mrdoofa

The instant power on tap is too addictive!!!

I’ve always known ICE as in car entertainment or that cold stuff you get in winter!!! I’ve never known it mean the engine before but I carried on the theme on my post anyway. Really glad you’re enjoying your hybrid now.

I did my steering wheel which had become very slick and shiny with a magic eraser and the difference is unbelievable!!! It now looks and feels like a brand new steering wheel and would recommend everybody to give it a go, you’ll be amazed!!! Of course there are many people who speak against them saying it’s like taking sandpaper to your steering wheel and it does more harm than good, I’d agree that if done too often and if you scrub too hard you could start to remove the dye from the leather but done gently and sparingly the results are fantastic and I’m so pleased with mine, I should’ve done a before and after. As with any DIY advice though, I cannot be held responsible for any damage caused and it is done at your own risk!!!

When the car is cold it’ll always start up on the ICE even if the hybrid battery is full to get everything up to temperature, once warmed up and with plenty charge in the battery you should be able to accelerate very, very gently up to about 20mph on electric power alone (assuming level ground). If I accelerate to 30-40mph then ease back on the throttle so you are coasting then gently reapply just enough to maintain momentum and I can run on electric power alone at those speeds but the battery soon runs down after only a mile or 2. The car also saves fuel by shutting down the ICE when standing still unless the battery is charging or other demands are placed on the system such as air con or heating, mine switches off around 80% of the time, also the initial acceleration to get the car moving is done by the electric motor so saves fuel by overcoming that initial inertia. The thing that has to be remembered is that it is still predominantly a petrol vehicle with an electric assist, not the other way around, also Lexus hybrids are more performance hybrids than economy hybrids. Perhaps the biggest tip is to drive smoothly, hybrids really benefit from this, accelerate to the desired speed briskly then just feather the throttle coasting as much as possible to get maximum economy but not maximum fun, I enjoy the power and acceleration too much!!! My experience is based on a GS450h so the characteristics of the RX maybe slightly different but just give it time and allow yourself to adjust to the way a hybrid drives, they are a fantastic piece of engineering. To give you an idea of fuel consumption I went from an LS430 to the GS450h, day to day the LS430 averaged 20mpg whereas the GS450h averages 33mpg, on a run the LS430 would average 30mpg whereas the GS450h averages 40-45mpg. The LS430 is only a bit bigger and heavier and has a 4.3 V8 which gives 289bhp, the GS450h uses a 3.5 V6 with electric assist to give 342bhp so although it has more power and the acceleration is much quicker and livelier the fuel savings are significant. I love it.

If I was going to get another LS (which I probably will one day!!!) I’d probably go for either an LS460 or LS600h this time. The main reason especially after having the GS450h back again is I like the more modern feel and look of them. I can understand being a bit apprehensive about the hybrid option, my first one went horribly wrong but then again so did my first LS430!!! I just put that down to my bad luck now. I’ve had this hybrid for a few weeks now and I am absolutely smitten with it, the LS600h will have loads of power, a big V8, the instant torque of the electric motor and because of the hybrid system will probably give similar or better fuel figures than your current GS300. Only the hybrid options in both the GS and LS have a CVT transmission which really suits them, the rest are standard automatics despite what most of the ads say!!!

Check out this YouTube video to see the acceleration of a GS450h, it’s incredible and extremely addictive!!! The beauty of it is the extra instant torque from the electric motor and a completely seamless CVT transmission, the power delivery is constant and relentless and there isn’t many cars out there that can keep up with it.

I keep my GS450h permanently in Hybrid PWR mode, doesn’t seem to affect economy but the throttle response is much crisper and I love using the acceleration this car has!!!

There is a button under the dash near the pedals to reset the tyre pressure monitoring system, you have to get down on your hands and knees and a mirror is useful to find it so it doesn’t need to be done by Lexus. I have a mk3 GS450h so I’ve no doubt they may have similar things to check for, the leading edge of the bonnet can get rust bubbles, rear exhaust boxes can rust, they can have dashboard rattles and creaks. I think this maybe exclusive to the 450h but worth mentioning, leaking shock absorbers and seized rear brake calipers. Check for cambelt change and all the usual used car checks apply.

I was going to tell you Old Baz had it now, the dealer I sold it to was going to pass it on to a family member but they changed their minds so he put it for sale on his forecourt and Baz saw it and bought it, It’s only a small dealer in Lytham near Blackpool called James Morgan cars, I bought a jag off him a few years ago and he’s a really nice guy. I’ve told Baz to make sure he keeps it because he’ll struggle to find another as good as that one, the only reason I sold it is because I decided I wanted another GS450h. He told me that he is over the moon with it and he’s going to keep it, he’s fully polished it all and detailed the interior and even the engine bay then put the pics on Facebook and it really looks like a new car. He had to replace the battery last week but the old battery was 6 years old so I don’t think that’s bad!!! He’s already taken it to the seaside 3 times with his wife for fish and chips!!! I’m going to visit him in Bolton in the next couple of weeks for a chat and a cuppa so I’ll see how he’s getting on with it, I’ll probably end up being tempted to buy it back!!!

Thanks for the link, I’ve ordered a set of those now, they should do the trick!!! I just want to get rid of the shiny slickness on the steering wheel and get it back to a nice matt finish. I’ve also just ordered some leather cleaner and conditioner for the seats, I’ve ordered a twin pack of gliptone leather cleaner and conditioner from amazon after reading mainly very positive reviews, the main thing I’m trying to achieve is that nice new leather smell and according to what I’ve read gliptone products are the best for this!!! Has anybody ever used gliptone on their seats? Here’s a link to what I’ve bought https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01DMB3RAI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hi, Just a curious one, today when I was dipping the engine oil I noticed that the 2 large black plastic covers on either side of the engine were just sitting in place loosely, every single fastener is missing!!! It looks like each one should be held in place with 4 fasteners, I’m going to replace them but wanted to ask which type of fasteners I need to buy, the car is fine and I’m still really pleased with it but just found this to be a bit curious!!! Also, The leather on my steering wheel is very shiny and slick looking obviously with being well used over 139,000 miles, I’d like to try and get it back to the nice matt finish it once would’ve had. I’ve seen mixed reports regarding these magic erasers you can buy from the supermarket, some say they are a miracle cleaner that restores the leather in minutes, others say they do serious damage to your leather. I understand they are a very mild abrasive and that’s how they work. Has anybody ever tried them and what are everybody’s thoughts on these? Obviously they won’t be used on a regular basis, in fact probably just once to get the steering wheel back to how I want it. I’ve attached an image of the magic erasers I’m talking about.

Great tip about cleaning the steering wheel, I always thought that once they’d gone shiny from hands “polishing” it you couldn’t do anything about it. Can you recommend a leather cleaner to do the job?

I found the ones in the LS430 you sold me to work quite well both heating and cooling, do the ones in your GS work better than those? I’ll have a look around under the seat for any filters or anything, as I said the heat works well but the cooling doesn’t on my GS!!!

The LS430 definitely has seat filters, also the seats in the LS430 are actually cooled where as the ones in the GS450h are just ventilated as far as I know, I’ve never heard of the GS’s having seat filters but if there is a way to improve them I’d like to know, the heated seats in my GS450h work great but the cooled side has very little to no effect.

You’re right there, the days of simple bomb proof diesels that you could run on virtually anything including used cooking oil are long gone!!! All the items you’ve listed except possibly the EGR valve come with four figure repair bills, also if it’s a manual there is the dreaded dual mass flywheel to think about too. Modern diesels are horrendously complex and it’s only going to get worse as emissions regulations for them get tighter and tighter as the government tries to force them off the road. Also, they’ll always sound, shake and vibrate like a tractor no matter what they do!!! They tend to deliver all their torque and power in one lump between around 2,000rpm and 3,500rpm with nothing on either side. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you can take the diesel out of the farmyard but you can’t take the farmyard out of the diesel. The future is petrol hybrid and electric.

I’ve had a mk2 GS430, 2 LS430’s, a mk4 LS400 and now on my second GS450h, all have been my daily drivers. I too have found the turning circle astounding, my nephew has a 1998 Cadillac Seville STS which has a transverse V8 and fwd, as a result the turning circle is awful!!!

I like to try and be helpful!!! 😃😃

There are no advantages to a large diesel that I can see, they are much less refined and still sound like a tractor. The government are going to make it harder and harder to run diesels anyway. Petrol hybrids and electric are the way forward. Very impressive figures BTW, my mk3 GS450H will never quite achieve that but I can still get 40+mpg on a run which is still excellent, especially for the performance the car has

You preferably want to see a nice fully stamped up Lexus service history and possibly a recent hybrid health check certificate. These cars like most Lexus cars can take mileage very well, a few weak spots on these cars to check are the shock absorbers can leak and are quite costly to replace, rear brake calipers can seize I think because of under use as these cars use regenerative braking so the actual disc brakes are used less than a normal car and the exhaust can leak at the Y joint and check for rusty back boxes, some early cars can have paint bubbling corrosion along the front edge of the bonnet. There is no real way to check the hybrid system other than check for any warning lights and/or messages and check it operates as it should. Basically when cold it should always start up on the petrol engine to warm the car up, once up to temperature with the hybrid battery charged you should be able to very gently accelerate from stand still to around 20mph in silence on electric power alone, it’ll only go for about a mile or so on electric power alone in my experience, remember it’s not an electric car it’s still a predominately petrol car with electric assist. When the hybrid battery runs low the engine should kick in to start charging it, the engine should shut off when standing still most of the time unless it’s being used to charge the hybrid battery or other demands are placed on it such as by the climate control etc when it might not switch off. The petrol engine will turn on and off whilst you drive depending on acceleration, coasting, braking and going downhill and this should be almost seamless, the hybrid battery level will also rise and fall as you drive, don’t if you don’t get the battery level to the very top as this only really happens when you are driving down a long descent using lots of regen braking and it won’t stay full for long even then!!! When you put your foot down these cars are really fast and not much can keep up with them and the acceleration is very addictive!!! Even though they use a CVT transmission you still may feel what feels like a gear change under certain conditions, this is because the electric motor has a high and low range transmission and you sometimes feel it changing. The gauge to the left of the speedo is not a rev counter, instead it tells you how much the electric motor is being used, at the bottom of the gauge you will see a blue section, when the car uses regenerative braking the needle should enter this section to show the kinetic energy produced is charging the battery. That’s everything I can think of off the top of my head, sometimes the dash can have a bit of a creak or rattle but this is more of an irritation than anything and if your car does have the problem it depends on how annoying it might be to you, mine does it slightly but not enough to bother me. I’ve had an SE-L and currently have an SE, the only differences I can see is that the SE-L has radar cruise and a sunroof although my SE has a sunroof so it’s only the radar cruise I don’t have. Obviously all other usual used car checks apply and check all electrics and gadgets work as they should (there’s lots of toys on these!!!), good luck and keep us posted!!!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lexus-ls430-ul-2001-4-3-v8-12-months-mot-120k-miles-only-no-reserve-99p/202310721925?hash=item2f1aa8a185:g:vvsAAOSw4V9a9GaT Looks like Paul Frost is selling this. It’s had cambelt, water pump, radiator, new gearbox, new steering adjust motors, new NSF shock, front lower arm bushes, new subwoofer and some other things

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lexus-ls430-ul-2001-4-3-v8-12-months-mot-120k-miles-only-no-reserve-99p/202310721925?hash=item2f1aa8a185:g:vvsAAOSw4V9a9GaT Looks like quite a good one. It’s had cambelt, water pump, radiator, new gearbox, new steering adjust motors, new NSF shock, new subwoofer.

Really looking forward to seeing it, remember lots of photos!!! As both me and Phil are in GS’s at the moment we’ll both probably wonder why we both parted with ours and we both had the same LS!!! 🤣🤣🤣

Went to the tyre shop today. Found that the tyre wasn’t getting a really tight seal against the rim because of a bit of corrosion which was allowing air to slowly escape. Both front tyres were quite badly worn too, especially the edges. They cleaned up the rims for me and I decided to spend £180 on 2 new tyres so now all 4 are brand new. Luckily the valves seem to be fine which is what I was dreading!!! The car feels much better now, especially the steering feels better. Also got the front brakes checked and both discs and pads seem fine so perhaps as suggested a bit of harder braking may be in order to clean them up although the squeaking does seem to be getting less the more I drive it anyway.

I saw that one when I was looking for mine, perhaps a bit over priced as mine was the same price with 79,000 less miles. Having said that, if it’s had a new hybrid battery etc in that mileage it might not be bad but you would’ve thought they’d mention that if it had.

Ha ha, no worries about the thread hijacking!!! It’s been an interesting read and I may one day attempt a similar road trip myself. It’s nice to be called a gent for a change, I work as a bus driver so usually get called a lot worse things lol 😆. I’m going to take my car into our local tyre shop on Friday afternoon now, it’s a good place I’ve been going to for years (no Kwik fit or similar crap!!!). They are going to have a look at the NSF tyre and I’ll also ask them to have a check of the front brakes whilst I’m there. The low tyre warning light came back on again and the NSF tyre had lost about 5psi in 2 days. I’ve topped it back up so it should see me through until Friday as I only have to drive about 20 miles between now and then. Hopefully it won’t be the valve and I’ll tell them to be very careful with it as I understand they can snap easily. I’ll hopefully report back on Friday evening with good news that it’s all sorted. I’m still so pleased with the car though, the fact the car has the performance it does and it’s still doing around 33mpg according to the computer is fantastic. My commute is about 12 miles each way on mainly 30mph and 40mph roads, the LS430 averaged about 20mpg on the same trip. Just need to get these little niggles sorted.