Colin M

Thanks, Ambermarine, that is very helpful. Just so I know where I am looking for the O ring, is it at the far end of the pin/back of the tube into which the pin goes or is it at the front of the pin near the rubber boot? Thanks again.

I renewed the pads over the weekend and found all shims to be present and in good condition, although I was surprised to find that the shim next to the brake pad had been stuck to the pad itself with what looked like contact adhesive. For each pad, the shim had to be carefully levered off to break the seal and then the adhesive cleaned off the shim, which took some time to get off. Three of the sliding pins moved freely but one was seized and took some freeing off. I managed to get it to move sufficiently so that I could get the caliper back over the new (thicker) pads but it doesn't move as freely as it should and I need to go back to have another look at it. I would like to remove the pin, clean up the pin and the cylinder into which it fits, and then grease the pin before refitting. Can this be done without the risk of damaging anything? Does the rubber boot cover behind the bolt head of the pin just lever off and is there anything behind the rubber boot that needs to be removed to get the pin out? Any help, as ever, gratefully received. I am pleased to say that with the shims cleaned up, lightly smeared with copper grease (instead of adhesive ...) and the new pads fitted that there is no brake squeal at all.

Yes, all is well, thanks, Phil, and hope it is with you too. Done well with my MOTs over the last couple of years - both cars passed with no advisories, so hoping for a hat trick next year ...

Good news on the car, Phil, and hope the dental appointment doesn't prove too painful tomorrow.

I use 5W/30 as well but semi-synthetic - so far I have used Millers Trident as it meets the specification in the Owners Handbook. I put 5 litres in for an oil and filter change, which leaves it a little bit below the maximum - I think 5.5 litres is needed to fill it to the maximum level. Neither car ever seems to use any oil between changes, so 5 litres always keeps the level well up the dipstick.

Yes, I counted 9 holes on the first wheel picture and 10 on the second one.

Thanks all for your helpful comments. In the light of what you say I will carry on doing what I have done previously - cleaning up the existing shims and using some copper grease on them. I have not had any brake squeal when doing this in the past and hopefully I won't this time.

Thanks for your reply. A clean up and a thin skim of grease is what I have done in the past, although I have usually used either Girling brake grease or Copper Ease. Neither of these have given rise to any problems.

I need to replace the rear brake pads soon on my 1996 LS400 and I have a new set of Lexus/Toyota pads I bought some time ago. On reading the section on pad replacement in the manual I have, it says that new shims should be used and the old ones should not be reused. It does not say why and I have always used existing shims on other cars I have owned when replacing pads unless the shims were defective or falling apart. I made a phone call to a Lexus main dealer to find out the price of new shims - an eye-watering £36.95. I have a couple of questions for those of you who have replaced rear pads. First, have you reused the existing shims and, if so, have you had any problems when doing so? Secondly, have you bought replacement shims from a source other than a Lexus main dealer and, if so, where did you buy them and how much did they cost? Any help and advice gratefully received. Thanks.

I bought a 1997 LS400 a couple of years ago which had done 211,000 and it has now done 218,000. It is a good car and runs fine. The mileage did not put me off because it had full service history and had been well looked after. If the service history is there and the car is otherwise good, don't be put off by 200k+.

Thanks, Phil. The Power Steering Store is very much an 'old school' type of operation - a couple of guys working out of one of three units in a converted barn on a farm. There was a lot of pipework taking up most of the available space in the unit. I got the impression that if anyone needed any bespoke pipework making up this would be a good place to try. The guys were very friendly and helpful and I would certainly contact them again if I needed anything for power steering.

I needed some 10mm flexible hose last year when I was replacing the metal pipes that run in front of the radiator on one of my Mk3 LS400s. I initially went to Lexus to buy the two short connecting flexible hoses I needed only to find that they were part of the upper metal pipework assembly that connects to the power steering pump and could not be purchased separately. I looked around online for a power steering specialist to see if I could buy some 10mm flexible hose and found some at www.powersteeringstore.co.uk I could not see any on their website but rang their contact number (07917 697262) and they were able to supply me with some at a very reasonable price - I cannot remember the exact price but it was less than £10 for a metre. I did go over to collect the hose, as I was going over to near where they are located, but I imagine they would do mail order. I have posted up a photo of the section of the hose that I have left over which has some specification details on it. Hope this helps if anyone is looking for any PS hose in future.

Hi Asif and welcome to the Forum. Like Scribe, I have my two LS400s on a classic car policy with RH Insurance. They are on the same policy as my Armstong Siddeley Sapphire and I pay a similar price for each of them to Scribe although I have 5000 miles on each car. Your classic car insurance options will probably be better when your car reaches 20 years old. Footman James have given me a competitive quote for a classic car policy for my 1996 LS400 (less than £180 for 5000 miles) and this is significantly cheaper than what I am currently paying. However, they cannot offer a classic car policy this year for my 1997 car, as it is not yet 20 years old, but they will be able to do next year.

Really sorry to hear this, Ray. Hope you can get it sorted for a reasonable price.

The seat heaters on Mk3's may be a weak spot but there are cars on which they still work. They work on both my Mk3's, both driver and passenger ones.

Yes, I have found changing the oil filter much easier with the under tray removed and it is quick to do.

Good luck with your search, John, and hope you are back on the Forum soon.

I run both of mine on 95 and they seem to run fine on it.

Well done, Phil - just wanted to add my congratulations on what looks like a great buy.

The thread that Stuart is referring to that includes South Wales propshafts is MOT Gloom started on 22 July 2015. It includes details of the relevant replacement rubber boot.

I did not disconnect the battery when I replaced the filter on my two LS400s, though maybe I will do next time I replace them, just to be on the safe side ....

Looks very nice, and hardly run in at that mileage! Yes, more pictures please.

Here is the answer to my question. The towing eye will fit if you turn the thread down on it in a lathe to just under 16 mm (15.8 mm) and then use a 16 mm metric die (with a 2 mm pitch between the threads) to recut the thread. It fits fine now, as you can see in the photo.

I can confirm it is a great read. I bought a copy not long after I bought my first LS400 in 2012. Well worth buying and enjoy the read!

I have never needed to top the oil up on either of my cars, although as each car only does about 3000 miles a year that is perhaps not surprising. The coolant has only needed a minor top up to keep the level between the min and max - perhaps a cupful a year.