Andy TT

Steve 2006 - in the 1993 service book the 'B' schedule is on page 26 - 3rd item down - it just says 'Replace the timing belt at 60,000 mile intervals, extra charge for replacement'. I have made quite a few enquiries and no-one I have come across has first hand knowledge of a timing belt snapping.

My '93 LS400 has 14 stamps in the book, 12 from Lexus dealers and 2 from a Japanese car specialist. The 'B' service states that the cam belt should be replaced after 60,000 miles - one of 35 items in the 'B' service. Is there any reason to think that a reputable Lexus dealer - H R Owen, Park Lane, London in this case - wouldn't have changed the cam belt at the appropriate service? I can't think they would do all the service except the cam belt and then still stamp the service book? If they did, and didn't comment the service was incomplete then surely this would void the Lexus warranty?

My '93 is 100% rust free. I think standards are slipping generally and I don't think the new water based paints are nearly as tough as the old school ones.

If you fancy a visit to Japan there are quite a few Celsiors around with very low mileage - see www.tradecarview.com/used_car/japan%20car/toyota/celsior/15176015/. This one has 10,000 miles and looks very tidy. The shipping costs aren't too bad and this one is £3,000.

I have just returned from a 2,500 mile return trip to Venice 4 adults, 1 child and a boot full of luggage in my '93 84,000 mile LS400. The journey involved hours of cruising at 90mph+, sitting in traffic jams at 32 degrees with the aircon on full, steep mountain roads, blazing sun, torrential rain and it never missed a beat. Overall I averaged 21mpg and didn't use a measurable amount of oil. Not bad for a 21 year old car which I suspect had been off the road for at least 5 years prior to me buying it in December and a real life indictment of Lexus quality - particularly of the LS400.

I've fitted a set of Uniroyal Rainmasters to my '93 and I'm very happy with them. Good grip, quiet and reasonably priced. The tyres fitted when I bought the car had loads of tread but were old and cracked and needed to go.

If its a really nice original car [which its difficult to tell from the 'photos on eBay] I think its probably worth it. I've restored and refurbished many cars over the years and in my experience its very difficult to turn an average car into a nice one - I've learnt from bitter [i.e. expensive] experience its far better to buy the best you can than spend money on a less good one. Just my view for what its worth.

Has anyone tried the DIY aircon kits places such as Halford sell - they don't seem much cheaper than having it done for you though?

I just re-installed the ECU, turned the ignition on for around 30 seconds [that was the advice of the person who fitted the capacitors] and started the engine. The car ran perfectly from the off. The overall mileage is retained [the trip mileages are lost though] and I had to re-tune the radio as I had disconnected the battery but apart from that nothing else was necessary.

See http://www.fastrads.co.uk/ - £75 or £139 depending on the exact type.

I have an 80,000 mile '93 LS400 and have read a lot on other forums about the ECU capacitors failing through old age, humidity, heat etc. I thought my car ran pretty well but as I am intending to keep it I decided to have the capacitors replaced before they leak and possibly damage the ECU circuit board. I sent the complete ECU to a guy in America who has replaced the capacitors [which were just in fact beginning to leak] with the correct spec Japanese replacements and I refitted it tonight. I have to say the difference is remarkable. The car feels much quicker off the mark, needs notably less throttle to accelerate, the gear changes are smoother and the kickdown is quicker. I must stress this is an unscientific 'seat of the pants' feeling but it really is remarkable the more so because the car didn't seem to have any issues in the first place and it was intended as preventative maintenance. I'll also monitor the fuel consumption over the next few weeks and see if it changes - hopefully improves! Does anyone else have experience of replacing the capacitors?

See http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/engine/timingbelt.html

I have used 'Woolies' leather renovation kits on on an E23 BMW 7 Series and an Jensen Interceptor. The leather on the Jensen was really poor - hard, dried out and faded - but came up like new as did the BMW. The Woolies kits make it look original rather than painted. You can get the back seat our easily - just slip your fingers between the seat base and the floor pan and pull - very hard! See http://www.woolies-trim.co.uk/default.aspx

http://www.wald.co.jp/english/carrange/lexus/ls/ucf20_v2/ucf20_v2_b.html

It will be interesting to see the outcome - I read on another website that the ECU for the LS400 is totally buttoned up and can't be accessed but that doesn't mean its correct of course. Good luck with it.