DruLS

Heat, WD40, hammers, chisels, swearing, more WD40, crowbar, more hammering, swearing again. I swear somebody welded this thing onto the hub.

Any disc I fit gets a big helping of copper grease on the hub so this doesn't happen again. I've had my fair share of difficult disc removals but nothing like this. I don't have an angle grinder but I really hope it doesn't come to that. I've never used one and knowing my luck I'll end up removing a finger! I've ordered this tool designed for brake disc removal, but it cost over £100 if you can believe that. I'm hoping this is a last resort as I've also ordered a nice big sledge hammer. The picture on Amazon filled me with confidence 😆 Hopefully if that works I can return the disc puller tool.

Taking advantage of not having to work at the moment. First job I tacked was to change the diff oil. No idea when it was last done (if ever). But I think you can have a good guess based on the colour. I was going to be changing out the ATF but the fill plug is buried so deep in the tunnel I can't get a socket on it and I have no 24mm spanners. I've ordered one and will have to wait until that arrives. In other news, I hate this brake disc. The car is currently still on jack stands because this refuses to come off. I've ordered a brake disc puller (which was not cheap) and a big ole' hammer (which was). Hopefully I can get this off with a bigger hammer then the one I have so I don't have to fork out money on this puller. Cross your fingers for me, because after all that hammering I can't cross mine anymore.

I've ordered a brake disc puller but it wasn't cheap at over £100. I've ordered a much bigger hammer I'm going to try first so hopefully I won't need the puller and I can return it. Tried that over and over. I've never known anything like it, I'm quite sore today!

I've hit it from the back also but it won't budge. Looks like I'll have to buy a puller as all the hire places are closed. Shame they all seem to be over £100.

Hi guys, Had some free time today to put in a fresh set of discs and pads and I cannot for the life of me get this disc off. I've never before come across a disc that a quick whack with a hammer wouldn't solve, but this one isn't budging one bit. I've tried beating it, applying heat with a blow torch, lots of penetrating fluid. I even tried using the threaded holes on the discs to push it off. One just stripped the threads, the other broke part of the disc off but it's still stuck on there. Any ideas on the best way to take this off?

Obviously it's in need of some TLC but there's definitely a good car under there. And for that price you can't argue. I bet it's going to look great once you're done with it.

Not much of an update as I've been stuck inside due to the virus, but this week was my last week working due to redundancy so I'll have some time on my hands until my next job to get everything in order. Car got an oil change and a new air filter before it started getting too cold. Also got my new battery tie down installed so fingers crossed there should be no more electrical nightmares. Hopefully the weather keeps up this weekend so I can finish the rest off. Hope everyone is staying safe at the moment!

I got a similar quote for my LS430 as it only came with one key. Sure it’s not cheap but I was happy with the price considering the prices some other manufacturers charge for a new key. If you want to look somewhere else you’re going to have to find an auto locksmith who has the necessary diagnostic equipment to program new keys to the car.

You can actually buy aftermarket mirrors for the LS430 with inbuilt indicators. Ideally you’d need to fill in the quarter panels too, unless you want two sets of indicators on each side.

Absolutely. Would have been just my luck to loose another car! Luckily I can't see any other damage to the wiring, alternator and stuff seems to be working fine. I left it running with everything electrical on (which usually caused the car to loose power) and so far it's been fine. So fingers crossed I escaped any serious damage.

This is why some people shouldn't work on their own cars. Not only had this fuse already blown, but instead of replacing it they simply stuck a big piece of metal in there. I was wondering why the replacement looked so thin in comparison. This was a disaster waiting to happen. I got off lucky, fixed everything and the car seems to be working fine now with no issues. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

Another turn for the worse. The previous owner has put a battery in, appears to be the wrong size. Wasn't tied down, protective covers on the battery were not on. Car was acting really weird electrically, all the electrics going haywire and shutting off while driving. Didn't know what it was until I saw a burn mark in the paint on the bonnet. It's been shorting against the bonnet and has melted (although not blown) the main 140amp fuse. I have a new genuine battery and a used fuse box I'm swapping in today. Hopefully that fixes it and this hasn't caused any other damaged anywhere. Luckily the car seems to run fine for the most part now it's not shorting. It still looses electrical power sometimes for a moment, but I'm guessing this half blown fuse can't handle the current the car needs. Fingers cross I can fix it today, wish me luck.

Just shy of £1200 in total for all the repairs. She drives great now, but if anybody would care to feed me for the next month or so that would be greatly appreciated 😂

From what I understand, the rear disks and pads (luckily I had already bought a set), the handbrake shoes and all the associated hardware, handbrake cables, wheel studs, a new calliper and god knows what else. Basically if there was a part in that corner of the car, it was broken.

Good lord we're not off to a great start with this car. It's taken a week for the garage to fix the mess that pothole caused. The last estimate I got was close to £1000. It would have been more, but luckily my mechanic managed to repair the backing plate. Apparently Lexus wanted about £350 for a new one. I was due to collect it tonight, but got the news that the calliper was seized and would need replacing. Hopefully it should be ready to collect tomorrow, but it looks like I'll be eating beans on toast for a while 😂. To top it off, after receiving this news the post man arrived with a speeding ticket for me. Nobody to blame but myself, but still annoying. Fingers crossed I can go on a speed awareness course. On the upside I did get some goodies today. My front plate mount arrived from the US as I want to run 12x6 number plates. Apparently this is one of 3 that was available in the US in this colour. I also got some parts from the crashed Lexus. The man who bought it only wanted the engine, so we came to an agreement I can take some parts I need from it. I have the custom exhaust I had made, along with the cats as the flange was modified and so this won't line up with stock ones. A little bit of polish and she'll be as good as new. Unfortunately the exhaust is one piece, so I need to decide if I should try to fit this myself or get a shop to do it. I would have just paid somebody to do it if I could separate the sections and fit it in the car, but I'd have to rent a van just to transport the thing. I also got the intake manifold along with the front end of the LPG system (injectors, ecu etc). I will be taking a visit to the old girl soon to take the rest of the LPG kit out, along with a few other parts such as the radiator, ac condenser, trans cooler and a few other little bits and pieces.

I was so lost I don’t even know what town I was in. I couldn’t find that spot again if I wanted to, and haven’t put my dash cam in yet so I’ll just have to eat this one. Real shame.

Thanks for the tips guys, I’ll get on that! In regards to claiming for damages, I was hopelessly lost without a phone so this one is on me unfortunately 🙁

Well, further improvements are going to have to take a back seat. Hit a pothole the other day. Car made some noise but didn't think it was that bad until it got very loud. Turns out one of the wheel studs broke off and it's caused absolute carnage. Ruined an entire corner of the car, brakes, handbrake shoes, backing plate, handbrake cables. It's in the garage now and it's been there a few days. Awaiting a big bill, and I've had to hire a car in the meantime. I'm not having luck with Lexus like you guys are. Might forget about it and buy a Clio or a Corsa like everyone else 🤣

I know it's a bit of a Marmite thing, but my Gold emblems arrived today (all the way from the UAE). Personally I think the Gold looks good on some colours. I never would have done this to my silver one, but I think it might look good against this colour. I guess we'll see when I get round to putting them on.

Hey everyone, I have a couple little issues with the new LS I was hoping somebody could help me with. I'm not sure if the two issues are related or not. First of all, one of the rear doors is deadlocked and cannot be opened from the inside or out. All other electronics in that door work, electric windows, speakers, outside lock button etc. It's intermittent, I can occasionally get it to unlock but most of the time it's locked and I'll need that fixed before the MOT. I'm guessing it's the door module, I've had MK4 Golfs and Boras and anybody familiar with those will know that's a common issue. The second issue I'm having is that while driving, or anytime the car is just on the doors will lock. After that they'll keep trying to lock randomly while I'm driving as if somebody is pressing the lock button. I took the battery out of my key to rule out a faulty key but that's not it. Unsure if it's related to the door issue but has anybody come across this before? Not only is it annoying listening to it, but as I have only 1 key at the moment I'm afraid one day I'll lock myself out. I deiced my car this morning, luckily remembered to wind the window down. Good job I did because by the time I had finished the car had locked itself.

Yes, that's the one 🙂

Yes good point. If I didn't know this car personally there's no way I'd be buying the LPG system out of it 😂

Well what a workout that was getting all this in here. So here's most of the stuff I've ordered for now. So we've got : 6 litres of engine oil 10 litres of ATF 2 litres of gear oil (for the diff) 10 litres of coolant Some new brake fluid No power steering fluid (I forgot) Spark plugs Serpentine belt Oil filter Air filter Pollen filter A new battery Pagid discs & pads all round Handheld pump (for ATF flush) Turkey baster (not for cooking) Various washers for the gearbox and diff and finally some grease and gloves Another big thank you to Daniel from Lexus Parts Direct for getting everything I needed out to me so quickly. If you're not using them yet you should. Remember they're a full dealership and so can sell any parts Lexus have in stock - if it's not on the site, just message them. They were very helpful for finding little things like specific crush washers and interior trim. I need to redo all the work I did on my last one in preparation for the big European road trip I'll be taking in the summer. I've still got a few parts waiting to arrive, from the USA to the UAE! I'll be seeing my old car soon to pick some bits off it. The exhaust system is definitely going on as it's brand new and sounded fantastic. The LPG kit is going to be refitted with new plumbing and what-not only once it's been tested to ensure it's still safe. I'll also be getting the new radiator, AC condenser and oil cooler as they're all intact 🙂 Got my new plates in, I'm going with a 12x6 plate (US size) because I personally think these cars look better with this size plate. I couldn't do it in the last one because some numpty used self-tapping screws on the boot, right on the ends of a UK sized plate.

Seriously though, at no point will I put anything in this car that is going to make it unsafe. All the main bits of the LPG system, the tank, the injectors, ECU, the reducer were not impacted by the crash (and again, the crash looks a lot worse than it was). All these components are going to be inspected by a professional and if there's any sign of damage, it's going in the bin. I should add that LPG tanks (although mine didn't even get hit) are incredibly strong and can take ridiculous punishment before one fails (not that I'd use one if it had damage). Only if these components are in perfect working order will they be re-used. All the wiring, plumbing and other consumables will be replaced with new kit. This is a high-quality system that cost 2k and is only a few months old so yes I don't exactly want to fork out that much money again if I don't have to. But again, I'm only going to be re-using this system if it is certified as safe (which I'm sure it will be). If anything is a miss, it's getting replaced. I'm not that stupid that I'd put the lives of myself and passengers in danger just to save a bit at the pumps.