ambermarine

I have no intention of getting into a debate with you similar to the previous one you had with a well respected member that turned into a slanging match . I am simply saying that I would have the backing of Lexus anytime to help me should a dispute evolve with the windscreen fitter and having read the history of your dispute with the member mentioned that would be no bad thing . As far as this matter is concerned now the initial request for advice as been settled by the asker I have no more to say on the matter .And I think you are on the wrong forum by the way this is the ls400 site not is200.

No it is not incorrect as I have already said if Lexus take the job on they will guarantee it is done right regardless as to weather they sub it out or not. End of. And as for your question Nach "What exactly am i objecting to " The fact that you suggest my advice is rubbish, as you say we are entitled to our opinion on the subject matter but not to insult members .I warn you again, be careful what you say and who you say it to.We are all trying to offer advice that we think may be helpful to the person asking for it. In my experience it is good manners to offer advice and leave it at that .Let the recipient decide on the value of any advice given by others.

Nach I take exception to your comment and if you read through this thread from the start you will see there have been some bad experiences, in fact the thread I have replied to as had a bad experience on his previous car .Be very careful what you say to members on this forum as advice you might need in the future will likely be witheld, in case it is classed as rubbish.

The only way you will get a guaranteed job is to take it to a Lexus dealership, yes of course it will cost more than if you took it to one of the trade suppliers but you will be guaranteed a happy outcome.

Would imagine that the ride would be terrifying all that power to weight ratio on offroad surfaces, quads are dangerous enough but a 4 litre engine in auto mode or a three speed manual no thanks. I'll give that a swerve.

The codes you are getting relate to the problem through the Oxygen sensors The fuel supply is governed by the engine ecu on information given from the oxygen sensors . The Ecu will determine how much fuel to supply to the engine depending on the exhaust gas analysis so if the signal is fuel mixture too rich it cuts down the amount of fuel, so you will not get any at all eventually depending on how bad the sensors are. The rpm signal is related but without the troubleshooting section of the workshop manual it is difficult to determine how. It sounds like the oxygen sensors have gone down and there are four ,two to each exhaust one pre catylst and one post catylst. Sourced through Lexus they are expensive but you can get them elsewhere for half the price. There are threads both on this site and the US lexus owners site that cover this topic extensivly.

The reason is macro economics ,the US Ls400 range outsold the Uk sales by a very large margin (tens of thousands ) therefore there is a sustainable after sales market, not so here in the Uk. Most of the parts have to be sourced through the dealerships and are mainly OEM which makes them expensive.

There is a couple of scenarios that could relate to your problem with starting. The issue of the temprature sensor for cold starting,as raised its head a few times on the Ls400 engine .There is a sensor located just to the left of the front of the engine below the second bank coil.it should be green in colour and screws into the head to the side of the water pump, this is the cold start temprature sensor .The purpose of this sensor is to guage the temprature of the coolant and on that information sends a signal to the engine ecu instructing it to increase or decrease fuel in the combustion mixture. It as a double edged affect depending on how it fails and because the other effect is too much fuel even after the engine as warmed up it is difficult to ascertain weather that is the cause of poor starting . They are not expensive and worth a punt just to eliminate that as a cause of the problem. The other scenario that occurs is the stop too soon after start and that occurs even on my 25k engine if you stop the engine a few seconds after start up .What happens is the plugs get saturated because the ecu on information from the coolant temprature sensor is instructing the fuel injectors to flood the chambers with extra fuel and when simultaneuos ignition occurs the engine starts normally the problem then occurs because the plugs will be wet and won't dry out if you immediatly turn off the engine when an attempt is then made to restart the more the engine is cranked the more saturated they become .The reason this does not happen when the engine is warm is the fuel evaporates immediatly it enters the chamber either by heat or combustion.That is why it starts after a rest period.That might not be your issue but it is an issue on cold engines and not just Lexus engines.

The refurbs on Lexus wheels have to be better than a £50 a corner touch up The original paint on alloy is notorious on Toyota wheels because they buy all their wheels made from alloys suitable for the southern hemisphere therefore the rapid detieroration in our wheels here in the UK. The reason is cost, the lesser quality alloy cost difference added through millions of wheels makes for big savings. If you want a job that lasts and does not show flaking after a couple of years they need to be baked and that after several coats of primer and paint. so expect to pay at least £450 to £600 for the best job.

I had a Mark 1 for 16 years and that went to a new owner two years ago at the age of 22, mechanically it was super but was suffering from serious rust issues and a blowing y pipe .Sadly it as now been scrapped and that is of particular regret for me as I wanted it to be a true classic and strived for that. The Mark 1 was not as rust resistant as the later marques,and thats what killed it in the end.

There are as Nach says other examples out there and if you are prepared to do some waiting and legwork you will iliminate most of the crap. Although Private ownership is best road those are rare because the owner does'nt want to part with it in the first place. Dealers are not all bad and come up with examples that are worth a look and usually give some form of guarantee if pushed . Try for a Mark 4 as they are regarded as the best of the range for reliability and spares in the second market are more available.

The amplifier on the 430 is a different mechanical set up to the 400 as they are initially different manufacturers and the seperate amp unit on the 400 as been a feature since the cars launch.The Manufacturers Pioneer and Nakamichi supplied the audio systems for the 400 range. Lexus switched to Mark Levinson on the 430. One of the nice features on the 400 range is the tape player and I like it because when I trawl through the Goodwill stores in the USA you pick up tapes for ten cents each.I was lucky enough to get a proffesionally engineered collection of all the Rolling Stones recordings going back to their inception for 70 cents + 6% sales tax last Feb and it sounds fabulous on the 400 system. I was also able to put the collection on my mp3 player through the tape conversion device you can get on ebay for less than £15.The device also plays tapes through the Aux jack on my Bose sound system so don't throw those tapes away, you can still play them.

Hey Malc My Mark 4 is still brand new ,thats what the Mot guy says and he as a been through a lot of classics and still owns a few.

So based on that Malc the longest continuous ownership of a lexus ls400 on this forum is probably my title. I have only one regret as to that privelidge, it should have been longer.

If Malc as owned a ls400 for 13 years and I have owned a mark 1 for 16 years and a mark 4 for two and a half years does that make us the classic owners of the Lexus ls400 .

The keys will have to be reprogrammed as the electronics are in the imobiliser which is a seperate entity to the steering lock The physical side is the steering lock and ignition switch ,the electronic side is the imobiliser which is located elsewhere.

I have only one reservation on this nugget you have discovered ,the security of your car is now compromised . The fact that a non licenced key transponder can be made for your car means it can be replicated by anyone.

Cannot fault your approach to looking after your pride and joy ,after all its your money and your peace of mind that is paramount.

Couple of pics to help you locate

On the Mark 4 the unit is located just inside the left hand hinge of the boot (nearside) and can be accesed by pushing the flaps of the cover to one side.Hopefully it is the same on the mark 3 but was'nt on the mark 1 and required the cover removal.

The green taillight failure box which detects the failure of the bulb or bulbs should send a signal to the instrument cluster lighting up a warning icon. If this is not happening and your bulbs and fuses are ok it is the ecu in the box that is probably suspect.The same unit was fitted to the full range of Ls400s and is as already been stated is located behind the petrol tank boot cover. They come up on ebay regular.

Brian The point I was trying to make is that Michael as no say in the diagnosis or its cure, apart from walking away and doing nothing which from reading the thread from origin is the last thing he would want to do.Yes the crankshaft is numero ono and that was a slip of the C's.As I have already said he can't lose whatever is wrong but as far as the diagnosis goes the outcome will be interesting.

This repair is not a decision that Michael as any influence over as it as been sanctioned by the warranty on the advice of the Lexus dealership.In any event even if the repairs are not the answer to the problem it will show up when they have been done and the engine is run . I can understand why some of us would question the requirement for this repair on a Lexus but it may be just a wrong set up when the engine was built, that is now showing through excessive wear on the crankshafts ,this kind of thing does sometimes happen in engineering on the tolerances required in an engine.

That is a result ,well done you and your good Lady

Colin The key itself can be cut from your original but the transmitter that is in your present key cannot be replicated unless you submit the key number to Lexus, this number usually comes on the key ring inscribed on a metal tag.