david_hornet27

Having read about what I would call excellent service from Lexus Chester and Norwich I wondered if this is typical of all Lexus dealers. My nearest is Lexus Reading who I went to recently to buy 10 litres of T4 ATF from. I was only there for a few moments and the guy at the parts desk was helpful and pleasant enough, far more knowlegeable and friendly than in the Toyota dealer next door who tried to tell me that some crappy oil he presented to me in a metal tin was Type 4 and cost £19.95 for 4 litres!! As my LS is newish to me I also asked whether they would be able to tell me what work had been carried out on previous services so was ushered over to the service guy who tried to find details but it appears that the plate on my car is not the original so he could find no details. I was in a bit of a rush so didn't have time to ask what info he needed to find the answer to my question. So I guess my brief experience was that they were OK. I would like to keep up the Lexus history and am keen to use Lexus Reading but wondered if anybody had an opinion of them. After terrible experiences with two Ford main dealers with previous cars I am reluctant to trust any main dealer with my pride and joy. And does anyone know what info I would need to supply to find out what work Lexus have done on the car previously? The car has been serviced at Lexus Birmingham. Thanks for any help...

David, I have the same requirement as you i.e. to find a reasonably priced garage in the Reading/Henley area which can reliably service an LS430. If you use B&B motors in Sonning (or another local garage) I'd much appreciate your comments. Thanks. I will let you know if and when I use them no problem. Try to do most work myself but have a slight whine from the front of the car and I am hoping it is not the water pump. I will look more closely when the weather improves next week, and if I feel it is the water pump I may give them the work to do as I am not sure I can be bothered to do it myself. Should be a good test for them...

Are the Pirellis not good then? Mine came with a brand new set of them so I have no point of reference as to whether they are any good or not. Won't be changing them for some time yet I hope but will switch brands when I do if there is something better. This is the second car I've bought with Pirellis on it and now I remember why I got rid of them. Would also agree that Michelins and Contis are good; also Bridgestone. Thanks for the info Mark and Gen. Must admit I find that I find the car feels unbalanced, as though it will understeer if pushed in the wet so maybe it's the tyres?? I assumed it was just because it is such a BIG car... I can get a good deal on Micelins and Bridgestone so maybe thats what I'll go for next.

Are the Pirellis not good then? Mine came with a brand new set of them so I have no point of reference as to whether they are any good or not. Won't be changing them for some time yet I hope but will switch brands when I do if there is something better.

I think the audio is brilliant I have to agree, especially the sub woofer which seems to add another dimension to some music. However I have a series 4 and I have to say that the fm radio does seem to lack crispness for some reason. To be honest I have only had my LS for a just over a month so I am still loving it and haven't found anything I don't like as such, only some things I wish it had. Miss having parking sensors, you don't realise how useful they are until you don't have them. Wire heated front screen (patented by Ford I'm told) which used to clear ice and snow in an instant in my old Scorpio Cossie. Steering wheel controls for the audio . Nice chrome tail pipes (I will add aftermarket ones soon), the tail pipes seem to be hidden on mine and I would quite like anybody pulling up behind me to see that I have two. Sad I know! All this was standard on my Scorpio which was the same age as my Lexus, so a little surprised to see it missing. Brilliant car though and a great feat of engineering (something the Scorpio lacks) and I cannot imagine driving any other car. First time I have owned a car where I haven't found myself hankering after something different.

Thanks very much for the info guys. Will give the Sonning garage a go when needed as I am right next door in Emmer Green.

Don't know if this is the sort of question that is allowed on here so sorry if I am breaking any rules... Has anybody had a good experience with garages that they could recommend when having work carried out on their LS? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My local Lexus dealers are brilliant but (understandably) expensive. Cheers.

No problems Knightman... Forgot to mention that there were different pressures depending on whether you have V or W rated tyres. Mine are W but if you need to know for the V rated let me know and I will find out pressures for you. Good to hear from another LS400 owner in Reading! I only bought mine recently after wanting one for ages and doing an unhealthy amount of research (according to my girlfriend). I am really pleased with it and couldn't imagine getting anything better for the money. I have probably seen you driving around as it is rare to see an LS400 round here so it is quite an event when I do. Had it for a couple of months and only seen 3!! Funnily enough one of those was exactly the same as mine except it had really nice black aftermarket wheels. Mine is a light metalic green series 4 which is original except for the very dark tinted windows. Have toyed with getting new bigger alloys but it came with refurbished originals and a brand new set of pirelli tyres so I decided to stick with them. To be honest I am not sure I would change now as the ride is so smooth it would be a shame to ruin it. See you around...

Hi there and a Happy New Year! I found myself with the same problem after looking at the handbook which has so many variations so I set all 4 at 32psi. However I asked the guys in our tyre bay at Costco what the correct pressure should be and they looked it up on their computer. It came up with 33psi at the front and 38psi at the rear. Why the pressures are different I do not know but was told it is common on big cars like BMW's and Mercs. It did suggest higher pressures for 'speed' or over 100mph but I cannot remember what they were. I rarely go over 100mph so just went for the average pressures. Went on a 180 mile run in it last night and all seemed fine so I will stick with those pressures. Hope this is of some help.

Hi, Looked at the oil you are getting and it seems OK. But it seems to be the same price as Toyota T4 at about £10 per litre. I don't really know why people are so adamant about using the T4 but because of all the hype on here and other forums that is the ONLY transmission fluid I would use in my lexus, and if the oil you are using is the same price then why not use the original? There are some theories on here that using a different oil may cause foaming, and I have seen a few posts from the US where people blame using different oils for wrecking there gearbox! Maybe alot of it is old wives tales but... By the way you will need at least 10 litres to flush and see totally clean fluid being pumped out. I used 10 but wished I had maybe another 2 as it still wasn't quite as clean coming out as going in. I had a quick look for gaskets on the web but didn't find any on ebay and the obvious places. What about searching for Jap car parts suppliers?

Hi, The air conditioning on mine comes on automaticaly when I push the button on the dash to aim air at the windscreen, maybe thats why it's idling higher if you are pressing this in the cold weather we are having?? The transmission flush really is pretty easy. I was dreading mine but was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. Maybe even doing it without dropping the sump would be a good idea and even easier. Would be better if you took the sump off and cleaned/replaced the filter though. Good luck with it all and keep us updated...

yes but if I send our lass they'll charge her £25. Thanks though - I'll take a drive up one day next week Mike Thought I'd better let people know that I don't think this Bosch wiper fits the LS430 ... or at least I can't see how to do it. In fact I can't even see how to get the old one off Mike Have you heard of Costco? Got a 22" Goodyear all in one design wiper for less than £6 there. Looks great as the all in one design fits the chunky design of the LS400.

1. Yours was a 1997 so no sat nav. 2. No vvti engine with 280bhp 3. Some pretty obvious cosmetics were at fault Yeah, 66K is low mileage, but these cars were designed to eat up the mileage not potter around like a fiesta or corsa! I think the price is fair and IF it has the history then you can't go wrong. In my opinion a decent 1998+ with service history and the relevant work is worth £3K at 120,000. I would be happy to pay at least £2K for the example in question if it had history. Do you not get the fact that the reason we love the LS400 is because it will do 300K easily with the proper care? Just make sure you have the relevant service history, and the advice about transmission fluid is spot on. My advice is to go for it if the above applies. Good luck!

Sorry I can't help you with electricals, but if you need any mechanical reassurance then maybe I can help in future. Hope all goes well with your new car, and well done for choosing an LS. You will not be disappointed!

Third sun visor? No I haven't spotted that yet, where is it? Somewhere in the middle I guess... Everyone I have shown the car is amazed it is 11 years old because it still looks mint, and are blown away by all the electrics, the dash, the heated seats, the front cup holders that can be hidden out of sight, the list goes on and on! I still keep going for an imaginary hand-brake though which makes me look a bit of a fool!! lol

Did my transmission flush today, along with engine oil and filter change. Took around 4 hours for the lot just plodding along making sure I kept the fluid in the gearbox sump at a good level, replacing around 1 litre at a time. The existing fluid in the box was red but very sooty, and although there were no problems with the way the box operated (apart from it hesitating occasionally when at VERY low speeds and when putting my foot on the gas) I wanted to have all new fluid for my own peace of mind. Have done a few miles and all seems to be fine. The tricky part was getting the level right in the box, I will re-check tomorrow as I deliberately erred on the low side. Box seems to be as smooth as it was before the flush, don't know if it's cured the hesitation but from the research on here it seems that may be a generic problem and is something you have to adapt your driving style to???? Had my LS400 1998 series 4 for a week now and I am still loving every minute of driving it. Still finding things I have missed, like the coin drawer that I discovered today! Thanks for the advice and reassurance...

Thanks Moriwaki, Good to know somebody has done it without probs. I thought it would be interesting for anyone thinking (but worried) about doing a flush to know from others who have actually done the job. There are lots of old wives tales on here that seem to be from people giving second or third hand experiences! My box seems fine, fluid is a dirty red but I think I have convinced myself to flush. Got the 10 litres of T4 sitting in the garage, and luckily have a lift. BTW there seems to be some confusion over whether the fluid drains directly out of the rad, or from the pipe that connects to it. Can you remember which it is? Thanks very much

Hi All, Has anybody done a transmission flush themselves as described on Lexls and what was the result? Really only interested in people who have actually done it themselves, as there seem to be lots of tales of woe from people who have had a third party do it, or know someone else who had problems. Thought it may be interesting to know what mileage the car had on it, what year it was and the previous maintenence the transmission had (if any) or if previous maintenance was unknown. Also could be interesting to know what condition the fluid that came out was in. Thanks in advance everyone... David

Hi there, I have just bought a Series 4, and I can tell you that you will not be disappointed! To answer your questions, there is an 'A' service every 9000 miles, then a 'B'service every 27000. The 'A' covers things like fluid changes, brakes, exhaust etc. Then the 'B' service is more comprehensive with cambelt check, differential oil change etc. The timing belt is changed every 63000 miles and you can see it is done as they put a sticker with mileage in the engine bay. Things to look for... Make sure atf fluid is red, and the box is silky smooth in all gears. The engine is almost silent so if you can hear anything it is probably not right. Check all buttons work inside, there are lots of them!! Make sure there is no knocking underneath as suspension can be a problem. I guess someone else will come up with more pointers for you... I picked up mine on Friday and have covered nearly 300 miles in it. Cost me £2850, and I can find nothing wrong with it. You will be amazed at the power and silence, gadgets etc. I went from a Scorpio Cossie which I thought was quick, but the LS is in a different league! Although mine is great, I have just spent £95 on ATF fluid so I can flush it, will be replacing the engine oil, and the differential oil just for my own peace of mind. I made sure when I bought mine that it had a recent timing belt change, which would be expensive. There is a silver one on autotrader right now with DHP for £2995, which looks a bargain, but you would need to find out about the timing belt, and if it hasn't been done then haggle the price down. Hope this helps... David

Thanks Peco! Yes all present and correct! I knew it was there when I bought it so was having a moment of madness, durrr! Please excuse my stupidity. lol

No invoice, just the service spec sheet which has the box ticked for 'Replace timing belt at 63000 mile intervals'. Apparently the tick only means check and adjust, top up or report. Guessing I will just have to wait for Lexus Birmingham to shed some light...

Hello! If you had a service done at a Lexus dealer, say the 120K where the timing belt should be changed, would they change the timing belt as a matter of course? Or could you request that they do the rest of the service without the belt change to save money? I am trying to find out whether the belt got changed at this interval on my LS400, the book is stamped and dated 2008 for the 'B' service. I'm waiting for Lexus Birmingham where the service was done to confirm that the belt was done, but thought somebody could maybe let me know if the stamp means it would have definitely been done. I love the car so will get it done if needed but do not want to waste money if it got done 10K miles ago. Many thanks, David...

Howdy!!! Yes you can all stop worrying now, I am out of the car and safely at home! Manipulated things a bit so it meant I had to drive to High Wycombe last night for a fancy dress party, then up this morning to head off from there to Watford, then down to Southampton, then back to Watford and now home in Reading! And yes the LS400 is everything I hoped for, smooth, very quick, and I think I wll be marveling at the little touches of engineering for months to come. Little things like the seatbelt clips lighting up when you open the door, the wipers tucking themselves out of view when not in use, the headlights levelling themselves on start up, the extrodinary stereo!! I could go on but I guess you know all this already... I have already ordered type t-iv for the gearbox so will be flushing that soon to satisfy myself all is well, and also changing the oil filter and putting some top quality oil in. Any sugestions on the oil would be apreciated. Thanks for all your thoughts people...

You live and learn. It was great however it did have a habit of large 'blocks' of wires malfunctioning so you ended up with a windscreen that looked a bit like a zebra crossing on frosty mornings!

Thanks everyone for the welcome and the information. Much appreciated. Interesting to know that there are a few that have gone from the V6 scorpio to the LS400, I guess its a BIG car thing... Yes the wire heated screen was ace for frosty mornings, does the LS not have heated screen? I will also miss the factory fitted parking sensor which had red, amber and green lights on the rear shelf to guide you. Was quite a talking point on mine! This time tomorrow I will have the Lexus on my drive, or more probably be cruising in it. Lets hope it is going to live up to expectations, as you never know whether you have bought a dog or a gem until you pick it up and have a good nose around and drive in it...