Colin M

I think professionals use a polishing mop which has cutting compound on it to cut paint back. I have had this done on a red car I had which was prone to fading (going pink ...) and it brought it back to bright red. Professionals are good at this but I think it is easy to damage the paint if you are not experienced at this. T-Cut will take a very thin layer off the paint but there are cutting compounds that will take a bit more off - they come in different levels of coarseness. I have used some before - Farecla are a well known make.

Yes, I think the second one looks good too.

Thanks, Pepe - both look really good, although like Malc I prefer the grey to black. I have grey in both of my Mk 3s.

That was the rear headrest in the last photo of the Mk 3 ...

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!!

I think there is some info on radio codes and setting them in the Owners Handbook. The light failing on the radio is a common problem - it is not working on either of my cars (like that when I bought them) - but it is not an easy fix. It is not simply a case of replacing a bulb. I did some reading on this with a view to fixing the light but decided it was not worth it. From memory, the light is soldered onto the printed circuit board (PCB) and there is some dismantling of the radio involved in order to access the PCB. Then you have to be pretty good at soldering and, of course, run the risk of damaging the PCB ... There is a link somewhere on what is involved - it will be either on here or the US Forum.

I thought you were sounding very much like an expert when I read your explanation!!

Obviously didn't get a quick sale!!

Must be after a quick sale ...

I have posted up another photo, resized so that it is smaller, which hopefully shows the whole of the moulding. It does in the preview, so hopefully it will in the post.

I have removed the old plate today and fitted the new one. Whilst I had the old plate off I thought I would take a photo of what the number plate moulding looks like without the plate in place. There are four (10mm) bolts holding it to the bumper - one at each end and two centrally placed. (I have previewed the post after uploading the photo and it may be that the right hand side of the photo has been chopped off, only showing 3 bolts, but it is a mirror image of the left hand side.) These bolts screw into captive nuts and I am pleased to say that they all came undone easily. I did not, however, take the moulding off. The two holes, each of them on the outside of the two centrally placed bolts, are where the bolts holding the old number plate on went through. These holes look as though they are the original ones for fitting the number plate, as each hole has on its inside edge two small triangular-shaped sections cut out in the moulding. These sections look as though they are part of the number plate moulding design. On the back of these holes (having loosened the bolts and pulled the mounting forward a bit) there are what look like 3 mounting lugs for holding some sort of fastening in place. My guess is that it was some type of spire clip or captive nut, with two pointed sections on it which projected through the triangular holes and (perhaps) these were bent over to hold it firmly in place. If there were any such fittings, they had gone AWOL on my car and been replaced by a piece of metal plate with a welded nut on it placed behind the moulding. The bolt holding the number plate was screwed into this. The metal plate was long enough so that it caught the top of the number plate moulding which prevented the metal plate from turning when the bolt was tightened. I have taken a photo of the two metal plates placed on the right hand side of the old number plate. The hole in the number plate where the bolt went through is clearly visible. The top metal plate shows the rusty end of the bolt in the welded nut and the bottom one is turned over to show the bright metal of the grinded off bolt head. The two three-quarter circular clips to the left were used to put behind the bolt when the number plate was pulled off. This was to provide a heat barrier and to prevent me from grinding the moulding. The two bolt holes in the number plate moulding, if they are the original ones, seem to be oddly placed because the bolts are likely to go through the letters/numbers on the number plate. The number plate hole in the photo just misses the letter "U" but the one on the other side came smack in the middle of the top of the number "7". When fitting the new plate I have used a self-tapping screw at each end. I drilled the hole so that the screw goes into the number plate moulding just below the circular recess for the outer mounting bolt - 7 o'clock position for the one on the left (driver's side) and 5 o'clock for the one on the right (passenger side). It now looks much better.

No, I haven't forgotten, Malc, thanks. The bolt heads holding the number plate on stick out a bit, so I would have to use a fairly thick adhesive pad to get the new plate to stick over the existing plate. This would leave a gap between the plates and the new plate would not then sit flush in the mounting. I am hoping it won't be a shed load of trouble to get the existing plate off and, if it is, I will wish I had followed your advice!!

I have come up with a definitive answer myself - there are no nuts to fall off when you remove a bolt. I decided I would take the number plate off on the car which is OK (plate not cracked), as the plate on that car is only held on with two self-tapping screws and some adhesive tape. Having removed the plate, I could see that there were 4 bolts holding the number plate moulding on, as per the diagram that Steve posted up. I removed one of the outer bolts and loosened the one next to it so that I could see where the bolt screwed in. It looked like it was a captive nut. I assume the other 3 bolts will similarly be screwed into captive nuts. As there are two inner bolts to remove as well, it looks like I will have to grind off the bolts heads going through the cracked number plate in order to remove it. I can reach the two outer bolts in the moulding with the plate in place but not the two inner ones.

Steve On mine, you click the CD button on the radio, which comes up with an Error code (presumably because the CD player does not work) and it then allows the iPod to play. I have to use the iPod controls to access music etc. Sorry, I cannot tell what would happen if the CD player was working. I think auxiliary sockets just allow other devices to be connected and to play through the speakers, so it may well be that both the iPod and a working CD player can be used. But I am afraid I do not know enough about the technical side of this.

Thanks, guys, for your comments. As there is no urgency to do the job, I may wait a while before getting a replacement plate and see if anyone comes up with a definitive answer on what happens when you unscrew the bolts.

Hello Callum Here are my thoughts on your questions. I do not use premium fuel at all and the car seems to run fine on ordinary unleaded. Basic servicing is relatively straightforward. Oil and filter are easy to change (although you need to lower or remove the engine under tray). Air filter is easy. I have not done plugs but they do last a long time if iridium ones are fitted. I have not changed pads yet but having looked at the caliper/pad layout they look straightforward. Not sure about discs as I have not replaced any. I think you can only update the sat-nav so far as it is a CD based system. I seem to remember reading somewhere that it could be updated to 2009 but I may be wrong on this. Some other Mk 4 owners will advise on this. I think sunroofs (or moon roofs as Lexus call them) are reliable and in my experience do not rust. The ones on both of my cars work well and I have not seen any rust on or around them. Hope this helps and enjoy your LS400 Colin

Car has now come down in price from (I think from memory) £2495 to £2195.

Thanks, guys, for your quick and helpful responses. Bending the number plate a bit forward at each edge, I can see that there is a 10mm bolt head screw at each side which I can just about access with a 10mm ring spanner and loosen. Mark, can you remember if these two bolt screws go into a threaded section in the bumper so that if I unscrew them all the way I will be able to remove the number plate surround and (hopefully) number plate too in one go? And then refit it easily? I don't want to unscrew them all the way and then find there was some nut on the other end which then drops off and disappears into a black hole ... You know that sinking sort of feeling when something like this happens ... Thanks. Colin

Yes, a good price for what looks like a good car. 51 bids in total. There were two bids of £4000, both possibly by the winning bidder who may have been willing to go higher if someone had bid more than his/her £4000 bid. As it turned out, that was enough to win the auction.

Can the section on the front bumper onto which the number plate mounts be removed separately without having to take off the front bumper? My front number plate has cracked and I need to replace it. The number plate is not mounted with two self-tapping screws but what look like two sizeable flat screwdriver head bolts which show no signs of moving. I could grind the heads off with an angle grinder to release the plate but if the plastic bumper section onto which it is fastened can be easily removed that might be a better starting point. Any help and advice would be gratefully received. Many thanks. Colin

Hi Steve My 1996 (silver) LS400 has an auxiliary lead connected into the back of the radio, to which I can connect an ipod (and probably various other devices as well). I didn't fit it myself, the previous owner did, as the CD player had packed up. From what I remember, when talking to him when I bought the car, there is a connection point in the back of the radio into which an auxiliary cable can be plugged. He routed the cable from the radio through into the glove box. I have connected an ipod to the cable a few times when I have been on long journeys and it works fine. It could be a relatively simple job to do and, if it is, it might save you £120. Has anyone out there connected up an auxiliary cable? Colin

Yes, Michael, it does seem odd that the same vehicle with the same towbar can be legal or illegal depending on when the car was registered. It would probably have been better if the EU legislation had required type approval for new towbars made after Aug 1998 and permitted existing towbars for existing vehicles to continue to be fitted until the end of the vehicle production run.

Michael Cars registered on or after 1st August 1998 do fall under stricter rules when it comes to fitting towbars. If your car is registered on or after 1st August 1998 and you fit a towbar, it MUST by law be approved to EC94/20 and installed correctly according to the manufacturers' instructions. It is an offence under the vehicle Construction & Use Regulations to fit, use or permit to be used, a non-approved towbar on the vehicle - see https://www.towsure.com/static/towbars_ec_type_approval I am not aware of any EC type approved towbars for the LS400. The Watling towbar for the LS400 does not have type approval. That is why it states that for UF20 cars it is for those registered between Jan 1995 and Jul 1998. It is not that it will not fit Aug 1998 onwards cars, because it will, but it cannot lawfully be fitted as it is not a type approved towbar. I am sure there are Aug 1998 onwards LS400s fitted with a non-type approved towbar. If one was fitted, I do not think you will have any problem at MOT time but you might have in the event of an accident if your insurance company became aware of this fact. It might be worth looking into whether there are any EC type approved towbars for the LS400 as it would certainly be better to fit one if you could. I am not aware of any but that is not to say that there are none. There may be one out there somewhere.

Yes, let's see some photos please. Not many Ls400s around with such low mileage. 21.5 mpg sounds good to me at this time of the year.

Yes, that's it. I just used it to seal the joins on the flanges without using heat wrap or anything else and it has worked fine. it dries to a rubbery type composition and seems to adhere well, so I would be inclined to use it as it is and run the sealant all round the join.