Malc

I was putting one squeeze of redex in for every gallon I dispensed as a forecourt attendant some 50 years ago when I was a lad ............... never did me any harm but that was into simply leaded petrol, I've no idea what the intricacies of it all are with hardened " heads " and lead removed from fuel just to what benefits there might be . apart from the obvious it sells more product for the oil majors. My V8 has never had redex nor much other than supermarket fuel for decades ............. she runs well on that and is 214k miles young Malc

if its a pitta of a job maybe get them to refit the replacement too ? Just a thought Malc

if you see another Ls of any description then it must simply be a MIRAGE ................... I used to see locally the odd Ls400 and Ls430 but not for a long while now..............460 and 600s I never see on my travels these days Malc

but the combined PAIR of springs and shocks for the front axle ( and back axle too ) combined costs seem very advantageous whatever the final delivered costs I remember a single spring on mine just before I bought the lady in 2011 was just over £100 to AC Lex ( prior owner ) and it seems as if simplicity of fitting exists too with the combined sets. Seems maybe the way to go ................ Malc.

oh for the joy of us old'uns with simple Ls400s and zero TPMS pray tell, what is the actual real advantage of TPMS ? does it outweigh the disadvantages seen here I wonder .................... Malc

so so sorry to hear your bad news here BUT would think that just the single one needs replacing ............ the others will probably last for ever hopefully Malc

Gentlemen and ladies ................... the 5 pints of Guinness were only imbibed with no fear of driving afterwards ................. the traditional Live Band music was just brilliant too .... what happens when the golden oldies playing in these groups vanish heaven only knows .. the bars will never be the same. As for my route, well, I just headed south for the East Coast route out of the Port of Dublin ( euro1.40 exit fee, I know not why ! ) which takes you on ordinary roads rather than that darned Toll Road/M'way whatever it is ........ these East Coast roads are a good start to your tour ............. then just head south, take your time, there are many coves and bits and bobs to see along the way ..... not least the sunrise over the sea at Dun Laogharie if you're on the overnight ferry that docks about 6am on a bright clear morning ............. a grand start to Ireland. Then just carry along the coast until your car fancies stopping for breakfast, coffee, lunch, coffee and more coffee ...... then about 4 or 5pm start looking out for a suitable b&b ........ there are plenty usually, most were quite good, some exceptionally so, rarely just ok. Irish hospitality abounds ..... take your time, take in the views and go back for more The Ring of Kerry I did twice, each ring takes a whole day, 125 miles of pure joy ........... stay in the same b&b for those two nights on each occasion , then there's no rush Then up the coast to Malin Head at the very Top of Ireland .... it's a very very very long and stunning coastal road ............. then down to Londonderry and for me a quite uncomfortable feeling in Northern Ireland, I don't know, it just felt scary seeing the graffiti, clear sectarianism stuff and British Army vehicles trundling around ......... not getting the same warm feeling from the locals and cafes and restaurants that I had in the Republic .. however, I travelled some 200 miles in NI and stayed at one night's b&b before heading back to Malin village ...... and continuing my tour of Ireland in a more calm and contented feeling ............. atmosphere ............ The 4 weeks passed well, brilliant all round ........... but I stayed mainly in the Republic ............ and I'll sure go back for a lot more of the same Cost, well, who worries about that .... you only live the once and your Ls will take you on many more excellent tours too ..... well fingers xd mine will me Malc Hope I haven't bored you all

I have read somewhere ( heaven knows where though ) that hybrid batteries are not replaced in one lump but the bad bits are just replaced piecemeal. Generically there must be other cars/vehicles with similar set-ups that have had hybrid battery attention..... just a question of finding the appropriate repair specialists I guess ... somewhere Malc

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and still got teeth M

The Maxxis All Seasons tread pattern is amazingly different to the earlier Maxxis i had on the car ... I'll still not take her out in the snow and ice though, she has a mind of her own in those circumstances. Malc

Amazing experience and so far as i can remember the scenery i found was just simply world class ............... My memory might not be so good these days but as a lad, well 30+ years ago, I ventured to trekking in the Himalya, the Andes the Drakensburg ranges too and quite frankly my explorations into the depths of the Republic found me gasping with amazement ............... and at how the car coped with the quite mountainous ( but green ) terrain roads. Never been before, apart from a half day in Dublin on a open topped tour bus .. and thoroughly enjoyed that too I shall be going back for sure.... the b&bs and small cheapy hotels were just brilliant ........ the art to find a b&b across the road from the pub where 5 pints of Guinness enabled one to roll across the road to bed without teetering too much on/off the barstool Twas Brilliant Malc

Hey everybody Just completed a 4250 miles Grand Tour of the emerald isle ......... stunning vistas, brilliant, exactly 4 weeks and some 3514 miles in Ireland, the rest to and fro Holyhead Changed my front tyres before I left and the rears on my return date on 214k miles 225/60/16 Maxxis All Seasons £96 a corner all-up these tyres feel quite grippy and good, four firm feet on the ground ☺️ they replace ordinary Maxxis HR1 ?....... which covered about 30k miles. Drawback was the OEM wiper rubbers replaced at the last service at 205k miles, the drivers side smears and no amount of cleaning the rubber or the screen shifts the irritant. I won't be buying OEM again, they are quite expensive and whereas before they lasted 3yrs / 40k miles, this latest batch just aren't good quality from Toyota/Lexus The car performed magnificently .... dealt with the twisty climbs and switchbacks and all else Irish roads could throw at her, just brilliant performance Not a single worry or fault, just brilliant motoring, but only as we all come to expect from our Ls 400s No idea how much fuel etc or the mpg BUT what I do know is she performed sooooo well that upon return she had a hand wash and now sparkles again EXCEPT my own stupid fault i know ....... many roads there come to an abrupt end with no prior warning before you start the journey down them ........ rather than reversing back along this particular dastardly road i decided to do a 3point or more turn and as ever, Irish walls are a little unforgiving and I've got to have a little cosmetic re-adjustment done to the rear passenger door cosmetics No rush though . I'm a little knackered still I'm sure no other car can deliver the comfort and serenity, quiet confidence and excellence of mind restfulness that the Ls400 can .... let alone supreme driver comfort from any or many hours of sitting in the armchair relaxing driving at peace with the world ...... and Ireland Malc

terrible dilemma for you .............. you'll just have to keep the car Malc

on mine just replaced with Maxxis All Seasons 225/60/16. The fronts prior to my Irish adventure and the rears as I returned on 214k miles They seem to have good grip and handling and at £96 a corner " all-up " are ok for me They replaced ordinary Maxxis which lasted just 30k miles Seemingly a bit challenging to find now though, maybe a bit like the Falkens that went out of production a while ago Malc

but sadly not in your Lexus Malc

the dash lights sometimes fade/fail and the temp gauge readings blank too .. but in earlier models . all this can usually be fixed by someone competent with a soldering kit at a modest cost The instant " let you down " things might be where the power steering reservoir has leaked for a longish while on to the alternator ( older models ) and the front PAS coolant pipes that run just behind the radiator corrode, weep and then burst .. easy cheap fixes, again by someone competent, and really age/mileage related too. you really should buy one .......... everything is cheaper to fix than any other comparable marque and lasts forever once fixed ( well, another 150k miles at least ) Malc

have you changed the air filter ? Malc

I have been reading on here the case to buy secondhand air struts ( Paul Frost maybe ) and ALSO a little while ago I think I remember reading a re-conditioning company ( in Poland ? ) doing them and the overall cost to UK was, by comparison, not a lot. that thread will be here somewhere might be worth a bit of research BUT if you're intent to go with full replacement with non air then that's a thought too Malc

my rain water in the past has been full of Sahara dust etc ............ so take care with that idea ! Malc

that's what it actually states so that's what it means ( surely ! ) .......... if the Dealer thinks otherwise take him to task and demand arbitrary referral to Lexus HQ Malc

Hello A very wise choice of car ..... I've been driving these as my main car for 17 years and maybe 200k miles overall ... a Mk1 then my Mk2 ( that was written-off ) and now my Mk3 some 7 years and 87k miles ago now ... wouldn't want any other limo ...... arm chair comfort for silly money ( low that is ) . Simple low cost maintenance in that everything lasts for at least 150k miles before it needs replacing Annual servicing and MOT by my indy who has been looking after all my cars for 11 years now ( but in Kent I'm afraid ) ................. these cars will last for hundreds of thousands of miles for sure I don't know much about the Mk4 other than it's a very fine car but with some extra teccy stuff like inbuilt satnav. Very few Ls400s have air suspension, mainly Jap imports I guess, which is prone to defunct after about maybe 100k+ miles but guys on here will be more informed on this.. and possibly £1000 a corner to fix . go for non air if you can I would say Suspension parts / springs last for 150/200k miles or longer and nothing is hugely expensive but when it does go wrong and replaced with sensible parts they will last another lifetime. My Mk3 is on the original exhaust and I'm expecting it to go on and on and on and on.......... . just simple welding spots on the mild steel part is usually an easy £40 fix . mine's been repaired twice now, this year about 40k miles since the last time .......... now on 210k miles I've driven all over most of easy Europe in her, France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Portugal, many 000s of miles and weeks at a time and taking her to Ireland next week for a month for maybe 3k miles overall .... wouldn't think twice about another Europe journey of 6k miles over 5 weeks, do it at the drop of a hat with total confidence. The early cars, Mk1s might now be prone to structural rust, but at nearly 30 years old and not well enough looked after, you might expect that ! Fabulous cars, extreme comfort and utter reliability in my long experience ( but with proper servicing and preventative maintenance . e.g change the cambelt, pulleys and waterpump every 100k miles to be on the safe side.) BUY one, check it's MOT and service history if you can BUT parts at this time are easily available ........ the Ls400 was a great seller in the USA. Just remembered the early cars were 15" wheels and brakes, the latter standard 16" and better etc ............ I know. This Forum is full of extremely useful info on the Ls400 ......... explore and read it all................. BUT essentially .......... BUY ONE Malc

You will have an amazing time in Spain, The Ls400 is THE Grand Touring car I had a fabulous Grand Tour of Spain and Portugal a few years back ( I told you all ? ) for a 4/5 weeks 5/6000 mile tour, just the one night stopover in France each way to/from the ferry at Dover ( solo too, she wmbo doesn't do too much driving with me, and a month is double what sanity allows ) FABULOUS.... Salamanca sits in my memory and not just coz Wellington did his thing there. Amazing travels in Spain and i stayed two nights in that hotel in Ronda that sits on the cliff edge overlooking the world it seems ................ and the year following to Italy. and next week to Eire for a month via Holyhead ferry Best car ever for touring at leisure Malc

would the MOT station be wanting to sell you new tyres maybe ? Malc

Sorry to read your news ............... HOWEVER ............... as you have the passion to sell top quality cars then there will be a MUCH BETTER offer for you somewhere in this field, just treat this as a learning experience ............ how about selling Bentley or Rolls Royce classic and vintage cars ? High quality, high end and lots of prestige money there I would think Good luck with the future .. the world is at your finger tips Malc

Honda Toyota Mazda Nissan ... avoid all things German, don't like French apart from ancient DS types .... Alfa's beautiful design but hopeless engineering, alongside Lancia and Fiat Malc