Redefined

Got a big endurance mtb ride coming up tomorrow (Everesting the mountain bike for charity). Couldn't help but think that the dull lenses might cause me to give up/in. So contacted a headlight restorer this am and this aft they're looking fresh. Another job ticked and for only £45 outside my door. I asked him if the feeling of satisfaction has gone after 7 years on the job (when the lights start sparkling). He said, "nope"... So... I can ride in peace and satisfaction come tomorrow!

Look forward to hearing how you get on. Hope it gets sorted soon and you'll update here. It's a right pest when stuff like this happens and it's a 'journey' to get to the bottom of it all!

Sorry if you've already checked but, front rear arm bushings?

If anyone could beat it, it would've been me. Sometimes have to travel 200 miles to work and then back the next day (or that night) but on a small wallet. Last 190 miles drive to Bristol and I had irritated (they probably couldn't be bothered to mirror-signal-manoeuvre ) truck drivers flashing me whilst I help my nerve at 56mph on the nearside lane. Anyway,y numbers are with a smooth engine of only 70,000 miles. Freshly serviced and all brakes running smooth and not binding. Fresh eggs under the throttle pedal and Shell V Power from the best station I've expereinced. 38.8 I think I got averaged over 200 and then 380ish. 39.2 is a new record!! Well done @messi

Have you had some brake work done recently... Or done a few unusually long drives!? If so, you might be experiencing a brake pad siezed. If youregood at the brakes-work then see if you can confirm that nothing is seized at the calipers (ie the pads or if they're 2 part calipers then maybe the sliders). A simple check to perform if one of the pads is dragging on the disc is, after a long/decent drive - being careful, don't burn your fingers - check that all discs are cool enough to the touch. Maybe if you're not confident that you might burn your fingers then a tiny spray of water and check for sizzle. If sizzle is seen one on disc but not the other then potentially that side is dragging the disc with the pads. Hope that helps,and as always, there could be lots of other explanations. But usually in my understanding if it's a bushing/bearing/alignment problem then the shake would come upon acceleration and not braking. A pulsation (if it's brakes at fault) at the pedal upon braking suggests the rears... The pulse at the steering suggests the fronts. Hope you get it sorted as I kmow from exp, it's rather annoying and frustrating. Lastly, if any mechanic tells you that skimming the discs or swapping em is the cure, give em a slap (as they're not getting to the root of thr problem and it'll only come back in 900 miles of spirited driving).

Wasn't sure where I still stand for the ULEZ. But followed the tfl link and got thanked for helping clean the air quality in London.

So true. My 51 plate has the scratch (recently I think from the vandals that tried to smash the window maybe), bit of rust under the number plate somewhere, tiny 3mm hole in windscreen (which was repaired at full price by the window people, but then money refunded me as the chap was nice and couldn't guarantee it), front bumper probably needing some extra plastic screws and a few other bits n bobs... Main one that annoys me is the centre arm rest not feeling 'plump' as it's a little flat on the edges. Incidentally, probably the one I wish to sort first as my left elbow feels insulated when resting. But... I love the thing 🤪😍 Thanks you all for showing me the way. I remember when I used to look at the LS400 and wonder, 'what an ugly looking monster'. But just now and these days and look at em both with, 'oooo, that's nice'.

Well said BigBoomer.

Was hoping I could report back on my brake shake issue after having serviced the old discs and swapped to some new pads. With lots of scrubbing and scraping in between (the calipers/sliders). Took it easy for the first 200 miles to Bristol (in a one-er, like you do in a LS). Then drove back at 60 and 70 - as opposed the the 56 on the way down which the arrogant versions of truckers hate - and used the brakes slightly more/harder. Then after hitting about 500 miles, the spirited driving began with harsher braking at 70mph. Totally and ecstatically happy to report back that now on almost 1000 miles post brake service, the brake shake is almost entirely gone (or on its way out). Job well done methinks... Best go give some charity donation in thankfulness (to The Lord of All the Worlds). Next job, I suppose rust under the boot lid/lip edges. Would be a shame to lose the car to such a straightforward (I hope) fix. Headlamps need doing (refurbishment) and thanks to Dave at LexTec I'm allowed to order my own original parts and he'll fit em. So should save me a good couple of hundred on the timing belt/water pump. Job well done... Alhamdulillah (All Praise God).

Well said Malc. Plus (though I've not looked into it as much, but do know that the more toys/green we become, there's always the trade off that our governments feel the developing countries should endure) the batteries/lithium mining has alot of ethical debate to answer for (excuse the grammar, but you know what I mean). How the heck does scrapping so much engineering 'fix' the climate crisis. Thankfully I'm not Confucious so won't try to get my head round it all. Havignng said that, I do use the mountain/road bikes for shorter journeys or the cycle to work (sometimes 40 miles).

Thanks to @scythe I now know what 'nerfed' is (or might be)... Maybe something like, wriggled with holes, but will ask my 8 year old later. But more importantly, that I don't want a 500H (or a 600H) which after the OP opened the thread had got me thinking. Not that I could afford any of them anyway, but at least I don't need to think of em as a future car. Mainly the turning circle but also the shifts in the 500H. It is indeed a gorgeous car though if ever I saw one. Best work harder to keep the old LS430 going I guess...

Hi Alex. I've had this exact same thing on at least one car and another couple with old weak batteries. Generally (in response to your Halfords Q) Yuasa are regarded as some of the best batteries in the world so that's what I had been using in my 2nd to last Subaru 3.0 Legacy. 12V... I had the issue of the battery dying every so often from trickle power (like car windows used whilst engine/alternator off). Took back to Halfords to ask em to check the battery which came with a 5 year warranty, was a Yuasa and only less than 2 years old. Their tests showed similar to yours (I like and trust Halfords, though I generally don't let many mechanics go near my car) and that it was healthy. Anyway, somehow I managed to convince them that I had a battery issue (I think by swapping out the battery from another car and the problems disappearing). Had the Yuasa battery replaced under the warranty and never had a problem since. Currently on the LS430 it's a strong/good battery but probably a bit old. Shows up as being healthy (green light on battery) but I'm certain it could benefit from a replacement. A new Yuasa should be on the cards soon as this one must be about 10 years old or longer... In summary, yes... Change the battery for a new Yuasa but keep the old one. If the problem persists you have a chance it could be a battery drain from somewhere else, but I'll wager the battery will sort it!!

That's the sign of a very good indy there Malc. Well done him/you. Mine were brake shaking like no-ones business. Always had them on the list to sort out. Most likely cause was the pads not contacting properly/uniformly with one or the other siezed in the housing. I'm hoping that will all be gone now 😊

Indeed, yes, you can sat lots of self therapy Malc. Also, when most mechanics (including the really good and highly rated ones - ask me how I know!) do this job, they never bother to comment on siezed calipers and whatnot. Cleaning the rotor - you can definitely forget about that!! Yes, at the kerbside as it's a side street. Though often some idiots do drive down it like it's the highway, I managed to just get on with it. There's an area opposite that I could have gotten onto the extended/raised pavement/platform but thought I'd give Dave a break. Never know when the people loving there (in this case, my mate Dave) might start minding. 30 - 40 thousand miles... Not sure Malc. Hopefully yes, but that rotor is on the cusp of the maximum wear (not that they'd generally bother checking that - sorry to say) so I'll keep an eye and once the lip starts coming back I'll think about doin a full overhaul. Maybe even change one of them piston seals (not leaking but I did spot a tiny nick). Hoping the above might help someone else that's wondering about doing their own pads. Really is that easy on these cars...

Lets just call all them other pics, bonus pics!

As quickly as I can (will aim for 10 mins, so apologies if it appears rushed), today was brake refurrb day. Mainly just the brake pads for which there has been brake shake for a while. But now the bushes are done and... Whatever!! Firstly (and apologies to whomsoever put it there) the guide for LS430 brake pad replacement is all wrong on the forum. It refers to standard 2 piston calipers which have 2 pistons one the one side and a carrier/fixed mount on the other. Ours are much more advanced (and easier to work with) than that with the 4 pistons. 2 each opposing each other. Don't even need to remove the cakiprr which is usually the hardest/toughest job. Especially with the massive bolts we have holding em in. Now... Lets get to it. Firstly, and most obviously, get the car up safely on some axle stands. Don't forget to loosen the wheel bolts first or it'll be come hard once up. I'm just using the Halfords ones on either side after lifting it from the cross member with my Halfords Advanced Trolley jack. Wheel off and you need to rotate the steering the opposite way to this. We need to get a birdseye view of the top of the pads which are easy to view, once in position. Undo the brake reservoir and make sure itsnot been topped up whilst the pads have been wearing down. Basically once the pistons are reset, the fluid will come back into correct range. In my case I had to remove a bit as I'd done some bleeding earlier in the month/week. We need access to the pads. So pushing that central shim in whilst we 'poke' the little raining rod out. From the outside in and a philips screwdriver worked well for me. Don't forget to remove the safety pin (pic below) out of that retaining rod before trying to pry it out. This.. Keep it safe and don't brake it. Don't forget to pop it back in at the end after having pushed back the rod. Hopefully a clearer view here of what's happening. I was working on the side with the wear indicator. That needs prying out carefully aswell from the pad. Careful not to snap it, and the little double clip around the wear indicator tubing (left of my hand) can just be pushed up out the way. It sits over that rod, so won't budge until youve pried out the (aforementioned) retaining rod. Try to keep an eye on orientation of pads, but from what I could see there's no difference for left or right (ie, not symmetrical). This is after I've cleaned the shim. Be careful and have some brake cleaner to hand. Basically, you're doing the job yourself, so no excuse to not do some thorough cleaning. You'll need both a wire brush, small file as well as a large one. Wire brush shouldn't really go inside the caliper body as you might rip the piston seals! But good cleaning is the secret to reduced/zero brakeshake. Not what alot of fitters seem to think, that we should use more copper paste/brake grease. It slowly causes more stiction over time and the Toyota online manual (YT) nor Car Care Nut condone using grease/copper slip on the brake edges. Pity most mechanics (well, 'fitters') don't know this simple thing!! Now you've been at it therapeutically. Slightly stressed at removing the wear indicator thing from inside the brake pad edge, but you did it (as you can see, I broke mine slightly as there was so much dry/stuck dust). Getting the pads out is probably the hardest thing. Them onl pads are going anyway, so you could use them to push a flat head (or something wider than a flat head but strong/metal) between the pad braking surface and the rotor surface. DO NOT put anything behind the pad and against the piston rubbers directly. These are delicate and need to be treated with love. Not sure why I'm pointing my philips at the rubber boots of the piston. Maybe to show that I've managed to free the pads and am working the pistons (with the foot pedal) out and in. Remember, you're doing it yourself and gaffer isn't on your case. Take the time to work them pistons so they can get a bit of lubrication from the brake fluid. Important point here... Only work the brake pedal whilst the pads are still insitu. Or else you might pop a piston, have brake fluid everywhere and hate me. I bear no blame for your stupidity and hence why I'm not writing an official guide... Just how I do it!! oh, there's the little clip that retains the wear indicator inside the pad itself. What a pest!! Most of the rest was lots of grinding. I ground away lots of baked on brake dust as well as lots of rust from the edges (inner and outer) of the rotor. Couldn't find the bits for my dremel so just used the large file. It's one of those jobs that doesn't really get done by alot of mechanics cos time's money and most bosses (IMO) aren't really kind enough to allow the worker/mechanic enough time for a thorough job. Both pads back in, check rotor for stiction after pressing the brakes(some light stiction is normal as it's only supposed to be a fraction of a mm the pads need away from the rotor). Everything nice and clean. Grease applied (ONLY) to behind the pad and where the shims sit over the pad. This reduces rattle as the pads wear and more gap is created (courtesy Car Care Nut). One thing to note here... Do make sure the pads are able to move freely, left and right. If not then you've not cleaned the inside of the caliper housing properly. Look for any other hidden rust of old brake dust. Do this before you starting working the brake pedal to check for good movement etc. Rod, shim, safety pin, wear indicator piece (in my case only one side of the car) all back in place. Check (actually keep an eye on this) the brake fluid hasn't overlfowed at the reservoir - it's corrosive so make sure you denature it with water if it touches any paint... or your hands - make sure you use plenty of brake cleaner to ensure there's no grease or anything on the rotor (and obviously you weren't that silly to get any grease on the pads). Everything back together, wheels on (after doing other side... you must do both sides or else uneven braking force WILL cause brake judder) and press the brakes to get em back to normal operation. Go for a safety test drive and go have a cuppa coffee (obviously you dropped the car down carefully).

Oh... The Timing Belt for which I'm already saving up. Just ends up getting spent though 😆

Next jobs... 1. Front brake pads (lots of vibration on braking and they're totally worn IMO). Got some originals off ebay for £39 which should be here soon. 2. ATF oil of which (after watching Car Care Nut) we now know there's meaning behind the madness of only being able to flush a bit at a time. The rest of the previous/remainder helps with it's tiny shards to keep the gear box sealed (or what-not, he explains it alot better but I now finally understand). So no need to buy the full amount and do lots of flushes a few days apart. 3. Nothing I suppose... Maybe just drive it and it really could do with a wash. Alloy-wheel-want has ended taking a back seat (for now). Next service in 5000 miles!!

Just got back with the car from Dave at Lex Tec. What a lovely chap... Bit expensive, but you get what you pay for. Both side rear bushings now sorted and diff oil renewed. He said the diff oil looked black so I made a good choice getting him to do it. Especially since sometimes (IME) them bolt heads can become a but rounded. Spoke to him about getting my own parts for future work and he's happy with that (on the basis it's original Lex/Toyota parts). Timing belt he suggested I just need to order the belt and pump, so a good result. Said that they used to change as a kit but generally everything remains fine. Under the car there's some light leaking which I'd askedhim to comment on. Cam cover gaskets which he said isn't an issue (soling as I'm happy living with the smell when it gets worse). Lastly, yesterday me and my 8 year old dropped it off. Then an 11 mile walk to Rotherham and the train back. Today I went via cycle and the 36 mile journey, my app reported as having saved 12.6kg of CO2. All in all, I think I'm gonna stick with him as my main mechanic (with minor servicing and other odd jobs myself). The main selling point was his lovely attitude as well as attention to detail (which is well documented). But, the cherry on top is that I get to have a lovely walk one day and a bike ride on the other (whichever way round it works out).

Looks v good that. Thanks for the pic 😊

Need a smack in the gob is what they (the dealership) need @Illogan Very sorry to hear such a story with only a £150 reduction. Thats hardly petrol money for a decent round trip.

Well done Steve and thanks for sharing. Though I've never bought off the approved used scheme and the closest I got to buying from a main dealer was a lovely Subaru Legacy Spec B. It was a trade sale and the price reflected that (and I knew of all the marks to the body etc etc before going down). I agree though, that selling a 32k car surely they should have had the decency/Lex respect (if there's still such a thing) to sort the repair for you. Thanks for sharing your lovely work though and it appears you'll be doing a much more thorough job than they'd probably have done!

By Car Care Nut, who else 😄. Really love this guy and the attention to detail as well as sharing thw deep insights withthw viewers is amazing. Usually specialists don't actually tell you everything (IMO) but this chap is amazing... He might even tear down thw transmission on a later vid if there's enough interest. Anyway, back to thw vid!! Enjoy...

Definitely green for planet not send em to the scrappers and keeping em running. Well said Malc.

Not gonna enter into the suspension discussion Malc 😆 (to keep the thread pure from it) but will on the rake adjust. Mine is broken after some minor repairs. At least it still pulls out/in. Nice driving (would expect nothing less from someone of your caliber 😊). Oh, rare but cheapy version - that'll be mine 😉