Cotswold Pete

It seems to me that their tyre prices go up and down based on supply (or not). So seems like you copped a bargain their, when I had my Falkens all round, their prices were way up on £70, so I went to local dealer and ended up paying just over a ton a corner (fitting/balance/etc). Maybe next time I'll check these guys out, but so far tyres wearing well, so hoping a while yet before needing to shell out.

I have the dreaded brake shudder, and have been reading posts on here and scouring the web to get my head around the debates on why some on this forum swear by some pads/disks, and others say the same pads/disk are rubbish. So I started to wonder if the shims are the problem, because surely as they get older they loose their effectiveness. A month ago I found shudder at 30mph and had ATS clean up and re-grease the fronts (as they were fitting new rear pads). So after they did that I had about a week of no-shudder, but it has come back (but now at about 40mph). So if the shims are worn and not a perfect fit due to wear, my reasoning is after 150,000 miles would it not be time to replace the shims as well as the pads. Any thoughts on this, and if I get garage to order Lexus pads, will it come with new shims or do I need to get them separately. Also any thoughts on what life of front pads should be. Fronts are Blueprints and have done around 30,000, yet ATS said they were fine, and the disks looked good (though I do not know what make disks are). One other thing - the clunk comes and goes, which makes me wonder if the shim is moving about - which might indicate it needs to be replaced.

That does not sound right. My handbook says 35PSI all round for up to 4 passengers, and then if loaded to full capacity - 38PSI on front 44 PSI on rear. I know that when I have let my tyres get much below 31PSI the car feels different. I run Falkens so as near to original spec, it might be that other cheaper tyres with harder walls will run at lower PSI, but 30 sounds too low to me. I would also say that on dual carriageways tramlining is a problem (not with the Falkens) when I have had Pirellis or Continentals, and it gets really bad with these tyres at less than 35PSI. Also had some Nexens at one point (it was like being in rubber dinghy in the wash of a supertanker everytime I went up the M5)

Could not agree more (though pension is a little way off, yet). There does come a time when collecting stuff means you cannot fit it into the house, so why not spend a little more on petrol to travel in luxury. But all in all the LS400 is by far and away the cheapest car I have ever run, regardless of engine size etc. I spent 6K on a Vaux cavalier in 1994, and 6K on a Vaux Omega in 2000, and £2.2K on my current 400 in 2012. I never expected the Vauxhalls to last that long, whereas I can see the LS is going to go until it is 25 years old, so long as looked after well. Am trying to persuade the good lady to do a driving tour of UK this year, but taking a while to convince her, but surely there is no other way to see this green and pleasant land then behind the wheel of a luxury sedan made by Lexus

On a long run to Scotland two years ago, I found that the Lexus was pretty much spot on, and in past with Vaux Omega found it to be spot on, so not sure why your Hilux is way out. As to the below 2k rev, agree, my problem is within 400 yards, I have a 600 foot climb on 1 in 15 to 1 in 10 gradient so like to give the car an extra 30 seconds to warm up. I have some reports somewhere (probably on an old computer in the loft) on stiction issues at cold start done by Sheffield Uni, but they related to diesel which talked about the issue of head to bore contact etc, etc. I am not sure if petrol suffers the same issues but my head tells me that a bit more extra time warming up is no harm, and in reality makes no real difference to overall cost of running the 400. However one observation I have made on this steep climb is that if I defrost the car (engine nice and warm) on a cold day I get a mpg reading of 7.5 mpg, but if I go straight from cold it reads 6.5 to 7 mpg (now that could be because on an icy day I tend to take the incline a little less robustly!!!)

15mpg sounds about right if you do nothing but city driving. 24-27mpg if you do rural driving (at this time of year nearer 23-25 mpg because of defrost time) 30-31mpg on the motorway over 200 miles at 78mph (4 passengers + boot full) If you do about 50-55 mph on long run I have found you can get as much as 36-37mpg All these include any idle time first thing in the morning. It is never a good idea to fire up the engine from cold and then just belt off down the road, you want to warm the cylinders a little before heading off.

I have only learnt recently (with tyre issues on the wifes Jag) that you should get the PSI from the manufacturer once you stop using the OEM tyres. This is more important the lower the profile. For instance on her X-type her replacement tyres need to be about 4 PSI up on the original spec tyres. This also explains issues I had before going over to Falkens which being (more or less) the original tyre type do not seem to be suffering from excess outside where, where as previous Continentals and Cheapo tyres have done.

The only negative thing with the Mk4 are the fog lights, about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. I agree the Mk1,2,3 front end looks nicer than Mk4, but having HID lights is a nice to have with the Mk4, so that is the trade off on the lighting front. I find the Mk4 is less prone to tramlining if you fit poor tyres, but always best (IMHO) to fit Falkens. In the snow we had today I tried the VSC for first time, and that makes it an easier drive than earlier MKs. MK4 also gives extending sun visors, mirror folding but does seem to depend on whether you have early or late Mk4.

Never heard the system in a 430 or 460, but the 400 does sound pretty good, mainly that you can hear good quality (not just quantity) bass while on the move, which is not so easy to achieve. I found it odd in the review that one fault was the placement of the CD caddy. I personally would have zero intention of fiddling with 6 CD's while on the move, but maybe with USA roads being wider, you can weave about a fair bit before hitting anything.

I like the idea of a waftalong 2015, that's what I'll be doing I hope.

If it were me a 460 would be the thing to go for. Had a few mates who used to be BMW fans but the cost of gearbox issues steered one over to Subura (he likes noise and paying for lots of petrol) and the other over to Lexus. Had a chat with a gear box specialist recently, he does Jags, Audi, Merc, BMW mainly, but he said Lexus (esp the LS range) were always the ones that he never had any problems with. Over 90% of the gearbox rebuilds he did were for German cars, and mainly because they were trying to be too clever with the design rather than sticking to the first principles of engineering that the Lexus is built around. He was kind of happy as he made a nice business out of repairing them, but he would never own a modern German car.

I am having rear pads replaced today with Pagid, so will know soon enough if that was a good move. However I would go with original discs when they need to be replaced - though both front and rear are nowhere near worn. I am not sure what my front pads are, or whether the disks are Lexus (car has done 150K), but I get no judder on braking. But the idea of a bit of really hard braking now and again to free up things sounds like something worth doing (but not with the missus in the car!)

I have noticed the same thing, which must mean there are lots of sensible folk hanging onto a good thing.

Hope your Xmas is as peaceful as the LS. I love the silence, but on the way home last night had to boot her up to overtake, I just love that sound (but not the fuel consumption)

Lovely looking when all spick & span, I did mine about 4 weeks ago, and now looks like it has been to Kabul and back with the usual winter weather. I am always amazed at how they keep their looks, especially the interior, especially as my LS is an every day car with passengers (well teenage kids) who have helped wreck previous interiors, but the not the LS.

Have spoken with ATS, and they use Pagid pads (I asked if they used Toyota). Did some research on Pagid, and cannot see why they would be a problem, but any comments appreciated. Seems like the issues with pads is the ability to warm up on contact to be able to brake, and then shed heat rather than keep the disk warm (which then causes warping). As these are the rear brakes, I will see how it goes, and when the front ones need doing, will look at my options. I tend not to go for any heavy breaking - unless forced to - tend to keep lots of distance from car in front, mainly to make sure I get best MPG but not having to brake / accelerate too often

Always fancied a Range Rover - just not the bills when it goes wrong. As for super cars, well the LS is a super car, no more to be said. Not really interested in cars that do 0 to 60 even before I have finished turning ignition!! Or a car where you can corner at stupid speeds and feel every single road kill that gets in the way. Remember once going to Puerto Banus and seeing the parade of fancy cars at the harbour front and thinking that I felt lucky to own a 400. the only change I will make is to a 460 (maybe)

Does seem a bit overpriced for 2003 model on the other hand if it is in tip-top nick and you are going to keep it for a long time, might worth a go, but be interesting to know what the reserve is. As to the repair, a few years back a friend with a GS300 slid on ice and clipped a bollard and put a small nick above the wheel arch. The sort of thing you could have filled and painted over for a couple of hundred quid. But it was a write off because a full Lexus repair was to replace the whole panel, so it was Cat D as a result as the £3K quote was more than the car was worth. He got it sorted at a local garage, looked as good as new. If it was a rear bumper job, I would have a good poke about underneath and lift the boot carpet and check for leaks if there was any body crumple damage,

Looks like they tried to cross a LS with a X-type and ended up with a guppy. I guess the engineers of Gloucester were good at plane design, but had their eyes poked out when it came to cars.

I have car batteries for other projects, over 8 years old, and no problems. The Morris Minor ignores it's battery when not left at night. This was the reason in the good old days, my dad used to run a cable out of the house to a parking light he hooked up to the window of the car. If had used his car battery, he would have had the same issue that we Lexus owners now have with the security systems working 24/7. Maybe a doberman would be a better bet, leave it in the LS overnight, disable all the electronics and see if anyone dares steal anything!!! I remember my Dad having a little white and red parking light hooked on his window. I'm pretty sure that ran off his battery. He also used to put a blanket over the engine overnight. One car was a Triumph Herald, and the other a Hillman Minx. I can still remember the registration number of his previously owned Ford Prefect VDV 539 and his Ford Zephyr Zodiac GPR 963. This is almost 50 years ago. I often can't remember where I left my car keys or what I had for dinner yesterday. Strange. I have also been fancying a Morris Minor lately for pottering about, but a standard one. getting hard to find a decent one without paying silly money. I had a Traveller once, full of character and loved the raspberry sound the engine made when changing gear. Hugh, Actually I think mains powered thingy was shortlived, and probably some heath robinson lash up my Grandad passed on. I do recall, that later on it was replaced by this battery powered device (which must have eaten batteries) which become defunct when street lighting began to get better. Those were the days, though I have no desire for things like Morris Minors or other classics.

I have car batteries for other projects, over 8 years old, and no problems. The Morris Minor ignores it's battery when not left at night. This was the reason in the good old days, my dad used to run a cable out of the house to a parking light he hooked up to the window of the car. If had used his car battery, he would have had the same issue that we Lexus owners now have with the security systems working 24/7. Maybe a doberman would be a better bet, leave it in the LS overnight, disable all the electronics and see if anyone dares steal anything!!!

12.6 volts is what you have with 100% charge. so the margin is quite small. I think the problem is that lots of small trips kill a battery, because when you kick over the starter motor it causes electrolyte build up on the plates, and then the process of the alternator re-charging removes the electrolyte build up ( I did find a video on Google a while back - but cannot find it now). However if you do not manage to remove all the chemicals off the plate, they build up, and once you get the plates being connected by a build up, then you have a cell failing (shorted). Because the Lexus has systems running 24/7 then overnight you are helping the battery to build up the bad stuff on the plates. At least that is how I read it when I did some research, but stand to be corrected if someone knows more about the chemistry of it all. When I did nothing but long drives every day, I would find a battery lasting well over 5 years (and that was in the days when they would only give a 2 year warranty).

At 12.3 volts your battery is barely 50% charged, and so if you have been trickle charging and it's only got this far, I would say the battery has a faulty cell at the very least. I would get a proper load check done on it. A battery at 12 volt is considered to be less than 10% charged. Also as soon as you try to start the starter motor is probably dropping the voltage by another 0.5 volt, which will tell the ECU, no juice here to do anything. However there is going to be enough to sort of power up bits and pieces which is why your dash is sort of showing random stuff. What you describe I had on my Mk4 3 months ago, and the battery was only 2 years old and out of guarantee. I would have said your battery is still under warranty, so a new one should be no problem. You might also want to get the alternator checked over, as if it is not totally spot on with charging it can cause battery to fail earlier than usual (but this is rare IMHO)

Not been a good few days. Washed the old lady on saturday, and some t*sser went and keyed the drivers side on saturday night while parked out back of house. So not a happy chappy at all. A couple of pubs nearby (12 years ago some other t*sser diamond tipped the windscreen on my Omega) and I suspect some mindless cretins/morons see a nice car and think 'rich bast*rd' as no one else got damaged Then thought my local ATS could sort out the vibration issues with the front end, but they took it for test drive and could not notice any problems, which is odd, as I have squeaky front brake a slight rubbing sound and vibration when rolling (not braking). They had it up on the ramps but I guess that they did not have a proper look. So I am going to have to jack up the lady myself and see what is what, probably get some copper grease and hope that does the trick, but given busy weekends and no light in the evening (and no garage) all a bit of pain. So now grip is over, I'll have a to hope for some decent weekend weather. At least ATS did not charge for not being able to find problem!!!

I had similar issues with alarm, at work and when parking around the corner from my house. What I did find was that a battery problem was making it worse, and since new battery no issues. The other thing I discovered was putting metal object (such as pen knife) in the centre console seemed to make the problem occur all the time at work, and once I kept the metal stuff in the glove box no more problems. I never bothered disabling the sensors, but just manually lock the car, which means the rocker sensors etc are not armed, To be honest there are still the odd times for no reason the alarm goes off, and I assume someone somewhere is blasting out a stronger wifi signal. I think with the new Beam Forming WiFi systems coming into use in office buildings, we may see a few more LS400's going off.