What did you do to your Lexus today.

[Guest]

I purchased this from the good good ol USA, the chrome strip for the front bumper. The car came with a few knocks and dings but overall brilliant finish and condition of the paint work. I have a great smart repairer that has sorted all the issues out but this is the last remaining one. The car has only 80000 on the clock from new and was used by its older driver to drive from his North East base to his holiday villa in Spain. So that is how it amasssed its mileage (way below average) but quality use if you like. However he must have lost a smigeon of periveral vision and I have had to sort some of the minor scrapes and dings out.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1998-2000-Lexus-LS400-Front-Bumper-Chrome-Molding-5271150030-LX1044105/293003031903?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

This is the last piece in the jigsaw as this nudge broke the front N/S fog lights (Sourced seconhand) and damaged last cm or so of the chrome strip which is minor but I like the car to look its best.

 

Cheers.

[matk]

Car not coming to temp, not too bad a job and easy to understand why when I got the thermostat out.

[PCM]

14 hours ago, matk said:

Car not coming to temp, not too bad a job and easy to understand why when I got the thermostat out.

Yikes! 

[Razor61]

Today I decided to have a look at the boot seal, removed the seal, removed the trim below the rear screen, removed the 2 x covers on the corners of the boot, cleaned everything, removed all the gunk/adhesive that was used to fix the trim and boot seal, painted the areas where the gunk/adhesive had taken the paint off, cleaned the trim, attached the retaining clips properly then put everything back. I don't think it will solve the leaking seal but I have a plan to stop the water pooling in the corner in the first place. That will be a job for spring/summer next year though.

Before and after photos.

 

[Malc]

blimey, your spare wheel looks pristine !

Malc

[Razor61]

45 minutes ago, Malc said:

blimey, your spare wheel looks pristine !

Cheers, it looks pristine in the photo but it’s not quite pristine, yet............. I did fettle the other 4 wheels that are on the car and they are pristine in real life. They had been refurbished and looked really good but when you looked close they needed doing. I spent an hour on each wheel with Farecla G3 and a lot of elbow grease then put some protection on but didn’t do the spare - it was hard work and I’d had enough after doing 4 wheels.

[Vlady]

Had a 1st proper ride today after wheel alignment was done on Friday and new tyres (good year 4season vector gen 2) fitted, this is such a difference! I knew new tyres should be quite but not that quite, even compared to summer tyres new ones are much much quieter, I made a good choice!

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Vlady said:

Had a 1st proper ride today after wheel alignment was done on Friday and new tyres (good year 4season vector gen 2) fitted, this is such a difference! I knew new tyres should be quite but not that quite, even compared to summer tyres new ones are much much quieter, I made a good choice!

A happy Lexus driver is a really happy man.

Good news Vlad.

[J Henderson]

Had to replace a fuse on my car after I blew out the one for the passenger side window this morning, which left the window in a partially open state and unable to move.

Lesson learnt - bad things can happen when you try and open windows that are frozen shut... ❄️❄️

[Razor61]

Yesterday removed rear drop links, ARB and brackets, removed rust, rust treated and painted ready to re fit today. As usual on my car the drop links were rusted on so easier to cut them off with a grinder. After struggling to get the grinder in to cut through the bolts I had a break, cup of coffee and had a think about the problem. This is what I came up with but only applies if you are replacing the drop links.

Apart from the usual stuff of jacking up the car and taking wheels off etc, cut through the middle of the existing drop links to separate the arb from the suspension arms. This leaves the ball joint ends still connected. Remove arb brackets and remove arb from the car. The arb can now be worked on better to remove the stubborn nuts/bolts. This left the remaining ball joint attached to the suspension arm. I decided it was too much of a risk to try using the grinder with the caliper attached due to the flexible hose being so close. So, remove caliper slider bolts, pull caliper away from the disc put out of harms way, I rested it on the exhaust pipe. This now gives plenty of room to use the grinder or whatever method you choose. Refitted the calipers and torqued up ready for refitting everything.

[Malc]

1 hour ago, Razor61 said:

I had a break, cup of coffee

double shot with good caffeine must have helped too !

Malc

[olliesgrandad]

Traded it in for another Lexus 

[Razor61]

2 hours ago, Malc said:

double shot with good caffeine must have helped too !

Malc

Oh yes, I was struggling and taking some time out to think helps a lot. Put everything back this morning, started at 8am and was all finished by 9am including tidying up and tools put away. It’s a hell of a lot easier to put things back on than taking them off!! I was then all set to wash the car and clay bar then buff the roof area.

A strange/worrying thing happened when I started the car to take it for a run later after washing it etc. It didn’t start as smooth as normal, when it started it was struggling. It spluttered then was ok but there was a knocking noise very similar to the big ends knocking...........so stopped it then started it again. This time it started as normal, opened the bonnet to have a look and listen. There was still a knocking noise but it sounded more ‘tappety’ from the rear of the engine. I started the car with the door open and stood outside which I haven’t done from cold before so maybe I just haven’t heard it before. I am concerned about it though so will ask Lexus about it tomorrow when it’s in for the cambelt etc. I took it for a short run to dry off the brakes and see if the work I’ve done this weekend has made a difference. I think it has made a difference and doesn’t seem as loose/wallowy at the rear.

 

[PCM]

Checked my tyre pressures today.

All a tad low.

Pumped them up.

Earned my afternoon watching Darts on TV.

[Razor61]

Roof clay barred, power buffed with 3 stage cutting/buffing compounds then coated with Gtechniq C2 (stuff I had left over from the BMW M140i days). I didn’t spend a lot of time doing this and plan on doing one area at a time after washing but the result is pretty good I think considering the time spent. By the way the lines in the pictures are reflections from overhead cables not scratches....

 

[Malc]

3 hours ago, Razor61 said:

There was still a knocking noise but it sounded more ‘tappety’ from the rear of the engine

once or twice I too have experienced this phenomenon but it's never lasted

thinking it's after I've just started the car from cold, then moved her a few yards then parked-up,  and re-started her again the next day when the " noise " momentarily appears 

very infrequently though and she runs well all the other times 

maybe it's a little old fashioned " pinking "  ??

Malc

[Guest]

This is a big old lump of an engine, even small engined cars at this time of year in the cold sound a bit tapperty sometimes on start up, the Lexus is no different. The oil will be thicker and if you have not run it for a few days takes a bit of time to reach the parts it should reach. Easy on a warm day as everything is nearer running temp to start with, than a cold winter day. My LS 400 has done under 3000 miles this year but it will be having new oil and filter regardless.

[Razor61]

Regarding the knocking and tappety sound I experienced this morning, thanks Malc and Wisemonkey for your comments. I’m a baby when it comes to owning and running an LS400 but I’m not green when it comes to engine noises ( or what I think is engine noise) outside temps, engine oil etc and it didn’t sound good at all when it started. It sounded more like a diesel than a petrol car to be honest. Today was pretty mild and over the last week or so the temp has been -2, the car started perfectly and didn’t sound like today. The car has run perfect engine wise since I bought it which is why I was so surprised and concerned today. Also the car was off the road for 2 weeks recently while I did work on the front suspension and it started spot on after. When I buy a car, normally the first thing I do is new oil and filter, this time I didn’t. I’ll see if Lexus can fit in an oil and filter change along with the other work tomorrow. I suppose time will tell if it’s an intermittent ‘feature’ of the car...........or something else.

[Chris JJ]

On 10/24/2019 at 1:48 PM, Razor61 said:

Well, my Dad was very impressed with how smooth and quiet the LS400 is. He had a good drive in it, loved the drive and the build quality. At the moment my Dad drives a 2005 C230K saloon which has seen better days to be honest, I drove it to Liverpool and back last weekend (100 mile round trip), it's difficult/not fair to compare but I'd rather drive the LS400 any day and don't care if it uses more fuel.

Regarding the LS400, it was at the main dealers on Saturday morning for a 'health/safety' check and the result is below. After the check I sat down with the service manager and went through everything they found, they love getting a LS400 in and we spent some time discussing all about them. The service manager has worked for Toyota/Lexus for a long long time and is very passionate and knowledgeable about the LS400. All the people were great and nothing was too much trouble.

The results:

Underneath is very good (after the work I did removing rust and treating etc), timing belt needs replacing as it's 10 years since the last one (according to an old receipt) and maybe a thermostat plus water pump depending on what they find doing the belt, front strut bushes are split, missing front brake backing plate (I didn't notice this but I was concentrating on other things), front brake discs and pads needed (I knew this and have these ready to fit), brake fluid needs replacing, needs an alignment, rear discs are good but pads need replacing really. I'll be fitting poly front strut bushes @ £38 for the pair and see how it goes, if they turn out to affect the ride etc too much I'll have to bite the bullet and pay for 2 x new arms but for £38 it's worth a go I think. I've read that the Toyota Century front strut bushes ( part# 48674-40051 ) fit the LS400 but I don't know if that is correct. If I could get them from Lexus UK at a reasonable price then I may try them so will need to give them a call. Oil level slightly low so they topped it up.

The car is going into Lexus Bolton in a few weeks for them to do the following:

Timing belt plus thermostat and water pump if needed, new front brake backing plate (there is a way to do this without removing the bearing etc apparently), new rear pads while they are at it, full alignment and brake fluid replacement. Before it goes in I'll be doing the front discs/pads, drop links front and rear, anti roll bar bushes front and rear, front strut bushes (drop links and anti roll bar bushes will be done if they arrive in time). I will be doing the capacitors in the ECU soon as well.

Sorry this isn't exactly 'what I've done today' but more like what I will be doing or having done.......

How did you get on with the repairs?

[Chris JJ]

On 11/24/2019 at 3:45 PM, Malc said:

once or twice I too have experienced this phenomenon but it's never lasted

thinking it's after I've just started the car from cold, then moved her a few yards then parked-up,  and re-started her again the next day when the " noise " momentarily appears 

very infrequently though and she runs well all the other times 

maybe it's a little old fashioned " pinking "  ??

Malc

Long time ago I had a Nissan 200SX with the 1.8 Turbo that had a similar issue, it was down to the oil viscosity even on two brands the same 5- 40 it had it with one but not the other and only started after I changed the oil, I suspect that some oils hold better in the valves stems than others. I changed the oil a few times to find a brand that stopped it I think to semi synthetic rather than full synthetic as well. scares you doesn't it when you hear  anew noise then i think we sensitive to it and hear it worse even when others can't? Either that or it washed something out by changing the oil. My m8 had Supra and his had a similar issue when he changed the oil not using a genuine Toyota Filter. Dealer told him was a common issue he changed the filter and it stopped!

[Chris JJ]

On 11/2/2019 at 6:58 PM, B4NDIT said:

Changed the cam belt kit and water pump

Nothing complicated then LOL! Well Done!

[Chris JJ]

On 10/24/2019 at 8:13 PM, Razor61 said:

Lexus said the brake fluid failed the ‘brake fluid test’ and I intended to change it anyway as the brakes didn’t feel right but still stopped ok. I did suspect the the master cylinder as pumping the brake pedal didn’t ‘harden’ it as I expected when there is air and/or water in the fluid and the pedal still went down but will see when the fluid is changed if it improves.

The brake fluid mineral is hydroscopic so attracts moisture better to change, if its clear looks like no seal damage which is quiet amazing over 20 years!

Well done for having a go yourself!

[Razor61]

10 hours ago, Chris JJ said:

How did you get on with the repairs?

Long story but I’ve done the front strut bushes, arb bushes and drop links front and rear, front discs and pads plus a lot of cleaning, rust removal and painting. The car went into Lexus yesterday for cambelt, water pump, thermostat, brake fluid change, alignment, rear pads, oil and filter, cabin filter, air filter, os front disc plate, front pad wear sensor ( not cheap ) and to have a look at one of the rear hub bushes. It’s still at Lexus, few parts needed to be ordered. For example, new O rings for the water pump because sealant had been used in the past. Probably get it back today and then see if I can recover from the cost of it all without having a heart attack😀

I could have done it all myself, apart from the alignment, given enough time but the work at Lexus started out with cambelt/water pump which needed doing straightaway. I got carried away a bit and thought I’d just get it all done.

[Chris JJ]

Sometimes better to get stuff done. Plus unless you have a decent size workshop/garage not the best time of year to complete large complicated jobs. Good you have changed the water pump whilst doing the belt and have the proper seals.

Ive done a couple of bits on ours but nothing too big as can’t get a car in my garage at the moment and it’s chilly.

[Razor61]

11 hours ago, Chris JJ said:

Sometimes better to get stuff done. Plus unless you have a decent size workshop/garage not the best time of year to complete large complicated jobs. Good you have changed the water pump whilst doing the belt and have the proper seals.

Ive done a couple of bits on ours but nothing too big as can’t get a car in my garage at the moment and it’s chilly.

Yep, I’d done a lot of work myself already so getting all the cambelt, water pump etc etc done by Lexus gives me peace of mind and it should be good for another 10 years. I really really wanted to do it myself, maybe next time. By that time though I’ll be retired so will have plenty of time at least😀

Now for the list of stuff done by Lexus Bolton and I have to say they have been great. Yes I have paid a tidy sum but I think they have done me a good deal for all the work done and it was well worth doing. For the work I’d done before I reckon I’ve spent around £500 in parts: strut/camber arm bushes, front discs, front pads, drop links front and rear, arb bushes front and rear. I estimate that work would have cost at least £1000 and probably more.

The list......

wheel alignment, rear pads, front pad wear sensor, new osf disc backplate fitted (without removing the wheel bearing), timing belt, water pump, water pump O rings, thermostat, aircon service, brake fluid replaced, engine oil and filter done, air filter done, pollen filter done, disc retaining screws replaced front and rear, sorted rattling exhaust bracket. And that’s it I think. It drove fine before but having the alignment done has made it drive better. Not massively, because it had been improved beyond all recognition by the work I’ve done over the last few weeks, but just the ‘icing on the cake’ difference. If you know what I mean. I had a CT200H as a courtesy car the last 2 days and it’s a very nice car but getting back in the LS400 makes you appreciate just how good they are.