Razor61

That's brilliant thanks, that looks exactly like the problem I will have if I remove the fibreglass. I'll have a good look and sort it when it's dry enough, maybe it's been done well enough and just looks dodgy. I did get the car on a ramp a couple of days after I bought the car and the mechanic that looked at it said he could weld new metal in but welding further up the arch could blister the outside paint if it wasn't double skinned. He thought it was double skinned so shouldn't be a problem but we wouldn't know until he started. I don't fancy taking the chance so, if needed, I'll have a go at shaping some steel and bonding it to good metal then sealing the whole area. There are some really good epoxy metal bonding products so will give it a go if needed, never done this sort of thing before so it will be interesting. The boot end will get metal welded in because it wont affect the exterior paintwork, unless it's worse than I think.

So was the rust all round the inner arches themselves? Mine has rust at the bottom where it joins the boot as in the photo below, the arches themselves look fine but I haven't had a proper look yet so I may find the same issue. The lower boot end I'm not worried about and will get it patched when it gets dry enough. The opposite side, passenger cabin end, does worry me a bit. The off side looks like it's been sorted and welded, I presume this was the fix for the MOT failure of "Offside Rear Body or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings Inner arch (6.1.B.2)" in 2017. It looks like a decent job but the near side has fibreglass etc in the same area, see picture below. I didn't see any of this until I washed all the crud away. When I drop the rear end out to do sub frame/rear end rebuild in spring next year I'll have plenty of room to get in, have a proper look around and do whats needed. Near side rear - boot side. opposite side, passenger cabin end.

Thanks Malc. After all the searching on this forum (and others) and conversing with yourself, I learned so much so it's only fair I contribute as much as I can myself. On another subject, I've noticed quite a few MK3 LS400's for sale at the moment, one in particular on eBay for sale in Greenock looks pretty good. If I had the space and money to burn, I would love to buy it, sort out stuff that needs doing and see if I could make some money on it as a part time hobby - plus enjoy doing it along the way😀

Cheers, I didn't forget about the pictures. I was waiting until I'd detailed all the bodywork but below are a few of the bits I've done already, roof and boot. Just bought the car Roof etc and work in progress

Dynamic Handling Pack, as far as I can tell it was offered as a dealer fitted option of bigger fatter wheels and tyres along with springs and shock absorbers to match. I presume stiffer springs and different shocks to make the LS400 handle better. Probably other bits maybe but that’s the basics of it I think.

Now I have owned my first LS400 for approx 8 weeks I think it's time for me to document my experience of finding an LS400, the mistakes I made along the way, what I think about the car and what I've done to the car so far. So here goes....... some of this members will already know but it may be useful to people thinking of purchasing an LS400. Buying. I started looking around 1 year ago with the intention of buying a MKIV simply because the MKIV has sat nav, VVTi engine, 5 speed box and is apparently the best of the LS400. The first one I went to see early in the year was a 1996 MK3 in Gold, around 60,000 miles, in excellent condition and very very well looked after. I went armed with my check list and went through everything but I didn't like the beige interior so I passed on it and decided a MKIV in Silver with a light interior was the one for me. In hindsight that was a mistake and I should have bought it there and then. I then looked at 4 x MKIV's and a MK3 varying from £750 to £3000. I travelled a fair way to buy a MKIV DHP in bronze which was 'rust free' and faultless service history (I even spoke to the Lexus garage who maintained it since new) but when I got there I discovered rust on the rear arches, blistering and some of the interior leather was badly split/worn and to be honest the interior looked old and tired so didn't go ahead. I came across the MK3 1996 in Ebony Teal Pearl that I have now which has just done clocked over to 70,000. Cam belt had been done at 50,000 miles.....ish. I didn't spend as much time inspecting this car as I had done with the others, don't know why, and did the deal. I didn't really want a dark coloured car but I figured that if I waited to find the 'perfect' car for me, colour, MKIV etc, then I would probably wait forever. The colour has really grown on me after I detailed it, it looks great. I did find things on the car later, bottom of rear inner arches need attention, and if I'd have found them when looking at the car I would not have bought it but it is an old car so these things are to be expected. It was just a shock because after all my research I don't remember seeing anything about this. Such is life though. Owning and work done, so far............. The drive back from buying the car wasn't a pleasant experience and I was thinking I'd bought a dog, the car had a set of DHP alloys and tyres on it and did not drive well at all but looked great. So much so that I was thinking that there was something seriously wrong somewhere on the suspension. I drove the car to work and back for a week and wasn't happy at all, any rut or uneven bit of road and it was all over the place - changing lanes and even going over cats eyes. It did not feel safe to be honest. There were a set of original alloys and tyres with the car so I decided to clean them up (they were in excellent condition anyway) and put them on the car as I wanted it all original. This transformed the car beyond recognition and it drove miles better, still not spot on but a vast improvement. I can only think that 1 - the DHP wheels and tyres are too big and heavy for a non-DHP car and 2. combined with split front strut bushes (which were split on my car) and worn arb drop links and bushes on my car, it all added up to the car driving like a dog. With being a hell of a lot happier about the car (I had though about getting rid of it) I decided to take it into Lexus for a good check over to find out what work needed doing and then sort everything out myself over time. The outcome was - timing belt needed doing asap as it was 10 years since the last one, front strut bushes split, osf disc back/protection plate missing, front discs and pads needed (I knew about this anyway and had already ordered them from Lexus), rear pads needed but not urgent, brake fluid change needed, alignment needed, air con service, one rear hub bush had slight play plus a few other little bits that I can't remember. I had planned to do all the work myself and was looking forward to doing it but I decided I had to get the timing belt done asap, I didn't want a broken engine which would have really really upset me and probably pushed me over the edge!! I had a good chat with the Lexus service manager Darren at Lexus Bolton and we came up with a plan.......I would replace the front strut bushes (pretty easy I thought but see my post/s regarding this and all the work I ended up doing as a result), front discs and pads and Lexus Bolton would do the rest. It ended up with Lexus replacing the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, rear pads, osf disc back/protection plate, brake fluid, engine oil, oil filter, air filter and pollen/cabin filter. Then a full alignment and other bits that I've forgot, the work grew and took on a mind of its own!!! But it needed doing and was worth getting done in one hit for peace of mind. Cost a bit but Darren did me a good deal as there was so much work being done, thanks Darren Manning and Lexus Bolton - they were great. All the work I could have done myself, apart from the alignment, but I'm glad it's all done and the car drives spot on and like new (I think). What do I think of the car now? I can honestly say that it is a pleasure to drive and I feel privileged to own and drive such a well engineered piece of automotive excellence. The car now lives up to my expectations and I intend to keep it and do all the other work needed to make it even better. Most of the work I intend doing is underneath and at the rear, rear subframe cleanup and painted, rear suspension rebuild (done the front), remove and treat any rust underneath etc so it will last another 10 or more years. My wife did not want me to buy a Lexus LS400 (I had a XJ40 3.6 manual Jag a few years ago which didn't go to plan) and she said "you won't keep it, you'll say it's too big and costs too much to run blah blah blah". But we went for a run out a few weeks ago with the mother in law, got stuck in a traffic jam on the M60 and her comment was........"now I know why you wanted one, it's so comfortable, quiet and smooth and I'm happy for you". When I took my Dad for a run in it he said....... "wow...it's as quiet as an electric car!! I've not been in a 'normal' car anywhere near as quiet since a MK10 Jag", I thought that was priceless and I'd never thought about the car that way before. A friend of my Dad owned a MK10 Jag in the 60's and he got stopped by a constable for something and because he was wrong about why he stopped him he said "you have a noisy exhaust anyway sir, can you start the engine please?", my Dad's friend said "it's already running......................" Advice etc to others based on my experience - the LS400 is a masterpiece of automotive engineering but it does have it's common issues to research about and look out for when viewing. You can't see/find every fault/issue when looking so be prepared for some work after you buy it. It doesn't do 70mpg so be prepared for that, I was sort of prepared but not totally. Costing £90 - £100 to fill the tank is a shock but it is a big tank......I reckon I'm getting around 50 miles per £10 of fuel going to work and back. If you can do most work yourself all the better, it will save you money and you'll do more on the car because you will be shelling out just for parts not labour. Parts are not cheap though as it was an expensive car to buy and so well engineered but sites like Amayama and sometimes eBay can make a big difference. Needless to say buying parts from Amayama is more cost effective the more parts you buy. If doing work yourself invest in a decent pair of 3 ton axle stands and a good 3.5 ton trolley jack, this is the first thing I did after jacking up the car with a 2 ton cheap ish trolley jack......it was struggling. I think that it and there's loads more I could add but it's beer o'clock!! I know I'm a baby when it comes to owning a LS400 but if anyone wants any advice or information about the work I've done etc don't hesitate to contact me. I've learned a lot from searching forums such as this.

I'm after a decent LS400 MK3 rear subframe to refurbish/rebuild ready to swop out for mine next year. If anyone has one or knows where there is one for sale please let me know. It's a bit of a long shot get hold of one but worth a try.

Haven't done much recently on the car but I have bought some parts ready for a rear end rebuild next year. 2 x new genuine OEM rear UCA's, 2 new genuine OEM rear carrier hub sub-assy's and lots of genuine OEM bolts and nuts for the rear end. 2 x Blueprint rear wheel bearing kits and 2 x Blueprint handbrake cables. The main bits I wanted were the UCA's and hub assemblies, the rest are a bonus. My car has slight play in one rear hub bush and they are not available separately (expensive for Lexus to replace....new hub/bearing etc needed) but aftermarket ones are available. Which I would have been quite happy using but I came across these bits and I couldn't pass on them considering that I plan to rebuilt the rear end in spring next year. I just need a decent rear subframe to refurbish and build up ready to swop over, if I don't get one I'll rebuild the one in the car but it will take longer for the whole job.

As far as I can tell, the part number for your failed top mount is 48680-50100 and is the same for both sides, if one side has gone then the other may be on it's way out as well. The other bits, Bump Stop 48331-50070 and insulator/rubber boot cover 48157-50010 may need replacing if they are deteriorated, this will become more apparent when the strut is removed and disassembled.

I've recently replaced the front and rear drop links on my LS400 Mk3, the front/rear drop links were not coming off using a spanner and Allen key to remove them properly. I quickly decided that a grinder was the best option but a nut splitter may have worked. From memory there is enough room at the front to get a grinder in safely but I had already removed the wheel arch liners and a lot of other front suspension stuff so with everything still on the car maybe space is more limited. Just in case you are thinking about doing the rears.The rears were more of a challenge and was awkward to get the grinder in, I finished up cutting through the drop link bar/rod and removing the rear arb to work on off the car (I was replacing the rear arb bushes anyway) piece of cake then to remove that half of the drop link. Plus I removed the rear caliper out of the way because the flexible hose is very very close to where you need to use the grinder on the lower suspension arm to remove the other half of the drop link.

I'm glad I saw this, I bought some bulbs for the interior (along with some headlight bulbs) as I thought one interior bulb had gone but it turns out it hasn't. I ordered LED interior bulbs by mistake and thought I'd just fit them anyway. After reading this post I won't be fitting them!!

Yep, I’d done a lot of work myself already so getting all the cambelt, water pump etc etc done by Lexus gives me peace of mind and it should be good for another 10 years. I really really wanted to do it myself, maybe next time. By that time though I’ll be retired so will have plenty of time at least😀 Now for the list of stuff done by Lexus Bolton and I have to say they have been great. Yes I have paid a tidy sum but I think they have done me a good deal for all the work done and it was well worth doing. For the work I’d done before I reckon I’ve spent around £500 in parts: strut/camber arm bushes, front discs, front pads, drop links front and rear, arb bushes front and rear. I estimate that work would have cost at least £1000 and probably more. The list...... wheel alignment, rear pads, front pad wear sensor, new osf disc backplate fitted (without removing the wheel bearing), timing belt, water pump, water pump O rings, thermostat, aircon service, brake fluid replaced, engine oil and filter done, air filter done, pollen filter done, disc retaining screws replaced front and rear, sorted rattling exhaust bracket. And that’s it I think. It drove fine before but having the alignment done has made it drive better. Not massively, because it had been improved beyond all recognition by the work I’ve done over the last few weeks, but just the ‘icing on the cake’ difference. If you know what I mean. I had a CT200H as a courtesy car the last 2 days and it’s a very nice car but getting back in the LS400 makes you appreciate just how good they are.

Long story but I’ve done the front strut bushes, arb bushes and drop links front and rear, front discs and pads plus a lot of cleaning, rust removal and painting. The car went into Lexus yesterday for cambelt, water pump, thermostat, brake fluid change, alignment, rear pads, oil and filter, cabin filter, air filter, os front disc plate, front pad wear sensor ( not cheap ) and to have a look at one of the rear hub bushes. It’s still at Lexus, few parts needed to be ordered. For example, new O rings for the water pump because sealant had been used in the past. Probably get it back today and then see if I can recover from the cost of it all without having a heart attack😀 I could have done it all myself, apart from the alignment, given enough time but the work at Lexus started out with cambelt/water pump which needed doing straightaway. I got carried away a bit and thought I’d just get it all done.

Regarding the knocking and tappety sound I experienced this morning, thanks Malc and Wisemonkey for your comments. I’m a baby when it comes to owning and running an LS400 but I’m not green when it comes to engine noises ( or what I think is engine noise) outside temps, engine oil etc and it didn’t sound good at all when it started. It sounded more like a diesel than a petrol car to be honest. Today was pretty mild and over the last week or so the temp has been -2, the car started perfectly and didn’t sound like today. The car has run perfect engine wise since I bought it which is why I was so surprised and concerned today. Also the car was off the road for 2 weeks recently while I did work on the front suspension and it started spot on after. When I buy a car, normally the first thing I do is new oil and filter, this time I didn’t. I’ll see if Lexus can fit in an oil and filter change along with the other work tomorrow. I suppose time will tell if it’s an intermittent ‘feature’ of the car...........or something else.

Roof clay barred, power buffed with 3 stage cutting/buffing compounds then coated with Gtechniq C2 (stuff I had left over from the BMW M140i days). I didn’t spend a lot of time doing this and plan on doing one area at a time after washing but the result is pretty good I think considering the time spent. By the way the lines in the pictures are reflections from overhead cables not scratches....

Oh yes, I was struggling and taking some time out to think helps a lot. Put everything back this morning, started at 8am and was all finished by 9am including tidying up and tools put away. It’s a hell of a lot easier to put things back on than taking them off!! I was then all set to wash the car and clay bar then buff the roof area. A strange/worrying thing happened when I started the car to take it for a run later after washing it etc. It didn’t start as smooth as normal, when it started it was struggling. It spluttered then was ok but there was a knocking noise very similar to the big ends knocking...........so stopped it then started it again. This time it started as normal, opened the bonnet to have a look and listen. There was still a knocking noise but it sounded more ‘tappety’ from the rear of the engine. I started the car with the door open and stood outside which I haven’t done from cold before so maybe I just haven’t heard it before. I am concerned about it though so will ask Lexus about it tomorrow when it’s in for the cambelt etc. I took it for a short run to dry off the brakes and see if the work I’ve done this weekend has made a difference. I think it has made a difference and doesn’t seem as loose/wallowy at the rear.

Yesterday removed rear drop links, ARB and brackets, removed rust, rust treated and painted ready to re fit today. As usual on my car the drop links were rusted on so easier to cut them off with a grinder. After struggling to get the grinder in to cut through the bolts I had a break, cup of coffee and had a think about the problem. This is what I came up with but only applies if you are replacing the drop links. Apart from the usual stuff of jacking up the car and taking wheels off etc, cut through the middle of the existing drop links to separate the arb from the suspension arms. This leaves the ball joint ends still connected. Remove arb brackets and remove arb from the car. The arb can now be worked on better to remove the stubborn nuts/bolts. This left the remaining ball joint attached to the suspension arm. I decided it was too much of a risk to try using the grinder with the caliper attached due to the flexible hose being so close. So, remove caliper slider bolts, pull caliper away from the disc put out of harms way, I rested it on the exhaust pipe. This now gives plenty of room to use the grinder or whatever method you choose. Refitted the calipers and torqued up ready for refitting everything.

I thought the same thing about my 1996 LS400 and purchased the capacitors from DigiKey in the States ready to do the job with some help from an electronics guy at work. I read the ' All my crazy Lexus issues SOLVED!! (ECU-leaking capacitor)' post on https://www.clublexus.com and used the list in this post for the caps needed for my car and where to buy them from. In this post it states something like - it's not 'if the issue/s occurs' it's rather 'when the issue/s will occur' and will appear at some point, hence wanting to get it done. I removed the ECU, took it to work ready to do the job but when we looked - the ECU was pristine and no signs of any caps bulging or leaking at all so we decided to leave it. It was like brand spanking new. I'm not saying the caps are working perfectly but I don't have any symptoms on my car. Maybe the capacitor issue is related to mileage as mines done 69,000 and it would be interesting to know, if possible, the mileage of cars that have/had the symptoms and needed the caps changed. Then again mileage might be nothing to do with it.

I know this part which fits on each of the pads and it isn’t the bit/s that were broken. If that’s what you mean that is.

UCF10 is very different to my UCF20 according to Amayama, have a look at this. UCF20 UCF10

I've just looked at the lower arm bush you mentioned and it looks like that is for the UCF10 so if your car is a UCF10 then the BAR ASSY, STRUT's and bushes are very different and the Century bushes are not applicable to your car, that's as far as I can see but I stand to be corrected.

Yep, they are the same bushes for the 'BAR ASSY, STRUT' to use the description on Amayama. The bushes are the same diameter so it's not compressing the rubber, by wider I mean the bush isn't flush either side of the bush hole, it protrudes around 5mm either side. I don't know how else to describe it. I don't know if these bushes have made the front suspension firmer than it should be. It definitely is firmer than before but the original bushes were knackered and I've done the drop links etc at the same time so maybe it's fine and I'm just being paranoid. One thing I can say though, it feels very very stable now and I don't have to correct the steering as much like I did before. I'm also going round bends faster (not grand prix speeds!!) but I feel more confident in the car to do it now, before I didn't. Also, I stripped everything apart from the lower arms, cleaned up, treated, painted it all, put it all back together and torqued it all up so maybe that has firmed things up as well. Part numbers and design of the arms vary for the year of manufacture, mine is a 1995 production year UCF20. From looking at Amayama the UCF10 is different, is yours a UCF20 or a UCF10? I've found the best way to get parts numbers is using the chassis/vin number (or frame as the site calls it) on this site: https://lexus-europe.epc-data.com/ls400/ when you click on the prices etc it takes you to Amayama.

Arms with bushes pressed out and cleaned up etc.

I can only speak for my 1995 production year LS400, getting the correct bushes was the issue as they are not available anymore. If you can obtain the correct bushes then that is the way to go.