jigmaster flash

as above! anyone tried ?

is there anywhere cheaper than the dealership to buy the Toyota 10w-30 engine and type iv transmission oil for my LS400 ? searched everywhere but seems to be no independant retailers??........ and if so, is there a difference in price between different dealerships? cheers marty

anybody have an idea of the rough cost to replace all the brake lines on a Mk.3 ? - not the flexi from calipers - just the hard (copper?) pipes. £200 ish at an independant ? or am i hoping?.....!!

sat nav will be in japanese...... lots more gizmo's. theres a couple knocking about for sale at the mo, but be careful - as the one i looked at was at least 3 different cars!

link points to a 99 with 2 days to go ?

i believe the sensors will show millivolts at initial start up and should increase to between 0.5 - 0.9v at tickover once engine is warmed up, and stay there. But i'm not 100% if that applies to all of the 4 sensors.....

i may be wrong, but it might be the same car advertised on ebay a few weeks ago from a different seller in west wales. If it is then the new sellers done a much better job advertising it. i'm still looking for a nice late 400 or early 430, crossed this one off as a potential as the steering wheel shows a lot more wear than the rest of it, 7 owners, slightly sketchy service history, no mention of cambelt change... (its all in the detail, and i'm a sceptical old bugger)

still looking i'm afraid, lot of 400's out there but so far only found a lot of cheap rubbish, a lot of "on the edge" and a few ok but overpriced. Got one more to look at shortly that might be an ok car at an ok price. to be honest if i dont come up trumps soon i'm tempted to look at an early ls430 - but the air sussy issues scare me off a bit. maybe i should be looking at a GS!!! (lots of nice ones out there at good prices) any tip-offs appreciated.....

will a 1st gen (00-03) LS430 neccesarily have the potentially problematic air suspension ? been told of a fully spec'd one (sat nav/rear audio controls/wood/fridge) but without air suspension... haven't heard of this before and so i'm dubious...

no documented proof of a cambelt change, just in case anyone was interested (i'm still looking!)

yes that was an option michael, but ive now found a nice mk4 which im looking at this weekend and although higher mileage and a bit more dough seems to be a real good un'... (test drive this weekend) its like waiting for a bus, none for 3 weeks then a load come long together!

thanks rupert, its a 97 Mk3 LS400 so they are defiantely not sliding calipers. theres a few more popping up for sale now so will move on from this one.... it had been sat for 3 monthsbefore xmas, and although i could only find this one fault i dont like the unknown so will continue my search!

in my search for a nice LS400 i have come across a likely candidate, but it has one issue that to me could have a variety of causes. there is a whooshing/fine grinding sort of noise that occurs when pulling away, only lasts a second or two and then disappears. Seems to be coming from the front brakes/wheels. i questioned the owner and he said it started just before xmas and seems to happen mostly when car is cold after sat overnight. He had a new set of pads fitted 2 weeks ago to hopefully cure it, but it didn't. Mechanic who changed them said discs looked fine, and the old pads were only half worn. any ideas? (sticky caliper pistons?) the other thing that i noticed, (and i haven't driven an LS400 before so dont know if it is normal) is there is a fair bit of brake pedal travel before pads bite. Had a few merc + ford auto's before and definately longer travel on the Lexus. Worried this might be connected to the above issue. once ive got a few ideas on what to check/try the seller is happy for me to tinker and try to resolve before i part with my hard earned cash, so any ideas appreciated! cheers marty

no choice but to be patient - good late models with history etc seem pretty thin on the ground at the mo! chanced across quite a few lovely IS and GS whilst on my search, but holding out for an LS :)

bump! (still looking...)

thanks Mark, didn't think any of it could be too hard. i will probably just do a drain and refill on the gearbox oil, although its only replacing 15% of the total it makes so much difference on a 4x4 so suspect its worth doing on an LS. malc, why do you advise against it? surely is only removal of pan and filter?

assuming I find a car that is structurally/mechanically/cosmetically sound i would like to give it a minor service for peace of mind. Is there anything missing from the below that i should attend to ? (driveshaft lube etc?) or indeed anything below that i shouldn't bother with or that could be a pain in the arse? Engine Oil + filter change Gearbox oil change Fuel filter change Air and cabin filter change Cooling system fluid change Spark plug change I've changed all the above myself on jeeps/4x4's many times but maybe a different kettle on an LS ? cheers marty

thanks steve, but been there and passed... ;)

ian thanks for the pointer but i've been in contact with the seller and unfortunately we are a couple of hundred quid apart on valuation...

cheers for the welcome mike, glad you confirmed my thoughts, was beginning to doubt my judgement! seems like finding a good un with low mileage is harder than i thought it would be! will keep trawling, fingers crossed something pops up as i'm car-less in a few weeks

been to view a few LS400's recently, and walked away from a couple because the mileage just didn't equate to the condition of the interior. from lurking on here for a few months i got the impression that the quality of the interior on the LS series is very high, so when i went to look at cars with 80 and 92k on them i didn't expect the steering wheel/seat bolster/gear knobs to have much wear on them - but they did... both the above cars had part history, and the mileages on the (part) paperwork seemed to corrulate with the odometer, but i also looked at cars with 150k+ on them (with full service history and all old mots) and the same parts on these cars were in vgc, with hardly any visible wear. is clocking or transplanting something that occurs on these regularly, or am i being a numpty?????

cheers phil, hoping one of you trusted members might have (or know of) a car for sale soon that fits the bill. i'm more than prepared to wait, passed on a few already that looked ok at first glance but then on inspection weren't what they professed to be! Will be car-less soon so just doing everything i can to track down a good un.

on the hunt for a good, honest straight LS400, series 4 98-00. must list ! : - very good history, honest seller like list ! : - below average mileage, dark exterior with light interior, mechanically perfect, cosmetically v.good will jump through hoops for the right car, but pass on a wrong un! any help/advice to find appreciated. cheers marty

quick first post to say hello to everyone, ive been a lurker for a while but have decided to take the plunge and join as i'm now searching for a LS400 to use as a commuter. all the best marty from monmouthshire