alanr

Hi, The Mk 4 is generally perceived to be the best of all the 400 series, and should be, considering that there was a decade of evolution behind it. I looked at seven or eight Mk 4s before buying mine just on a year ago. I was more interested in condition and a comprehensive service history than low mileage. Mine had about 90k on it when purchased, and now has 105k. The front suspension ball joints were replaced on the driver's side just before I bought it, and there is some very minor slack in the rear suspension rubbers, but not enough to affect the handling or fail the MOT. All suspension work is expensive, particularly at main dealers. I think that the problems concerning lcd displays and the dashboard had been largely resolved by 1998 - I certainly haven't seen a Mk 4 with those problems. I have seen two Mk 4s with Satnav display problems - the touchscreen is not only for the Satnav, but controls the heating and audio as well. Satnav problems can be horrendously expensive to repair. Radio antenae still tend to fail like the earlier 400s. Other than suspension related problems, the bonnet struts are nearly always too weak to hold up the bonnet, and it pays to keep the water drainage channels around the bootlid clean to prevent ingress of water into the boot. Lexus never really got on top of the corrosion problem with their alloy wheels, and it is still very common to see corroded alloys on the Mk 4. 17 inch alloys with about 10 holes means that you probably have the dynamic handling pack fitted - standard wheels are 16 inch with 5 holes. Brakes are routine service items, and the pads do have to do a lot of work to stop 2 tons of motor car from high speeds. Warped discs are not uncommon following high speed stops, especially if you keep your foot on the brake pedal when stationary with hot discs. The Mk 4 has the vvti engine, which is an interference engine. It is of paramount importance that the camshaft belt is changed at 63k intervals, otherwise you will have a very expensive pile of scrap metal. Most owners seem to recommend changing the idlers, tensioner and water pump at the 126k belt change, while the front of the engine is dismantled. Other than fuel (lots of), my car has cost me the price of a number plate lamp during the last year. I can get 33mpg on the motorway at a steady 70, but this drops to about 24mpg around town. Overall I average about 450 miles and 28mpg to the tankful, which I find pretty good for the size of car. Overall, very reliable cars. A very happy new year to one and all, Alan

Have managed to find the relevant bookmark - www.cheaptoyotaparts.co.uk It is being advertised as a 2005/2006 map update, suitable for GS300 and LS400, at £99 (Retail £149) Hopefully, Santa will visit you if you've been a good boy this year. Regards, Alan

Hi, Likewise, I'm pretty sure that all the 400's are CD based. I am still running on the original CD, which is version V2.1. It does have limitations, mainly because any roads built since 1998 don't appear on the map, which makes the rather pleasant young lady that talks to me go awfully quiet until we get back onto a pre-1998 road resident in her memory banks. I do have to confess to a rather childish tendency on my part to deliberately take short cuts down country roads in the forlorn hope that the female voice will admit to not knowing where she is, or even better, getting her to throw all her toys out of the pram. No luck so far, but I shall occasionally continue to explore the envelope of her programming. The best I've managed to do so far is for her to ask me to do a U turn. On a slightly more serious note, the principle limitation of any CD based system is that of data storage - a CD just isn't capable of holding all the information such as postcodes etc, that we have come to expect from more modern DVD based systems. However, it is generally pretty good for my personal purposes, although I do still tend to refer to maps on a strange journey. That tendency is more probably due to my age, and I know full well that people of my age group don't always embrace new technology with the same enthusiasm as the younger generations. Somewhere earlier in the year I came across a piece of information that stated that the latest CD available is version V4.5, which I think is dated 2005. I idly consider updating my CD from time to time, but lethargy (perhaps I mean apathy) seems to take over. By the time I do eventually get round to doing anything about this, I'll probably find that I've bought a 430 anyway, which is a bit of an expensive route to upgrading the SatNav to DVD !! I did find a genuine Lexus disc (V4.5) on sale brand new somewhere for about £120, but can't remember where, or whether I bookmarked the site. If I can find the information, I will post it later. Regards, Alan

Hi, I know exactly how you feel. I've had my Mk IV for just on a year now, and I still have to drive with a featherlight touch on the throttle at low speeds. I was slightly fortunate in that I had previously owned Mercedes with electronic throttle control, so I was somewhat used to the 'all or nothing' effect when pulling away with a cold engine. However, I do have to rather reluctantly admit that the throttle control on the Mercs was slightly better than the LS. I found that the Mercedes cruise control also seemed smoother in maintaining 30mph than the LS, with no hunting between gears or throttle surges. I can't think of anything else that's particularly worthy of mention on the post 1998 Mercedes, which is a bit of a pity as they used to make some excellent cars during the 1980's. As you may have gathered, I will never buy another Mercedes, and will stay with Lexus until they take my licence away. I bought my car privately with 90 thousand on the clock, one owner and an absolutely perfect Lexus service history. The throttle cable (from pedal to engine compartment) was quite slack to begin with, and so I adjusted out the slack in the cable at the throttle position sensor on the main air intake. This produced a vast improvement, but did not make it perfect. The main problem I experience with my car is transiting roundabouts - on the final coast into the roundabout the gearbox seems to stay in an intermediate gear, and when the throttle is re-applied, the gearbox then decides to change down a gear, producing a mild kangaroo effect. In the pursuit of perfection, I do find this effect bl**dy annoying, but have learned to live with it, and developed a very sensitive right foot. I suspect that the throttle position sensor and gear change sensor are somewhat tunable (electronically) in relation to one another. However, I am reluctant to ask Lexus to play around with this in case they a) make it worse, and B) present me with a massive bill. I may have a chat with the Service Manager next time the car goes in for service - I think talking is still a non-chargeable item. All things considered, I would still prefer an old fashioned throttle connection, if only because it made me think that it was me in control, and not a computer. In the meantime, happy motoring in your LS Regards Alan

Hi Mariusz, I can't answer your questions on the Nav screen, but can throw a little bit of light on the alarm questions for you. The Mk IV has a different alarm system to previous models, and as far as I am aware has no audible tone when locking the car with the remote. You just get a single flash of the indicators to confirm the alarm is set. If you press the remote locking a second time, then the indicators should give a multiple (three?) flash, and inhibit the internal sensors. If there is an audible tone, then I've never managed to find it. The pushbutton switch under the steering column fascia will switch on/off an audible tone that will only sound if you try and set the alarm without fully closing doors, boot and moonroof. Hopefully someone will come along soon and help you out on the Nav screen - I seem to be the wrong generation for all this modern technology. Regards, Alan

The satnav system has its own separate handbook - all 108 pages of it. The handbook is common to LS 400 and GS 300 for a 98/99 car, and is Part no. 01999-50509. I really don't know what the cost would be in a Lexus agent, but they do occasionally come up on eBay. Generally speaking, the satnav is reasonably easy to use, but if you have a specific query, then I will try to scan the relevant pages in the handbook and e-mail it to you. Alan

Hi Chris, Additional information that you may find useful is that one of the internal sensors on a '98 LS400 is located somewhere underneath the central armrest. This sensor seems overly sensitive on my car, and does not tolerate large metallic objects (in my case a large bunch of keys) being left in either of the two cubbyholes when the alarm is fully set. Usually, the alarm would trigger a couple of minutes after walking away from the car. Somewhat embarassing, to say the least. I have had no problems since removing all metallic objects from the central armrest. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that there is a thread relating to this topic on the USA forum. Also, if you haven't already found the switch, there is a push-button under the dash (have a grope around below the fuel cap and boot release) that will switch on/off a sounder to give an audible warning if you try and set the alarm with a door/boot/moonroof not fully closed. Happy motoring - enjoy your Lexus, Alan