ciao_chao

Hey mate, I was the blue LS430. Sorry I was so busy looking at your car I nearly ran into you....ooops. Have a few questions, it seems a very interesting build you have! Did I read right it said LS460?

I'm curious to try out the velour, like the proper deep pile type on the Celsior (or some old french sofa), I think it would be a little more compliant and comfy, not to mention hold you in better around the corners.

Thanks for the heads up! I’ll get that done ASAP, plus I’m curious whether the catlock for older vehicles. edit to add - you reckon it’s worth declaring the anti theft devices would reduce insurance premiums? Might end up paying for itself.

Its sad the French couldn't make luxury cars reliable...I remember how comfy those old Citroens were! If only they could make it with Lexus reliability and German marketing, they would be golden! Yep, sorry to bring the Innocenti brand back again on this thread, but it was too good a submission for here. It was called the Innocenti Koral 45/55!

Good thinking, it was badged as something else...clue - think Italy. The brown tints, the gen1 twingo at the back, yellow rear number plates, with white at the front, make me think France. I think it could be a Talbot of some kind, which model eludes me.

Sorry! Trick question, you are both right and wrong, it is a Yugo 45/55 in all aspects except the name. Look carefully at the badge on the front wing! This is something I only found out a couple of days back.

Okay everyone, time to go again if you fancy.

Wow! What a challenge you have, there’s really not much on that market right now at a remotely sensible price. You may need some Mike Brewer levels of negotiating. LS400 is not only your best option, practically your only one. Everything else V8 (or V12) looks pretty shocking from dodgy Rover derived units to tired W220 s-classes. The only other option that might work is a R129 Mercedes 500SL, if you find one that has, high miles, bad paint and rusty panels it will scare most off to the point you could make a cheeky offer. The thing is usually rust is cosmetic, and mechanically the M119 engine is solid, plus the most rusty examples typically will have the earlier 4G-tronic gearboxes which are good for 300k+ miles, and being based on the W124 mechanical parts aren’t difficult that to source (easier than your other options, the W126 or W140 with similar engine/gearbox options). Just pack plenty of gaffer tape for the roof and your golden!

If people are going to hate me for what I'm going to write, please do, this is just my opinion. I don't care about the environment any more personally, I've been let down by too many governments who see it as an easy win to their game. @Linas.P You make a very valid point, cars are just an easy target. Air travel and freight, as well as meat farming contribute more to climate change, yet they're never the hot button topics because they'll negatively impact on the government's cronies. No, instead they target the people who can't afford it, look at the ULEZ expansion in October, doesn't touch the guys in their V12s, yet the people who need to get in and out of London at stupid o'clock are getting s*** on, so many people in their diesels and older vehicles who aren't E6/E4 compliant are going to be affected, it's catch-22 for many, can't afford to upgrade, can't get to work, can't earn to pay to get said upgrade...sure you're more than welcome to ride from the suburbs, or take 2-3 night buses, yeah right! F*** off Sadiq, Labour my arse. Oh an thank's a lot RMT, you're insane protection of your "members" mean you've blocked automation (means improved services, and possibility to run at unsociable hours) at every turn, guess who that screws over? The very people who would sympathise! No wonder Labour is in the s***. Anyways, rant over. Don't care about eco stuff any more, I'll carry on driving my big V8, eating meat, and working on that mortgage. If people do want to make an effort, by all means, you do you!

Fiancé put me onto something called truwash, it’s remarkable for regular cleaning, such as inside the car, around the house, etc. I mocked them for essentially buying deionised water in spray bottles, which is available from most car parts places for 1/10 of the price. As people mentioned as long as a dedicated cloth is used, that is the key, but I typically prefer to use blue roll for glass.

I can sympathise, I have a similar gripe and definitely prefer bottom hinge pedals. First noticed it on a lot of German cars. I have dodgy knees, so it deffo makes a difference. Also I wonder if these are marginally safer as it’s less likely to get caught in footwear? Glad you got your answer!

The Grom Vline uses the existing screen and hardware, might even be able to do a CD changer delete since it’s non functional. It’s not cheap, but it’s an interesting build. Have a look at this (there’s also a link for the strip down for install there):

I might have to steal that quote!

@Herbie amazing, your answers let me pull the trigger now! I did see the frequently bought together when browsing, just assumed that it was the same generic one that was suggested immediately above that. Amazon can be so confusing. It’s super helpful to know what type of circuit I need, auto electrics isn’t something I’ve dabbled in much. P.S. I don’t need pills for my memory to be bad! You’ve helped more than I could expect. Thanks for being so patient with some of these slightly stupid questions.

Thanks Herbie, I appreciate all the help already! 1) Did you buy your camera from Amazon? 2) Is there a specific wiring kit that is needed, or does a generic kit work? 3) What did you end up wiring it to? Anything systems that you would advise avoiding piggybacking off? I know that @steve2006 wired it into the map light! 4) You mentioned wiring the rear camera via the headlining, does that imply that it takes power from the front unit? 5) I’ve done my share of photography, so I get what the polarising filter does, but I can’t quite figure out what it’s for on the dashcam. Thanks again!

Their biggest challenge will be whether the badge snobs can be persuaded out of their German cars. Do you remember they days when the average person was happy in an Escort or Mondeo? Why are people so obsessed with an A-class or 1-series? I can only imagine it’s to do with vanity, the rise of narcissism and the impact that social media has on a lot of people.

So I did do some research into this, and two things are a necessity, 1) air filter, otherwise it’s going to make things much worse. 2) To quite Mr Clarkson POWERRRRRR!!!!!! If the leaf blower is on the asthmatic side, probably not gonna work. Now...that first requirement will be hard to fulfil because most people don’t care about that and so it’s rarely listed on the specs, so watch out if you’re going all amazonhappy. source: https://drivedetailed.com/using-a-leaf-bower-to-dry-your-car/

Hey Herbie! So I’ve done some shopping around and your recommendation seems the right one for me. Would you be mind if I asked you some more questions, mainly regarding the hardwiring? I know that we have different cars but it will help me make a decision.

Sounds interesting! I'll bear that in mind, even if it's for the tyres, unfitted. Gotta say around here I do worry about my locking wheel nuts, I don't think the concept of a torque wrench has quite reached Aylesbury yet.

If you hate your neighbour and want to ***** with them, you should try and connect your phone to their lights and mess with them...depends on their setup but some of them are just a simple Bluetooth connection. 😜

God that procedure sounds more complicated that hill starts when I was a learner! I just want to add a note/warning, when I was first learning to left foot brake it often ended up over/under applying the brake, it can be super unnerving but push through and it becomes a really rewarding skill especially for spirited driving. Also comes in handy when the RHD version of a car was clearly an afterthought and the pedals are all skwiffy. Goodluck!

I am so sorry, forgive me for being so casual, we do like to shorten our local place names around here and sometimes it’s not always apparent where we are referring to. I blame it on the London commuters (of which I am one) who are too busy to speak in full.

Spotted my first other LS (an XF40 pre facelift) today! Same colour as mine, the deep blue (maybe someone could tell me what it’s proper name is) going north on the A41 towards Hemel, around 8:30 in the morning. I was in a LS430 waiting in traffic heading south.

Yeah head unit piqued my interest too. I'm all too aware that those of us who have the nav unit are reliant on a system that works and doesn't nerf the climate control among other things that are run through that nav screen. I did see someone plumb in a Grom VLine 2 into the existing nav screen, and there is a version of it for the LS430 nav on their website too, expensive at $650 though. Also I've got a consideration, I assume these kind of devices require some kind of internet connection, so that means either a datasim to connect to 4/5G internet, or using the phone as a wireless hotspot, so this will kill my battery life more than just a straight up bluetooth system like the xcarlink or the Bluemusic system mentioned above. I have however considered whether its worth getting a charging pad to plug into the 12V port in the centre console, then I can charge but not need to plug in and potentialy forget.

Living the retirement life huh? Sounds like he’s the perfect boy, and plus your garden will be squirrel free for the foreseeable! I hope you do stay around, if nothing else to share your doggo stories.