Malc

you're very right with this ..... on my Grand Tour of Italy a couple of years ago I was stopped about 15 times by the police for nothing other than " out of curiosity " .............. never having seen such a car methinks ............... and mine is just straight standard issue Mk3 Ls400 Malc

for a " keeper " the prospect of spending say @£600 for a cambelt, peripherals and waterpump change, to last 100k miles / 10 years or so, is a mere trifle Malc ps. I love trifle btw

Jonathan, I too have been tempted by the Ls600 from time to time, the ridiculously seemingly low prices appear to be a great incentive However, just reading a few tales from time to time of amazingly silly repair costs and my perception that the batteries might last about 10 years, and then a £10/15000 replacement cost, quite frankly scares the s..t out of me ....... maybe I'm a little paranoid about this ( also the Ls460 too I fear ) and doubtless all would be well ........... but I cannot even get anywhere near to justifying replacing my Mk3 Ls400 Others on here with the Ls600 will confirm they are brilliant cars and at bottomed out prices there's a lot of motor car for the money ! Malc

rarely, only in very exceptional circumstances But she lets me sometimes drive her Honda Legend Malc

the old adage . " from the sublime to the ridiculous " springs to mind Malc

this used to happen all the time on my Mk1 but now on my Mk3 the reservoir bottle stays properly full to the top Malc

................. dear chap, he caused me much interesting and taxing cerebral effort in my time as a city banker, never a bad word for the guy ( at the time ) and I even received a bottle of superior brandy one Xmas for some extraordinary effort or other ....... oh, and the Xmas cards were of him posing with HM at Buck House I think ............ different times and when bankers were revered rather than now exposed as the simple nigh downfall of the western monetary system some 10 years past ........ lest we forget and all that eh ! Remember to tell your bank manager that ( if you can find one ) if ever you're hauled over the coals to explain something amiss ..... just tell them you're still bailing him / them out Malc

I think Steve above has saved the day ! Malc

perhaps simply take out a claim in the small claims court against the seller ............. you will win and it will cost his business dear for miss-selling Also social media stuff too might bring him to heel Malc

me being a bit " old school " I rather like the unmolested touch Lexus spent billions designing these cars and for that reason alone they are near ( or really are ) perfect at inception and perform at optimum being unmolested I guess I am sure others on here with the Mk4 will have differing views and suggestions .............. best wishes with whatever you decide Malc

OMG surely if you're running this ( type of ) car you shouldn't need to worry one jot about fuel consumption and cost ! Malc

on the Ls400 forum ( and me particularly ) wind noise seeming to come from a closed window or wherever, was " cured " when windscreen was renewed / re-fixed/seated Malc

just a thought, probably nothing as i don't know anything about the Ls430 BUT if you have TPMS perhaps that got affected in some manner and caused the hiccup Malc

I've learnt to just leave my Ls400 at home in snow and ice coz i know it has a mind of it's own in those conditions and is tempted to go anywhere the fancy takes it I admit to only having the one set of quite ordinary tyres on the car .......... that's enough for me NOW I have read in the past of fellow LOC members living in far flung continental nether regions who have absolutely zero problems in the snow and ice and that's brilliant BUT I bet their tyres aren't quite run of the mill either ......... searching on here might link into some of those posts I guess, somewhere Malc

Martin, if it's not too far to go and see i think you might be pleasantly surprised ..... springs break at will, often going over some dreadful stretch of road ! Being driven on a private stretch, say around a business yard is quite ok and on SORN The lack of detail on the peripherals being changed with the cambelt might be a little academic ...... mine are only just going to be changed for the first time around early next year at 205k miles ! The rest of the " issues " seem a little petty to worry too much about at that mileage and age and price imho Malc

talking of likely corrosion..... there's a post on here under " Kobe Steel " or summat .... and it hit me that manufacturers might be dumbing down on steel quality generally now to see an expected steel lifespan of @3 years ( yes 3 ) Malc

why do you think this .... to my knowledge none of my serpentine belt and peripheral stuff has ever been changed and at 200k miles it's as quiet as a mouse ...... a bit like the car generally, just purrs along ( not chasing that mouse at all ) Malc

a testament to the Ls400 longevity ..................... in the right hands Malc

on the Ls forum the gearbox oil can be changed in dribs and drabs, say 2/3 ltrs every 36k miles or so ....... rarely to change the whole of the contents in one go ..... however, these aren't sealed for life ...... where life could well be at least 30 years, the age of the oldest Ls400s coming through next year or so. Sealed for life I suppose depends on the life expectancy Lexus have for your car I guess What do you guys think I wonder ? Malc

btw please make sure the power steering leak doesn't " take out " your alternator through leaking ....... it did so on my Mk1 many years ago Malc

Ah, the name escapes me .............. BUT if you know Sittingbourne at all ? ............. it's follow the big orange Powder Coating sign next to the turning going under the Sittingbourne Light Railway road between Asda and the roundabout towards Sittingbourne ........ follow that road and you will eventually find the place amongst the industrial units ...... I was impressed ( first impressions) the guys say they have been in business 7 ? years and the set-up looks professional ............... Malc

shoddy job then, he missed doing the boot Malc

call me " All " .............. check out the directors names first too you might be sitting on a small fortune My old now decd Mk2 had BCA3 on it prior to my purchase ........ the garage i bought it from sold that ( for £8500 I believe ) to the BCA Group Malc

looks a delightful shade of ..... Aspen Green ! Malc

Henry, at 96k miles you would indeed be unfortunate to need anything other than the cambelt itself...... BUT words on here might suggest you go ahead and do all the peripherals and the waterpump too .............. and while your at it the starter motor bushes whilst all the gubbins is being taken apart I personally would take a bit of a " chance ", if that's the word, and not bother with anything other than the belt itself ............. and worry about it all again at 200k miles If it's a Mk3 then get Lexus to confirm if the starter motor recall was dealt with on your car ................ it only applied to the Mk3 I think .... if not then if they do that recall for free ( as they should ) then that should save shed loads of time/ cost£££ for when you have the cambelt replaced ( at Lexus ! ) and you could do a deal with them i would think. Mine is on 200500 miles and the cambelt is next due at 204500 miles, next year....... about March, that's 100k miles and 11 years since it was last done. In my Full Lexus Service History ( prior to my buying the car ) I have found zero reference to anything other than the cambelt itself having been replaced ......... no peripherals nor waterpump and Lexus confirmed there was no recall outstanding for my starter motor. Your choice though what to do of course Malc