The-Acre

The pipes that go to the bottom of the rad are rubber, it seems to be internally where the corrosion occurs. Also there's conflicting info, some say you can't cool the transmission enough, some say it can be cooled too much. What I do know is that my aftermarket cooler still gets very hot, so its not over cooling it.

I always understood the design was the same. All I can say is that fitting the cooler was very easy, and inexpensive. Last Monday I gave it a really good test, driving through London with very slow, and lots of non moving traffic, and all seems fine. The other way of course is just to replace the radiator. That would prevent the problem and take away the possibility of a near future radiator failure.

I'll phone them both on Monday and let you know what they say.

Not my first choice of colour, but it does look nice. I know they're becoming harder to find, but it is still a 17 year old car. Woking isn't that far from me, may be worth a drive.

On the face of it, this looks like a decent LS400, just wondered if anyone knows it. The seller is obviously familiar with the forum. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1998-LEXUS-LS400-AUTO-GOLD-Low-mileage-Full-Main-dealer-Service-History-/301649004227?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item463bae86c3

I think I will phone them on Monday. Even if I don't buy another LS430, I may do the conversion on my current car. It's just a case of deciding if I should do it on a car with 145K on the clock, although the engine still runs beautifully,as does the transmission. The way I see it is if the suspension was converted, the transmission/water possible problems were addressed, there's no reason why the LS430 shouldn't be as tough as its predecessor, it is after all more or less the same with regards to the engine and transmission.

Yes, sorry Phil. I'm not too good at that these creaky back days. However, if when you want a holiday in Portugal in the next couple of months you are welcome to dismantle my back seat as a practice run. I might get the 'somewhere behind the back rest' rattle fixed as a bonus BTW: regarding my dash fault issue. The vsc/red triangle display vanished yesterday, two days after I sprayed the maf with Screwfix 'electrical cleaner'. The maf looked immaculate beforehand so I nearly didn't bother. So I guess I'll be dong gone ...... sorry Portugal...not sure, now if you said Cornwall... According to a couple of US forums it may not be necessary to completely remove the rear seat, it's just to get access to the top mountings. A good idea though to look at the state of the subwoofer at the same time.

A friend of mine was sucked into WeBuyAnycar, a 2005 Vectra estate in good order, they were offered £300! The one on ebay is well over priced for the work needed. A new rear window is £400 before fitting, steering column motors £300 each, and there are two, plus cam belt and major service, wheel refurb, and that's just for starters. Still, if someone has bid nearly 3K good luck to them. With the cost of putting it right, and the cost of purchase in the first place, I reckon it would be cheaper to buy a later face-lift version.

Knowing the cost of parts etc, I really can't understand how anyone would bid more than £1,500 for this, it's just not worth it. Full and comprehensive history is vital.

The Strutmaster ones aren't bad when you convert it to Sterling, it's just under £850, which is the price of one air strut! I've still had no response, so I suppose I'll have to phone them. In complete contrast, I contacted a US company and they responded (allowing for the time difference) immediately, very helpful, very courteous etc. With shipping it works out to £1,100, plus there will be VAT on that. The kit contains all that's needed, including details of how to remove the dash fault code when the new ones are fitted. So it looks like I'll try the British ones should I do it. The price is pretty good, and if I remove the rear seat myself it would cut down on labour costs. What I really want is some info from someone who has done this so I can know what to expect.

Some have happened below 50K some have not happened at 250K I often wonder if the higher mileage ones are better because the system is being used rather than sitting doing nothing, which really doesn't do it any good at all.

If you open the bonnet and get someone to switch the AC on you'll hear the compressor engage. If it engages but the pipes don't get cold the compressor is suspect. Mine went on my last MK1V

This is for the high beam which is easier, the low beam HID's are very different.

The car would drop overnight as the system leaks air, the pump would be running more often to keep up with the leak. If it's a height sensor the car could sit too high or too low on one corner. And that's just the start, the ride could be hard, or very bouncy or the whole thing could just collapse. Or, it could go on for years with no issues as many do!

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/60266-how-do-you-remove-the-headlight-on-the-ls430/ I don't know if you'll get anything from this, I couldn't open any info but your system may be different. Have you still got both covers that go on when the bulb is replaced? They also stop flies etc going in. BTW, when I changed my bulbs, I put my smart phone down to get photos of the assembly as you can't see down there. It certainly makes fitting new bulbs easier. And make sure you've allowed the ballast units to discharge for a couple of minutes before putting your fingers down there, otherwise your hair may stand on end!

Well generally, Malc, I couldn't agree more. In fact, if somebody actually used the word "chillaxing" to my face I would give their nose a tweek! I'm a defender of the English language, which includes the correct way to pronounce "schedule" and all the other Americanisms we have. However, back to the point, if anyone has any info/thoughts on these struts I'd appreciate it.

I'm not sure that a poor command of the English language would put me off, the guy that does my bodywork isn't Mastermind material but he's brilliant at what he does. Its just knowing at this stage if the product looks to be right for the job. I can get them from the US for a similar price, but that doesn't include shipping and taxes. When you consider replacing with air parts again, with 4 struts and 4 sensors (not even including the pump) there's a potential cost there of £4,600 without labour, so it has to make sense in the long run.

I posted this elsewhere but it seems to have got a bit lost. I've been looking at the possibility of getting another LS430 that's becoming available, if I do , I want to convert it to conventional spring struts. Does anyone know if these will do the trick? According to the listing they will but they won't reply to messages. If so, it works out a lot less than shipping from the US. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BC-Racing-BR-Coilover-Suspension-Lexus-LS430-2000-07-/290371983867?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item439b84d9fb

I'm just curious so I'm resurrecting this again. I've PM'd Brendan for an update but had no reply. I may have the chance to buy another LS430 in the very near future from a friend of a friend. If I did, I would want to get the conversion done for peace of mind. I've contacted a company in the US re price and shipping. There's also this company in the UK. They won't reply to any of my messages but I'm wondering if these will do the job. What do you think? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BC-Racing-BR-Coilover-Suspension-Lexus-LS430-2000-07-/290371983867?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item439b84d9fb The other thing Brendan mentioned was that the job wasn't as involved as some say. I thought the rear seat had to come out, does anyone know if that's the case?

Voice recognition? I didn't know they had that!

Thanks for that. I did notice the wheel arches so it may not work for me, but I'll still look when one appears locally.

Don't buy it, you'll become addicted! Nothing else will be able to take its place....... If its in decent condition with good history, grab it while its still available, they're becoming harder to find and you'll be smitten.

Depends a lot on age. Being officially an old git, I went directly to Saga where I got cover for my LS for £150, that's fully comp, NCBP and my wife as a named driver. I was told that having my wife as a named driver reduces the premium as well. Apparently it has something to do with having her take over if I'm tired so there's less likelihood of an accident. Not much help when she's not with me though! Most companies will be open to some negotiation as well, lots of us don't try but it's well worth it.

I did a fair amount of research before buying Mobil 3309. Many examples of transmission failure have been reported by not using the correct one. I think it's the same on all Lexus cars, the correct type is stamped on the end of the dipstick. Mine clearly says T 1V

I bought some thick strimmer line, 4mm I think it is. If you do it gently you can go all the way through.