Malc1

Well I never 🙃 Brilliant old and expensive cars usually go the way of Old Bangers that cost too much for mere mortals to run and play with even .... there's some wondrous old RRs and Bentleys and Maseratis and whatever .......... hugely expensive brand new but wither away over time ...... and too expensive for mere mortals to keep on the road and their prices just kollapz I'm afraid UNLESS there's a paricular wealthy following but I doubt even the very best Lexus will do other than be too expensive to maintain ..... well, that's if one's going to get the joy of actually using it ! Unles of course you're buying an early'ish Ls400 well, then those prices really are climbing thru' the roof BUT of course way way down on what they cost brand new ! And the poor souls that bought them brand new and rarely used them, to preserve their " value " really did lose out on a wondrous life driving their brill car ... and of course they've mostly passed on to that Big Breaker up in the skies 😇 Malc

Ted hi good morning There’s a few others here with a Mk4 Ls400 and I’m sure someone will be able to offer some useful advice shortly Good luck Malc

Falkens tyres, which I now use are difficult to obtain other than online or ProTyres it would seem ……. there’s plenty of local choice for other marques tho’ Malc

ProTyres Sittingbourne are good for me ! Good luck Malc

and £££££ drop drop drop they shall ................... I'm reading Toyota is predicting the much wider availability of the replacement for their now well proven ( Mirai ) Hydrogen Power car ......... in about 3/4 years ...... ths is presumably the new " green " alternative to petrol and diesel ........... and also to EV Won't take many people to wonder how much profit there really is in EV cars when Musk is now legally able to extract a dividend payment from his EV business of some $59 billion, YES $59,000,000,000 ...... any day soon Sadly for owners of the Lexus EV I fear there's a lot more depreciation pain to come ..... and fairly soon too maybe Malc

Colin hi. Just thinking might your Spacesaver be good for another car maybe ? reading and understanding the RAC / AA carry “ universal fitting “ Spacesavers for breakdowns ……. just in case ! Might yours be useful to you for another car too ? Malc

You’ve all just got to make sure the radiator’s changed at 100k miles too to prevent the gearbox oil cooler devastation I’ve been preaching this for ages but didn’t do it, nor even think about it on my 2006 Honda Legend that went “ pop “ at 149k miles recently Sorted now thankfully at ok cost for me, gearbox saved ,,,,,,,,, no air suspension for me on any car either Reading all the air set-up requirements can piecemeal fail overtime ,,,,,,, a risk one takes ,,,,,,,, There’s not that many owners hold on to their cars long enough to be able to plan this preventative maintenance stuff Lexus owners of older models seem to be in this rare group tho’ 👏 Good luck Malc

........ and I would find out from an alternative source if those shocks really do need to be changed Lexus Main Dealers do tend to over-egg issues ............... that could immediately put your mind at rest and save you a small fortune ....... and let you carry on using your wonderful car ! Malc

Vivienne welcome to this Forum ....... I'm sure someone with some Ls400 Mk1V knowledge will pop along soon to have a chat about this and assist .... fingers xd 🤞 So where are you in the world ? Malc I presume there's water in the reservoir ?

now if anyone had a spare set of 15" wheels with centre caps for my 91 J reg car then I'd like to hear from you ........ whomsoever you might be ! ... 4 will do, my 5th has an original Dunlop tyre on it in the boot ! ... looks brand spanking new but at 33 years young it really would be for emergency use only ........ effectively my spacesaver ! Malc

My wheels looked a tad better than yours and now washup well and sparkly …….. and on 250,009 miles just now 👍 Just 3x yours eh ! Malc

Hi and welcome to this Forum Have you sought the advice of a local professional Air-Con person initially ? Malc

Michael hi ……. Steve2006 now has a Ls430 and this issue might well be something he’ll know he’ll be grappling with at some time ………. if he’s not yet seen this post then maybe pm him ……. He really is a font of great knowledge on these cars Good luck Malc

Powder Coating it’s called 🤔 Malc

I don’t know but I’d have thought this repair in the uk on the basis of all you’ve said, would have been much much higher …… I’d have doubled that price at least so, go4it …… if you’re happy spending the money Malc Be good to know your final decision

Tyres are often a different “ feel “ on different cars I would concur with the earlier thoughts on Pirelli ( on my Honda Legend ) being super harsh …… but very very long lasting …… and I was so pleased when the time came to change to my tried and tested Falkens ( also on my Lexus ) that gave great all round service at upper budget price For me the Falkens are great ! Malc

Mike Your wheels Not seen a piccy of them yet but if they’re standard 94 Ls400 wheels then I’ll tell you my story ……… a couple of years ago I had mine professionally sorted out at £260 ……. + vat if payable ….. I paid £260 in folding ££££s They had the car for the day and overnight ….. removed the wheels ( and tyres of course ) and dipped them whatever to remove rust, paint and all and then painted and cured I decided not to do the plastic centre caps coz mine are solid colour thru’ …… as yours probably are too …….. and asked them simply to best match the wheel paint colour to the centre caps …….. all done fine No Guarantee but likely lifespan 15 years but told me I’d zap and bugger ‘em long before that 😂 Just my story of recentish local professional wheel refurb Good luck Malc

Plus painting extra ? Fitting ? Malc

95 Ls400 not in heaven yet …….. piccy as I parked up yesterday she still flies along dreamily 👏 Malc

She looks very smart ……… well done …….. whatever you choose as a replacement I doubt will afford the confidence and tranquility of your Ls400 motoring ……. electronic simplicity with V8 vroom vroom and massive comfort levels ………. your sanity to change cars beggars belief but there we are ……… each to his own ……… perhaps keep her and trial some alternative too if affordable ……. test the water rather than allowing your/the best car ever to fall into someone else’s care Good luck whatever Malc

Running 2x V8s is quite sensible provided they get equal use, say every other day Half the fuel in each ……. refuel 50% of the time and servicing can be extended provided the mileage covered doesn’t warrant ……… Double Insurance and MOT costs for sure ……… is but a small price to pay for excellent motoring and enjoyment ………. But of course buying and depreciation costs could be double ……… but then you might be getting capital appreciation too 🤔 Potential rarity of future classic Lexus V8s ……… Ls400s have flown away in value recently in many instances LCs might be getting there too sometime ……. Food for thought 🤔 Malc

All seems great value for money and should see you thru many more glorious Ls400 years The rust has just vanished with the clean-up underside and the gaiter just £25’ish and 10 mins labour 👍 one thing, I’d have not had the Varta battery ……. hope your experience with this is much better than mine on my Honda it won’t take not being regularly used so take care This brand fail very very easily and don’t sensibly recharge …… if it’s not too late to change it, get a Yuasa battery BUT whatever ……, All good to go and you’re sure to get many more great motoring miles and years from her Well done Malc

Buy a Chevy Aveo instead super car that no one’s wanting to pinch Malc

Go for a different model maybe …… one that’s unlikely to fall to thievery 🤔 Malc