Do Not Sell My Personal Information Jump to content


Recommended Posts

I have just bought an older series 2 LS400 (1993 / L) with 155K on the clock. She is a beautiful old beast and has been looked after, although there are one or two jobs that need doing which are mainly cosmetic. She cost me £450 which I consider very reasonable for a car of such quality albeit she is getting on a bit.

One thing that frightens the life out of me is the price of parts and servicing. I popped into my local Lexus dealer yesterday to ask them about servicing. They told me it would need a 150K service which would cost £487.00 :crybaby: Now, common sense tells me that to get the best out of a car it makes sense to take it to the people who manufactured it as they should know more about it than a garage that does generic servicing on all makes of vehicle. However, what exactly am I going to get from Lexus that I am not going to get from my local Kwik-Fit for £139.00? The car has been regularly serviced according to the paperwork I have got and always by a Lexus dealer and has done less than 6000 since it's last. It hasn't done much mileage in the last few years and was MOT'd in September, so i assume it to be safe. Is it really worth me spending the extra and going to Lexus :question:

Opinions would be welcomed.

Thank You

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quite simply, No.

A full Lexus Service History will enhance the saleability of a newer car but in your case will make no difference. Although engineered with the latest technology, they are not rocket ships. A competent mechanic can work on your Lexus with no problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

personally I would never let a quick fit "technician" near my Lexus, nor any car I own.

You should be able to find a reputable independant garage to work on your Lexus for you.

agreed dont go anywhere near quick sh..t unless you want discs pads , an exhaust & maybe a couple of tyres as well as your service. its amazing how many faults they will find? with a good car :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dont bother with quickfit...ever, find a decent local garage, find stuff out here and have some knowledge when you take it. You can usually pick up then if they know what they talking about, or have any idea of the car at alll. Some say they are a pain to work on, i think its because of the age of he nuts/bolts..they can snap or be stuck and need grinding off etc but they are usaully the ones underneath the car

If i were you, i'd ask Lexus exactly what the car gets for the 500quid.

I think lexus have 3 service levels, they might be changing belts etc, i dunno, you'd better find out.

Then go & ask a local garage how much that work would be

My 93 K reg still runs great at 225K, shame about the suspension rubbers and that damn EGR pipe tho. You'll find out on this site about those headaches and other common issues the Mk2 tends to get:

Flickering/blank dash, blacked out a/c & clock display, p/s leak, occasional leaky sunroof, the emmisions and the control arm rubbers are about the most common. The suspension can be quite dear but the others are very reasonable and affordable.

The emmisions can be high, dont go rushing into buying new O2 sensors etc, theres 4 i think and its not usually them that give the high readings so you will waste a few hundred quid.

Dont worry too much about parts etc, you hardly have to buy any, i've had mine 6 yrs and its never had any breakdowns. Just the usual wear & tear parts that needed replacing. In fact, my dad had it before me (2nd owner) and between the 14 years its been around in our family, i cant remember it ever giving him trouble either...thats amazing thinking about it...an 18 yr old car thats never broke down.....im gonna ask him to make sure

I have thought on occasions (usaully after an MOT) that its the end of the road for the old gal b'cos i left a couple of jobs and then they all need doing at once etc...you know how it goes, but a few days investigating on here has sorted my troubles.

Enjoy it mate, i have

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I don't know why people expect (older) cars to be unreliable or troublesome. My parents bought a Mazda 626 in 1992 and I inherited it, gave it to my wife, she ran it until last year. At 16 years old I know it had had 2 sets of tyres, a replacement back box on the exhaust and only the routine servicing. It never even had a clutch or a Battery in that time. It needed welding for its last two MOTs with us. if you buy a decent car and keep it properly serviced it should not let you down. If I'd been on the ball with the rustproofing it might not have needed the welding.

I hear tales of early LS400 covering 400,000 miles with no bother and only routine maintenance.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dont bother with quickfit...ever, find a decent local garage, find stuff out here and have some knowledge when you take it. You can usually pick up then if they know what they talking about, or have any idea of the car at alll. Some say they are a pain to work on, i think its because of the age of he nuts/bolts..they can snap or be stuck and need grinding off etc but they are usaully the ones underneath the car

If i were you, i'd ask Lexus exactly what the car gets for the 500quid.

I think lexus have 3 service levels, they might be changing belts etc, i dunno, you'd better find out.

Then go & ask a local garage how much that work would be

My 93 K reg still runs great at 225K, shame about the suspension rubbers and that damn EGR pipe tho. You'll find out on this site about those headaches and other common issues the Mk2 tends to get:

Flickering/blank dash, blacked out a/c & clock display, p/s leak, occasional leaky sunroof, the emmisions and the control arm rubbers are about the most common. The suspension can be quite dear but the others are very reasonable and affordable.

The emmisions can be high, dont go rushing into buying new O2 sensors etc, theres 4 i think and its not usually them that give the high readings so you will waste a few hundred quid.

Dont worry too much about parts etc, you hardly have to buy any, i've had mine 6 yrs and its never had any breakdowns. Just the usual wear & tear parts that needed replacing. In fact, my dad had it before me (2nd owner) and between the 14 years its been around in our family, i cant remember it ever giving him trouble either...thats amazing thinking about it...an 18 yr old car thats never broke down.....im gonna ask him to make sure

I have thought on occasions (usaully after an MOT) that its the end of the road for the old gal b'cos i left a couple of jobs and then they all need doing at once etc...you know how it goes, but a few days investigating on here has sorted my troubles.

Enjoy it mate, i have

Thanks for the info. Some things I have already discovered, like the blank dash. This has only happened twice and each time it has been from cold start first thing in the morning, but only if the headlights have been used the night before. I did ask Lexus whilst I was there and they said it was down to the ECB behind the dash which costs about £600. It does tend to come back on when the car warms up a bit though.

As for the other faults you mention. The rear suspension bushes were replaced a couple of years ago..so ok. I didn't get a copy of the MOT advisory notes when I bought it, so I did a check on the VOSA web site...The advisory note issued was for "slight play in the rear upper and lower suspension arm ball joints" so trouble looming there I think. The steering pump was also replaced a few years back. No other problems I've noticed as yet.

Regards

Link to comment
Share on other sites

personally I would never let a quick fit "technician" near my Lexus, nor any car I own.

You should be able to find a reputable independant garage to work on your Lexus for you.

agreed dont go anywhere near quick sh..t unless you want discs pads , an exhaust & maybe a couple of tyres as well as your service. its amazing how many faults they will find? with a good car :D

Thanks for the advice guys..will find alternative.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know why people expect (older) cars to be unreliable or troublesome. My parents bought a Mazda 626 in 1992 and I inherited it, gave it to my wife, she ran it until last year. At 16 years old I know it had had 2 sets of tyres, a replacement back box on the exhaust and only the routine servicing. It never even had a clutch or a battery in that time. It needed welding for its last two MOTs with us. if you buy a decent car and keep it properly serviced it should not let you down. If I'd been on the ball with the rustproofing it might not have needed the welding.

I hear tales of early LS400 covering 400,000 miles with no bother and only routine maintenance.

I hope I get that kind of luck...thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


I do all my own simple stuff (plugs, leads, brake pads and disks, fluids)

helps keep the costs down

I used to do my own many years ago when engines were a lot simpler. Maybe I should try it again. Trouble is there's a lot of engine in there!!

nah it just looks worse than it is... lots of plastic non-essentials covers and things like that.

At the end of the day it's an engine like any other... albeit one with twice as many spark plugs and associated items as your average 4 cylinder... but that does not make it twice as hard to change them... just take a little longer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



×
×
  • Create New...