flotsam

Buy genuine Toyota ATF Type IV.

I've found it difficult to buy from Toyota or Lexus (others on this forum say the same), but I took it Toyota and they said they had a large vat of the stuff. They didn't charge me for the small amount they said I needed but when I got home, I checked the level myself and it still seemed low.

The instructions in my maintenance manual suggest that the car is filled to the cold level, then driven around for 5 minutes to get the engine and gearbox to 70~80°C before testing the "HOT" level. This is done by parking on a level surface, going through all the gears and back into park and then checking the level on the dipstick with the engine still running. Toyota suggested it should be checked whilst in gear rather than in park.

I'll give Toyota the benefit of the doubt and recheck, except this time I'll go through all the gears AFTER cleaning the dipstick.

Ive said it before about main dealers ... 5 star money doesn't = 5 star service

In my experience they may be factory trained ( well at least one of them) but they are certainly not what I deem motor mechanics.

As for Lexus, I bet they get very few LS400`s through the doors these days due to the age of the model now.

My LS400 has FLSH but from Nov it will be done by my man who I would trust over any Lexus "Quick fix fitter" hands down.

YEP! Lexus Hull are complete cowboys who didn't even put the components on the auxiliary drive belt back together properly, so were starting squeek and rattle after the first long journey. The cam belt's also not right and the car sounds like a four cylinder when previously it was silent.

It's only a matter of time before the Hull clowns kill someone.

Could it be the Depression?

Are the Lexus crew throwing a tantrum for more pay. I certainly get this impression from the bizarre behaviour of Graham at Lexus Hull.

Nope! Same Clowns; just a change of salesman.

Made the mistake of letting them change my cam belt. They didn't do it properly and didn't even put the auxiliary belt assembly back together properly so that was squeeking and rattling away. The engine revs are all over the place instead of being rock-steady as before, so looks like one of the cams is not properly aligned with the cam belt.

Phoned up and Graham the service manager said the ECU idle speed can't be changed. Took it back, Graham changed his story saying he wasn't sure about the fixed idle speed. They fixed the rattling and squeeking saying they swapped the fan belt but it looks like the old one. Refused to tell me what they'd done, otherwise, but looks like they simply warmed the engine up to get the revs down.

Now the revs are still the same all over the place. Lexus Hull also always ask if I'd buy another Lexus. The hint is obvious. These scum probably decide to wreck a car if it's over a certain age.

It's obvious from the "What's happened to Lexus" thread that the Lexus (UK) franchise is being run as a charity. Like The City in London, Lexus garages are put in the most socially deprived areas. I think the exception might be Lexus Guildford, who always returned my car sounding quieter and smoother than when I gave it to them.

Trouble is, Lexus rips-off their customers to pay for these social programmes. They always charge me for replacement items that don't need replacing. Lexus Hull even have "old Alf" wandering around the car park testing batteries. It seems their engineering team have been employed to keep them off the streets and out of jail. But given the botched job they did on my cam-belt replacement, it's only a matter of time before these clowns end up in jail anyway; on manslaughter charges after a multi-car pile-up when someone's lost control of their car at 70mph after their engines gone bang! I'm taking my car to a local small garage, I can trust so they can put right the damage the Hull clowns have done to my car. They always have a queue of customers, because they're not a bunch of cowboys like Lexus Hull.

COMPLETE SCUMBAG COWBOYS. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE.

The car's great. It's the scumbag franchises.

DITTO

Have just had a very similar experience. I have 2000 LS400. It was always silent, idled rock-steady at first mark under 1000 revs (about 800). After cam belt change at Lexus Hull, idled cold at first mark above 1000 revs. Noisy. Additional noise was caused by the fact that the cowboys didn't re-assemble the fan belt etc. properly so was rattling and squeeking. Took the car back and they fixed the fan belt problem (fingers crossed) and engine was running about right (maintenance manual says 650~750 at operating temperature). But it looks like they ran they engine to warm it up before I came to collect it.

Runs noisy when cold and at the higher revs than I remember. Used to be totally silent when waiting in traffic, now runs noisy. When I first bought this car, it was so quiet that I used to accelerate away and wonder why nothing happened (I used to put it into neutral whilst waiting at junctions).

I also get the whine when accelerating away as you say, when it was silent before.

Graham, the service manager at Hull initially told me the idle speed at the ECU cannot be changed, which is correct according to the manual. When I got to Lexus he changed his story, saying he wasn't sure. They claimed I needed a new fan belt but I'm not sure it's been replaced. Looks like they've simply put the fan belt assembly back together properly this time. After I picked up the car, they handed me a hastily typed up sheet of A4, claiming it was a bulletin. It referred to the air conditioning and they claimed it might have caused the idle problem if I'd had my air conditioning switched on which I haven't had (in the winter weather). They refused to tell me what they'd done which seems to be nothing more than running my engine until it'd warmed up. Not sure if they have the intelligence to work on modern cars. Their back-peddling and outright lies were totally cowboy.

As it's the cam belt, it could be serious. If the engine goes BANG, I lose control and mow down a group of kids at the bus stop, then it's new car for me that my insurance pays for and sues them for and it's up on manslaughter charges for Lexus Hull.

I wouldn't use Hull.

I thought they'd changed the team and so trusted them one more time with a service and cam belt change.

I got the car back revving at 1100rpm when the ECU has a fixed range of 650~750rpm. So it looks like they've rigged the throttle position sensor to increase the revs and hide what they've done wrong. I could be wrong, but the fan and auxiliary belt are squeeking and the engine sounds as though it's wheezing when at idle.

The car used to be completely silent from inside when waiting at traffic lights for example. I've also stood next to a Toyota Supra which someone was trying to sell me. The guy revved the engine and the only sound I heard was the fan whirring around. That was a V6 and V8s are supposed to be the smoothest of all (no higher order harmonics once the engine's balanced). So mine's sounding like a bag of nails at the moment.

I could be wrong, perhaps Hull have just F***ed up and "accidentally" rigged the throttle open. I'm taking it back to give them a go at fixing it. If it ain't OK, I'm going elsewhere, never to return and writing tons of letters to the management.

Lexus Guildford used to service mine and I always got the car back sounding noticeably smoother and quieter. Now it's crap.

TAKE IT BACK AGAIN!!!

WOW! BIG CHANGE AT LEXUS HULL. It seems I'm not the only one not happy with Hull. They've had a complete change of the team there.

The new team is more polished and professional; the old team were too informal and pally with the customers (you can go too far) and I believe Graham had a chip on his shoulder either with the "wealthy" customers or his bosses.

The new guy who dealt with my service was friendly, courteous and professional; can't remember his name. Also, he went the extra mile in drumming up business; a credit to Lexus. He even charged me less than he quoted me for the service with cam belt change. I think this is the best Lexus team I've met yet.

My last service was at Hull and it sounded rough afterwards. This wasn't just my imagination, as the LS400 is so quiet that when I first got it, I tried starting the engine a few times when it was already running!!!! Now, it's ultra-quiet again. Perhaps the old team used Mazola 90W-300.

My manual says 63K/6 years.

There's some confusion at Lexus though. One said 7 years, another thought 10 years before a little discussion, asking me what colour the manual ways and then agreeing it was 6 years.

I also don't believe any engine damage will occur on the V8 if the belt breaks.

WHAAAAAAT!!!!!

Maybe car engine technology has moved on since I last took an engine apart, but surely, a broken cam belt means the valves stop moving in and out while the engine (assuming you're driving when it breaks) keeps on going. This means the pistons will collide with the valves and your engine is only good for the scrap heap; costing you A LOT.

It's been a long time since I read the manual but as I remember, the chirp is one of the programmable options on the MkIV.

You need to take it back to Lexus and they can change the setting.

I took mine back under the 3 year warranty. But all I got was refurbs as replacements, I'm told.

I sprayed an extra layer of lacquer as soon as I got them home, but it doesn't seem to have helped much. They've corroded again.

I'm now considering Alcoa alluminium wheels which the manufacturer claims has no paint and doesn't corrode.

Take it back.

Took my car to Lexus Hull with a leak from windscreen. I assumed it might be the sunroof. But the service manager Graham Scumbag said there were no drainage hoses from the front of the sunroof EVEN THOUGH I COULD SEE THEM when the sunroof is open.

He returned my car claiming it was at the back of the sunroof pointing to a NON-EXISTANT CRACK. He also leaned against my car, scuffing the paint work until the alarm went off and also stood on the scuff plate as though it was a running board.

After further testing, I found out for myself that it was the windscreen and not the sunroof at all.

Clearly, the Mr. Scumbag was refusing to repair my car and wanting me to buy a brand new one. Despite being 7 years old (average cars last 13 years) my car has only 37K miles and it's not as though I'm about to chuck it and buy a new one am I?

Lexus Guildford sold me wipers I didn't need but gave me a bottle of champers which cost a little more than they charged me (not good for the country's trade deficit but good for their profit margin). However, I felt I could trust Guildford to look after my car (even though they once didn't replace a screw with the proper one and I had to phone them up for a replacement).

Avoid Hull like the plague. In fact, take it to a Toyota. It seems Lexus garages are there to take the P*** and as much of your money as they can!

Well, I wouldn't deny a starving man bread to feed his family if I had some spare, but he shouldn't go without punishment for such a crime. You could argue that they're bone-idle scum who can't be bothered to get a job. But then there but for the grace of God go I. I'm more inclined to blame the government for ripping everyone off with taxation/inflation etc.

Much worse is the sad little b'stard who deliberately dented my car in a car park (probably white van man) by nudging his bumper corner against my bodywork. Now THAT sad little b'stardry I can't forgive. I always park away from the other cars and often get a white van parking next to me. Perhaps one of these white vans might have a problem with their brakes one day.

My sympathies though. Mine's just a slight dent you can hardly see and a scrape that polished out.

Think of it this way. Scumbags are a fact of life, just like a swarm of bees and you shouldn't hate them; you should pity them. Don't let the b'stards wind you up.

The only thing I know about mine is it protects against UVA/B and has a tint but only a very subtle one.

Another thread says there's a heated part at the base where the wipers reside, presumably for cold days. But I can't see any heating elements or such on mine, just a black-out section.

Of course there's the shaded part at the top too.

Lexus windscreens also protect you from UVA and UVB.

Yep! The 16" wheels are a problem on the LS400. There's only about 4~5mm clearance with the calipers.

You say the 16" are standard, but I'm wondering if Lexus designed them with 17" originally and then decided to put 16" on them. Every time I get the wheels balanced, I have to ask them to avoid the part of the rim where it's close to the calipers; at the corner of the caliper. I once swapped a wheel on the motorway and drove off hearing the weights go clunk clunk as they were knocked off by the calipers.

I'm thinking of buying 17" wheels to avoid the problem. I have to say the 16" with the Dunlop D8z tyres are super-quiet; they were designed for the car. But I suppose with the 17" I may still be able to buy D8zs too.

I'm wondering if Alcoa wheels WITH NO PAINT will preserve their appearance because of the corrosion problem. Perhaps you could tell me if the shape of the 17" wheels have the same problem. They seem to have a more concave surface and I was wondering if this meant less brake dust on the outer paintwork.

Congratulations on the new car ..... mid life crisis only joking i'm sure you'll have lots of fun with it!

@flotsam - have you been to the doctor as i think you may need some face cream

I've just been! It was a botox injection that went wrong and I'm rather sensitive about it if you don't mind!

I bought my 2000 MkIV LS400 straight from Lexus. They offered me a gold plated badge front and rear, but I thought it would look cheesy, plus, given the Beastie Boys VW badge problem, I didn't want a damaged car.

The badge on the boot (an oval with an "L") is 95mm x 70mm.

Assuming there were no changes from '98 this should be the one. Plus the other one's MASSIVE!

Techie info:

As I understand it, the Boxer 6 is the worst engine for smoothness. All the other six cylinder engines have a naturally occuring zero 2nd order harmonic. I suspect that Porsche use the Boxer 6 not for smoothness but for a low center of gravity. Still it's better than having your engine behind the back wheel as they do in their Beetles.

Also all Porshche parts are made from Porsche gold, platinum and diamonds which all cost ten times as much as normal gold, platinum and diamond.

Didn't Bill Gates (then the richest in the world) keep his Lexus for 20 years (later auctioned on eBay)?

Isn't the whole idea of Lexus that they've taken the place of Mercedes to produce cars that last decades? I know some Mercs are still in use everyday which were built in the 1960s.

MY question is how much did they cough up?

I suspect the figures given by the car price guides such as glass's and Parkers are a rip-off. Do the car manufacturers and insurance companies not bribe them to downgrade the value of cars rapidly? Do you really lose thousands off a car after driving it off the forecourt.

The insurance companies don't supply new for old for cars. What they generally do is pay only the price in the car price guides. The only way you can win is buy a jallopy worth nothing but insured for a lot more.

.

Those who have been into central london would have seen the little booths that are dotted around with policemen in them.........anyway, on Friday night I was driving around London with some relatives who are over here on holiday who wanted to see London at night.

Turned on to Fleet St, where there was one of these policemen, and as soon as I turned in he pulled me over. I wound the window down and said the usual good evenings, he had a good look around everyone in the car, and then after a short pause, came back to me and said "I just wanted to pull you over and ask why your headlights were so bright".

Not eluding to the fact they were aftermarket HIDs, I just said they were normal Xenon headlamps and that's just how they are. Straight away, he just said ok, and let me go.

This got me wondering as to whether he actually stopped me because of the lights as it seemed more as though he just made that up on the spot to have something to ask me. And if I had had a car full of younger friends, rather than older relatives, would I have been fully pulled over and checked for license and insurance, etc?

Has this happened to anyone else? I suppose if they are just randomly stopping people it's no bad thing, but mine doesn't stand out as a particularly dodgy looking car

I was driving home late at night about 3 in the morning. passed a copper in a van. Minutes later he had turned round and caught up with me, flashing his lights. I pulled over and he asked me if it was my vehicle. I said yes. He then asked for ID.

Why? He already had my number plate to identify me. He claimed it was because where he passed by me he saw some gates to a Park and ride open.

But Lexi are difficult to break into. Also I had the key. Also I would have put my foot down after passing his crappy van.

If you ask me Nu Labour have employed billions more coppers and they're twiddling their thumbs.

Graham, the service manager at Lexus Hull, deliberately leaned on my Lexus until the alarm went off. He was deliberately scuffing the paint.

Parked in Sainsbury's and someone either ran a trolley at it, or a high sided vehicle bumped it, leaving a small dent.

One window has a scratch where some, probably some chav prostitute, has scratched her diamond ring on it.

It's like Michael Caine said. In America, if you drive a Rolls-Royce they applaud you. Here in the UK, the sad little b*****s (some of whom I've worked with) will scratch your car. I can't even think down to this level.