Redsteve

Or you could do what I used to do... A hefty smack on the top of the dashbord cluster.

Hi Mike, I recently changed the sidelight bulbs on my MK IV. I had to take the headlights out to do it. The job sounds much more complicated than it really is, all the bolts and screws that you have to undo are easy to get to. My tip is, be careful not to overtighten them when you put them back in. I had the lights out, bulbs changed and lights back in within about 20 minutes. Good luck. Steve.

I agree with this. You have nothing to lose by asking. Steve.

Thanks for that extra bit of info, I have some friends who have had dealings with Ebay disputes (as sellers) and none of them were satisfied with the results. My main concern, however, was the lack of a secure connection when Ebay was asking for financial information. I looked at the replies that I had received via this thread and decided that it would be OK to continue to verify my account. I have since successfully done this and, just as suggested, the Ebay pages were secure when they needed to be. Thanks for all the replies. Steve.

Thanks Guys, money is a bit tight at the moment and I am paranoid about someone getting their hands on the little that I have left. You have put my mind at rest. Steve.

Hello Guys, I am trying to sell loads of stuff on Ebay at the moment and while trying to list an item I got a message saying that I had reached my limit of 10 items to sell in 1 month. The message went on to say that if I verified my Ebay account then I would be able to list more items. The verification requires that I allow Ebay to to deposit 2 small amounts of money into my bank account and I have to confirm how much they are. Obviously, Ebay would need to know my account details to do this and this is where my question lies. When I am on the Login page of Ebay the web address starts with https:/ which I understand to mean it is a secure page. However, when I am logged in and using Ebay the web address starts with http:/. Is this normal for Ebay. Every other site I use where money is involved gives me the https:/ address for the whole time I am logged in. Am I being paranoid here or should it be showing https:/ for the whole time I am logged in? Thanks in advance. Steve.

Hello Britrb, If you want an idea of how your LS will sound do a search on YouTube for LS400 Exhaust Sounds (or somthing similar). Most of the clips are from America, we all know the Americans are a little louder than most of us Brits. I can understand why you would want to hear the V8 rumble, it is a lovley sound. I used to own a Toyota Hilux 4X4 with a 3.5Lt V8 from a SD1 Rover in it. It was a straight through exhaust with the smallest Cherry Bomb silencer I could find, to be honest, although it sounded nice it was just too loud. A friend of mine had a V8 Range Rover with the same exhaust and it failed the MOT because it was just too noisy. I have thought about taking out some of the silencers on my LS but I just can't bring myself to do it, maybe I am getting to old! Steve.

Hi Guys, I recently got back from my holiday too. B) Me and the Missus went for a cruise and stay holiday in the Caribbean. We stayed in the Dominican Republic for a week and cruised to Tortola (British Virgin Islands), St Maartin, Antigua, St Lucia and Grenada. :arrrggg-matey: We saw an LS400 on every island, some of them were badged as Toyotas and had slightly different styling but they were definitely LS400s. It seems even relatively poor people know a Lexus will cost them less in the long run! :winky: Steve.

Hello Guys, I was suffering the same problem in my MK IV too. I have pretty much solved my problem by adjusting the throttle cable. It had about half an inch of play in it before it was doing any work. Now I have tightened it the car is so much smoother to pull away and the gears change quicker as your input on the pedal is directly linked to the engine rather than having a delay as the cable takes up the slack. It was only a five minute job and it has transformed my car. Hope this helps. Steve.

Hello chaps, I regularly see a maroon LS430 (possibly a 460, I'm not very clued up on the newer models) going round the King's Lynn by-pass at about 09:00. The number plate has KLF in it, I was just wondering if it was anyone on here? I drive a 59 plate white Merc Sprinter van with Coles written in blue across the front, if you see me give me a wave. Steve.

Hello guys, I agree with this post. I recently changed the pads on my LS and have been plagued with squealing brakes ever since. I can't remember the brand of pads which I put in first of all but they were the cheapest I could find. I got so hacked off with the noise I replaced them with Blueprint ones (as I had just fitted a new set of Blueprint discs) and, you guessed it, they are just as bad as the cheaper ones were. I spoke to the chap in the local garage and he told me to fit a better quality pad, for example, Ferodo. When I have some spare cash I will be trying a set as the squealing is driving me nuts! Good luck with yours V2L, if you do change pads and the noise stops, let us know. Thanks. Steve.

Hello guys, sorry I haven't updated this thread like I said I would but I have had a few internet connection issues, I am currently trying out a dongle for quicker speeds as I have been stuck on dial-up. Anyway, back on topic, I got my car back this afternoon all fixed and running like a dream. In the end I had to get a new driveshaft as the old one was sent away and couldn't be repaired (not sure why). The new shaft cost about £290 which isn't too bad when you consider to re-con the old one was going to be about £220 inc delivery and Lexus quoted about £650. I have been driving round in my mate's V8 Range Rover for the last few weeks and I can report that I get over twice as many MPG out of the Lexus, the Rangie was doing about 10 MPG! I am so glad to have the car back, it sounds daft, but the thing I have missed the most is the auto dipping rear view mirror. All the other gadgets on the Lexus are nice but you can easily do without but when you can't dip the mirror then driving at night is a pain. Thanks once again for all the input. Steve.

I will be checking the prop shaft but I have seen with my own eyes the amount of play in the n/s driveshaft so it will need to be changed even if it is not the main culprit for the horrible noises coming from under my car. I will not be able to get under the car until Tuesday to have a proper look but I will keep you all posted. Merry Christmas to you all. Steve.

Hello again chaps. I have decided to follow Thunderchild's advice and lay the old girl up until the new year. I drove to work this morning (about 10 miles) very carefully and smoothly with no knocking to be heard but coming home this afternoon was a different story. The knocking has started happening on very light acceleration now and there is a constant rubbing/rumbling sound now coming from the rear nearside wheel area. I am very lucky, a friend of mine has a Range Rover which is only a second car which he has let me borrow until I can get my Lexus fixed. It is a V8 so I will still be making regular trips to the petrol station, in fact thinking about it, I will be making more trips to the petrol station! :o I plan to get the car onto some ramps over the next few days and have a good root around underneath to make sure it is the driveshaft which is causing all the grief. Once again, thanks for all your thoughts, I will keep you posted as to what happens. Steve.

Well guys, firstly, thanks for all your input. I had a word with the local garage this morning and the owner told me to drop the car in this afternoon and he would have a quick look at it. He took it for a quick trip up the road and then put it on the ramp to have a squint underneath. It looks as though the nearside driveshaft is the culprit for the knocking noise. As he twisted the prop there was a couple of mm of play on the n/s driveshaft but none on the o/s one. I have got a few prices for a rebuilt driveshaft, they seem to be about £200 inc VAT and delivery, the mechanic said it would take a couple of hours to change. I am hoping that the shaft will last until the new year as there is no chance of getting the old one off the car, sent away, rebuilt, sent back and refitted before Christmas. I am praying to the Lexus Gods to look after my car until January, if all you guys could keep your fingers crossed for me too I would be very grateful. Once again, thanks for your replies. Steve.

Hello guys, first of all, may I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. While I was driving home from work yesterday I could hear a very feint knocking sound coming from the back of my LS (MK4 2000). It was only present while I was accelerating, as soon as I took my foot off the throttle the knocking stopped. Within about 5 or 6 miles the knocking got considerably louder, still only when accelerating though. By the time I got home (another couple of miles) I could feel the knocking coming through the car, still only when on the power. I tried putting the car into reverse and still it was knocking. The noise seems to in time with every wheel rotation, under hard acceleration the knocking is loud, under less acceleration the noise is less loud but the frequency relates to the wheel speed, while the car is coasting there is no knocking. The noise seems to be coming from around the diff area, do you think my diff is beginning to expire? The car has done 170,000 miles and has not been given a hard life, I am quite a steady driver, just the odd squirt every now and again. I have done a couple of searches on the forum and I can't find anyone having a similar problem, hopefully someone might have an idea what the problem might be. Thanks. Steve.

Hi Dave, your situation really sucks! I know how you feel, last year we got caught up in the volcanic ash clould situation, at the last minute we were able to fly but you have my sympathy. Steve.

Hi Malc, I have just bought a couple of Falkens for my LS, mine has the DHP wheels on so I fit 235 50 17s. I am happy so far with the performance of the tyres but with the current road conditions I haven't really tested them properly. I bought mine from here ( http://www.camskill.co.uk/products.php?plid=m62b0s424p12914 ) and the service was quick and reliable. You should be able to find a local garage to fit them for you from anywhere between £10 and £20 per tyre, I know this sounds a lot but don't forget you are getting new valves and the wheels have to be balanced and you have to pay the "Enviromental Charge" for the disposal of your old tyres. I hope this helps. Steve.

No problem, glad to be able to help. Steve.

Hello Miq, I changed the front discs and pads on my MK IV a few months ago, it was a doddle. When you remove the pads be careful with the brake wear sensor wire, it is pretty fragile. The calliper is in one piece held on by two bolts. The hardest part of the whole job was getting the calliper bolts undone, I suggest you give them a good dose of WD40 or similar a few days before you tackle the job. When I had the calliper off I used a cable tie to hang it from the front spring so it wasn't hanging on the flexi brake hose. The discs are only held on by the wheel so there are no screws to worry about, mine came off with no problems at all. Make sure you give the hub a really good clean before the new disc goes on or you will regret it later when the new disc warps. When you fit the new pads use plenty of Copper Ease to stop the pads vibrating. Job done, mine took about half an hour per side. By the way, even after changing the pads twice in the last few months my brakes squeal like stuck pigs and I can't figure out how to stop it, I hope you don't have the same problem. Good luck, let us know how you get on. Steve.

I have watched them all so far and I agree with you, it wasn't the best one but it was pretty funny in places. I chuckled when the camel broke down and they had to get a couple of Toyota Hilux to rescue them, maybe Toyota could use that in their advertising; Toyota Hilux...More reliable than a camel! I have been to Saudi Arabia a few times and it is quite common to see a couple of camels in the back of a pick-up truck on the way to the market. I am looking forward to next week when Karl is sent to Mexico. Steve.

Hello mOOt, I have had a similar problem after a day off roading. As you can imagine the radiator gets caked in mud during the day. If I just clean the mud off the front of the rad the trusty old Hilux runs a bit hot. What you need to check for is the mud that has been pushed between the fins in the rad. Get a hose pipe and make sure you can squirt water from the front of the rad through to the back (don't use a pressure washer as you will flatten the fins, they are quite delicate). The radiator relies on air passing through it (not just over it) to cool the engine, and the LS has a big engine so it needs big air to cool it. It has always worked for my Hilux, good luck for your LS. Steve.

Hi Guys, sorry it has been a while since I updated this thread, it has been really busy at work and the list of jobs at home was mounting up so the brakes just had to wait. Anyway, I stripped the brakes down again, removed the callipers and discs, made sure everything was nice and clean and then re-assembled everything using copper grease where necessary. The brakes were silent for half a day! I know that the upper control arm bushes are quite worn and they are now beginning to creak when I go down bumpy roads. I am wondering if this could have anything to do with the squealing problem, maybe something is vibrating due to the worn bushes. Does this sound feasible or am I just clutching at straws? I have used the old slider pins, it must have been someone else who bought new ones Steve. Thanks for all the advice so far, I really appreciate it. Last weekend my Sister-in-Law brought her Mondeo round for me to put new front pads in, I did that job and guess what, her brakes don't squeal!!!!!!!!!!!! Once again, thanks for all your replies. Steve.

Hello again guys, brake update... They are squealing like a pair of stuck pigs! I am beginning to lose my patience, one day they are fine, the next they are not. If it was a problem with the composition of the pads or the discs surely they would squeal all the time? If I brake firmly there is no noise but if I just "feather" the brakes then it's quite bad. This leads me to think that it's caused by some vibration somewhere. The slider pins are a good fit through the calliper but the holes they pass through in the pads are quite large so I am wondering if that's where the problem lies. I suppose I will be pulling them apart at the weekend again to see what I can do. Anyhow, I will keep you updated as to how I get on. Steve.

Well Chaps, no noise from the brakes at all today... Dare I hope the problem has been fixed? I am going to reserve judgment for the time being, I will give it a few more days before I am confident it has stopped completely. Thanks for all the advice so far, I will let you know what happens through the week. Steve.