larj

Something like this might fit the bill - in the US, but prob something similar to be had locally ... http://www.autoanything.com/products/produ...skins&p_id=1243

You can see the Toyota Japan line up here : http://www.toyota.co.jp/Showroom/carlineup/ and a bit of the Crown history is here : http://www.toyota.co.jp/jp/tech/new_cars/c...tory/index.html

The Crown is used a lot as a taxi cab in Japan - possibly the reason Toyota hasn't released it over here. Bunch of different engines available on the online catalog though, running from what appears to be a 2.5 D-4 (diesel ?) for the Crown Athelete up to the what I think is the LS430 V8 (3UZ-FE ?) on the Crown Majesta (for £30k-ish !!!).

Had my 'R' reg Mk IV just over a year, and it goes beautifully. Had a slight leak causing a rain drip at the passenger side front door tweeter, but a discrete bit of sealant seems to have this fixed. I got the latest CD for the SatNav when I bought my car - worthwhile I felt, but not cheap. At that mileage, I'd be inclined to let a Lexus dealer do a 'B' service on it to give it a thorough going over, if it hasn't recently had one already. Make sure you've got the stereo security code :tsktsk: and the locking wheel nut adapter (if you've got a locking wheel nut). The only other thing I bought was a telescopic wheel nut wrench (£6) and a socket (21 mm I think on the 17'' rims - bigger than most standard wheel nuts which are 17 / 19 mm), the provided wheel nut wrench handle is reasonably short and I was just about jumping up and down on the damn thing trying to get the nuts off without success (dealer used the air wrench to torque up the nuts so tight couldn't shift them !). Hope that helps ! It's a cracking car.

I think these are 21 mm wheel nuts, right ? Could try Toyota since might well be a standard type of nut across the Toyota range, which is probably gonna be cheaper than getting them direct from Lexus. I noticed while in the Toyota dealer the other day that the three pin locking wheel nut is very similar if not identical. Also, reckon these would be an ideal candidate for importing from the States - bit weighty, but a reasonably small packet.

Hey Wacko - thanks for the info. How did you discover this ? Is there a tech bulletin out, or just a garage that knew what to do ? Kinda weird it doesn't happen on all the doors though.

Thanks for that - exactly what I wanted. Don't suppose you've got a page from the service manual showing this procedure ?

Had same prob (tyre width and low front) - went to local sawmill and picked up some hefty hardwood blocks (Ash), a fiver each and each a couple of feet long, then cut a suitable pitch to allow the car up. Does the job.

Hi - just noticed a little leak coming in thru the front passenger door mounted tweeter speaker (the small corner speaker near the window). Anyone had this problem and found a cure ? Looked at the door seal, and don't think it's coming in their, so my best guess at the mo is that the water is coming in at the wing mirror. Car is a MkIV. Thanks for any help.

Post a pic of the Jap label - should be able to translate it for you.

Happy about raising the car up, but once up, want to support it on axle stands so can take the wheels off. Done it before on other cars - used the suspension mounting points - but just wondered if anyone had an opinon on the best / most secure place to put them.

Hi - any one got any thoughts on where is the best place (front and back) to put axle stands to support the car ? Thanks.

When I was looking at front sensors, the comment was that the emitted field tends to project both ways (i.e. outwards and inwards) to an extent, and that the moving parts of the engine might well effect the reading at the front - specific calibration would be needed. Just something to bear in mind.

If they're willing to tick the customs declaration as 'Gift', it'll be duty and vat exempt (Customs might suss if there is a company address on the 'From' label) - this has worked for me in the past for other things. Also, you could ask them to state a lower amount on the customs dec sticker - this has also worked. Shipping companies, like FedEx, pay the vat and duty for you and then ask for the money back - if you can use the regular national postal service, you'll be asked to pay any duty and vat (if charged) in person.

Check out Tutorials, if you haven't seen them already.

Hi - I've got an LS400 with the dynamic handling pack. This has slightly larger rims (17") than the standard LS400. It's running 245/50 ZR 17 Pirellis'. Can anyone tell me definitely what the tyre pressure on these is supposed to be ? The manual with the car gives the tyre pressures for the standard wheels (15" or 16" rims ?). The previous owner/garage has written in that the 17" tyres should be running at 32 psi (normal conditions/normal loads). Just wanted to get this confirmed, if any one can help out.

Also, while looking around under the car, saw a line of four screw holes right at the front in the underside lip on the front bumper (further forward than the first set of front mud flaps), both on the driver's side and the passenger's side. Looks like something was attached here, cos the paint has a bit of rust discoloration. Are there supposed to be scratch plates or something right at the front ?

Thanks for any help.

Thanks for the info - talked to the dealer I bought the car off (Stirling of Worcester) - gotta say, nicest guy to do business with, can't do enough - he agreed right off the bat to pay for a new toolkit from Lexus - not real expensive (Lexus are saying about £60), but this type of customer service makes a real nice change.

Hi - thanks for that info. Don't have the first adaptor. Is it in the toolkit ? If so, I need to call the dealer to find out where this toolkit has gone. Thanks for your help.

Hey - recently got a nice 98 LS400 - has the 17 inch alloys, but these use locking wheel nuts. May seem like a stupid question, but this is the first car I've had with locking wheel nuts and I've no idea how to get them off ! Four of the nuts have circular caps which stick proud of the sides of the nut, and the fifth is just a sided nut which rotates. Have what I've been told is the wheel nut key in the boot - kind of an adaptor socket with three pins recessed in one end - but can't figure out how this is supposed to fit on the nuts - nowhere obvious for the three recessed pins to fit. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Hey - just thought I'd mention that Halifax (www.halifax.co.uk) seem to be doing pretty cheap online insurance at the mo - cheaper than Tesco anyway for my quote. Anyone got any other insurance company/broker to recommend ?

Thanks for the info - noticed the CDs on eBay, which I guess are pretty much the same thing, but way cheaper. The Lexus people were pretty helpful and seem happy to order the manuals, but like you said - probably at a price.

Wildrnes - like the Japanese 'Elegant Toyota' quote !

Hey - found these workshop manuals for the LS400 (seem to cover pretty much all models). Anyone had any experience of these ? Hefty price tag, but worth it if they're proper manuals. Reckon they're for the US version of the LS400 - but don't know if any major diffs.

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookSear...ual&ph=2&bsi=90

Hey - not going to translate the entire manual for you, but if you want to send me a scanned image of the pages you're interested in, or a really clear pic of the screen itself, I'll try and help out with the button meanings.

Hi - looking for a '98 onwards LS400 and one of the checks I would like to do when checking a car out is run the diagnostics routine to see if anything shows up. Is this easy to do ? And if so, how ? With my Subaru, you simply connect a pair of black connectors together under the dash, turn the ignition to ON and watch the check engine light for a flashed code. What's the deal with the LS400 ? Is there a list of fault codes anywhere online ? Also, any advice on higher mileage '98+ LS400 - things to look out for aside from the obvious stuff such as fluid colour/leaks, general wear, etc ? Any help much appreciated.