Supradave

Brought a RX400H a couple of months ago but really could not get on with it mainly because of the brakes. They seemed to surge a lot, had them checked by Lexus but was told it was normal for the model and was because the car was a hybrid. A bit more research suggest that early Prius owners complained about the same issue. I am thinking about changing to a GS450H but am worried I will find the brakes are the same. Has anyone owned both models and can comment on what the brakes are like.

That's excellent, I think I will order that. Spent some time looking for something similar on the screwfix website yesterday but the best I could find was magnetic screw drivers. This looks to be just the job, many thanks.

Had a nightmare this afternoon fitting a Vaistech unit to my 2006 RX400H with Mark Levinson Stereo. All was going well with removing the stereo only to find that I appear to have been sent the wrong hardness for my car. However went to put everything back together and dropped two of the bolts down the centre part of the dashboard. Now I hate rattles in cars and do not want the radio to start rattling away in the dashboard so can anyone advise me how the trim around the lower centre part of the dashboard dismantles so that I can retrieve the bolts.

I currently own a MK2 GS430 which I have had for a couple of years and am considering changing it for a GS450h. I am looking to spend about 10k/11k and have a few questions. I love the refinement, performance and the audio system of the 430 but have never been that impressed by the ride, particularly at high speed. . Is the ride and handling of the 450h any better in that respect? I would be interested to hear of anyone making the same move and your thoughts on the 450h. As I am sure is the usually the case I am also worried about issues with the Batteries on a 450h. The amount I am looking to spend seems to mean that I will be buying either privately or from a non lexus garage. I am wondering about taking out a third party warranty through Warranty Direct or one of the similar companies. Does anyone know if these type of warranties usually cover the batteries or the hybrid system of the 450h? At the current time I am not sure whether to go for the Lexus or play safe and go for an x350 XJ6.

I have spent the afternoon connecting a Dension Gateway 100 to my 2001 GS430 with Lexus Premium Audio System including Sat Nav with a few problems. The audio system has detected the Ipod as a mini disc player and does not appear to be able to control the Ipod and I do not have the ability to select playlists, albums, artists, etc. The only control I have is via the Ipod itself which is a bit awkward when I intend to keep the Ipod in the glovebox. I connected the loom which came with the Dension to the connection on the back of the audio system at the bottom of the rear panel which only appeared to have two wires coming out of it. Has anyone else fitted one of these devices to a similar vintage of audio system that could offer some advice? Have I connected the unit up incorrectly, is there a fault with my Dension Gateway or am I simply expecting too much from the device?

Hi, I'm looking to buy myself a car over the next few weeks to use for towing duties at weekends and for daily use to and from work for the rest of the week. I run a mobile disco and currently use a Toyota Previa for transporting the gear around which I have had for the past 13 years. The poor old previa is getting a bit tired now and i want to replace it with a trailer and a 4x4 so that I can use the 4x4 for the rest of the week when it's not towing sound equipment around. I am looking to spend around 8k on the 4x4 and the Rx300 is top of my list at the moment (closely followed by the Nissan Murano and Subaru Forester). I have previously owned an LS400 and loved the build quality, refinement and reliability but was not so keen on the handling (a bit too soft for my liking). At my budget I seem to be looking at 2002/2003 models which I understand is when the Rx changed from Mk1 to Mk2. What are the differences and is there an easy way to tell which one I am looking at while looking at the ad's on autotrader? At my budget am I better off with a lower mileage Mk1 or an early (and probably higher mileage) Mk2?

Hi I've strayed over from the LS400 section as I am trying to help my next door neighbour out. He recently brought a 1991 2.5TT Soarer and wants to get he timing belt changed on it plus a few other mechanical bits and pieces done on it. He has been to Lexus Reading and they have said that they cannot do the work as they would not be insured to do it. He has heard rumours of a Soarer specialist in the Newbury area but cannot find out more than that. I used to run a Twin Turbo Supra so he asked me who I used to use. I told him that I used to use Leon at JPS but he does not want to go all that way to get the work done. Does anyone know of any Soarer specialists in the Reading\Berkshire area or Jap Specialists with experience of working on Soarers in the general area?

Can I ask what effect the new alloys have had on the ride and handling of your car?

Your car looks excellent with the RX8 alloys on. I've still got the set that I brought in my garage but I am worried about using spacers. I may reconsider now that I've seen how good the RX8 alloys look on yours.

I like to have a large selection of music in my car and tried using an FM transmitter with my ipod through the Lexus stereo but was very disappointed with the quality. I've since changed to a cassette tape adapter connected to my ipod and the quality is much better. I did not really want to replace the standard stereo as I think it makes the interior look classier than an after market unit.

I can't really help you but just to say that I had goodridge hoses fitted all round on my Mkiv Supra and they were an excellent upgrade. If you do find somewhere that sells them (or someone that will make some up) please let me know as I would be very interested in buying a set. Out of interest, are the brakes on 95 on LS400's the same as the Mkiv Twin Turbo?

I think that's what the previous owner has done and that's the reason the paint is peeling off. As I have only just got the car I wanted to put it right properly.

I need to replace the pieces of trim down the sides of the windscreen (on the outside) as the paint is peeling off of the pieces oftrim currently in place. I have purchased the two pieces from Lexus but have no idea on how to fit them. Does anyone know if the windscreen has to come out for the trim to be replaced?

It's odd that you should mentioned the RX8 alloys as I have brought some that I am picking up on Sunday. However since agreeing to buy them I have been informed by another member on here that they do not fit over the larger brakes only the earlier LS with the smaller brakes so it looks as if they will be going back onto e-bay.

Is anyone on here running a staggered wheel setup on there LS400. I'm looking for a set of second hand 18" alloys to fit my 1997 LS400 and because of the large brake calipers not much will fit. One car that uses the same calipers is the Twin Turbo Supra however it tends to have larger rear wheels than front. They also seem to have some decent sets of alloys that would fit come up for sale on the website. How would a staggered set up affect the handling of the LS and what sort of width could I use on the rear wheel before I run into trouble with tyres rubbing etc?

That's disappointing I was under the impression from other posts that the RX8 wheels would fit and I don't like using spacers. Looks like I may have to put them back on Ebay once I have picked them up and try plan B (a brand new set of wheels).

So what size spacers did you have to use? Did you have to fit new bolts? Why did you need to change the wheel nuts?

I have managed to buy myself a set of RX8 alloys off of E-Bay which I intend to fit to my 1998 LS400 to sharpen up the handling a bit. The wheels are 18" alloys 8" wide and I am unsure as to what size tyres I need to get fitted to the wheels once I put them on the LS. Having searched the forum I came across various tyre calculators and I think the best size (to keep the speedometer reasonably accurate) is 245/45/18 however I notice several owners with 18" wheels seem to have lower profiles. Is one of the options for me to go for a different profile on the front (i.e 225/40/18). Although I want to sharpen up the handling a little I don't want the ride quality to be unbearable.

I would echo Barney's comments about it being a completely different type of car. I went from a TT Supra to an LS400 at the end of last year and to be honest I am not happy. The Ls400 is a very good car (quiet, well built, reliable, etc) but after two months of LS ownership I am looking to change back to something more sporty. Oddly enough I thought I would miss the performance of the Twin Turbo Supra but it's actually the difference in the handling that I am struggling to come to terms with. Take the LS for a good test drive and make sure that you are happy with a car of that type.

I am looking to replace the wheels on my 1997 LS400 and after searching and reading this forum am getting very confused about the offset I should be looking for. It appears that earlier LS400's (pre 95) had smaller brakes and so the offset may have been different from my 1997 model. I have looked at the website for Rochford tyres in Southend and they indicate an offset of 38-45 however there are at least three people that have ordered wheels from them and then found that the wheels do not fit over the larger brakes. So basically before I go ahead and order the wrong wheels does anyone know for certain the offset of the standard wheels on a Mk3 (1997) LS400?

The Supra is similar to the Ls400 in that it has both a small brake set up (usually on the Jap Imports) and a larger brake set up. I really need confirmation as to whether the wheels will fit the Ls400 with the larger brakes before i commit myself to buying a set.

I am looking to replace the wheels on my 1998 Mkiii LS400 (my current OEM wheels are in a very poor state) and while searching through this forum have noticed that some owners have fitted alloys from the Mazda RX8. From the pictures I have seen they seem to suit the car well but I also notice that the cars with the RX8 alloys fitted are all earlier LS400's which I think had smaller brakes. The RX8 alloys are 18 8 with a 50 offset but does anyone know if they will fit a 97/98 LS400. Also does anyone know if you can change the centre caps on the wheels so that not everyone knows that I have Mazda wheels on my Lexus.

Excellent thanks for your help. Once I had wrestled the credit card back from the wife it was easy. Thanks for for your help on thi s everyone

Apologies if this is really simple but I have brought some Clear LED indicators off Ebay and I am hoping to fit them this weekend. These are the indicators that attach to the wing by the doors. Before I start hacking at the car and damaging paintwork in a desperate attempt to remove the old indicators, what is the correct way to remove the old indicator. Do I need to access it from inside the front wing (and if so how do I do this) or can it be removed by sliding a screwdriver under the front edge on the outside of the wing? The car is an early 1998 LS400 .

I have recently brought myself an early 1998 LS400 and the first thing that I want to do to it is upgrade the audio. My plan is too replace the standard headunit with an Alpine Double Din headunit and then run seperate amps to the front components (which I intend to replace) and to the bass at the back. I am not into Heavy bass but I do like the warmth that a good bass set up adds to the sound of the music. I am thinking of running two 8" bass speakers in the rear parcel shelf and using standard Lexus sub covers over the top of them to keep the setup looking reasonably standard. I think this may however mean cutting through the panel running under the parcel shelf. Does anyone know if that panel is structural and will cutting through it weaken the strength of the car? Also does anyone know how much the standard Lexus sub cover costs from Lexus? If the panel is structural then I would rather not cut through it and will just enlarge the exiting hole to acceot either a 10" or a 12" sub.