ManicMark

I bet it's not heated like mine! I had to sell mine What you didn't offer it as an optional extra with the car. hope the bloke didnt have far to drive home ( you sadistic man you )

Im not having the work done by lexus but by the chap who has looked after most of my cars for the past twenty odd years. However it should be on his system so will let you know. Im actually having the idlers and water pump changed at the same time, but going back to main dealer advice. When I inquired at Lexus Exeter about my cambelt change the service guy couldn't understand why I would want the idlers and water pump changed on a cam belt service ? It was certainly not part of the scheduled cam belt change service on their system and their quote for doing the lot was a staggering £700 !! If I remember correctly ? Perhaps somebody would like to clarify this by getting a quote from their local Lexus dealer ? £700 isn't a bad quote from a main dealer, the original parts must be in excess of £350 & its not a quick job by any stretch of the imagination to change a belt, It took my mate a whole day non stop to do his & he is a very competent mechanic.Its got to be at least 4 or 5 hour s labour at lexus seeing as they do them on a regular basis.One of the bills that came with my car was for over£1800 for a service & cambelt replacement & that was in 2003. It was a big deciding factor for me when buying mine the belt,idlers ,water pump,discs & pads all round & some suspension work had all been carried out within the last 3,000 miles. So many I looked at were due their second belt or there was no record of their first belt being done. I ended up bying mine knowing one door had been painted , a couple of minor supermarket dints & quite a few stone chips ( motorway miles ). I thought I got a blinding deal at £2250. Mind you I think youve done better with yours 80 k mint 7 if it only costs you £350 to get the belt idlers 7 pump done. Youve got a fantastic deal at £3250 all in. As I said in a previous post my mate had his belt done & then his water pump packed up a couple of thou later, On your engine it would destroy it. It would be the same for idlers, It may not be nessesary, but its precautionary as its open you may aswell do them,after all the bearings are 10 years old, if you put new in they should last anouther 10 years. The main dealers probably don,t change them as a matter of course but on a if nessesary bassis to keep customer costs down.

I totally agree with Pete here. Often I think main dealer service intervals are about making the car seem less expensive to maintain. With a timing belt better not to take the chance. I had the belt replaced by lexus at 54,000 miles, although the car had not reached the magic 60k miles, it was 7 years old at the time and i didnt want to take the risk due to the belt ageing. Also even though the car may not have reached the 60k interval, bear in mind that this is ONLY AN INDICTAOR. Cars which do city miles (rather than motorway miles) still have the cambelt turning and taking load even at low speeds and when the car is idling in traffic, yet clocking up not many miles. And as for the 9,000 mile oil change, personally i think it is a joke. For motorway miles maybe but, not when most driving is city driving and lots of cold starts. When going to see cars for sale there is no point looking at stamps in a book. Also check if the person has supporting invoices and if the servicing was done on time or over stretched. I remember going to see a couple of LS400's for sale and they were stretched between 11,000 and 15,000 miles between oil changes. I just walked away. With my car i change the oil every 4,500 or 5,000 miles. As for timing belts snapping, I went to my mechanic back in November to get the MOT done. While i was there he had a Mk1 LS430 in which he noramlly looks after. The owner had the car LPG'd and used it for chuffering, with 180k miles on the clock. When I asked him why its parked up with its engine out, replied timing belt broke. He said it was changed on time every 60k but the tensoner had never been changed despite the car being on its 3rd timing belt. Apparently the bearing on the tensioner went, slack came into the belt, belt snapped, the rest was history. They had managed to source a replacement engine for the owner at a cost of a few thoundand pounds. Perhaps a lesson to learn always change the tensioner aswell ?? A good time to change the water pump also, it runs off the back of the belt, a friend of mine put his into lexus for his first belt & tensioner change, a couple of thousand miles later the bearing in the water pump failed & shreded the belt, fortunately for him his ls is a mark2 so is a non contact motor, he done the job himself then replacing the lot again. It could have been a coincidence the pump failing or it could be with a new belt & tensioners more pressure was on the pump bearing. If it had been a later model it would have been bye bye engine.

Can I ask if you had this dead sensation/serious pins and needles gpoing into your fingers or did it stop at your wrist ? Hi, Right down into my hand and finger tips. If you atatch a bunge cord to the sun visor & wrap the outher end around your wrist this will also solve the problem. :winky:

Mine ha a massaging brake pedal, must be something wrong with it though as it only seems to work in icy conditions

Hi Being a short ***** probably does'nt help in my case ( leads me to suspect that the car was definately not designed for the Japanese market) theres enough room to play snooker behind my seat.

Im amazed the Lexus dealer said 100k, page 26 of the service record states 63K on this model, maybe it is the same belt as the 430 which is 100k & they have revised the schedule for the mk4 400. when you get your belt done can you ask if its the same belt. ta Mark

Hi agreed, but they often go awol if the engine bay is steam cleaned

Hi cb1300 ignore that just looked at your first post you have already confirmed its not been done, seems odd that it hasn't though have you tried to contact the previous owner on the log book he might have had it done outside of lexus.

Hi cb1300 thats a blinding deal on that mileage I paid £2350 for my 98 132k full lexus history not mint (1 door has had paint) drives like new ,back seats unused aswell. You had a previos post about a cam belt if yours has got full history it should have been done at 67k or 6 years either way it aint due yet. the Lexus dealer it was serviced at should have a record if it has been done as it might not be noted in the service book. also check the service book & see if a c has been written in at the 60 or 70 k service. ta Mark

Hi might be a relay I would asume they need one for the power drawn.

Ther are better, off roaders on the market, the bmw deisel engine is good in them though.electrics can be troublesome, cheap as chips down the auctions for late ones now .

Hi I found the same sort of problem with mine, the arm rest on the door is to low & the window ledge to high to rest my right elbow, what I do now on long journeys is either raise the seat up high to rest my elbow on the window ledge, or drop the wheel down low & rest my arm on my leg.

Hi Graham I spoke with him on a previous post about this , my advice was to look for a late one 56 plate at auction with some lexus warranty remaining. I used to be in the trade & would not buy a car of this class at auction unless I had a Manufactures warranty to fall back on, if the body and paint is all original. & it is quoted all good at the auction there isnt really a risk. I agree with you to buy an earlier one would most probably be a financial nightmare. but late large cars are going for peanuts at auction at the moment as the dealers cant shift them.

Thanks for the advice....I am really desperate for the car.....but I dont want to spend 9K (thats a lot of money for me) on a lemon...I am really looking for a car that will last me a few years without any problems cz I am intending to keep the car for a few years. I think I should take my time. Do you know of any car auctions? cz the only place I look is the autotrader. Thanks Hi try looking under british car auctions BCA they come up on quite a regular basis. good luck Mark

Hi Graham. Good to know, I wonder if its a different belt to the Mk4 ls, ill take a look into it. as it states in the mk 4 handbook 67k, ( might not need to change it so often) Ta Mark

Hi, With regards to the cam belt on the 430 are you sure its 100k miles not kms, on the mark 4 ls400 which is pretty much the same engine vvti & all its 6 years or 67,000 miles. 100k km's. ta Mark

Hi 117K is high for the year. should have 11 or 12 stamps at that mileage, will be due its second cam belt at 130k if the last one was replaced at 67k, if its motorway miles its no problem for it,as long as its been maintained. £9k is a lot for the miles but not for the year.I would try and get it for £7,500 to £8,000 If you dont do many miles a year ,say under 5,000 it could be a good buy if you were planing on keeping it a few years. If you do a lot of miles it would be a car for keeps as it will drop in value like a stone & be virtually unsaleable in a couple of years. Personally I would wait, if you have the time ,the new plate comes out in a couple of months & used cars are likely to take anouther big hit on the prices, Keep an eye on the Auctions for a later lower mileage one with some warranty left. It took me 12 months to find the right one for me ( I really wasn't in a hurry) but ended up with a mark iv instead of a mark 2 or 3 for the same money. If you are deperate for a car I would spend a grand on a good mk3 with history & drive that around untill the right 430 comes along at the right money, mileage/ history.

Hi no can do, on my 98 LS, a nice way to spoil the drag coeficeant.

Ahh peeling laquer, common problem, mine are now powder coated, much more durable, If your very lucky & beg Lexus they might give you a new set if they havn,t allready been changed under the recall, worth a punt.

Hi I think they are hydraulic, a mate of mine with a 93 has the same tapet noise, it started at around the 130000 mile mark, its got 240000 on it now and is still the same. he was told by a lexus mechanic to leave it be. its only slight and audible at tickover. I dont think your motor is about to self destruct

Hi a £12K budget at auction should get you a top one, as its not the sort of car the trade is intrested in buying now. They do come up at aution but you may have to travel, I recon you could make a £5K saving on a dealers front price.

Hi ubaid221, I thought from your first post you were looking for an early 430, if you are looking at 54 plate models you are obviously looking at spending a lot more money, In this case I would be tempted to look at the auctions for a lexus, with some warranty remaining on it. The auctions are dead at the moment as the dealers cant shift what they have on their forecourts. so late motors are going for peanuts at the auctions, try looking on the BCA website, it gives you lists of upcoming auctions, All you need to do then is check the physical condition of the car & if theres any mechanical faults they can be done under warranty. DONT buy anything with no remaining warranty. You could end up with a 56 plate for less money than a 54 from a dealer or private. ta Mark

Hi Welcome to the club, A lot of love been put into that focus, uninsureable down here in Essex unless you employed a team of bodyguards to protect it. I recon with all that grunt it would give my honda fireblade a good run for its money. Ta Mark

I wouldn't rule out a very late LS400 if I was you I will list my reasoning below. 1) You can pick up a well looked after example for arond the £3000 mark these days. A 100% mint low mileage one for less than £4000 2) When I was looking for one I met 2 owners who had replaced their 400s with a 430 & said the found the 400 to be a more refined car. ( there are also reports that claim that the last generation 98 to 2000 Ls 400 was the pinnacle of the Ls range) 3) The road tax is a lot cheaper 4) You dont get that many more gismos in the 430. 5) You will not suffer as much depreciation in value. If I was you I would drive both & see if you think the 430 is worth the extra money. I may be biased as I have a Mk 4 but saying that I used to be in the trade & can honestly say that The MK 4 is a fantastic car & unbeliverble value for money, you could also put a bit of the money you saved aside & get it gas converted, be as cheap to run as a corolla then ( and do your bit for the enviroment) remember its a buyers market, test drive loads so you get a good feel for the car. check all the electrics. listen for any clunks or creaks. A full main dealer history is best. check that the cam belt has been done. If this is all in order get a mate who is a mechanic to check it over. if you havent got one. see if you can take it to a lexus dealer for a pre MOT check ( some of them do it for free or for a small fee) I bought mine in November a 98 full main dealer history cambelt,water pump,discs & pads just chaged. just fully serviced 2 owners with 132,000 miles for £2350 inc 6 months tax the original price was £4000. dont be afraid to make a silly offer as long as you do it in a friendly manner. If you are patient and dont get youself over excited You will get a top car for a good price, & the golden rule is if you are not sure WALK AWAY I hope this advice is of help, Good luck I am sure you will love your new car be it a 400 or a 430 Ta Mark