Previa To The Rescue!

Titch LS · October 2, 2013

Replacing rear discs and pads the other day and made a bit of a boo-boo. I failed to read- up on the finer points of removing the discs i.e. "make sure the parking brake adjuster at the 6 o' clock position is turned downwards completely, otherwise you will not get the rotor off at all" (American site). As you can guess I didn't initially factor in the little adjusting "star" wheel at the bottom of the hub. The result of all this? One bent and elongated brake shoe holding pin. This pin is originally shaped a bit like the old-fashioned brace n' bit screwdrivers. (This is to allow a space in the middle for the brake lever next to it). I put everything back hoping that nothing would touch or rub, but it did. Nasty "clicking" when test driven. Cue some naughty words. I went to a local breaker of Japanese cars and he came up with the exact same pin but from a Toyota Previa! Woohoo. Re- assembled everthing again, (after having to take the parking brake to bits and re-adjust)), and Bob's your uncle. Lesson learned the hard way. You could say that now I drive an LS/Previa hybrid though!

steve2006 · October 2, 2013

Best way to go, Lexus only sell the complete parking brake fitting kit at a price to match the brand!

Must admit it's not the easiest job in the world to move the adjuster, the hole in the drum is pretty small and it's dark in there.

Titch LS · October 3, 2013

It's handy having a Jap car breakers near me. The only trouble is that they never has any Lexus cars being broken, just loads of Toyotas. But as the LS is a much glorified Toyota there will always be some generic spare parts that will fit it, like the Previa parking brake pin, in my case. On my last car, a Honda Legend 3.5, I fitted an ancillary belt idler belonging to a Mitsubishi Colt from the same breakers. Saved a fortune each time.

Malc · October 3, 2013

Really interesting ....... we had a brief chat before somewhere on here about the Honda Legend ....... do you have a view on the comparisons ??

Malc

steve2006 · October 3, 2013

Apparently the Toyota Landcruiser uses the same power tilt motors as the LS430 ( the ones that can't be repaired) and there is quite a price difference.

Titch LS · October 5, 2013

Malc, I had my Honda Legend 3.5 V6 for 2 years before I traded it in for my current Mk4 LS. It was a very well put together car. The cabin is almost a duplicate of an LS 400. An obvious copy. The ride was a bit more 'jiggly' than the Lexus and it wasn't as creamy smooth in its power delivery or its gearchanges either.. Performance was good but an LS would beat it every time --210bhp v. 290 bhp. On tickover you could feel the V6 lump through the steering wheel, on my Lexus it's barely noticeable.The Lex is quieter at all speeds too and offers the same mpg as the Honda even though my Lex is 500cc bigger and a V8. The Lexus seats are more comfortable than the Honda, with softer leather. Where the Honda scored highly though was that the heated seats in it really worked well in the winter, unlike the Lexus seats. Spares for it were much harder to source than for the Lexus.(not that I needed much). Overall, I'm glad I changed to the LS even though the Honda was a great and reliable car. Out of 10 I'd rate the Honda at 8.5 and my LS 9.5 .