Chris Skelton

:zee: I fancy having my (LS400) wheels re-furbished and done in body colour (plus laquer protection!)...even though I have a Graphite grey car! Hope my e-bay bid succeeds on the spare set of wheels.......

B) YES you DO have to carry a spare bulb set in France; also you have to have TWO warning triangles in case of breakdown. Carry your Green card... get one from your insurers. (In Spain you need a Bail Bond certificate too, or did last time I went.)Radar warning machines are illegal (but then, you're on holiday!! Just cruise and enjoy the sun and countryside.!!!) Don't forget that priority is different on roundabouts. I think you may find all this (and more??) on an AA or RAC site? I've just been reminiscing about my first trip to Spain, 20 years ago. Went for 8 weeks in a 1955 Citroen Traction Avant Commerciale, camping mainly. People outside bars would stand up and applaud when we drove through their village. We'd wake at dawn in a remote valley, to look out of the tent at sheep, bells clanging, passing by, shepherd and sheepdogs looking curiously at this apparition in their valley..... Have fun! :zee: B) :zee:

B) Now all you have to worry about is....whether you should have waited for the new, hybrid model that's due out soon! Get ecological, man! :zee:

:P ah, but the mk 2 LOOKS so much better!

:zee: Hey! My hi-fi turntable and sep. power supply (Townshend Rock, for you hi-fi cognoscenti!) I had resprayed in black/glitter (and special designs) Looks good when the light catches the flecks.... It's hard to decide, isn't it? Don't forget to get all the chrome done in brass! (I saw this done years ago on a Pick-up and it looked great!!) Wonder if my LS400 would suit a Pearl job (and the concurrent drop in bank balance!) ??

....But, for people with older, but low mileage cars....you may be advised to change your cam belt. It's not JUST mileage related but age as well. I had my 95 LS400 with 52k miles belt changed 'cos it was 8 years old. See comment elsewhere about frequent fluid change being advisable....

:zee: Well; I suppose I could sleep in the back seat of the LS400 with the aircon on....(-:) once I get it re-gassed! Yes. it does get hot down south, here in Bristol! I once spent 6(summer) months in deepest Andalucia, where it was 35-40 every day and @ 28 at night! Now you know why people there don't have 'picture' windows! you lie there wishing the thin sheet was even thinner...and don't even THINK about s*x! :o

I recall in the days when I was spending ages researching getting my Lexus (took me about a year!!) reading, probably a USA review, that Lexus had a database that kept details of ANY work done by their affiliated dealers on ANY car! So, in theory, given twodogs wondering about what work had been done, if the same system applies here? Any one know? (Should I have put this out as a separate topic, perhaps?) Would be easier than ringing every known Lexus dealer....!!

:P :P Ho-ho...Mr Pedant here! I hope that Davis (the sellers of the 430) were better sellers than spellers! The ad had some wonderful errors ; Satelite for one...(2 'lls' please....and you'd think that someone called Davis VEHICLE wouldn't mis-spell vehicle!! Offer 30k cash; have it in your hand -take a bodyguard!-butI guess REALLY check it out. If you're spending £30k+, have a detailed AA check.

:zee: Hey! Chill out babe! You're driving a 430, the envy of (some of)us all! You're supposed to cruise imperiously along. Sorry; can't help on yr query though. I have my lissom partner besides me as Personal Nav guide! Chris, in his Ser 3 LS400; cruising to perfect sound of Antonio Carlos Jobim's Wave'......

Do you NEED a Lexus specialist (your ex-technician) to fit new discs/pads? Or just a normal mechanic. (My MOT man once said 'These cars are pretty straight forward underneath' i.e. not some convoluted design-no transverse engine being prised in with no access....or, like my old Citroen DS; having to take out the engine to change the handbrake pads!!!!!) Good tip, re parts, though.

AGREE TOTALLY with previous input. On a general level, changing fluids always pays off, long term! When you think of all the craziness that goes on inside an engine, it makes sense that the lubrication etc., is kept spot on. It's so easy to think 'oh, it'll last a few months longer (as I do when Lexus send me a kind reminder..it's only done 4.750 miles since last service, etc...) BUT oil etc., DOES degrade. Just imagine how YOU'D feel with a complete blood transfusion ...(Hmm? Not good analogy, given the dodgy state of Blood in NHS....O.K. a nice dose of re-oxygenation!) Also; do basic things like...flush out your cooling system, replace the fluid with DISTILLED water, not tap, plus correct % of Anti-freeze. I change my auto box fluid each year, no matter WHAT the Lexus rec is, mileage wise (I don't do more than 6k miles, it's my 'Treat' car.!) to get back to topic! My local service man said the same. They'd only ever changed one engine, even; blown up by idiot rushing into a Ford (the wet type, not the supposed car!!) and ingesting water into the engine.

Couldn't we gat a deal arranged somewhere as a Club? % off/discounts, low mileage/collectors cars/second vehicle etc all seem to be relevant. (Don't highlight the big wheels/hot-rod element!)

why not e-mail 'import sensations '(see photo) and ask?

:o As the owner of Bristol's only vegetarian cafe/takeaway....I guess I'll have to start saving for one of these environmentally positive machines! If I can get one to run on bio-fuel now.....

Colin: let us have more details on your plug source? What type/kind were they? Where from (site address? etc.) All helps in our ongoing life as Lex owners.

The Soarer had multi-spoke wheels I seem to recall. There were a set on e-bay 2 days ago for £25 (!!??) Good luck I think I prefer more solid look for the wheels myself.

:o What size tyres? I always felt that comfort (which iis a major reason for having a limo like ours?) would suffer. Interested to hear about the change and how it feels. I had 35 profile tyres on a BMW 850 and it was awful, except at motorway speeds (and the Lexus is steady as a rock at 125, so no problem there!!) That 430 is like a different car somehow, isn't it? Wouldn't like to leave it on the street at night! My Graphite grey 400 doesn't attract attention in that way!

:D Further info on the CHROME GRILLE I mentioned previously. After struggling to get admitted to E-Bay (being a non user up to then. I think I've got enough possessions as it is, without any further temptations! though perhaps I should SELL some!?) I got the Chrome stuff ordered. Came through the post quite quickly, a total of 10 varying length pieces of Chrome effect, stick-on plastic; 6 mm wide. First impressions were a bit underwhelming, but really, once you stick them along the edge of your rad grille, they look the part. After all, half the 'chrome' on cars these days is Plastichrome anyway. The only fiddle is having to trim the strips to fit (and then laquer the ends to keep rain out,(though WHY I'm not sure. Perhaps the base is absorbent?) Ideally. the better you do the preparation the more satisfying it will be (as in most things in life!), so angling the cuts to fit, for example, the curve of the badge, makes the end result look 'fitted/original'. They certainly seem well glued on, despite only being attached to the front edge of the plastic grille (which, if you look at it, is only a tapered edge with a slot in it) and after 24 hours setting time, should be fine. I've left the blue protective covering on for now as it looks interesting! But will reveal the full shiny glory tomorrow. If and when I get my photos done (sorry, non digital here!) I'll try and find out how to get them on here. Cost? £13.50 plus £8 postage. Why should Mercs have all the chrome?![ e-mail address is ebay@autogrilles.com Picture on www.bimmer.info/bmw/jaguar/961safter.jpg (that's a 'series 3) /FONT]

No, because the seres 1 was the original! The one that Toyota decided to make BETTER than any other car-at the time. 'Car' magazine ran an article doing a direct comparison with a Rolls Royce. And the Lexus 'won'!! So tell your friends THAT! Naturally cars develop over their life...a 430 is better than mine, but in normal usr, so what? They're only small changes. You've still got a great car

Just looked on 'Autotrader' site. Some v.good value cars on there!!! 80k miles for 6k! A rather nice looking one at Smee in Black (always a great colour the show off your chrome) with grey interior; or, if you like white (good to be seen on a dark wet winter night) there's a couple . I'd guess at trade-ins being passed on, so CASH would mean even less, in my experience. Fix a price in your head, and walk away if....is he coming after you.......deal! They want quick turn over.

B) Personally, I'm interested in having the 400 ride as smooth and quiet as possible. 'Sports' tyres? Well, OK for the sporty Lexus, but the 400? It's a smooooooth car! So...? I assume that Toyota spent some time on this, (as they did on every OTHER aspect of the car!) so perhaps the Dunlops are the best, relating to the car. But, I guess we'd all like to get more info from fellow owners on othr variants.

Sorry this ended up on page two, far away from original topic!

Chris again on chrome rad strips. Sorry but I'm a bit non-genned up about how to post pics....at the moment! And I don't have a dig camera. BUT.... try //www.bimmer.info/bmw/jaguar/961safter.jpg which is the address at the bottom of the pic I downloaded of my particular type (why the address relates to BMW? I don't know.) I originally got the hint from this site I think and the guy had sold his car but sent me the ebay address. It's a repeated 'auction' £13.50 plus £8 postage from Canada. Good site and sounds keen and genuine. Apart from my hassle with Paypal.... I thought that, as the LS400 has a quite 'silvery' front with its swath of lights, the chrome would enhance this,'colour-wise' so you'd have a band of silver right across the front visually. The firm does all types of Lexus, plus RangeRover.....Obviously they're Plastic, but report from here said they looked 'the business'!

Yes please, re the Yate address/or contact phone no (and name of guy!). I live in Shirehampton. I have an old address in Keynsham, but think that Yate might be easier to get to! Chris Skelton. LS400 series 3 owner