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4 days in, 600 miles driven and just under 54 mpg. Happy Days, and still 120 miles in the tank. This certainly is looking like the perfect George Osbourne busting Tax Machine :shruriken:

Just enjoyed the first few days of my first holiday in the 400. I travel to South West Wales from Yorkshire once or twice a year. This trip actually took longer than usual, as we stopped at Aberfan Cemetery to pay our respects, something I've been meaning to do for years as I was the same age as those children who lost their lives and remember it happening clearly at the age of 11. One girl victim actually shared my birth date and it was quite moving. Not a jolly start to a holiday but something I felt I should do. After arriving at my family's place in Wales after six hours I have never before felt so relaxed after that trip (and I have had some good cars). . I was not as tired as usual and could quite easily have made the return trip the same day. The car is so comfortable, quiet and responsive I can only think that it is noise, vibration and lack of refinement that cause tiredness. Now driving around Pembrokeshire, the aircon working well in the 22 degree heat, this is exactly what the 400 is all about and why I bought it. I do not dread going out and driving after the long trip down, the narrow lanes are not a problem, as I just take my time. I have been up some very steep hills and put my foot down just to see how the car would respond. It is as if there is no hill, the power is phenomenal. The dog is happy, because the cold air routed to the back seats seem to be more effective than previous cars I have had. All very relaxing and not the usual experience in modern traffic. This car really is something else. The attention to detail is incredible and falls down in only one area. Given the obsessive attention given the car during development, it is surprising that this was overlooked. It is not a major issue, but the outside door handles get hot in the sun. My daughter complains, but it is not really a big deal, if a bit surprising it was not picked up during the development stage. My wife did not want to bring the lexus. She distrusts it because it is fifteen years old. I think she is now glad that I did not bring the Octavia.

Someone has to pay for the B&O TV, fancy coffee and IPads!

One thing I do wonder, is this done on a service? I know mine are as I do my own servicing but what about dealer services? The other question is where does all the grease disappear to, I grease up the pins and then when I next remove them they are as dry as a bone, there is no evidence of grease leaking out the rubber bellow seals? Sorry, welcome to the LOC Sara :)

Series IV capacitor requirements are listed in post number 6 Iv'e just changed mine, they looked perfectly fine, I'd say the car is generally a bit snappier, overall a bit better, not much in it, I don't think Mk4 age capacitors, in this climate, have gone off much. Glad I did it though. Let me modify my last post, possibly now that the ECU has done a bit of re-learning, the car is noticeably quicker to respond. I've just come back over my bit of road with no junctions where I traditionally floor it, and you'd think I'd fitted a turbo, much, much more rapid. Round of applause for Steve for his work helping us to revive all our cars!

When I bought my second LS400 in January, it had a short MOT (3 weeks ...) and advisories at the previous MOT on slight surface corrosion on the main rear and offside rear brake pipes. I rubbed the rust down on the pipes and painted them with Hammerite before taking the car for its MOT. It passed with no advisories and a mileage of 212,000 miles.

Like you Mike, i think the 400 was designed for me, someone who appreciates that driving the roads of the UK can still be a thing of joy - even if all around can be mayhem. I am never bothered by traffic jams like I used to be, (though the cost of drinking fuel while stationary is not to be enjoyed), and I arrive as fresh as one can after 10 miles or 400 miles. On the seat heaters, they are just right, have been in cars that are burning your butt after 1 minute, so the 400 wins out here. At 50mph the 400 is such a joy, I call it my driving sofa, and even at the occasional 85mph+ it is fine. However I am aware that modern cars have upped their game on road noise from tyres (was out in a 1.2litre golf the other day - very quiet, but at the sight of a hill it more or less gave up) so would be interesting to see how much quieter a 460 or 600 is, though 225 tyres are obviously going to make more noise then the ones on a golf. Also knowing that my chances of breaking down are near zero always makes for a relaxing drive. Looking forward to some summer outings in the car with this nice weather, and possibly potter about mid-Wales, a lovely mainly traffic free part of the world.

Keep us up to date David - when my rattle made its first appearance I did tell them that I'd suspected it was coming from the speaker cover but they didn't seem to think so and said it was a loose wire within the engine bay. The temperatures dropped whilst they were working on the car and they mistakenly thought they'd solved the problem :eerrrmm:Got to say I'm still loving it too even though it was rattling like a good 'un on my way home from work tonight. Will do, it's booked in for Monday and Tuesday next week and I've said I don't want it back until it's sorted. Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

You would say that Andy! ;) Must admit it does look striking in the blue. Liking the facelift alloys as well. Very nice.

Hello and welcome to the LOC. I wouldn't mind a 360 mile drive in a Lexus,trouble is when I get sent to Scotland it has to be a Transit van.

Possibly the door ECU? When I had my wiring damage from water, I lost the memory functions in the drivers door. As Titch says try putting the steering wheel into position, along with the seat and store into memory. Does it respond correctly? ps I have a complete set of "used" ECU's for the LS400 if anyone is in need.

Exactly What The 400 Was Designed For? Me.

I am well aware that there are many people who just automatically claim for whiplash injuries regardless and everyone jumps on those that do claim as being cheats however there is an even bigger amount paid out that no one seems to mind and that is the cost of a rental car for you while your claim is being sorted out. Why is it insurance companies are more than happy to shell out many thousands of pounds on rental cars while when it comes to paying what they feel is a fair price for your car do they then start arguing over a few hundred pounds? Car rental can easily overtake any amount paid for whiplash injuries especially when it comes to "Like for Like" policies but no one seems to mind that. The Alpha Romeo that I was given in a "Like for Like" insurance claim which I was not at fault had I have kept it for the period of the claim would have come to just under £11,000. As a disabled driver the car was useless to me and I had another car to use. The other people to point the finger at are these damn ambulance chasers who hound you day & night to claim. My son is still being persuade over 2 years after his car was damaged. It was parked at the time and he was not in it but still we get sometimes up to 2 dozen calls a week, it doesn't matter what you tell them they still keep calling so lets give those companies and all those that work in them including good old Nev from "The Call Center" a good bashing first. Time for bed I'm worn out. Mike

Hugh, I share your sentiments,--- I remember the Aberfan disaster too as a kid. Terrible. On a lighter note-- I'm in complete agreement regarding how comfortable the car is, even when driving over very long distances. I've never felt so relaxed in any other car, even after driving hundreds of miles. These cars were designed for this. Can't say that the door handles have ever bothered me though. I don't think there is any feature of the car that I don't like apart from the heated seats. For me, they don't heat up quickly enough or become hot enough in the winter.. they're a bit pathetic. My previous car, a Honda Legend, had superb heated seats, even though the leather seats were harder than in the Lexus.

If your having charging problems and the car is a series III not IV it may be due to the common leaking O ring seal on the power steering reservoir allowing fluid to drip on the alternator directly below it.

I'm guessing if you want a diesel car it is because you are doing a large annual mileage or at least doing regular long journeys. If you are only doing 10-12,000 mls a year I'd think again...take a look at the auto 250. Pretty much bullet proof. The EU has legislated that diesel cars have to be cleaner ...hence all the things like DPF filter, EGR valve etc. If you are not doing decent mileage and getting that engine hot you will probably find it gets sooted up. I've read of the same things happening with Audi and BMW. If you keep on top of it all and clean the EGR regularly and probably use additives in the fuel you will reduce the incidence of problems. They do take a bit of TLC though. I had a 220d that had the Head Gasket go in 3 months of ownership. I was lucky, Lexus stumped up for anew engine under their own warranty on that engine. I was also lucky that I returned very good mpg from that car.....anywhere from 39 around town to 54mpg on a decent run. I did a lot of work on the car during my ownership and cleaned the EGR every year. The gearing ratios are a bit odd and the gear selection is at best a bit notchy. You must have FLSH on it...you want to know everything about it too! Read as much as you can find here in this section....there is lots to look at!! I now have the Auto 250 in Arctic Pearl...gorgeous colour, especially at night under lights. Bit of a head turner everywhere I go. Went to Southend on Sat last and parked on the esplanade. Came back to find 3 guys admiring it...or were they casing it to try and nick it really ? That was a 330ml round trip and i averaged 38mpg using cruise control. For a V6 Auto that is pretty damned good. The auto box is sublime. Be careful too...the manual 250 is about £470 road tax, the Auto 250 is £270. Think the 220d was around £190? What are your reasons for looking for a 220d?

Have a quick look through this forum about the 220D. There are numerous threads about problems with the EGR system, DPF system, and engines suffering total failure at about 80-100k. The fuel consumption is pretty bad for a diesel, being not significantly different from the petrol. The manual gearbox is best avoided too. The petrol IS250 is reliable and refined, and the automatic gearbox is one of the best available.