Paying for Sky Subscription, want to reduce bill by 50%? READ ME

by Saraj, 28-12-2017, 04:47 PM

Are you sick and tired of paying the high fees to watch some simple TV?

35 quid for the sports package seems a rip off?

But want to keep it as you use the Sky+ feature alot?

Well just ring Sky up go through to the cancellation option (possibly retentions department) and say you want to cancel, and say you cant "afford" it anymore.

And its only a temp thing for maybe 4-5 months.

They probally turn around and offer you the same services at 50%, yes 50% !

I did it today, to cancel my subscription and managed to get my 4 package from £21 to £10.50.

And I did not have to push for it, all I said I want to temp cancel my package !

Go on try it !

Welcome T44SEF

by Andy-R., 28-12-2017, 03:10 PM

Welcome to the club:biggrin: how'd you hear about us? what do you drive?:biggrin:

ordered my new wheels

by jay_russell, 28-12-2017, 01:52 PM

here is a picture of the new wheels i ordered
20"

mardi gras

by TM, 28-12-2017, 09:18 AM

:biggrin:roll on Friday,the rev is off to Mardi gras:biggrin: and can't wait:biggrin::drink:i going over to show them a step or 2:Bazza::laugh:

LS400 Illuminated Switches

by kenmac, 27-12-2017, 06:55 PM

Does anyone know if you can replace the bulbs in the electric window switches as mine are really dull, and also the rear fog light switch is this illuminated as mine works fine but the headlight adjuster is lit up but not the fog light switch.

New arrival.

by hostagekilla, 27-12-2017, 06:47 PM

Hey everyone.
I'm Dave from Huddersfield west Yorkshire.
Just thought I'd say hi. I drive a 98 uk subaru impreza turbo 2000 wagon. Engine wise it's pretty much standard apart from the straight through exhaust and BEE*R rev limiter ; )
Catch y'all later.
Dave.

Modifying The Autoleads Facia For Is200 & Is300, Walkthru with Pics by DJ Wozza..

by Bandit, 27-12-2017, 05:18 PM

Usual workshop disclaimers apply. Please do not attempt this or any other Modification unless you feel completely confident you can complete
the task without damaging yourself, other people, or more importantly your Lexus !!! Go careful & take your time, & use glues, sprays filler etc
in well ventilated areas, and away from anything your wife/girlfirend would be upset if damaged/split on. Before we start, thanks going out to
Steviewevie for the Double DIN pictures, and to Keith for the Single DIN ones as I neglected to take any when I actually cam up with this mod (ooops)

As many of you are aware, the IS200/IS300 has a pretty good sound system as standard in the SE/Sport versions.
It does have a bad habit however of the dreadded ERR3 CD Changer fault CD Changer fault occuring just
outside the Warranty period.

So alas many of us have decided to not pay the huge cost of OE Lexus replacement of the Head Unit, and gone
for other options regarding CD Palyers, DVD Players, Screens etc. IF you are doing this mod, you will probably want to know
how to install a bypass cable, so click the link for more info Lexus IS200 Amp Bypass Cable fitting with pic's

There are however very few options for the IS200/300 with regards to replacement Facias to hold CD/DVD players in.
Some are pictured below.

Firstly the Aftermarket
The Autoleads Facia FP-25-00 (fitted with a fold out Kenwood DVD Player)


This normally costs about £15 or so from Ebay and is suitable for Single or Double DIN Head Units

Secondly the official Toyota Part No 55413-53010
The Toyota Double Din Blanking Plate

Cost is approx £45 from Lexus Dealers
The problem with that Toyota panel is that you lose the heated seat buttons (unless you modify it of course).
You also have to cut out a suitable hole for the head unit (either Single or Double DIN).

The problem I had was that I wanted something that looked like it came from the factory,
and in their original form, neither of these Facias fitted the bill. So a bit of modifying was in order.

I bought the Autoleads Facia and this is what you get in the kit


As stated above this can be assembled in Single OR Double DIN form depending on your requirements.
For me Single DIN was required for my new Head unit, so was fitted with the small cubbyhole beneath the H.U.

Please note the same method below can be used for modifying the Facia for Double DIN Head Units equally well

I bought some Self Adhesive Felt to line the cubbyhole box.



I also purchased from Halfords a Spray can of Plastic Primer (Grey), a Spray can of Satin Black,
a small tube of fine texture Bodyfiller(P38) and some various graded sheets of Wet & Dry Paper.
Plus a small tube of Super Glue

Here you see the cubbyhole/pocket in place in the outer frame.



At this stage you can decide whether or not to use the Autoleads supplied Head Unit Trim, or the one that came
with your H.U. You may not want to decide for definate now, but to keep your options open, sand, paint etc the
supplied trim or Head Unit trim depending on your opinion,so later you have the option of which to use.

Then I glued the cubbyhole/pocket into place in the frame and filled the front joins with suitable filler.


Then once dry I sanded with course grade Wet & Dry until the whole front was smooth


Then a coat of Grey Plastic Primer was applied and allowed to dry


Whilst the Facia was drying, the cubbyhole/pocket was lined with the Self Adhesive Felt


Once the Facia has dried, examine it closely for finish, as it might become apparent some surface
imperfections. If so Fill and repeat task of sanding and reprimer.

Once you are happy with this stage, you can assemble the rest of the kit, and test fit your Head unit


Remember above you have 2 trims to fit the Head Unit. Decide now which to use and wether you are repainting
the one that came with your head unit or not. Spray in light coast the Satin Black and give at least 1 hour
between coats in a warm room. At this stage you may need to use some very fine grade Wet & Dry to
remove any Spray imperfections. I would suggest leaving the paint to harden for a few days in between
coats of paint or Wet & Dry. Patience here will provide much better results. Don't stop until you are
happy you have the desired results



Once happy with the finish, reassemble the complete kit ready for fitment.
If needed I have detailed pics for dash/CD Player removal to help you.
PM me your email address, or alternatively I will do another walkthru.

You may be using external amps, or the new Head unit to power your Speakers. If using the
Standard Speaker Set-Up with the new Head Unit, you will need the Amp By-Pass Lead from E-bay.
This fits inline from the output lead from the Amp to the Speakers to the back of the Head unit Din Plug.
( & in so doing By-Passes the Stock amp, hence the name)



The cost of this lead is about £35 from a couple of sellers on E-Bay.
I can't help with any more information about this lead, as all my Speakers were replaced with new ones.

So now you should gone from removal of your Original Lexus Head Unit



to an empty space in your dash


to now having your freshly modified Facia in place along with you replacement Head Unit


Big thanks to Steviewevie who followed this method to make his own Double DIN Facia from the same Autoleads Kit
The two front bits of the fascia for double-DIN look like this when clipped together:


You need to carefully cut off the bar that goes across the middle of the inner piece, for double-DIN, and sand down the surrounding edge so
that it's nice and smooth


Now you need to sand down and paint the fascia, as per instructions earlier, until you end up with a finish that you're happy with.
Make sure you sand down and paint the inside edges, in case your head unit ends up being slightly recessed.
Here's a close-up showing the difference between the original texture of the plastic fascia (left) and the result after modification (right) :


Here's the new head unit installed in the assembled double-DIN fascia


and a close up against the lexus Dash


Have fun, you can do it !!!!

Thieving lying government

by rig-pig, 27-12-2017, 03:38 PM

Thieving lying government

This should be passed to as many people as possible! ...

When VAT was temporarily reduced to 15%, the Chancellor added 2% duty to fuel to offset the reduction in tax collected from motorists. Now that VAT has been increased to 17.5% again this hidden tax has not been removed - hence recent rises in your fuel costs. Sign the petition at the link below to have this stealth tax removed!


http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/DutyReduction/

Please pass this on to your friends - the more the merrier. Happy motoring!

Welcome M44TXY.

by Bandit, 27-12-2017, 12:51 PM

Hello and welcome to the Outlaw's mate, :thumbup:

Quick!

by Dark Samurai, 26-12-2017, 07:50 PM

Guys atm i have an advent roma 2000, but have offered my laptop for a mac mini.
I love macs, and i really offered him for my laptop and he accepted, just wondering if this is right as it is OS X and it is apple and i have had many apple products in the years. And i know what they are like.
Also they are expensive compared to my laptop so it shows the difference quality.
Thanks
I swapping tonight thats why its named Quick!