Razor61

I would imagine you may need to use the existing banjo bolts with the new copper washers provided, that's what I would normally expect to do but the picture on the Goodridge website for 'BRAKE HOSE KIT FOR LEXUS LS400 ALL VARIANTS 08/1992-09/1994 PRODUCT CODE: SLX0401-4P-BK' shows the banjo bolts as well as the washers. Assuming that is the same kit you purchased.

I agree and I wouldn't normally be bothered about an extended warranty. In my case buying a Lexus Approved car, £550 iirc for 2 years Lexus Extended Warranty (2 years for the price of one) which gave me 3 years in total, I figured it was worth it. I may never need to use it but you never know.

Just to add my 3 pence worth having bought a 2010 IS250 SE-I late last year. Don't discount Lexus Main dealers, I concluded that you can get a lower mileage IS250 from independent dealers, ebay, facebook, autotrader etc or a higher mileage IS250 from a Lexus dealer for more or less the same price or a bit more. My experience of buying last year. I looked at independent dealers, ebay, facebook, autotrader etc for a 'good' one. I did see a blue IS250 SE-L (2006/07 iirc) with lowish miles, fsh apparently and had all the extras and toys I was looking for but I wanted a silver car really so didn't pursue it. I then thought about Lexus main dealers, just out of interest I had a look at what was available and what the price difference was compared to other sources. When I looked on a Wednesday there were 4 or 5 IS250's for sale at Lexus Wolverhampton ranging from 6.5k to 10.5k some with low miles and some with around 80k. So I called them and decided on a silver 2010 IS250 SE-I (not an SE-L which I was looking for) 84k, fsh, nearly all of the extras and toys (sat nav, parking sensors etc but not ML audio, memory seats, HID headlights etc that you get with the SE-L). There was a black SE-L with 80k miles but I didn't want black so plumped for the SE-I. Negotiated on the price plus an extra 2 years extended Lexus Warranty and 2 year service pack. All in it was around £7,300 (can't remember exactly). I don't think it was too expensive considering peace of mind with a Lexus Warranty. By the Friday of the same week all the IS250's had been sold so they do come up for sale at main dealers but they don't seem to stay around long. The deal was all done remotely, car had a full service, front alloys done, bodywork scratches sorted and the car was delivered to my door. Painless operation all round and I couldn't be happier, apart from it's not an SE-L but you have to compromise sometimes according to what is available at the time.

Replaced both washer valves on my 2010 IS250 today to cure a ‘low pressure’ type issue on the drivers side. Symptoms: low pressure on drivers side windscreen washer - I knew the pump was ok as the passenger side was fine. The wiper was ‘wiping’ before the water had chance to hit the windscreen and when it did there wasn’t enough water. I had bought new wiper blades but wasn’t going to fit them until the washers were working as they should. Diags: removed the drivers side jet assy, checked it and it seemed ok. Removed the bonnet insulation, removed the pipe work to both washer jets. There is a one way valve for both drivers side and passenger side washer jets. Checked the one way valves and the passenger side was working, I could blow through the valve one way only but the drivers side I could blow through and suck water back the other way which shouldn’t happen. So the problem looked like it was the one way valve, common issue I think on a lot of cars. Fix: ordered 2 new one way valves from LPD - part number 85321-26020 - fitted the drivers side and tested - drivers side washer now worked as it should - passenger side was working ok but now was not as good as the drivers side - fitted a new one way valve on the passenger side as well and both are working as they should. Notes: be careful removing the washer jets as you tend to bend the rear plastic retaining tab to get them off. Just bend it back to where it should be otherwise the washer jet assy is loose and drops down at the back. The washer jet stream then hits the underside of the bonnet, I know because I did it. Order a few of the trim clips for the bonnet insulation as some of them may break removing them - part number 90467-09050 (generic clips and these are listed for a CT200) I believe the one way washer valve going faulty can cause the same issue as mine or not working at all on one side or both sides.

That was my first thought as well. A lot of IS200's suffer from this problem when the rest of the car is in great shape and maintained well. I suppose if the rest of the car is in great condition with low mileage it may be worth sorting out but it will cost a lot to do properly (not just the drivers side, chances are the passenger side is going as well). That would be my view as well, sills need doing and maybe the opposite boot side, new clutch........it will cost a fair bit but low mileage manual IS200's are getting hard to find and prices seem to be going up.

Washed the car last weekend and noticed a 50p sized paint bubble on the passenger side sill about 8 inches from the rear arch. Looked on the drivers side and there was another bubble in the paint but not as big. I’d checked round the rear arches for rot/holes as documented earlier and treated etc. but my first fear was that the cills were rotting through further along. This reminded me that I hadn’t sprayed Dynax S-50 into the cills as planned last year so took the plunge and did it this morning. There is a rubber bung at the bottom of the rear cill but it’s covered by a plastic cover so jacked up the passenger side, wheel off, plastic cover removed (3 x 10mm bolts) and removed the rubber bung ready to have a look inside the cill and then spray the Dynax S-50. I was dreading what I would see when I looked inside the cill. Inside the rear section of the cill had surface rust but not rotted at all and further down looked fine as far as I could see so the paint bubble I found probably isn’t caused by the rotting from the inside I hope. On with the Dynax treatment, sprayed as far down the cill as I could get with the 60cm long pipe/nozzle. The nozzle is designed to spray 360 degrees at 90 degrees to the pipe so coats everything but I rotated the nozzle as I went along the cill. Sprayed half a can in one side and did the same as above on the drivers side, plenty of the stuff dripping out through the drain holes along the cill and at the rear so I gave it plenty! I’ll give them another blast tomorrow. Now the paint bubbles................. I was a bit apprehensive to start scraping and prodding but I bit the bullet and cracked on with it. Removed the paint bubble and underneath was shiny metal, scraped off any other paint bubbles lower down and round that area both sides that I could find. Some bits lower down had surface rust underneath so wired brushed, cleaned and treated everything. Tomorrow I’ll apply some undercoat and when dried paint it, I have some touch up paint which will be ok and look better. When I saw the paint bubbles last weekend I was dreading that the car was suffering from common rotted cills but I needn’t have worried and it’s a relief to be honest. If anyone is worried about the state of the cills on their car I would recommend checking the cills by looking through the 30mm sized holes in the rear of the cills. You can’t see everything, unless you put a camera in, but you can see enough to make a judgement. Then while you are at it blast them with cavity wax of your choice.

Had a look at the car this morning, Baz is a very decent honest guy. Maybe a bit unrealistic about what a car is worth but everyone wants the most they can get for a car when selling. Mechanically the car looks in good order and everything works, the steering wheel motors are pretty much silent as one or both of the motors have been replaced. Bonnet struts and boot seal have been replaced, os front strut bar has been replaced with a genuine Lexus/Toyota part with the ns front strut bar in the boot ready to fit and also a genuine Lexus/Toyota part. Engine sounds good, it had been started and run though, and engine bay clean. Alloys are in very good condition. Mechanically it seems very good, bodywork is another matter though, which I knew about but you can only find out how good/bad by looking at the car in the flesh. Top of the windscreen corrosion is the worst I’ve seen and is all across the top but hasn’t got any worse over the years I’m told. Checked the lower rear arches for corrosion into the boot and sill areas, it looks like someone has paid some attention to them and there is corrosion but there are no holes I could feel. Whether it’s been glossed over with under seal or sorted properly then under sealed I couldn’t tell but I suspect it’s the former. Suspension components are rusted along with the rear subframe but that’s no surprise at all. Back boxes have been replaced with a straight through stainless system, sounds boy racer but the original back boxes come with the car and it wouldn’t be a problem putting them back as they are in good condition. Bonnet has lacquer peel, ns rear quarter has lacquer peel (this is where the cat c repair work was done), os rear quarter damage and the paint has some clouding, front/rear lower bumper panels are a different colour, some rust on the edge of one door. The body needs a lot of work and needs a complete respray after sorting all the issues out to bring it back to where it should be and in my view wouldn’t be worth it. If it was really low mileage then maybe it would but even then I don’t think it would be worth it. Interior is in very good condition though and is the same colour as my departed MK3 but the sat nav screen is badly scratched. I think you may guess that it’s not for me though but I had to have a look, the bodywork needs too much work. If someone wants a MK4 LS400 to ‘just run’ reliably for a few years and are not bothered about what it looks like then it would do the job. As for price, if I wanted one to ‘just run’ then I wouldn’t pay the asking price for this car, around £1,000 would be ok I suppose because if you run it for a year or 2 then scrap it you wouldn’t be losing much at all. Or run it for a few years to find out out if you like the LS400 and can live with one until a better MK4 is available and use this one for parts, that would make sense to me.

I've seen that one and it looks very good, pearl white as well. My view is that it's the type of car to keep in a garage and use at weekends or as an investment. I'll have a think about that one. Mechanical stuff isn't a problem for me and I enjoy doing it but bodywork/spraying is a different matter, I'm just having a look and a chat as it's only 10 miles away and take it from there.

I'm going to look at this car, link below, on Saturday. It's been cat c because of a bump to the ns wing, some lacquer peel but I'm told it's good underneath and mechanically good. Does anyone know this car or anything about it by any chance? I'm undecided whether to get another LS400 but it's worth a look as it's just down the road from me. https://ebay.us/Hlz9Dt

My thoughts, based on my experience, are that it does look really nice and clean etc but the MOT advisories below would be a concern to me (even though they are not mentioned on the last MOT). It could have been sorted out or it could have been just masked over (as you say). Only proper way to tell is to get it on ramp and have a really good look/poke round underneath. Nearside Rear Inner Vehicle structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i)) Offside Rear Inner Vehicle structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i))

I presume you mean me🙂 yes I am interested but my head is ruling my heart at the moment. After my LS400 was written off 4/5 months ago I said I wouldn't get another, been there, spent money, done loads of work etc and didn't fancy doing it all again......................but I can't help looking at LS400's for sale and thinking about buying another. I have a 2010 IS250 now (Mrs has an IS200) and I'm very please with it, smooth and quiet, but it's not as smooth and quiet as an LS400. It's not that far off though to be fair. If I had somewhere dry to store an LS400 it would be different but I don't so head wins. I could rent a newly built unit, nice and dry with power etc but it's £100 per month. Anyway I may have a drive down to Birmingham next weekend and have a look at the car to see if it's as good as described.

That is low mileage but as you say it may be expensive. The one in Birmingham has had a new rear quarter, the inner wing rust cut out as well and new metal welded in plus other work as well and all documented with photos I’m told.

It’s worth contacting the one in the link above which I posted earlier, I think you may be interested😉 It’s described as having no rust and I don’t doubt it at all after seeing some pictures of the work that has been done, it may put you off but if all the work has been done properly then it should be fine. I was tempted myself and to be honest I still am but I have already promised the Mrs that I wouldn’t get another LS400. If I had somewhere to store the car it would be different and would maybe just buy it, store it and suffer the consequences😚

There is another one on FB, link below, but no price. https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1603598243161406/

Lexus Parts Direct have them listed for £43.66 each, I had one replaced at Lexus in Nov 2019. Normally to replace them the wheel bearing/hub need to be removed but the mechanic at Lexus had a 'method' to replace it without removing them. If your replacing the wheel bearing anyway that isn't an issue.

I looked at that car as well, I think it's the same colour as the Mk3 Gold Badge Edition I had in 'Ebony Teal Pearl' paint code 6N9, it's a very dark green and looks metallic black until you look really close or the sun shines on it. Or it might just be metallic Black. Looking at one of the pictures, from the front on the drive, the passenger wing and mirror looks dull but that may be just the light and shadows. Apart from the excellent list by 'cruisermark', starter, cambelt and ball joints replaced is a bonus. Rust is the main enemy in my opinion, the issues on mine are well documented on here so that is where I would start before doing any thing else. Lift the left and right boot flaps and have a look for any signs of water or rust/holes, this is where the water and grit will be if there are holes into the boot from the lower rear arches. If there are signs of this then the chances are the other side of the rear arches may have the same issue.

One of the cables is listed on Lexus Parts Direct, maybe both are available from them. I'm pretty sure a member on here has purchased at least one of the cables from Lexus recently. Regarding Blueprint stuff, I have the Blueprint left and right parking brake cables in the garage and they look good quality to me. I bought them with some other parts as a job jot 18 months ago. The part numbers are - ADT346247 and ADT346248 and I don't need them anymore😉 I understand stuff like the UCA's are not as good and don't last as long as OEM but parking brake cables are maybe just as good or good enough.

If you can't get the original pipe maybe you can get a pipe with the same connector. Cut the connector off and braze it onto the original pipe somehow or get a flexible piece crimped onto it so you have a working assy. Something like the one below maybe. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-TOYOTA-AURIS-AC-AIRCON-PIPE-HOSE-2006-2012/383912573470?hash=item5962f8fa1e:g:vCsAAOSwjXxgCV3B

maybe it was corroded too much and would have broken whatever. I also replaced the AC Compressor last year (replaced the drier while I was at it), one of the connectors/pipe came off no problem but the other one was a a swine to pull out. I needed some pump pliers in the end to grip it enough and pull it out correctly, took quite a while though with stopping having a rest and calming down in between attempts😉 The advice from the AC guy about not twisting or wobbling it out stopped me from being impatient otherwise it could have been a disaster.

That's the conclusion I came to and Ambermarine confirmed it as well, the sensor must degrade over time and give slightly wrong readings to the ECU. Glad you have got it sorted👍

Ah, I think I know now, is it broken on the fitting itself where the O ring fits and this fits into the drier? I replaced the drier on my LS400 last year, the AC guy said to be very careful and gave me some advice on how to remove it. Advice was to loosen the clamp round the drier, loosen the bolt on the fitting a mm or so and give it sharp tap with a small hammer to break the seal and then loosen another mm if needed and tap again until it pulls straight down and out and do not twist or wobble it out. Bit late advice now but may help someone else. Of course if the AC system has been empty for a time the fittings may have suffered corrosion and may just break regardless as I think they are aluminium but can’t remember for sure.

I can’t see from the picture where the pipe is broken, is the pipe itself broken or is it broken where it goes into the fitting? If the fittings themselves are not corroded you may be able get the pipe repaired by soldering or brazing, someone in that type of trade (car radiator repairer maybe?) may be able to help.

I did see this one on eBay but the rear arches are rusted with one pictured. There is another one for £1500 but the arches are worse and the front wing is really bad.

I recently replaced the front calipers on my IS200 due to one of the pistons sticking and I have the old calipers. I was going to just throw them away but I thought it was a waste, it's a throw away society now so I thought better of it and ordered a caliper repair kit for both calipers. New pistons, seals, slider pins/rubber bushes, bolts, bleed nipples, bleed nipple covers which is everything for a full refurb. I'm going to clean up the calipers and do the refurb, bleed nipples are not seized and piston bores are fine, so they will be good to go after. I'm doing this partly for something to do and either keep them as a spare set (probably never need them though) or sell them. If anyone local to the BB3 area is interested or needs a set of front IS200 calipers and trusts that I can do them correctly😉 let me know.

Nice looking silver LS400 on eBay........ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lexus-LS400-1997/254852293236?hash=item3b56616274:g:r4oAAOSwFf1f0fbi