jac430

Thank you for the very clear pictures! Jac

I looked and my 2004 has no relay in that position. The airco is working perfectly. Could be that that specific relay is only for the UL-version with a separate airco compressor in the back. (Which mine does not have.) Hop this helps. Jac

Several on Ebay (non-original). F.e.: 251192662110 I bought a different one via ebay in Hong Kong (colour of my LS430 is 8P8), and the match is good). Hope this helps. Jac

Toyota/Lexus originally has KYB shocks. I have a photo of KYB on the original shock of my 2004 LS430 and a photo of the replacement (original Toyota) shock. The label on the old one sys KYB and on the new one both Toyota and KYB. I am not handy in uploading the pics, but can send them to you by mail if you want. Hope this helps. Jac

Sorry, but another thought comes to mind: Did you waggle the steering wheel, in order to be able to turn the key? Jac

It may seem trivial, but have you tried locking the car with the remote, opening it again and tried if it would start? Jac

The same in this country: if the item is 22 Euros or over you pay over the total amount of the item + shipping! Plus, of course, a handling and shipping fee.... Grmpf^$&%$&!@@!*& Jac

Yes, it seems a bit different from the LS430. I looked it up in the Toyota/Lexus catalogue and indeed it seems that you would have to replace the whole assy. The actual air flow meter sensor is quite small. I made a photo of the interior of the sensor in my LS430 (which is in the air stream): You could try cleaning it with a spray can of MAF cleaner, if you have not done that already. Sorry I can't be of more help to you. Jac

My LS430 has a Toyota Denso air flow meter. The brand is clearly visible: I suppose the LS400 is similar. Jac

Congrats, Ruud! Very nice car. Good find! Yes, some more (a lot more..) photos wouldn't go amiss. I wish you good luck and lots of safe driving and fun with it. Jac

Good point Mike. My previous car (Renault Safrane V6 aut from 1992) also had separate controls for driver and passenger side. But only one "room" temp.sensor. I always wondered how it worked out the different temperatures for L and R .... Maybe the sensors in the ducts help in the calculation of this. Jac

Hello Mike. Hope this helps a bit for the location of the sensors: Jac

Due to problems with my air shocks L-front and R-rear, I have ordered new ones. Instead of the ordered 48010-50140 I have received 48010-50130. Also ordered 48080-50140 and received 48080-50130. Can anyone inform me about the difference between the ...-50130 and ...-50140 items? Can I use them mixed? If not, why not? Thanks for your help! Jac

I am terribly sorry. The parts catalog returns with: "appropriate vehicle cannot be found with the information you provided"... With my LS430, there is a sticker in the drivers' door opening that contains the information as well. Mine reads under the heading "c/tr" (colour/trim ?): 8P8 /LA07. And that indeed corresponds with the outside colour (8P8) and the leather colour (07). Hope this helps a bit. Sorry again about the EPC. I expected it to give all required info... Jac

If you PM me the VIN, I can most likely look it up for you in the Electronic Parts Catalog. It works for my car. When I input the VIN, it gives the colour and trim colour. Jac

Hello Mike, I fully agree about the width of the seats. This looks in accordance with the retractable steering wheel; a feature that I do not need. I am quite small and lean, so initially I had my reservations about the wide seats. Though they do not give the side-support that I like (and that I was used to) I still find them very comfortable. My back does not have the right shape, and is very critical in this respect. In the LS430 however, I can drive larger stretches without having back pain than in any other car I tried. Still, for me the seats would have been even more comfortable if they were designed for people that don't have the width and weight of the standard fat executive :winky:;-) Jac

I definitely like the lumbar support. As you know there are two of them, above each other (low in the back). In fact the seating position was the main reason for me to choose the LS430. I tried a lot of different cars, but none had the (for my back!) good support that my troubled back desperately needs. Before the LS430 I drove a Renault Safrane V6 aut, which was very comfortable. Ride quality and seating matches the LS430. No other car that I tried matched it. The settings for the 2 lumbar supports do require some fiddling though. It took some time before I had the "ideal" position of seat, back and lumbar supports. Hope this helps a bit. Jac

2 new struts ordered at cheaptoyotaparts. Will post how it went when they arrive. Jac ___

HELP!!! My air suspension does not ride as it should do. I asked a mechanic that I trust to have a look and he immediately found that the left-side front and right-side back shocks do not work properly. (No leaks visible.) I am able to find a used left-side front one in this country, so I am still looking for a right-side back..... Some people have converted to springs, so there might be one available somewhere. Who can help me? BTW: which part numbers am I looking for? (left front and right back complete strut) Are the right and left front different? Same question for the back struts. Thanks for your help! It is a 2004 LS430 with air suspension. Jac

Ruud, I find it stunningly beautiful! It keeps the fine looks of the LS400 and updates it at the same time. Good choice! Jac

I suppose it will attract lots of attention. Mainly from the police ;) In this car you don't need the V8 engine. The frequent stops by the police will lower your average to below that of the odd bicycle. Jac

Peter, in my view you should not always compare the repair costs to the value of the car, but to what it would cost you to get a car that is exactly as good and reliable. You probably can find a (much) cheaper car for less than the price of one (big) repair job, but my experience is that that car usually also is in need of (big?) repairs. Or is not running so smoothly as the car you already have. You can always be lucky of course... I agree that there is a point of saying goodbye to your trusty old friend. But if the repair costs are halfway acceptable to you, you at least know that the rest of the car (and all of it if you do repair) is in good condition. When you buy a new or almost new car, like a large part of the car buyers, the depreciation alone is more than regular larger repairs. And you drive a car that is a lot more comfortable, but not so "trendy". Hope this helps you to come to the right conclusion for yourself. Good luck with these tough decisions. Jac p.s. I recently let my old car (not Lexus, but to me super comfortable) go and bought a 2004 LS430 for an amount of money I could have kept the old car running forever.... I am still not certain that I made the right decision.

Hi Ruud, Then I did not read the thread carefully enough... sorry for the confusion. Interesting but annoying phenomena in your LS though... Jac

Hi Ruud, I did not read all in this thread completely, so please bear with me if I overlooked something. Stupid remark maybe, but are you 100% sure that the air you get is indeed flowing through the heater matrix? It looks somehow that the air starts flowing through the heated matrix (=hot air), and after 10-15 secs gets from somewhere else (= not hot air)? I do not know how the heater and control system in the Lexus works, but in my previous car, stepper motors moved vanes that mixed airflow from an air channel through the heater and a channel with direct outside air. (I do not recall where the a/c matrix was involved in this.) If the airflow starts through the heater, and very soon changes to come from an other direction, this would comply with your findings. Hope it helps a bit... Jac

I must admit that you most certainly have a point. I tried it on for size (please accept my apologies for my clumsy drawing-capabilities... it is just to give myself an idea how it probably could look). And came to the following: If the original grille would have no logo, the add-on mascotte certainly would look much more acceptable, but the grille and front of the car is not to my taste: So, all in all, I think no, not for an LS430. Jac