GALLA_4

The final hammer blow! The TTE Trip to Germany! Looks like I am going to have cancel everything! :-( Its totally unfeasable to have the German trip and Irish trip one weekend after the other!

Happy Birthday!

Ohh No!!!!!!! Just realised this is gonna wreck my planned LOC Ireland meet !! It clashes bigtime with the planned date in April. Been trying to get this off the ground since last October!

Official Word from TTE on the IS200 Supercharger cradle brace:

**********PROBLEM SOLVED********** Well took the car to an engineering firm this afternoon and what can I say they did absoloutley everything! I was prepared to strip off the SC induction pipe, and remove the SC bypass pipe, and remove the brace, but they did the whole lot. Stripped it, welded it, powdercoated the weld, and put everything back together again. They disconnected both terminals of the battery as there is a risk of frying electronics when welding. The guy said something like it can reverse the polarity of the battery if the terminals are left connected while TIG welding. I didn't fancy forking out for a new ECU so disconnecting the battery was the first job!! They removed the brace and when the took it away the little piece which the brace connected onto at the cradle came away too, surprise surprise. They used sandpaper and sanded down the area on the cradle where the piece broke away and then TIG welded it onto the cradle. They opted for a TIG weld as it is a much more substantial weld than a MIG weld. After the weld had cooled, they actually took the trouble to go and spray it with a black powdercoat paint. It was a nice touch and you'd never even know know that a repair was done. Just as a matter of interest, the welder commented on how shoddy the original weld was! So anyone else out there with the SC, it might be an idea to check the weld at this point, as if it was as weak as mine, you'll be in the same boat as I was with that very very very annoying rattle. Dont know if people are interested but I took a few photos of the repaired weld. CRACKED WELD TIG WELDED REPAIR

Its all good! :D

Here is my HKS pipe replacement

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...c=28687&hl=PIAA :D

Is that a Prolex CF bonnet? Tempted but not sure if it would suit an Astral Black as well as it would a silver or something.

Got mine of Matts drift car. Cheers Mate!

Thought I'd share this piccie with you of the Greddy Radiotr Top pipe I fitted today. It replaces that black rubbery not so nice looking one coming from the back of the radiator to the engine block.

Well I finally got the Yellow TRD Anti Roll bards fitted today and all I can say is it was a sheer joy overtaking cars on way home! Moving out into the fast lane was so responsive and then cutting back into the middle lane again was satisfyingly precise. I found before that my body would lean with the car on cornering with the standard ARB's but now the car has already changed direction and is straightened up again so rapidly that my body seems to have to think about it for a second and realise that it should have moved with the car about 5 seconds previous LOL. I think I'm gonna need a 3 point harness LOL I must admit I pretended on a roundabout that I was looking for my exit and went around it a few times with the foot down. If I had have done the same thing on the standard ARB's I would have been seeing the world at a 20 degree bank. These TRD yellow ARB's definately give you more confidence on the road, safe in the knowledge that should you need to avoid something the car is going to respond immediately in a stable controlled manner to any steering input and theres also the :D look you get on your face aswell. Go out and buy them and make your IS/Altezza even more fun and safer then it is already! I'll shut up now! GALLA_4

Think I'm gonna do the same Gerhard! It was the cause of the break in the weld so if its not entirely necessary its coming off. I could drill the holes bigger but I'm lazy :D Heres a pic of the weld break:

Should I be able to get this welded in situ guys? If I take off the induction pipe and one of the supercharger pipes you can get access to the fracture. Second question: Take the brace off or leave it on?

OPTION 1 for me!

It only seems to happen when the engine has been running for a while like if you go for a drive for about 5 mins and then stop at lights you can hear it whn you lightly rev the engine. It doesn't do it when the engine is cold. I was just out with the car there a sec ago and slapped the unit with the palm of my hand and it doesn't do the squeek like earlier on when it was warm.

Did yours make the same kinda squeeky rattle? Like what prompted you to inspect it initally?

If its the cradle am I covered by warrenty with TTE Surely if it was snapped wouldn't it rattle like crazy say like when I floor it?

For a few days I have been driving around and notice a squeeky little sound coming from what sounds ike behind the top console. It happenes when the car is warmed up a bit and when you rev the engine to about 2000rpm. When your driving normally you cant hear it. Only when like pulling away at traffic lights in the low down gears. I turned off the engine and if you pat the top of the Supercharger I am able to replicate the noise. Its like a tiny little rattle at low revs. Could this be the cradle?

I am with you on this one Am!!

I think that looks quiet neat actually! You dont drive around with your bonnet up so..

Tactics

He just looks stupid

Should have gone to Specsavers mate! and they might throw in them reactive lense sunglasses aswell! Tried to brush out flash reflection with ms paint LOL The camera flash was reflecting off the car like a right proper mutherfocker. Its from all the wax and the ******* camera at work with the flash u cant turn off, didn't help matters either. I will get better ones when I find the charger for my Olympus digital camera. I wanted to get non foggy pics for Bernard to take a look at. The 2 piccies above have been left free from my expert ms paint camera flash reflection removal :P

Here you go mate lol Pictures without the fog and frost! :P