Malc

some banking accounts have " free " car cover ........ I have RAC full cover ................. and also by virtue of my Nationwide FlexPlus account, they tell me good cover too Maybe worth checking out ! Malc

when one of my FRONT UCAs went I was driving thru the Dolomites .... and all I heard was a muffled clunk, I stopped, looked around, got back in the car and drove perfectly fine, I had no idea then what it was and it made absolutely zero difference to the drive at all........... for many many months until it failed at the next MOT She failed that next MOT ( front n/s UCA ) and this was my first UCA issue, my indy got a BluePrint part which sadly only lasted 40k miles before I replaced both the Fronts with Amayama Toyota stuff .. the o/s front hadn't actually gone at the 217k miles but we decided best to replace both as the original remaining one was, surely, coming to an end of life ! The Blueprint debacle was some years before we had heard of Amayama and Rockauto Malc

well, not my prognosis, but probably yours actually My indy could find absolutely zero issues with anything at all causing my extraordinary loss of water .... he had the car for 5 days, ran it out and about each day, checking the levels the following morning checked everything he could and found nowt ..... he did say that there are a myriad of " O " rings in the system and it could have simply been one of those weeping during the extreme hot weather and the limited driving I was doing, facilitating the weep / leak ...... he didn't mention the thermostat other than heard me say about it from the posts here ! A conundrum for sure BUT nevertheless, all seems fine right now BUT of course the driving I'm doing in her is so so tiny at this time sadly Malc

Roy, hi again FRONT and REAR Upper Control Arms ...... hideously expensive from Lexus / Toyota in the UK, about £550 EACH you're driving just 1000 miles a year ......... I would suggest that when they are actually nearing to be a failure at the MOT then worry about replacing them You might well have another 30/40k miles left in them ............... mine, from original, lasted 193k nearside and 215k offside respectively and I replaced them with ( import ) Amayama OEM Toyota stamped replacements These worked out at about £250 each with carriage, Customs duty, VAT and other associated import costs About 50% or less of the UK prices Don't worry about it at all at this stage, just go with the flow, enjoy your 1000 miles a year of sublime driving and let the MOT tester tell / Advise you the year before they actually really do need replacing Best wishes with it all Malc

Roy, I suspect they'll last you many many many 000s more miles .... what miles has your car covered now ? Malc

Roy hi, have they actually failed the MOT or are you just thinking they might sometime very soon ? Maybe an MOT Advisory etc Malc

All now appears to be sound as a bell and it must surely have been a sticking thermostat Malc

there is a huge motivation with people from all generations and ilk to have kids, the process anyway, it's called s*x ......... be the end resulting with financial gain or nowt I don't think there really is a solution to be had here, especially in banning s*x Malc

maybe this is really the only solution ! Malc

hey guys I posted this in 2014, maybe some 70k miles or so ago ! and 3 years after I bought the car my mirrors have barely deteriorated a smidgen over that time, still beginning to feintly show the " red " marks coming through but still very very useable I don't clean them with anything except water and the occasional soapy water rinse etc The 2006 Honda Legend I have I replaced the passenger side glass mirror, not heated, nor dimming, and that seems to be very functionable ........ it was annoyingly " misting " over for whatever reason, the driver's side mirror is just beginning to do similar I replaced with a bespoke cut, stick-on glass mirror from an on-line source for quite little money, maybe £17 or so, can't quite remember ........... if that's of use please let me know and I'll track down the supplier detail for you ..... no one, simply no one has a last series Legend mirror except maybe the Main Dealer ( from Japan ) and that was lots of £'00s Malc

Steve, you have just saved yourself the best part of £20k with likely repairs that will keep you and her going for a few years I agree about the back seat, for all sorts of reasons, some of them purely selfish in that I won't ever sit in the back and from the past 20 years experience of my Ls400s only about half a dozen people ever have in mine and the longest was two pax to Germany and back in my Mk1 about 15 years ago ......... beautiful ride for them then .......... and for whomsoever might again Your decision mirrors mine, pop a few more bob into the Ls400 and enjoy the feeling of tiny future repair costs attached with supreme comfort and reliability AND if the worst happens, then buy yourself a replacement Ls400 ( maybe ) OR buy a Ls600 from a Main Dealer with FLSH AND that important rolling WARRANTY and like JP Savage rest content now then, where's that advert for that 1965 Bentley S3 ? Malc

methinks you could do that BUT don't forget you'll need plenty of £££££ for the expected, unexpected nuances that are bound to occur that will cost you lots Not for the faint-hearted just so long as you have that " sinking fund " for when your heart sinks I've too been considering a Ls600 but simply decided against it as my trusted dear old faithful Ls400 should go on for a long while yet and give me plenty of comfort etc for me old age ! Malc

just a thought ....... remembering reading on here in times past ........... aren't there actually TWO motors involved ? Malc

but I think the point could be that some people with bans just recklessly carry on driving and get banned a few times with mounting points and it's only breaking their legs that might stop them from driving a car ......... irresponsible people aren't often worried about yet another ban that can be flouted Malc

quite agree, owned our Honda Legend 56 plate for 4 years and 25k miles now and indeed a very very fine car with little out of order expense owned a Ls400 for 20+ years incl. this one for 9.5 years and covered about 200k+ miles in them and they are just so so much better in all regards Malc

many people with a ban still drive, that's why the points mount up and mount up ...... then eventually i guess they get their legs broken so they physically cannot drive Malc

never known one to fail BUT in any event might there be someone inn the UK that can simply refurbish the existing ? Malc

maybe NOT and that's why the points mount up everytime they get caught ! Malc

sorry to hear of your troubles yes, I've been driving Ls400s constantly for 20 years now, a MK1, 2 and now my Mk3 for 9.5 years .............. nothing to beat 'em for reliability and comfort etc go buy yourself another Ls400 maybe ! Malc

if you don't want to change them yourself i do know that Halfords do this for about probably a £10 fee + cost of bulbs Malc

maybe just use a magnet to see if it's metallic and can move around that way too ?

my purchase of Amayama goodies , all OEM and actually stamped Toyota, worked out at Amayama cost price plus about 100% on top of that for carriage, VAT, Customs Duty and flippant Royal Mail charges too ...... and that in total worked out about 50% of retail UK Lexus/Toyota prices Malc

I can only speak for my 1995 Mk3 There is a alarm volume dial just under the wood trim by the gearstick, in front of the front centre console/ armrest ... lift the trim carefully and the dial is exposed Prior to this there was a fuse we found that just disabled the alarm ( and other stuff too ? ) Metal objects, coins, keys etc in the front centre armrest also caused the alarm to trigger How your Ls430 works I have zero knowledge sadly Malc

Ah ! I get it now ........... an Australian take on what it might look like ....... well, sort of resembles a dysfunctional armadillo maybe Malc

dreadful looking car ! Malc