ambermarine

Little too simplistic Malc first you condemn ownership because its been kept in some ones front room and then because it was first generation and not up to the mark 3 ,but then suggest ownership over a 460 to keep things less complicated . This is probably the best example of a mark 1 LS400 outside of Toyota's museum, yes there are a lot of improvements on later models and that is to be expected but whoever buys this car is going to own a true part of motoring history the same way someone buying a classic Model T Ford back in the day. I have never been a disciple of the not used not good for the car doctrine with modern technology and materials the damage to the mechanical parts is negligible and probably equates to equivalent usage of the vehicle. I have owned a mark 1 for 14 years and put 130k on it before I sold it with 180k and it served me well my present mark 4 is a better car in some ways but that classic look into the engine bay the mark1 has is missing as is that lovely 15 inch wheel design that you could put on the wrong direction. To sum up I think anyone who as owned these cars from their inception is spoilt because anything that followed is a drift away from the original concept and can never be quite the same .

The key is linked through the security system on the car and will be set when the car was first built. If there have been any modifications they will be held in the Lexus database this is why you will have to resort to using them to supply another key. You might be covered by your insurance for the cost of replacement which I have to warn you is very expensive.

Bernie Scripps the garage owner on Heartbeat said "Petrol will never go past 3shillings and 6pence a gallon" I wish, Rip Peter Benson.

I read somewhere on the US site that a member dismantled his speedo and cleaned the rotating shaft at the base as it had oily residue on it which caused it to stick. He seemed to think that this lubricant was applied at manufacture and hardened up over time, he cleaned it up and the problem disappeared.

If you go on ebay and search ls400 1996 there are an host of options including a used one for comparison with fit requirements. From what I can deduce the original oem part is not available from overseas suppliers so you will probably end up with a reman regardless as where you source it. Just buy the cheapest they are a pretty standard manufacturing standard after all.

and my mark1 when it was 18 years old

That corrosion is caused by condensation forming on the cold metal as the day ends as the humidity of the day settles on the metal and turns to water. It is only possible to stop this form of corrosion by creating a dry atmosphere at all times and why the classic car junkies keep their cars in those types of environments, mainly air con . It is impossible to create that environment in a climate where your car is located other than a sealed environment as previously described.

Totally agree with you Malc on the "Improvements on satnav" since they introduced it in the Mark 4 ls400 24 years ago. Mine still tells me where I am going even when it is running on a road that was not built 24 years ago it just cuts its own path accross the screen in the direction we are going then links up with the roads that were there at the development time of the CD How cool is that costs nowt and it works, so glad I stuck with the old technology .

Hi Paul Sorry to rain on your parade but the correct idle speed for the vvt-i engine in the mark 4 is 650 rpm at normal running temperature so at 800 rpm it is out quite a lot .

Hi Paul I do sympathise with you on this issue I have a similar scenario on another machine at the moment and its driving me nuts as well as draining my piggy bank ,I am wondering whether the JDM wheels and tyres you have fitted are causing this issue I have found an american site which comprehensively covers the vsc issue in the Lexus range and the number likely suspects is surprising. www.cashcarsbuyer.com/vsc-light/

Check out the archives I had the same problem on my car and submitted a fix tutorial

Are you going to find 5 Lexus ls400s that need the boot struts .probably not, better to get them from a breaker.

I think there is a topic in the archives with detailed info on the product used either here or in the US forum.

The antenna on the US models was integrated into the rear windscreen.

The stuff that is being added to cars reminds me of the birth of the HSE in the 70s and the removal by the system of an individuals responsibility to look out for their's and those around them safety.

The LS400 Mark 4 will run on it if you can find one .

Paul when you dismantle the switch be careful, there are two spring loaded ball bearings on each side of the mechanism running in a groove on the casing They will launch into oblivion if not captured as the mechanism comes out of the casing .The grooves are visible if you shine a bright light at the casing, that way you can catch them in the escape mode.

Yeah it is a generic switch not made by Toyota and when I did some research it is even fitted to some european cars and cost around £40.

There is a full refurbed set of mark 4 wheels on ebay in the Lexus parts section.

I still have the cleaned up switch and if you are in need of replacing yours you can have it .

Mark is correct I did change the ignition switch but it was not worn the issue was the same as you are experiencing (quite scary at 90mph) but rather than being worn my car had only done 20k it is a simple fix.The manufacturing assembly over indulged in the lubricant grease internally and this migrated onto the switching terminals opening the curcuits .it is simple to dismantle and clean up and save yourself £95 at Lexus although if you really want to change it the part is used on several toyotas and other makes of car .

Mark is correct I did change the ignition switch but it was not worn the issue was the same as you are experiencing (quite scary at 90mph) but rather than being worn my car had only done 20k it is a simple fix.The manufacturing assembly over indulged in the lubricant grease internally and this migrated onto the switching terminals opening the curcuits .it is simple to dismantle and clean up and save yourself £95 at Lexus although if you really want to change it the part is used on several toyotas and other makes of car .

I have to agree on the Grill factor it tends to shout" Look at me" and the Lexus LS400 did not need to do that.

Hi Qamar Just replaced the cambelt water pump and tensioner pulleys on my car and got the parts for £170 shipped from Dubai escaped tax and vat (hrmc) must have been busy I saved nearly £300 pound on Lexus supply but all my parts were genuine Lexus parts. I have done a lot of research on overseas suppliers of parts and Burj auto who I obtained my parts from do not have your part in stock but another supplier in the states does and they are selling it for around £50 .I suggest you check them out at www.oemvehicleparts.com

The move by ebay to get payments running alongside and within their systems is twofold it as the capacity to increase the holding cashflow significantly and the records of monetary transactions are better identified for the authorities including HRMC for sellers.