Razor61

After taking those photos, no lights on the boot and I think there should be when the sidelights are on. I seem to remember on my 95 LS400 there were lights on the boot lit when the side lights were on. When I had the 95 LS400 my son in law ended up following me down the M66 early one morning, took a picture and sent it to me, he was the passenger, and I vaguely remember lights on the boot. Can’t find the pic now though. Some investigation needed at the weekend maybe. Could someone confirm whether the lights on the boot should illuminate with the side lights on please? When I was checking and sorting the initial ‘no brake lights issue’ the boot was open so didn’t look at the boot lid lights while testing etc.

Side lights on Brake lights on

It’s more cost effective for the manufacturer to have the same wiring loom and fittings for all models/configurations and just not use some of the wiring/functionality rather than manufacture different wiring looms and fittings for each model/configuration. In this case I think it’s the Lamp Failure Module that is internally configured differently and some other bits maybe, cheaper to have different Lamp Failure Modules and other smaller bits than different wiring looms and light fittings. A member on here checked his rear side lights and stop lights, pictures weren’t great but good enough in the end to prove it was the same as my car so that was it for me. This was after a few days of chasing my tail with a power probe, multimeter, examining wiring diagrams and a lot of head scratching and frustration. I got obsessed with an ‘issue’ that in reality didn’t exist.

MOT test states for the relevant bits: Front and rear position lamps Vehicles must have 2 front and 2 rear position lamps, except for tricycles or quadricycles that are less than 1,300mm wide. Stop Lamps must have 2 stop lamps, one on each side. Stop lamps exceptions similar to the position lamps, less than 1,300mm wide etc. Maybe it's the number of lamps that is the issue, it doesn't state 'at least' 2 lamps so maybe it 'has' to be 2.

I thought the same thing but didn't know how it would affect the Lamp Failure Sensor module, different part number for USA spec Lamp Failure Sensor module as opposed to Europe spec. I guess for the USA spec the 'internal' configuration is different, maybe a USA 'spec' Lamp Failure Sensor module would fit and all the lights would work. As to why they are different, maybe there is some EU law about how bright/how many lights are allowed on the rear of a vehicle - it wouldn't surprise me.

For my 98 LS400 I figured out that although dual filament bulbs are fitted, 5w/21w, both filaments are not used - either the 5w filament or 21w filament is used depending on where it is. Your lights work the same as mine and is normal as far as I can see. I think in the USA they were wired to use all of the filaments and looked very pretty across the car but the UK cars (at least mine) are not configured this way, that's the conclusion I came to anyway. See this for the whole story, its started with no brakes lights after doing some other work which sent me on the wrong fault finding path. Anyway, in the end it was 1 or 2 blown bulbs, plus one of bulbs which was a single filament bulb forced into dual filament socket.

I'm pretty sure fan/aux belt 'idler pulley no1' comes with the aux/fan belt tensioner as one assembly.

My mistake, I did look at both sides to see if the price was the same so must have done the screen shot of the lh side instead.

From Amayama the cushion itself is £123 plus £40 shipping plus import duty/tax. That's assuming it's the correct bit/part number you need.

I think £89.99 for a used camera, assuming it's good and working, is a bargain 🤣 Compared to a Lexus genuine new one which is £999.37 from Lexus Parts Direct.......yes £999.37 😬 and around £400 plus other costs from Amayama in Japan.

According the manual it's in the engine bay.

Maybe it only applies to the Mk4 wheels.

In case anyone is looking for 'ultra' slimline wheel balancing weights for their LS400 there is an Ebay link below to buy some, I've just purchased some. Reason is the standard LS400 alloy wheels are designed for knock on weights on the outer rim which looks cr@p and you wouldn't want them on newly refurbished wheels/rims, I wouldn't. Trouble is, on the front, the gap between the inside of the rim (where the stick-on weights need to go) is very close to the caliper so the normal thickness of stick-on weights are too thick, foul the caliper (not by a massive amount but enough) and cannot be used. Normal thickness is 4 & 5 mm but I've found some which are 2.2 mm thick and should do the job nicely. I contacted the seller about some other 'slim' weights, explained the situation and they told me about these 'ultra' slim line weights they sell and sent me the item number. Of course these need to be supplied to the tyre fitting company so they can use them and will cost you more but this only applies to the front wheels or rears if you plan to do some wheel rotation. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/273966106818

Going off the link below for The Car Care Nut, replacing the seat cushion foam isn't an easy job. https://youtu.be/E2_7IbFi6yI?si=T_Y6hnUqm6jEUipV

Do you have a link to the car so people can have a look and give you some advice?

And maybe worth replacing the power steering fluid at the same time, I'll bet the existing fluid isn't like new anymore 😉

That’s exactly what I thought, if it was near me I would have a look at it.

There is one for sale on AT, 261,000 miles for £3.5k. Maybe not the same spec but gives an idea of price range.

That is a cracking result, glad the post I found helped you and will probably help other people.

I didn't miss the cost, maybe the £190 was for the 'foam stuff injected into the AC drain which cleans round the evaporator and internals' and the £99 Aircon service stuff I mentioned and they didn't fully explain what it included, just guessing. It's bugging me now so I'll ring Lexus Bolton and find out🙂

100% agree, I think the older systems last longer and throw in Toyota/Lexus quality (at least for the older models) and you get better longevity. My view is, and it's only my view, it's worth having the AC checked out periodically and definitely checked out if it's a car that has just been purchased - if you are bothered about the AC. Apart from checking if the AC blows ice cold/cold or not, how would you know if the correct amount of refrigerant is in the car and hasn't lost any? AC may still 'work' but it may be working harder than it should be. Plus, there is a certain amount of oil that needs to be in the system to keep things lubricated. Regarding simply opening the windows on the car, just to add as well it's Air 'Conditioning' not just Air Cooling. The LS400 is a smooth, refined, quiet car, comfortable car, why would I want to open the windows and disturb the tranquility when a working AC system keeps the cabin at the desired temp/condition and doesn't disturb the tranquility 🙂

There was a link posted earlier in this topic explaining the AC system, which is very good and well worth a read, includes a section 'How long does the refrigerant last?' in which a portion of it states this: "A good rule of thumb would be to recharge a new car after no more than four years and then to recharge at three-year intervals. If you have a fairly recent car it may need recharging slightly more frequently now. Newer developments in AC technology are resulting in systems which are able to cool well with much less refrigerant than just a few years ago. In addition to this all new cars from 2008 are obliged by law to have very reduced natural losses. In spite of this it seems that if a car has only a small amount of refrigerant in the system, the loss of perhaps only 50 or 100 grams, a fairly small percentage, seems to have a serious effect on the performance of the cooling. As a result I am having to revise my thoughts - three year intervals may be fine for any car pre-2000 but for some cars built after 2000 it may be necessary to recharge every two years to keep the AC sufficiently effective especially if driving abroad."

Just did some digging on what the Lexus 'Air-Conditioning service' consists of, this is for RRG Lexus Bolton with a 'summer health check' - £39.99 on it's own but normally that's free so in reality the cost is for the Air-Con service. Cost £99 and description is below. It isn't just the anti bacterial treatment, according to the description. If they drain and recharge - check for leaks - check everything is working ok and then the anti-bac treatment, I don't think £99 is too bad for a main dealer. Of course it depends if you put any importance on having AC working or just open windows🙂 Me personally, if I have a car with AC then I want it all working as it should and use it all year round. RRG - Lexus Bolton Advanced Summer Health Check with Full Air-Conditioning Service and Free Air-Conditioning treatment - only £99.00 Includes the Standard Summer Health Check and Air Conditioning treatment To keep enjoying the benefits of your Air Conditioning system, it is important to keep it maintained and in good working order. We want you to avoid these problems. Our expertly trained technicians will drain and recharge your Air Conditioning system checking the filters, belts and connections to make sure your vehicle's compressor and condenser are in full working order. We will also treat your vehicle's ventilation system with an Air-Conditioning Sanitizer. This is a long-lasting antimicrobial product which eliminates harmful bacteria and bad odours from your Air-Conditioning system.

Found this doing some searching Drivers Seat Issues - ClubLexus - Lexus Forum Discussion

Some more info on this concerning the parking brake adjustment. Attempt #1 After replacing the discs I adjusted the parking brake shoes using a method I've used in the past for cars with brake shoes rather than disc/calipers at the rear, adjust the shoes until they bind then back of so they are just rubbing/catching. Parking brake wouldn't hold, even though I attached a couple of wheel nuts - applied parking brake and used a 2 foot pry bar to try and turn the wheel/s. So consulted the manual and tried again. Attempt #2 Rear off the ground using 2 x 3 ton trolley jacks, both rear wheels off the car (all done safely with front wheels chocked front and rear) Adjust the parking brake on both sides so they are both engaged - back off the adjustment 8 'notches or clicks' on both sides. Attached a couple of wheel nuts - applied parking brake and used a 2 foot pry bar to try and turn the wheel/s and all good I thought. Wheels back on etc and tested, still not holding, what am I doing wrong or what am I missing? Attempt #3 Had a think about it some more, looked at the manual again and then the penny dropped................new discs and therefore the parking brake 'drum' needs 'bedding in' to the parking shoes. How thick am I ????.......🤣 For cars with brake shoes rather than disc/calipers at the rear, the shoes will bed in as normal because they are being used when the car is moving of course but the parking brake isn't. Below are the instructions for 'after' replacing the parking brake shoes, I adjusted them ok but then didn't do the 'settling in....' bit at the end because I hadn't replaced the parking brake shoes. However, discs are new so the same principle applies of needing to 'bed them in' to new discs. I was a bit apprehensive of applying the parking brake while travelling at 30mph for 400 yards, gauging 147 n of pressure and repeating it a few times more but I did it this morning on the way to work and parking brake now holds ok and as normal. It all makes sense now and I won't forget in a hurry, it's now ready for the MOT in a couple of weeks and will maybe help others when they replace the rear discs/pads and or parking brake shoes and then find the parking brake is Cr@p and doesn't hold.