Howplum

It doesn't sound like you need convincing, but............. The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection The Lexus slogan, "The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection", came about after the US image consulting firm visited Lexus designers in Japan and noted their obsessive attention to detail.

As far as insurance is concerned, don't give up yet. It is old enough to be considered a "classic" by some insurers who will offer a limited mileage policy for a reasonable premium, depending on your estimated mileage and other factors. I have just transferred from Adrian Flux to Classicline, but in both cases the premium was under £200. One of the advantages of a specialist policy is that they are "net rated", which means there is no No Claim Discount (NCD) to worry about, although obviously your driving history will be reflected in the initial premium. It also means your NCD is retained for your everyday car. Think carefully about the mileage limit you choose though, once you get behind the wheel you might be tempted to do more than you thought!

Whether you keep it or not I would definitely recommend getting it through the MoT before making any decision about its future. Hopefully the garage you mentioned can give you an idea of the cost involved. If there any advisories, or whatever they are called nowadays, they can be dealt with later, either by you or a new owner. It would be a good idea to check that all the electrical items and instrument displays work. There are several links under the Buying Guide to give you some idea of the most common issues. I would also recommend keeping it if you can, but I might be biased! Mine was bought as a project, and despite the various issues, it's the best car I've owned since I started driving in 1964.

If I'm not contravening any rules, I would like to mention I have just listed some brochures for sale under "Part & Accessories for sale".

Don't rule out the anti-roll bar drop link.

Almost guaranteed, if my experience is anything to go by. Perhaps factor in having to change the rear pipes as well, which I can tell you can, and do, rust unseen beneath the clips. One thing leads to another.......

Good luck! I'm trying to find a replacement cluster for my 1996 and most of the ones for sale for the Phase II seem to have different part numbers from each other, so very frustrating. I have a generic repair manual on CD, but as far as I can tell it doesn't go into the sort of detail you require.

I suspect Toyota/Lexus won't be buying this for their Heritage fleet!

That's interesting Keiran, because I understood coilovers were generally intended to give a "sportier" ride. Which one do you have and what settings do you use?

The photographs in this topic from 2012 are a lot better:

https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/events/2021-auctions/spring-live-online-sale-2021/spring-live-online-auction-2021/cars/1992-allard-p4-lexus-ls400 An interesting story, and perhaps the photographs don't do it justice.

"Have you been in an LS400 that has non standard wheels fitted" No, I must admit I haven't, and it's probably a very good idea to "try before you buy".

As it happens I have a friend with an early SC430. I wonder if he will notice that his wheels have changed!

I'm very much in two minds about changing the wheels for bigger ones because I have seen plenty of comments that to do so adversely affects the ride, although probably not to a huge degree. Still, that doesn't stop me looking! In the meantime, I will repaint the originals and focus on other, non-cosmetic, jobs.

I'm pretty sure that they're not Mercedes because German manufacturers tend to use a different PCD on the wheel studs. My assumption is that the Japanese measurement of 114.3mm may be based on the imperial equivalent of 4.5", so might be American in origin. Having said that, I also like the early "pie dish" SC430 wheels, although apparently the offset is different.

When I bought my 80,000 mile 1996 LS400 last year I asked the Lexus dealer how much they would charge for a fluid change, as preventative maintenance, but they recommended leaving it alone if the gearchanges were OK, which they are. At least on the older models the fluid can be checked for colour and smell, which I read somewhere can't be done on the later models.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/ I spotted this advert and like the wheels, which are similar to the originals, but bigger. Any ideas what they might be?

And with the terminals in the correct position.

Surprisingly perhaps, Lexus usually come up trumps. Try Lexus Parts Direct: https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/

How does the bonnet compare with the tops of the wings? It might be worth speaking to a detailer to see if the problem can be rectified without resorting to new paint. Apparently clear coat can effectively darken the base coat, so this is a long shot, but is it possible there is no clear coat on the bonnet and roof?

That's why it took me so long!

Do you know when the timing belt was last changed, if at all? Regardless of mileage, if it hasn't been changed in the last 6 years then it would be a good idea to have it done, along with the water pump, coolant and preferably the tensioner and idler as well, whilst the front of the engine is in bits. Oh, and the serpentine belt (fanbelt). I did my own, so can't comment on the potential cost, other than I got the parts (Aisin) from Rock Auto for about £200 all in.

Yesterday I dismantled the both the spare (incorrect) cluster and the original so that I could swap over the fuel and temperature gauges, which are the same on both clusters. I had limited success, in that I had indeed accidentally damaged the temperature gauge needle when I dismantled the original cluster before, so installing the replacement restored that function. The damaged part is the very delicate coiled copper wire on the upper part of the spindle, above the plastic disc: Unfortunately the fuel gauge still registers empty on starting from cold, but performs normally once things have warmed up a bit, so I deduced that: 1. The fuel gauge itself is OK (unless both are faulty!) 2. The fault probably lies in the PCB, or a component thereon, as mentioned by @BigBoomer Thank you all for your replies, but for the time being I will live with the issue. In the meantime, if anyone is interested in seeing a cluster in a dismantled state here are a few pictures: