Lost it

Kinda need to change my profile message too...

I'll look more closely at the invoice tonight. Just to be certain. But it was a very long list of items and quantities. I dunno, what would the labour rates have been like in 1998? Wish I'd photgraphed it now before I came in to work. The other "option" I guess is that the box is FUBAR. Except it drives as smooth as I would expect.

Had a busy day yesterday. You know there's "Servicing" as done by Dealers and there's "Servicing" as done by someone who owns the vehicle and wants it to last? Well. I have a MY2000 Lexus RX300 and it has all the service stamps until 31/01/2017. And the Lexus service schedule is very specific.So it looks like even Lexus don't do what is on the service schedule. I know someone will say "they only do what they are asked to do" but I have the service stamps and receipts. And if someone has paid over £1k for a service, you would expect it to be done. By the book. So the Trans oil should have been replaced at 60,000 miles and again at 120,000 miles, but the lasts stamp was at 111,000. Fair enough. The Transfer box fluid? The same. The rear axle? At least twice. So why was the ATF black and the magnets within the sump completely covered in metal filings? Well, because it clearly was never done. Not even by the Lexus main dealer. And I mean black. At least it didn't smell burned. Date stamp on the filter was 1999. I was sorely tempted to only do a partial oil change in case I damage the box flushing all the junk out in one go, but the thought of it circulating even more loose junk in there didn't leave me with a cozy feeling. I can always rebuild it if it fails. The Engine oil? Like water. And Black. Did have a genuine Toyota oil filter though. The rear diff oil? Yup. Old. So I flushed the best part of 18 litres of Dexron 3/Toyota compatible synthetic ATF through an auto box that holds 5 litres until it came out at least looking dark red rather than brown, used that much because I only had 22 litres total and still needed to do the power steering. No point just dropping the sump and replacing the gungy oil that drained out, there's still a torque converter and ATF cooler rad full of the old stuff, so I popped the "return to tank" pipe off the cooler and ran the motor until a litre and a half came out, then topped up, etc. etc. until it was coming out fairly clean. What to do with all that "waste" Dexron? Shame really, it was brand new when it went in... Wonder if I can burn it in the X type derv? Did the brake pads front and rear too. Long and busy day, I hope the car appreciates it, but I think I'll need to do another gearbox flush before winter just to keep me happy. But at least I now know it has been serviced properly.

Tyres are as much a subject of antipathy and heated posts as most other topics that create a lot of theory and opinions. Such as Oil, whether to run the A/C all the time etc. Simply put: ANY tyre with the right speed and load rating will be better than bald ones. Having the bald ones on the rear is never a good option... I've recently bought a 2000 model Lexus RX300. It has all the hallmarks of an expensively and presumably well maintained car, lots of receipts Yet it had three different makes of tyre on it, two 6 year old Cooper things a 2018 built Toyo and some chinese junk that went on for the last MOT. Quite why the last owner did this is beyond me when he didn't have a problem with paying for a £500 service and cam belt. To then put a £30 budget chinese "Linglong" thing on the car makes no sense to me. But there you go. So I spoke to the local tyre guys, and the people I use all the time and they have suggested I fit a set of Nexen tyres, all the same tread, the same weight rating, the right speed rating same date of build, and only £250 a set. They are M&S, "B" rated for wet weather, and even if they only last 12,000 miles, they will be adequate for what I want. I do like having the same tyres on all the four rims, please don't ask me the model of tyre, I cannot remember it. CP something... I'll only use the "M&S" bit if I fall asleep at the wheel if I'm honest, I wanted the Lexus because I had a cancer op last year and I'm finding it hard to get out of my Jaguar XJ6 after a long day at the wheel... So I bought a cheapish Lexus to see if I can be comfy and more importantly rather than having to climb out of the car after a long day driving, I can open the door and fall out if I need to. 😉 I too have "raced", bikes more than cars, and whilst only a year or so ago I wouldn't have touched anything tyre wise made in Asia, these Nexen things will be fine until I get another set of rims and fit them with proper winter rubber. Just in case we ever get a winter in the UK again. £250 a set. I pay more than that for my VFR 800 tyres... And I only get 8,000 miles out of them.

Good to know... I just picked up my first Lexus RX. So I'm going to be lurking on here for a while to see what I can learn.

Yes, that's what I found. That's usually a consequence of some pratt using Copperslip on them, Copperslip and brakes should never ever meet.

Amost definitely the pins that the calipers slide on. They can be replaced, but I can't recall where I got mine from for the wifes car...

Well.... She's gone for a Fiesta Auto. 1.4, not as many toys but she sat in it, drove it up the road and made me buy it her. She says it's as described, (it has a full service history, 13months MOT, all as the guy selling it explained. He even took her out in it to make sure she understood all the controls. Reason he's selling is because he has to give up driving, the perfect person to buy a car off. 2009, Three grand.... I'll stick around on here though, I'm still fancying a 3.0 sport wagon for me.

I'd want to see before and after figures. Because it's naturally aspirated, uses a pretty complex induction management setup and uses a 16 bit ECU to do the work.

Well. Another day wasted. Two blind or simply lying owners of the cars later..... I may try a few dealers, but tomorrow is Fiesta search day.

My view is that the "extra air" is introduced through the inlet system, not the exhaust else all you would get would be a super lean mixtyre that would soon kill the cat. If you have ever had the throttle valve off one of these motors you wilol know that there is a "built in" restriction to the inlet tract, this is usually to build up air speed to enable a better fuel droplet mix, the faster the air moves (up to a point) the more the fuel can wrap the air molecules, the problem of the air cooling down as it "grabs" the fuel is offset by the air speed causing friction. Now I don't know the Lexus system completely, but I do know how the variable flap system works of the X type V6, it re-directs the air flow to get the best swirl characyeristics for any given throttle position, it's all controlled by the ECU and it's been done so well that no-one has managed to improve it yet even after these motors have been around in one way or another, in various Jaguar models since the mid 1990's. (S type, Xtype, XJ350 and now the Ftype) In fact the design was so good that Aston martin used a version of it for the V12 6 litre motor they put in the DB9. It's basically two Xtype engines linked together. Clever booggers. The point being the Jaguar engineers got another 20bhp out of the V6 3.0 motor than Ford ever did with their version as fitted to the Mondeo ST220. the 220 being relevant here.... So, back to Lexus. It makes sense to restrict the flow to improve fuel/air mix, but at some point the restriction will kill the motor. No doubt Toyota's engine guys figured out the best time to allow more air in, at about 4,000 rpm by the sound of it... Before the injection phase obviously, no point putting more air in after the fuel has been added. So anything that makes this extra port open would to me mean that there is a risk of weak mixture being introduced, because the motor only has one lambda, the ECU will have one 3d map to follow, and it will likely be unable to adjust the mixture quickly enough, I feel, to protect the engine. (Jaguar has two per cylinder bank, pre cat and post cat because it micro manges the mixture, it's why I can get 30mpg figures all the time). So fuel consumption would probably tumble because to get the power back I would suspect that larger throttle openings will need to be used for any given engine load position. It's a cable throttle isn't it? Not fly by wire? Anyone out there is trying to 2nd guess the Toyota guys who had unlimited budgets to get it right. You have someone with a laptop and bugger all testing facilities offering you a few tweaks to the already pretty good setup. I know who I would trust. Unless the tuner has some empirical data (as in proof of the pudding) I wouldn't believe them. Are you sure he hasn't just left the air filter out so that it sounds throatier? Very much doubt it's any quicker, 145bhp ish is about right for a 2 litre naturally inducted motor tbh. Even one that has more internal friction than the average motor. (two more main bearings, two more cylinders with pistons rushing up and down, two more big end bearings and con rods to start and stop). But it's surely a smooth lump. BTW, the IS200 has to be fitted with the easiest air filter replacement system ever.

Ha! You should see the state of the rear view from my 3.0 Xtype. Twin pipes, stainless exhaust, Porsche designed engine, chain driven cams, 240bhp... It's like it's making it's own cloud this weather. The easy way to tell, if the "smoke" rises it's water vapour. If it sits on the floor, it's not so good.... Something cool about twin pipes on a car emitting two streams of vater vapour even if it's silenced a bit too much. My wife's old Lexus used to do the same though, the issue she had was that the journeys she used to make were not really long enough for the car heater to get up to temp, and I think that produced more water condenstae because when I used to take it out mid winter for it's monthly clean out it would steam for about 6 miles. I had to give it an "italian" every month, she never used to get the revs high enough to get the VVt bit working... The emissions test numbers were always impressive though.

Excellent.....

It's looking like wifey may be going the Ford route, she went out in her friend's Fiesta Mk 7 yesterday, then went and had a test drive in a '59 plated automatic one. I've done a quick search, and as long as it doesn't have the dual clutch gearbox it should be ok. Her decision, it's she who will be piloting it. So this next weekend we are taking the Saturday looking at three more Lexus and three Fiesta's. Wish me luck...

The list contains two that I've looked at. One of them has dents in the roof, the other I rejected because of rot underneath. The camera tells lies. They are never that pretty when you get close up it seems. That's around the budget I was wanting to spend though, up to 5K. They are all traders which means they know nothing about the cars, it's just an asset they want to turn into cash. I prefer buying from the current owner, you can ask the right questions then, and you usually get the full sp. Not given up yet.

I'm 59, she is a bit younger, but the ones I've seen have been owned by mid 40's couples. I couldn't get my head around the one with the LED's, the bloke selling it was easily 40. But good point well presented. I've not given up hope yet. I'm still fancying a Sporthatch thing for me.

Pretty much given up on finding a "true" car as described. Their idea's of "immaculate" and mine are at opposite ends of any spectrum you care to describe. Immaculate Interior? So what's the remains of sticky tape on the headlining by the sun visors then? Spotless paintwork? So the dents in the roof are???? Not so bothered about the wheels, they are always in a shocking state on Lexii. But it seems that people just lie. And why oh why do people put Chinese cheap tack £20 a corner ditch finders on cars with the power and abilities these cars have? And then try to tell you that it's a good selling point... People that don't mention EML's until you turn up.... I've found rot in places even I never thought to look. Boot floor right hand side, boot lid by the number plate light, under bonnet chassis rails, side of the sunroof, even one that looked close to losing the gearbox rear mount. I'm guessing that this is because the boxes don't leak oil so much these days? One more try then I will be buying something else I guess.

Give me strength..... I found an IS300 sportwagon in London on the 'bay. Looks nice, even has a young lady draped over the steering wheel.. Three times now I've asked for an address to go take a look. Twice I've been told that it's been covered in stickers to promote a business which is why the paintwork is so good and then that there's a randon engine warning light that "should only take half an hour to sort if you use the forums". So again, why hasn't the randon eml been fixed already, and which part of "what is the address" is suitably gibberishness that the owner can't figure out what I want. So I've suggested I get GCHQ on the case to send a drone mapping London out to give me a rough location of all the blue IS300 Sporthatch's and work from there..... Clearly they don't really want to sell it... And I'm not a fan of using dealers, the present owner is far more honest. Usually... Until they forget to mention they clouted a curb with it....

Well, saw two today, one had gone already. The first one I managed to push my thumb through the rear of the sill which had been very carefully painted to look solid... My thumbs aren't superhuman, so I walked away. The 2nd one, the guy selling it had neglected to mention that the sill on the passenger side was stoved in approx 2/3rds the length of the car. "It's ok, about £80 quid will fix that". So I asked him, why didn't you ferkin do it then? Or the big ding in the roof. "Forgot". So that's over 200 miles wasted. I wasn't happy. I hope the next owner whose car I go to look at is a little more honest. Andyk134, the car is for my wife. Let's just say Auto is the way she needs to go, I've never known anyone change gear so often on a straight bit of 30mph road.... I'd sooner pay the fuel premium rather than fit new clutches every few months.

Well, had to let wifey know about the search, I was going to try and surprise her. Got two definites to look at, one a Navigator version, one not. But I've always thought the old IS200 would have been more fun with more grunt so I'm looking at IS300's now too.... I asked her if she'd consider an estate version, but she said it would be too big. So. I'm looking at a 2003 and a 2004 model. Not worried about miles, my old GS300 I put almost 100,000 miles on it during the three years I had it.

OK, I've read all the way through there but can't find a tick box? I joined the club this am... My other vehicles.... Get Ready: After a lot of Volvo's, Reliant Scimitars etc.... I had a 1996 GS300 that I owned for years. The only thing that ever wore out was the brake pads and tyres. Towed like a dream, but I found the seats to be a bit too wide for me, plus I do occasionally enjoy picking spanners up occasionally. Sold it to a mate after being pestered for months. Should have kept it.. A Volvo 960 came next. There's a pattern developing, I like big, comfy cars... Went from there to a Ford Mondeo TDCi. Gear box and clutch went at the same time and frankly the car wasn't worth repairing. From there to a 2001 Jaguar Xtype 2.5. Then an ex demo Xtype 3.0 with all the toys except memory seats. Really, all the toys. Heated front screen, AWD, satnag, Voice control, auto lights and wipers, auto dipping interior mirror and door mirrors, (you don't realise what a godsend they are until you don't have it) and great lumps of power. I've recently upgraded this to a 2004 XJ350, XJ6, again with the 3 litre lump. The "Ally cat". Aluminium. Light, smooth, air suspension, mine for £2200. Ridiculous. I run an Xtype diesel for work, an estate version. Horrible noisy tractor engined thing. I also have a LWB XJ308 V8 that I'm slowly getting up to snuff. My wife has had Volvo mainly, 360. 460, 480, then a Saab 900 convertible, then the first Lexus IS200 which I bought after my experience with the GS300. Built like a tank, reliability was what I was looking for. The issues I had to fix on that were sticking calipers (eventually swopped them for rebuilt units) and bottom ball joints although it did use a lot of oil for a Japanese engine I thought. I buy cars that I hope will protect her should she have an accident. Now she has a Clio 1.5 Dci and I don't think she likes it much.... So I'm looking for another Lexus for her. Already I've learned that there's three models, that they seem to rot in certain area's although hers never did, and that I mustn't buy one with only one key. If I could get her old one back, I'd do that... So on balance even an hour or so on here has been useful. And when I put things back together, I don't have spares. ;-)

She had a Y reg one, I'm looking at 2002 upwards, budget doesn't matter really, it just has to be the right one. Ideally if I could have got her old one back... I paid almost 7k for the first one. Didn't even know there were three series of them? The original one was an SE in Green. So... No one key ones unless there's a tag to get another key made. Ta for that. Although a quick search on here has told me why not, I have to ask is it that much of an issue, she had three keys with her last one and only ever used one.

This works as well. It's not cheap, but the match is pretty good.

About 7 years ago I bought my wife a 2001 Lexus IS200 auto, she used it sparingly, about 2000 miles a year mainly for taking the nipper to school. It averaged about 12mpg I think in winter, it had the usual front bottom ball joint issues, but on the whole it was pretty reliable. One new car battery, four ball joiunts and an aircon refill. Drank a little oil though? Then nipper got herself a little Clio 1.5 to learn to drive in and pass her test. Wifey drove it and said something like "That's nice and nippy, I like it" which I took to mean that she wanted one too. (Been married to her for 35 years now, you'd think I'd have a clue by now....) So I bought her a nice one, same engine, and sold her Lexus for not a lot of money because they don't seem to fetch much. Now it's clear that she preferred the Lexus (I can understand that slightly, I drive Jaguar myself) so I'm on the look out for another one for her. I've never been on here, so a quick look to see what's going on I seem to be seeing lots of posts about corrosion too? Was there a year where this was an issue? I also seem to be seeing lots for sale with only one key. How much of an issue is that? She also had issues in snow with it, I put it down to her because I had no problems whatsoever with it.