GreyBeard

i could make it if the timing was right, so i'll track this thread and see what happens.

the problem with the lexus, is that although "they go on for ever", if you buy a 100K+ mileage one, then give it a proper service, change all the fluids, replace the 'dodgy' bits like cam belt, waterpump, fan belt, brake pads, plugs, HT leads, dist caps and rotor arms, filters, etc. etc, that'll cost you about 2 grand! (well, it did me) if you were to do the same with an omega it would cost about half that. so, unless the seller is an extremely reliable and known person, the risk could be expensive. i think that any LS400 over 8 years old is worth what the buyer wants to pay. one with all the service mechanics replaced, and everything working, is probably worth 6K, if it's below about 175k miles.

i know most of our members can't afford a new one, but it makes interesting reading, for the enthusiast. http://aol.whatcar.com/RoadTest_Summary.asp?RT=204454

found this on eBay today: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2459116912 shipping's a bit high, but fan may be cheap - they may also have a coupling to suit.

yet another good reason to use the bigger 'hayes' tescos down the road by the canal, the yeading store is sooo badly run!

where's the 'none of the above' button in the poll?

my £450 sounds cheap then, go to tescos.

my lexus LS400 revs high for about 2 mins, but if i'm in a hurry, i just put the footbrake on hard and pull shift into drive (well, '2' usually cos i overrun the 'D'!). there is a slight lurch but nothing major. i don't move it out of 'D' at all til i switch off (i know some people put it into 'N' while the traffic lights are red). i believe that if it's idling cold in drive, the engine and gearbox will warm up quicker because it's got something to pull against.

according to my local MOT test station, there is no reliable testing equipment for shock absorbers. if there was one, they'd include it in the MOT. i had all four wheels aligned and the camber and caster adjusted as well, and on both rear wheels the camber was wrong by one degree. this is half a degree outside the tolerance figure. the car was much more stable on the straight and also rolled easier, so the incorrect toe-in on the front must have been causing scuffing drag. cost me £54 plus VAT at non-franchise garage.

if anyone comes up with a solution to these brake probs, then please post it here so we can all track it and use the info to our advantage.

Maria, didn't know you had a white pussy!! Bob

can we all have a look at the pic if you get it?

do you mean just the mirrored bit, no motors, heaters, housing etc? my glass was £17 plus VAT.

put fan on high, front and foot vents, turn off air con, then at about 30 second intervals, switch between recycle and fresh air. wind air temp fully up and fully down might help too. cleared a small leaf out of mine!

browsing thro old posts i came across this - did you cure it? i had a problem with mine but it was cured when they replaced the 'knock' sensors. apparently, the lexus V8 monitors the 'bang' and automatically adjusts the advance and retard to suit the situation. sensors are are about £70 each! and do both at once cos half the manifold and stuff has to come off to put them in.

did you really not get any replies to this question? i've an old LS400 and was hoping i could read the answer in case it happened to me. my only suggestion would be the viscous coupling for the fan, and if it fails it causes probs.

i bought one of the ebay CDs, and it won't run on anything higher than windows 98, so i'm resurecting an old laptop to see if it'll work on that - of course the guy that sold it said 'well it works on mine'!

one of the biggest over there is Sales@JagGraveyard.com - they have pairs of bosch dist caps and rotor arms for £22.50 set, plus shipping - i've just paid my garage £50.51 for half a pair! they also do filters, HT leads, auto-box sump filters, etc. don't forget that legally, you have to pay import duty, VAT and customs clearance, tho most small packets get thro without extras.

vaseline smeared liberally on the rubber seal will help, tho sometimes it's ice between steel and steel, but at least the vaseline should stop you ripping the seal off as you wrench the door open! careful of your clothes as you get in and out, unless you've got a waxed jacket that should be in the range rover!

wait til she finds something similar, which isn't hers!

by the time you get here, you're probably dropping off, but still, i'll give you the dubious benefit of my thoughts. there is already a database set up by the insurance companies into which basic details are entered about every insured car and it's driver/s. this info is immediately available to police so they can do a roadside check. so, why not use the numberplate recognition cameras that are already on the roads and simply transmit details to police waiting down the road, so they can stop them and take some action. of course, if i was a sceptical sort of person, i might think that the police don't do it, cos they would only catch uninsured drivers WHO HAVEN'T GOT THE MONEY ANYWAY, SO FINES WOULDN'T BE PAID! (40% of fines go unpaid now!) Colin's suggestion about insurance discs in the window, and they cover the car not the person. it would work if the displayed insurance simply covered third parties, and drivers took out another policy to cover damage to their own car. i know that this wouldn't allow for riskier drivers, but as it is, the insurance companies already pay up from a general fund to injured people (drivers, passengers, or pedestrians) if they are hit by uninsured drivers. and the basic 'third party only' cover could be subsidised from the fuel tax, thus making it easier for everyone to afford the basic cover. not sure if this makes sense to you, but i know what i mean!

and me!

i'm surprised you got no more info about this problem - maybe no-one else ever has it!

sorry about the wrong word, yes shroud is for alternator! apparently it's easy enough to make one from a large plastic bottle, suitable cut with scissors (not very Lexus, but it's their fault for yet another design fault!) i understand there is a lexus part, including a metal clamping plate to keep it in place, but probably costs 35 quid! you should see the recent posting in engine and transmission about leaky vacuum valve to the PS pump - it'll affect you one day too!

as i read this thread, i wondered just how many LOC members are running without insurance? especially the non-gold ones, cos if they can't afford the £25 for gold, they may not be able to afford 50 times that for car insurance!