DaKa

Nice to read this post Rich and to see that you are doing the right thing by your Dad - checking with the forum is the best way. A pristine LS400 just sold for £19,000 on The Market https://themarket.co.uk/listings/lexus/ls400/835b2fb1-e81f-43ee-a3e4-573bbd50fbfd Don't get too excited, but I do regret giving my LS400 to my older brother 15 years ago as then I valued it at only £700. It was a P reg with circa 100,000 on the clock. They are getting very 'collectable' especially in Northern Europe (Denmark etc.). There may be a metal tag/plate under the bonnet at the front where, if the timing belt was done by Lexus, it may state the mileage when changed, otherwise find the receipt in the paperwork as someone buying would otherwise assume it needs doing (and likely the water pump too). The belt is suggested changing every circa 70,000 miles after the first change at 60,000 but a lot will depend on usage, time elapsed and the conditions of storage. Circa 170k mileage, you will be ok to start if on your 3rd belt? Exhaust fix is more of an issue to get it done cost effective, but there are some import options from Rock autos and a couple of places in UK that will repair and you will find a thread for that on this site Best of luck.

2 years back I ordered and fitted new front discs / pads and rear pads purchased from eBay. I pick sellers with good feedback and I had no problem with these - you may find the order numbers still listed of updated by the sellers? FRONT MINTEX BRAKE PADS SET FOR LEXUS LS 430 (2000-2006) BRAND NEW ( 122376966767 ) ITEM PRICE: £24.03 Item FRONT MINTEX BRAKE PADS SET FOR LEXUS LS 430 (2000-2006) BRAND NEWBuy similarView similar items More actions Add note- FRONT MINTEX BRAKE PADS SET FOR LEXUS LS 430 (2000-2006) BRAND NEW ORDER DATE 21 Feb, 2018 ORDER NUMBER 122920961677-1915233395002 SOLD BY nipponautosparesltd(1 item) Order Genuine New lexus LS430 Front Brake x2 Disc 315 mm 43512-50230View order details Genuine New lexus LS430 Front Brake x2 Disc 315 mm 43512-50230 ( 122920961677 ) ITEM PRICE: £65.49 Item Genuine New lexus LS430 Front Brake x2 Disc 315 mm 43512-50230Buy similarView similar items More actions Add note- Genuine New lexus LS430 Front Brake x2 Disc 315 mm 43512-50230 ORDER DATE 21 Feb, 2018 ORDER NUMBER 183070901002-1780397053008 SOLD BY r13k64(1 item) Order TOYOTA LEXUS LS430 BREMBO REAR BRAKE PAD SET 2000-2006,SOLID AUTO.View order details TOYOTA LEXUS LS430 BREMBO REAR BRAKE PAD SET 2000-2006,SOLID AUTO. ( 183070901002 )

Thanks for the information Bluesman - I'll create a suitable post this weekend.

Yes, I'm selling mine LS430 2001 and I'm also in Essex - send PM as I'm not a gold member and can't advertise here. It will be on Ebay soon with a note that I will give a discount any existing forum member

I would have thought that buying a second hand donor car would make more financial sense providing it runs and you know the gears are working smoothly. I'll be parting with my LS430 2001 on this forum shortly, (not sure if transmissions are the same?) so keep an eye out for the ad as I'd like it to go to a forum member

To complete the update from my side on this thread - I took the covers off the steering column and lubricated just about everything liberally. I've not had any issue with the lock since but have been extremely careful not to bash the steering wheel getting in/out. I have however managed to stop the steering adjustment in/out motor working properly, so avoid excessive lubrication of this I guess to others. The good news is that its stuck where I like it and the up/down works fine. I'm going to leave it alone now, before I break something else! 🙂 P.S. Just bought my brothers Merc GLC250d - so the long relationship with my LS430 may be ending soon a 'someone' indoors has told me that I have too many cars - why don't they understand that cars are all different.

Likewise, my last MOT warned of wear on these lower bushes, so keen to hear if any special tools or just muscle is required for this job. With it being such a heavy car I'm always worried about my safety?

It turns out there is a patron saint for Lexus. 🙂 I tried for absolutely ages to get the ignition turning Saturday, all possible combinations, it was very hot and frustrating. On Sunday I had to get the car out of the way as it was blocking others in my 3-4 car driveway - so after many more attempts I put the front wheels on dollies (not easy jacking up one at a time and sliding under) and between my wife, daughter and her boyfriend pushed the car over the block paving out of the way - it's heavy! Further attempts to start after moving, again came to nothing. Having started to look at towing options and who would want a car that can't be started (lucky to get £500 scrap for it) and with the car roasting in the sunshine I gave it another go Sunday afternoon and, knock me over with a feather, it turned and started with only moonier persuasion - phew. I wanted to leave it unlocked with the key in 2nd ACC position but wasn't sure if this would flatten the battery quicker. In the end, I've locked and unlocked the car several times and for now will keep it parked so as to not block others in the drive. In short - now that I can turn/start again is there anything I can do to help prevent recurrence as I can't risk this happening again. e.g. Remove steering covers and lubricate generously everywhere, or, will I just need to be ultra careful not to move the wheel getting out/in? Does anyone know if the issue is Barrel or Column? I had fired WD40 into Lock barrel as best as able - not sure if this made a difference 24 hours later?

Yes, you would have thought the barrel was the issue, but reading some other club lexus posts, the suggestion is the steering column (which is very expensive even if you find a donor). I've tried jacking up the whole front of the car to make the wheels turn freely, recharged the battery fully and still no luck. This occurred before as per my post above back in May - I did nothing except try the folloiwng day and 'bingo' it turned. I fear this could be fatal - so if anyone out there knows how to circumvent the, what I must presume is mechanical rather than electric steering wheel lock, please let me know. 'Trick of the Trade' desperately needed, else 'we buy any car' scrapage. I've felt for a while that I'm on extended time with this car, albeit its running beautifully, I just felt sure that when it went, it would be a big bang and smoke etc., not a stupid steering lock that killed it! Does anyone know the patron saint to pray to for Lexus LS430s?

So 3 months on without any problems turning the key, today the issue decided to repeat itself. I may have pulled slightly down on the left of the steering wheel as the column reset as I depressed the ignition barrel (keyless), but no obvious reason why the steering lock should now not allow me to turn the ignition. I've tried with key in barrel and a far tug left/right but to no avail. What a pain - will try again in a few hours but I think the old girl is trying to tell me she no longer loves me and time for change 🙂

I also had to replace my near side rear hub assembly a few years back o/a bearing. I imported a pair (thinking I might need both sides done) from USA and my local garage charged just 2 hours labour to fit near side - I sold the extra hub shortly thereafter and got most of my money back. The only problem was the mechanic didn't tighten the drive shaft allen key bolts with enough torque and they came undone, middle/end of the 3 connected by a joint washer and when it threw out it daamaged one of the rear AC pipes in a place that could not be repaired easily. Make sure the same doesn't happen to you as the bolts/washers are circa £50 and it took an age to get them. In the end I had to blank off my rear AC.

While clearing out my garage I found a couple of 7 inch 178 mm lexus centre caps. I cleaned them up and they are very useable but far from perfect. If you are missing the same from your car, and a regular on this forum, then send me a PM with a pic of your car/wheel and I'll send them to you free with my compliments. I hope this freebie offer doesn't contravene any site rules?

So just to update that it was just a little more force needed to release the steering lock, turning it clockwise, but not much more, perhaps one of those weird things?. I noticed when the steering returned to its rest position again that the wheel appeared to give a slight click to the left just before it stopped? I started/stopped it a few more times and the movement of the wheel (e.g. twist left at the end before stopping) seems to have stopped and I've had no problems turning the barrel since - so all good and I'll know what to watch out for if it recurs. I'll be sure to keep the battery charged while we are so little able to use our cars - no doubt the DVLA are working out how much they can refund us all on our road tax!

So I put my battery on charge and went back 24 hours later only to find that my charger had fused o/a power cable wires twisted and frayed. Fixed and back on charge another 24 hours later and when reconnected, power at last, and alarm activated (always makes me jump) and with hardly any persuasion the ignition barrel turned and all seemed well again. That is until this morning, 48 hours later, and despite the car unlocking and seemingly charge in the battery (the battery is less than 12 months old) the ignition barrel (with or without key inserted) is not turning. It pushes and the steering wheel return out/down to its driving position, but the lock doesn't turn as if steering lock on again. Has anyone had similar, can I disable the steering lock, permanently or otherwise? At the moment I'm not using any force to try and turn the key as don't want to make matters worse. I notice both the red and green lights next to the start key are still occasionally flashing, but not sure what they normally do when starting? I've put it back on charge again, my thinking being that the power disconnect may reset the alarm? Not sure what else to try if the key doesn't turn when I try and start next?

I noticed a posting earlier about trickle chargers for batteries, but too late for me as mine has gone flat when I went to start it today. The worrying thing (this happened a few weeks back but after 10 minutes it cleared itself) is that I couldn't turn the ignition, with or without the key in place? I have the battery on charge now as the alarm was making some weird clicking noises (presumably o/a flat battery) until I disconnected it. The battery will change soon enough, but I'm worried as to why the ignition wouldn't turn and wondered if anyone else has experienced the same? I suspect that as my wife was last to use the car, she may have inadvertently pulled herself out of the car using the steering wheel while the 2 x motors returned it to its 'docked' position - just a guess?

Just an update. I still have the error code, but was able to reset/clear it before the MOT - the engine management light stays off for 1-2 hours running before coming back on. As you probably know warning lights on the dash are now an MOT failure, so had to do this. The MOT was due 2nd April, so I thought I would try early so as to allow time for the new exhaust parts from USA if needed. Anyway, it passed, I've got myself another years MOT the emmissions were not a problem. I'd actually put it in for the test a week too early, as I thought you could do it 6 weeks before, but was actually only 28 days. I'm really pleased, but will likely take my time to get the parts needed for later in the year when I have more time to get them fitted..

As Steve mentioned, with my last SC430 the previous owner had lost all the history and didn't even know what a cambelt was. Always better to buy from someone who knows nothing about cars generally. There was however a small plate in the front of the engine bay about 1x7 cms (can't remember exactly where) but it had the mileage when belt changes by Lexus Plymouth. Worth a check. P.S. When I change my belt, using a kit with water pump and bearings, I found a great post on youtube for same engine LS430.

I had the same issue a couple of years back - I think it was caused by a stuck CD incident (I blamed my wife for pushing the CD into the slot rather than letting it be pulled). There are some youtubes on removing the unit, from memory, start by popping out the smallest section at the bottom with the seat heat controls - I've got a vague memory of removing the ashtray but could have been from another job? It's very easy just be careful not to drop any screws into the centre consul when removing so keep a magnet handy. If you're good with things like this, you may find that you can fix the problem better when the unit/cover is removed and on a table. Unfortunately I couldn't fix mine so sourced a replacement unit second hand from ebay that was circa £120. I presume that it wasn't working when you purchased? There could well be something aftermarket out there that would fit with more modern phone/wifi/etc. connectivity, I'm sure there are members better informed than myself for this info.

Thanks George - I will take it back to pipecraft for another assesment with my new found knowledge.

Having rest the rror codes it took about 90 minutes driving before the warning engine light appeared again. In fact I made an assumption both banks as I had 1/2,/2/2 and assumed one was left and one right, but in fact both error codes relate to BANK2 as shown. Does anyone know what side BANK2 means?

Thanks George, I'm interested in your comments as I fo get a warning for both sdies. I guess that I'm not sure exactly what you mean by a leak in the middle section? The manifold downpipes from both sides connect to their respective CATs, then after the sensors, the pipes bend in towards the middle section and another box (is this another CAT or just silencer?). Are you are suggesting where the pipes join together before the mid-section box to look for leaks in this area? The cost of replacement Left/Right CATs in circa £600 minimum for USA imports, so it would be nice to know the originals should still be efficient. I can't see much change out of £1000 here if I buy the megaflow above and need new CATs also!

Wasn't sure I understood this thread, but now I do, and seemingly my 2001 LS430 is exempt. No ULEZ charge due for this vehicle This vehicle meets the emission standards for ULEZ so you don't have to pay this charge when driving within the zone. Per my other post today, just need to get the MOT centre to agree!

I've inadvertently cleared the error codes before reading them on my LS430 (sorry its been a while since I used the machine and should have read the instructions again) so the engine management light is now off. As soon as its back, normally after 10-15 minutes driving, I'll read again. It was very clear from memory, left bank catalytic converter losing efficiency, followed by same message for right bank. I will call megaflow USA on Monday, as I'm thinking although it may have a more efficient mod section CAT, without the front 2 x CATS, would the sensors mean the engine light would remain - this is an MOT failure nowadays as any engine management warning light on is an MOT fail.

I'm thiniking that I should have bought this just for the exhaust and then sold the rest. Interestingly, it sold on ebay for almost the same amount £787 that Seat offered me as a trade in on my 2001 LS430 which has 2 months still left on MOT and no damage! I couldn;t find Andy's original post but do remember reading it at the time.

Last year my 2001 LS430 scraped through its MOT on emissions, its due for renewal at end March 2020, There is a warning light on the dash and the error code has pointed to the front catalytic converters, both sides of the down pipes losing efficiency. The exhaust is otherwise in great condition as I replaced from the mid-rear sections with aftermarket import spares about 18 months ago. I do about 3,000 miles a year and buying a new car isn't excatly environmentally friendly even if its an EV in my opinion. I've been trying to source new CATs, in fact a whole front the back exhaust system, but aside from one UK advert for an exhaust specialist in Leeds, there appears to be no new spares available. I'm prepared to spend a reasonable amount here, but I can't be silly as the value of the car is limited - I'm thinking £800-1000 maximum, if I'm being practical. The only thing I can find is a megaflow system from USA, but its not clear if the front CATs are included (I think not) or, skipped by this system or, you have to buy these separately. It would be mad to buy/import the item on the link below only to find out you still need to purchase left/right front CATs. Does anyone have a suggestion better than the link below, as I will likely need to scrap my car which otherwise is running perfectly and I would be sad to lose for this reason! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Magnaflow-Conv-DF-01-06-Lexus-LS430-4-3L-Rear/382078484113?_trkparms=aid%3D555021%26algo%3DPL.SIMRVI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20190711100440%26meid%3D9ebf5daff6e24c448f35372bcc2fdb78%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D11%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D114046409240%26itm%3D382078484113%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982 Do I have any alternative suggestions from members - has anyone else been in the same position and found a solution?