maneesh

Colin, I don't see the point. In 1998, I had problems with the original supplying dealer, and spent many months fighting my case with Lexus GB. They were extremely unsympathetic, especially when dealing with the directors and senior managers. They kept pushing the blame back on me, and were ever so reluctant to get involved between dealer and myself. I felt like I was doing something wrong by complaining. A very traumatic experience!

Hmmm, I used to be able to get 32mpg on cruise control at 70mph a few years ago. I struggle to get over 26mg doing the same driving now. I have changed my oil and filter every 6 months, and have stuck to the servicing schedule like glue. I don't understand what could be causing the increase in fuel consumption. I've never used optimax though, just supermarket petrol.

Extremely useful info Colin. Oh well, I've already changed mine last year, no need to replace until 2008! What difference in MPG do you get? If it's significant, I might replace the platinum with iridium now!

15 phone calls to norwich union and lexus, 5 call centres, an annoyed tone of voice, and someone is finally telling me something about my car!!. lexus say norwich union haven't approved the replacement of electric window motor, and that I will have to pay for it, but norwich union say that's a lie, and they are waiting on lexus edgware road to provide an estimate of costs, once that happens they will make a decision about paying for it or not. lexus edgware road are absolutely incompetent in my eyes. I don't use lexus for servicing anymore (greedy :tsktsk: ), and now will never use for bodyshop work either..so much stress and dishonesty every time. I just want to scream,,, argggh!!!!!!!!!! They've had over 3 grand of business to repair my car, and still they don't bother to look after me. they promised me the car back on bank holiday monday, and when i complained to the dealer principal that didn't happen, he says i should know that lexus dont work bank holiday monday, but the bodyshop dude confirmed face to face, yes it will be delivered on monday..so i went off and believed the dude..these people don't even call you to update you as to the repair, you have to keep calling them to find out what's going on... If anyone from lexus edgware road is reading this, you guys need a big lesson in customer service..sort it out... I'm tempted to buy a skoda, anything but a lexus....great cars, crap dealers

I think it's something like 160 quid from lexus for all 8 plugs! 120ish for the leads!

The thought it was the regulator first, so the insurance company approved that. Still the scraping noise persisted, Lexus now think it's defo the motor. Arrrggh, Lexus have really screwed me around on this job.

my ls400 is stuck in bodyshop at mo. the driver's door was replaced under insurance. the driver's window now makes a scraping noise, it didn't before the accident. the garage reckon it's a worn out motor in the door causing the noise. the insurance company won't pay for the motor, saying it's wear and tear. but the scraping noise was not there at all before the door was replaced, so why has it suddenly appeared after the accident ? lexus want nearly 300 quid to replace it. a couple of questions. 1. do i keep pushing insurance company to authorise the replacement? 2. if they don't end up replacing the motor under insurance, is it fine to drive around with that scraping noise when the window goes up and down? (i'd rather order the motor myself from States and fit it myself than pay Lexus silly money). cheers.

Yes, I told them there was no scraping noise before the accident. I tell you, in the 6 years of dealing with Lexus dealers, I've had far better service from various Kwik-Fit garages. I'm dead serious. The Kwik-Fit places near me are always courteous, and do the job properly. Plus, their head office even phones you after the job was done to check everything went well. Lexus have NEVER done that!

follow the instructions included. your car will look AMAZING!

Lexus now want me to pay up nearly 300 quid to replace the electric window motor, since the insurance company refused to pay for it. The motor is causing the scraping noise when the window goes up or down. Talk about :tsktsk: hassle!

An update on the situation with Lexus Edgware Road. They promised the car back on Bank Holiday Monday. No phone call at all. No phone call on Tuesday either, despite me leaving a message for them. So today I've just left a message for the dealer principal to sort it out. Beware those who are thinking of giving their bodyshop work to these guys! It's hassle! :yack: :yack:

dude, congrats! first thing is that there should be NO engine vibrations on a LS400. Given your mileage and age, I would suggest that the engine mounts and/or transmission mounts are worn/split. Essentially, these are pieces of rubber that are designed by Lexus to absorb the vibration from the engine and transmission. Everyone I know with an old LS400 exhibiting vibrations has said that replacing these mounts brought the "as new" smoothness" back. Can you feel any vibration when sitting in the car at idle?

Halfords might do them?

I'm dealing with someone called Ross - customer service doesn't seem their top priority. They are working on bank holiday monday to fix it. Fingers crossed they are awake when making the adjustments!

Andy, Contact Sewells in Texas, USA (see my post in suspension section). They are extremely competitive, and parts work out less than half the price compared with buying in UK. Parts prices in this country are just silly money for older LS400s. Good luck! M

dude, check out these big rims on ls400s...pretty nice looking... http://www.lextreme.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38 bear mind mind, going to 20s or even 18s will sacrifice your ride quality...

Check the latest out. Lexus Edgware road bodyshop took 3 weeks to repair the car, and even then they haven't fixed it properly (badly fitting new panels), so I sent it back to get it done properly! Whilst I was talking to them they told me the final invoice was £3,000 to replace the wing and driver's door! Eh, and Norwich Union have approved the repair! How much is my car worth then? So, the bodyshop dude asked the Lexus sales team, who laughed and said as a part-ex, the car is worth £1,750. They then explained that their part-ex values are very low, and privately they reckon £3,500-£4,000. Go figure!

Thanks for all the advice guys. 3 and half weeks since Lexus recovered the car, I go to pick it up. New wing, new drivers door and bonnet resprayed, I inspect it first. 1. Bonnet out of alignment with replaced wing, gap uneven, bonnet sits lower than wing. 2. Driver's electric window makes scraping noise when going up or down. 3. Driver's door not flush with seals, and sits lower than rear door. Lexus were happy to fix all this, but didn't seem greatly apologetic at the fact that I'd wasted my time travelling to collect it. Hopefully, they will make the minor adjustments before I go back to pick it up again! Everyone else take note, that they should do a thorough check on this kind of work, obviously they are lacking in quality control. I miss my V8!

Whatever polishes/cleaners you use, there is no substitute for sweat, blood and tears when cleaning your beast of a car! I too have the perfect shine kit, and made my 12 year old LS400 shine better than most of my neighbour's repmobiles! That's without using the claybar to remove surface impurities. Will do that next time. Another point. DON'T EVER USE THOSE JETWASH PLACES. A friend took a 4 month old car to a Jetwash and (the brush where foam comes out of) left zillions of tiny scratches on the surface, and the car looks awful in the sun. Those brushes are left on the ground to pick up all sorts of tiny stones and dirt.

Andy, US spec cars are not that different from UK spec cars. The mechanicals are pretty much identical, it's the interior trim that is mostly different, and some options here and there. Given that I buy all my parts (suspension, bushes, discs, pads, timing belt, etc) from the US and fit to my UK spec car means you shouldn't have an issue with 90% of jobs. Maneesh

Good one, but you will miss out on one of the best V8s in the world :D :D

U ain't pimpin' in a Lexus until you have one of these!!! http://www.phatpimpclothing.com/hi/phatpim...blinglexus.html BLING!

Jay, One more point. Some alloys are better designed than other alloys with respect to protection against kerbing. On some alloys the actual rim is set back a bit, so you are less likely to kerb it ;-)

Some people really are ignorant of how the world has changed. BMW and Mercedes were once unchallenged in terms of build quality, performance, comfort, handling etc. Quite a few people still believe that German cars are the best cars on the planet despite build quality/reliability declining when compared with earlier models. However, the entire car industry has changed in the last 10 years. A Ford Focus can now keep up with a BMW in the bends, and the build quality of a Mondeo is up there with prestige brands. What can we say, the truth hurts. To change perceptions and attitudes, takes a long, long time. I had exactly the same comments as Nick got, when I first bought my car in 1998. Until of course, people sat inside the car or drove it, which is when they suddenly went speechless! To top it all, when the supplying dealer brought the car to my office for a test drive, he showed me how smooth the engine was. He placed a 50 pence coin on the engine, started the engine and revved it like mad. Coin stood still. That's the quality of engineering that convinced me to get it. My colleague who used to go on previously about how smooth his 320i straight six was (and it was smooth), went home and tried the same test. However, his coin fell over as soon as he started the engine. Anyway, Mercedes are the taxis of continental Europe. Anyone who has visited Germany and other places will see E-Class diesel Mercedes everywhere. Hardly exclusive? Look at some of the great sports cars that came out of Japan in the 90s. Mazda's RX-7, Mitsubishi 3000GT, Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo, Supra Twin Turbo, Skyline GTRs, Soarers, Mazda MX-5, Honda NS-X, Subaru Impreza Turbo, Mitsubishi Evo. I mean the NS-X was finished with the help of Ayrton Senna and despite driving better than a Ferrari, and much more reliable, the magazines kept having a go at it's Japanese origins.

Jay, Hey, congrats on representing the LS400 crowd amongst the IS200 modders! Who is planning to clean your wheels, yourself or a valet company? Multi-spoke designs (like Beemers have etc.) may look very flattering, but are a :tsktsk: to clean every week. Much easier to clean are 5 spoke designs. You will also have a chance to see more of the calipers (if they are painted). Check out my bling bling posting in the general lexus discussion area to see some examples of big wheels on modded LS400s... Good Luck! Maneesh