cruisermark

hi john both cars respond very well to LPG conversions and there are members on here with both - there is hardly a case of engine problems. the deciding factor is which car to buy: the mark 4 lexus LS400 (97-00) is the understood to be the best in terms of reliability - The Mark 3 (95-97) is not far behind engine and comfort wise but doesnt have the VVTi engine, touchscreen controls, xenon headlights and VSC. The 430 has more toys such as : keyless entry and start heated and cooled seats rear blind reversing camera - 04 onwards soft close doors rain sensor rear reclining seats and vibrating it does have some weakness over the 400 exhaust is not stainless like the 400 air suspension - most common failure is seized ride height sensors prevents suspension from adjusting steering motors prone to failing early 430 are at risk of gearbox failure due to the design of the rad where transmission fluid leaks into radiator at least one parking sensor fails causing constant beep therfore have to switch sensors off if you decide to go for a 430 try to go for a newest one possible with full history - cambelt must be changed 10 years or 100k miles hope this helps

When he declined my suggestion that I send a mobile mechanic round at my expense I came to the same conclusion. Could be wrong. I am currently thinking Ireland offers the best value, as 1800 euro a year for tax is a killer for older vehicles. but john isnt it false economy becuase you have to pay import duty tax vat ec?

it was on ebay for many weeks X89 MBE (or similar) - chap from corby

messi just recently saw your old 400 fr sale which just about passed its mot due to rear suspension wear

well one 430 i went to see when looking had a gearbox for 3k, both front doors changed and rear window quarter glass which were also big bills - thankfully for the owner all under warranty

thats a special car - look after it - and im sure if you ever sell it you could command a premium price for a Non-premium pack car LOL after all those in the know-how will know its a better prospect. im always looking at mine incase its sagging *touch wood!

yes malc i agree with you - hybrids and 460 are sophisticated piece of engineering and if anything goes wrong it maybe beyond the abilities (or facilities) of independents - so if you were to run these cars then you have to be prepared to goto the dealer to get things sorted if the go wrong. The older lexuses dont pose such a threat - should'nt of sold that mark 4 LOL

ah ok so you have l the benefits of the 430 but without the risk of air suspension

steve how long do you park it up for - and does the suspension go flat?

well i have been very undecided about the GS450h - i do alot of local runs and it would be ideal but things like a creaky dash and hybrid battery and oil pump failures (will cost alot more to fix than i save in fuel) puts me off. my brother was talking about upgrading the 430 and i said you cannot put the word "upgrade" and "ls430" in the same sentence lol! i could go for the 460 but what would i gain?

yes john i think you are right - maybe contact the seller and ask if he was having any problems with the gear change etc leading upto the point where he saw pink fluid

ive been doing it all wrong then during my mark3 and 4 years - used to remove the whole cover

we all know that especially the early 430s suffer from this so if any member has this problem fixed then perhaps the could put it on this forum detailing problem, parts used and associated costs - this will help members alot as this appears to be happening more and more as they age and it would be such a shame to see them going to scrap if the fault is fixeable

colin i have thought hard about this and although i remember putting it back correctly - i have a very funny feeling it was very hard - either back nut kept spinning or moving - im not even 100% sure perhaps one of the guys here can pull up an exploded parts diagram and see if that will help

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-LS400-1998-Mk4-New-cambelt-only-120-000-miles-/121568891932?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1c4e12141c looks nice and well maintained - for some reason though the gold colour seems to suffer from fading - notice the wing mirrors

just to add yes the numberplate surround is held seperatley to the number plate but the screws are behind the plate so that has to come off first

colin im 80% sure that numberplate holder is removed from the front once the numberplate is removed - i remember taking off on my mark 4 to clean it

the burgundy one is upto £4k now with a few hours to go - thats better than i anticipated

I saw a mk4 lpg'd on ebay last night, £800 to buy outright, or offers. Don't take this as a recommendation though, I only had a quick look, as I was looking for something else. I do recall it had 200,000 miles on it though. Edit:- Here you go, make your own mind up. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121560345872?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT Sold quickly at £800 B.I.N. this is being sold by the popular lexus seller for £1350

it was bought and now be sold by that famous lexus seller

price has gone up by £1k !!

Thanks Mark, I've just been trying different searches, have to admit I didn't see any choices other than LS last night, as the rest were off my page. Having looked in to it a bit more, it seems a bit of a dogs dinner now. Iit's crazy that LS doesn't group all models together on your results page, and a royal pain in the backside having to use all options to make sure you don't miss any cars. yes i agree - i didnt know untill a few days ago and did find it bizarre that there was wasnt many 400s coming and going - but now i know - ive got a 430 and not looking to buy but i check everyday!

by the way is it your hybrid battery cell thats failed or the normal battery (if these have one?)

ive just watched "ls600hl experience with a sweet girl" on you you tube and that shows the front seat can go forward as much as you have described - i dont think you have anything to worry about - if you watch the video be sure to turn the volume down as the music will be traumatising to say the least!

looks like somebody decided they wanted a change after all those years driving an LS