Cheap LS460, the fun starts...

[Malc]

shame you can't discover some of the history of your new car !

Malc

[Spacewagon52]

8 hours ago, Haylands said:

Last one was daughters Colt, the letters are just too big on a black car... (her's is a CZ2 and had a big "1.3" badge the other side as well, don't have a before pic..)

We think it looks much better after...

 

Actuall;y I agree! That does look better! You have still kept the Diamonds. I am against complete de-badging. That does look better IMHO.

[Haylands]

4 hours ago, Malc said:

shame you can't discover some of the history of your new car !

Malc

Malc,

Can't say I'm that bothered, what's happened in the past doesn't affect what I do to it, knowing what's been done doesn't make it any better, I know a lot of people are scared and want a full dealer service history but after finding out you can ask for a cheap oil service every time and they will stamp up the book as serviced and the fact that it doesn't matter what they find wrong with the car you still don't have to get any of it fixed to get a stamp in the book.... It makes a total mockery of the system... if they stated exactly what was done and list faults reported in the service book and whether they were fixed, that would be some worth...

I always over service my cars and do a lot of preventative maintenance so, in a short space of time it will be in top condition...

It drives just as it should apart from the front suspension....

If it had a FSH then it would stop from now on as I won't trust any of my vehicles to anyone else to service or repair, been around and in the trade too long to know what they get up to and I have to say some main dealers are the worst crooks out there... 

[Malc]

I wasn't thinking about any of that usual stuff at all, and i concur totally with you ............ just thinking that if it had flood damage or whatever you would never know ! or if it had suffered some sort of Irish write-off scenario that wasn't reflected anywhere .....  but you're probably absolutely fine ....  I just have a sometimes over enquiring mind.

Malc

[Haylands]

Oh, right, I see what you mean Malc, it has original front wings, doors and boot, it still has the hologram sticker on them and the boot floor looks very original... no surface rust on the bottom of the steering column which is a sign of being flooded, see bottom right, that is unprotected mild steel...

Popped in this morning to see how they are getting on, roof and bonnet resprayed and they were flatting and polishing it, they are going to double bake it so it will get stuck back in the oven tonight, baked for 30mins then left to cool overnight, then another flat and polish in the morning, this is to get a good finish and check for sinkage. It should be ready for pick up mid morning...

I just get them to flat and polish it, I will finish the hand polishing at home as I like doing it and it keeps the cost down....

I have booked a ramp next Tuesday at my mates garage to do the suspension and brakes, the suspension bits are here, just waiting on the EBC brakes...

Getting there...

[Spacewagon52]

Getting there quickly! Well done.

[madasahatter]

5 minutes ago, Haylands said:

Oh, right, I see what you mean Malc, it has original front wings, doors and boot, it still has the hologram sticker on them and the boot floor looks very original... no surface rust on the bottom of the steering column which is a sign of being flooded, see bottom right, that is unprotected mild steel...

Popped in this morning to see how they are getting on, roof and bonnet resprayed and they were flatting and polishing it, they are going to double bake it so it will get stuck back in the oven tonight, baked for 30mins then left to cool overnight, then another flat and polish in the morning, this is to get a good finish and check for sinkage. It should be ready for pick up mid morning...

I just get them to flat and polish it, I will finish the hand polishing at home as I like doing it and it keeps the cost down....

I have booked a ramp next Tuesday at my mates garage to do the suspension and brakes, the suspension bits are here, just waiting on the EBC brakes...

Getting there...

A good garage by the sounds of it. They do not mess around do they, also hats off to you for sorting the jobs out asap. She will be a stunner that is for sure.

What suspension have you bought is it coil overs.

[Haylands]

Thanks David,

Keith,

It's air suspension.. front end is a bit floppy..!!! one ball joint split and worn, bushes getting soft, so I decided to replace the lot, eight suspension arms and two balljoints

These...

two of these

These four

And two of these...

 

 

[JIM PIKE]

Hi Peter

It's looking really great, you don't waste any time do you.

Only thing spoiling it....................................It;s not MINE

[Chris Skelton]

Talking about Paint reminds me of the tales about Lexus painters. Apparently (LS 400 days) they were required to be up-trained every few months. There was a man with 3 sets of fingernails to check switches.......the paint shop was beyond SOTA......

[RgrWynne]

This is a really interesting blog. Thank you for sharing with us, but my god you don't hang around !!

Good luck , Roger

[Haylands]

Thanks guys, I want to get it sorted quickly so I'll have more time to enjoy it...

Just picked it up from the paint shop, it's had a full respray apart from the bootlid (original and near mint) and the front bumper (recently resprayed by someone else)

The colour match is good, it is covered in machine polishing swirls but I said I'd sort them out.. Too darn cold today to do it so I just washed it and used some Autoglym Aqua wax on it so at least it has some protection...

Final bill was £500 so we are still on target to get the whole car sorted for less than £7,500 which was my budget....

A few dodgy pics...

That rear arch is looking much better...

Tuesday will see the front suspension and brakes sorted....

 

[Scribe]

That sounds very cheap for a near-full respray plus repairs to the wheel arch.

[Haylands]

The North / South divide is alive and well, I'm a southerner who moved north 20 years ago and I am stunned at the prices for all manner of things up here...

I do get trade price from him as I send him a lot of business but it is still cheap by southern standards....

[messi]

What a brilliant thread. Ive been watching for sometime. I should have done one like this for my sc430. I bought it in October of last year with 180000 miles on it, the previous owner kept driving it to Austria and back as he liked skiing. It was full of scratches etc. All I got was a receipt from him from Halfords that the water pump and cambelt ( but because it was Halfords I dont think the work has been done). I didnt get no service history with it, got all the manuals but apart from service book, I checked at Lexus dealers and they dont have a record of it, So first thing I did a week later was change oil and filter, parts from Toyota, then ball joints etc, then got car the car fully resprayed, I paid slightly more than you did as I went for Porsche lapis Blue pearl colour, then last week gave it a full service, oil, oil filter, air filter and sparkplugs all from Toyota at trade price, and wheel alignment and thats it.

But ive always always wanted an Ls460 and maybe one day Ill have one. Just need to save up abit. But I love you ls460. Nice colour too.

[Haylands]

Cheers Qamar, if you do it yourself at least you know it's been done properly... Yours sounds nice, I do like the SC...

[messi]

Your right Peter, when you do it yourself, you know its been done.

Whats the Ls460 like to drive? Does it have the magic carpet ride? 

[Haylands]

I haven't driven it far, with the worn front ball joints and suspension arms it feels more like a tractor than a Lexus...!!!

You can tell there is a nice car in there trying to get out though...

[messi]

Well if you ever want to sell it, and want a deal my Sc, do let me know please

[Haylands]

On 1/22/2017 at 8:27 PM, jonthetourist said:

As a fellow 6'5" sunroof hater can I have first option on upgrading to your car when you get tired of it? You can name your price - no haggling.

 

42 minutes ago, messi said:

Well if you ever want to sell it, and want a deal my Sc, do let me know please

You'll upset Jon with talk like that...

 

[messi]

Just now, Haylands said:

You'll upset Jon with talk like that...

 

Oh sorry. I didnt see his post

[Carl911]

I drove a 460 about a year ago and the one thing that I really noticed from the one I drove was how much wind noise come from the wing mirrors. Maybe the car was so quiet this was the only apparent noise.

I have said it before but I found the gear changes being even slightly noticeable off putting haven got used to the cvt in my GS450.

i still have my eye on one if these when I change my gs450 but I would have to try the ls600.

ps-brilliant  thread and the car looks great.

[jonthetourist]

1 hour ago, Haylands said:

You'll upset Jon with talk like that...

 

You tell him! 

:)

I already think of this car as mine. I am laying it down like fine wine. You will get it up to your rather high spec, enjoy it for a couple of years, then have your eye caught by a potential project. Not sure what that might be after a 460, a CL, and was it a Rangie? But I have faith . . .

Meanwhile my lovely 430 takes away any urgency to change :)

Jon

 

PS Well done on all the work so far. Your first drive after the suspension renewal should be a real treat.

[Haylands]

7 minutes ago, jonthetourist said:

I already think of this car as mine.

In that case, get round here and clean it, it got filthy on these roads coming back from the paint shop....

[jonthetourist]

14 minutes ago, Haylands said:

In that case, get round here and clean it, it got filthy on these roads coming back from the paint shop....

No problem. You'll need to give me the keys . . .