whysub

I'll be interested in the finish, and if deemed not offensive to ask, the price.

I have the DHP wheels on my LS which are now a bit flakey. I have had the tyres removed and the wheels cleaned on the inside (they were corroded and leaking air).

I am in Great Dunmow, 5 mins from Stansted Airport

I'm near Braintree and I'd be happy to give a third opinion (if needed).

My passport shows I am 50, but I still think I am 25. Own hair, own teeth, dart-player phisique, no caravan.

My bikes give me the lunacy, speed and adreneline rush I need daily. Keeps me young.

My VW van give me the practicality of getting my bikes to and from track days, provides somewhere to sleep, and for the runs to the tip emptyoing all the years of motoring crap that have accumulated in my garage that I'd be too embarrassed to put on eBay.

And my Lexus is there for when I want to have a drive somewhere, just for the hell of it. I've had my fill of cars with rock hard suspension, no creature comforts-the LS is the perfect antidote to all of that.

I hae had a look at the drivers of all Lexus's and we seem a pretty mixed bunch-not at all like Jag drivers!

Insurance is one of those things that used to drive me mad, and as for the comparison websites-I have never found acheaper quote on them than i have going direct to companies (even if they are on compare.com and so on). But find yourself a good broker and they do their best to get you a great quote. I got my Lexus as a second vehicle for £130 I think, and that includes Class 1 Business use (I may need to use it in an emergency for work, and the cost was a few pounds extra, so seemed silly not to take it just in case).

One thing I have noticed is the excesses are creeping up-I run four motorbikes, and this year the excess on two of them (for theft, fire or own damage) are more that the value (and i mean the real cost for me to replace either of them) of them. Can you believe I have a £700 excess on a £500 bike? I don't mind jacking up an excess to keep the cost down, but these are the set exceses!)

I have never claimed off of my own insurance in 34 years-the only claims I have made are on the other parties insurance (and only a couple of them thank God)-and hate to think how much i have shelled out in those years for no "return".

My 1995 LS also has the same problem, as well as the lights under the gear shifter being out. My clocks have never blinked.

Be interested on what lurks behind and beneath before I attempt to fix them (or rather get a workmate to fix them).

I rang the nearest Lexus dealer to me today to enquire about buying a remote, as my attempts to get one second hand has proved fruitless and frustrating.

I was told the price, and before I could order one, they needed to see the V5 and my driving licence (seems a good security thing to me), and so I paid Ipswich Lexus a visit.

They took my details and the parts bloke disappeared for a couple of minutes, then came back with the parts manager. He was concerned that the remote i wanted to order was not suitable for my car (despite seeing it on the Lexus parts computer. He then insisted on seeing the car before he would do so.

On inspection he saw the bracket for the alarm horn and checked it all through. It appears that there was an alarm fitted but this has been removed, including the wiring (there is a hole in the inner wing where the wires would have fed (which is just what simontaylor said in this very thread). So, it would appear that the car had a Scorpion alarm fiited by the dealer before delivery, and this alarm has been removed at sometime. And he told me what excellent condition my car was in, which was good to hear.

However, when I tried to program the fob I had, I went through all the procedures (key in, lock and unlock doors five times and so on). At one stage (switching the ignoition on and off I think) the car made a loud beep noise. It also has the volume control at the bottom of the dash.

So where do I go from here? Do I just have another alarm fitted that has a remote to lock and lock the doors, or do I risk buying a Lexus remote, in view of the paragraph above this one? I popped into a local audio/alarm fitter who quoted me £250 to fit a basic alarm!!!!!!! Make the Lexus fob from the dealer look cheap!

EDIT Had a ring around today and found a fitter who will fit the car with remote locking for less than a Lexus remote from the dealer. Hopefully be all sorted on Tuesday.

I'd have thought the more curtious thing to do would be contact the previous owner or garage and see if they are missing a key.

When I purchased the car the owner (who had owned it a while) said that there was a fob in the glovebox that he was given (I presume by the owner before him), but he had never tried it out as it had no power. I put a new Battery in it and the red light lit when a button was pressed. It was only then I was told it would not work with the LS400.

If I thought that he left it in the car by accident (he now has a Soarer) I would of course have returned it to him.

Still doesn't get me any closer to getting a remote fob for my car though.............

I have been told that when the LS400s were imported in 1995, the dealers had the alarms fitted to meet the Thatcham cat-1 standard. Normally they are located behind the glove box. To install the alarm, the fitter had to cut into the main loom and only black wires are used to wire it it, so as it is harded to bypass by a theif.

Getting the glove box out is pretty eacy, 2 nuts and a about 5 screws.

I have 2 LS400s, the one registered in March 95 (VIN JT153 2000 0146xx) has a Scorpion 5000 Alarm with 2 button remote, and other registered in Feb 95 (VIN JT153 2000 00045xx) has a clifford alarm, not sure of model number but instruction booklet has copyright 2001 on the back, so i suspect it is an aftermarket model.

"maybe" bacause your car is Jan 95, it might not have had a Thatcham alarm fitted, just missing the January start.

Hopefully the alarm horn in the engine bay can provide some clues, otherwise a gentle call to Lexus GB might help if they have records from 1995, they will ask you for the VIN. But the little key on your keyring is the same as my Scorpion horn key. await your feedback.

That's interesting information. I have all the Lexus service receipts from new, but nothing ever mentions anything about an alarm. Howver, every year the invoices show a "Remote Battery Change"-maybe the alarm remote?

I am working away at the moment, but as soon as I get home I'll have a good look under the bonnet and will remove the glovebox to have a look for wiring. For what it is worth, the car was registered very early in Jan 1995.I am intrigued now, and a call to Lexus will be made very soon-the original owner spent a fortune on servicing and keeping the car in A1 condition, so they maybe willing to assist.

Looking at the little round key that you also show, I suspect that you have an alarm under the bonnet, probably under the foot of the windscreen on tha passenger side. This little round key is to silence the car alarm siren. You may also see some estra wires entering the main loom which goes into the cabin here too.

What month of 1995 is your car.

1995 was when lexus and Thatcham started installing cat-1 alarms. look here for some more details/clues.

http://www.thatcham.org/security/pdfs/compliance.pdf

Page 17 lists LS400 1995 twice, 3rd and 8th rows down. I have a Scorpion unit and can give some advice if you wish.

There is a bracket right where you said! It lookslike where an alarm siren sat, but not looked too closely for any extra wiring. There is nothing in the cabin of the car that would indicate a switch or anything-maybe why it did not come with the proper Lexus remorte? Mine was registered in January 1995.

The key fob you have is only able to be used with an LS460 or LS600h no other LS will take this type of fob as far as I know.

My Dad has had a new LS every year since 1990 and the first one with such a key fob was the LS460.

I think it was left in your car by mistake...

You should check that, because if someone has misplaced that key, it is a VERY big deal to get replaced...

Thanks for that-I was told by someone on clublexus.com it was for an ES350-anyway, sold it on eBay for £26.00 (simply advertised as a Lexus remote)stating in MAYBE one from an ES. If someone knew what is was for, then they have got a bargain.

I still can't find one for my LS anywhere-looks like the main dealer will be getting my money (as a very last resort (although I could drop it in at an alarm place to have a look at).

Hi,

Good choice mate.

The illumination on the stereo and gear box.....it usually links to a blinky dash board. the dash starts blinking occasionally, mainly when cold then eventually (after 18mths) it will go off all if not most of the time.

I had my dash fixed and it cured the center console too.

The maplight should just be a bulb, if not pull the housing out and check the connector behind.

I get dodgy window switches too and the passenger door sometimes wont open/lock with the rest and i have to put the key in to work it.

Check if you can get all the ball joints re-greased, you have to buy control arms if they go and it can get expensive as you should replace both sides together wether both have gone or not.

I know what u mean about the wires but its all i can do, ive seen some replacement radios making the dash look cheap with crappy surrounding...

Dash board is fine-no blinking at all, but then it may do when the weather is cold, but i have no reason to thik it will.

Maplight wasn't the bulb-the switch is broken inside, but i'll get one from a breakers somewhere. All windows 100% (as in fact everything else appears to be). Ball joints replaced at MOT time in January this year.

And you are right, changing the stereo will ruin the asthetics of the interior-I'm sure there is a way around it using a decent transmitter.

And kpnuts-the series III doesn't have a chip in the key that I can se or have read about-ther remote just locks and unlocks the doors, the key does the same and starts the car (like ordinary keys always used too!)

My recently acquired 1995 Mk III now on 221,000 miles. Looks and feels like it has done a quarter of that.

I purchased the passenger door window switch, lock and "wood" plate from a trader on eBay for a fiver (buy It Now price too) on Sunday. It arrived this morning, and is immaculate. Trader name is http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/jhp_engines/ and he has lots of Lexus stuff. Well worth contacting him.

I've only had my LS a couple of weeks, and I have fallen for it. I like my luxury cars, and have had all sorts, but my last two caqrs were a Merc and a Jag. My 1990 model Merc was a good car-very reliable, but in 2.0 guise a bit slow off the mark. I sold it in 2007 when I bought my VW van and used that as it was a rolling restoration job, meaning the car satg doing nothing for months on end. At least i sold the Merc for a very tidy profit.

Didn't have a car for a while, the van sufficed, but then I needed a car where I could take 4 passengers, and for some reason thought a Jag would be ideal. It was not. It was unreliable-one problem after another, both minor and fairly major. I also found out that rear leg room isn't what I thought it would be. Within two months I had had enogh, and sold it for a fair loss.

I don't really know what made me think of an LS400. I have never driven a Lexus of any type before, but when i researched it via the web, I found nothing but good things about the marque, the LS in particular. Build quality is far above any other car I can afford. Mine has 221,000 miles on the clock-the interior (which is always the giveaway on high mileage cars) is unmarked-looks like the interior of a 30,000 mile car. The bolsters on the drivers seat are superb. Even my Merc seat had worn through here. The exterior is equally immaculate, bar the splitter on the front bumper being missing, but I'll sort that

The LS seems to be one of the best luxury cars you can buy on the used market, and prices are so low (compared with others with far less presence). Is the Lexus a secret that is just known to those in the know?

My recently acquired LS400 had a remote fob in the glovebox with a flat Battery. I have replaced the Battery but it seems the remote is from an ES350 model and cannot be programmed o my 400. This is available for sale/swap.

So does anyone have a remote fob for a 1995 (series 3) for sale, or know where I could obtain one?

Thank you.

I just called. It seemed too good to be true. It was.

96, Ls400, on drive, 6 years NC, CB post code location (low risk), Over 50 driver only, no business. Tried them with £1500 value for the test with one expired SP30. No accidents.

£397.95

Refused to consider putting the classic van on as an extra and were talking about £160 on top.

R.H. Only deal with Equity Red Star and are not brokers for any other insurer.

What was you quote for exactly? You appear to have done well.

I have insured my LS as my second car (which it is-my 1993 VW van is my main 4 wheeled vehicle). I have a clean licence (for the first time since 1978), am <cough cough> 50 years old, have no accidents or claims, live in CM post code, will do less than 4,000 miles per year and am in a clerical job. I do travel around the UK from office to office, so business use could come in handy. I suppose I am seen as a small risk by RH.

I also own 4 motorbikes (2 are 1000 cc), and pay a ridiculously low prenium to insure them.

I am suprised he got any bids

It's been my experience of eBay that descriptions of stuff I have purchased have been accurate,nearly all of which I never viewed before auction closed as I trusted the written description. Had the descriptions been a tissue of inaccuracies (like this one) I'd have no worry about walking away without buying. I have purchased a few cars, my van and half a dozen or so motorbikes this way without a single problem. Or have I been extremely lucky?

If I was still looking for an LS (I fortunately I found and purchased an almost perfect one-which was better thazn the description), I would probably have had A bid on it. What I would have said when I turned up to collect it would have been something else!

Hi just noticed some of the photos are from the car at Enfield car auction ( the sales side not the car park) he didn,t make a lot of profit on that as it sold for £450. If its half way as good as he says someone got a good deal.

Trust me, it the only stunning thing about this car is that the description bares no relation to the car. I'm just stunned he could claim it is! Leather badly marked and worn through, gear lever looks like a dog ate it, filthy carpets, 3 mm left on all 4 tyres (it had no new ones on it when i viewed it), every wheel badly kerbed, paint on the rear arches bubbling, patches or peeled laquer-need I go on? Looking forward to reading the feedback. And he is a trader, not a private seller, although I am not sure if he is breaching eBay rules. I hope the buyer refuses to accept it-it is definately NOT as described. Especially with photos of a Saab interior.

I had a look at this car.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LEXUS-LS-400-1993-K-...3A2%7C294%3A100

It was for sale by the trader at just over a £1,000 on Autotrader. I'm no car expert, but I know the difference between immaculate and worn.

Caveat emptor!

I collected my car on Thursday night and drove some 200 miles honme (it should have been 96 miles). It drtives so smoothly and qiuetly, no squeaks or rattles (unlike the Jag). This was quite disturbing at first, especially sat at traffic lights wondering if it was still running. The car is in really excellent condition all round-the interior belies the 221,000 miles now on the clock.

However, this being a sub £1,000 car there were bound to be faults, and I hae found a few, none of which detract from the pleasure of owning this car. I am hoping people on here can point me in the right direction to sort them out:

• The main overhead light does not work (but both map lights do, as do all the other interior lights)
  

• No backlight on the stereo LCD panel nor on the gear selector
  

• The Motorola phone will not switch on (no loss really, but if it is there, why not have it working?)
  

• The locks operate with just this key-I don't think it is chipped
  

• There was this fob in the armrest. Is it the right typefor a '95 model? I have seen the reprogramming instructons on clublexus.com for an ES300-will the same work on my 1995 LS400? And how do I put in a fresh battery-there is no obvious place for it o go (and no marks on the fob anywhere to indicate where it should go)?
  

And the radio is excellent as the sound clarity is better than EVERY standard car set up I have played. I'am sure that it can be improved with amps and speakers, so will leave it in place. And thanks Manc for the iPod suggestion, although with the 6 CD changer being in the glovebox (as oppossed to being in the boot as was the case in all my other cars) means they can be changed easily, and I just HATE trailing wires).

And it has just occurred to me, that out of the 30 odd cars I have owned or run as company cars, not one has been Japanse (but I have owned 60 or so Japanese motor bikes).

I collected the car last night and driving it exceeded my expectations-it is simply superb.

Just insued my LS400-cost an extra £30 over the cost of the policy for the Jag (£136). And this is a second vehicle that is NOT garaged, fully comp, £60 windscreen excess, free legal cover, drive other vehicles, and , never had this before, business cover, which, though I would rarely use it, is handy if the van is off the road.

Insurance companies don't care abot those they insure-they are ther to make their shareholders money, but a good broker has to look after their customers. So remember RH Specialist Car Division (01277 206911) when it comes to renewal.

Hi you shouldn't need to upgrade the stereo they are superb in ls400s

Granted, the standard system sounds fantastic compared to many standard car set ups-maybe it's because the car is so quiet when it is running The trouble is that in my VW van I have an in-dash DVD/CD/MP3/WMA player which is brilliant and it has an MP3 socket on the front for my iPOd and a socket for the playstation. I'll live with it for a while and see how it plays out (excuse the pun).

Picking it up tomorrow-can't believe I am so excited about picking up a car, let alone one that is costing under a grand. Even stranger when you consider that when I was a rep I was given a brand new car every 6 to 9 months, and i had Saabs, BMW's, and Audi's.

I had a Merc 190E I bought purely to get me home from Birmingham (I detest trains)-it was a fantastic buy. Bought for £300 via an ad in a local paper. What the ad didn't say was ity had full factory fitted AMG bodykit and wheels, leather and aircon. It felt like it was hewn from granite, but slow as ****. However, trolling about at 80 mph was fine. Have use of a E320at work-horrible car, dash sems to have been made from recycled plastic coffee cups by the feel of it. 4 years old and looks 14.

I thought I researched Jags fully before buying mine, but obviously not enough! It drove really nicely, once, but only the once. Problem after niggle after problem after niggle finished it for me. I like the look of the Jag, and as i said, the ride was superb.

I have always wanted a V8, and that was the only reason that the LS came into consideration-even though I was not drawn in by it's lookswhen i looked here and on clublexus.com I found so many owners who have nothing but praise for their cars. I've read all the sites mentioned and had noted down all the common faults (none of which seem to be too bad-well, not when compared to the Jag). I looked and looked at loads of ads, asked loads of questions and seen a number of them. My one has full (Lexus) history, cam belt and water pump only just done, upper control arms 10,000 miles ago. It's done 220,000 miles but doesn't feel or look like it. Interior has some wear, but has been well looked after with leather feed. Aircon regassed this year and so on. I am hoping that i won't have to spend any money on it for a while (apart from different wheels, maybe upgrade the stereo and ........no, no, i must resist). Some of the modded one's look fantastic, but never noticed one in the UK-perhaps I'll "see" LS's now!

I'll post some photos at the weekend, once I have it cleaned and polished it to my satisfaction.

Thanks for the info given in this thread, and i have had many happy hours reading through this site.

I have just sold my 1994 Jaguar Soverieign (and glad to be shot of it to be honest, despite the fact it has a lovely ride quality). My VW T4 van is my main four wheeler, as well as my motorbikes, but there are times when I need to take four passengers, and as i don't do too many miles each year, fuel costs are not too much of a worry, whereas comfort is (Escort diesel-no thanks). I was trolling around for a later Jaguar or maybe a Mercedes for a week or so, but calling in to a mate's paintshop to see if he knew of anything up for sale in the trade, he showed me LS430 he had in for repair, and was telling me what great cars they were, and that 400's were very cheap (and well within my budget). Then I found this site and have been reading up on the 400's, and it seems that there is not a bad word said about them.

So I've had a look at a few from both from private and trade sellers and thought the standard and drive of the car very good. i resisted the urge to buy the firt one I saw, but with hindsight it was an excellent example that maybe I should have bought on the spot. However, i kept looking and found a 1991 model advertised on a well known car website. I rang the seller who assurred me the car was like new, with one owner and service history.

So i made a 300 mile round trip, money in my hand. What a bare faced liar the trader was, and the car was nothing like the desription. Checking round it the radio not working, nor the aircon, the car was filthy inside, the gear lever leather half eaten away, the drivers seat bolster had a big hole in it, the cloc=k and climarte control panels were black (but this I can accept). The exterior was no better, with all 4 wheels having either big lumps out of them or kerbed to near destruction, and one rear tyre was a completely different size from the other. It had paint blistering on one rear wheel arch, and the nearside front wing, the bonnet struts were weak and wouldn't hold the bonnet up, the boot could not be opened at all, and laquer was peeling in several places. There was only the current MOT (no earlier ones) and about six tatty invoices for oil changes, but nothing else. He seemed to know nothing about the carThen the test drive. The dash would not light up ("they were working this morning"), and I was surprised at how much engine noise I could hear when running, alhough it seemed to drive well. i never drove it, but the seller did, and he wasn't much of a driver, as at the end of the drive he whacked the wall with it, putting a great big scrape down the offside drivers and passenger door. Serves him right for wasting my time.

Compare this to the 1995 i have bought. The description wasn't much, but as it was not far away it was worth a look as the price was good. The car has definately been under described (been advertised for two weeks and I was the first viewer) and so I snapped it up. It looks and drives beautifully and I cannot wait to pick it up. Photos will be posted when i get her.......

I have my 1994 Jaguar Sovereign insured through RH Specialist Car Division (01277 206911) as a second vehicle (my main car is my VW T4 van) and I paid £106 per annum fully comp with a 5,000 mile agreed limit. Read through the policy and it covers me really well.

Sold the Jaguar this week. Lovely car to drive but they do have a number of common faults-my car seemed to suffer from EVERYONE of them. One would occur so I'd fix it, then the next one would happen, and so on and so on, hence I have sold it. Looking forward to collecting my LS400 this week!