ambermarine

Hi Hugh The spark plugs are 60k minimum life and will not need replacing unless you have been using a mixture to lean or to rich .The fact they are buried safely in the combustion chamber protects them from the atmosphere. I fitted a K&N filter for life when I got the Mark 4, it does what it says on the box.

Hi Martin The sequence of removal of trim is very important as to avoid damage , the prising of the plastics should only be done at release points if these are not determined there is every possibility permanent damage to the garnishes will occur. You need to determine which garnishes need removal before attempting anything, the workshop manual shows the application of the linings for the roof and side trims.The metalwork is not just behind the linings as they are quite deep so the particular area you need to access may need full removal of that piece.

The 113k miles are not bad for that year the ferrules are not a problem at most new brake hoses and new pads . Tyre will be out of date anyway if it is cracked . The oil leak could be coming from the transmission, power steering and is usually not an engine oil leak on the LS400 if it is then I would want to take a look before making any purchasing decisions.

Hi Alex I would steer clear of this exercise, several reasons come to mind. The removal of the cluster is quite difficult and without having the process sequence to hand you will do a lot of damage to your embelishments. Then there is the dismantling of the cluster which again is a sequence procedure and again you could do a lot of damage . Lastly the needles are lit via a fluorescent charge and you may do damage to them removing and refitting them. I suggest tongue in cheek that you wear ultra violet guard glasses when driving and the needles will appear white.

The noise is not definitive and the process of illimination will be helpful ,to illiminate the ancillaries ie alternator a/c compressor power steering pump ,pulley tensioners and fan. Remove the serpentine belt and run the engine for a short time. if the noise is still there it is the engine and will require attention from trained techies.If the noise is not there it is one of the foregoing ancillaries .The water pump is driven by the cambelt and that requires a lot of work to remove.

Hi Dave Dipped headlights on the continent are a very strict criteria and especially in France if you intend to transit through on your way to Spain.You will be pulled off the road and made to address the the issue if the police suspect they are wrongly adjusted. I would take the car to a Lexus dealership and ask them to adjust them at least that way you are sure to be within the law.

Hi Chris The term is broadspeak for any rust affecting metalwork on the chassis and ancillary parts if it relates to components such as spring hangers or suspension parts and specifically states the condition such as severe or structural then the corrosion is serious. I would take your car to one of the chains (Halfords Kwik fit) and ask them to put it on the lift for say a brake check then inspect the underside yourself. The areas that were light on body underseal on this model were the area above the back subframe and up above the front start of the firewall behind the engine.

Hi Martin The question is simply answered in terms of reliability the LS400 is the better option ,several reasons for this the main one being it was 18 years in development. From the initial concept of the LS400 in 1983 right through to the last uplift on the Mark 4. With that kind of lifespan on a model the niggles were virtually all ironed out. The LS430 was basically a stop gap in the Lexus march forward before the all new design of the Ls460 was properly developed and to that end the LS 430 failed on several points most of which have been mentioned several times on this forum. I was very fortunate to get probably the best example of a LS400 mark 4 when I moved up from my 20 year old mark 1 and I did a lot of research before opting for the mark 4 against a 430 and 460. I believe that the Lexus LS400 mark 4 is the best car that Lexus have built to date.

Hi Tom I had the same before xmas and determined it was the serpentine belt, to check it was I sprayed wd 40 on the edge whilst the belt was turning and the noise ceased .I have since bought a new belt and when the noise reappears I will change it.

Phil the- acre I think he would be more than willing to give a quote for the job and his very approachable and informative As I have no air sus on my Mark 4 it would be more in line for you to call him on 0141 882 6757 tell him you got his name off the Lexus owners club.

Great feedback guys, we are all looking for some expertise that can be relied on when it comes to our Lexus cars and to be brutally honest Lexus are not as good as they think they are as as been proved on this forum numerous times. With regard to pulling left or right and a off centre steering wheel non of these symptoms were present which made the problem for me harder to define . On another issue we have with the Mark 4, I have now decided to bite the bullet and fix it ,I am referring to the blackout scenario we have in the ignition switch. I reported last year that the loss of instruments and accessories occasionally when tootling along .Recently I have made several trips south to look for a house as we are moving to the Fylde coast and the dreaded blackout happened twice when it was throwing it down on the M6 . Those kind of shocks I can do without so I bought a new switch from Lexus at a cost of £96 and will set about fitting it when I have moved and found my screwdriver in the hoard of packed goods.

Hi fellow Lexuns Back in 2013 I acquired my present LS400 mark 4 and as some of you may recall there was a fault on the steering which caused the nearside front tyre to scrub away the outside edge very quickly. Lexus Glasgow stated there was nothing wrong and said there could be a tyre age issue. I then did a 600 mile trip to Devon discovering the tyre had worn very badly I took it to Devonshire motors in Barnstaple who charged me £80 for a Teletremy laser test. I received a nice print out telling me there was nothing wrong. I then returned to Scotland and put on two new tyres.the car had then done around 22k. This last week after finding the wear was very bad again after 10k on the tyre I checked out a source for getting to the bottom of this problem . I took it to Kenneth Brown Ltd Hillington Glasgow .and he discovered that the toe in was one degree too much and the camber was set negative. Perfect formula for what is in the pic. I contacted Devonshire Motors to point out the error of there readout and the Service Manager retorted they have Professional Technichans .I will let you be the judge of that. Kenny Brown is a Engineer first and mechanic second and is old school he is a successful motor racing car builder and racer so he does know his game and I would recommend him to anyone with engineering issues . He was just seeing off a conversion to coil overs on a LS400 were the air sus had failed.

Hi Callum I have left my Lexus for the last ten years idle through the winter for three months. I disconnect the battery and insulate the terminals with vinyl gloves so they do not contact any metal . When I return to the car I simply connect the terminals, positive first, then start the car. This year there were a couple of glitches on start up but the battery had not been recharged so could have been low causing the ECU to play games but after a run down south last weekend the car is fine. The engine ECU as memory in it that is maintained only when the correct amount of power is running through, this power will dissipate over time when the car is idle so the ECU as to relearn its functions this causes the afore mentioned glitches.

Hi John The sensor for the ecu is located on the top of the left bank of the engine looking from the front it is near the front and you will need to remove the plastic cover and air inlet pipe to the plenum chamber that runs from the air filter.

Hi fellow Lexuns I am just back from my annual Florida trip,the weather here is a lot cooler than there but only recently, it was the same temp back in February or felt like it.There is definitly a change going on in the winter weather down there. Anyway just small snipit of info, whilst I was there I used my time to go into Scanlon Lexus in Fort Myers southwest Florida I have nether seen as many Lexus cars in one forecourt ,back lot, anywhere they could park them ,must have been five hundred.This outfit are not the biggest dealer either, they are further south at Germain Lexus Naples. I digress, the need to replace a squeaking Serpentine belt took me to the Fort Myers dealer and I was asked was the the belt being fitted to a UK car after the spares guy spotted my Brit accent, I said yes and he informed me officially he could'nt supply the item on that basis. I was advised to change my mind and state it was being fitted to a US imported vehicle so he could sell me the item. The case is that the dealerships are not allowed to sell parts that are being exported from the US. This I can only assume is a federal law as it would make no difference to Lexus if the part was paid for and local taxes were added. Just another item to mention regarding my LS I reconnected the battery yesterday after ten weeks stood and the car started up first time the usual adjustments were made abs vsc etc and I switched her off. I started her up ten minutes later and the revs died off after initial start and the engine stopped .I restarted and the same thing happened it would not idle.I restarted and revved the engine for a about twenty seconds and everything was fine it dropped into 600 revs and stayed there .It as been fine since so I can only assume that the ecu had lost some info whilst stood and needed rebooting it as never happened before on any of my Lexus cars so it is unusual.

Rich They exit in the front wing crumple zone above the front wheel .There is a long plexiplastic pipe that travels down the window arch It requires the removal of the inner mudguard lining to access the end of the pipe.

Malc The battery does'nt need to be much under full charge for the cold to significantly alter its capacity and it is nearly four years old. You will have your voltage drain going on with the alarm set, so very possible. The start up takes virtually all the battery capacity in the instant the starter turns but only for a short period so it will look healthy even though it is not at its best.

Malc It is unlikely to be marine comms frequencies that set the alarm off, would happen all the year round if that were the case,its more likely to be a weak battery affected by the cold weather .

Sorry Mark My misinterpretation.

Peace of mind can only be valued by the individual and I have plenty to occupy my thoughts other than worrying weather something I have done is successful and to that end nothing but oem parts go on my Lexus.

Mark is getting is petrol flap solenoid mixed up with his boot opening solenoid.

The flooding of the engine is a very easy thing to do and it sometimes occurs when the car is first started and taken out of the garage then turning off the ignition to shut the garage doors.The restart virtually floods the cold engine and douses the plugs with fuel and they cannot spark, continually turning the key just makes the problem worse. Usually leaving the car for ten minutes after the first failure allows the fuel to evaporate and the engine starts normally. I don't get this problem now as I fitted a door closer last year after straining my back pushing the door up.

The most important aspect of polishing the LS range of cars is that basically you are eroding the clearcoat and unless you are very forceful or inexperienced in using a mechanical buffer electric or air you will never polish through to the basecoat colour. I honed my technique using buffers on yachts (fibreglass) were it is easy to burn the gelcoat running the buffer too fast, you can do the same on a clearcoat laquer and if very careless cut grooves in it. There will be occasions that some profiles of the bodywork will lose more of the clearcoat surface and create a optical blemish that looks like a drop of water as been squeezed into the surface a bit like silicone spray invading a new paint job but flatter, this is caused by the virtual removal of the clearcoat surface. I have never used a mechanical buffer on the LS's I have owned ,the only time I see them as appropriate is after a panel respray to polish out blemishes in the spray job. If you polish by hand it is very unlikely you will do any damage, using a mechanical buffer the damage can be done before you notice it. If you are intent on using a mechanical buffer use the advice given by Mikeyv keep away from big variable speed buffers such as record ,nutool etc, they will cut the paintwork to shreds. 3M do a great range of compounds and finishing polishes that are mechanical or hand applied.

Barry The door mirrors on the Mark 4 do have heated glass it should come into effect when you press the rear screen demister .

Brian With all due respect your advisor is wrong ,the battery in the optimum state of health will charge at 14.5 volts and the graduation fall is due to the inability of the battery to take that charge, it is usually caused by sulphate build up on the plates which is caused by short usage of the battery (as in trips to the shops) and of course the age of the battery. The trip to Scotland would have charged an healthy battery up regardless of what you were using in the car .The electrical system on the car is designed to charge the battery regardless of load. There is likely to be a discharge going on when the car is inoperative anyway and a weak battery will discriminate between non essentials on the electrical circuit such as temp displays. Take a test on the battery whilst off the car and under no load after a charge to as much as it will take, over the next 12 hours see how much it is dropping, if it is heading significantly down to less than 12.4v it is failing.