Nick V

Thanks. Some good and fair points. That said if all those things happen to you would be unlucky! Usually the bad stories prevail often because the majority are undramatic. People rarely mention the Olympic which sailed through the Great War sinking a submarine and was scrapped in the 1930's because the Titanic's story was more interesting and negative. There are a lot of LS s which sail on undramatically. I have never had a car that I am so certain would go another 100k so readily if, big if, you treat it for what it is - a high quality executive express. Hence the running costs are no less than they were for the bloke who paid £50k - indeed more. Which from what you say is how you are investing in your own. Even if all the worst case events (other than transmission) happen to a single car (very unlucky) then when your wallet had taken the strain you'd still have a fantastic car for a lot less than a 5 year old Honda Jazz . The "Mk 4" in particular I would say marries the longevity with drivability - it is cleaner away and so much better on the brakes than my Mk 1 was. Hope yours now behaves! Cheers Nick Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Thanks - you never know I may be back one day when I'm wearing beige enough to match the upholstery! Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Hi everyone It with a heavy heart that my LS went on eBay this week (and on this site). A sudden change in family circumstances have meant I want more seats and whatever other many strengths the LS has 7 seats alas is not one. I bought this 98 model intending it to be around a very long time and if I could mothball it I would but that isn't feasible. It is the second LS I have owned and I can honestly say it is probably the best car you can buy to travel long distances in I have ever had (including a Mercedes 500 and Audi S8). Add to that the built-from-solid quality, extraordinary reliability and outright Q car performance and it makes me want to weep to see it go. I am keen it is sold to a private user and have resisted an inundation of enquiries from people who are clearly amateur traders wanting to wave cash at me. There have been about 10 so far which is extraordinary. What I can't quite work out is that the Volvo that is replacing it, of which there are 300 + at any one time on eBay is costing 5 times more than the LS will make, has not much less miles and is well built but not Lexus. Supply and demand I guess but it still is a mystery that the truth of these cars is only just beginning to seep out. Anyway just wanted to say thanks to all here for direct advice and passive help in all a genuinely great forum. Keep it on the road (not hard in an LS). Nick This 98 model has been fab and Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Sorry to hear that. My Mk 4 has the 4 holes - one larger than the other three. Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

The ones I ordered on 28th arrived today and fitted in 10 mins tonight complete with Amber bulbs. Look great! Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Just ordered some also thanks. My orange ones keep popping out which somewhat undermines the otherwise "hewn from solid" feel and look of the car! Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Good luck viewing. Same colour as mine. If receipts for parts / work are in order I'd snap it up. With the LPG that price is not unreasonable for what it is. Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Really sorry to hear your news and best wishes for the treatment. Emotionally and perhaps surprisingly I'd say sell it. Cancer treatment is about maintaining as much normality as possible and having your beloved car around but not driving it is an unhappy and constant reminder that things are not normal. It is also dare I say it just a "thing". Also rationally and financially a year is a long time. If you sell you have lost little value and can enjoy searching for a new one come the all clear. Spend the money saves on fuel and depreciation on yourself between cycles. Best wishes Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Looks a nice one. In truth if the mot history supports the miles I'd judge the car not the seller. Rear parking sensors I think are aftermarket and look colour coded so suggest someone made an effort. Take off the cost if a new set of Falkens as a minimum plus another chunk of danger money to get to £1600 maybe. Good luck. Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Front bonnet struts replaced. Rust above front screen - small patches both sides Corroded alloys refurbished Front discs warped and replaced Rear screen de mister not working (probably damaged when someone tinted. Boot damp One of front heated seat button sticks Otherwise a dream @ 100,000 miles . Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Great stuff everyone. Am still reminded when my wife reversed our Honda into a bollard with "I wondered what the beeping was" when asked had the sensors not worked. Will get on with drilling with only a semblance of fear. Thanks Nick Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

That's really helpful thanks - they look factory fitted! Am assuming you left the bumper in place to fit? Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Hi Folks I love the my Mk 4 but really miss having parking sensors - sticking my head out of the window and playing chicken is an over-rated pastime. I have a good quality set to fit but wondered has anyone has fitted them previously and have a photo of where to locate them on the bumper. A previous post saw good counsel that the bumper doesn't need to come off for this but has anyone else any tips. Am very much of the measure twice and cut once mentality. Otherwise this car remains a real pleasure, having me sell my 3 year old Mercedes E320 as unnecessary and leaving me a pretty good fund for petrol and servicing albeit I miss the park assist. Thanks Nick

Thanks for this - very helpful. The point about continuity earlier in the loom makes sense but I want to check these wires in particular - someone in the past tinted the rear window very professionally but I wonder whether the wiring was disturbed. There are cases of this happening on other forums. Will proceed with caution re: the clips! Cheers Nick

Hi Folks My rear demister / defogger doesn't work (the only thing that doesn't on this fab car). The relay is clearly clicking, the rear screen "wires" look fine but is doesn't work which is more of a problem than Imagined and needs to be fixed. I now want to test the continuity of the wiring but this is I think located behind the O/S C Pillar. Does anyone have any experience of how to remove this without damaging the trim / breaking clips etc? I've seen generic stuff but nothing specific to a 1998 LS? In passing the detail on these cars is fantastic but so much of it is not in the manual i.e. I discovered today that when you put it into reverse the n/s side mirror lowers but only if the mirror selector is pointed towards the n/s mirror. Or some weeks ago when the brake check light came on and it was simply a brake light bulb - not in the manual. Thank goodness for the forum. Thanks Nick

Not certain on this one. If it is just the drivers side blade hitting the windscreen pillar you may be able to adjust the blade "reach" using the screws on the bottom of the arm which are there to ensure it is parallel. May help. Anything more major may be that the mechanism is worn or just that the arms have been weongly re-attached to the splines if taken off for windscreen replacement. Someone may know better. Nick

Not certain on this one. If it is just the drivers side blade hitting the windscreen pillar you may be able to adjust the blade "reach" using the screws on the bottom of the arm which are there to ensure it is parallel. May help. Anything more major may be that the mechanism is worn or just that the arms have been weongly re-attached to the splines if taken off for windscreen replacement. Someone may know better. Nick

Actually If I suspect like me this issue was not getting them to park but rather the pantograph arm on driver's side hitting bonnet edge; it is because you are assuming that as with most wipers you have to turn the blades to right angles to the arms to remove and refit them. With these you don't. - just as well as there is no room without fouling bonnet edge as you say. Simply lift off screen, press toggle on blade fitting and pull down off hook. Apologies if this was not the problem. Nick

In fact as I ioscovered last week after going to Halfords to get wipers and seeing they only listed the passenger side, I then discovered Newcastle Lexus needed 24 hours to source them which I didn't have to get replacement blades (wipers on car were complete but not effective enough for heavy rain). I then returned to Halfords to buy any 22" blade to try and fit in the exist arms only to spot a second set of flip cards behind the larger (Halfords) deck - these for Valeo blades. numbers. In this deck both Lexus LS 400 blades are listed and were in stock - 10 minutes later they were installed on the car and work well. Hence I'd say take another look - the Valeo ones are in green packs and so far in 800 miles in the last week work very well. Nick

Hi All Quick question for the Mk4 crew - what do the outer two white lamps in the spoiler do? Mine don't come on with anything. Thanks Nick

I am sure someone must do the badges but as you say they are probably good enough quality to be chromed. Funnily enough I also like the burgundy colour (post a pic?) and indeed had in line of sight a really good one, with great provenance, low miles and nice colour combination, at a dealer when I bid on the one I now own. It is a small enough world for yours to be X719 AEN / R4 WAL (I had done an Experian check on it). Had I not won the one I bid on, it was next in line to look at (I was slightly surprised to win). If it is yours then it looked a great car on paper and I hope it delivers for you. The other car I so nearly bought was a 2000 Audi A8 4.2 Tiptronic which made a fantastic sound, went like a rocket but I suspect would have emptied my wallet in repair bills at an enormous rate. Even the specialist who looks after my brilliant late 1990's Audi Cabriolet said "It's no Lexus!". Cheers Nick Cheers Nick

Yes agree re OEM generally best bet. Hobsons choice on the day! Have attached a couple of close ups of the chrome boot strip. Noticed today that it has heated rear seats as well as front ones - must have an alternator like a jumbo! Cheers Nick

Hi All Thanks for all the welcome messages. Drove home from North East this afternoon - fantastic. Clear roads and av. speed of 70MPH at 29.9MPG which I can live with for now given how fresh I felt after 250 miles. Great news re parking sensors not need bumper removal thanks - saves me lots of time and forensic re-examining of Wheeler Dealer LS 400 show when they remove the rear bumper to paint it. Small discovery yesterday. After going to Halfords to get wipers and seeing they only listed the passenger side, I then discovered Newcastle Lexus needed 24 hours I didn't have to get replacement blades (wipers on car were complete but not effective enough for heavy rain). I then returned to Halfords to buy any 22" blade to try and fit in the exist arms only to spot a second set of flip cards behind the larger (Halfords) deck - these for Valeo blades. numbers. In this deck both Lexus LS 400 blades are listed and were in stock - 10 minutes later they were installed on the car and work well. Will take pics of chrome strip and post - didn't realise it was rare. Car started life for its first year on the Isle of Man if this means anything re its options. Cheers NIck

Thanks for the welcome folks. I knew the seller was trading a few cars but is was clearly a sideline. He was at work when I picked it up off his wife in Yorkshire and neither had made any pretence of being anything other than what they seemed. In truth I have no porblem with this and and would not expect a warranty and am still protected by the sale of goods act, in so much as they car had to be largely as descibed. No cash changed hands as the final payment on collection was by electronic transfer. Arthur Daley it was not. Have had a burst of enthusiasm and ordered Cobra reversing sensors - I'd forgotten just how far back it goes! ta Nick

Hello LS People After a few years of non-ownership, I yesterday picked up a 1998 (ignore the reg) Mk4, bought on eBay and picked up this week. It follows a Mk1 I had a few years ago. Wow, it is a great car. It has 95K on clock, FSH, matching Pirellis and one owner previously. Very little to do although it has pretty much exactly the same issues as my MK1 had - bonnet struts and boot leaks. Both easy fixes. I turned up yesterday and paid the seller the balance then drove 300 miles without any problems and loved every one of them. The steering has so much more feel than my Mk 1 but pretty much everything else is as I remember it in good way. For eBay watchers this was the car: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331071389384?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2648#ht_152wt_1205 A good feel about the seller is generally followed by a good buy and this seems true again. There is a little rust around the windscreen in a couple of places but nothing major. These cars seem remarkably durable - I have an interest in a car rustproofing business and I don't think we have never had one in. All in all am glad to be back! Next stop will by an LPG conversion as this is a keeper. Cheers Nick