Redsteve

I think cars with Auto Trans seem to suffer with the spotted discs as people tend to sit with their foot on the brake while stopped to stop the car creeping forward. As the LS is such a big, heavy car even light braking will generate huge amounts of heat in the pads and discs, therefore, wearing them out quite quickly. It is just one of those things that goes with running a heavy, but fast car. Redsteve.

Hi Pete, I am interested to see what people have to say about this problem as I have it too. I can feel the car almost pulsing at really slow speeds when I am braking. I read somewhere on this site that the discs don't actually warp but they get spots on them that are "sticky" so when you brake the pads don't grip the disc with the same frictional properties all the way round the disc. The "sticky" spots are caused when you stop the car and the brake discs and pads get hot and you don't release the brakes. The hot pads sit on the hot disc and the residue from the pad becomes burnt onto the disc. Hope this helps. Redsteve.

The throttle pedal on my 1991 Hilux is a bit sticky, I think it is the return spring that has just got really weak over the years. Do you think the Toyota dealer will fix it for me under this recall? It's really not that much of a problem when about 50 BHP is unleashed in all it's fury in a 1 and a half ton truck so maybe they won't be that bothered. Redsteve

Well, after 3 days I have finally got my van back. :D It was slightly more damaged than first thought, the cross member behind the bumper was bent and had to be replaced as well as the bumper. All this means that I get to drive my lovely Sprinter tomorrow instead of the awful Transit I have been stuck with for the last few days. :yack: However, next Monday my Sprinter is going back to Mercedes to have a crack in the paint sorted out under warranty so I will be back in the Transit for another 3 days. :tsktsk: Why can't Lexus make vans? Redsteve.

Thanks Guys, you have put my mind at ease. Redsteve.

Hi Andy, I have had the same problem from Toyota. I broke the float in the carb on my Hilux so I went to order one from Toyota. They told me that there were none in stock in the UK and they had no idea (not even a ball park figure) how long it would take to source one and import it. They did take my phone number and promised they would ring me when they had some more details. Two days later they rang me and told me they had the float and I could pick it up any time! I hope you have a similar result. Redsteve.

Hello Chaps, I have noticed that when I give my LS MK IV the full beans I am creating a smoke screen worthy of 007 behind me. As soon as I return to a more sedate pace the smoke stops (or at least I can't see it anymore). When the car is idling, there is a bit of smoke from the pipes but it just looks like typical early morning smoke and not oil smoke. Is this just my car or are others seeing similar results? Thanks. Redsteve.

Hi guys, I put a K+N filter in my 1995 LS and didn't notice any difference in economy or performance. Yes they are good quality filters, they are much finer than paper ones so they trap more dirt, but assuming you change your current filter about once a year it's going to take you five years to break even. Having said all that, you do get a really cool little sticker to let everyone know that every now and again you are going to be nailing that V8 and leaving them for dust! Just my two penneth. Redsteve.

Hi Rod, all is going well. The assesor from the other guy's insurance company has been and looked at my van and has authourised the repairs to be done. The van is going into a local repair shop next week, so hopefully it will be back to new condition very soon, it has only been on the road for four months! It does seem to be a recurring problem with insurance companies trying to under pay for claims. Redsteve.

Thanks for that Mark. It looks as though the job won't get done today after all. I have already been out this morning and fixed (bodged with some cable ties) the catch behind the grille which releases the bonnet and fitted a new set of bonnet struts. However, the cooker has now broken and as, both my wife and I hate our cooker so much we have decided to go and look for a new one today. We also need to get a new mattress so we will also be looking at those today. I am guessing by the time we get home there will not be enough time to get the job done properly before it goes dark and I need the car to get to work in the morning. Oh well, maybe next weekend... Redsteve.

Hi Guys, I am going to be cleaning the throttle body, intake manifold thingy on my LS at the weekend and I thought I would clean the MAF sensor while I have got the air intake pipes in bits. My question is, is it OK to use carb cleaner on the MAF sensor or is this a stupid idea that will cost me many ££££s in the long run? Thanks in advance. Redsteve.

Hello to you all, I have just changed the air filter on my LS400. The old one didn't look too bad but it has been in a while so I thought I would treat the old girl to a late Christmas present. :hohoho: Anyhow, the job only took five minutes but the results are amazing. The trip computer normaly reads about 27 to 29 MPG in the "Current" mode when I am doing 50 MPH, with the new filter in it is now reading 39 to 41 MPG! :D I know that the trip computer is not that accurate, but if it has increased by up to 12 MPG on the computer then it must have increased by a similar amount in real terms. At this rate the new filter will have paid for it's self by 6:20 AM tomorrow. ;) It just goes to show, the filter doesn't have to be that dirty for it to make a big difference. Redsteve.

Hi Chris, I too have the DHP MK IV. Not sure where the temp sensor is but I have noticed that if I drive the car and then park it up for a few hours, ie. 3 or 4, when I start it up again I get a false high reading. I am assuming it is reading the residual heat from the engine, once I have driven 3 or 4 miles up the road and I get a more realistic reading. Can't help you on your query about the door seal, sorry. The sun strip on my windscreen is green, the car is also green. Hope this helps. Redsteve.

Hello all, I would ask for more money, it costs more than £70 to fill up my tank! Redsteve.

Good news chaps, the other guy's insurance company has been in touch today and they told me that their client had admitted liability for the accident and I am 100% in the clear. Wahooo! :D They have agreed to pay for the damage to my van (approx £300). Redsteve.

Hello all. Last Thursday I was out in my works van doing my deliveries in the snow and ice when I was involved in a minor accident. I was approaching a sharp right hand bend on a narrow lane. As I got to the point where I could begin to see around the corner I noticed a car coming towards me at a speed which I thought was a bit excessive for the conditions. I pulled my van over as far to the left as I could, I had the nearside front wheel up on the verge, and I stopped. Alas, it was not enough. The car coming the other way was going too fast to turn and just slid straight across the apex of the bend into the front offside corner of my van and damaged my bumper. The other driver and myself were both unhurt as the impact was at low speed. The other driver apologised and admitted that the accident was his fault and signed a report to that effect. My problem is that I am almost certain that the insurance companies will end up settling as a 50-50 blame, therefore my insurance on both my Lexus and my 4x4 will go up. The fact is I did everything in my power to avoid the accident, i.e. driving so slowly that I could stop within the distance I could see to be clear and moving my van as far off the road as was safe to do so. I think it is so unfair that I should end up out of pocket over this. Rant over, thanks for listening. Redsteve.

Hi Rodney, I am so pleased you got all your problems sorted. It's always nice to able to be help a fellow Lexite. Happy New Year. Redsteve.

Hello Balch, do not despair, there is a cheap solution. Use the same plastic fitting that you use for the passenger side blade, but, here is the clever bit, where the plastic clip hits the metal of the wiper arm just trim it off with a Stanley knife. I have done this and it works like a charm. You can reuse the plastic clip, so you only have to do it once and you can now buy your wiper blades from anywhere you like. :winky: Mine have been attached to the car like this for over 12 months now and there is no sign of the clip working loose or the blade becoming unstable. Hope this helps you. Redsteve. P.S. Merry Christmas. :hohoho:

Had an issue with my MK IV where the body control ECU crashed in a car park due to me and the passenger pressing too many window control buttons in a short space of time. I lost control of the steering wheel, alarm, windows etc... I only sorted it by removing the fuse for MPX1 (??? I think it was that one) waiting for 15 secs and then re-inserting the fuse. The systems came back online after a couple of minutes, confused me I can tell you. I had only had the car a couple of days and it shook my faith in the car. Anyway, enough rambling, check the fuses under the bonnet and under the steering wheel, you might have lost one when reconnecting the battery. My advice is to follow this advice as you are now in unchartered territory as far as my limited knowledge goes. There is some good news however...I am now off work for four days! I know that this doesn't help you but it has cheered me up no end. Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all and let me be the first to wish you all a very happy Easter. :winky: Redsteve.

Hello again Rodney, this is probably a stupid question, but, are you 100% sure the central locking and the switches on the driver's door were working before the battery was changed? Assuming that they were then I can't see that you have done anything wrong in reconnecting the battery. On my MK IV there are two yellow stickers near the battery (one above it and one below it) telling you how to connect the battery and then wait for six minutes before trying to start the car. Maybe the cold weather has made some part of the wiring loom contract and so it is not making a connection in the door switch panel. Do the windows work from the other switches in the car? Does the central locking work if you flick the switch on the inside of the driver's door? If these functions work from a different source then it sort of points to a specific switch failure. BTW. I am a Whitevanman and if I had hit your car (or anyone else's) I would have left my details, we are not all goons. Redsteve.

Glad to be of service, I am just sorry you are still having a few niggles. I am sure you will get to the bottom of the problem soon though. Redsteve.

Hi Rod, I recently put a new battery on my MK IV and all I did was connect the battery terminals and then put the key in the ignition and turned it to the on position (where the key rests while the engine is running) and then left well alone for 6 minutes. I then turned off the ignition and then tried to start the car normally. The car started first time and has been running perfectly ever since with no alarm issues or key fob problems. If you followed these instructions and still had your problems then I have no idea what the cause my be...sorry. If you did something different then maybe you should disconnect the battery and start again. Hope this helps. Redsteve.

It's getting worse! On Sat 19th they are forecasting 304 MPH!

The actual speed they have predicted is 289 MPH on the 18th of Dec so an extra 0 isn't what has happened. Maybe they have got a bit confused with the pressure.

Hello all, I have just been having a look at the long range weather forecast on Metcheck. For the Wisbech region the week before Christmas they are forecasting wind speeds of almost 300 MPH! I sure hope this is a mistake or my house will be blown to bits. Redsteve.