Malc

Original Lexus Press Pack ............. piece that is Malc

I would go with Toyota / Lexus belts for the future. Why ? well, on here the other day in the " early Press Release " contribution item here I noted that the OEM cambelt was developed as the belt, to avoid having to have a noisier camchain for the Ls400 as newly developed. The cambelt is of aramid fibre ......... kevlar stuff ........ and original Ls400 had no cambelt change periodicity / mileage stipulation. Guess it just might last a very very very long time ........ as would probably the serpentine belt too............. probably seriously over engineered for the job they have to do. Malc

I think you get what you pay for with wiper rubbers ........ my Mazda one's I just get cheapies and they last just over a year and eventually judder and squeal, especially in the cold, not so bad when it's warmer. The Lexus ones bought from Toyota / Lexus are brilliant and made for the car I guess and always do a simply superb job ...... for years and years and years. Malc

Jonathan........... the 2008 link you put up ................ I just know there's a much later one somewhere coz I think I may have even contributed to it at the time ......... buy hey ho, all's well that ends well and the problem seems to have been resolved ??!!?? Malc

Dale, there is ( was ) to download a simple and free fix guide sheet available from a USA source, well there was at the time, it all looked too complex for me to personally undertake so i just went with the best value for me....... and mine was fixing the illumination generally. Clearly not ok for your circumstances though. Thinking aloud now, I remember we had a guy on here who broke Ls's too, a font of all good knowledge and spare parts and there didn't seem to be a problem with the guy making a living from his expertise at that time. Malc

ah yes, I now see the front lower spoiler missing too .... well, tbh, I'm always bashing mine on low kerbs at the front, lost bits of it over time so really pleased it can just be taken off and binned ok. When I do I shan't bother replacing it, just to get another bashing from dopey height kerbs and the like ( nowt to do with my driving of course ) .................. OMG my car isn't perfect Malc

My last wiper rubbers purchased from Lexus ( Toyota ) at I think @£18 about 3 years ago and still going fine.............. maybe about 30k miles too. Malc

is your Lexus aerial stuck ?? Malc

I found him very helpful ........ I arrived at his place, he popped the dash out in 10 mins ( or less, checking the radio code was all ok etc ) sat me down in his lounge and plied me with coffees whilst he did about an hour's soldering etc to fix the dash lights then popped it all back in the car ok. I was happy and about £100 I think PLUS of course my journeying down to his place, fuel etc............ my paying for his technical expertise and knowhow was ok .... and btw he doesn't have a Lexus himself ( well not then anyway ) Can't fault him tbh, service with a smile ....... the alternative was a place near to me in Rochester at £200+ if I remember or Lexus stealership at @£1600 at the time. Malc

I have his phone number and email addy too if u want that. Mind you it's been a few years since I last made contact, when he sorted my dash lights on my Mk2 Malc

there's a L reg one there too on the advert at £2250 and 29k miles ....... that's better value Malc

I just popped a short length of semi hard flexi washing line ( or summat like that ) into each of the four holes and that dislodged enough debris to make them flow freely again. Malc

Thank you Ambermarine, that knowledge is very useful. ................ wondered why a buddy's buddy only ever rents cars there. He says there's maybe an issue with non USA person ownership and the driving licence too ................. Do you know about this ? I have looked at some Ls400s on-line in LA and seen a 1990 at $3200 ...... what worries me more is that there doesn't appear to be any annual test or whatever for older cars and one can't take comfort from the typical " Advisories " that a UK MOT would reveal. Any thoughts ? A conundrum Malc

Well guys, I like to live for the day and tbh keeping a wonderful car like my Lexus at low miles isn't why I have the car at all ............... now done 163k and hopes to do at least 12/15k miles a year all the while I can. Probably done @200k miles in my Ls400s in 13 years now ... the best drive and motoring I have even known and hopes to continue doing just as many miles as I possibly can........... forever. Just contemplating my next year's adventure and tried to sort out shipping Lexii to Argentina for maybe a 6/10k mile tour next spring but it's seemingly nigh impossible to get the protocol sorted and there safely and to use my own car for the trip. .......... Ls400s are as rare as hens teeth there it would seem. So now looking at doing a Route66 USA trip, both ways maybe at @5500 miles and maybe buying a cheapy Lexus Ls400 in LA if I can get down to it and sort out the legal protocol stuff for USA too. Keep you posted ............. .. if you want !! Malc

Maybe at another Lexus stealer of course, they often pool the stock .................... hahahahaha on the dopey price though. We all know that if we had a P reg 62k miler it would last at least another 20 years ....... and a 62k miler would only cost about £1500 too....... vide GBNeil's car and the real actaul value eh !!! Malc

did you ever check the ordinary air filter ?? Malc

Wot a bugger eh !!! You could be in for a battle of course with the insurers OR as happened to me with my Mazda the other month, with silly minor door damage, the third party's excess together with their likely increased premium for their next year's insurance, gave them just the encouragement they needed to pay me the cash to have the damage repaired privately thru' my indy. That was only £350 BUT enough to have otherwise probably written the 20 year old Mazda off no doubt. That might be an avenue to explore ................ BUT your damage looks a bit more than superficial and even using 2ndhand parts I can tot up probably £5 / 600 with wing and bumper and lamps, and then painting too............... maybe £1000 in all. The insurers would no doubt get a formal job repair quote and as you know, that's likely to be @£4k or so and write the car off. As you're LPGd I would just buy the write-off from the insurers ( coz that's likely to be so tbh ) and repair thru' an indy with 2ndhand parts and run the car as whatever Cat the insurers then put upon it. Good luck whichever route you decide to take. Malc

Not so sure Titch,..... when I bought my car ( N reg Mk3 ) from ACLex on here he told me that he had modified the driver's window to be one shot up and down from original spec. Also he told me about the clear lenses scenario ............. some of you may remember the car I bought he had converted to DHP and I asked for it to be restored to original, which he kindly did, springs and all !!! ACLex was our parts guru on here, he was the parts manager at Lexus Poole Dorset. Malc

Original orange lenses were replaced by clear for the DHP ............. so I believe. Malc

hahahahaha .............. .. I've had the privilege of owning three already and maybe this one is my last ......... or maybe not ...... who can tell what life has to offer eh !! These are surely classics in the making. Malc

I wonder when the photos were taken too ?? Might be a factor. Looks good at £1200 ................. with a new MOT Malc

Mine's a similar colour and it's, believe it or not ............. Aspen Green Aren't they an absolute joy to drive :outforcount: Malc

Remind us Jonathan please, what was the former Ls400 all about that you so sadly had to part company with ? Thanks. Malc

If I was looking for one I'd be buying this .............. don't like the colour but that's personal and the LPG filler cap, well, I rather like the one's we've seen on here right within the petrol filler cap area. BUT hey, it looks and reads a fabulous car with lots of stuff done and hopes you should have a lifetime ( and I mean that ) of superb motoring. Malc

Those 8 plugs and leads sound amazingly cheap at £80 .......... maybe the previous owner used cheap parts too and maybe contributed to the issues you now have !! I would ask your mechanic guy for some sort of fixed price " testing " regime to try to get to the bottom of your problem....... and save that possible £80 to put towards his bill. You might be lucky with him. Malc