Titch LS

No doubt someone with a classic MG would love that plate on their car. He'd get more for the plate than for the Lexi I reckon!

I would guess that a sensor would come in to play to disengage the clutch to prevent long term damage. Running the compressor with reduced gas pressure for a short period probably does very little harm. Running with no gas for a long time will eventually knacker the compressor; i.e. no PAG oil (in with the gas) to provide adaquate lubrication. Hence, it shuts itself off if too low.

Steve, I'm pretty sure I recall reading somewhere that the compressor clutch on the LS is designed to disengage if the pressure in the system gets too low so it then runs without enough PAG oil. A re-gas could be all you need.

Malc, that's certainly an impressive M.O.T. result. Speaks volumes to those who like to knock Lexus.

Chris, there's lies, damn lies and statistics. Are you sure you weren't an insurance broker in a former life?

Stuart, it sounds to me that older S classes are the Mercs to go for then, judging by your past experience. On the other hand, my friends C class had his (you say reliable?) chain tensioner break and wreck his engine. Cost him £3,000 for a top end rebuild. Other expenses included solving a problem with an auto gearbox that would jerk and thump into gear, plus an embarrassing alarm system fault, a noisy engine cooling fan on ALL the time and worryingly, coolant loss from the engine (a suspected head gasket failure). In the end he had had enough and got rid. I admit, dealership parts for Lexus cars are expensive but so are Merc parts. You can find cheaper parts without ordering stuff from Japan. RockAuto in the States is an example. They are very competitive pricewise, including postage from there and they deliver quite quickly. My LS400 is 15 years old now and not perfect but I've had very little go wrong with it, certainly a lot less than any other car I've owned and I've had quite a few. It's nearing 140,000 miles now and there is not a trace of a single oil leak anywhere. Yep,I'm sticking with Lexus. By the way, another friend with an 11plate Merc this time, has just got a bill for £411 to sort out her non-working rear seat belts, of all things. Modern cars eh?

Recently, I counted 10 BMTroubleyou's in our village in the space of 10 minutes. On a trip to Israel earlier in the year, I hardly saw a beemer whole time I was there. I blame this popularity in the U.K. on Top Gear and their fanatical promotion of German uberwagens. People are so easily swayed by all the hype. Who holds the record number of wins in the annual JD Power reliability survey? Here's a clue-- it begins with "Lex" and ends in "us". Nuff said.

Stuart, good luck with the old Mercedes. You're going to need it. Good friend of mine just got rid of his for a song. Complete money pit.

In the past, I've found that strange electrical goings-on have pointed to low voltage in the battery. Once had a similar problem with electric windows on a Rover Sterling (Honda V6). I replaced the battery and voila! -no more misbehaving windows. It was a bit of a puzzler because the car would start fine.

Insurance companies are a bit like the banks-- rolling in money but still likely to try it on each year and rip off their poor unsuspecting customers. Look at the number of (very expensive) insurance commercials that fill our screens. Seems strange that when renewal time comes, your existing insurance company somehow always tries to "match" what you've been quoted cheaper elsewhere. It's a computerised racket and they are all in it together. Why can't your existing company quote you the "matched " price in the first place? There's a thin veneer of so called "competition" in that industry and the regulators are all toothless wonders. (Rant over).

Bottom Gear?

Rob, as Jeremy says, Japex really are excellent. Only a small set up, but the real deal. I know it's a long way for you but I doubt you'll find a better indy for your LS. I use them myself. 10/10

Kate's not exactly a 'car girl' is she. She should stick to Nature Watch or whatever it's called.

Ooooh dear, Chris Evans to be the no.1 Top Gear presenter. Plus Jodie Kidd? Please NO. Did you see her on The Classic Car Show? Painful. I suppose there'll be some initial interest in the new programme, but, I predict that viewing figures will take a nosedive as reality sets in. It will never compare to the original in a million years. One good thing could come out of it though,-no more obsessing with German marques. All that free worldwide advertising ended at last. I must say, I'd watch it regularly if Suzie Perry or Vicki BH were made the presenters (for their car knowledge and enthusiasm of course!)

If you go for the cheap 'aero' type blades, it's very easy to neatly modify the plastic cover so that they fit the driver's side. They're really cheap blades but they work perfectly well. With regular use they will only last about 15 months though.

Simon, glad to hear that the car is running great after the test drive. Relax and enjoy.

Simon, I must admit, I've always admired Jags and would love to drive an XJR one day, but not to keep. I prefer less hassle reliability wise, with my nice LS.

Keith, have you seen the one that Carswaps posted? The car has only front end damage.

My next door neighbour had a wireless front door bell. Sometimes the pushbutton would jam on, so that it would be transmitting all the time. Both cars we had on our drive would not lock/unlock when that happened. It was only by happy coincidence that we put two and two together. Car electrical systems can be interfered with by different frequencies at times. The notorious (but thankfully few) "sudden unassisted acceleration" events that some car owners have experienced is down to this , I'm sure. It's not all jammed carpets or old age, though some cases are no doubt.

Beginning to think that the LS400 is THE most highly rated luxo-barge of all time. And for good reason. I've discovered even non-Lexus forums rate these motors. I plan on holding on to mine as long as poss.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I once bought a big Honda Legend-- it was a great car and naturally being a Honda was very reliable. In fact, in looks it was almost a clone of an LS 400, inside and out. But, the problem was, it didn't DRIVE like an LS. In the end I traded it in for a Mk4 (2000) and I've never regretted it. It's been just as reliable as the Honda but a few notches above in refinement, power and quality.

Oooh dear! Must say, my 15 year old LS400 (mk4) has been an absolute peach. Can't think of anything that's actually failed. Oh,- the float in the washer bottle doesn't work and one of the cigarette lighters! I forgot about that. Owning my LS has been the best 138,000 miles I've ever seen in any car I've had. Remind me not to replace it with a 430 or a Jag or a Merc. I could tell you some horror stories from friends and family about those motors. Stuart, the grass is not always greener (unless you have a 400, apparently).

The lovely S-type is well known for a little dash light that comes on and says " My auto-box is hurting". Chap at work had this and got rid quick.

Rich, the later mk4 LS doesn't have rotor arms/ distributor caps, they were replaced by a coil pack for each spark plug.

Well done, my son. Bet you're chuffed. By the way,that's nice low mileage you have there too. Filling the coolant via the hex plug does take a while I know, but filling an empty block via the resovoir takes MUCH longer and you end up having to 'burp' the car too. Anyway, I'm glad the job went well and you're back enjoying your LS.