Razor61

Hi Phil I've used epoxy adhesives before but never thought of using it for large areas etc, first thing that comes to mind is fibreglass, it works a treat and it really is rock solid. Thew fibreglass I removed was like straw and just pulled away very easily. I didn't know what to buy so I looked around a bit on the internet and decided to get 2 x tubes of 'West System Six10 Thickened Epoxy Adhesive' and is used in the marine industry I think, my thought was that it would be thicker for the vertical surfaces and not run as much. It is thick though and not exactly cheap but for my purpose it was ideal I think. I didn't get it smooth but I should have read the instructions better as I think it 'thins' the more you work it. Fixing the aluminium mesh in place with stainless self tappers and then epoxy resin over the whole area, as you suggested, resulted in a very strong repair. Maybe just as good or maybe better than welding in a steel plate in this particular area, it would have been difficult welding the bottom of the plate to the cill so I would have needed to use some kind of sealant in the area anyway I think. Also welding in one particular area further up the wheel arch could have resulted in the exterior paintwork, which isn't covered by a trim panel, bubbling which I didn't want at all. Now all the cill covers and mudguards are back in place, most of the repaired area is covered and it looks fine. The worst side is more visible but even then you wouldn't notice unless purposely looked. Thanks again, it was good advice!!

Thanks for the advice Phil and is, more or less, exactly what I did. In hindsight I should have used this method on the other bits as well but they were nowhere near as bad so I’m still happy with it.

No problem, I did go to see the guy late last year about a rear subframe to refurbish and swop out on my car but I couldn’t see what condition they were in without removing them so didn’t bother. He is only 10 mins from where I work and he had 3 x LS400’s iirc. If you want an item, I think you have to pay for it then he will remove it from the car and send or arrange pickup. If it wasn’t for the current situation I would go and see him on your behalf to see what he has and I presume he would be able to stick a battery on or a booster and make sure the cluster works ok. I’m in work tomorrow so maybe I can help in some way, his premises can be passed on my way back home no problem ( I am allowed to go into work Mon,Weds,Friday because of dangerous chemicals/substances on site that need regular monitoring and maintenance )

Don’t have a spare cluster but try the ebay seller in the link below. He has a few LS400’s that he is breaking. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/352832288907

Everything is back together but I noticed some rust areas on the passenger rear inner arch. Not much to begin with, just a very small area where the under seal had failed and I could see a bit of rust. So jacked up the car, took the wheel off again and started scraping which revealed a larger area, not a surprise to be honest. Scraped and wire brushed to reveal the affected area, pic below, then treated as normal. I will look at both rear inner arches properly at the weekend and find as many other bits as possible, treat them and then spray on some fresh under seal. The ‘problem’ area after using aluminium mesh, epoxy and painted. It’s not smooth but it’s rock solid and after I coat it with under seal it will be fine and look better.

Epoxy has now had another coat applied, dried and smoothed out a bit............ It’s not perfectly smooth but it’s a solid/waterproof repair and will last a long time. Someone looking at the repair will maybe think its a bodge job and has just had some slap applied all over but I know what work has gone into it and I’m happy it’s been done right ( and the other repairs ) Maybe not as good as welding in a metal plate but pretty close if not ( it would have needed sealant etc at the bottom edge anyway though) but I’m 100% it’s structurally sound and has ‘stopped the rot’, pardon the pun. I’ve sprayed it all now with anti chip paint and will maybe give it coating of under seal or do the whole wheel arch/s. While the cill covers are off and therefore I can get to the fixing holes along the bottom, I emptied a few cans of cavity wax into the cills via these holes giving plenty of attention to the rear where the holes were. The cills themselves are totally solid but the rear ‘end plates’ ( for want of a better expression ) were the bits that needed attention and inside the cill in this area there was some surface rust that was treated but nothing to worry about at all really. Different story maybe if it had been left for another year or two. Ive already put back the cill covers etc back on the drivers side and will do the passenger side today then a really good wash of the whole car. The cill fixings I bought from eBay (twice cos I lost the first lot!) fit perfectly so they were well worth it. I’ll take a some pics later and post them.

I don’t think it’s expensive to be honest but the more stuff you buy the more cost effective it is. I buy enough bits to make it worth while, my last order was around £600 for lots of stuff. Landed cost was around £800 I think, to buy in the UK would have been around £2k plus I reckon.

The problem area has now been started. Rather than get a plate welded in, which I would if I could, I decided to take the advice of using epoxy and aluminium mesh. The area has already been prepared and rust treated etc, so aluminium mesh was cut to size and shaped, holes drilled in the wheel arch ready for stainless self tapping screws to hold the mesh in place, epoxy applied to relevant areas, mesh attached and fixed with stainless screws, more epoxy applied over the whole area to form a thin film over the area. Waiting for it all to set/cure and then more epoxy over the whole area to create thick coverage. Maybe another depending on how it goes. Then a spray of anti chip paint and some under body coating of some sort.

I don’t think they are genuine Lexus OEM bushes, they are aftermarket. If you look on the japeurocarparts website, link below, it says aftermarket. I’m not saying they are no good though, just in case anyone thinks that’s what I’m insinuating. https://www.japeurocarparts.co.uk/search.php?page=2&squery=&pricerange=&orderby=&filt=&id=0&make=53&modelID=1937&vid=770

Ditto......

Hi Malc, yes it is. I'll have a look at the post.

Some of the colours are different in the flesh than what you expect from the description so maybe an Aspen Green car will be ‘silver’ enough for me! On the subject of Gold MKIV’s, there is one that has been for sale for quite a while which has had a partial re-spray to doors, wings and lower bumpers plus LPG, a lot of suspension work and electronic stuff added. I keep looking at the advert and wondering if I should look at it.........maybe when the current situation changes I will. Looking back at my very first post on here about a MKIV in Gold for sale in Edinburgh last year for 9k and asking ‘is it worth 9k’, knowing what I know now it was probably worth it and definitely worth the 6k it went for (if it indeed went for 6k) That was the car that really fired my interest in an LS400.

Changed the clear indicators that were on the car back to the original orange. The side indicators didn’t fit properly, they were too small and the front ones were full of water and misted up. Don’t know where the clear indicators came from but they were different and didn’t fit as well as they should. Before after

Good point, I prefer silver but the Mrs does not like Gold at all...........I can’t repeat her exact words about the LS400 in Gold though🤪

Thanks Phil, so it’s Silver Jade Pearl according to a google search. I thought it was maybe that colour but couldn’t be sure from the pictures. It seems like it was a popular colour compared to others and based on the cars I looked at last year. I haven’t seen many silver Mk4’s or Mk3’s for that matter. I didn’t really want the colour I have, Ebony Teal Pearl, simply because it’s a dark colour and I prefer lighter colours which don’t show scratches etc as much. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the colour itself, when it’s all washed and polished it looks stunning with the gold badges etc but it doesn’t stay that way for long though especially in winter. I use it everyday to go to work with a 50 mile round trip so after a day it looks dirty again. But it’s the quality of the car itself that’s the most important bit. I’ll keep looking for a Gold/Silver car, preferably a MKIV, but I think I’ve more chance of a getting a Gold one to be honest. I’m not in a hurry so can wait but if I do find one then I’ll have to decide ha to do with mine🤔

It does look great, can you tell me what the colour is please? I’ve decided to look for a gold or silver MK3 or Mk4 as I prefer those colours and yours looks silver on the photos.

No problem John, at least one of my posts has been useful had you noticed any wind noise on your car?

Inside the boot now sealed as well. Again, it’s not pretty but who cares.............I certainly don’t as it’s sealed both sides now, wheel arch side and now inside the boot. Before I sealed inside the boot I washed the car, got the hose on the inner wheel arches where the holes had been fettled and gave it a good soak. Checked inside the boot and I couldn’t detect any water so I think it’s pretty much waterproofed. Pics below are before I sealed inside the boot and after, the near side was the worst and you can see the aluminium mesh. The off side wasn’t as bad at all.

Had a look at the glove box area today to try and figure out where the annoying rattle is coming from. The nuts on the upper glove box hinges were loose, the rh one very loose and the lh one just loose but not as bad. This might be the cause but time will tell. They are hidden by 2 plastic covers which need removing first then tighten the nuts, I used a Teng mini ratchet/socket set which is a very very useful set. Video of b4 and after are below along with a picture of the Teng mini ratchet/socket set. IMG_0686.MOV IMG_0687.MOV IMG_0687.MOV

If I need to do it again ever I’ll be disappointed🤪 it will look neater when the plastic is removed, anti chip paint sprayed on then the whole inner arch under sealed. You won’t know I’ve touched it then😃

So after much scraping and treating over the last 2 x weeks or so I've finished sealing the 2 x holes into the boot and the off side corrosion to the the cill. The os bottom of the arch at the cill side wasn't that bad, after removing all the crud it looks like just the original sealant between the inner arch and the cill had failed. I say this because once I scrapped away everything it left a neat gap of approx 4mm between the inner arch and the cill, all nicely rounded. I don't know whether this was originally welded which has failed, tidied up and then sealant applied or it was bonded originally. So I've used the same method on that which is - aluminium mesh stuck on with Tiger seal round the edges - once dried fill in the bigger gaps - smoothed off as best I can and it's now setting/drying. os bottom of the arch at the cill side before applying mesh and sealant then mesh and then sealant all over. Same for the holes into the boot area. It may not be pretty but I'm 100% sure it's waterproof and will do the job for a long time. After I took the photos I placed some plastic sheet on top so I could smooth it out better and once dried the plastic should just peel off, I've tried peeling off a bit this morning on a section that has dried and it does just peel off so once the thicker bits have dried it will be fine I think. The worse side though (pic below), on the ns bottom cill side, I'm going to get a plate welded in then apply sealant/resin etc. It's too big for the aluminium mesh and sealant method. Although it would work, I think a metal plate is better if possible

No problem, I received mine today so you should be ok.

Hi Howard, I’ve just re done my wheels, I did do them months ago but they were just as bad. I’ve now applied the C5 stuff. I did the just front wheels a few weeks ago and the dirt and brake dust comes off a hell of a lot easier but was still on the wheels in the hard to get to places and a pain to clean off. Autofinesse Iron Out with a brush to agitate did the trick though so the combination of wheels cleaned and coated with C5 then using Iron Out or something similar after works really well for my wheels. I only started using the Gtechniq stuff after I had a new M140i ceramic coated with their stuff and just stuck with it.

Good advice thanks, I’ve got Tigerseal, Sikaflex 221 and aluminium mesh and the plan was to stick the mesh on in pieces if needed, gluing just on the edges to start with, then when cured cover with whatever is the best. I’ll get some epoxy resin as well, I don’t fancy use glass fibre to honest.