Cotswold Pete

Fingers crossed for you

VPNs are totally safe, been around for a couple of decades. If all you want to do is to make the Internet think you are in UK (where-ever you are), you could use a Draytek 2762 router as your own VPN handler, and then use free VPN software on your laptop/PC/Mobile phone to tunnel back to the UK (works better if you have your ISP provide a Static IP address). The only cost then is of replacing your current routerand the time taking to set it up (Personalyl I only ever listen to BBC radio when abroad and that works fine - and I use Get_iPlayer (on Git Hub) to rip BBC TV programmes onto my phone/tablet before leaving UK so I have something to watch while on the plane) ProXPN makes it so that you could appear to be USA user, or UK user (etc) dependnig on which web site you want to fool into thinking you are a 'citizen of said country'. If only this tech was available back in the 90's when I was permanently flying here there and everywhere (with my travel case full of CDs!!)

I tend to use MediaMonkey (free version) on PC to setup the correct artists, albums and other tags. I find the way the CD creator creates filenames and other tags can be a naffing nightmare - especially on certain compilations. I tend to create a lot of my own very long compialtions of over 200 tracks, meaning I need to tweak the track IDs to get things to work well I load all my music onto my phone (with 128GB card - only half full to date) and use Neutron Player on phone, so i can search by pretty much any tag I like, date, name, artist, etc. I then plug phone into cassette adpator in my LS, or via Bluetooth in the wifes motor. I do find sometimes that Neutron player gets a bit tangled up, but never found a totally 100% satisfactory android based player.

If you goto my posting, you can see my photos. Swiss Cheese On the passenger door part of the arch it was not as bad, but in essence the only bit of the arch where the bradawl did not push through was about the top third, as I was keen ot remove any rust possible, so I was quite aggressive in what I cut out. The boot side was worse, but I think that is becuase more cr*p gets caught in the top of the mudguard so more water to metal contact for long periods In looking at it, even though it looked horrendous, there is no way it should compromise the structural integrity, and I also pked around under the sills to see if any problems (but none found). Car has got through 2 MOTs since my repairs, and have been told rest of the chassis looks fine.

I found very bad rust in rear arches 18 months ago, started with noticng water in either side of boot, only to discover it was way worse than first thought. I had a good poke with a bradawl to find about 50% of the inner arches bith sides had gone (about a 2cm inch strip). Patched up with Isopon and fine since with lots of Waxoyl to keep the tin mice away. I had no bubbling to indicate a problem, in fact the edge of the arches are rock solid (thank heavens). Now you have invested all the time and effort, it will be well rewarded.

Andy, Feel for you, and been there myself, hit some diesel at 20mph while starting to overtake a really really slow truck, my Mk3 was like a drunken whale and I managed to avoid stuffing the car under the lorry trailer but smacked up most of the off-side hitting a wall and a road sign. My experience was ruddy scary, and nowhere near as much damage as to your 430, so must have been one heck of a shock when it happened. As Phil says, anything smaller would have been more carnage. Best of luck looking for new LS when your ready.

Thats a darned good trick, might need to use that - my rear shocks likely to need sorting in next year, and the protectors do look a little past their best. When the other one starts to go, I now know the signs, and so prefer to just get the one done for now and then be listening out for the nearside failing. With the car at 206K, expecting the UCAs to need looking at (given the rears were done 50K ago) in the next couple of years, so expecting to be spending a few bob over next few years.. Having been driving around in the wifes 2 year old Mazda 2, (which would have been £17K brand new), makes me really appreciate that spending money on a 20 year old LS is still worth it, but at this time of year money a bit tight (as missus likes to do these Xmas trips, so off to Gdansk to get cold for a few days). On the other hand I might be tempted to try a GS450h, or a 460 and see if I am prepared to let my love affair with the Mk4 finish.

John Not driven one yet, but am tempted to try one next year, seem like there are some decent ones around for £4K-£5K. My missus will give me grief if I do buy one, given the money spent in last year on LS (though to be fair given the price I paid and the money spent on it in last 6 1/2 years - still only coughed up around £5K for a luxury barge). Pete

Thanks for thoughts so far. The team at Osaka have prodded and used pry-bar on all the bushes, checked wheel bearings, and other things. The vibration I get is from the side of the car that the vibration (and clunking) is coming from, which is why two other places went around with pry-bar and said all bushes fine. It is the top mount that has failed [my posting title a bit mis-leading], (which according to Google is not good!), and the signs are shown by the split at the top, due to stress on the rubber (I assume). If replacing this does not cure the vibration, I have been thinking about changing to a GS450h or some such, but would really like to keep the LS for another 5 years (to celebrate its 25th birthday if poss).

Well it looks like Osaka have found the problem to my really odd vibration. The off-side top-cap has gone, and so that does explain why vibration started at about 15mph, peaked at around 35mph, and then came back with a vengeance at 70+. Scary thing is at any time (say on speed humps) it could pop the shock off the mounting, and hey presto one big mess. Scares me that I took the LS up to the Lakes two weekends ago!!!! Been told a new part is £190, and on back order (I guess not a common failure). If I had thought just to pop the rubber caps off, could have spotted it myself. Photo attached. (That split goes all the way around) Given I had two tyre places look at my car in last 6 months -and I said can you check to see if all the front suspension is okay, and neither found any problems!!! What is odd is that the top plate was likely to be failing at the time Osaka put new front shocks on, but even they could not see a problem with it 6 months ago, and this odd vibration had been happening for about 8 weeks before I got new shocks. Just waiting for Osaka to see when they can source part, not sure if I should look at Amayama, but if someone can let me know part code for Mk4 LS400 model might see if this is quicker option. Now need to get used to driving the wifes Mazda 2 for a while.

That might not be such a bad idea, does seem like all this new tech is not as robust when it comes to extremes of weather. (Does this mean an Electric Landrover will have batteries in the roofline???) There is always a really bad flooded area between Nailsworth and Horlsey on way up to tip after any decent rain, the other week edged the LS through, suspect an EV would have gone phutt based on this post. Best of luck with getting sorted.

If you are doing exactly what you have done in the past, it could be that the CD burner is possilby starting to gradually fail. What I means is that it is not creating clean pits in the burnt CD, so that although the laptop has enough horsepower to overcome errors created by a CDs that are written badly, a car player cannot overcome errors. Also like Mark says, I have found that some brands on CD are always more dodgy in the car, or even on my Marantz KI63 home player, yet play fine in any of the computers in the house.

Long time since I get my head around LEDs but as I recall LEDs have what is called an in-rush current. This means the LED generally pull a higher current for the first millisecond or so to charge up the capacitor (which is there to keep the LED from flickering). This means the ECUs may well get a little ticked off at seeing a surge that you do not get with a filament bulb. So if the LS engineers have 'finely-tuned' the parameters to measure than it may report errors, if it thinks a higher current might indicate a short term short. It seems that the LED in-rush current is about 6 times that of the startup current for a good old fashioned Dim Yellow Filament, so it would be pot luck as to which lights in the LS range would be okay, and which ones would create problems for the fuses and or ECU. Maybe the answer is all LS400 drivers buy a decent Lenser Head torch for reading their AA road maps when parked up in a lay-bye at night!!!

As an LS owner for last 11 years, I would be going Prius in this case, the Gen 1 was good, the Gen 2 better, and amazed at the room and comfort in them. Having not been in a 220 I cannot say whether the Pruis would be noisier or quiter, but always found them to be fine at 60+mph, not as quite as LS, but then again way less thirsty than a 400.

I was wondering if the bubbling on the fuse is where the numpty who did this had a go at soldering the lead to the fuse leg, and that heat caused the bubbling. On the other hand the cable has not been tinned (solder covered before attempting to attach to fuse leg), which would mean a failed joint anyway, and from my experiencing (not on cars) tinning fuse legs usually results in the plastic melting, because it takes too long to heat the metal legs right through, so the surface heat dissapates into the plastic. Hopefully the Auto Electrician can work out what 'the four and a half' the pilchard who did this was trying to solve. Best of luck.

Nice looking 460. Had a bit of snow down this neck of woods last week, thank heavens for VSC, and recently fitted new tyres (not winter ones though - as when it gets that bad, i stay at home)

And ruddy handy it is when it snows like it did last week. A bit hairy when applying 300 horses in the raw.

Seems like the right approach, had a mate who spent £2K on 430, rushed into it, when his second LS400 was playing up. He totally regrets that. Now he has just spent £5K on his second 430, and spent some time as a rear passenger this weekend, like being in a 4 star hotel. His approach was to give himself 3-6 months to find the 430 that he was going to keep. I quite envy him, the 430 is a heck of a step up from 400, but still love my 400 too much to upgrade just yet.

I would say a £5K LS400 could be a well looked after car, and will have less long term 'stupid' costs than either 460 or 600, though the 400 is not as 'luxurious' as 460/600 on the inside, and the ride quality I would say a well sorted 400 is about 95% ride quality of your preferred choice. A £5K 460 is more than likely to be a bit of a cheque-burner I bought my LS for £2.5K 6 years ago (130K on clock), and since then the suspension has had around £3K spent on it - UCA replacement, new front shocks, various bushes, tie bars, and probably going to need new rear shocks and a bit of other work in next year so looking at about £900 plus. (now at 204k miles) So in essence I spent just over £6K for mine, but the cash left the bank over a few years. Cambelt changes not needed on 460, as it is chain drive. I look at as I get a car that was an arm and a leg to buy new, but it is has cost me less than my Omega 2.5 cost me over 5 years. If I were to go for an upgrade it would the 460, because I like the shape, but knowing if I could find one with coilovers, I would be a happier with it.600 not of much interest as I do so little town/queue driving. Real world MPG with my 400 - commute on A roads to work in Cotswolds, i get between 24 and 27 (when I do not queue in school traffic). On the Motorway between 30 and 33 depending (but have got 37 on trips to Manchester - and that was long sections at 50, but also queuing around Manchester). I think a 460 would be a little (but not much) thirstier. LS400 is the only one with stainless exhaust, so apart from Y-piece replacement it should last as long as the car. Not sure what LS600 exhaust is.

If on way to Cardiff pop off M4 at junction 18, and 3 minutes away is Infinity Exhausts, they did Y-piece replacement for my LS a few years back. They will do total replace or repair (using T304) as required. Infinity

It is 600, I was down in Port Isaac back in June to visit friends (on the one day the film crew were not around) and running a 400 along the lanes in no problem, just need to not drive as fast as the Doc does. The one thing I really love is the swooping down hill dual carriage way sections across Bodmin Moor

Possibly give Infinity Exhausts a call (Dodington Ash), 3 minutes off J18 of M4 near Bath. Infinity Sorted my LS, a few years back, no problems since. A bit of a drive, from London, and public transport nearby is naff, so if job is long, take a book or walking boots and get yourself down to Dyrham Park for the day

I have always heard from every Lexus mechanic that UCA is (and always has been) been a full replacement. All other parts bushes can be replaced. I assume the greatest stresses are on the UCA, and to be honest amazed that the original bushes last as long as they do. On the point of corrosion, I would go with My sons MOT last week pointed out corrosion, when I think it should have read, the brake pipes need a bit of a clean and making sure they are not corroded (which they are not).

To add my two pence worth (as a very biased Lexus owner), Jag X-type sills are a nightmare after about 10 to 11 years, the oil leak problem on that ebay sale, is probably same as my wifes had, the new seal is £2.50, but need to take the whole darned engine out to do. I loved the engine - nice and free running, but at 140K, head gasket goes, so Jag now scrapped. On Range Rover, not quite sure why the three mates of mine who have them, keep them, they have either had teething problems from new that took over a year to get sorted and older ones, well it does not seem to matter whether you use them as a Chelsea Tractor or for Chasing Wildlife over fields, the faults keep coming. BMWs, same thing, have got many mates who own them, but none of them ever managed to keep them after 10 years, start becoming money pits. Mercs, have two mates who own Mercs, but they use them for business visits, and complain about the bills (well their company accountant does) (both own LS as the car they prefer, just do not feel quite right rocking up at a client in a 20 year old motor) Not sure if Honda do a V8, but if they do, than I expect it to be bullet proof, though thirstier than LS, previous Honda Civic we owned, the engine was bullet proof, the body work took a battering, the only thing that made us change it was a badger incident - took the front bumper out on one side, so changed to the Jag (hey-ho). Wife has just bought a 2 year old Mazda 2, not a bad car, frugal, more toys than my man cave, but will still be using the LS for our trip to Lake District next week. Being honest, when I bought my first LS it was a 11 year old Mk3, I had it for 5 years, and never did anything to it (apart form standard service), it had knocking drop links, knackered Anti-roll bushes, but it drove okay (and I suepct it needed a new ECU - as it had that horrible stalling problem), and my current motor at 19 years old and 204K on clock needs a bit of money spent on various suspension bushes. I think an LS is a bit like that Toyota Pickup they tried to destroy on Top Gear a decade or so ago, you really need to blow the darn thing up to stop it from being of any use.

A Lexus LS never shouts about how well put together it is. I suspect if I was driving anything else that was nearly 20years old with over 200K on the clock, I would be wondering what was wrong with me.