Colin M

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/lexus/ls-400/used-lexus-ls-400-4-0-4dr-derby-fpa-201502090809390?logcode=p Try this link.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/lexus/ls-400/used-lexus-ls-400-4-0-4dr-derby-fpa-201502090809390?logcode=p Try this link.

OK, Stuart, I hope the Wynn's Gasket Maker works for you if you try it. Yes, I had a 500SEL (1989) too and a 420SEL (1987) as well. Great cars and had both of them for several years. Sold the 420 to buy my first LS400, which as you say is more refined. Liked driving the LS400 so much I then sold the 500 and bought another LS400 to replace it!!

Nice looking 2000 LS400 (reg no W361KDY) on Autotrader with FSH and one owner if anyone is interested.

In my experience it's not uncommon for part numbers to be superseded and for new part numbers to be allocated to what is essentially the same part. I found this quite frequently with Mercedes part numbers when I had a Mercedes w126 S Class - yes, it is a pain but unfortunately something we have to live with. On the exhaust leak, I had a slight blow on my exhaust and tried some exhaust paste filler which soon blew out. However, my MOT tester suggested trying Wynn's Instant Gasket Maker before resorting to welding, as this is flexible and does not blow out. I used this several months ago and it has stopped the leak completely. Might be worth a try before going down the welding route.

Yes, great looking car and a very good advert for it. It is good to know that there are still cars like this around - looks from the photos to be in really exceptional condition. I would have been interested to see a photo or two of what it looked like underneath.

Great news and really pleased that it has worked out well for you. I will be interested to see what is involved when you post an update (even though I don't have LS430).

Springs for Mk 3 do seem to be more expensive than for Mk 1-2 and Mk 4. I think I paid about £80+ for a KYB front spring off eBay for Nov 2013 MOT and it cost me about £40 to have it fitted. £250 for a rear spring and fitting does seem expensive.

Pleased to hear the car is good and hope you get lots of enjoyment out of it. Condition of the car and the service history are the key things, not the mileage. I had no hesitation in buying one with 212,000 miles on the clock, as it was a good car and had full service history.

If it is a good car, I would say it was worth the money even at that mileage. A lot of the miles is likely to have been on motorways where there is little or no engine wear and these engines can do huge mileages. Remember the one advertised in the US with 897,000 on it?

Barry I have used a very good air con specialist in Birmingham (Great Barr). He works for himself and sorted air con problems on my previous 1980s Mercedes S Class. His diagnosis of the problems was spot on and I know he does all the air con work for a local independent Mercedes specialist who I use. He has also re-gassed and checked out the system on one of my LS400s which was not providing much in the way of cold air but is now ice cold. All that it needed was a re-gas but he gave the system a good check over at the same time for leaks, operation of compressor etc. He does mobile work but I do not know what sort of distances he travels. I have always taken the car to where he lives as it is only a few miles away. I can let you have his details if this is any help - pm me if you want them. Colin

Fully in agreement with the previous few responses. Absence of depreciation + reliability/build quality far outweigh any extra fuel costs. I regard these as cheap cars to run and great value for money. By 4 litre V8 standards, I do not think that they are heavy on fuel. My mpg is probably around 20 in town, 30 on a long run and 25 with a mixture if the two. I am perfectly happy with that. Having one car with a lpg conversion (paid for by the previous owner) is a bonus and my local lpg fillup is the same price as Bluesman, with a similar reduction of 1-10p on the next 10 fillups.

I would do the same as Malc - keep an eye on the tyres to see whether they are wearing unevenly. If the tyres are new, then unless you do a high mileage it is perhaps unlikely that you will notice any uneven wear by September anyway. When September comes, you can then get the MOT tester's view on whether the rear wishbones need attention/replacement.

Hi Malcolm As it happens, I have an owners manual/handbook for a Mk 1 LS400 which I am happy to let you have. I think it will cover a 1991 LS400 as it has a copyright mark on the first page for Toyota Motor Corporation with a 1990 date. Send me a personal message with your address and I will post it to you. Happy motoring in your new car! Colin

I would be inclined to wait until the next MOT (when is it?) and see whether the MOT tester makes any comment on it. If it does need replacing I would order from Amayama - I have used them recently to buy a rear strut rod for a Mk 3 LS400 and the price (including postage and customs VAT) was probably less half the main dealer price.

Barry Did the air con specialist put in any die in the fluid and then check with the ultra violet light? If there was no die in the fluid in the first place, then nothing would show up green. I seem to remember when I had my Merc tested by a specialist in Birmingham he put some die in the fluid before doing the test and it did show up green, indicating a leak. Colin

I seem to remember reading somewhere that from 2000-2003 LS430s other than Premium Pack had coil springs - Premium Pack had air suspension as standard and I think it was optional on non-Premium Pack cars. After 2003 air suspension became standard across the range. I think this is correct but I am sure someone more knowledgable will confirm this or not, as the case may be.

I have recently fitted a pair of Neuton NT8000 tyres on the front of my silver LS400 to replace the Continental tyres that were on the car when I bought it. They are made in Indonesia by Yokahama. I did quite a bit of reading up on tyres before I bought them and they had some good reviews on www.tyrereviews.co.uk - take a look. I could not find any local stockists but they are available online either from LoveTyres or from Neo Brothers (who are Saab specialists). The tyres are priced at about £64-£65 each. I bought the pair I have had fitted from LoveTyres and I think the delivery was about £8 for the pair. Buying a single tyre may be cheaper at Neo Brothers. I saw one recently advertised by them on eBay for just under £69 including delivery. I have been pleased with the tyres so far, although I have not had them on long. But my son, who does a lot more miles than I do, has had some on his Volvo V70 estate for about a year now and has been pleased with them too.

Barry It is a good idea to get it checked out by an air con specialist. Good luck with your visit on Friday and I hope you get a definitive diagnosis of the problem at a much cheaper price. Colin

If only all fixes were this easy ... Well done, guys, another example of how invaluable it is to be in LOC.

Like Scribe, I tried Footman James (online) but it came up with unable to quote - no reason given but probably due to car being under 20 years old. I also have both my LS400s on a classic policy with RH, who I have been with for a long time.

I would follow up Mark's suggestion of engine coolant temperature sensor. I have been reading the thread Mark mentioned recently and am thinking of replacing mine in the spring when the better weather comes. From what I have read, if the sensor is not working properly, the engine ECU will think the engine is not at the correct working temperature. It will according deliver more fuel to the engine, which will result in less mpg. The engine may run at higher revs, as it does when it is cold, for longer than it should. I think this is what is happening with one of my cars. The revs do seem to be higher for longer than I would expect, although they do eventually drop down to the normal level. This is why I am thinking of changing the sensor.

Yes, it would be nice if VAT on delivery was excluded but sadly VAT is imposed on both goods and services and delivery presumably counts as a 'service'. Even so, still a good saving on the cost quoted over here!

Have you taken into account the cost off delivery from Japan, Mike? My item cost (to the nearest pound sterling) £28 and delivery from Japan was £20, making the total of £48. Is the cost of your ignition switch £32 or does the £32 cover cost of the switch and its delivery? I entered my details into www.dutycalculator.com to see what the Import VAT should be and it came out at £9.60, so how HMRC calculated £8.80 I do not know. You can enter your details into the website - there are 3 free calculations.

Of the £22, I think the £13.50 fee is more or less a standard figure irrespective of the cost of the item imported. The remaining amount is Import VAT and so presumably will be affected by the cost of the item i.e. the more the item (and delivery) costs, the higher the amount of Import VAT. My Import VAT was £8.80 which is about 20% of the cost of the item and its delivery (which was just under £48). The normal rate of VAT is 20% and what I paid is actually a bit less than 20% (£9.60 would be 20% of £48). I am not sure why I paid 80p less than £9.60.