PEPE

Beautiful, Rudy. Many congratulations from a very fastidious enthusiast.

Pepe

Hi Kenan, here is my story, although the work was done by an independent:

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/93912-ls400-full-monty-timing-belt-change/

Cheers

Pepe

Hi Marock

My alternator also packed up last September. I have an LS400 unlike a GS300 but I had absolutely no difficulty in finding a genuine replacement from a Toyota dealer. I paid £219.00 plus £50.00 labour to my independent mechanic. After the dreaded VAT was paid the total outlay was £322.80. I experienced no delays whatsoever.

I hope this helps

Pepe

Wonderful, Chris. Absolutely wonderful! Thank you for sharing this with us.

Pepe

Wonderful looking cars Pepe. Tell me how much time do you spend keeping the engine bay looking so pristine? and whats the secret?

Hi Stuart

The pristine appearance of my engine bay is not my handiwork. In order to get my cars into showroom condition I have engaged the services of a professional DETAILER. Here are the before and after pictures of my Mk4:

Having achieved this I then try to use my cars only on nice dry days, and after each outing I thoroughly clean not only the engine bay but the entire car before putting it away. In other words, one has to keep on top of things. A bit OTT, I suppose.

Pepe

Yes, looks great, Pepe - it's good to see ones that really are immaculate rather than those that aspire to be ...

What colour is the interior, just out of interest? I am guessing grey from looking at the rear seat headrest in the last photo.

I am sure you will miss it if you sell it!!

You guessed correctly, Colin. My Mk3 has a grey interior whereas my Mk4 has a black one, as shown here:

Pepe ............... you have a Mk3 and a Mk4 ?

Malc

I have both, Malc, both in showroom condition. Lack of space is prompting me to think of selling the Mk3 if push came to shove but I would do it most reluctantly. Here is the Mk4 for comparison purposes:

The LS400 is a great car and will become one of the great classics of the future. I should know, in 1969 my car was an E-Type . . .

Pepe

Hi Mike

Thanks for the compliment. My "downsizing" does refer to our house. Fortunately I have found a professional car storage facility near our new house but at a price, Sir! So what I'll be saving in utilities might be offset by storage fees. Maybe I need to have my head examined.

Pepe

The times i have heard the word immaculate used over the years, 9 times out of ten its dissapointing, might give them a bell, never keen on short write ups either, buying a lexus, i will wait as long as it takes for the right car.

Hi David

My Mk3 is IMMACULATE and I might sell it as I am in the process of downsizing. Here are some pics:

I notice you also live in Sussex so if you are still interested please PM me to discuss further. In any event, welcome to the club and good luck!

Pepe

Here is my contribution to this topic:

N704_FCR_MPG-2.pdf

The above file shows extremely accurate records I've kept since I bought my Mk3 in March 2012 until my last re-fueling on 27 December 2014. As you can see my average MPG over 1 3/4 years is 26.29 mpg over 9,595.49 miles.

It is also interesting that my best results of 30.31 mpg and 30.67 mpg were obtained, as some readers have pointed out, when the weather was warm. I should also point out that my best milages were obtained on long motorway runs all within the statutory speed limits (of course!). It is also worth noting that my worst result, 21.78 mpg was in December last year.

To sum up, I am very pleased with these results.

Pepe

Thanks Malc for flagging this up , just checked mine , good news no outstanding recalls found .

Just checked mine also. No recall issues apply to my Mk3 I also add my thanks to Malc.

Pepe

Sorry. What is this all about?

Malc, could I please have the Lexus website query address?

A recall from the manufacturer usually means that the defective item should be replaced free of charge. So why would you be worried, is400lpg?

Thanks for enlightening me,

Pepe

Same here on both my Mk3 and Mk4.

Pepe

Hi Ryan

This sounds to me like an alternator failure. Here is what happened to me:

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/94378-ls400-mk4-alternator-failure-query/

I hope this sheds come light.

Pepe

Hi Mark

I rushed out to my car as soon as I read your post, did exactly as you indicated and presto--problem solved!

I am happy again. Thanks a million!

Pepe

I just came back from taking my MK4 for a nice Sunday spin. When I got home and switched off the ignition and withdrew the key the steering wheel tilting mechanism failed to respond. Nothing. Hitherto it has work perfectly. I tried adjusting the tilt manually but the switch does not respond either. Otherwise the car starts and can be driven normally, but this WORRIES me. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Pepe

Good morning folks,

I would just like to wish all of the members of the LOC a Very Happy Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2015 too.

With massive thanks to everyone who has helped me with my various little queries etc.

Have a great time folks.

Yes indeed. Perfect words and perfect greetings. Happy Christmas and Happy Motoring,

Pepe

225/60/16 on my mk4 LS400. Mike

My Mk4 also has 16 in. wheels, exactly like Mike's so don't worry, John.

Pepe

Always good to see you, Ian.

Pepe

Well done, Jonathan and welcome back. Once an LS400 owner . . . (you know the rest).

Pepe

Indeed, let me join Phil in welcoming you also and wishing you many happy miles in your LS400.

Pepe

Hi Steve

Could you kindly elaborate on how jump starting can upset the engine parameters? I've jump started my two LS400s with no noticeable detrimental effects. What precautions should I take in future? Have I just been lucky?

Many thanks

Pepe

Hi Rupert

I agree with your vivid description. The fluid on my Mk4 certainly looked like 'beef gravy.' The problem is that the amounts picked up on the dipstick are very small so the fluid looks transparent and one reaches the wrong conclusion. I also find it difficult to detect the colour of the fluid on the dipstick. This explains my photographic essay above. Up to now I have no shifting issues but I'm starting to feel a bee inside my bonnet . . .

Pepe

The Mk2 and 3 service books for both A and B service state replace fluid every 36000 miles .As Ambermarine's Mk4 service book says the same then it would seem to be common across the LS400 range .

Yes, impecable logic.

In view of all the different opinions I've read up to now I decided to investigate this further today. First I took each one of my two LS400s out for a spin. Then, with both engines warm I took a picture of the gearbox dipsticks and this is what I found:

The dipstick on top belongs to my MK3 with 232,000 miles; and the lower one to my MK4 with 168,000 miles. The fluid of the Mk3 looks better to me which I found surprising.

I then removed the dipsticks the better to see the differences in colour, and, for comparison purposes added a drop of fresh ATF in between the two. This is what I saw:

From this photograph I would conclude that the fluids in my gearboxes are way off from the ideal red shown in the middle. I am also somewhat worried by the colour of the fluid in my Mk4.

Finally, I decided to go through both my OWNER'S MANUAL as well as my SERVICE RECORD booklet. The only reference I can find on this topic is on page 26 and it says under SERVICE SCHEDULE "B":

Check transmission oil for leakage (replace every 36,000 miles).

Now I am totally confused! Who or what should I believe?

My instinct, for my peace of mind, is to replace the ATF in my two cars, but this is not as easy as it sounds since I'll be 74 on Christmas eve . . . no doubt readers will catch my drift . . .

Pepe