Titch LS

Martin, I only have experience of owning the mk4 (2000) LS400. I've not had to take it to a garage to for any faults for the past four and a half years of ownership. That is not to say that some small, niggley faults didn't need rectifying when I bought it. Also, I chose to replace certain parts on the car as maintenance items to keep it running sweet. But overall, it's been the best motor I have ever had by far. I confidently drive it to Germany and back (where my son lives), and even at nearly 150,000 miles it's still a serene driving experience. If I replaced it, I feel I would be downgrading to an inferior motor. The good thing is, it only cost me £2,300 + lpg conversion. I filled up recently in Belgium where lpg was an amazing 38 cents (30p) per litre!

The new ones may go round bends like a F1 car, but I still prefer the smoothness and quiet comfortable ride of my 2000 LS. Now, where did I leave my slippers.....

A layer of good resin polish might make the removal of the sap/poo etc a bit easier. Autoglym Super Resin is a long lasting tough coating. Worth a try. A Karcher power washer is another alternative.

I once had someone enquire whether I'd sell the Rover Sterling I used to own. It was in British Racing Green and had the 2.7 V6 Honda engine. It had lots of toys; electric heated leather memory seats, sunroof, etc..... A very nice car, but not in the same class as an LS. I eventually sold it to someone in the Rover owner's Club. It was scrapped after approx. 200,000 miles.

My last LPG car used to make a certain low noise a bit like a toy machine gun when the tank became full. My present car doesn't have this handy gizmo so I can only go by the pump speed slowing down drastically to tell when the car is full of gas.

Steve, I have exact same car; year, colour, interior, wheels, everything. Best motor I've ever owned. Enjoy.

Ray, that is sickening. The really galling thing is that even if the culprits were caught red handed, they'd only get a slap on the wrist as punishment. The Courts are run by the Ministry of Injustice if you ask me.

Phil, Colin Barber's above post explains better what I have been trying to say. I have not been trying to cause any offence but if any has been taken then apologies all round.

They are not called BMTrouble-you's for no reason. My ex-work colleague paid out £6,000 on repairs to her X5. You guessed it ----- it needed a very expensive replacement gearbox and A/C system. People watched Top Gear too many times, all that free german propaganda.

Hope it stays that way on a hot summer's day in stop-start traffic. Probably will.

It's this kind of electronic gremlin afflicting a Lexus that alarms me regarding the later model cars. It's the kind of potentially expensive fault you expect to see occurring on the likes of later BMW's and Mercs. And I wouldn't touch one of them with a barge-pole, for that reason. To be both technologically advanced and extremely reliable in the long term is a tough nut for any car maker to crack.

No 'racist' comment has been made by anyone. A forum member has relayed his experience of a phone conversation with our proven dodgy friend Ali from Dudley. As usual these days people over-react because their PC sensors are set at maximum sensitivity.

A squeal/whistle is probably an idler or tensioner pulley bearing driven by the ancilliary drive belt (not the cambelt). I replaced both pulleys and belt on mine and the noise disappeared and has not come back for the last 4 years.

Nice description, but disagree with him regarding the criticism of the later 5-speed gearbox. Also, not every single LS400 has failed heated front seats. Mine still work perfectly on my mk.4. All said, I think the car is definitely worth the money he's asking for it.

Your more than welcome!

Martin, I've had a mk4 for 4 years and even though now an older car, I can honestly say it's been the best motor I've ever owned (and I've been driving for donkey's years). A couple of small possible faults to add to the list are; the washer bottle float gives up the ghost and so the washer bottle dash light stays on, (a very easy fix). The headlight washer motor dies, (again, an easy fix, cost me a £7 used part). Apart from that I have spent money on worn suspension parts (146,000 miles) and service items i.e. plugs, oil, filters, etc and that's about it. Mine runs on LPG too. Great motor.

I like what Messi said. That's what I would do in your circumstances. Titch.

The term 'Pre -mixed' is ambiguous. It can mean BEFORE being mixed i.e. concentrated, or, as you believe, ALREADY mixed. Go with the dealership, but don't cry if it overheats.

If you don't believe me you can see for yourself on ebay. On there you'll see bottles of Toyota Red labeled 'concentrate'. Am I right in thinking that something labeled 'concentrate' needs diluting? People are getting Pink and Red coolants confused. Surprisingly, some Dealerships have been known to give owners wrong and expensive advice. Still, you do what you think is right, put it all in.

I saw a poorly LS600h recently at Japex Automotive. It had something (expensively) wrong with its hybrid battery system. Made me want to keep my aged Mk4 for as long as practically possible. Mine was in for replacement of worn out strut bar bushes.

Phil, you could find that the almost pure coolant you have in there presently doesn't dissipate engine heat as well as when mixed with water. You risk overheating by leaving it as it is. The good thing is that Lexus provide a handy plastic drain plug on the bottom of the radiator, (unlike most manufacturers). This makes it very easy to drain and then replenish with 50% distilled water and coolant.(approx will do). When refilling though, don't start by pouring coolant into the plastic coolant reservoir, you'll be there all night. Fill through the large HEX plug you can see right on top of the engine. It will fill much quicker and is the proper way. (Then top off using the reservoir). Hope this helps.

It's my view that Rough Trax are wrong with their description. Only Toyota's newer Pink coolant comes already diluted. Toyota Red is concentrated and needs diluting.

Pre- mixed = BEFORE mixed rather than ALREADY mixed. Red is coolant concentrate and needs diluting. Pink is Toyota's long-life coolant that comes already diluted. You can safely use both together.

Malc, I owned a Honda Legend before swopping it for the LS that I have now. The Legend I had (2001) was almost a carbon copy of the LS in looks and interior cabin and it was a great car in many ways, but I have to say it was still a few notches below an LS when it comes to comfort, refinement and performance. The LS is creamy smooth, the Legend just isn't.

Phil, we've already been here not long ago. Pre-mixed means it should be diluted. It doesn't mean already mixed, it means it's in its original state, hence 'Pre', i.e. before being mixed with water. Some bottles of Red have 'concentrated' printed on them, others have 'Pre-Mix' printed on them and still others have 'Pre-mixed' printed on them. They all mean the same thing and are all Toyota Red. Toyota Pink is what an LS 430 is manufactured with. You can safely mix both. Hope this helps.