harrylime

thanks for the replies, chaps. Appreciated

Can any kind soul please let me have a copy of a wiring diagram for my 1999 LS 400? I already bought a workshop manual on CD but there's very little on the wiring systems. I would like to investigate my parasitic drain, having narrowed it down to the circuits covered by two fuses, Radio 1 and MPX-B. Any help appreciated

ECP almost always have discount codes going. My battery was cheaper from Costco, even though ECP had 45% off batteries at the tiime

I know this has been discussed before, but having requested advice on various issues, I thought I'd put a recommendation on that someone may find useful. Having had two genuine Toyota batteries fail after around 3 years, my current one just out of warranty, I thought it was time to shop around. It's been said on this forum that only a Toyota battery will fit properly, this is not true. After some research, looking at spec, branding, warranties and price, I decided I wanted a Bosch battery , the S4 series with a 4 year warranty. I just fitted a Bosch S4 026 battery and it is a perfect fit. The spec matches my Toyota battery exactly, with 630A and 70 Ah. So I have a new battery, same spec with 4 year guarantee instead of 3, and it was cheaper. For those with a Costco card, they sell them at the lowest price (it may be a special order and take a couple of days, although I was lucky, they had one in stock), without the potential faff and expense of buying online and potentially having to return a heavy battery by post if a fault develops. If you get one, the correct battery is the S4 026, not the S4 027, which is identical except the terminals are the wrong way around, don't ask me how I know. Hopefully, someone may find this useful. For those of you with a cynical bent, I have no connection with either Bosch or Costco, it's just a recommendation

I agree Graham, and one of the reasons I ried to buy from ECP was my assumption that they are a major player and probably sell a lot of batteries. Perhaps this battery is an oddball size. It does not come up when I search on ECP under my registration number, as fitting my car, but the outputs of 630A and 70aH and dimensions seem to be spot on.

Having just ordered a new Bosch car battery from Europarts, I turned up at the Barnsley branch to collect it, The battery was behind the counter and looked anything but new, and when I examined it (something the assistant seemed reluctant for me to do)I I could see that the label was dated 2018 (the month was not legible). As it is now 6th September it is likely that the battery is at least 9 months old. I am aware of what extended discharge periods can do to a battery so I refused to accept it. They produced another battery (from which the same label had mysteriously been removed). When I buy a battery I want a relatively new battery, I'm funny like that. I wanted to buy it from Eurocarparts for simplicity of returning it in the event of a fault, but mu trust in them has been severely dented. It's an 04 27 with 4 year warranty and seemed a decent buy at around £88

my mistake, it's the s4 068 / 026 I decided on

I have a slight electrical issue, which in terms of fault finding, is my worst nightmare. I believe my battery problems stem from a parasitic drain, which has been there since I bought the car six years ago. My battery is usually flat within a week. I have a CX 5 charger but for various reasons, it is not always in place. I have trawled the forum and I'm clearly not the first to have this problem. Following guidance on the internet, I have tested for a current drain, while removing fuses one by one. The two fuses that seem to be the culprits are the 20a fuse- Radio 1, and the 10 amp fuse - MPX-B. I then realised that I have not "put the car to sleep" by bypassing the bonnet latch, which may explain the high reading. I am waiting half an hour or so, and will then check the current drain again. If I am reading my tester correctly, the drain is in excess of 1 amp, which seems excessive 1. The bonnet latch thing, is it just a case of pushing the centre of the latch down and then inserting a small screwdriver into the hole that appears at the right hand side of the latch, to open the circuit? I'm assuming this deactivates the alarm? 2. If the car is functioning properly, how long does it take to reduce the drain on the battery? 3. My rev counter does not seem to be working, any obvious/easy fixes for this? I'm getting a bit frustrated with what is otherwise a very reliable and enjoyable car, so would appreciate an input.

The Bosch is 260 x 173mm . Seems like a perfect fit if correct

Thank you, that's the one I've decided on. Around £88 from euro car parts

I forgot to ask, does it fit the original tray and sleeve?

The EB705 does look like a good buy, but the cold cranking amp figure is 540 as opposed to 620 of the original, a significant reduction?

I've confirmed it is the battery by the simple expedient of starting the car with a spare battery ( from a Fiat Panda). It started instantly. I had started to worry it was the dreaded starter contacts, even though I had these replaced a few years ago. Based on my history with this car, a battery with a 4 or 5 year guarantee would be a good investment, if I can find one that physically fits

I seem to struggle to get more than 3 years out of a battery for my 1999 Lexus LS400, having always bought original Toyota batteries. I'm on my third since 2016, the last was replaced foc in warranty, this time it's out of warranty. Can anyone recommend an alternative battery with the same pole layout and dimensions, to fit in the tray etc? I would actually like a slightly larger capacity if possible as I feel that perhaps the CCA output etc of the original is borderline adequate

I don't know where it's comong from as I've yet to investigate properly, hence my asking if there's a common cause

1999 mk 4

I have some water leaking into my nearside tail light fitting. It is not a huge amount and nowhere else seems to be affected. Does anyone have a definitive source of the leak and a fix please?

I had exactly the same issue. One garage had several attempts at resolving it. I then tried an electrical and aircon specialist in Rotherham, who replaced many seals and O rings. That sorted it out

I wanted a mk 4 for the added security of traction control, I don't know whether VVTi is much of an advantage, because they were always an outstanding engine. I don't know what year this car is but aren't the earlier engines non interference, so less of a problem if the cambelt breaks? As for the sat nav, I find it unusable because it is so dated. Roads have changed a lot since 1999. I use a Garmin

I've been taking a casual look at Lexus LS 600h for sale ( a practice that often results in a purchase). I've looked at Ebay, Autotrader etc and there are none for sale with fewer than 50,000 miles. Where are all the newer used examples? Is the apparent shortage due to poor new car sales or are people just hanging on to them?

At least the Germans have a car industry to be proud of. If our successive dimwitted, unimaginative, short sighted Governments had not subsidised our strategy of becoming car assemblers for Nissan, Toyota, Honda and Tata instead of encouraging British car manufacturing we would not have been kowtowing to these foreign companies for years and begging them not to leave the UK, which they are entitled to at any time. We sell off our assets and manufacturing has, relatively speaking, died a death. What cars do we actually make? We make Caterhams, with predominantly American and Japanese engines and gearboxes. We also make Morgans, which are made of wood, and even the ash frame is going to be imported, because we are running out of ash in the UK. I can't believe the fifth largest economy in the world has become so reliant on foreign countries. Honda is closing its plant in Swindon, Nissan will not be producing the new X Trail here, Toyota and Tata could move production anywhere in the world at a whim. We are bigger than South Korea but Kias seem to have taken over the world. I see Kias everywhere. The Koreans seem to be where the Japanese were 20 or 30 years ago. I am not an economist but it seems to me that you cannot expect to succeed economically unless you make stuff that people want. As well as the jobs and the turnover, it's a case of branding and national pride. We have a history of engineering innovation and excellence. We should be taking advantage of that. To quote a well known motoring journalist, how hard can it be? Someone should take the Honda plant, and create a new British car company

I'm not averse to driving ordinary cars, in addition to my old LS 400 my daily workhorse is a Skoda Octavia 1.9, it is a fine car for what it is. However, I once test drove a Toyota Avensis estate and thought it was a hateful thing. It made sense in many ways including size, reliability etc. but it was so bland and horrible to drive it was morale sapping

I meant to add that, in my humble opinion, buying a Lexus at any level is an intelligent and discerning choice. Lexus themselves showed a level of intelligence when they ditched diesel engines before their inherent problems and public perception changed for the worse. Perhaps your in laws are not at the same intellectual level as you and simply can't see the up side of owning such a car.

Most unlike the Germans to impose their views on someone else. Their response sounds disproportionate, intrusive and rude (again, hard to believe). On the one hand, I might tell them that it's my money, hard earned and that it's f**k all to do with them. I might add that not in the too distant past, millions of men in Britain and elsewhere fought and died fighting fascism and won the right to have freedom of choice etc that we enjoy today (including their freedom to criticise, I suppose). On the other hand, I might explain that 70km is a significant commute and demands a level of refinement and comfort that only a large car can provide, and none can match the LS. I might add that reliability is of the utmost importance and that the Lexus is miles in front of the over priced pieces of s**t produced in Germany. I might also mention that the LS is one of the most aerodynamically efficient cars on the planet and is probably surprisingly economical over long distances. As for what a car says about you, who gives a crap? People criticise anyone over 45 for having an MX 5, which is bull****, they get the same level of fun out of them as anyone else.. Buy what suits you, life is too short. Either way, I would not stand for that crap and would politely put them in their place one way or another, or your life will be pretty miserable in the future. I can't think of a single relative or friend who would react like that.

Thanks for the comments so far, I tried not to be lazy and did Google information on discharge rates. The battery is suspect because it discharged a couple of weeks ago quicker than I would have expected (about a week) after not using the car. I usually charge the battery periodically with my Ctek charger but it's not convenient where the car is currently located. I am guilty of having let the battery run flat at least a couple of times in the 2.5years I've had it, so it may be self inflicted, as sulphation may have occurred. There's nothing worse than not being able to trust the battery in an otherwise reliable car, so I may just buy another one and keep this one for a spare, assuming the main dealer batteries are not on an exchange basis