Grahamwl

Many thanks everyone for your replies, which I really appreciate. Phil, those prices do sound excellent so I will try to source a good independent and see what's possible. I'm in Basingstoke, so if anyone knows of anyone in my vicinity, do let me know, thanks. Re the car itself, the mileage is low, but it's certainly not been standing for any length of time because the MOTs and service history all suggest a slow, steady and consistent accumulation of miles over the years. It has a pretty good Lexus Bristol history but latterly was serviced at an independent garage also in Bristol. I'm the third owner. The rust on one corner of the sunroof appears to be a fairly known problem on this model. Lexus Reading, where the car is currently sitting, quoted £385.85 for a new glass, but I'm slightly mystified how they would know what it needs because surely the car needs starting before they can open the roof? In terms of the other prices, in case you're interested, I've been quoted £1,171.28 for the shock absorber and £491.50 for the tie bar bushes. I've also got two blown n/s windows, which they'd like £1,077.63 to replace. I paid £3,800 for the car as a private sale, which I thought was fair for a very nice example, with lots of history and very low mileage albeit with some obvious things to sort. I've already invested in some new Dunlops for it, which were due to be fitted at my local alloy wheel refurbishers (two birds, one stone) on the morning of the ignition issue! Graham

Thanks Simon, that's helpful advice re the lock. I guess it's just a case of recovering the car back from Lexus too. And yes, I was a bit less worried about the suspension bits for the reasons you mention.

Hello all. I'm returning to this forum after an absence of many years. A few weeks ago I bought a 2001 LS430 chiltern/rutland with only 48k miles, with good history. Inevitably, a few things needed doing (tyres, alloys, tilt mechanism, rusty sunroof etc), but last Monday morning proved eventful. I couldn't turn the key in the ignition at all. RAC man spent a good hour and a half to no avail, so off it went on a low-loader to my nearest Lexus dealer. It requires a new smart key lock assembly and shear (sheer?) bolts part numbers L45002-50012 (actuator and switch) and L45898-60020 respectively. The price to supply and fit, including VAT? £2,142.47. They've done a health check and reported a few other things, such as o/s/f shock absorber split front tie bar bushes. Obviously, the car is rather stranded there now. I paid a reasonably fair price for it, but two weeks in, and this! I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts re my options or similar experiences? Thank you :-)

I agree Simon, VIN is the key piece of info about a car. I used to run the Citroen SM register for 10 years so have some experience of pesky registration number changes! I guess just basic info like VIN, reg, colour, mileage, no of owners and current location/owner etc. Nothing too detailed. I'd propose LS 400's Mk's 1-2 as the 430's are a little too new. I would encourage forum subscribers to...(can't believe I'm going to say this!)...collect reg numbers/colours of any LS400's they 'spot' and let me know. Oh my ***, it sounds so geeky! B) Sorry, I meant Mk's 1-4.

Does anyone know if there's a UK register kept for LS 400's? Some are getting on a bit now and it may be a good idea to keep tabs on them for future owners etc. Or, in asking, have I just unwittingly volunteered myself for something? Doh! :shutit:

Indeed.... but eventually there will be a need to resolve the problem..... There are some very good traders here that will guide you though your future requirements.... maybe it would help if you set-up dialogue in PM format sooner than later. ← Well I'd be very grateful for any practical help. Thanks for that. I think I'm enabled for PM's if anyone wants to offer to do the necessary work. Cheers.

Thanks for the reassurance. :) That'll explain why the car still rides and handles OK despite the worrying noise!

I've noticed my car starting to make intermittent creaking noises from the n/s front, especially at lower speeds. It's been getting progressively worse/louder, yet sometimes it doesn't happen at all. Anyway, it was very loud the other night, so when I arrived home, I pushed up and down on the wing and it (the suspension) made a real racket - like a worn out old bed-spring! The car is 1997 and has only done 57,000 miles so I'm a little surprised at this. Anyone care to offer any thoughts on the cause before I visit the main dealer in Reading? Many thanks, Graham.

Funnily enough JellyBean, I prefer the standard Mk4 wheels to the DHP ones. But both are huge improvements on the Mk3 wheels! Thanks Dave J for the offer of a drive of your car. As it happens, I am up in Grantham, Lincolnshire on Friday 13th for a shoot with Classic Cars magazine (they're photographing my Citroen SM for a feature) so maybe you could pop over with it to relieve my boredom? :P

I decided against buying one with the DHP as I wanted the most comfortable ride possible - but then I'm a Citroen man too, so that's not surprising. To me, the DHP appeared irrelevant to an LS. I mean, it's not the sort of car you want to go chucking around corners is it...? I did test-drive one at low speeds only and there was more 'rumble' apparent. Having said that, the 'normal' set up can be somewhat 'floaty' at times, which probably unnerves drivers more used to a firmer set-up. I guess it's all down to personal taste! Cheers Graham.

Brilliant. I'll order one for the LS as its Christmas present! Many thanks. Graham.

A 'Super Mat' eh? I need one! Is this a Britax product and are they generally available? I sigh every time I remove the seat base and look at what it's doing to my lovely leather

I have a front facing child seat fitted to the rear of my Mk3 1996 LS too. It is secured on its base, which in turn is secured to the seat by tightening the seat belt with a ratchet lever. It certainly digs deep into the leather (which alarmed me at first!) and is, I suppose, a little 'squashy' but not that it causes either a compromise of safety or indeed any damage to the leather. It may depend on what brand of car seat we're talking about. Mine's a Concord Ultimax and it alternates between the back of the LS and my Citroen C5 (in which it leans quite heavily to the right owing to the more 'bucket' like nature of the rear seats in the C5). Have you tried the Concord? If not, what brand did you have test-fitted?

Thanks for the replies, Morse excluded. I didn't understand his reply anyway and assumed he'd been smoking something dodgy. Guess that's all there is to do in downtown Ashby-de-la-zouch eh?! :D Matthew, in my Jan 1995 LS400 brochure, in the Accessories section, it has listed the following option, and I quote: "Gold badging - the final touch that typifies the luxury status of Lexus" ...so I have to disagree with you about people retro-fitting gold badges. This was indeed a factory fitted option. I checked my oil the other day and it was like clear golden pi$$. Anyone know what oil the dealers use at service times? Synthetic? Semi-synthetic or what? I'm curious. Cheers Graham

Just spotted a very nice beige S3 on Ebay; just like mine with the gold badging option, but I noticed the little plastic wheel trim covers had a gold logo whereas they're silver on mine, despite mine being a gold badger. Should mine be gold or has someone swapped them at some point? Also, my car has only 55k on it despite being pretty old now; presumably then it's still covered by the manufacturer's 3yr/60,000mile warranty...? Incidentally, I'm enjoying P506TGN no end and always seem to take the long way home in order to spend more time in it...sad or what?! Graham

I'll be posting some pics as soon as I can. It's champagne gold with the beige leather and gold badging - very 'Beverly Hills' as a friend commented! It has the 'correct' Dunlop D8Z tyres too. It also has a cigar lighter in the boot for some reason...! We had a brand new child seat fitted in the rear yesterday for junior. It matches the leather! He looks like a little Maharajah sitting there in the back! Thanks Dr Hugh for the info on the compressor. I had suspected it might have been a/c related, though it's not done it since and neither has the mobile caused interference. Anyway, off on another decent journey tomorrow so let's see... Graham

My route to Lexus is a disturbingly brand-loyal one... - '73 Ford Escort 1100 van - with 3 orange lights on top, ex-recovery - '78 Ford Capri 1.6L - the girls liked it anyway! - '77 Ford Cortina 1.6L Mk4 - dangerous car, lethal thing - '76 Ford Cortina 2000E Mk3 in roman bronze - what a shagpile! - '81 Ford Escort 1.3L Mk3 - a real tin can - '83 Ford Sierra 1.6L - nice gearchange ...then came a radical brand switch - '86 Citroen BX16RS - unrefined mechanically, but practical and fast/comfortable - '86 Citroen CX20RE - perfect ride but again, unrefined mechanically - '71 Citroen SM - still own it; the ultimate car of all time, from another planet! - '87 Citroen CX25GTi - beautiful in every way; written off by two bimbos - '88 Citroen CX22TRS - OK but not a patch on the previous two - '88 Citroen CX25GTi Turbo2 - awesome torque, brute power and comfortable - '93 Citroen Xantia 2.0LX - very pleasant and practical - '98 Citroen Xantia 3.0V6 Exclusive - ahh, that's more like it, some luxury - '02 Citroen C5 3.0V6 Exclusive SE - like a computer on wheels, still own it ...and now... - '97 Lexus LS400 Mk3 - wanted one since they came out in 1990, a long wait but well worth it. And about time I added a new marque eh...?!

Thanks guys for the warm welcome! Doh - I should have read the manual first. Might have guessed it was a Lexus feature. I must admit to being apprehensive about mentioning Citroen's in a Lexus environment as I thought I'd be laughed off the forum, but I'm pleased to see there's mutual appreciation. You can't fault them (the older ones) for being innovative and daring and yes, the SM is a real beauty! (Chris - I used to be registrar for the SM's in the SeMantics section of the CCC. I love DS's too but not the agricultural engine!) Meanwhile, I managed to cover over 100 miles in the LS today, getting a chance to experience it better. My partner and our little 7month old boy travelled in luxury in the back! What a car. It's certainly living up to my expectations. The only slightly odd thing I noticed was literally what seemed like a milli-second's worth of power fluctuation while cruising. It happened a few times and was barely noticeable. I can only describe it as a very slight 'blip' or hesitation/interruption. I had the climate control/ac on at the time. The car has been unused for months so maybe a fuel issue...? And my mobile phone caused occasional interference through the hifi. Anyone have any thoughts on these two? Otherwise - purrfect!

Hello all, I'm new to this forum and to LS400 ownership! I've been a Citroen man for many years and own a C5 V6 Exclusive and a Maserati-engined SM. Having been a distant admirer of LS400's for many years (much to the bemusement of my Citroen colleagues) I've finally bought a P-reg '97 Mk3. I picked it up this evening. It's done only 53k miles, had 2 owners and has the fLsh. I'm confident about the mileage as the s/h, invoices, MOT certs etc all appear to verify this plus the car reflects that kind of mileage in its condition- it seems almost new. I paid just £5,750 from a trader, which I think is excellent value. I've only covered 5 miles so far hence haven't had a chance to drive it 'properly' as yet, but I did get up to 70mph in a 50mph limit without realising, which was a bit of a shock; I'll have to watch that I guess! I may have some questions over the next few days for you guys if that's OK...? In the meantime, I'm sure I've already noticed the lights on the instrument panel (plus the green clock/outside temp lights) go from bright to dark all on their own. I had fiddled with the rheostat earlier so maybe it's faulty, or am I heading for the dreaded burnt out needles? Also, are the original cd's supplied with the car available anywhere? That's the only original 'goodie' I appear to be missing. Grateful for any help/advice on the above and looking forward to chatting with you in future! Apologies for long post... Cheers Graham