steveskeggy

Hi The box under the seat was a first aid kit, sounds like somebody has emptied it. If your battery wants charging, and you havent left the lights on, then you should look at replacing the battery. The 400`s are pretty good with batteries, its the 430`s that are borderline. have you got a three button key? if so then one of the buttons should open the boot, if not then you should chase up previous owners as this is the master key. Dont think there has been an engine bay light on an LS, mainly because they dont go wrong enough to warrant one.. Did you have the stereo on when driving at night? on the 430 turning the stereo off turns off some lights, but I cant remember if it did with the 400, however that should not affect the clock/temp display (what about climate, was that turned off?). I know it sounds a bit bodgerish, but try giving the dashboard over the clock a bash, my whole dash used to black out sometimes when it was cold, a quick slap sorted it out though. If you are not scared of getting your hands dirty, the satnav/stereo isnt too difficult to get out, the worst bit about mine was that the vents used to fall apart when I took them out and they are fiddly buggers to put back together. They dont need to make a better manual for the LS`s because of places like this and others on the internet, in fact I think if they made a comprehensive manual for the LS, it would be to heavy to lift..

Er, here goes... Looking back through my collection of Doc martin DVD`s I have come up with this: Series 1 he drove an LS430 reg GY53BYG Series 2 he drove another LS430 this time GY54FRD, also in the christmas episode of that year. Series 3 he drove an LS 460 reg GY56AGX. And in the current series he is driving what I think is an LS600 reg GP08ZLV He is called Martin Ellingham in the series, however in the original film called Doc Martin, the character was called Martin Bamford, and he drove a Mercedes Benz (dont know what model) reg Y673TVN, and finally in the follow up film called Doc Martin and the legend of the cloutie, he drove a black golf (didnt see the plate). Yikes!

IMHO, dont go for a DHP car, the tyres are horrendously expensive and you will probably find that only Pirelli make them (170 + per tyre). Yes the DHP cars look better and yes they also handle better, but the LS is all about comfort, so even though I had one and even though I loved it to bits, I would recommend a standard LS for a buyer, especially a first time buyer. Yes you can easily change the badges from gold to silver, silver badges are common on E-Bay. If you want to add the Ipod, but keep the CD changer, then you could use an FM modulator, its a box that runs in the aerial line of the standard radio, which has a pair of sockets on it that you can plug any audio source into (at line level). It would not have the controls of the Gromaudio fitting, but its also only a tenner off E-Bay.

What is your budget? You seem to have looked at a couple of sheds so far, there are bad examples of every make of car, no matter what the make. I was made to believe that the gold badges were a pointer to the car being an import, ie made for the Japanese market and then converted instead of being made specifically for the European market, which I understand have silver badges (though i could be wrong). BTW the remote locking could be the least of your worries, that may be cured by a simple re-programming, where as the rest of the faults could be either something small (a fuse) or something large (new seat). Did you try the SatNav, sometimes imports have SatNav or radio controls still in Japanese. There are more than enough good examples out there to completely bypass the poor ones, if your budget is right and you are prepared to travel for it.

There are seven bolts. See your inbox.

BTW, if you are still after a set of mats, then there is a set on Ebay Item Number 370264456837 They are Black, but the ad says they are Genuine Toyota, for 57 including postage. If you wait though they do come along every now and again, I got a set for winter use for 20 quid last year.

All depends on the guys budget. If he`s only got 1500 quid to spend, then a Mk4 is a bit out of the question.

Possibly could have called it an OBD II Required-standard Cap, but thats a bit long winded... OBDII is a system that covers a range of items and (sub) systems all around the car that basically report faults back to the onboard diagnostics computer, that then displays the fault as an illuminated lamp on the dash, and a readout from the OBDII conector. The fuel cap is part of a system (I believe its called the EVAP system) that controls leaking of fuel vapour into the atmosphere, and is specifically designed and calibrated to work with the OBDII system that the car uses. I thought OBDII was computer software for access to faults etc via a reader.

There is a 93 with 127000 on Auto trader at the moment for 795. Or a bit further down there is one with 76k for 995. All depends on your budget, and how far you are prepared to travel.

No, it should hiss when opening the fuel cap, if it doesnt then get another because thats where the smell is coming from. It is true that in older cars that if the breather in the cap got clogged then it would hiss and it was time to get a new one, or drill a small hole in the old one! However, modern cars are fitted with an OBD II fuel cap, which allows breathing both way. The system either pressurises or applies a vacuum to the tank in order to check for leaks and if it detects even a tiny leak will iluminate the check engine light on the dash. It may be worth getting a new cap anyway, but it would have to come from a Lexus dealer because different cars have different systems, so there isnt a generic cap that will do, dont be tempted by a cheap one off Ebay unless its a genuine Lexus/Toyota one. Meanwhile, you may want to check this: http://www.planetsoarer.com/petrolsmell/petrolsmell.htm I know its for a Soarer, but the cars are closely related, and although it may be different, the LS may still have the rubber hose in question. At worst it`ll only cost an hours work, at best you will find the cause.

Yep, it looks like another of those "This is a part that will definately fail at least once in the life of the car, so lets bury it as far down as we can so it is really awkward to get at" jobs that Lexus are really good at. Like the Oxygen sensors, if they had put in the same place in the exhaust, but just a few degrees further round, would have been an easy job, but where they are makes it a pain in the @rse.

Hi. Go here: http://bahamutcars.free.fr/workshop/LS_01-...ents/index.html Look under Repair Manual ( - 2003.7 ) then to Diagnostics/Engine/Diagnostic Trouble Code Chart, Look for your code which is 1651/96 Then go from there. Looks like he wasnt telling porkies about it being difficult to get at.

This may help also: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/audio/powerantenna.html

If you are as disgusted at this as I am: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/artic...rd-Hammond.html Then lets have a "Kick Stewart Lee in the balls day". What happens is that if you see said Stewart Lee anywhere, walking down the street, on a train, just before he goes on stage, give him a real good boot in the nads and say "well you tell jokes, now treat that as one". In fact, forget the day, lets make it a year.

http://bahamutcars.free.fr/workshop/LS_01-...ents/index.html Repair Manual ( - 2003.7 ) / INTRODUCTION / IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION

Glad you got it done. That cable looks the same as the one for my N73, I thought all the pop port ones would be the same, but the one for my N73 wouldnt work on my old 6230i and the one for the 6230i would work with the N73, but it wouldnt mute the radio. Its the same old story, why didnt Nokia find a system that worked (the pop port) and stick with it?

We used to check charging by disconnecting the battery while the engine was running. If the engine died then it wasnt charging, if it ran then it was. But that was a while ago and I cant guarantee that it wouldnt damage anything. Meanwhile, when you have the battery charged, pull the bulb(s) out of the boot courtesy light(s), wont hurt to try.

Never heard of the echo problem till you mentioned it. having a look around it seems that the 6120 gets it a lot, as do Motorola phones, also afew have said that a phone firmware upgrade fixed it, and a few say that going from bluetooth to cable fixed it. I would guess that it depends on a number of factors, the make of the phone, the positioning of the mike and speaker and the shape of the cars interior, I have noticed that quite a few complaints are from people who have cars with a smaller interior, Audi TT/ Volkswagen Golf/ Toyota Supra, and also vans. You of course are in a position where if the 6310 has the problem then you can also try the Blackberry, I presume it has bluetooth? Never used the Data socket, but as Tigerfish said it can be used for a wired headset, it can also be used to connect to the serial port of a PC, so you can connect to the internet using the phone as a modem, remember these kits have been around for a few years now, when I first fitted one, I had a Nokia 5110 and didnt have a mobile that could access the internet for years. So in its day the data port may have been useful, but now the things it can do are either redundant or pointless. Either way, the HF-5 brain doesnt have a data socket, that hole is used by the button.

Just one more thing, if you have not used bluetooth before let us know and we will walk you through the procedure. If you have then the code is 0000.

Thats the one. The power plug will be different on the new one, so make sure you buy one with a power lead. The good news is that the wiring colours are the same so all you have to do is splice the same colour on the new one to the old, there is a green wire running into the loom, so you may as well splice that one as well just in case it does something, but it will probably just be blanked off. The Mike and speaker should be a straight swap. The button comes with a long flat cable, so its a doddle to run it up the edge of the surround to where you want to place it. If you wanted, and it fits, the data cable could be plugged in to the new one. It may not fit, but all is not lost because of course it will be bluetooth. you can just tape the data cable out of the way. Strange how the data cable goes up behind the console, because looking at where it comes from the cradle it must run through the a/c duct, that must have been a beast to get through.

Well, err, yep. No not really, do one side at a time, start with the neartest to you, ease that one out (quite easy) then do the other side (bit more difficult, but still easy). Same with the gear surround, your side front corner, then your side rear, then same the other side. Though they may come out by themselves. Be warned, I snapped off one of the clips that hold the gear surround when I did it, but a lump of blue tack does the job just as well, if not better.

If its a wheel bearing, it will get louder or quieter when you steer either left or right because the load on the wheel increases and decreases. If you give it a run, dont use your brakes too much, then get out and put your hand on the middle of each rear wheel, if its very hot then the handbrake is binding. Will it roll ok on a smooth surface at walking pace, can you push the car on level ground? Does the sound come from the front or the back, does it come from the right or the left, any info would help (check it isnt coming from the speakers). What make of tyres are on the car? could it just be tyre noise? Does it sound louder with the window down? If you go from drive to reverse or from reverse to drive is there a loud clunk from underneath the car? Have you checked the transmission fluid, do it with the engine running. Does the Transmission fluid look brown and smell burnt? Are there any drip marks when you move it in the morning. If you can have a look underneath, does anything look like it has leaked, like the gearbox or the diff? Do you know anyone else with one so that they could ride in it and have a listen. It may be a case of wait and see, if it gets louder you may get a better idea of what the problem is. Or it may go bang, then you would definately know!

Shame, you are almost there. Those wires that go through the vent on the second picture go straight to the brain, which I would guess looking at that is under the wood trim around the gear shifter. It wouldnt be under the console because there isnt enough room. If you fancy one last go, then get a dinner knife with a wide blade and pop out the panel with the seat heater controls, by easing out one side with the knife then the other. Press down on the latch then pull out the plug and lay the panel to one side. Put your knife between the wood gear shifter surrount and the soft console at the front on the right hand side and ease the surround out, then do the same for the right rear, then the same on the opposite side. That will release the surround, then you can have a quick look underneath to see if it is there. Push the surround back in place first, making sure that it is firmly in place, then push in the chrome trim piece that goes around the selector, dont try and fit them all in one go. Then reconnect the panel and just push that back in place. The brain should be under there, if not then I dont know where it could be, because those wires that are running through the vent are the external aerial lead (that is most likely not connected) and the data cable that goes between the holder and the brain. The data cable is built in to that particular phone holder, and at the other end is a plug that goes into the brain, so seeing as the cable is only around 2 1/2 foot long, then the places it can go are restricted to the length of the cable. It also looks as though the original fitter has run the cable through the ducting that goes from the aircon to the vents at the rear of the console, it also runs under the gear surround, so it looks a good bet that the brain is in there.

Thats good for you then. Just go to E-bay and type in CK-7W, that`ll bring up the bits that you need. before you buy, just match up the cost including postage of the two items against the cost of a full kit, it may be cheaper depending whats around. I would check to make sure that the existing kit is a Nokia one, it probably is but best to make sure first. You will need to find the brain to swap it (check the center console first), if its a Nokia then it will look the same as an HF-5 without the pattern on top, even if its not then the wiring has already been done so it may not be too difficult to cut and splice. When you get it all, the mike and speaker should be a straight swap, the power lead may or may not have a different plug on the end, but the wiring colours should be the same, its just a matter of cutting and splicing. Just in case: Red - Constant live Black - Ground Blue - Switched live Yellow - Radio mute Green - Power Antenna (Not Applicable, just tape it off) I put my button down near the gear selector, but where you put yours depends on where the brain is and where is comfortable for you. the other thing abot these kits is that they seem to work with phones other than Nokia, my wifes Samsung jobbie pairs with it just fine, obviously a Nokia phone will work better through it though. I have an N73 with TOMTOM mobile on it, and it mutes the radio whenever directions are given! Just one last thing, remember because its a bluetooth it wont charge the phone, but also being bluetooth, the phone does not have to be in the cradle so you can still charge the phone via the aux socket in the console.

Old one? you said that you have just the cradle. If there is an existing Nokia car kit, then it could just be a case of swaping the brain for an HF-5 brain then routing the button. If you just have a cradle, then yes you would have to fit it. However they are easy to fit, the hardest part is finding the constant live feed (constant live is a wire that is still live even when the ignition is turned off all the way), which you will need some kind of tester for, either a screwdriver test light or a multimeter. I put my brain in the center console right at the bottom under the little mat, then layed the mat back on top. This gives easy access to the power socket that is in the console, which is the switched live. The earth can be got from any nut or bolt in contact with the bodywork. You will have to remove the gear surround , but there is nice big gap at the front under the switch panel that you need to take out to get the gear surround out, which is just the right size for the speaker. Here`s a link to a PDF on how to get the radio out: http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/Adobe/LX-52-01-p1.pdf Its a bit heavy, and there are a few sharp edges so have a protective cloth ready. You will also need to take out the cup holders, which is 4 screws. Be aware that the wires and the Mike, speaker and control button leads will have to be routed past the cup holders, just do it in a way that doesnt interfere with the working of the cup holder mechanism. At the back of the radio you can find the constant live that you need, and the radio mute wire. If you click on the link for the workshop manual that I gave you, then go to Electrical Wiring Diagram then SYSTEM CIRCUITS ( 2000.8 - 2003.6 ) then Radio and Player and then RHD, you will find the wiring for the radio, you will see that the mute wire is yellow, just use a tester to see which one is constant live. Obviously this all looks Highly technical and a bit of a scary process to carry out on a car that you have not had a week, but its a pretty easy job in reality, and it should take a first timer no more than 3 hours if you are being really really careful and pedantic, in a James May way. Plus it gives you the experience of how to strip the console down and removing the radio in case you want, or need, to do it again. Make no mistake, this is a worth while job, there is nothing that makes a driver want to give another driver a good slap, than someone in a nice big car riding along with a phone glued to his/her ear.