ajones1722

Anyone got any top tips on dashboard sqeaks and rattles? seems to be coming from the centre console area? Also, interior sunroof cover squeaks when fully closed but if I have open about 2 inches it ok

love my 1998 gs300 to bits but looked around the new one at Lexus Nottingham and.....phwor! its stunning! got back in mine and it seemed really dated! haven't driven one.....daren't

Hi,

my 1998 GS300 has really grungy looking chrome tail-pipes. They look way past the point where a chrome cleaner would help. I wanted to get some new ones but my local National Tyres garage had a look whilst it was in getting a couple of new tyres and said the chrome bits were welded on and that I would have to replace the whole back box

Anybody replaced theirs? any other ideas?

thanks

I blew the main 120a fuse on a gs300 by jump starting backwards.  Replaced the fuse and several others which blew.  The immobiliser is now not reponding to the key, nor is the boot lid.  The engine turns but will not start.

Any ideas short of calling the dealer?

Thanks for any help you can give.

Ronaldo.

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when i recently disconnected the Battery to reset the ECU's the Lexus garage said after you reconnect the Battery put the key in the ignition , turn it so all the lights come on and then leave it for 6 minutes while the transponder in the key resets all the immobilser etc. worked for me, might be worth you triying?

Hi

I've just looked at a very nice LS400 Series iv '98.  S reg with 75k on the clock  and full lexus service history.          The drive went well...bit softer ( incl seats !) than I'm used to ...power was nice and all the buttons etc seem to work.  price £9,800.        But I hesitated as there were a few chips on the paintwork and it looks like there was a bit of an effort to touch an inch long one up on the leading edge of the bonnet.    The other issue were the alloys........bit tatty and as such let it down a bit.    I suspect it would cost a few bob to have them refurbed? 

Just after some advice or am i bing too picky?

Cheers

Sporran

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could have my T plater from ADG sevenoaks for 9.6k . It sold today to a well-pleased member!

anybody seen the chrome conversion kits for GS300 grilles on eBay? I fancy the idea of chroming the grille but wondered if these kits were a bit naff?

don't do it, it is not good for the transmission.

Also doing it on a manual uses more fuel than if you leave it in gear.

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wo! all those years I thought I was saving petrol and and engine wear

being new to auto boxes I was wondering are there any dangers to knocking into neutral and free-wheeling up to traffic lights etc?

I did this alot in my manual cars ao thought I try it me GS300 aover the weekend. All seemed OK. O know there's the argument about not being incontrol of the cars whilst its in neutral but was wondering if there are any detrimental effects on an auto box itself of such action?

when you pull away slowly what rpm does the engine sit at?

Also when stopped hold the brake pedal down hard and try to accelerate, at what rpm does the car pull away? (Don't do this for more that 5 seconds as it will overheat the transmission)

Stall speed on the GS300 is around 2700 rpm.

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sorry, bit confused with that one? are you saying with the break pedal down hard the car should pull away or stall?

sorry , that should ahve read "...car NOT picking up very fast......"

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Did you reset the ECU like I said mate?

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Yes, did that. Also had the transmission fluid changed on friday. No dofference

so let me get this straight

When you pull away and floor the acceleerator the car takes a while to change gear... screams first gear??

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Not flooring no, when I pull away 'normally' as it were. It moves when I floor it but that aint really my driving style. Took it Lexus Nottingham and one of their technicians took it out to test it and he just floored it too. Maybe its me? I'm just not used to flooring cars. I thought even with lightish acceleration the car would surge away nicely but, to repeat myself it seems rev unusually high with a corresponding feeling of torque.? I'll really do beed to drive another to 'lay the ghost'

could you add the pic and a link to your previous post mate

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soz...

link to previous post

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...showtopic=20314

link to photos

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind..._album&album=51

You've probably read my previous post on my GS300 whereby I thought there was slippage on the gear box ie engine revving highly but car pickiing up very fast.

The favour I ask is this.....is there anyone in the Nottingham area who has a GS300 who  I could compare notes with?

I had the car serviced a few days ago including transmission oil as somebody said that the oil could be knackered but it hasn't made any difference. I need to drive another one to convince me that this is just the way they drive. I'm not cheeky enough to find one for sale and go test drive it  !

Here's some pictures I took today after its sunday bath!

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sorry , that should ahve read "...car NOT picking up very fast......"

and the photo's didn't attach , DOH!

You've probably read my previous post on my GS300 whereby I thought there was slippage on the gear box ie engine revving highly but car pickiing up very fast.

The favour I ask is this.....is there anyone in the Nottingham area who has a GS300 who I could compare notes with?

I had the car serviced a few days ago including transmission oil as somebody said that the oil could be knackered but it hasn't made any difference. I need to drive another one to convince me that this is just the way they drive. I'm not cheeky enough to find one for sale and go test drive it !

Here's some pictures I took today after its sunday bath!

My 1998 GS300 has quite alot of condensation inside the glass of the front light clusters. any advice on clearing this?

what you you trying to achieve? Better looks or better light on the road?

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being honest...looks

Have a look at PIAA Xtreme white bulbs - www.piaa.co.uk

They're the cloest to HID that I've seen

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Thanks for the link.

They're about 65 quid a pair compared with 23 quid for the phillips ones.....worth it anyone?

My change from 400 to 300 is well documented now.

One of the differences is that the light from the headlamps is awfully yellow compared wit the LS400 HID's.

Can I swap-out the bulbs for whiter light bulbs (Phillips Blue Vision)? are they any good? can they be straight swapped? Any other recommendations?

Have you had a chance to take any photos of your new 300 yet?

Let us know how your adjusting from a 400 to a 300.

Cheers chips.

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No photos yet sorry! Got it on Sunday and its dark when I go work and dark when I get home so, this weekend for deffo.

In the meantime, observations........

The GS300 has been very disappointing in terms of torque. I know Ive come down from 280bhp 4 litres but I still thought a 3 litre straight 6 would be quick. It seems rev highly but the pull doesn't seem comensurate with engine revs. The best way I can describe it is like a slipping clutch on a manual box. It's the first 300 Ive driven so I can't be sure that its just the way they drive. Reading the forums I have suspected a knackered Torque Converter so I took it to lexus nottingham and to their credit they took it out on the road there and then but the mechanic seemed to thinkit was ok. when we got back he dipped the tranmission oil and he said it looked ok, maybe slightly discoloured but he said he'd seen alot worse. When I got home tonight , even though its 'F' cold and snowing I did that disconnect the Battery thing to reset the ECU's and the gearbox 'learnt' memory. Took it for a brief test drive in a blizzard and it didn't seem all that different. I'm not sure I left the Battery disconnected long enough (about 10 mins) as when I reconnected it all the radio stations were still tuned in, although the steering wheel position had been erased.

Its going in for a 'B' service on friday and also having the transmission oil flushed/changed so we'll see how things are after that,

On the plus side I feel the car handles very well despite other recent negative threads about the 300's handling. The 400 I had even with the dynamic handling pack was a bit scary round corners , it is a huge car though!

The fuel economy has been interesting too. So far I'm finding the 300 more thirsty than the 400 ! I've mentioned this previously but I drove from Nottingham to Sevenoaks in the 400 at 70mph on cruise and returned 31.5 overall. Same jouney back in the 300, again 70mph on cruise returned only 28 (this assumes that the computers on the 2 cars are accurate?). Looking at the official figures the 300 is only supposed to be marginally better than the 400 anyway, a great testament to the V8 lump.

The 400 is superbly quiet and smooth and no doubt I will return to one in years to come. The 300 styling is more 'me' really. Before I bought the 400 a friend said that it would age me. I guess he was right. That may sound 'shallow' to some?

Is the fluid level ok? It is very very rare for a transmission problem on a GS. If you pull the dipstick what colour is the fluid and does it smell burnt? It should be a bright red colour.

Noise could be from the diff. Also worth checking the oil level in that.

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I'll check it tonight thanks.

If it needs flushing/replacing any idea how much and did you say only use Toyota oil?

I would try changing the transmission fluid first before thinking of changing the TC.

Make sure you only use Toyota T-IV fluid.

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Would 'knackered' transmission oil cause the gear box to sound noisy too? I ask this because I mentioned in a previous thread that, having just got the car, its alot noiser eccelerating than I thought it would be. When I rev the engine in 'P' it sounds quite smooth so I 'm wondering whether the noise is coming from the gearbox?

I had the Battery Changed on my car, then the Key wouldnt work and i was stuck in halfords car park with the imobiliser light flashing at me.

but after a quick call to Lexus I got the car to accept the key again and I was off again :)

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Am I right in thinking that its not necessary to disconnect the batttery on a GS300 to reset the ECU's ? I'm sure there a 'tutorial' in the knowlege base that says just remove the 2 large fuses for 30 seconds and then replace em?

Try resetting the ECU by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes.  Take care if you have a security code in your rdaio.

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cheers. How will I know if the radio is coded? As I recall its something you can do from the touch screen menu but how would I know if the previous owner(s) set one up?

Being new to auto boxes can someone enlighten me as to why a torque converter would need to be changed on a GS300 with about 90k on clock? The reason I ask is that just having acquired a 300 i find it struggles to accelerate from a standing start. The engine seems to rev happily but I don't feel that the power is being transferred to the drive as it should. (I got burned-off by a pug 206 this morning ) If the Torque Converter was 'worn' (sorry if that the wrong term) would it be like a worn clutch on a manual box?

In my search for 300's last week one I looked at was a 2001 model and the garage proudly anounced that it had just had its Torque coverter replaced under the Lexus warranty. The car has 83000 on the clock?

If not the Torque converter would there be any other reason for the car being reluctant to accelerate?

The Aristo's a GS300 import? right? 

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Believe so, there's also the Aristo Vertex V300 which is the 3 litre twin turbo version :)

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I think there's on of those on Autotrader just now......but I'm 48 , no boy-racer