brendangeorge

Can an external video source be run through the screen in the front?

I saw this on the net http://soarer.tv/Lexus-Sat-Nav-Touch-Screen-Repairs/Lexus-LS-400-LS-430-UK-TV-Conversion.htm they will put a TV in yourcar that you can watch on your touch screen - DriveandView.com is the company. I have enough trouble driving never mind watching the TV as well.

Bren

I love a bit of IT stuff so don't mind me its all good info for the rest of us :-)

OK Pete - for good info on this topic afterdawn.com is a great site - http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/dvd_to_ipod_clonedvd_mobile.cfm is a specific thread. It is always good to look for opensource (free) software, instead of the commercial stuff recommended, if you don't want to pay (and keep paying for upgrades).

I suggested tablets because they are more flexible than built in DVD players (you can play games etc if you want to) and probably cheaper - especially if you don't go for the latest greatest brand new versions.

Cheers

Bren

Hi Bren, not wishing to hi-jack this thread but I wouldn't mind knowing how to play DVDs on my Ipad.

Thanks.

I use winff which is a free - you can also easily convert existing videos to the correct format for your ipad. A bit of Google will help you out or look at afterdawn. PM me if you need any help - so we don't bung up the forum with IT stuff :)

Bren

The rear pads were due for replacement for the 2nd time during my ownership of the car.Last time I obtained and fitted some genuine Lexus/Toyota pads purcheased at a bargain price but this time with no bargains on offer I got a set of EBC Ultimate.

The description on the product looks good and so to fitting.

The 1st thing was the break wear sensors did not fit the pads until the hole had been modified with a file so not a good start but after that fitting was no problem, they come with shims but I reused the original ones as they are stainless steel and a good clean up was all they needed.

The replacement pads had a red coloured coating on the friction material and the instructions stated this was a special coating to assist the pads to wear in better.

Having now driven for a few miles the coating has worn off so we are now onto the proper friction material and this is where the poor quality shows up.

The wheels for a 2nd time in a week are covered in friction material dust and when you allow the car to creep in drive with the brakes partially applied you can hear the rear brakes "groan" .

Because my garage is only just long enough for the car I have to gently allow the car to creep up to the end wall ( it is covered in some thick carpet) until it just touches the wall, the problem now is the brakes are so juddery I cannot do this accurately enough so get as close as I dare then leaving the car in neutral I push it in the last inch or so.

I have seen good reports from some EBC pads but they seem to be the red stuff/yellow stuff ones, but these seem poor in quality.

Looks like it back to genuine Toyota pads which have never caused any problems.

I switched to Green Stuff pads and they are great - better than the Lexus originals. I also use EBD disks for the same reason. Make sure you calipers are in great shape as thet will affect your breaks - sound obvious but it is not a DH comment. I have run a LS430 for 10 years and had a lot of probs but the dealer just kept getting me out of the door. I tried seveal third party options and then realised (local garage) that the cylinders in all the callipers were either siezed or were siezing - the car still stopped but after replacing all 4 it really stops now :) I used third party components and they are fine. I think you need soft pads in your car not the hard high performance type.

Bren

A couple of ipads or Android tablets would be easier and probably cheaper than DVD players. You will have to convert your DVDs to a format that will play on a tablet which is easy - let me know if you need help with that.

Bren

The boot just pops when opened remotely or with the button under the right side lip – it does not open all the way (on a 2002 LS430 anyway). The boot lid is very heavy and the struts are rubbish. I replaced mine with third party components and they did not perform well for long. My boot closes like a Rottweiler’s jaws.

My pipes are well hidden by the body work and are not shiny – after 10 years my exhaust is not the work of art it was when the car was new – in fact it looks a bit of a mess when you look underneath but I have been told it is fine.

Cheers

Bren

Hi JP

My car is serviced by a local independant but they will not touch the LPG conversion - particularly the pressurised section - they tell me I have to go to an authorised and accredited installer which I do. Also bear in mind your insurance (mine does) requires that the installation work was carried out by an approved installer. In 6 years my installer has charged me £120 in labour and the cost of a new filter at service time.

http://www.4-techlpg.com/shop/ - these guys sell conversion kits so may provide you with parts. Also there are a lot of bits on eBay.

Good luck

Bren

had a mark 3 for 3 years and then a mark 4 for 2 years

Last night spotted a very well priced 04 LS430 - couldnt resist so went to view it first thing and done the deal 9am.

The LS430 is so much better - for those of you thinking of upgrading i would reccomend it - the extra gizmos i got over the Mark 4 are:

Reversing camera

front parking sensors

keyless go

colled seats aswell as heated

drinks cooler

folding mirrors

blinds

The 430 is

smoother and quiete - drive is very effortless

seating is very comfortable

seating position higher

gear change is unnoticeable where is the 400 you notice it more especially from cold

keyless go is priceless and it comes with things like puddle lights and tire pressure monitor

I must however add that i think the 430 has more road noise at speed but i could get used to that

car has 110k and had the cambelt changed at 102k in august

very happy - pics to follow soon

I am on my 5th Lexus (430 now for 10 years) - the previous 3 were 400s and the 430 is not as quiet - by that I mean road noise. I expect is may be to do with the air suspension being stiffer. However I have tried many different tyres and cannot get it as quiet as the old 400s. Don't put cheap crap tyres on as they will be noisey and will not perform well in the winter weather. I am getting deaf as I age with my car so you'ed think it would seem quieter :) The roads are crap these days and add to the noise. Just put something good on the sound system and forget the noise - LED Zep does it for me :)

Bren

Well, it looks like my rad/ATF Cooler failure has trashed my gearbox. So I have two choices - fix it or scrap it and buy a new car.....three if you include fix and then sell it.

I have a quote for £1300 for recon gearbox and fitted 1 year warranty.

car is a 2001 LS430, with 160k on the clock and LPG conversion. Everything else is fine.

I had intended to keep her a while, but now I'm wondering if i've reached a stage of big bills and I should cut my losses.

Trouble is i'm a bit short at the moment and can't really afford (don't want to afford) to replace the LS and get it LPG converted. A ready converted one would be affordable but can't find any at the moment.

The other option I am looking at is the diesel Skoda Superb, which would come in around 4k, with half the milage of the Lex, less years and similar MPG as the lex.

Whats your thoughts.

p.s. I really love the lex, and was going to replace her with another in a few years

If it comes down to 4K for a Skoda vs £1300 for a recon box - no contest for me get the box. I have a 2002 LS430 with LPG that has done 200K+ and it is still brilliant - however that said I have replaced a shock absorber and all 4 callipers and Lamda sensors etc in the last 50K so look at what you may be facing for repairs in the coming year. It is your cash and risk mate but I would rather put a gun to my head than go with the Skoda.

Good luck with the new box - I dodged a bullet with my Rad at the 200K belt change – it was very corroded and would not go back together so had to be replaced.

Bren

Ive always found my headlights pretty dim since i got my 400 (mk4 with HIDS), especially compared to some of the mega-distracting bat-lights you see driving around now.

after some (not much) internet research i found no real consensus as to whether its worth replacing HIDs before they blow. general feeling seemed to be they change colour but not brightness, but as with all things internet theres a lot of opinion.

i asked at the local dealer and they said they shouldnt degrade, but the lamps are the easiest bit to change to diagnose any problem. then he told me they were 44 quid+VAT each. (i know you can get whole hid kits of ebay for buttons but ill leave that for last)

decided to first pursue my very dirty and discoloured lenses. gave them a good scrub which made a slight difference to the appearance. then tried Wolfgang Plastik Headlight Lens Cleaning System.

there seems to be mixed opinion on the use of such products too. many say once you take off the protective layer from the polycarbonate youll just end up chasing your arse. as the sealant you get are never man enough. i thought as mine were already faded this point has less impact.

there are many products about but i went for the product above. it is also expensive (although cheaper than the lamps so i thought a decent place to start) but seemed to get v good reviews.

v easy to use. took minutes (not including re-charging the no expense spent, cordless drill i borrowed from my dad). get LOADS of product so could do several cars, or in the event it doesnt last ill hopefully get a couple of years out of it.

The lenses have come up very well. i wont say as new as it could never be true, stone chips that would need a grinding wheel to smooth. these aside though, the surface is finger-nail-test smooth. as for overall appearance - totally transparent, although fine marks are still visible close up.

it makes the car look MUCH better and less dated. although this wasnt what i was going for. if your of a meticulous nature so youll re-apply the sealant regularly - id already highly recommend it.

on a quick drive out the light is noticeably whiter and they were more distinguishable amongst the throw of other vehicles' lights on the motorway. too many cars alongside to really tell if the improvement performance wise is worth while.

also will hold out recommending it until longevity is known. didnt get any pics before the rain started but ill try and get some over the weekend.

My 200K LS430 headlights needs this treatment so thanks for sharing. I looked on Youtube and there is a nice demo tutorial for the product you used (I wondered why you needed the drill) and there are several videos showing you how to clean your head lights with tooth paste :)

I may give that a go and save £50.00

Brendan

If the coolant rushes up into the expansion tank does this mean the water pump is failing. I would have thought it would have over heated if water pump had failed. Sorry if a bit slow on fallowing your leads.

I have a similar problem on my LS430 - the resovoir drops low (1/2" off the bottom) and stays there - no drips or leaks (I put paper under it over night). The car runs up to temp and is rock steady and the engine runs like a dream (after 200K miles). I had to fit a new rad at the 200K belt change and noticed the problem then. I talked to a very experienced Lexus mechanic and he said it is fine a lot of these cars do this even 400s. I keep my eye on the temp gauge and check the reserve tank and it is always at the same level and the temp is rock steady. I have plagued the guys who did the rad work etc and wanted to kill them for not changing a 200K miles old water pump (even though it is not a problem) but they can find no leaks. I am going to look at what ambermarine suggests (thanks) but suspect that old Wally is right and the car is fine. I also changed the cap as a precaution.

I just started up from cold and some water is pushed into the reserve tank (but not) much so I assume the water pump is working. I am confused because the water level drops to the low level and stays constant after I fill it up - if there was a leak then I should loose cooland and the engine overheat.

I am going to look at the sensor as ambermarine suggests.

I have had this little challenge for 3 months :)

Keep filling it up the system olds 11 litres of coolant and if you did have an air lock that could account for 3 or 4 litres

the expansion tank only holds about 2.5 litres.

Thanks - when the cooling system was refilled the garage assured me they followed the correct proceedure - although I had to put a litre of oil in after the oil change so they did not get that right (don't worry no leaks). I have put at least 5 litres of water and anti-freeze in the expansion tank and the coolant level drops back to the low and contant level - I am going to see if I can check the level sensor seal as you advised. What baffels me is if there is a leak it should keep kicking out water and the engine would overheat. I do all kinds of motoring and have not seen an overheating problem on short, long or motorway blasts.

Many thanks for your suggestions.

Brendan

Thanks fellas. Seems the 600 matches the MPG for my 400 - 21.2 locally, 30 on a long motorway run.

Difficult decision looms... :shutit:

What are you going to do when the Battery needs replacing? - Paul Derby though I was being flippant when I said "all that Battery junk is ballast and a large waste of fuel" I wasn't really - it is overly complex and expensive to gain a small decrease in fuel consumption. I'll bet an LPG converted 460 (if it can be done) will be more economic.

I think you need have to consider the batteries - I have seen posts on other boards that TCHs can last 200K miles and that individual cells can be replaced when they fail so maintenance is not huge. I am sure the Lexus hybrid system is superb - however Battery technology will have to make some big leaps forward before I buy one. Whichever way you go I'll bet it is a good decision and I look forward to hearing about it.

Good luck

Brendan :)

If the coolant rushes up into the expansion tank does this mean the water pump is failing. I would have thought it would have over heated if water pump had failed. Sorry if a bit slow on fallowing your leads.

I have a similar problem on my LS430 - the resovoir drops low (1/2" off the bottom) and stays there - no drips or leaks (I put paper under it over night). The car runs up to temp and is rock steady and the engine runs like a dream (after 200K miles). I had to fit a new rad at the 200K belt change and noticed the problem then. I talked to a very experienced Lexus mechanic and he said it is fine a lot of these cars do this even 400s. I keep my eye on the temp gauge and check the reserve tank and it is always at the same level and the temp is rock steady. I have plagued the guys who did the rad work etc and wanted to kill them for not changing a 200K miles old water pump (even though it is not a problem) but they can find no leaks. I am going to look at what ambermarine suggests (thanks) but suspect that old Wally is right and the car is fine. I also changed the cap as a precaution.

I just started up from cold and some water is pushed into the reserve tank (but not) much so I assume the water pump is working. I am confused because the water level drops to the low level and stays constant after I fill it up - if there was a leak then I should loose cooland and the engine overheat.

I am going to look at the sensor as ambermarine suggests.

I have had this little challenge for 3 months :)

From what I've heard its difficult to LPG a direct injection engine such as the 600 however I noted on Prins website that they do a kit for a DI engine. Worth enquiring but not sure how compatible a gas conversion would be with a hybrid. You may be better with a 460? Keep us posted but deffinately do your research first.

Woohoo - 100th post!

Why bother with the hybrid just go with the LS460 - all that Battery junk is ballast and a large waste of fuel (and I am an eletrical engineer with 30+ years experience:) ) - I am looking into the prins system for DGI - it misses out the vapouriser stage and injects liquified gas. They use it on a racing car and say it is good for 4 cylinder engines and quote it can be used on engines up to 6 liters and up to 10 cylinders. They seem to be working with VAG to develop the system. This seems like great news but the end of my 200K plus miles LS430 because I should be able to get a 460 :)

Are you sure you have a good Battery? You need to test it - a good way is to call the AA when it is flat :) they have a nice tester that would cast £600 to buy. I had a similar problem on my 430 and the bat was the problem. Make sure you have good clean connections on your Battery also that you have the correct Battery - amp hours and cold cranking amps rating.

You can easily check with a meter if any current is being drawn when the car is off. Do you use the radio because if I remember the 400 has an electrically operated ariel and if the motor does not cut out that will kill your bat.

keep forgetting to set the trip, but around 250 to each fill, I suppose it doesn't fill to capacity and doesn't empty completely, its a 430 so not exactly economical on petrol.

My advice to anyone so far would be to leave the spare tyre in the well, and fit a decent sized tank in the Rear , place a small partition in boot so its out of sight and get used to a smaller boot, unless you enjoy standing and the pump watching other people being taxed to into poverty ...

apparently you can buy a hybrid and still get it converted to lpg when its on petrol. So its a 450h next on the shopping list or even 600h that should have some room in the boot ...

You won't be able to convert the 600h it has a direct injection engine (so does the 460) I have an 85 litre tank in my 430 which give 65l usable capacity and about 250 miles range. I used to just carry tyre weld but with the sate of the roads I carry the spare theses days.

Brendan (Big LPG fan)

I have a 2002 LS430 (from new) that has just rolled over 200K (LPG conversion at 125K) and it runs like a dream - bear in mind however good the engine is brake callipers, radiator and other mechanical parts (suspension etc) suffer normal wear and are not cheap to replace. The front parking sensors often fail and are expensive (this drives me mad). I had to replace a Lambda sensor recently and the warning light has come back on - I hope it is another sensor and not a "cat" problem. I looked underneath and the exhaust looks horrible but then it has done 200K.

I have had fun recently with a "mystery" water leak - no fluid on the floor and no sign of a leak but the reserve tank always drops to below the line and stays put. An experienced mechanic told me this was normal :) I have put a new cap on to make sure. Another problem after a lot of miles is the power steering fluid pipe cooling loop that runs in front of the rad will corrode and leak. A new part is £220 and a lot of labour - a hacksaw and a jubille clip sorted that out :)

You may think I am moaning but I am not - 10 years and 200K miles - the car is awesome and I could not imagine what I would replace it with. It could do with a new drivers seat because it has had a big lump sitting in it for 10.5 years. An old Lexus is great if you know what you are getting in to.

Brendan (Big LPG fan)

A pal fitted a Volo Chip (FS3) to his LPG converted LS430 and improved his fuel consumption by 20% - I have one on my desk and will fit it tomorrow. An LPG conversion will give you the equivalent of 40MPG so $98 to put that to 44 seems like a good deal when I drive 20K per year - in a 9 year old 180K miles plus LS430.

I'll post some number when I have used the chip for a month or so.

I owned a LS400 from new for twelve years and found it an excellent car in all respects.

I recently acquired a 2002 LS430 from a main dealer with 27000 miles on the clock.

I find the ride very hard and noisy. The car has nearly new 225/55/17 tyres as originally fitted.

Switching from normal to high suspension doesn't appear to make any difference at all.

Can anyone help please ??

John L

You will find the 430 a lot harder than the 400 - I had 3 400s and they were all great. I have had a 430 from new for 4.5 years and done 100K in it and it has been awesome. You will find the performance pack suspension hard - it is the way of modern cars. The compensation is awesome cornering performance. The car may feel a bit hard and noisey but get in a regular crap box that other people drive and you will love your 430. Don't be tempted to drop the tyre presseures to soften the ride you will wreck your rubber (I did by mistake).

Just a quick one for you Ahmet.

Got a letter through the post this morning from the Police saying that they want to prosecute me for speeding.

I thought i'd been done so was waiting to see if i got a letter.

I was caught doing 43 in a 30 zone (camera van).  No warning from the road angel either :tsktsk:  I'd just had a new straight through exhaust system fitted with the baffle removed so i was being a bit heavy footed so i could hear the roar :D

So what should i expect £60 fine and 3 points? Do i need to notify my insurance?

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You have to inform your insurance company of any change in your circumstances -if you have a bump (claim) they ask for a copy of your license and if you have not fessed up they may not pay out. Also they can pull your cover etc etc. You will find for 3pts they will not stuff you in your current year but it will go up a few quid next year (depends 0n points and details) and they stick it to you for 5 years. I was totted up and banned for 6 months - this means you have no points when you come back but have to mention the TT99 for 5 years. This was no troub to my insurance (Lexus) but resulted in me taking myself off cover with my wife's car - it was not that they would not cover me it just took too long to explain because the webs sites have trouble with a totting up .

There is a lot of BS in the forum about what will I get for speeding - REMEMBER not all areas do fixed penalties and if you go before the beak they have guidelines but your arse is there's they can give you what they want and sometimes if they want to be nice they cannot because of Crown Court guidelines. The Clerk to the Court is the one to watch not the Magistrates. The Beaks are amateurs (mostly) but the Clerk is a professional lawyer and whipper in. I was stuffed like this - my lawyer was way down the road for a bit of a let off and the Clerk put the boot in. You can be banned for anything - best plan don't do it and don't get caught if you do. If you go to Court polish your shoes and wear a suit and be humble - took me ages to figure out what that meant. :shutit:

:duh: I bashed a wheel and blew out a tyre - one new tyre, an empty wallet and a 430 that pulls left later I was facing an alignment bill of £200 ish.

So I looked about and found a web site run by Pro Align - these boys produce a piece of kit costing £40K that does a great job.

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/ will find you the nearest centre and don't turn your nose up at Kwick Fit (Bletchly) like I nearly did. £49.99 for a job that took an hour (£175 +vat at the Leus dealer and much more else where) great service and a really good job.

If they reline your breaks they guarantee your pads for life Seriously they replace them for free while you own the car, when they wear out - we shall see next time. :D

Think you guys are on cross purposes on belts!

I would guess that as you can run the engine with no belt, the belt Ken is talking about is the alternator etc drive belt.

Leadfoot is talking about the cam belt.

My guess is the noise is either the water pump as they are usually driven by the cam belt, or could be the tensioner. Either way get the cam belt and both checked ASAP as you could be heading for a cam belt failure.

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I had this problem on a 430 - the V belt was replaced just before 60K (under warranty) but the problem was there for a long time before. Anyway the problem came back (may never have gone away). More agro at dealer :duh: then I found out a pully was out of alignment (known fault they fessed up) and needs a spacer. This done + new belt = no more squeaks.