Scribe

I once got 40 mpg between Brighton and the Dartford Tunnel, but that was driving gently, just to see if it was possible. I didn't do more than 60 mph, not that that was always possible on the M25 anyway. Normally on a long run I get about 34 mpg.

Thanks Jon. My driver's side temperature light stopped working ages ago but now I know how it can be fixed.

When I do a long journey in mine, I think to myself: why would I get rid of this car and drive anything else?

Hi Qamar. Glad you're keeping the Lex. Mine isn't a daily driver but I try to use it once a week. It's my long-distance drive and I took it to Bournemouth (100 miles, mostly dual carriageway, each way) last weekend. It didn't miss a beat. I can recommend a Yaris as a cheapish runaround.

Has anyone else noticed that AC gas needs replacing more often these days? It doesn't seem to last more than a year or two, whereas older cars I had carried on for years without needing regassing. I have a friend abroad with a 1997 Toyota Carina E that still has ice-cold AC which hasn't been regassed in ten years or more.

My indy mechanic (Toyota/Lexus trained) has never seen an LS400 cambelt with any wear on it after 10 or more years. Mine was replaced nine years ago but I've only done 12,000 since then. What price peace of mind, I suppose. Mine (registered Jan 1998) has a retracting power aerial and I wish it had powerfold mirrors. They would help coming in and out of the garage - it's a tight squeeze. Fortunately the shape of the car means you can see the bonnet, and the sides are flat. Modern cars are different in both these respects!

I'd add that, given the age that all Mk.4 LS400s now are, go on condition rather than spec. The cars are tougher mechanically than bodily, and rust is likely to be a problem after 25 or so years. I've just had mine Lanoguarded, because the only MOT advisory was corrosion to the rear subframe. The Mk.4 featured changes to the engine and transmission that made it slightly more economical, but this wouldn't be a factor if I were looking for one. Good luck with your search!

I agree with all of the above!

Qamar, you've got a lot to deal with at the moment - that long drive to Scotland and leaving your daughter there, and of course your diagnosis. This must be colouring your feeling about life in general, so even your LS doesn't bring you pleasure like it usually does. I think Malc's right: the issue isn't your car, it's everything else that's going on. When we get low, even slightly, we can find it difficult to take pleasure in anything. I think the medical term for this is anhedonia. And I'm not surprised you're feeling low. The good thing is that you've admitted it - to yourself and to us. You're not broken, you only feel broken. I wish you well. Send me a private message if you want to. Happy to chat off here if you need to unload. All the best. Andrew

'And those early engines having an after-life' When two guys came to repair my garage door last week, they admired my LS400 but talked mostly about a friend who put an LS400 engine into his much smaller Lexus (an IS, I think). I gather they're also popular engines with stock car racers. They won't be getting mine anytime soon (I hope).

Your Camry is back on sale for £4,950. The ad doesn't say anything about corrosion or work to remedy it.

'There seems to be no middle ground between absolute pigs that no one wants, to a stunning overpriced minter.' The same with LS400s, I'd suggest.

I think you're right, Jack. Maybe my bushes dry out in hot weather because there's not enough cool air passing underneath the car. I'll get them sprayed at some point.

How long has the creak/squeak been going on? If I get stuck in traffic for a long time in warm weather, I get the same creak. But it disappears when the car has cooled down. I've never bothered to have it investigated.

Mine keeps discharging, sometimes more quickly than others. I'm getting a replacement, and will keep the new one on trickle charge regularly.

Battery has charged up, and I drove the car round the neighbourhood to check everything works. Even the VSC light reset itself. Took a couple of photos in case they're of interest. Battery now on trickle charge. My garage no longer deals with the Yuasa supplier, and would have to replace the battery with a Bosch. Not sure if I'll have to pay. If I do, I'll go for a LPD one instead.

Also less commuting for me since Covid - I now work from home 3 or 4 days per week. I've always liked the Legend, but not the cost of taxing it!

Good question Malc. I also have a 1999 Honda Accord V6 Coupe, currently SORN and about to be MOT'd and re-taxed. That's my normal daily drive. Thirstier than the Lexus but easier to park and more straightforward, with no electrical silliness to deal with. And a Peugeot 207CC, currently my daily drive but otherwise referred to as the girly hairdresser car (no offence intended). I've often wanted to replace it with an MX-5 but I'm too tall for one.

Thanks Paul. My charger has 3 settings: trickle, slow and 'jump start'. I've only used the second of these, when the battery has lost most or all of its charge. It charges up within a few hours. Do you suggest I leave it on 'trickle' most of the time, just to keep it topped up, and disconnect when I use the car?

Yes, the Lexus is my hobby car, not my daily driver, and I very rarely drive more than 20 miles in any direction. So it doesn't get long runs any more. I do charge the battery from time to time, but it's gone flat a few times, so maybe it's damaged. I'm going to get a new one, then try to use the car more. I guess it does no harm to disconnect the battery if the car isn't going to be used for a few weeks? Malc, the current Yuasa battery has a 4-year warranty so I may be able to return it.

Thanks all for your comments. I had the negative earth to the body replaced last year, which cured the problem of the car going dead, sometimes when driving (not pleasant or safe). The battery terminals were replaced at the same time. Jon, your comment makes sense because there's every indication that the battery is fully charged when it obviously isn't. What I don't understand is how a low battery level can cause such differing issues. Sometimes it struggles to crank the starter, but other times the car can be started several times a day, for example when going from shop to shop, and then give up overnight. Once (in wintertime), when I hadn't used the car for a while, one headlight and the central locking didn't work. Both problems disappeared when the battery was fully charged. It's like the electrics go haywire, but not always in the same way. This is why the car scares me - the problems seem illogical. I'm sure one of you tecchies out there could explain it all, but I'm mystified by the whole business. Maybe I should remind myself that the rest of the car is tough as old boots, and that most newer cars can also have electrical problems. And maybe I should think of batteries as having a 3-year life.

Thanks Malc. I know I don't use the car enough. But half the time, when I want to, it has no electrics. So it's not much use to me any more. The battery has gone flat a few times, but when it was last checked it still had 93% efficiency. Happy to try a new one, but I don't understand how something so simple could present so many weird symptoms. And I'm running out of patience with it.

I've disconnected the battery, connected the charger, and switched it on. The green 'charged' light immediately glows, instead of the orange 'charging' one. And the gauge reads 100% charged. But no juice to the car's systems when I reconnect the battery. Could the battery be knackered but show a full charge? It's still under warranty, and my garage will replace it. But I need to be able to start the car to get it to the garage. And if that's not the problem...??? It feels more like a connection issue.

Last week, electrics were non-existent after leaving the car unused for two weeks. No interior lights, no red security light, nothing. Connected the battery charger to the battery and there was nothing - as if the battery was dead. I wondered if it (Yuasa, three years old) had given up. The next day, when I tried again, the battery charger lit up as if there was now a connection, but the battery seemed not to take any charge. The following day, when my mechanic came to pick up the car to fix the exhaust, there was power but not enough for the starter motor. He put his battery pack on and the car immediately fired up. He was going to replace the battery but the car was fine all day, and started a few times perfectly normally. I used the car two days later and it drove beautifully without missing a beat. Everything worked. But this morning, after another four days, there are no interior lights, nothing from the ignition, no lights. It's as good as dead again, except that the red security light is flashing normally. I assume that if the battery's faulty, the power wouldn't go but come back again. Ditto with a blown fuse. So could it be a connection issue?

I had a similar problem, and although I can't remember exactly what happened I think it was because I was locking with the remote but unlocking with the key, or vice versa. Then the remote wouldn't work, and the alarm went off. I disconnected the battery, waited five minutes and reconnected, and everything re-set correctly. Now I make sure I use the remote all the time, though the unlock button doesn't work as easily as it should.