ambermarine

The LS400 was and still is if you can get a good one the best car Lexus ever produced it was refined to point it could not be bettered with no constraints on budgets and time, unlike today. When my first Mark 1 Lexus came to its end after 23 years I studied both the 430 and the 460 test driving both and could see no betterment in comfort and the reliability issues were well known especially in the 430 so I stuck with the 400 and after 10 years I am so glad I did .

I do all my own servicing by the book so that is not really an issue .There are two Lexus stamps in my service record pre delivery and 9K miles. There is a sticker on the engine bay saying it as had a belt change at 20k miles I had that done in 2012 because the car was 13 years old. I will have it done again with the water pump next year.

The symptoms point to an intermittent fault caused by circumstances outside of the operational sequence of the gauge .This is the bad connection scenario and you are on the right track, try splicing the wires that are affected in the plug ,this will take out the possibility of the bad connection.

That drivers seat looks more like 90k

The government have hoards of anonymous people devising strategies to remove older vehicles from the roads barring downright banning of said vehicles because that would cost them money in compensation. This ethanol caper is just another one of them, it makes you pay if you try to circumnavigate the use and eventually the refineries will stop producing older type fuels because the vehicles that use it are getting less and the cracking of oil in refineries is a very energy intensive exercise, another reason to dispense with this type of fuel. Lets face it the march of time goes on and the ideas of the new order are thrust upon us, like it or not the freedom to choose is now very limited.

There are some issues with this video and its inference of fake parts being the norm first of all the presenter is a dyed in the wool Toyota devotee his constant harping on of being safe in buying from dealerships and he's employment history concerns me as to weather he as been sponsored by Toyota to do this video. I am not denying there are fake parts out there and I have managed to steer clear of them through time but there are also bargains out there that have become available for a multitude of reasons so don't take it as gospel that because something is half price of a dealership it is a fake. I have taken some pics of the carton the plugs came in and it can be seen from the print and info they are the real thing the plugs have all the characteristics of genuine manufacturing by Denso which brings me to another point in relation to the price. Denso manufacture multitudes of electrical and electronic components for a vast range of vehicle builders and these spark plugs alone go into a range of vehicles outside of Toyota and Lexus. So a lot of spark plugs have been manufactured and some of the vehicles they were made for no longer exist and the engine they fit are no longer manufactured this leads to overstock which costs money so they are sold off cheap to clear the warehouse for space. This is going to become more relevant in the future as the transition to non petrol and diesel gathers pace so more and more of the cheap consumables will fill the shelves and they will not be fakes.

Just to update the supply, they cost me £57 around £7 each and are genuine Denso SK20R11 from Sparkplugs UK .

Just changed out the spark plugs on my Mark 4,the first change since new I believe they have 47k on them and I know the recommended change is 60k but the ones that were in were 23 years old and a few of them were burnt on the porcelain which points to excessive heat in the core. I believe on start up the engine sounds better and I will keep a close eye on mpg in the future.

Years ago I used to cruise down to Devon from Scotland at around 56mph as it took two days and I was'nt in a rush I recorded 34mpg in my Mark 1 Ls400 on a regular basis .I have only been able to do at best 32mpg in my Mark 4 at 70mph average, not been required to do 56mph since the trip now takes 6 hours .Around town average is about 18mpg but if you want the luxury and a best experience what is a couple of extra quid for petrol and do not start me up on the pollution theme.

The body shape is a rare thing these days as most cars are the generic jelly mould with tweaks to the brightwork and light clusters otherwise they are all built from the same mould. If you own one the last thing you do is drive past shop windows looking at the reflection of your car, you enjoy the driving experience.

This firm specializes in buying written off Lexus models and breaking them for parts I have visited their premises and they are quite a large company. I was shown around by the owner and they carry a large stock of Lexus parts .

There are a few mark 3s breaking on ebay.

They have damaged the dash by using the wrong tool or method to remove it ,that is incompetence and the individual would be taken to task for it, as regards replacing the dash ,my view is it was not damaged when it was taken to the workshop and it should come out undamaged . My Mark 4 came out of the workshop at Lexus Glasgow with all of the engine panel covers scratched after it had gone in for a belt change. the tech if you could call him that was eventually fired after another incident on another car and all my panels were replaced with a bag full of consumable car care product in the boot. So whatever the outcome chase them for the freebies.

The brakes components will deteriorate through time and all factors such as pad wear disc wear the age of the brake fluid the freedom of the pistons to move and added together can have a significant effect on the brakes. I always change the pads out at 50% wear the fluid as been changed out at 30k and the brake are including pistons cleaned out with an air tool and brake cleaner. This will bring the system back to 100% accounting for tolerances within wear margins. If these maintenance practices do not achieve the performance required then there is something amiss in the braking system.

You will only be buying one more set so go for Lexus Original pay the extra to avoid doubt and hassle.

Look on ebay for LS400 coolant sensor it is green and fits just to the right hand side of the engine(lookiing from the rear of the engine) at the front top, there are tutorials on utube.

It may be the engine coolant temp sensor which throws up this condition, a easy fix. If the ECU was giving problems you would get it over other dynamics of the engine running process.

Rip John, thanks for making Lexus ownership easier to understand.

The mileage is a bit too high looks like corporate usage, the suspension will probably be needing doing on the front as there is no mention in the appraisal of this being done, very expensive and though it can be done at home its a complete stripping down of the front suspension with about £2k of parts . I do not understand how it gets listed in classics as it is far from that ,sorry if I sound negative but I have a fixed opinion on successors to the 400 and this was the worst in the category of upkeep cost.

Bought mine on ebay for £22 two years ago still as good as first day came from china but do the job.

It seems the popularity of the LS400 is defeating your attempt to find a replacement cluster there are more people chasing this car than ever and those who own one are hanging on to them and not scrapping them. The breakers yards are your best bet both here and in the states it is unlikely the electronic refurb guys will be interested because a complex jig costs money and there would be little work for it knowing the reputation for Lexus reliability . The corrosion issue will be a major factor and difficult to determine as it can be shorting out circuits that are not showing corrosion. The intermittent fault you describe were the power builds up over time is a corrosion issue as it as the characteristics of a blocked pipe in practice. The instrument cluster on the Lexus LS 400 as changed several times cosmetically over its production period but the dials are still fundamentally the same ,would it not be possible to adapt the circuit board from a 97 model just for the dials ,may need a bit of fettling but I think it is feasible.

The condition is key to this purchase, looks well cared for when it was in use and the engine issues will probably be because of fuel issues, deterioration and vacuum leaks.I don't think it is worth 7K now but a bit of TLC and knowledge it well might be. It as very low mileage and the interior is crisp ,engine bay is filthy but not corroded so for a Mark 4 which is the last of the line it will be a good purchase for someone who is trying to get a good one.

That car as been stored in a very damp airless environment the engine components are testimony to that all the alloy parts are corroded to hell. This is the engine bay on my Mark 4 after 36k miles . This is the engine bay on my Mark 1 after 140k miles

No I would not drive the car without an under tray the crap getting into the components around the front of the engine would be catastrophic. Get some light gauge aluminum sheet from a scrap yard and rivet a skin across the crack.

Do not believe the mileage,the upholstery is worn to the 100k extent and the general state of the car does not tie in with 15 k of mileage unless the owner was living in it 24 hrs a day.The reluctance to show pics of the engine bay and underside are also negative vibes .Mine as done 48 k now and looks pristine when it had 19k on it it was mint.