15 miles was motorway and most of it cruise control sat at 70 ish mph according to the GPS. Pretty happy with that. I had a BMW 740IL from the same year that was slightly better at about 34mpg but the Lexus is nicer to drive. Having owned competing marques from the same year I'd say overall the Lexus wins. BMW had more toys such as double glazing, electric blinds, telephones and rain sensing wipers but electrics in my car were unreliable. Interiors are very similar. Seats are comfier in the Lexus but had more head and leg room in the BMW (it was the long wheelbase model though). My 15 year old (who is 6' 1") finds his head hits the roof in the LS if he sits up straight in the back. He also can't sit behind me because I have my seat quite far back. Overall when it comes to refinement the Lexus is slightly better but boy it is an ugly car. The 740IL was much nicer to look at. The LS is incredibly quiet even without the double glazing. The Japanese would rule the automotive world if they found some designers that have taste.

I use this in my VR6. Keeps its viscosity at all temps. Good for high milers. http://www.lucasoil.co.uk/products.php?page=products&subpage=product&product=47

I wouldn't worry too much. I have been in the vw seen for years and have seen the same thing happen with rare models more than once. Someone will come along and start manufacturing the obsolete parts or a suitable alternative will turn up.

Moray eek. Thought you were local as the car was in at Edinburgh Lexus. Guess its the closest dealer to the wilds of Moray then. Just as well as I am not fond of rich tea biscuits. I was expecting at least Penguins or some nice home made short bread. Would have made the effort then. Guess I'll have to wash mine myself then.

I wouldn't pay that for what is essentially a short bit of pipe. Take it off take it down to your nearest exhaust place or blacksmith and get them to make you one. Will probably cost about £20. Or just buy a 2nd hand one. Their is stuff all to it. It's a length of pipe. As long as it doesn't have any cracks or any corrosion hasn't eaten its way through you are good to go. You could probably get a stainless one made for less than the original mild steel one costs. Won't ever rust then.

Don't forget your insurance and registration docs. You need them in France. I broke down near Paris a few years ago and got away with it but could easily ended up with a fine or worse.

Mr2lad since your local and like polishing a Lexus or two, where do I drop my car off? Do you provide coffee and biscuits while I wait?

I've seen a few posts about the alarm. Cars of that era had the Scorpion alarm fitted which seems to be a bit temperamental. One of the fixes is to simply remove it or replace it. I've replaced the missing item with a new Thatcham 1 unit (well the car alarm man did) and the one downside is he has had to fit ugly after market sensors as the originals wouldn't work with the new alarm. Oh well at least I don't need to open the car with the key now.

You are right about the battery Steve. Lexus probably would have replaced it. So many things to check out when your buying. I did all the right things. Read various buyers guides and looked for common faults here and on other sites then looked for them when inspecting the car. I knew I was in for a bill for the dodgy pixels on the radio and I was expecting the tires to need replacing as a 20 year old car with so little miles will usually have old tires on them, not worn but old rubber. I did realise their might be more to the alarm issue than met the eye as it only had the one fob. A car in this condition, with the service record and receipts it had was not going to be missing a fob. I negotiated the price down accordingly but the lie about the alarm just pee'd me off. He wouldn't have budged any more as he had another buyer lined up so their was no benefit to him not to disclose the alarm issue.

Well I bought a rather pricey LS400 which looks and drives like new (not surprising with 27k on the clock and a FSH from Lexus) and the only faults I found were the pixel problem on the stereo and the alarm wasn't working so I had to open with the key. Not major issues but what really irked me was that the seller said the alarm was working it probably just needed a new battery in the fob. Well I'd like to know how it was working because the alarm was physically not there and whoever removed it had done a seriously bad job of it. It irks me because I still would have bought it had I known the alarm had been removed. It irks me because now I am wondering (probably un-necessarily) what else has been hidden. Whenever I sell a car I lay everything on the table, warts and all. That way I feel good in myself because I haven't misled someone they go away feeling they have bought a vehicle knowing what they need to do should they have the desire to right it. I hope I don't find too many other gremlins as I have already shelled out on new tires and now a new alarm. That said I am astonished at how quiet and refined the ride is on what is a 20 year old motor. Their are no bumps rattles or squeaks. Honestly amazed.

What did you have done that cost £2k?

Yep very scary. I work in the ecrime industry. The criminals are better funded than the good guys. The organized crime organizations fund the next generation of malware writers through university. They are now creating data warehouses to consolidate your personal information from loads of different sources. Facebook, LinkedIn, from malware on your pc. your email. Lots of little bits of information makes for a very comprehensive picture of your life.

Here the old girl up at Aberdour with her new boots

Well I purchased the bolt on 20mm spacers and they worked really well. The is200 17" wheels look great. A bit more modern than the originals. I also put 5mm spacers on the back but this was really necessary. Just wanted to bring them out slightly as the fronts were moving out.

Was that £2k for springs a bolt and a 4 wheel alignment? Was that a lexus stealer or a Indi garage?

If your old one was running well and you know ifs history. Why didn't you get it painted? Sounds like you'll end up spending loads on this one.

Hi guys. I need new tires for my 95 LS400 as the fronts are from 1994 and the rears from 2007 (and have a slight bulge). Instead of just replacing the tires I thought I might put on a more modern set of wheels and made the boo boo that I am sure many others have made. I've bought a set of 17" IS200 wheels which are same offset, PCD and centre bore but the enormous front callipers get in the way. I reckon I have 2 options. Replace the studs with longer ones and fit a 15mm spacer or fit a bolt on hub centric spacers with studs built in. I would prefer to go for option 2 so the original wheels will still fit fine should I decide to put it back to standard. So on to my question(s). 1. Is 15mm going to be enough to clear the calliper? 2. Will the wheel be fine within the arches (I'm not lowering it)? 3. Where can I get the spacer? The smallest I have found is 20mm (would 20mm be too much?) PCD 5x114.3 Centre bore - 60.1mm Offset - 38 to 45mm

Yep it's like new. Their is barely even surface rust on the 20 year exhaust

Thanks Jeremy. I know it is a common issue and have read many posts and the threads all seem to say the same thing in that the elements fail however my car whilst old only has 26k miles on it and was never used in winter and none of the elements seem to be working which makes me think it is something other than the elements. I have found very little on faults other than the elements hence my question. I was hoping someone would have had the same issue. I will check the cables but until this week I don't think anyone has ever sat in the back. (not kidding - 20 years old and never had anyone in the back)

You are right Brian. I phoned Autel who make my diag tool. I have the MOT Pro tool which is excellent but it won't do the LS. They have a different model, the DS708 which will do it and many others of the era as well as let me do adaptions (at least on my VAG cars) and do remaps. I am toying with getting this. Not cheap however and the ongoing maintenance is pricey.