SimonR

No luck with breakers so it looks as though I'll have to have one made up. Thanks for the replies.

The tube in front of the aircon rad (the power steering 'cooler') sprang a leak last night. Pinhole due to corrosion (1990 car with 235,000 miles). Just spoke to Lexus who want £171+VAT. For a bit of pipe! I wouldn't imagine that this is a common problem as it appears to be related to the age and mileage but hopefully it has happened to someone who has found a cheaper way of doing it! I've searched for a cheaper alternative on the US sites but couldn't find anything.

I have a MK1 LS400 with 228,000 miles. The bushes are pretty much dead and I have been looking for a cost-effective replacement.

If you need help with development I might be prepared to lend my car on condition that I got it back in one piece and that this help was reflected in the price of the bushes.

I did contact Daizen asking if they did rear UCA and LCA but never heard back from them.

I would have thought there would be some demand for a complete kit. Maybe not so much over here but there should be for LS400's in the US and Celsior's in Oz.

Re the harsh ride, I spoke to Carl from lexls.com about that. He feels that the ride isn't unduly harsh with poly bushes and retains most of the quality ride.

http://toyotaimportsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=17432

On the original question, the stock soarer feels quick but when you take it to the Pod you find that it isn't particularly. You need to spend big money for serious power but it is a bargain if you are happy with sub-300bhp and you get one with all the common problems done.

The 4.0 V8 is the one to have but half of the Soarer community would disagree with that statement. :)

i have seen on car domain, a guys who's installed the Supra Coilovers.

The JZA80 suspension is a straight swap for your TT. I'm not suggesting that it's the best by any means, but they are a cheap replacement that becomes available when the Supra boys do upgrades (which they love to do). It gives a much firmer ride than stock TT suspension but the handling improves a lot. Be aware that you have to swap the struts and springs at the same time as the perches are in different positions.

If you want to spend big bucks then there are plenty of kits available but finding out which is best would be very hard. Once people spend a lot of money on suspension they seem to want to 'champion' it and objectivity goes out of the window. Just like brake and ECU upgrades!

Suspension bushes will be shagged unless they have been replaced. Very hard to tell visually. Ride quality gives these away. Also clunks on full lock or reversing.

Turbos usually OK unless they are abused. Smoke (not water vapour) on startup/idle could mean they have gone. Loud whine is also bad but you have to know what they usually sound like to know if the whine is too loud or not.

Cloudy headlamps common, easy fix.

Cracked door trim is common.

Badly worn steering wheel very common.

Cloudy air-con display is common.

All leccy stuff should work.

Go for GT-TL with TEMS suspension but be aware that it’s pricey if it goes wrong.

On the MKIII, when the engine warning light comes on the error code is stored in the ECU ready to be retrieved. This will tell you what the ECU thought had gone wrong.

I'm afraid that I have no idea how to retrieve the code on the SC430. If I were you I would buy something like this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Lexus-IS200-IS300-GS...1QQcmdZViewItem

Does every Soarer come with electric adjustment of the steering wheel, up and down as well as back and forward?

Nice car, but why are you climbing those trees?

If you have to ask about fuel economy you really shouldn't buy a Soarer. If you drive it like an old woman then you will get reasonable mileage but what's the point? I've seen less than 10mpg when out and about enjoying myself.

You do get lots of toys on the V8 but the TTs are usually a lot more spartan. I only have air and cruise. Not even ABS.

A word of warning about £4000 Soarers on Autotrader (or anywhere else). If you buy a dog you could easily spend another £2000 fixing it.

On the plus side, these cars are a fantastic drive. Why not try to get to a club meet and cadge a ride in one. The owners are usually fanatics and will be happy to talk your ear off about their experiences.

Failed my MOT today and it won't be sorted by the weekend so I have to drop out of this now.

Although there were some aspects which were specific to certain models, there was a lot of flexibility with options. There aren't many TTs with leather and not many V8s without. There are two types of cloth seats for the TT. These are usually divided between the GT-TL and the GT-T. The cloth steats on the GT-TL were fully electric and a lot heavier then the basic jobbies in the GT-T. Also, the GT-TL usually came with TEMS and an extra strip at the bottom of the dash to show Japanese warning symbols. Other options were ABS, TRC, sunroof, rear wash/wipe etc.

Hi, thanks Steve, tried that over last couple days when happened but doesn't work unfortunately, any amount of throttle makes no difference, it just takes several restarts waiting a few minutes inbetween!

The Fuel ECU, could that be checked by computer I suppose ?

Anyone else experienced this or any ideas, thank you.

Those who have added their names and not paid yet please let me know if you still intend to go on the track please. We ned to push forward with this as xmas is now gone we need to push for payment.

cheers

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Any news on the quarter mile registrations?

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I use 34 but I believe that 32 is OK.

Any news on the quarter mile registrations?

I want to come for the quarter miles. Where do I register?

How much would you guys generally spend a year in mods for you cars?

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Sorry Carl! I was feeling a bit miffed when I wrote that because I wasn't getting the ETs that I was hoping for. However, I've now bought a big single turbo which should get me another 100bhp. I'll feel better when that is up and running.

I'm mainly on TIF, always up for a chat if you want to PM me. At the moment the car is at Abbey will tell you next week what power it has now, but I'm expecting over 400 at the wheels as long as the intercooler is up to the job. I forgot that it was running close to capacity last time, so will need a new one soon. The heart of the main power is from the CT12's that where sent to Aus, and they have made 480 at the wheels with these turbos :D

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Neil, what intercooler are you running and how do you know if it is running close to capacity?

I've just bought an HKS GT3040 and I'm assuming that my Greddy V-SPL will be man enough but you've got me worried now.

I'll be there on Saturday.