Tomtit

Some years ago I was with NFU. I paid over the odds for the policy, but I was happy to have the NFU office less than 5 minutes' walk away in case of a problem. When someone ran into my parked car I went to them for help but they did not want to know. They have lost my custom for ever. As far as I am concerned they were No F...... Use.

Welcome. Those wheels look far better than the originals.

Mark. Thank you for the info. Last year I paid £289 with full no claim bonus. I have had no claims or policy changes since. They are now asking for £445. I expected an increase in line with inflation but not a 50% increase. I am going to shop around.

Just received details of this year's insurance premium for the LS. It is over 50% dearer than last year despite me never having a claim. I will ring them on Monday and ask how they justify the increase. If that is how they reward loyalty I will shop around.

Neil. I have become an expert at taking the unit out of the car, but that is about all. I have very little knowledge of car audio. I think I just got lucky. Anthony. Does the unit load and eject discs normally ? I am always happy to pass on the benefit of my knowledge, even 'though it is very limited in relation to car audio.

I am not an audio expert, but if it were my car I would be looking for a poor connection at speakers, amp and head unit.

I have taken the stereo out of the car many times and I could now do it blindfolded. I kept looking for an obvious mechanical fault without success. I then watched a Youtube video where someone dismantled and repaired a Toyota cd changer. Following his example I applied 5 volts dc to the motor and it worked. It moved the trays up and down. I connected the car's wiring to the partly-dismantled cd changer and it responded to the buttons and loaded and ejected a disc. Another ribbon cable sorted out the display. I reassembled the cd changer and put it back in the car. Power on and everything worked, including the tape player. I can also store radio stations again. What a productive morning.

Bear in mind that if one strut has failed the others may not be far behind. It will then be expensive to keep the air suspension. I fitted coil springs and shock absorbers to my LS430 after an air strut failed. It was a matter of economics. My insurers said the car was only worth £1100. The parts cost £1000 and my suspension will now last the life of the car. My wife's 53 plate RX300 is on air. When she bought it last year the dealer fitted 2 new struts; probably Chinese, as the dealer would not have paid Lexus prices. I have not driven another RX on air so I have nothing to compare it with. The ride is more choppy than my LS.

I read a post on the American LS forum. It said that it is OK to replace just one air strut, because the suspension will balance itself out, unlike conventional shock absorbers.

John. I am in the dark ages as far as modern technology is concerned. I don't even have a smartphone. I would be happy with a basic radio / cd player.

The CD player and cassette player on my 2001 SC430 have stopped working. I have partly dismantled them but I can't see anything obviously wrong. The CD player had an error 3 message but I managed to get the stuck disc out. Since putting it all back together the CD player will not work at all. The cassette player tries to load a cassette but stops part way. The radio works, but I am now unable to store a station in the memory and the pixel display has almost disappeared. I accidentally damaged 2 terminals on the ribbon cable but I have replaced it with a longer cable. I could not find one the same length. I don't know much about car audio. All I want is a radio and cd player. Are there any aftermarket products which will fit ? I have spent hours looking at forum search results but I am not much wiser. The existing part no. is 86120-24420 but there are no second hand ones in the UK. In any event, second hand would be a gamble. I would be happy to lose originality for a working system. Thank you.

I have finally fitted the Lexus logos from the plate pie wheel covers onto the new covers. The chrome had started to peel off the logos and I bought some chrome spray paint to refurbish them. I then thought that the chrome would blend into the silver of the wheel covers and would not stand out. I sprayed the logos gloss black instead. I think they look OK. Pictures attached.

I have an LS430 as a big comfortable cruiser and an SC430 for the current glorious weather. The SC is also used as a coupe when the weather is not as good. The SC has a hard top which makes it more secure than a conventional soft top. I don't need to tell you about Lexus reliability. If you run your LS and an SC you will have the best of all worlds. The two cars have identities and will stand out when compared to the modern Euroboxes. I used to have at least one change of car every year but since getting my first Lexus, changing is a thing of the past.

According to toyodiy all 4 sensors have different part nos. The ABS parts are shown under electrical.

The sooner the better !

If you need to remove the roof rails in the future you will be able to cut through the silicone with a Stanley knife or similar.

That is proof that you are on the mend after your accident. Keep up the good work !

I repaired the sub on my LS430 using a kit obtained online. That was a couple of years ago. It has been fine since then.

Copy of relevant page from 2002 workshop manual.

I think I have read somewhere that there is little difference in ride quality between air suspension and coil springs and dampers on a RX300. It may be the same on a RX330. My wife's RX300 (on air suspension) feels crude compared to my LS430 on springs and dampers.

I had this problem on my LS430. One of the rear corners kept dropping. The cost of one new air strut would have equalled the market value of the car. There was also the possibility of another strut failing. It made financial sense to fit conventional coil springs and dampers all round. I bought all the parts for £1000 and fitted them myself. My suspension will now last the lifetime of the car.

I have the workshop manual for the 2002 model and it has the measurements. I don't know if it is the same measurements for a 2005 model. If it is, I can let you have them.

According to the Haynes manual, the recommended fluid is Toyota ATF Type T-IV. For a drain and refill the capacity is 3.9 litres.

My LS430 sometimes does this. I just put the battery on charge to top it up and the problem goes away.

My post dated 27 January 2023 has some info and a couple of photos. My SC is 22 years old so I expect to have a few issues. My Z4 had heavy steering, but only in summer temperatures. When the weather was cooler it behaved normally. That is one problem that was left for someone else to sort out.