Titch LS

Spent 6 hrs driving my mk4 LS400 the other day going to Wales and back. Supremely comfortable all the way. No aches, stiffness or sore buttocks!

If you can, always go for genuine Lexus suspension parts. You won't regret it.There are some poor quality pattern parts out there and those will definately compromise your lovely Lexus ride. Lexus parts are a rip-off but you won't have to replace them for years remember, so for me it was a no-brainer.

David, I'm glad you're pleased with your LPG conversion. I too have an Emer system fitted to my LS (2000) with doughnut tank and Flashlube. It is definately the best LPG system I've had fitted on any car and I've had a few. Can't fault it. Mine cost £1550, so you got a bargain there. To be honest my install does look a bit neater as my injectors are all under the cover but what the heck, you'll enjoy cheap(?) motoring with no discernable loss of performance from your nice low mileage LS. Good on yer.

Recently, and only on the odd occasion I've noticed a single muffled "thump" immediately as the engine fires up. It doesn't seem to do it when the engine's warm. Would I be right in thinking it could be due to worn engine or transmission mounts and if so, can I safely leave this till next year when I'll have much more time to address such an issue? Your thoughts please.

Can only suggest you take it to a reputable Air-Con specialist (NOT Kwick Fit, they're a bunch of amateurs)). Sounds like it needs re-gassing. Don't know about the poor fan performance though. Has it EVER been re-gassed? Worth a try.

Clarkson has really shown his true colours in that film. i.e.German cars good, anything else bad. More german cars are sold here than in any other country (bar Germany of course). This has got to be due to the popularity of Top Gear. The promotion of Mercedes Spends, BMTrouble you and Daudi is unrelenting. I was in the States recently visiting family and hardly saw a german car. Very refreshing. Saw plenty of Jap cars though, including some Lexi too. I drove a nearly new 911 a while ago. What a disappointment. Don't know what all the fuss is about. It was not as fast as I thought it would be,--plus it was noisy and bumpy,--- I couldn't wait to get behind the wheel of my LS. Clarkson really has lost the plot.

Had all mine refurbed a year ago. Makes the car look much smarter. £65 per wheel for the full works. One bonus is that the tyres don't lose air anywhere near as much as before. Money well spent.

I know Mr. Plod would not be at all pleased, but I'm sorry, it was just toooo tempting. I was on my way to work in my Mk4 when it happened. I entered a roundabout at the same time as a Jaguar XF and on exiting it, there lay before us a very empty, very straight dual carriage way. He was in the right hand lane and I was in the left. He thought I was 'easy pickings' and decided to 'have me' .... and I decided he wouldn't. We both 'floored it' and for about a quarter of a mile there was nothing in it, but by half a mile the Lexus was three or four car lengths ahead. We then slowed (very considerably) for the next roundabout (no traffic) but he mysteriously held back as we entered the next length of dual carriageway! I wonder why? (If the Jag was supercharged it might have been another story though). I know it was juvenile (and very naughty) but boy, was it fun. And all this on LPG!

I also used the "syringe" method after examining the state of my original(?) P/S fluid. It was a horrible dark colour. Been in there for 13 years. I replaced it with Dextron II. I did this a fair few times over a period of a month or so until it became a nice red colour. Had no problems with this method and used about 2 litres of Dextron II to do the job. P/S works nice and smooth.

Brendan, When you descend your hill to your drive you are probably going too slow for the cruise control to work. According to the handbook it will only work above 25 mph. You could be just on the threshold of the lower limit when you hold it in 3rd gear at 30mph. I am still surprised it won't work properly at 30 though.

Sorry Eff, but have to disagree. My Mk4's cruise control works great uphill, on the level AND downhill. Absolutely NO speeding up, even down a long hill. Never had a problem with it.

Pete, I agree with you about Mercs. Nice motors but just too expensive and unreliable compared to the Lex. And now common as muck thanks to Jeremy Clarkson's " Let's promote German cars" tv programme.(Otherwise known as Top Gear).

Jeremy, the shock absorbers were genuine Lexus ones, NOT the generic replacements available on line known as KYB Gr-2's. Mine had a different serial number. They were expensive but I think worth it to keep the original ride.They were £277. The steering bushes were also Lexus at £45 and the anti-roll bar bushes were Lexus at £28. A rip off I know,, but I now have the peace of mind at having the real thing. These parts won't be replaced for many years so I didn't mind the outlay. The ride is even smoother and the steering has definitely improved. It's tighter all round. The top mounts were from Rockauto in the States. I can't find the invoice at the moment so I'm unable to give you a price but you can look them up on line to get an idea. Hope that is of some help to you.

Got my new bits fitted today. New shocks on the front, new top mounts, new steering rack bushes and new anti-roll bar bushes. The result was better than I expected. Beautifully smooth ride with no more 'bobbling' noises over bumps and no more slight jarring through the steering wheel. The steering feels a bit tighter too. I was more than chuffed. Fitting at my local friendly garage was £288 --not too bad I thought. Saved me lots of time and frustration (compressing springs etc) I did attempt the job myself but the bottom bolt on the shocks just would not budge ---even with a 4 foot extention. Now it's back to smoooooth driving for me.

Pete, got the work done today. New shocks on the front, new top mounts, new steering rack bushes and new anti-roll bar bushes. The result? Ultra smooth ride, tighter steering feel and no slight jarring going over ridges in the road. I'm chuffed to say the least. I bought the parts earlier and got the lot fitted for £288 labour. Not too bad I thought. Saved me a lot of time and frustration.

Pete, I've just come back from my hols and will take the car in tomorrow to get the work done. Will keep you posted on any noticeable improvement.

Always liked the quirky add-ons found on the Celsoirs. I like the extended rear light cluster, it's so over-the-top. But at six and a half grand I'd have to be a Maharajah to even think about buying it. By the way, my mk4 doesn't have an auxilliary fan either (2000).

Sir John, you could try adding some 'Stop Leak' type stuff to your power steering fluid. It makes the rubber 'O' rings swell a bit and thereby sorts the problem. I don't know how effective they are but it's worth a try in my book, before you go the mechanical route. You would have to remove some fluid from the P/S resovoir with a syringe first before adding. Put some in, wipe off the leaking oil and drive around for a while. Then have another look. It might just save your bacon.

I was replacing my front shock absorbers on my mk4 today. (They've been on 13 years). All was going well until I came to undo the nut on the bottom bolt on the drivers side. No problem, or so I thought. Wrong! It was absolutely seized solid. I even tried using a breaker bar plus a very long pipe extention. It still would not budge. Never known anything like it. I read on a tutorial that the nut should be facing the front, but mine was facing the back(?) .Don't know if this was the reason why it wouldn't budge. Anyway, beware of this pitfall when it comes to changing your shocks. As I don't have access to oxy-acetylene, Iv'e booked it in to my local friendly garage where I get my M.O.T. done. I'm going to get them to fit new anti-roll bar bushes and steering rack doughnut bushes, plus new shock mounts while they're at it. Hoping for a little improvement in the front end. Going over very small ridges I get a slight jarring through the steeing column. Doesn't happen on bigger bumps or potholes though, funny that. Upper and lower ball joints are free of 'play', and both front strut bars are good. So, if you are replacing your 'shockers', just watch out for 'that' nut !!

My drivers door tweeter speaker grill (Mk.4), had the same problem a while ago and is now slightly rusty in places. I cured it by applying some clear silicone in the small gaps surrounding the black triangular mirror base. It has never leaked since, even in heavy rain. As long as you wipe off any excess silicone you wont notice the repair. Did the same on the passenger side. No leaks.

I think a lot of Beemer, Merc and Audi owners have been brainwashed by watching too much Top Gear. Those manufacturers must rub their hands in glee every time that programme comes on. No wonder their sales have gone up. It's due to all the free promotion by Clarkson & co. When will they try something different and BETTER. ( I actually like the new aggressively styled grill on the latest models by the way).).

Instead of a stethoscope I use a really long screwdriver. Place the sharp end on the casing/bearing etc., and your ear on the handle end and you can hear any roughness, squeaking or whatever, really clearly.

After zooming in on the pics, I've changed my mind!. He WON'T get anywhere near what he's asking. I didn't notice the scuffiness the first time 'round. (Should've gone to Specsavers). Nice half-wood steering wheel though. Wish mine had it.

70 mpg on LPG? My mk4 runs on lpg and I only get the EQUIVALENT of 40 mpg (at best), when taking the price difference between the two fuels into account. That seller has done a good job of talking up his car though. I think he will get somewhere near the asking price. I've noticed recently that 400's are now becoming more sought after especially if in good/exceptional nick. Asking prices have definately gone up a bit in recent months.

Sam, you are lucky to get parts at trade prices. Most of us can't or would find it difficult. I've only just recently heard of amayama and am keen to try them out to save some much needed pennies. Of course, you sacrifice the convenience of the stealerships but just look at the savings you can make if you can afford to just wait a bit to do 'that' job.