Clunkfish

I'll withdraw from this: don't want to annoy anyone. My main point was a general one - it is dismayingly easy to build up a head of steam against someone on internet forums and I think the same rules should apply as in non-internet life - don't make allegations you can't prove, don't be unnecessarily nasty, don't threaten people. It's not much to ask :)

As far as I know, it isn't indisputable. The mileage may have been mis-described, but that could be a genuine mistake. Fair play, benefit of the doubt, all that stuff....

"None of it is rumour or gossip the facts are there do yourself a favour and look into the archives" I have. I followed this thread since it started because I had done business with Lexuschap, and was interested in what people had to say. All there is is someone's mate who thinks the mileage must have been mis-described. That's all. That could be a genuine mistake. All the rest is "it's against eBay rules" stuff which is hardly an indictable offence. If you think it is a big deal, go and talk to eBay about it and let us know when you've sorted him out. If you think there's more, then show us - actual facts I mean.

This is still just one issue - the disputed mileage. That's it. All the rest of it is rumour and gossip. Pretty malicious too, involving threats of violence. "Nearly all his feedback is written by himself the prices that appear to show what he sold it for are also fictitious." OK, give us some evidence!

He has had feedback four times in the last year for car sales, all positive. Lexuschap has also had four positive feedbacks for car sales - three Lexuses and a Mazda - in the last year. I really really dislike this witch-hunt against this guy or guys. One member is suggesting physical violence against him (I reported that to the mods but didn't even get the courtesy of a reply, so I suppose threatening language is OK here); another says beware, he sold a car for less than he paid for it at auction - what exactly is the complaint here?; another says he has had no recent feedback but clicking on his username shows you that he has. Let me tell you a little story. I have sold two cars on eBay in the last couple of years, one for my daughter and one for my son. My daughter's Berlingo was serviced and checked over at a good independent local garage before putting it up for sale. Geezer bought it without a test drive, called a couple of hours later and said it had developed a fault which I must have known about. I got the garage to call him (they insisted they had detected no problem, and I never even drove the car personally), but he still left nasty feedback on eBay. My son's Audi A3 was main dealer serviced before the sale. Geezer took it for a test drive, drove away, two weeks later said it had a fault that I must have known about. Again, I got the dealer to talk to him, they had detected no problem, but he still left very nasty feedback. The moral of the story is that even the most honest of people can appear to be a dodgy dealer. My feedback has had at the same time two car sales negatives, making me look like an absolute a***hole. Both times the car sold for quite a bit below market, had been serviced and checked over, and as far as I know was straight and true. It's very easy to get worked up into a rage against someone, but things here with Lexuschap have gone too far. I bought an LS400 off him - so, unlike virtually everyone commenting on him, I have actually met him and done business with him - and it was a good deal with a very nice bloke. If you sort through all the stuff that has been written about him, as far as I can make out one member is pretty sure that he mis-described a car's mileage. That's it. If that makes him despicable, then what am I?

See this post: http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/topic/81945-hands-free-in-1998-ls400-now-you-see-it-now-you-dont/ Works very well :)

The sequence I used when my radio locked out after a battery change was: Turn the ignition switch to ON (warning lights etc illuminated) Press the CLIMATE and AUDIO switches at the same time and turn the HEADLIGHT CONTROL SWITCH in the following sequence: OFF-SIDE LIGHTS-OFF-SIDE LIGHTS-OFF-SIDE LIGHTS The SYSTEM CHECK then displays on the satnav screen wait till it finishes. Once all the function checks display OK then press MENU and the DIAGMENU will be displayed Starting with the AUDIO button, follow this sequence: AUDIO-DESTINATION-AUDIO-DESTINATION-AUDIO-DESTINATION The SECURITY menu will then display. Using the displayed keys enter 440215 and press ENTER and it returns to the DIAGMENU. Switch the IGNITION SWITCH to the OFF position. Done! There is also a cheap gizmo you can use to keep the settings alive while the battery is disconnected.

"I think I remember this guy"? Is that it? And a reasonable response to a dodgy ad is to beat someone up? I can't believe what I'm reading. Say what you think to be true, let geezer have his right of reply, if you disagree then say so and move on. This is more like a public character assassination than grown-ups having a chat, and most of it is based on second- or third-hand experiences. How'd you like people to start rubbishing your character with a load of "I think I remember this guy" stuff? I imagine I'm going to get serious flak for standing up for someone for whom few of you have any respect, but it is the decent thing to do because my dealings with Lexuschap were positive. And at least I actually met him and did business with him!

Chaps, I am very uncomfortable about all this and I think you should be too. It's a forum, not a court of law, and the use of words like "crook" is not helpful. By all means express your views but bear in mind that there are nearly always two sides to every disagreement. I would very much like to hear both sides, but it's all in danger of degenerating into a slanging match which will help no one. The ultimate goal is to help current and prospective LS owners decide where to put their money, and the best way to do that is by shining light on the points raised rather than heaping abuse on the people making them!! And in answer to another question, you will not find my feedback on eBay because it was not an eBay deal. I am prepared to say here that the person I dealt with was polite, straightforward, friendly and helpful. He did not try to hide the couple of blemishes the car had (indeed, he pointed them out to me) and when I took it Bristol Lexus for a check-up they gave it a clean bill of health. 1998 LS400, 106K miles, everything working, sat nav display, wooden wheel, gold badges, black with beige interior, £2K and it is without question the finest motor I have ever driven. The only thing that comes close for quality is my old Honda VFR750, also a legend in its own lifetime :)

The cruise control had me stumped for a bit too! To use it, press the button on the end so "CRUISE" appears on the dash display. Whilst travelling at the desired speed, push the cruise control lever downwards and release. That will maintain the current speed. To increase the speed, lift the lever upwards. To temporarily turn off cruise control, pull the lever towards you. This will leave "CRUISE" still on the dash display but you will not be under speed control until you press the lever downwards again. To switch off cruise control completely, press the button on the end again. Did a couple of hundred miles on the M4 yesterday and today and the cruise control is fabbo :hocus-pokus:

One way would be to use an FM transmitter plugged in to your iPod, then tune the radio to its frequency. They are cheap and effective - here's an example :)

OBD is on-board diagnostics: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=obd

For the avoidance of any doubt, it's not me. I met him once to do the deal on my LS400 and have had no contact of any kind since, with him or with anyone associated with him. I am just slightly bemused that there is a lot of "there's two sides to every story" on the Smiffie saga, but not with this guy. The only one of us who has actually shaken hands on a deal with the guy is me, as far as I can make out, and he was totally straight with me. In no way was I implying that it was you Christopher. Glad that you appear to have purchased a car that lives up to your expectations. Hi Dave, I know you weren't but just wanted to make sure no one had any lingering suspicions, as I seem to be the only person standing up for him. This is not because I know he's sound - he may well not be - but because the decent thing is to stand up and be counted if your own experience is positive.

For the avoidance of any doubt, it's not me. I met him once to do the deal on my LS400 and have had no contact of any kind since, with him or with anyone associated with him. I am just slightly bemused that there is a lot of "there's two sides to every story" on the Smiffie saga, but not with this guy. The only one of us who has actually shaken hands on a deal with the guy is me, as far as I can make out, and he was totally straight with me.

I did read your post. I know that honest mistakes can happen, and that too much can be read into them; I also know that there are scoundrels who will rip you off without scruple. My contribution to this debate was to point out that I have actually met the guy and done business with him, unlike everyone else offering their opinions as to his trustworthiness. I had no problems. Therefore, at the moment, it is more reasonable to assume that it was an honest mistake. Even if it was not, clocking a 15 year old LS400 to 163K from 183K is not exactly the crime of the century. How much difference, realistically, does it make to the value of the car? £50?

A lot of hearsay, rumour and supposition. Unlike just about everyone else, I have actually done business with this chap. I was very happy with the deal and with the car. I have had it for a year now with no problems at all. My advice would be to inspect the car carefully, get as much info as you can, and be aware that vehicles can have concealed faults. In other words, treat him the same way as anyone else selling a car to you.

A Lexus dealer will do a pretty comprehensive "safety inspection" for about £90.

How did you do the mirrors? Mine (which are black) are terrible - all cracked and blistered.... the mirrors I mean Just removed them from car and let my mate at work paint them,they were very flakey like the paint had not adhered properly,if yours are that bad,they do come up on the bay How easy are they to remove? Sorry for all the questions, but would like to sort them out. I did a tutorial for door mirror removal on the series IV, I would imagine the III is similar. Just found it - fantastic, thank you very much :)

How did you do the mirrors? Mine (which are black) are terrible - all cracked and blistered.... the mirrors I mean Just removed them from car and let my mate at work paint them,they were very flakey like the paint had not adhered properly,if yours are that bad,they do come up on the bay How easy are they to remove? Sorry for all the questions, but would like to sort them out.

How did you do the mirrors? Mine (which are black) are terrible - all cracked and blistered.... the mirrors I mean

Probably not true, I'm afraid: http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/does-hybrid-car-production-waste-offset-hybrid-benefits.htm. An LS400 has many benefits but saving the planet may not be amongst them :winky:

If you already have one of these nasty browser parasites, a good way to get rid of them is Spybot (http://www.fosshub.com/download/spybot-2.2.exe). You can use this to scan your computer for nasties, then remove them, then "immunise" your computer against future nasties. It works a treat :)

Very clear and informative, thank you so much :) :)

Hi everyone, a happy New Year to all! :hohoho: I have recently had a couple of instances of difficulty in re-starting my 1998 Mark IV LS400 in the cold. It has happened when I have started the car (starts first go every time, no problems there), then had to turn the engine off for some reason (e.g. to park the wipers pointing up so I can remove a bit of leaf trapped under one of the blades), then go to restart. The engine cranks just fine but won't fire. If I leave it for more than half an hour or so, it's all back to normal; if I try after 15-20 minutes I can usually get it started but only using lots of loud pedal and with a strong fuel smell around the car; if I try after only 5 minutes then no chance. Like I say, regular cold starting is fine, it's just this business of re-starting after the engine has already been run for a few seconds. Anyone got any ideas....? (Apart from don't keep turning the engine on and off!)

I think the Mk4 cambelt change is every 62K miles or 5 years, so the three changes may have been made as much by the calendar as the mileometer. The seller is the guy I bought my Mk4 from back in March. It has been great and I'm very happy with the purchase.