PEPE

I do commiserate with you. People can be incredibly stupid. I would have gone berserk. I hope the repairs go well.

My Best Man bought a lovely LS 400 Mk 4 for his father-in-law who lives abroad. The car is lovely. Full Lexus service history and I personally know the two previous owners. I am trying to convince my chum to convince his-father-in law to sell it to me. If I succeed I'll be selling my lovely almost concours Mk3. Wish me luck and keep watching this space!

Success! I have just become the owner of a beautiful LS 400 Mk 4. This car will be put through the usual 'Pepe' process in order to make it PERFECT. Right now I'm going through the paperwork as the car is currently on SORN.

As I said, I'm now looking for a good home for my immaculate Mk 3. Interested members please PM me.

This is all for now.

Cheers

Pepe

My Best Man bought a lovely LS 400 Mk 4 for his father-in-law who lives abroad. The car is lovely. Full Lexus service history and I personally know the two previous owners. I am trying to convince my chum to convince his-father-in law to sell it to me. If I succeed I'll be selling my lovely almost concours Mk3. Wish me luck and keep watching this space!

I feel absolutely sick!

My LS 400 has 227,963 and runs perfectly.

Maybe the RAC man called the plastic under-tray a 'sump guard.' If that shattered it was indeed a close call.

Yes, tank capacity on LS 400s is 85.1 litres. I have kept very accurate records over 5,500 miles and my average fuel consumption is 26.96 MPG.

I refuel as soon as practicable after the warning light comes on and I usually have to add between 65 to 70 to refill the tank to the brim. If we take 70 litres to refill the tank then the fuel remaining in the tank was 15.1 litres which at 4.546 litres/gallon equals 3.32 galons. At 27 MPG this means that you should be able to drive an additional 89.68 miles, so yes, you could have easily driven for 50 additional miles without refuelling.

What surprises me, though is that you state that this is the first time you have done better than 25 MPG. I assume you must be doing a lot of urban driving. Would I be correct?

That's the beauty of the LS no matter what the heat and the length of the queue the temp gauge never moves. The sign of a classy design and it does make one feel superior.

You bet it does. Mike

I totally agree.

You should see his LS, looks like it just rolled out of the showroom, and that's no exaggeration. And as he only lives 11 miles from me, I'll be expecting a ride in that Bentley sometime!!!

Thank you for your kind remarks about my LS. I think the money I spent getting it into this condition reflects the extremely high regard that I have for the LS 400.

I'd be more than happy to give you a ride in my vintage Bentley although I must warn you; it is NOT in showroom condition. The car is 89 years old of which 37 have been in my possession. Not bad going, I suppose.

The Owner's Manual of my LS 400 says:

Select premium unleaded gasoline with a Research Octane Number of 95 or higher for optimum engine performance.

I therefore stick to 95 RON and see no point in buying the more expensive 98 RON. Petrol is expensive enough as it is!

you have had all the advice not to get one,mostly from older sensible people i suspect, who have prob bought some very silly unsuitable cars in their past mine include ferrari 330 basket case when bought,mercury cougar, oldsmobile toronado, land rover 101,spring to mind, and many more,but sometimes you have to follow that dream, even if you lose a bit of money.

no good when you get older and look back and think, i wish id done that

Oldsmobile Toronado - droools

bigjap has made me think for when I bought my first Bentley (an R-Type saloon in mint condition) in 1975 I was 34 and I was indeed following a dream.

Hi jpj

Before this thread dies out I feel it is my duty to say some words to put matters in perspective. I still stand by my earlier remarks. However, it is important to point out that a Bentley Turbo R and a Lexus LS 400 appeal to enthusiasts like us from entirely different angles. Let me explain: I think anyone of us would be hard pressed to pay more than GBP 3,000 for a mint LS 400. At this price such a car would be a dream to own and to behold. A Bentley Turbo R at that price would be a wreck suitable only for spares. So, my remarks relating to the LS 400 take into account the fact that it is impossible to own a Turbo R for the same amount of money. However, having said that, my OTT LS 400 at GBP 3,000 would eclipse a Bentley Turbo R at, say, GBP 16,000, to compare like with like.

We must keep in mind that Bentleys, in the days of yore, were made in very small numbers. They are, therefore, very exclusive. This is a marque theat goes back to 1919 and won Le Mans five times in the 20s and early 30s. A price has to be paid for this exclusivity and pedigree. Having said all the foregoing I still stand by my remarks that an LS400 is nicer an more refined than a Bentley Turbo R and far cheaper to acquire and run to boot. So, to sum up, those of us who own LS 400 have a lot to be happy about and little to envy in this case. I speak from my own experience because I am utterly hooked on the LS 400 and am on the verge of taking leave of my senses and buying an LS 400 Mk 4.

Lovely car, Tom. The more LS 400s we see in here the better. Is your car a Mk4? Congratulations and happy motoring.

Hi Brian

Yes, I have used 3M Silicone Spray on the glass runners and moon roof of my LS 400.

I should point out that my first use for silicone spray was to lubricate the safety belts as the tensioners on the front seat belts had become rather tired and were not retracting properly. This was way back in December 2011 when one of our fellow members started a thread on this subject. At that time he (I think it was Maddugo) also mentioned that silicone spray was also good for lubricating the glass runners as this would reduce the strain on the electric motors. Since then I have been following his advice although I have no way of measuring the exact effects on the electric motors. I do think, however, that this is good preventive maintenance. The effect on the safety belts, on the other hand, is instantly visible and very effective.

My conclusion is that silicone spray is clean, odourless, easy to apply and highly appropriate for the uses I have indicated above.

I hope this helps

Pepe

Steve2006 is a great credit to this Club in more ways than one. What an edifying story!

Welcome Bill! The more LS 400s we see here the better. I hope you enjoy the Club as much as I do. I've learnt a lot in here about our lovely cars, something I find most reassuring. Happy motoring, Pepe

Hi Ian

Here's the pic you requested. My first photo upload here. I hope I haven't goofed!

Pepe

would it be possible to see a pic of the 1924 bentley please?

Sorry Ian, I simply cannot attach the photo you want. I click on the IMAGE icon and get nowhere! If you PM me your email address I'll send you the pic and then YOU might post it in here for me. This makes me feel rather useless!

Hi Ian

Here's the pic you requested. My first photo upload here. I hope I haven't goofed!

Pepe

Although I have never owned a Bentley Turbo I think I can give some input here as I currently own a 1924 3-Litre Bentley, as well as a 1956 S1 Bentley Contiental Fastback. I also know a lot of Turbo Bentley owners as I have been a member of the BDC for 36 years.

I agree with Malc. Unless you have very deep pockets please STAY AWAY. These cars are relatively cheap to buy but when something goes wrong they are extremely expensive to repair and maintain, never mind the cost of just filling up with petrol! Turbo Rs do have a lot of presence and inflate one's ego but I can say categorically that they are not as nice or as refined as an LS 400. If you must buy a Turbo R then buy one with a very low mileage and impeccable service history and then use it very gingerly. If you want to have fun as well as financial tranquillity stay with your lovely LS 400!

Yes indeed. You have seen the light. Welcome to the club!

The Prodigal Son. Welcome back. All is forgiven. Rejoice!

Welcome Anojan!

How nice to see another LS 400 in the club. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have mine.

Happy motoring

Pepe

A Roof Rack on an LS 400? Dr Samuel Johnson would have commented as follows:

"It is like a dog walking on its hind legs. It can be done but it doesn't look right."

Well done, Phil. Instant feedback!