maneesh

dude, that's a :tsktsk: con...anyone would think that lexus make car parts out of gold, given the prices they try and charge... my first thought is whether you can find an auto electrical shop that can sell you a similar connector. secondly, secondly, try ebay for cheap wiring looms (they sometimes supply new wiring looms for retrofitting HID headlights) thirdly, if worst comes to worst, try ordering the loom from the US, should be cheaper than UK sourced parts. good luck! M ah, or you could find a salvage yard with a LS400 and get them to sell you the wiring loom!

Andy Sounds like you got a good deal then!

if the car has been looked after from day 1, then the auto box should be fine. In the US a 1990 LS400 is on 555k and still the original auto and engine. Get the car inspected or look at previous bills etc to make sure fluids have been changed, but it's a very long lasting car if it's maintained properly. On another contentious point, LS400s are in a different league from Legends. Lexus REDEFINED the luxury saloon when they brought out the first LS400.. Hondas are nice and reliable too, but was the 180k Legend well treated from day 1? Can understand your fear though, since if you need a new engine or auto box on the LS400, you need a second mortgage!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I heard about that system in the US too. I have never heard of it working here. Has anyone tried it? Can't we organise a group buy from the US for things like pads, discs, cambelts, etc. ? Easy way to get even cheaper parts!!!

See my posting in suspension section for details on links/email etc.

Lexus fitted a cabin filter for a reason. Yes, it traps pollen, but it also traps other airborne particles you are better off not inhaling.

unfortunately, in mark1 models anyway, you can't change bushes alone, you have to buy the new arms. Some people in Oz who make factory spec bushes for Soarers are starting to make equivalent bushes for LS400s. Andrew Vlamos I think. He's got a very good rep I hear. Worth considering if your suspension is a bit cream crackered.

dude, welcome to the club. sounds like you need new upper front control arms from what you are saying. for my J reg, these were around 400 quid EACH in the UK. I got them for 190 EACh (incl. shipping, vat, duty) from lexus in USA. See my posting in suspension section for details. good luck! With that kind of mileage, sounds like your suspension will need an overhaul, rear axle carrier bushes, rear upper control arms, front and rear anti roll bar bushes, strut bar cushions, lower front control arms, lower ball joints. yes, it will have passed the MOT because it's not dangerous, but the rubber components will be pretty worn out. then you are looking at replacing the transmission mount, engine mounts too with that kind of mileage.

That's odd. Which place in the US were you browsing for prices of the parts? Sewell's in Texas are the place I used, and they were half price of UK prices even after shipping and VAT. Oh well, the IS200 Sport must have brought a smile to your face!

Chris, You are right, at the end of the day it's a car with brakes like other cars. Any garage should be able to handle the brakes. For a while I was getting my pads done at Kwik-Fit, and they used to take 160 quid for pads all round incl. labour, plus they were much nicer to talk to than my Lexus dealer.

Paulydude, thanks for the tip. I find it surprising that Elephant are quoting me 700 versus 2,200 and I DON'T have any no claims bonus. Big difference! I found it went even lower when I added my retired father's name as a second driver. Something out the risk being evened out when lower risk drivers are added to the policy. Found a damn good link for how to save cash on car insurance. http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/v...065352631,54323,

dude, make sure all the past invoices are the to prove that the maintenance was done. don't pay top money just because some Lexus stamps are in a Lexus service book. I have an LS400 with nearly 170k on the clock and the auto is fine. Regarding the autos, Lexus claim never to have replaced an auto transmission on a LS400 since they were introduced in the UK. They are reliable, provided you change all the fluids, belts on time. If they haven't been changed for a long time, you are going to be :tsktsk: in the long run with servicing bills! Good Luck!

How much were the parts? You could have saved a packet by ordering the parts from the US (40% of price here), and getting Lexus to fit it. Next time eh! I feel for you dude, I remember how scared I would be when my car was being serviced with Lexus when it was under warranty. The final bill would leave me quaking in my boots! Lexus once charged me £1,000 to replace all four discs and pads. Now I have some more knowledge, the same job will cost me £400 using imported Lexus parts and ex-Lexus technician...

We do have a club deal. This is who I have insured with currently, however, the "special" deals they offer are better suited to Lexus owners who modify their cars or take them out on track days. I just want bog standard insurance.

Interesting! I tried Elephant, put details of my recent claim in, and it came back with 695 fully comp. A bit suspicious, since most companies were quoting me 3,500 last year!

Guys, Just got my latest insurance renewal via Dorset Insurance Group with Norwich Union. They are asking for nearly £2,200! :tsktsk: I had zero no claims last year and paid £2,000. I did make a claim recently (not my fault), so I thought I would earn 1 years no claims by now? Anyway, who can recommend some places to find other quotes from their own experiences? Thanks in advance,

That's correct, Mk2 models onwards had cabin filters!

Colin, Once again you are a good advisor! Called Norwich Union up and they are arranging for a post repair inspection by their engineers to check this colour matching out. Thanks dude! :winky:

Thanks for the advice. I've t-cut the car once before to bring out the original colour and have always polished every 3 months and used good sealants. The colour of the original panels matches the colour on the inside (such as when you open the doors and see the unweathered paint). Yes, perhaps they didn't use the right "variant" of the paint code. As a customer, I shouldn't have to worry about whether they matched the paint or not, it should be matched full stop!!! The colour is Deauville Blue, a sort of light blue/grey combo they used on Mark1 models. I haven't seen it on a Lexus since K reg models. What are my rights? It comes with a 12 months warranty, do I go back to Lexus or via Norwich Union?

My LS400 has been partially resprayed after accident damage. The new colour is a few shades darker than the original panels. The more you focus on it, the more it looks odd! Is this expected for a 12 year old car or have Lexus screwed up with the respray? I have always polished the car for the past 6 years, so I don't think the original paint would have faded THAT much? Thanks.

An update. Went to Lexus Edgware Road to pick up the car on Sat. Picked the car up, and noticed that at the bottom of the wing that had been replaced, the textured stonechip protection was missing (it was just the paint). Told the bodyshop, who didn't even apologise, and took the car back in to fix it. Whilst waiting in reception, two other customers were complaining about bodyshop. One had been waiting 45 minutes to pick up a car (he also said he'd phoned all week and nobody had returned his calls), and another guy had popped in to talk to bodyshop, and he was hanging around for a while too. To top it all, the repainted bodywork does not match with the surrounding paintwork. It's a few shades DARKER! I didn't really notice until I parked the car outside under the sun... Is there ANY genuine reason why the colour they sprayed SHOULD NOT match exactly the colour on the car? Thanks...

hmmm, if it's too good to be true, it probably isn't (true).. accident damage, 400k on the clock, stolen and recovered, the list goes on..

latest review from honestjohn on IS200 Sport http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/road_tests/index.htm?id=129

Yes, they probably make a higher profit margin on all the drinks, chocolates, sweets, motoring accessories they have near the cash desk when you go to pay. How about we carry on buying petrol from BP,Shell etc., but we boycott buying sweets and drinks from there? That should really make them think twice about taking us for a ride!!! :D :D :D

Yes, they probably make a higher profit margin on all the drinks, chocolates, sweets, motoring accessories they have near the cash desk when you go to pay.