Howplum

He's coming on August 4th, so I will watch with care and see what he does, not only to satisfy my own curiosity, but in case it helps others. Apparently the cars did not come with a factory fitted alarm/immobiliser. These were dealer fitted in the UK, mostly using the Scorpion 5000, I think. I assume the alarm/immobiliser was activated/deactivated by the central locking.

I've spoken to the electrician and explained the issue, so he will be coming to see me the week after next. I explained I wanted a Hawk system fitted and apparently he has fitted a few and thought they were quite reliable. He did make the observation that some of the wires are a bit on the thin side so might need strategically placed relays for utmost reliability. I took this comment as a good sign.

To be fair to the auto electrician he didn't seem phased at all and just got on with the job. He charged me £45, so it probably took him less than an hour. I assumed he had access to the correct information, so hopefully he can help me add an aftermarket system.

It seems as though there are quite a few authentic year specific repair manuals on the US eBay, albeit at a price! About £200. Maybe I should bite the bullet. In my opinion there's no substitute for thumbing through a book and discovering little gems of information, or even the answer sought.

Paul, I have a 2,220 page "Lexus LS400 1995-2000 Repair Manual" which I bought on a CD and have downloaded onto my laptop, but I don't have the pukka workshop manual. It does contain many wiring diagrams, but finding anything can be a challenge at times. It doesn't seem to include pinout diagrams for the various connectors. Having established that removal of the bottom connector on the A pillar disables the central locking, I would either need a pinout diagram or some way of testing each individual wire. Apparently the central locking is a negative based system, whatever that means. I assume that turning the door key to activate the C/L sends a pulse, so presumably any testing has to be done with someone else operating the door key, or the button on the driver's door. Another assumption of mine is that any aftermarket system is spliced into the existing lock and unlock wiring to the door locks, thus overriding the factory system. In theory fairly straightforward, the sticking point being finding the elusive two wires that carry the lock and unlock signal. In an ideal world a specific wiring diagram for the door locks system applying to my car, manufactured in April 1995, would be extremely useful. Apparently there is a "Receiver, door control" (89741-50210) located somewhere in the upper area behind the left hand side of the dash. This has only 4 wires: 12v from dome light fuse (+B), ground (GRD) and two wires marked RDA and RCO which go to the Body ECU. Another assumption of mine is that this unit receives the wireless signal from the remote and transmits it to the Body ECU. This might be a red herring though, since I won't be using the original remote fob. As you can probably tell I'm no electrician, so any guidance would be appreciated. I have left a message with the electrician who disabled the immobiliser and remote system to see if he can help.

The state of the suspension certainly looks familiar, if not the rest of the car! It looks as though he raised it on the lift without using the correct slotted pads.

Thanks for your response Steve. If you found it less than easy then I should probably admit defeat now!

An issue that seems to affect old BMWs less than most.

When I bought my car in 2020 I had an auto electrician disable the immobiliser, because it was proving troublesome. In the process I lost the remote central locking facility, although it stills works fine using the key. I recently bought this Hawk kit, hoping the process of installing it would be reasonably straightforward, but it's not! Although Hawk's instructions state the crucial lock (green/red) and unlock (green/black) wires are behind the right side kick panel, they are not. I have disconnected each plug individually and the central locking still works. On US websites the wires are apparently attached to the ECU inside the front passenger (right?) door. Behind the left side kick panel there are three plugs, the bottom one seeming to include the wires I'm looking for, since disconnecting it disables the central locking. Unfortunately the wiring diagram I have in an electronic (US) Repair Manual does not help, because what I need is presumably a pinout diagram of the bottom plug. I spoke to Hawk but they couldn't clarify the anomaly for me. I did notice that a couple of wiring piggy backs have been cut on the top plug, which perhaps are for the hazard lights, although disconnecting the plug only disables the rear hazard light with the dashboard warning lights still flashing at normal speed. The kit includes a wire for the boot release, and although I bought a recommended relay, I'm not sure I need it since the wiring is already in place. Presumably I just attach the wire to whichever is the output wire on the dashboard switch. The other wire included is for the window closure system, but I don't know where to start with that one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

I wouldn't say the Ls400 was an investment per se, but my criteria is to keep expenditure within bounds so that if ever have to (reluctantly) sell it then I hope that my repair and maintenance costs will be covered. This concept gives me a self financing hobby and a happy wife - win, win! Bar one, it's worked on the few Mercedes and BMWs that I have "fettled" since retirement 10 years ago.

This should help: https://images.app.goo.gl/xc42aKmZfvkajGNcA

Perhaps Lepsons are using a process involving silver nitrate for their "chrome" wheels, in which case this article explains the difference between spray paint and "chrome" finishes: https://pchrome.com/faq/what-is-spray-chrome/ And this is an extract from Spraychrome's website: "Chromespray can be used over any surface that can be primed. We have successfully chromed over wood, glass, plastics, carbon fibre, 3d prints, all metals and even an apple. Since the product works extremely well over car filler any item can be reworked as new. Silver nitrate coating system produces a perfect mirror finish on almost any product, giving the impression of real metal plating. A layer of real silver is deposited on the surface to create an unbeatable chrome finish." Although the silver nitrate finish will be less forgiving than paint, apparently it can be applied to any surface that can be primed, so perhaps the key to a good finish lies in the primer. Anyway, don't forget to post some pictures when they're on the car.

Still for sale: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133623161330?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=uUF0J7IhT4S&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=bPQ54hZdSAe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Please show us before and after pictures.

I think you should shop around. I've been quoted £300ish.

Thanks. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion the the cons far outweigh the pros, so I'll think of something else I can spend my son's money on! Professional wheel refurbishment perhaps?

Is the ride height OK? It sounds like you need to take the wheels off and investigate. It could be weak shock absorbers - are either of them leaking? Equally, it could be a broken spring, even though you replaced them. Or is there something like the exhaust hanging lower than it should?

The DHP struts are still on there, but if I understand correctly the drop is only about 10mm. Want I don't want to do is fit lowering springs and then find that there are consequences in other areas, such as shock absorbers and suspension geometry. Another consequence is an aesthetic one, in that the standard wheels might not suit a lowered car. I did get an estimate from a very helpful person at Springcoil in Sheffield to make some custom springs, using either standard springs as a template. The guide price was about £75 + VAT each. He says: "If you’ve got an original spring from the car we can work from that, we’ll redesign the spring so it works exactly as you’d like it to and a standard (even if used) spring off your vehicle it is the best point for us to start from. We’ll be able to adjust the ride height exactly as you require, if you let us know what you’d like us to do we’ll arrange once we’ve tested your sample." Perhaps I should ask him to put the money towards something else on my wish list, and save the hassle.

This is a picture from a US forum showing a 1" drop (top picture) and a 2" drop: This is another one showing a front drop of 2" and rear drop of 1.5" using Eibach springs (NLA):

I keep toying with the idea of a subtle lowering, but the H & R springs are no longer available, and nor are the DHP ones. My son has found some in Japan though: https://www.rhdjapan.com/search/engine/toyota_celsior_ucf20-1uz-fe-10-1994-07-1996/model/toyota_celsior/car/toyota/category/handling_springs Ignoring the last set, which are too extreme, does anyone have experience of using lowering springs? My main concern is whether the existing shocks can still be used because to my mind they will be under permanent compression by the amount of the drop, i.e. front 45-50mm and rear 25-30mm. He has offered to buy them for me, which is an offer I'm reluctant to pass up!

I have a similar, but very occasional, issue, although I don't recall any pedal movement. Did you get to the bottom of it, Charlie?

I spotted an advert for this product in Classic Car Weekly but am finding it hard to track down any subjective reviews. https://www.sta-bil.co.uk/products/sta-bil-360-protection-ethanol-fuel-treatment-stabilizer-2-sizes It says it helps prevent corrosion, which could be good, but I thought I read somewhere that ethanol can also affect some rubber components, which presumably this product can't prevent. Has anyone used it? I remember several decades ago using Redex, and presumably this is something similar, but with a corrosion inhibitor included.

SeeThis adaptor looks like it is supposed to fit: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255313111468?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=pYNThPYtRZK&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=bPQ54hZdSAe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY As to the wiring harness adaptor, you may have to design your own, as I did, but that probably depends on the chosen head unit. My car is 1996 and I may still have my notes. Hopefully the wiring may be similar. This link, although US based, might help: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-1st-and-2nd-gen-1990-2000/688594-1993-ls400-trying-to-wire-my-double-din.html

Personally I wouldn't worry too much about which model but focus more on the overall condition. All potential cars will be over 25 years old, so will be showing it in some areas, even if the mileage is low. The buyer's guide referred to by Paul should give you plenty of pointers, but please ask if you need to know more. Don't forget to check and make sure all the electrics work, there are a lot of them! Any malfunctions can be frustrating to sort out. Don't ask!

Experience has taught me that low mileage, whilst desirable to a degree, doesn't necessarily mean that components, such as rubber, plastic, steel and electronics, are proportionately less liable to deterioration that higher mileage cars. Perhaps your exercise also proves that whilst the MoT test might deem the car to be roadworthy and safe, it doesn't necessarily mean it is operating correctly or efficiently.