Ls400 Questions

thatfatbloke · February 12, 2011

Hello everybody,I'm a newbie here so be gentle with me please!!. I'm due to pick up my recently acquired LS400 tomorrow. Yes it's an eBay one!!. Not yet seen it but by it's description it should be O.K. If it's not as described then I walk away. I must admit I'm getting quite excited about it after reading all the reviews etc. As a Lexus virgin there are a couple of questions I would like to ask. Firstly,she was registered in August 1995,does this make her a Series 2?. Does anyone know of a good independent garage in the Eastbourne area that would look after her?. Were all cars in the series the same spec. or were some goodies 'extra' so may not come as standard?. She is a high miler at 198,000 but apparently has full service history,with the cam belt being changed in 2008 at 160,000 and the last service at 191,500. What are the cam belt and service intervals for these cars as I keep getting conflicting information on the net?. Thanks.

floggit · February 12, 2011

Hi and welcome, your purchase sounds just like mine 3years ago, i bid on eBay went to work , got home. And found Id won a lexus lol.

Your car is technically a 2nd generation series 3 (95-97) but everyone just calls them a series 3.

They are all standard spec ,which is everything for that year lol..

Mine s on 190,000 now and running fine so you should have a sold reliable car with service history.

Steve

Ruud · February 12, 2011

Hi and welcome :)

Is it THIS one?

Timing belt change interval is always a point of discussion here too :)

UK handbook says 60k, but everywhere else in the world it's 90k or 6/7 years. I stick with the 90k.

steve2006 · February 12, 2011

Hello and welcome to the LOC It's always nice to get another LS owner on the forum.

The car you have/maybe buying is a 2nd generation LS400,these were produced from October 1994.

Full specifications are on the link below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_LS

Cam belts should be every 60,000 miles aand this should include tensioner,idlers and water pump. details should be on a sticker under the bonnet

Servicing schedules depend on the type of environment the car is driven in and are either A or B schedules,if you don't get the owners manual there are usually some on eBay cheap which will give you all the details.

If you get the car feel free to post up some pictures

thatfatbloke · February 12, 2011

Yes it is that one Ruud. How did you know that?. Do you know something I don't?.

steve2006 · February 12, 2011

Blimey 3 replies in 4 minutes! That's a very nice welcome! :D

It hasn't got a beaver on the bonnet has it?

Ruud · February 12, 2011

Yes it is that one Ruud. How did you know that?. Do you know something I don't?.

Maybe ;)

Nah, completed listings on eBay only showed 1 '95 with 198k miles :)

Bluser · February 12, 2011

Hello everybody,I'm a newbie here so be gentle with me please!!. I'm due to pick up my recently acquired LS400 tomorrow. Yes it's an ebay one!!. Not yet seen it but by it's description it should be O.K. If it's not as described then I walk away. I must admit I'm getting quite excited about it after reading all the reviews etc. As a Lexus virgin there are a couple of questions I would like to ask. Firstly,she was registered in August 1995,does this make her a Series 2?. Does anyone know of a good independent garage in the Eastbourne area that would look after her?. Were all cars in the series the same spec. or were some goodies 'extra' so may not come as standard?. She is a high miler at 198,000 but apparently has full service history,with the cam belt being changed in 2008 at 160,000 and the last service at 191,500. What are the cam belt and service intervals for these cars as I keep getting conflicting information on the net?. Thanks.

Welcome to paradise

Great car but those wheels

Mike

thatfatbloke · February 12, 2011

Hello everybody,I'm a newbie here so be gentle with me please!!. I'm due to pick up my recently acquired LS400 tomorrow. Yes it's an ebay one!!. Not yet seen it but by it's description it should be O.K. If it's not as described then I walk away. I must admit I'm getting quite excited about it after reading all the reviews etc. As a Lexus virgin there are a couple of questions I would like to ask. Firstly,she was registered in August 1995,does this make her a Series 2?. Does anyone know of a good independent garage in the Eastbourne area that would look after her?. Were all cars in the series the same spec. or were some goodies 'extra' so may not come as standard?. She is a high miler at 198,000 but apparently has full service history,with the cam belt being changed in 2008 at 160,000 and the last service at 191,500. What are the cam belt and service intervals for these cars as I keep getting conflicting information on the net?. Thanks.

Welcome to paradise

Great car but those wheels

Mike

passman53 · February 12, 2011

Welcome and congratulations on your choice of car,

I sold my mk3 4 years ago when it too had done 198k. My neighbour bought it off me, its now done 232k and still sounds and goes perfectly.

Pete

whysub · February 12, 2011

If it is as desribed then you've a bargain there. Wheels aren't to my taste eoither, but as they need a refurb I'd personally be tempted just to spray them matt black until I could find the wheels I liked. But them you may like these so why listen to me? And if the rattle is still there, get it up on the ramp to see what it is-if it's the heat shield rip it off or secure it with some self tappers.

My 1996 model has done over 225k miles and runs perfectly-the only fault with mine being the radio backight doesn't work

thatfatbloke · February 12, 2011

If it is as desribed then you've a bargain there. Wheels aren't to my taste eoither, but as they need a refurb I'd personally be tempted just to spray them matt black until I could find the wheels I liked. But them you may like these so why listen to me? And if the rattle is still there, get it up on the ramp to see what it is-if it's the heat shield rip it off or secure it with some self tappers.

My 1996 model has done over 225k miles and runs perfectly-the only fault with mine being the radio backight doesn't work

Thanks for all your replies. Ruud - you had me worried there for a minute!!. As for the wheels,I agree they will look a lot better if sprayed black. If there are no mechanical issues to sort out then they are on the top of my list. This will be the 59th car I've owned and the first Lexus. The last Toyota was a Crown Custom Estate back in the early eighties,an old 'M' registered 1974 model I believe. That was a decent car in it's day. Thanks again and I am really impressed with the speed of answers and the friendliness on this forum. Will let you know the outcome tomorrow. Cheers.

Ruud · February 12, 2011

No need to worry mate :)

I must say you have quite a remarkable Location

Location:Will sell to United Kingdom and the following

mike213735 · February 12, 2011

Hi and welcome to LOC.

Ah good, another LS owner :)

Mike

steve2006 · February 12, 2011

Hi and welcome to LOC.

Ah good, another LS owner :)

Mike

We'll never outnumber the IS owners!lol

simontaylor · February 13, 2011

For a £500 car, I would not bother changing the cam belt.

It will peobablt be fine anyway.

I too have a series 3, when it got to 120kmiles, i started to replace the cambelt. When I saw how dry and in perfect condition it was...... I just gave up and put back the few parts I had removed. It was fine up to 190 k miles (70k miles over due) till the starter motor failed.

Enjoy............ you wil :)

sir john · February 13, 2011

Welcome to the forum.

£500 for an LS is a bargain. Its almost rude!

This might sound a bit picky but it looks a bit low at the rear. There should be more space between the top of the rear tyre and the wheel arch. Take the rear wheels off and have a look up into he top of the spring. If they have broken they will have broken right up at the top. It drops the back end of the car by an inch or 2. Not the end of the world though. £50 per spring and a weekends fun to do both sides.

Enjoy your new toy mate.

Bluser · February 13, 2011

Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy :heart:

MIKE

SteveLS400 · February 14, 2011

Welcome indeed.

Sir john mentions ride height. Mine still "looks" low at the rear but we covered it here http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=65638&st=0&p=711846&hl=height&fromsearch=1entry711846 and I'm happy its normal.

gorgeouscateyez · March 4, 2012

I have a 1995 Lexus Ls400 excellent car but I just ran into a problem with my cd player a week ago it just stop playing and I can't eject thwarting magazine showing error 13 message...can I reset it or how can I get it to start back playing