BigBoomer

One on eBay right now. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-Ls430-Down-Pipe2000-2003-Front-Pipe-Y-Pipe-Cat-Exhaust-Catalytic-Converter/202291758658?hash=item2f19874642:g:d6IAAOSw-0xYlJ8S

Thanks Adrian, will do 😄

https://www.gov.uk/report-pothole If it's on an A road or Motorway then report to the Highways Agency. My 430 handles most potholes as well as any 4x4 and better than the crappy softroaders.

Thanks Damien, if Westfield can't do it I'll give them a call.

Hi All, has anyone on here used Westfield Motors in Rayleigh, Essex for their services/maintenance? I really need to get my Lambda sensor fitted and the air-con sorted and they seem to have a good reputation locally. Thanks, George

Nah, I have standard ODB2 reader that also no longer connects. It connected fine before I plugged in the cheap Techstream cable.<sigh>

Sorry, I used the wrong term, should have been "equalisation" not compression. Cassettes have an upper limit of 12khz and have a poor frequency response over 1.5khz. This is why Dolby spent so much time/money developing ways of improving the reproduction quality. Vinyl has RIAA equalisation, tape has Dolby, digital has digital distortion/compression issues. I guess it's swings and roundabouts so ya pays yer money and takes yer choice. 😁

Well, did the battery disconnect but still can't connect to the ODB2. ☹ It did reset the Check VSC but that will come back after I drive it for a while. I'll get around to doing the lambda sensor soon. The ODB2 scanner is getting power but cannot communicate with the ECU. Any ideas?

Cassette adapters use compression too. The electronics in the adapter compress the analogue audio and then the cassette player decompresses it for the amplifier. Cutting CD-R is great but I spend 20hrs per week in the car so need more than 6 CDs worth of music.

Got a Denso lambda from fleabay for £65 delivered. Now just need to fit it. Both exhausts are even flow and she is whisper quiet with a mild roar when you stomp -) Am considering the rad swap, but will probably wait until summer.

Perfect, thanks all. I'll disconnect later today and see if I can get the ODB2 and Techstream connecting.

Tabac? maybe if yer a smoker? <LOL>

By the way, I'm one of those weirdos who names his cars and bikes. The names I choose are always based on the last 3 letters of the reg number. So, I named her "Wafty". My better half wet herself laughing when I told her. When I asked why, she said "Every time you start her,.....you're having a wafty crank"

Thanks all. The service book tells me it's Canterbury Blue, or something like that. ñ

Hi all, I bought a Techstream system off fleabay and it has yet to connect. What's worse is that now my old ODB2 scanner can't connect either. It says "Cannot connect to ECU". So, can I reset the ECU by disconnecting the battery for 10 mins? Does the radio have an unlock code if I do disconnect the battery? (No I can't find one in my documentation) Thanks all :D

I use this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01K4SUASY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 No, you won't get CD quality but it's more than good enough for in car use. Mine is tuned to 108.0 as the highest in my area is 106.2. The only -ve for me is a slight hum between songs. The difference with the cassette adaptors is that most of them are noisy when operating, mechanical noise as the motors turn the capstans.

Thanks guys, I also need to replace/repair the front left parking sensor. Is it a PITA to get at? The rust above the screen is 2 small dots about an inch from the screen. Looks more like unrepaired stone chips than screen fitter damage. The door rust is a penny sized spot of bubbling, just above the chrome strip. That one seems to be a common spot on the 430s. I know a bit about cars, the rest comes from research here and on the US forums. I have 2 motorcycles that I do all the maintenance/repair on so can usually get by working on cars. That said with my size and age (54) working on the cars is hard compared to the bikes. Just getting to stuff is usually a lot more work on cars, especially on this type of car. :D

Hi all, I introduced myself in the noobies section but thought I'd add something here as well. I've just bought a 2004 (53) LS430 for £4400 with 91k miles in blue. Initial opinion is good although it has its problems. Have done just over 1000miles over the last 2 weeks (Wickford to Crawley 3 days per week) and so far am loving the car. I came from a '98 Honda Legend with unknown mileage and shabby paint, but it was cheap (£900) and did me for 2 years/40k miles. Prior to that had an S320CDI for 2 years that was horribly unreliable, another Legend (120k miles over 10 years) and a couple of Carltons. I need a bigger car as am 6'4" and 27stone. The LS gets about the same fuel economy as the Legends but with 70 more Bhp and better comfort. The S got over 40Mpg but the turbo lag sucked and the reliability was utter *******, however the comfort was the best ever, with the LS a close 2nd. I have a few problems on the LS to sort over the coming months. It needs bank2 sensor1 replacing (heater is duff), the rear left door doesn't lock unless I double lock the car, and there are small rust patches above the windscreen and on the left front door. Otherwise she is in pretty good nick and everything seems to work fine. Have also ordered a Techstream kit so I can change some settings to my liking and will keep you up to date on my progress. Looking forward to owning this one for a while and hoping she will be reliable and fun. Cheers, George

I looked at the aftermarket Bluetooth units as well. Most of them connect to the CD2 connector on the back of the head unit. I thought about it but it's a lot of work, so in the end I bought a £9 Bluetooth/FM unit that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Works perfectly and sound quality is surprisingly good. Also has 2 USB ports to charge phone. That combined with a magnetic phone holder stuck to the phone holder door and I have a usable functional system.

Thanks guys, I'm 6'4" so the LS was nearly the only choice. Have had an S-class, couple of Legends and a couple of Carltons. I bought a Bluetooth-FM unit in the end. £9 and works a treat. Have ordered a replacement parking sensor that I will fit when the weather improves. Need to buy and fit the bank2 sensor1 lambda as the heater is playing up and causing the Vsc error.. Will replace the battery first as that is showing low when engine off (11.8v). All in all a nice car with some things to fix.

Hi All, Picking up a Blue 2004/53 plate LS430 tomorrow. 91k miles and looks to be in pretty good nick :D Since I am bound to have questions where I can't get the answers from the Owners Manuals expect me to pop in on occasion. The car I'm replacing is a 98 Honda Legend that is slowly disintegrating. Can't complain as bought it for £900 three years and 45,000 miles ago. So, I am used to 24Mpg but looking forward to the extra power and comfort. I have the Owners Manual in PDF format already, but does anyone have the Navigation Users Manual in PDF format? Also what's the preferred route for playing music from your phone through the Audio system? I'm currently using a cassette adaptor which is OK but not great. My other rides are a 1989 Kawasaki GTR1000 with 197k miles on it, and a 2007 1400GTR with 73k. Cheers, George