ambermarine

Hi Mark You will need to remove the mirror and to do this follow the next instructions very carefully.Take a piece of soft cloth and insert under the bottom and side edges of the mirror and gather the cloth together above the mirror in one hand . Pull sharply upwards and away from the mirror housing angled at about 30 degrees.This will release the mirror from the clips that hold the mirror onto the moving element of the mechanism .You will then be able to access the moving parts. do not use oil, use vaseline or lithium ( white grease).When you have serviced the moving parts the mirror clips back in place .

Great sourcing Mark This is the answer and I believe Nach as the ability to do this .

My parking sensor normally sits in the passenger seat, does'nt like working when its raining though.

Nach The motors may be ok but from past posts on this subject it is the meshing gears on the drives which are at fault .They tend to wear out a bit like the drive on the ariel on the early Ls400s .There is a fix if this steering adjustment fault occurs on the late ls400 which is featured on U-tube .Unfortunatly the fix does not work on the ls430 because there is no access to the drives. You may have to replace the steering mechanism and it is one of the many known faults on the LS430.

The last upgrade before the Ls400 was discontinued had a couple of enhancements which included the folding mirrors,I believe that was 99 onwards, shall we say "to infinity".My 98 as them but I have to do it manually.

Brian The battery cost from Lexus is related to the economies of scale brought about with being the biggest auto manufacturer in the world (Toyota) they buy more batteries than anyone else so therefore they can command leaner buying prices .They will still make the margin of profit as the rest of there buiseness but are making it from the battery manufacturer and not from you but it as a double edge sword effect from their point of view because the battery manufacturer is paying for your goodwill.

Take it to a registered Auto A/C Company or Individual. They are qualified to do the job and will have the relevant certification. If it is leaks at component couplings, which from what you are saying it looks like ,the job should not be very expensive.

As the only recorded cambelt failure on my Mark 1 I have answered this query a dozen times on this forum and once again I will restate the facts. My mark 1 had two recommended cambelt changes and 16k miles after the second one the water pump failed that incident is on this forum in the archives . The cambelt failed(stripped the teeth) because the water pump seized which had nothing to do with coolant integrity as the car was always serviced by Lexus and the two cambelt changes were done by Lexus the coolant replacement cost was on the invoice. The repairs were done by Lexus and it was only after this incident that they started recommending water pump renewal at the second cambelt change. As we are all aware a lot of the changes that auto makers introduce are based on customer and service feedback and this is just one example of that.

Only on the engines prior to Vti as they had plastic covers you could easily remove on the camshaft Pulley end .the Vti is a bit more complicated. Just to clarify the situation on cambelt change. The early engines were reccomended by Lexus Uk to be changed every 60k miles ,although it said in my 1990 mark 1 owners service schedule only change the cambelt at that interval if the vehicle was used as a Taxi or delivery vehicle.In other words lots of stops and starts which is when the most torque is placed on the cambelt. The car I have is a1998 Mark IV and I spoke with Lexus Uk as to the fact it had only done 18k miles but was 13 years old, they said the reccomended cambelt change for that model was 100k miles 0r 10 years whichever came sooner .So I renewed it as it had never been changed since the car was new.I inspected the cambelt when it was changed and the old one looked brand new. The cambelt is a highly engineered composite of synthetic rubber and woven cordage built in many ways similar to a tyre and will take a lot of pain to break it .

Hi Hugh The part you are refering to is the pressure regulator and is basically a monitor of the gas variable including the temprature change sensor. It as three ports entrance and exit and the port for the copper pipe pressure sensor .The leak could be from anyone of these ports and the O rings that are in them might need replacing, this will require letting the whole system evacuate its gas which inevitably allows air into the system.consequently that will require an expert refill by a qualified A/C Techy as the system as to be benign by Vacuum so all the air is out before the new gas is put in .What is basiclly happening at the moment is you are drawing air into your system as the gas leaks out and eventually the gas will not go in . The top up service centres are just that, they do not have the expertise or the equipment. to evacuate and replace the gas which is now what you require.

To all intents and purposes The Ls400 range is mainly two tone ,that is the plastic is a different shade of the metal colour in 70% of the colours that were applied to the range .The exceptions were the reds and dark green sometimes refered to as black although one shade of red had a grey plastic. I have seen customised 400s on Lexus US owners club and in Japan with the Celsior that are a totally different two tone set up but have also been fitted with body skirts lowered suspension and the like.

The reccommended belt change is dependant on the owner paying at that time around £600 on top of the service. There should be a white sticker(if done by Lexus) on the front of the engine compartment showing the date and mileage as to when or if the belt was last changed. You might run into the dreaded data protection hurdle on previous history of the car.

The emphasis on Quality and Refinement is paramount in this video but unlike similar video promotions on competitors the product outlasts the video.

When I first saw the LS400 it had been around for 5 years and the view was of a second hand Mark 2 on sale in a Toyota/Lexus dealership as they were then before Lexus got Franchisee's to go it alone . I was very impressed but had a Audi 90 at the time and was happy with it and was only in the Toyota dealership picking up a friend. A year later and the buisness was doing well and my accountant told me to trade up and lose some tax on the Audi,I was considering a Jag when I went to Devon to see relatives . I was out for the day and walked by an independant Auto sales and right in the middle of the showroom was a 1990 one owner maroon ls400 in mint condition.The rest is history I have never even considered anything else after 18 years of owning one of these cars and probably never will.I still marvel at how a 16 year old car still looks the part and as engineering attributes second to none that are not matched even in todays competitors.I agree totally with George's excellently put appraisel of this wonderful car that great minds built.

Takman Yes to the post 94 model and you can get the a used manual on US ebay ,they very rarely come up here because the only way to get one apart from shelling out around £200 from Lexus was to know a Lexus Techy.

Hi T The short answer is no ,the early Mark 1 was fitted with a non inteference engine . The 1992 engine was an inteference engine from then to the Mark 4 in 2000, The only difference between the states engine and the europe engine were the emissions and the subsequent fuel management control.As far as the engineering specs the engine was universal and fitted to all worldwide versions including the Japanese produced Celsior.

Brian The quickest way to treat the cill is to remove the kick plate on the rear door and the plastic garnish, this will give you access to the inside of the cill through holes that may be taped up, this can be removed and replaced when the waxoyl as been sprayed around inside the cill.There is also a large rubber oblong grommet just in from the bottom of the rear wheel arch in the chassis. this also gives access for spraying waxoyl within the chassis area. The car will stink of waxoyl for about a month but it does stop corrosion that may be in there.

Phil I know from long experience with Lexus dealerships how service can vary after all it is run by human beings,Over the years I have used their expertise and services and in the main they are pretty good Their rationalle is based on replace parts for the main reason of cost, in that their labour rate is charged by the hour on a constant for job timing worked out by time and motion people at Lexus. The policy of just in time parts ordering does not only keep costs down but saves on storing unwanted spare parts and anything else that clutters the place up ,there lies the knub of your complaint they do not strip and repair factory sealed components for that reason ,the workshop would be full of half finished or waiting for spares vehicles and irate customers at reception asking when their beloved car is going to be ready. This philophosy permeates the whole system and you are correct in saying that the Service Manager probably does'nt know that a part can be repaired he is'nt trained to .I hope this insight explains a few things and makes it easier for you to talk to Lexus in the future, after all they did build your car.

To be fair to Lexus their policy on internal rust showing through is usually dealt with and the issues with the doors were mentioned on this forum a year or two ago. The Mark 1 suffered quite badly above the rear wheel arches and mine also had rust within the forward part of the wheel arch under the rear door when it was about ten years old, that was caused by penetration of the wheel arch behind the underseal (probably a stone impact) and water seeping into the internal part of the cill .It was remedid by flooding the area with waxoyl and survived until it was twenty two years old.A lot of the suspect areas for rust on the Mark 1 were identified by Lexus by the time they got to the Mark 4.The other areas that rusted was the rear subframe and mine was in a bad way when it left my ownership .This was due to the really bad winters a few years ago when there was more grit and salt being put on the roads than ever before. I left the car for three months in the garage while I was abroad and there were rust stalictites coming off it when I got back. When I purchased this Mark 4 with a pristine chassis I coated the whole of the metal underframe with 6 cans of dinitrol and it as worked a treat ,not a brown spot anywhere.

I to have experienced the problem of lights out on the dash and no electrics while driving along under normal conditions .It happened a couple of month ago and it happened last week I touched the ignition key and everything returned to normal. I have a virtually brand new car so it is'nt a worn out switch. I have now done some extensive research and it turns out this switch is fitted to dozens of different Lexus and Toyota models as well as a host of other makes of car. Unlike the earlier mark1and 2 the switch is not integrated into the ignition barrell but just fitted on the end with a couple of screws and as a segmental coupler exiting the ignition barrell to slot into the turning segment of the switch.Plenty of room for errors there I think, the replacement switch from Lexus UK is £72 +vat ,in the states it is $70 which is about £20 cheaper . It is not a difficult fix as it just plugs into the circuit when fitted. Involves removing the dash panel underneath the steering wheel above the pedals, dissconect the plug to the switch change over the new switch and reverse fit.make sure the Battery is disconnected before starting the procedure. Lexus US part number is 84450-16080 and it does fit universal, I quoted the europe part number to Lexus UK but it did not come up on their screen so stick with the US part number.

I would clarify that the alternator is faulty before replacing it ,as Messi says there would be other malfunctions if the alternator was not producing enough power. The powerload coming into the Navigation screen does not come directly from the alternator but through the battery and is monitored via an electronic voltage regulator in the electrical system within the display screen. There is probably a fault on the pcb that serves the display or a loose connection within the module. You have to eliminate the problem by degrees starting at the unit that as the fault. If the alternator is faulty you will find that the battery is flattening quickly and eventually the car won't start. I had the perenial leaking power steering fluid reservoir on my Mark 1 and that toasted my alternator on the M8 and brought me to a grinding halt in a matter of an hour because the Lexus LS400 does'nt run very long on a battery alone.So if the car is otherwise ok it is not the alternator.

I would err on the side of caution with this one ,cars that are sound and have good provenance don't usually end up in the block.If it is sound there will be a likley number of seekers who are working to find one for a customer and will probably not even attend but bid by phone,so you could get carried into unrealistic territory. It may have been entered by the liquidater of a company and to that end ownership will not have been via an individual which leaves you non the wiser as to its history.

The problem you will have in obtaining the throttle body as a seperate item is the Lexus 400/430 engine is now the engine of choice for kit cars ,speedboats and upgrading power units on existing high performance cars. As the throttle body is an important part of the engines capabilities no one likes breaking them.

As I said when I made my contribution earlier in this thread the critisicm of the 430 was personal and based on my experience with the 400 and an extensive research period when a replacement was required for my 1990 Mark1. I don't think the( Lexus owners) run the 430 down just because it is the 430 and comparisons with the the 400 bring up several faults that are not inherent in the 400 it is simply as a result of owners experiences with the 430 that have been aired on this forum . I believe the 430 was a rushed step too far on the 400 series because the 460 was not as near as Lexus had hoped and they were caught out on the rushed additions that were not tried and tested. These additions were all the things that have turned out to be faults that are not to be found in the Mark IV 400 simply because they were not there. I road tested the 430 and as members have pointed out it is an improved cabin but I found the ride harsher than the 400 even with the air suspension and there was more road noise. If you have been used too a car that apart from the consumables and known faults for 16 years, a dive into unknown waters with issues that could become very expensive is not someting I wanted to do, so I stuck with the tried and tested version and chose the 400. I also realize that potential owners who are looking for guidance may not have experienced the joys of either model so my advice is strictly based on personal preference and not a put down of something I chose not to acquire.

The Mark 4 is renowned as the best car ever produced in the 400 range from an all points considered concensus.The 430 fell out of my wanted list when considering a replacement for my 1990 Mark1 owned by myself for 16 years. I was fortunate in finding a 98 18k miler mark 4 in mint condition and after two years of ownership it is still as good as the day it left the factory.With eighteen years of ls400 experience I can vouch for the Mark 4 credentials. From a price point of view you are likely to pay as much for a car like mine as you would an early ls400 but without the doubts the ls430 might instill . The faults that the ls430 as been guilty of are well broadcast on this forum and my opinion is not a slight against the owners of them ,many of which have found to thier dismay after the purchase of the car.