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I thought I’d better post something, seeing as I’ve been AWOL for a good while... A good few years ago (I may have written about it on here, I can’t remember!) I took my ISF around the GP circuit at Silverstone. It rained a lot, but the car nevertheless was a lot of fun if fairly lively, I didn’t get flagged for noise (despite having a H&S cat-back system which sounded like a NASCAR) and both myself and a mate I invited along had an extremely memorable day. Advancing the calendar to a fortnight ago and it was yet again raining all day, this time at Bedford Autodrome (the 2.8mile SW configuration). The day was mixed discipline, with two car groups and one motorbike group; the latter were understandably getting increasingly frustrated watching the cars lapping round when they weren’t allowed to play! I was accompanied by the usual salad of track cars - Clio 172/182s, MX5s, Elises, Boxsters, Civic Type Rs, some fast Meganes and several Fiesta/Focus STs. There was a rather charming ‘70s Lotus Europa too. Switching the drive mode to Sport and the TVD to ‘track’ (obviously), I accelerated out of the pits with a brief burst of power before the sharp left in front of the hospitality suite. Quickly afterwards, there’s a fairly greasy L-R-L chicane flowing out to a left-hander where grip was still far less than expected, especially on the racing line. A couple more turns and it’s now the long, slow left-hander at the far end of the circuit before the straight - the karting line is preferred here - patiently going right around the outside of the corner, taking the same time to rotate the car but exiting the bend a little faster and handily right in the ‘meat’ of the power band in 2nd. The straight was a full-on bellow through 2nd, 3rd, 4th and as far into 5th as the occasional patches of standing water would deem sensible - I very much do NOT want to know what aquaplaning and a possible spin would be like north of 140mph... A fast chicane, eased by huge liberties on the kerbs, followed by a couple of ever sharpening left-handers bring you down to earth a bit after the big-numbers, then a right and a faster right brings you back to where we began... The GSF? Faultless, of course! The brakes seemed endless, the handling fairly benign but progressive and easy to catch, helped by the weight and the relatively long wheelbase - it was obvious when grip was about to run out, even for a Neanderthal like me. The noise was awesome and the fuel economy was... about 9mpg (although nearly 37mpg on the 140mile journey to get there!) The main problem with this car? I’ve nearly had it 3 years and I can’t begin to think what could replace it...

Not strictly Lexus LS400 related but still relevant and may help someone else. I had a large coolant loss on my other car, Audi A4 2.5tdi which the mrs drives, coolant was splattered between the timing belt covers and the radiator. I had to top up 2- 3 litres the first time the ‘low coolant’ error came up so a pretty dramatic loss. So I got the car on the drive, removed the timing belt covers to check if it was the water pump, it was all dry as far as I could see and no dripping from underneath that area. The symptoms didn’t fit with a leaking water pump anyway but had to check. So started it up and let it get up to temp to see if I could see any leaks anywhere. I couldn’t see anything at all, the mrs did a few miles round trip, checked the coolant the next morning, coolant splattered again in the same area but not swimming in coolant and had to put in another couple of litres. I’ve not had to go in depth checking for coolant leaks before so did some research (the web) and decided to purchase a ‘US PRO Tools 19 Piece Coolant System Pressure Tester Kit, 5226’ from eBay for £74. Yesterday I removed the undertray and bumper so I could see all round the readiator etc. So I attached the tester, pumped some pressure into the coolant system and found the leak in a few seconds, picture below which is self explanatory. I was initially stood directly in front of the radiator so got soaked a bit before I realised I was stood in front of the leak! Just running the car to temp wasn’t a good test for this particular type of leak, it needed to be under pressure so in effect driving the car. Of course when driving the car the coolant was spurting out and hitting the front of the bonnet then mostly disappearing because of the air rushing by leaving just traces/evidence of coolant. As you can see from the picture below, I didn’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out where the leak is🤪 it’s the radiator. So new radiator needed and I’ll also replace the condenser because the aircon has never worked since I got the car 3 years ago. If the radiator has a hole in it then the condenser may have one as well and maybe that’s why rage aircon doesn’t work.

The traction battery will normally last a long time without charging. I started a Prius after 3 years of standing. The only problem was the 12 volt battery. You say there was an intermittent alarm coming from the hybrid battery. Can you explain more on this? since the hybrid battery is not fitted with an alarm. Does the car go to ready mode? and if so how many bars are showing on the battery display? Have you fitted a new battery in the key fob? What messages are the on the display screen by the speedo? John.

We are having a short break near Glastonbury and the change in temperature to Kent is very noticeable! Much cooler and the first decent sleep for quite a few nights. More on a Lexus theme, my RX300 drove beautifully and was a pleasure to be in even when stuck in traffic. Four occupants, a Labrador, large roof boot and she averaged 25 mpg. I know some people may blanch at that but it was worth every penny for such a wonderful comfortable drive.

Maybe not in Manchester but in the southeast we had the third highest temperature in the UK on record at the end of July, the hottest day in August for 17 years, at least a week where the max temperature was above 30 deg C, 5 nights in a row where the temp didn't fall below 20 deg C at night, two weeks without any rainfall etc.

All fitted, only one minor knuckle scrape. I was a bit nervous at first in case it had been a wasted effort but I'm really pleased with the result. The ride is excellent, no difference in feel to air, no warning light (40 amp fuse removed) and no more concerns about air suspension, I should have done this in the first place. I'll get the alignment checked on Monday just in case.

Well, that MOT yesterday has turned out to be expensive. It was booked in at RMB Lexus at Teesside for the MOT and Hybrid check. I made the mistake of having a look around their cars while I was waiting. One they had was a 2017 RX450h Luxury Premium Nav, one owner with slightly high mileage at 50,000...in black with grey interior. Just had a test drive a couple of hours ago .. lots I liked, one thing I prefer on my series 3 rather than the 4 is the mirrors .. not a fan of the shaped mirrors at the outside. ... but .. that MOT has now cost me the price of a newer RX450h.. pick it up this Thursday evening (fingers crossed) One question.. my 2011 is now sat at 99,924 miles and will be around 99,950 miles on Thursday unless I use it before then... do I dive a few miles to see it go over the 100,000 or do I hand it over just under?

Manufacturers don't sell their cars with screeching brakes and provided genuine replacements are fitted and correctly lubed as recommended, and all not replaced parts are in good order, it should not be necessary to resort to fitting non original parts. Certainly, manufacturers mostly fit calipers and the like from specialist suppliers and indeed there are some very different designs. I remember that on my old 2.5 V6 Camry there were anti rattle springs, the ends of which had to be located in the edge of the pads to help keep the pads away from the discs for example (possibly the case with other Toyota cars). Some pads come with an antirattle/antisqueal material preapplied while other have interposed shims that have to be lubricated. Some pads house an insulated sensor which when worn down allows the metal part then in contact to make an electrical connection bringing up a warning light while others when worn allow contact with a a softer metal that does produce a warning screech. This metal component has to be correctly located in the pad if not contained within the supplied pad. If all the parts are correctly lubricated and fitted I don't follow how applying extra cut out material is going to make a difference if the screeching occurs when the brakes are off. One way to help detect a sticking caliper is to drive the car some distance. Then, taking care not to burn yourself, feel nearer the center of the wheels to check whether one is noticeably hotter. It should not be difficult for a competent person to determine where the problem lies. i

Well got the timing belt, drive belt, water pump, oil and oil filter and sump washer and coolant replaced last week on my ls400. I got all parts from lexus main dealer, and the garage that I normally take my car to for services, charged me £250 for labour, which I thought was okay. But what I did find out was the ls430 waterpump is exactly the same as on the mk4 ls400, same part number too

I did buy some k-seal but didn’t use it, thought better of it in the end. I’ve been looking at different makes of radiator, I’ll get a NRF or Nissens I think. The car isn’t worth spending a fortune on as it’s just a run about for the mrs, if it was the Lexus I’d get OEM or as near as possible. Getting the correct radiator is the hard bit, pretty sure I’ve found the correct one though after a lot of looking and comparing to the existing one. First radiator I’ve ever done on a car and not the easiest job on this A4. I had to cut through the plastic couplings on the radiator as I couldn’t separate the plastic joints on the top and bottom hoses. Sorted now though and ready for the new rad.

Crazy price for an old car with 300,000 miles! I bought a 2015 Auris Hybrid estate with 26,800 miles for 13.5k in January. I know car prices are higher in Europe but I wouldn't touch a car with high mileage of 300k. James.

I had my Cat stolen from my Lexus RX400H a couple of days ago. This forum really helped me but I managed to get hold of a really helpful company based in Germany that have sold over 500 Cats to the UK specifically for Lexus's. As other have said, the cat they steal is a secondary cat that does not need to be as good as it is. This company sells replacements for between £110 and £130 + shipping to the uk at £20. They go in the place of the original Cat and do the job just fine. It should cost somewhere between £50 and £80 for a garage to fit them for you and pass the UK MOT fine. This is NOT an original Lexus part but the advantage is that thieves don;t generally take them again as they know what they are looking for and it looks very different to the original system. They currently cost at the time of writing this post £112.95 but I bought a modified version as the inlet is 55mm and the outlet is 60mm on the Lexus RX400H so the modified version has one end modified to fit straight on. The only other thing that you will need is a short piece of 55mm pipe to fit on where they cut yours off... It is a : Magnaflow 400 Zeller Ceramic Catalytic Converter Lexus RX 400h fastforward performance company powered by Magnaflow SRL Warehouse Neuendorferstraße 64-69 Halle 24 13585 Berlin Germany Administration Württembergallee 15 14052 Berlin Germany Cell: +49 177 50 100 10 Phone: +49 30 3350 62 42 Phone: +49 30 3036 54 30 Fax: +49 30 3036 54 21 Fax: +49 30 3350 62 43 PLEASE NOTE : I have no affiliation with this company. I just found them extremely helpful so am posting the details here in case anyone else is in trouble like I was... There are other suppliers of the same Cat I believe.

£10k for 300000 miles? I would walk away. Thats what I paid for Lexus approved with 46k

Always before you attempt to remove a timing chain, verify the engine's timing. The coloured links on the timing chains are to help their correct fitting. Rotate the engine from the cranksfaft pulley clockwise until the TDC timing mark is aligned with the pointer. The 10 mark is the cranksfaft position 10 degrees before the Top Dead Centre. Turn clockwise past this 10 degree mark and you should be at the TDC. The TDC mark on the crankshaft pulley should opposite the pointer. The camshaft marks should align with the fixed marks opposite them. If not, rotate the engine another 360 degrees to align the camshaft marks. All inlet and exhaust valves on No1 cylinder should be closed. If all the camshaft marks do not align with the reference marks on the engine, relevant to the TDC, then you have to replace the timing chain. An easy way to verify the TDC of any engine is to remove the spark plug of No1 cylinder and put a long screwdriver in until it rests on the piston. As you rotate the engine, you will see the screwdriver reach a highest point and then it will begin to go down. The TDC mark on the crankshaft should be very close opposite the pointer. From my experience, the tensioner and the guides of the chain should be good until an engine overhaul. But there are always exceptions. If you opt out to change the timing chain, I agree with the recommendations of the other learned members. I would recommend a compressed link to close the chain instead of a clip. Clips run the risk of failing or coming off and that would mean another engine alltogether. You need a special tool to do this. Chris.

The chain can be changed without removing the engine, by taking off the cam covers, and the front timing chain cover. There are a number of video how to's on "Youtube" covering this, If you do not wish to remove the front cover, and change timing chain guides. It can also be done by splitting the chain over the off side "drivers side UK" timing sprocket after backing off the tensioner, and then attaching the new chain to the old with a split link. The engine is then wound over by hand making sure both ends of the chain remain in contact with the sprocket until the split link re appears at the sprocket. The link is then removed, and used to join the two ends of the new chain. A simple tool can be made to bolt to the cam housing to keep both sections of chain in contact with the sprocket. The tensioner is then released. The tensioner can be got at through an inspection plate on the front of the timing cover. ttps://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lexus+v6+timing+chain John.

Used CT owner here. Recently drove from Edinburgh to Teesside to visit family. On reaching my destination, noticed horrible scraping/squeaking noise coming from underneath the car which necessitated a visit to Lexus Teesside to check it out before making the return journey. As suspected it was the loose exhaust heat shield problem which is a well known issue with this model. Heat shield was resecured and an ongoing issue with the tyre pressure was also reset and resolved (without asking for this to be looked at) Car was also given a quick clean and vacuum all for the total price of £15 ! Nice to know wherever you travel, you're never far away from good customer service from Lexus :-)

Here we go again, new shocks take two! The usual amazing service from FedEx, four days from shipping to delivery. The new ones are KYB which is the make of the original air shocks. I fitted the rears today, the fronts, weather permitting, will be done tomorrow. Then it's a case of was it worth it!

Sadly there comes a time when you have to decide to cut your losses. It might be worth a flush and refill but anything more is going to cost serious money. Maybe just live with it until it fails completely - that might be many miles away.. Try and find a specialist Lexus independent and get an opinion when he has seen and tested the car.

Agree with all that. Problem lies with the competence of mechanics - I don't have much faith even in the competence of dealer 'mechanics'. These days they tend to be just fitters - swap out suspect parts (often assemblies) and bolt in a new one. Except when it costs them because it's a warranty job so they make a fuss about it.

If your going that far I would also replace the two VVT sprockets to make sure you eliminate the start up rattle. This could be the reason for the stretch in the chain as the hammering load on the chain must be considerable at start up. I say this because with the front cover off you have complete access to remove and refit the sprockets. You will be very disappointed if the noise is still there after all the work involved. If the sprockets can be turned by hand a part of a turn without turning the cam with the chain removed they are faulty. There is a locking pin that should lock them when no oil pressure is present, and unlocks when there is pressure. The new sprockets have a design change that is supposed to prevent the rattle reoccurring. John.

My car wasn't listed there at all but they were still able to send me a key that worked when I asked.

My 2006 Harrier has this, it's very useful indeed. Just got a powered cool box for our trip to scotland 🙂

Big huge thanks to everyone for chipping in with top notch info! I've spent the day carefully and slowly stripping more parts off to get the other rocker cover out (eventually, bleeding hands as proof). Moved the crank pulley round to "0", and certainly bank one seems out by a fair margin, though it was running okay, however the P0017 code was another sign of chain stretch. I wasn't sure about an inspection plate at first, because it is entirely hidden behind a "drivers injection" module on the 450h's at least. Once that was off, I could see the plate was visible and certainly the tensioner piston shows signs of compensating for stretch. I'd love to take the easier way and save a lot of effort and some risk, but my gut says the chain has been done before sometime ago, but with poor quality replacements. Seeing as its a potential engine killer, I've decided to carry on stripping and take the front cover off and do it all full on just to safe. Just the thermostat housing and V-belt to remove today, then I'll do pulleys and front cover off tomorrow, and aim to complete the job in about a week (no rush, going slow to ease stress mistakes etc). Its quiet a job (for those thinking about it but never done it), and certainly time and decent tools are important. A few pics added of the bank one gears and timing marks (with crank dead on 0 degrees at TDC). And a link to a short clip I took yesterday of the slack (sorry its all naff quality and clumsy; tired and using grandads inspection lamp). That slack in the video was before rotating the engine, now I've rotated it round a few times I don't seem to have any slack. However, the tensioner, P0017 code and 2 seconds of rattle on start up would seem to indicate the chain or chains are naffed. I guess when the engine stops after a run, there is a tiny bit of back (anti clockwise) rotation that gave me more slack as seen in the video. Either way, not worth the risk, front cover off and do the lot for peace of mind and a more reliable miles out the car. MY thanks again, everyone's info has been very useful in getting me up to speed on these rather 'busy' and slightly fiddly engines. https://youtu.be/P5ibY2fDMYA

Okay thanks and for the link.

It perhaps should be pointed out there are two more timing chains in the V6 engine. These are short chains that run between the adjacent inlet, and exhaust cams on each bank. These chains do no generally suffer as the load on them is small only driving one cam each against the load of all four cams being driven by the also much longer main chain. The short chains have there own independent tensioners, and are of the same size, and type of chain as the main chain. John.

You can buy a chain link splitter from most cycle, and motorcycle shops for very little money, and these will also re-fit the links without the need for a split link. Using a split link in the chain replacement I outlined is much easier to do, and after the new chain is in position it may the be replaced using the tool. However in the past when timing chains were the norm they always came with a split link even from new. The only caveat is that the closed end of the spring link should face the direction of chain travel. Fitting the link with the open end facing the direction of travel runs the small risk of thick cold oil at high engine revs pushing the open spring link off the chain. John

Now .. that has got me thinking.. will I have hurt the feelings of my current car? I mean it was not long ..long relationship.. just under three year .. now trading her in for a newer model with a more youthful body??🤔😂

Looks like someone's told him and he's taken the chain driven bit out. 😂

I had this problem, and solved it by fitting self adhesive pads to the back of the brake pad back plates. This material can be bought on Ebay, and is cut as required with scissors to shape. It is not expensive, and works well. From memory it is made by Ferrodo or one of the big name manufacturers. John.

Keith, - I feel for you. This is an important responsibiity to take on and more particularly when one is embroiled in the shock of an MOT. I trust that you have the support and care of those nearest and dearest to you, and that they also understand the undoubted shockwaves to your emotional substructure. Tread carefully (clearly I mean drive carefully!) for this impending new relationship may take time to develop and flourish, you'll need to lear each others' likes, dislikes, foibles and fantasies. Learn the best way to caress her, be gentle, love affairs aren't born overnight, but I hope you both have a wonderful and lasting relationship

I think that unseasonable mild week in April was our lot as far as summer was concerned 😉

In the old days, you might have put in Holts Radweld. I'd avoid Valeo as a brand. They were responsible for a few issues back in the day....

You're just a boy compared to me!

^^ Agree with this. The modern world is full of contradictions. Mind you, twenty years ago I thought automatic lights and wipers were ludicrous, but now I'm not sure I'd want to be without them. With familiarity comes laziness I guess! For me voice control is the thing I never use. I just press a button...as it's easier to do that once than try to 'ask' the car for something and end up pressing the button anyway after a few failed attempts and much frustration.

Does it make a difference if the AC is on or off? With no engine noise much of the time that's much more audible.

I think that was only fitted to the facelift 2012 onwards. I agree, i would find that extremely useful.

Check the fuel pump delivery pressure. Then check the fuel pressure to the injectors. If they are ok, have the injectors checked by a specialist. Chris.

If you have a smart phone could you perhaps take a video and post it up so that we can hear the sound?

Sounds like you have way too much slack in the chain. Take a look at the video linked to in this post which shows how much play he has, which appears to be 2 or 3 mm, and it also shows you the tensioner - you should check how far your one has extended.

Is that what they told you on the phone or have you actually had it in the workshop for diagnostics? What I'm getting at is, are there any fault codes stored that would give us a clue? I've been in the electrical/electronic maintenance field all my working life and I do know what they mean - you can't find a fault if it isn't there at the time of testing. You really need Techstream to diagnose something like this because so much can be gleaned from it without having to remove any parts as you'll see below:

A common problem with a lot of cars is the door rubbers start to make a sort of creaking noise as the car flexes just as you describe. Clean all the door rubbers thoroughly with water and allow to dry then treat them all with Gummi Pflege - something like this SONAX 03400000 Rubber Care https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002MZZNU8/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_nmtqFb2G0K6CS Also worth cleaning the window glass where it pushes up into the rubbers at the top of the door but chances are the above will solve it. I find I have to do my every six to twelve months to keep it all nice and quiet.

Probably just a fuse needs replacing.

Hi Mgeni, I have the same button and the same problem. Did you figure out what was going on?

ONLY IF YOU REMEMBER TO DO SO.

The monitors look like they are just plonked there and bolted on as an afterthought. They look horribly out of place in a nice, refined interior. The outside arms are still just as susceptible to plenty of damage and the cost of replacements will put up insurance prices for everyone. First-world problems insofar as technology for the sake of it and solving a problem that isn't really there. A decent idea that's currently badly implemented, I'd say.

Lexus 430 V8 engines with 1 million miles are still running with no problems ( refer to U tube ). Smaller capacity engines are stressed more and operate at higher revs in normal operation hence their life is shorter. Depends on the owner, the quality of oil used, driving style, environment within which they operate etc. Chris.

Have used them on a number of occasions, first class service everytime. 👍

Totally agree with you Alan. Although not mentioned I would imagine the cam belt has also been replaced at some time given the service history and previous owner’s attention. I didn’t realise until the seller mentioned 12 volts front and rear, mine has the cigar lighter at the rear of the centre console but I never realised of course there are the same in both rear ash trays as well should you ever need it. It would be a lot easier plugging in a 12 volt tyre pump in one of those when checking pressures.

Hi Stormchaser. Thank you very much for your reply, I had hoped they might be, i will go ahead and order one, probably ask the independent garage that I used, knew well , and trusted before I purchased my new Lexus to fit it for me, their hourly rate is much less than the main dealer.