Titch LS

I've only seen 30mpg once, when I first bought the car. Presently I'm averaging 21mpg on autogas to and from work in my Mk4, which I enjoy on occasion driving 'progressively', shall we say. After owning this car I don't have any wish to drive anything else. Jeremy Clarkson can keep his Audi's, Mercs and Beemers. Old ones are unreliable and make your fillings fall out.

Stuart, I can see where you're at regarding bringing your LS up to scratch. As to wishbone replacements there are a few options open to you; 1) Cheap Chinese ones for sale on e-bay (will last 5 mins). 2) Very expensive ones from your local Lexus dealer, ( but will last for donkey's years), or, 3) Reasonably priced good quality ones such as AC Delco from Rockauto in the States (plus v.a.t. and postage). This last option will still be much cheaper than a Lexus dealership and with quick delivery too.

Stuart, they should be be fine to fit as they are (1.00mm). Mine are exactly the same and havn't missed a beat. They are great plugs. I think the slight adjustment warning is for cars fitted with the early type single point gas injection. No need to worry if you have multi-point injection, (which you will have).

Stuart, just 'google' Brisk DR15YS and you'll see these silver SINGLE electrode plugs. I've now reached 30,000 miles on mine and the car has not missed a single beat and no misfiring at all. I'm replacing them this month with another set of the same. With postage, 8 plugs are about £36/37. Hope this helps.

Bren, I told Lexus Customer Care about it who said I should get my car checked out at my nearest dealer. It would not be a free check so I declined their invitation. I know they would not find any relevant codes. I found out that no car this has happened to (including non-Lexus) has ever left a tell-tale code. Based on this and the fact that it only occured the once and the car has behaved itself impeccably ever since, I decided not to waste my hard earned pennies. Hopefully it will never happen again. It was just an unnerving glitch.

I'm sure worn suspension parts do play a part when it comes to tyre wear. Unfortunately, my LS came to me 3 years ago with el cheapo "made in China" tyres. Problem is, they won't wear out! I've done 35k on them and there's still loads of even tread left. They are noisy and harsh which I've put down to the rubber compound and sidewalls being so hard. Replacements will be with a tyre that's great in the wet as it's incredibly easy at the moment to spin the rear wheels when the road is damp/wet (even with Traction Control on). Probably go with Uniroyal Rain Experts. They have great write-ups for wet grip. Don't know how noisy they'll turn out to be though.

The Mk4 has brake assist too, remember. The brakes are fantastic. Also, don't forget the 5-speed autobox and the dipping driver and passenger mirrors when reverse is engaged.

I do that on the way to work every morning...... Seriously though, it just shows you the potential of that lovely quiet V8.

Barry, Lexus dealers are not air-con specialists and I very much doubt there's anything wrong with the condenser itself. Most likely to be a leak at a joint or 'O' ring. If you havn't put a hole in it you won't need a new one at £800 a pop. I would take it to an A/C place for a proper leak test using a dye (won't cost much) and not rely on a dealer's expensive guess. At Lexus, you could replace the condenser and still find you've got the leak.

I've noticed that I definitely get less mpg in the winter months. It drops about 2 mpg. Having said that, the coolant temperature sensor is not expensve and looks a doddle to fit if you decided to replace it. (I havn't replaced mine yet).

I went with Direct Line this year as they were cheaper than Adrian Flux. Strangely though, very soon after renewing my insurance with them, Adrian Flux contacted me to say they could match my deal with Direct Line. When it was coming up to renewal time, why didn't Adrian Flux just quote me their cheaper price in the first place? I think many times Insurance Companies just try it on.

To protect the gearbox,I don't think the car lets you select Park or Reverse if you are travelling anything over walking pace. Not going to try it out though! As to the causes of SUA's--it's definitely software gremlins that are causing some (not all) SUA's worldwide, and not just in Toyota/Lexus either. Some Youtube SUA crashes caught on dash-mounted cameras are scary to watch. Like you say, it could have something to do with the cruise control. The expert software analysts used in ongoing U.S. court cases are scathing of Toyota's fail-safe software design. Recently, one Oklahoma lady got a huge payout from Toyota after it was proved that her crash was definitely down to poor software design that caused her throttle to rev uncontrollably. She was badly hurt and passenger killed. As in Mel's accelerating Merc and in my LS, it's not a case of misplaced mats or foot on the wrong pedal, it's more sinister than that,--it's bugs in software that could ruin your day at any moment. I drove my LS to work today and you wouldn't think anything had happened.

Cleverdick, some drivers just aren't switched on enough in their understanding of how their autoboxes work, especially in America where it's very common to drive an automatic. Some drivers genuinely believe that putting the car into neutral whilst moving will damage their expensive gearbox. Also, blind panic takes them over while barrelling along out of control at 100mph, so they don't think rationally enough to put the car into neutral and apply the brakes. In a built up area with traffic and pedestrians about you only have split seconds to react properly if your car 'takes off' with SUA. That is the real scary scenario. (There's dash-mounted footage of SUA on Youtube). In the meantime, I'm going to contact Lexus just to get their view on my 'banshee' start-up. I'm not expecting too much in the way of a response.

Mel, thankfully you and your missus were safe after your experience of SUA in your Merc. Looking on line, I've noticed that SUA has affected quite a number of car makers and apart from Toyota/Lexus; there's Ford, VW, BMW, Mercedes, Hyundai to name just a few. They've all had the same occasional problem. If you read the court depositions, Toyota Corp. knows there is a problem with software design affecting the Electronic Throttle Control and is duly making out-of-court settlements to avoid bad publicity. There are currently 500 law suits pending against them in the U.S. My engine instantly revving up like a banshee without any imput from me has made me realise that even a Lexus can develop a potentially fatal fault. I'm so glad it happened at start up and not whilst driving. I'm slightly nervous of driving it at all now to be honest. It started up today, no trouble. I will drive it, but from now on I will always have that niggle in the back of my mind when I'm behind the wheel. Never ever did I consider my LS could be unsafe to drive, --until now.

I wouldn't trust a place that thought that some LS's have chain-driven cams. I'd go with a reputable indy and have all the relevant parts replaced. Might cost a bit more for peace of mind, but worth it.

Chris, I checked the cable linkage and it appears to be operating freely as it should. Looking at some U.S. sites it seems to be a fault on the electronic throttle side(fly by wire) of the system on many Toyota/Lexus vehicles from about 1998 onwards. It has become a bit of an issue in the States with owners taking Toyota to court as a result of SUA (Sudden Unintended Acceleration). One case involved an American police officer and his family who's Lexus ES became uncontrollable as a result of SUA. There were tragic circumstances. Also, although mainly affecting Camrys and Avalons, a handful of LS's have also been affected. The theory is that random electrical interferance upsets the electronics and causes the car to go to wide open throttle. Scary stuff. I believe it too. My next door neighbours jammed on wireless doorbell would stop the cental locking from working on both my wife's car and mine. As soon as the bell was off we could lock and unlock both cars. I'm not making it up. It happened more than once. By the way, I did check the carpets---no problem there.

New Year's Day and off to work. Get in the car to start my 2000 Mk4 as usual, turned the key for a second or so and BAM!, it immediately revs to the limiter and I'm not even touching the pedals! I switched off as quickly as I could and as I was running tight for time, I borrowed the missus's car to get me to work. It's had me thinking, maybe this was a rare case of Toyota Sudden Unintended Acceleration which has resulted in court cases (and deaths) in the U.S.A. Toyota have so far paid out $1.1Billion to claimants as a result. I'm now a bit wary that this could happen to me again, only this time, whilst I'm on the move. That would be really scary in a V8 LS, imagine if you were in a carpark. Also, as the engine was stone cold when it happened, I was wondering if it might have caused some wear to the engine components or am I worrying too much? (I'll try starting it again tomorrow, see what happens). Happy New Year to one and all.

Steve, are your sure 205/60/16 tyres will fit properly? LS tyre size is 225/60/16. But if your rims fit ,then no problem and an absolute bargain!

I've found Mintex pads do a good job. I think my discs were Blueprint when I replaced them, I can't really remember now, but so far I've no complaints. My brakes are top notch on my mk 4 (has brake assist).

Seems a nice example. I guess that dealers know the good ones command top price. There's room for maneuver there though. With regards to oil changes/servicing, the mileage gaps of some of the service intervals seem a bit on the high side to me. Presume the cambelt etc., was done at the correct mileage? If everthing checks out, someone has got themselves a great car.

I have no plans to ever sell my mk4. I'm beginning to appreciate it more, the longer I own it . I know it's 'only a car', but owning it has proven to be the best driving experience I've ever had in over 40 years on the road. Been in Mercs, Beemers, Cadillacs etc, nothing compares, in my view.

I replaced my discs with aftermarket ones and also used Mintex pads. This cured the juddering I experienced when braking from high speeds. One thing I don't do any more is sit in traffic or at red traffic lights with my foot on the brake pedal too long when the brakes are hot. Also, once in a while, at a safe and convenient place I apply the brakes really firmly -- this definitely helps to free off any sticking brake calipers. I found any slight judder disappears after doing this a few times. I picked up these tips from an on-line brake specialist when researching which replacement discs/pads to buy.

I agree with Simon, the car sits too high at the back. Looks odd. Something strange there. From one view it looks like the rear wheels have 'toe in'. Even so, it's the usual very high asking price for a very low mileage car.

I had my mk4 converted to l.p.g. three years ago. It has run absolutely perfectly on Autogas since day one.The install was a very neat careful job, taking a week to complete. I've taken the car on the Continent a few times where the price of gas can be incredibly cheap, especially in Belgium (48p per litre equivalent). I have no regrets whatsoever getting it converted. I still get the same V8 performance from the multi-point set up but at a substantial discount at the pumps. If you are going to keep your LS (which I intend to), it really is a no brainer going with l.p.g.

I do like the latest Range Rovers, they have a lot of 'presence' like some olderJags do, including the Daimler Double Six which I would love to have a test drive in. Can't see me swapping my mk4 LS though, except maybe for a 430. Taking everthing into consideration, i.e. quality, reliability, running costs, smoothness etc.,driving a Lexus LS is definitely the best choice of luxobarge anyone can make.