Rodney

My '98 has them.

Never used them before but now wouldn't be without them.

Rod

Sorry to hear about your mishap Steve.

As I understand the insurance rules, you must tell your insurers but in view of the fact that the other driver has made a written statement admitting liability I would be inclined to tell them that you are not making an official claim at this stage. You should then obtain a quote and send it direct to the other person, advising him that you require payment. It is then up to him whether he pays direct or gets his insurers to pay you.

Good luck with getting your van fixed

Rod

Spot on Sir John. An Audit trail of words and actions is absolutely essential.

I just hope the law comes down hard on the uninsured and drunk drivers especially during the festive period.

Don't hold your breathe mate. They first have to be caught and the police are too busy making TV shows emphasising how inept they are to be out there looking after you and me.

Rod

Sorry to hear of your problems chaps.

Having spent over 30 years in the courts, including the High Court, as an Expert Witness in property related matters I have learned quite a lot about how the legal system works. CB1300 - I would suggest that you take legal advice - with most good lawyers the first session is usually free - and chase your uninsured guy through civil action. In simple terms, if push comes to shove, a court will instruct the guy's employers to pay you out of his wages.

For OluGTR, I cannot advise but if it is any consulation - on the Monday evening before Christmas, another vehicle bumped my parked car right on the offside corner of the rear bumper, bruising the paintwork and making a hole about the size of a ten pence piece. I hope that the bar steward has a rotten 2010.

BTW - I advise everyone to steer clear of the so-called legal people who want to represent you following a claim. If they are qualified, in my opinion they shouldn't be - they are cr*p. When one of my Scorpios was written off, they wanted me to accept the insurer's first offer with nothing for my Lady Friend who had suffered whiplash. I told them to go where the sun does not shine and I ended up talking to a high ranking decision maker in the defendant's insurance company who was very happy to amicably settle for FOUR time their first offer for the car and considerably more for my Lady Friend.

Rod

Hi Ed and welcome to the site.

That's a nice looking motor you have there. I am sure that you will enjoy wafting around in it.

Any questions or queries, fire away in the LS400 section and I am sure that the resident experts will help you out.

:)

Rod

We all should know how feedback is essential for the wellbeing of our 'experts' and here is what I hope is a conclusion to my problems.

The first reply to my original post was from Redsteve

Hi Rod,

I recently put a new battery on my MK IV and all I did was connect the battery terminals and then put the key in the ignition and turned it to the on position (where the key rests while the engine is running) and then left well alone for 6 minutes. I then turned off the ignition and then tried to start the car normally.

The car started first time and has been running perfectly ever since with no alarm issues or key fob problems.

If you followed these instructions and still had your problems then I have no idea what the cause my be...sorry.

If you did something different then maybe you should disconnect the battery and start again.

Hope this helps.

Redsteve.

I duly followed these instructions...............................NOT ...... see later

Went out Christmas morning to find the new Battery so flat that it couldn't even make the solenoid click and so I took it off and given it a good charge.

Went out this morning and reconnected the Battery and duly followed Steve's instructions again ...EXCEPT THAT THIS TIME I TURNED THE KEY TO ON AND NOT ACC AS I HAD DONE BEFORE. .............. as Delboy would say to Rodney..........."What a plonker"

The burps and whirrs as various things reset and lights flashed on and off for the heating/air con were reassuring. All went quiet after about two minutes but I didn't dare touch anything for the 6 minutes stipulated by Steve.

Everything now works as it should and if I have brightened your day by saying this Redsteve I can only say that you deserve it for your patience.

Cheers mate

Rod

And a great crimbo to you Steve.

Rather than risk further annoyance to my neighbours, I will leave the car alone until next week and hope that you or someone else has some further thoughts on my plight.

Rod - I'm the one on the right :winky:

I wish everyone a peaceful and joyous Christmas and everything you wish for yourselves in 2010

Rod

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply RedSteve. Your efforts to help are very much appreciated. I have added my replies to your last post

Hello again Rodney,

this is probably a stupid question, but, are you 100% sure the central locking and the switches on the driver's door were working before the battery was changed?

It is certainly not a stupid question although I do feel that it shows that you are getting the true measure of my mechanical ability :winky: Everything was working correctly before the battery change

Assuming that they were then I can't see that you have done anything wrong in reconnecting the battery. On my MK IV there are two yellow stickers near the battery (one above it and one below it) telling you how to connect the battery and then wait for six minutes before trying to start the car.

Maybe the cold weather has made some part of the wiring loom contract and so it is not making a connection in the door switch panel.

I haven't got any yellow stickers near my battery Can I borrow yours? Before I do something that will stop the car from starting altogether, can you confirm that it would be OK to disconnect the negative side, then reconnect and then leave for 6 minutes before starting

Do the windows work from the other switches in the car?They did but not now

Does the central locking work if you flick the switch on the inside of the driver's door?It did but not now

If these functions work from a different source then it sort of points to a specific switch failure.

BTW. I am a Whitevanman and if I had hit your car (or anyone else's) I would have left my details, we are not all goons.

Sorry - no offence intended. Anyway, you are also a Lexus driver and Clarkson believes that we are all honourable Freemasons. The guy who visits our narrow residential street several times a week regularly draws attention to himself and is currently driving on the untreated ice faster than I do during the summer.

Redsteve.

Just thought of a couple of other malfunctions since changing the Battery. The steering wheel does not withdraw from the driving position when the key is removed from the ignition and the ignition switch does not illuminate on entry. I hope that this information is helpful

I await further instructions

Rod

Happy outcome Phil.

Now you can go for a spin

Rod

Thanks Steve

OK, let me summarise.

After a Battery change I can now unlock the doors by hand and start the engine without the alarm horn blaring as I drive halfway down the street. Then I have been fiddling about trying to get the remote fob buttons working without success.

But this morning, it has struck me that the central locking does not work and the door locking and window buttons on the driver’s door are not working. So does this mean that there is some procedure regarding the Battery connection that I haven’t done? I also recall that there were a series of beeps which seemed to come from the front of the engine bay when the old Battery was disconnected.

I have seen a procedure for Battery connection somewhere in these forums but I typically cannot find it despite doing numerous Searches. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

Rod

BTW, some nice person clouted the corner of my rear bumper sometime last night and buggered off without leaving any sort of note. The paint is ‘bruised’ and there is a round crack about the size of a 10p piece. The list of suspects is headed by the local whitevanman.

Could be that Steve2006 has bribed 39Bus to keep showing us his clean engine bay.

Rod

Another thing that is baffling me is how can I practice my handbrake turns in the snow?

Slip it into netural and stamp on the "clutch"

I've been doing pizza delivery int he snow not had any problems beyond moany customers...

:D :D :D :D

Brilliant John :winky:

I intend to try to arrange a meet in the New Year where all the members with that special sense of humour that some of us recognise will be especially welcome. I have a good venue in mind with large car park and very cheap but excellent Sunday lunch and will, as befitting a relative newbie, ask permission from those Mods who must be obeyed first................ honest.

Rod

Good morning all.

OOOOOOH DEAR

Here’s a tale that is sure to make you all feel better – knowing that there is a LOC member who is possibly more stupid than you. (This topic is open for discussion)

I went out at 07.30 this morning with the intention of seeing if I could run the engine for ten minutes to warm the cabin and de-ice the car in readiness for collecting the Lady Friend. I also had some trepidation that the alarm would go off again and really upset my neighbours.

Picture the scene

T’was a lovely morning with freshly laid snow across the street………….All was quiet and peaceful …… Looking like a Dickensian picture – except for the parked cars and a couple of abandoned wheely bins pretending to be snowmen ………. Enough of that sentimental crap. Bah …. Humbug

Anyway, I unlocked the drivers door with the key, got in and said a small prayer before turning the key. WHEY HEY - The alarm did not sound and the engine fired first time – so thank you once again RedSteve.

Now for the embarrassing bit. As I was brushing off the snow, I noticed that the bonnet was not shut properly. I remember that I needed two attempts to release the boot lid from by the drivers seat yesterday to get my friend’s Christmas pressies out and I must have pulled the bonnet release by mistake. DORRH

So there was I last night, sat in the dark and thinking rude thoughts about Steve2006 as I followed his instructions about rubbing my head and tummy in different directions whilst at the same time opening and closing …. Or should that be closing and opening …. the driver’s door when the process was unlikely to be successful whilst the bonnet was ajar. Sorry Steve…..I beg your forgiveness m8

So it’s out later to try the remote programming procedure again.

Watch this space

Rod

In a word...........................................

Well that was an unmitigated disaster.

................................................................ No

Rod

Well that was an unmitigated disaster.

I have told you on several occasions that i am a MECHANICAL DUNCE :shutit: :shutit:

I went out and did the 'Remote Programming' bit of your post Steve6 which left me very cold and now I am having to force down my third glass of Mr McKay and his very good friends lotion with some crabbies ginger wine to disguise the taste. How could you? :D

Rod :hohoho:

Mines no better, even with traction control it's impossible to get any forward or backwards movement with anything but idle throttle levels,another problem with automatics is even when applying the brakes the drive is still being applied to the rear wheels.

The best thing to do is practice with a fully laden supermarket trolley as the handling characteristics are the same

Mine is exactly the same and your comparison of LS handling to a supermarket trolley is spot on Steve. :D :D

My advice to you DaveB is to keep away from supermarkets Seriously, you must drive within the limits of your car and yourself and not be bullied by people in cars that handle better and try to make you go faster. If push comes to shove, offer them a race next summer.

Another thing that is baffling me is how can I practice my handbrake turns in the snow?

Rod

Hi,

Sorry can't really help here on this one, but can try and amuse you, was it fishtailing before you changed the battery??? :D

Blimey, where did you come from Steve2006? Have you got a bleeper to warn you when I am asking my stupid questions? :winky:

Fishtailing - apparently it's a modern term describing a cars reaction to what us 'older' 'more mature' rally co-drivers used to call 'flat.'

Anyway, just read your additional post and it is just as well that it is dark.... jumping in and out of the car and opening and closing the doors........ well I ask you

I'll have you know that I took a sample with me to hospital this morning without you wanting to take some more.

Well here goes Mr Naive again. I'll let you know

Rod

Thanks for that Steve. As (I understand) us street cruisers (are allegedly supposed to) say "Yo da Man." :winky:

Just went out, armed with Kitchen timer set to 7 minutes. Remembered your instructions to switch off before trying to start - and - it started on the key without the alarm horn sounding. B)

There is still the lesser problem of the fob not activating the open/close mechanisms but at least I can manually lock the car tonight and go and collect the Lady Friend from her home tomorrow without annoying my neighbours with the alarm.

Any thoughts on the ongoing fob opening/closing problem would be appreciated.

Thanks

Rod

OK I give up.

I replaced the Battery on my Mk IV LS400 yesterday and naively thought that the fob and alarm/immobiliser would reset themselves, as the old Scorpio used to. But I guess that you lot know differently.

I have taken the Lady Friend out to lunch today with friends and had to start the out and return journey’s with the alarm horn sounding for the first 100 yards or so with me driving like I stole it whilst fishtailing along the icy roads. All good fun but not ideal. So can someone please either tell me in simple terms how to reset the fob and alarm or point me at the relevant thread for the Mk IV.

Thanks

Rod

Thanks for that Pete

I will pass that information to my garage when I have the work done next Spring.

Rod

Thanks 39Bus and welcome

And congratulations on the MOT

I don't know about everyone else but I am enjoying reading about your rescue work on your Mk111. As a mechanical dunce, I always admire people who are handy with tools.

Having owned my MkIV since August, I am STILL trying to find out how to remotely open my boot without first remotely unlocking the doors so that the alarm does not go off.

Some pics of your motah would be good, innit :winky:

Rod

Welcome home David

That was some opening series of journeys !!!! :D :D

I bet that there is no way that you would had planned them in the Scorp

Nice to hear that everything went smoothly

Rod

I thought that only happened to me Graham :duh: :duh:

So your guess is that David is sleeping in the car

:(

Rod

Oh dear. Should we be worried about David?

Has the SatNav lead him astray?

Or is he reading the manuals and sleeping in it.

Cooeeeee David

Rod