Titch LS

The S class must be a one off then. All the Merc seats I've ever sat in were harder than German bread.

Mike, it might be an old story but it's obvious it's now beginning to bite. If you stay local you'll be ok. But you wait, in the future, because of BP, you will be on a long journey on a motorway somewhere and you won't be able to find any LPG when you need it. You'll have to switch over to double-the-price petrol or make an inconvenient detour. When I changed my car to gas I didn't expect to mucked about by an oil company as big as BP.,i.e. customers can 'go hang'.

That just shows what a rip-off bottled water is then. Petrol here is still very expensive compared to America for instance. I think the push for diesel (now being regretted on health grounds), is one cause for BP pulling out of the LPG market here. Not enough profit in LPG for that greedy shower. LPG has never had the whole-hearted backing of our so-called 'green' government either. It would rather back Diseasel.

Gunnar, if possible cost-wise, it is always best to buy original Lexus shock absorbers. Coilovers and generic shocks will change the ride. To find part numbers go to the 'Lexus of South Atlanta' site. They have loads of diagrams there for all LS years with all the part numbers too. (I'm not saying buy from them, just use the data). When you eventually fit your shocks, make sure the coil spring holding nut (one) is not too tight. Torque to 28Nm only, otherwise your smooth ride is compromised. Hope this helps.

If you run your car on LPG here's some not so good news;   I understand that BP is pulling out of the British LPG market altogether, but will still keep operating on the Continent. And judging by today's visit to a BP garage on the M1 to tank up, I found that to be all too true. The pump I once used was now a standard petrol/diesel pump. I thought something was up just a few weeks ago when I pulled into a more local BP station near to my village. It was the same story as today, --- no LPG pump where there used to be one. So, for me it's Shell stations only from now on. The two new Morrisons around my way don't sell LPG either, only petrol/diesel. Looks like the squeeze has started on LPG in this country. If you have a local independent supplier you're lucky, but the only problem then will be when travelling much further afield. Now, much more planning will be needed when visiting or passing through those far away places. For us LPG users, if Shell copy BP we're all stuffed.  Could ONLY happen in Britain.     Enjoy while you can.

That eBay Battery is wrongly advertised as fitting an LS 400. If you go to the Varta site you'll see. The + and - posts are on the front, not the back where they should be and the cranking amps are too low. You need E23 not D47.

Alfred, as recommended on her earlier, a Battery from your local Toyota dealership would be your best bet. A 'Varta E23' is the one that I have on my LS so this Battery should fit your vehicle too. It's an exact fit with the terminals the correct way round (that's important). It's 70 Amps/hour, so has plenty of power and is much cheaper than a rip-off Halfords Battery would be.

What about  DHP --- Doesn't Handle Potholes? (Lower profile tyres).

Not a bad price but a bit short on history. I notice the wheels are the DHP type. And what's with the gold front Lexus badge and the V8 badge? I'd say the car has been tinkered with. Wonder what else has been 'modded'?

Tim, here are some part numbers for you; Engine mounts, (LH & RH) 12361-50100 (both).  Tranny mount, (one) 12371-50060.  Steering Rack bushes, 45516 and 45517 (LH & RH).  Anti-roll Bar bushes (LH & RH) 48815 (both).   The sites I went to are Lexus of South Atlantic Parts and ToyoDIY.  Between them, they have loads of handy diagrams and part numbers. Hope this helps.

Fantastic. Ticks all my boxes too. Something about big Jap motors that just does it for me. My first was an 'L' reg. Datson 260C. Great car.

Tim, just to let you know what some owners have done; on my mk4 (2000), I've had both steering rack bushes replaced (easy & cheap) plus new front anti-roll bar bushes, (cheaper & even easier). I've also had the two rubber liquid-filled engine mounts replaced (a bit of an awkward and more expensive job that one) and the Tranny mount replaced (another cheapish, easy job). All made a noticeable difference to restoring the cars' smooth operation.

Jim, I might be wrong here as I have an LS 400, but I think you'll find that the rest of your existing exhaust is stainless steel with the exception of the mild steel back boxes, which in your case you have just had replaced. Having no transmission dipstick is a bit of a bummer though. Are you aware of the potential radiator/transmission oil cooler problem on the LS430? Some owners have installed a new radiator (easy peasy) to be on the safe side. Much,much cheaper than a replacement autobox.

I can't say that I've ever read about a head gasket failure on this forum. Remember, it's not a Ford nor does it have a K-series engine! Not saying it's impossible, just doubt it very very much. My mk.4 puts out a fair bit of steam/vapour especially when it's very cold. I think running on LPG seems to make it worse. I wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet Matt. If you start to lose coolant regularly and the oil level also rises and looks like coffee, then I would start to worry.

Steve, the drop in ride quality was very un-Lexus and bugged me for ages. I was actually replacing the shocks myself but one of the bottom bolts was completely seized solid and I couldn't break it free, so it was off to my friendly garage. They ground it off eventually and fitted the shocks for me. Recently it occured to me that when they fitted the coil springs back on to the new shock absorbers they might have overtightened the top nut by using air tools to save time. I saw another garage do this once, years ago, on my Rover. This compresses the springs a bit too much and at the same time has the effect of forcing up the top mounts too hard against the bottom of the turret in the engine bay. This results in road vibrations being transferred through the car and not dampened sufficiently by the suspension. Backing it off and using of a small torque wrench sorted it.

A good while back I had new steering rack bushes fitted to cure a jolt I could feel in the steering column when driving over bumps. The new bushes worked a treat at ironing out the jolt. Also at that time, for some reason, I opted for new shock absorbers on the front as well, (due to highish miles and my obvious ignorance of Lexus' quality)..... I bought some KYB's (OEM) replacements and they were great so long as the road was billiard table smooth. However, on an uneven road it was as though you could feel an ant through the steering wheel, the ride became that sensitive to bumps and thumps. Over time I was getting more and more fed up with it . What to do? Was it the shocks? No. It turns out that each coil spring top nut (the single one on the shock absorber piston rod) had been overtightened by the garage when they fitted the new shocks. With all the weight of the car on its wheels, I re-torqued that nut to factory spec (28 Nm) and that changed the ride back to what I remember it was like when I first bought the car. Far more Lexus-like. I was surprised that such a small adjustment could make such a difference. So, if you ever get around to changing your shocks, don't always blame them if the ride quality ends up not so good. It could be the wrong pre-load on your coil springs that's the problem.

Dip beams are HID (High Intensity Discharge) and are controlled by a ballast and an ECU. The bulbs act in the same way as an arc lamp,--- there is no filament just a gas and 20,000+ volts.(there's a warning label)! The bulbs are very expensive (you can buy cheap not-recommended Chinese ones) but they last a very very long time, like almost the life of the car. When you start your car, if you switch on your headlights facing a white garage door for instance, you should be able to see the headlight adjuster working to bring the beams up to the correct height. Hope this helps.

Phil,I had the same problem once. I found that I had to hold the button in for 2-3 seconds before anything happened. Takes longer to work than the central locking.

Tim, If you do ever get around to doing any rust-proofing, Bilt Hamber's DYNAX is brilliant stuff. Independent tests show it's better than Waxoyl and easier to apply to those hard to reach areas. It comes in 2 sorts of large high pressure aerosol cans, both with long delivery tubing. There's one type for metal surfaces and one for bodywork cavities. It's good stuff.

Hugh, I bit the bullet last year and bought a Meguiars DA (dual action) Polishing System from Halfrauds for £59. This was to address various paint defects on my dark blue Mk4. Using the correct pads and compounds I got some vey good results. Not perfect, as this was my first attempt, but I was very pleased with the performance of the Meguiars products. (And no, I'm not being paid to say this)! I used their Ultimate compound followed by their Polishing compound. The Polishing compound is especially good for surface scratches in the clearcoat. With a bit of perserverance and rubbing by hand, some stubborn scratches can be made to virtually disappear altogether. It goes against your instincts because you have to rub hard for them to go. Obviously, wash the car first (don't wash 'n wax it). I found that the paintwork on the LS responded well so long as I used the right pads and compounds.

On a side not , if the plastic case to your original 3-button key is falling apart due to old age or overuse, just use the solid valet key when starting the car. That key will last forever. The transponder is in the 3 button case right?, so, as long as both keys are on the same key ring the car will start with the never-wear-out valet key. I do this every time now.

Brian, It sounds to me like your Battery is only just doing its job. My Battery makes 14+ volts whilst charging and I have the same car as you. The alternator should be able to cope with any high demand really. I've found that one symptom of a failing Battery is that odd electrical glitches seem to start happening, e.g. electric windows won't work properly etc. Mind you, I've never used auto headlights like you have.

I started out driving in a Renault 4L. An early model, it had a 3-speed gearbox and a gearlever which came through the dashboard. It had an 850 cc engine and drum brakes all round. In the exuberance (stupidity) of youth I once had 8 of my friends plus me in it, haring (after a fashion), up to a roundabout. I had no idea that drum brakes were so ineffective. We barely slowed at all and just hoped nothing was entering the roundabout at the same time as us. Now much older and hopefully wiser, I understand why insurance premiums are so high for 17 year olds!

Phil, notice I specifically mentioned the 400 not the 430. The 430 is a lovely car, but the recognised pinnacle of the LS breed as far as reliability goes is the mk4 ('98-'00). Most of its niggles were ironed out over the 10 year production run. The 430 introduced some great design features but has suffered from some weaknesses including its radiator/oil cooler which can allow coolant to mix with ATF and hence wreck the gearbox. This is caused by owners using the wrong coolant, long term. You don't find this happening on the LS400 mk1 to mk4.

I did consider buying a Scorpio (Ghia?) myself once. They do look a bit 'bug-eyed' but it's dashboard/cabin design made up for any deficiency in that department. It's a really nice place to be,----- up there with the LS430 cabin, which is fabulous.