Chris Skelton

:yack: It's Britain's bloody road composition! In Germany they use silent surfaces, I believe. Here in Bristol they laid about a couple of miles of this stuff. You drive onto it and.....silence! (almost) It doesn't cost any more, is just as good in wet. So why doesn't the govt use it more? Because they say we drive slower because of the road noise! If it's quiet, people tend not to notice their speed is the theory! Rougher roads probably (friction) wear more so the tyre people will be happy too!

They are GREAT to own. You wpn't regret it. Audis are good, but Lexus are special. And rarer, so you feel smug! Well, not really, but it's nice to feel apart from the 'herd'? And at least you won't be thinking ' is that an A6 or an A8.... You don't drive cars thinking about spares and servicing...BUT, when you need this stuff, BMW costs (and, in my limited experience, don't always satisfy!. The Lex is quite cheap, relatively, to run. And after a while you feel soooorelaxed, knowing you made a very good decision!

Like you, I wanted a good reliable 400 and I spent a long time researching into which car to have, using as many sources as i could. I came to the conclusion that the Series 3 (95-7) fitted the bill best, taking cost of purchase and specification into parallel consideration. The 95 had lots of improvements over the ser 2; such as more power, less fuel consumption, more leg and shoulder room, bigger boot,....even thicker glass. Taking into account that you have to relate to market value, then your £10k should buy you a low mileage ser 3 with full serv.history Mine was 50k miles, at £10k, and that was 18 months ago. Just be careful. Often garages get them in p'ex for a newer car from the proverbial 'careful owner' and just want shut of them, as big second hand cars aren't too much in demand. Try and read the 'Car' reviews of the 400 by Setright, they'll reassure you.(I can locate the details if asked.) Don't be put off by the odd scare story on leaks or whatever. These are legendary for reliability, statistically. You COULD poss get a (high mileage) ser 4, but the laws of physics still apply. Things DO wear out with miles driven, so the less miles seems a number one concern? It's the best car I've owned (my last was a BMW 850, for comparison. Fast, but everything cost dosh too often!) Great to cruise in, yet fast as hell when needed, comfortable (I'm a Citroen suspension long time fan! so, that's praise!) in fact, ...you'll love it when you finally get one!

:winky: Well, the only surprise is....that you let the van driver live! I carry a big stick-well, a herb gathering scythe actually- in my car. But have yet to get to slice anyone's head off with it yet, thank ***! (It's just the thought of seeing someone's face if I emerged from a prang irate and carrying this strange curved evil looking weapon! TEE hee! Life should be theatre some times. Should we be setting up a 'Don't prang Lexus' vigilante group to visit mayhem on anyone who dares to prang our lovely cars?

I've just ordered some Chrome Rad grille attachments via e-bay, which I reckon will be an aesthetic(?) addition to the LS400. But agree on 'too much plastic' ideas as not being 'in keeping' with the car. Perhaps tinted windows, that is, if you want to be stopped by police. (I was once in a BMW 850 in cheltenham. they had my name even before I had the window down! But luckily, I have 'Doctor' on my deatails, which helps! It's a Phd-type Dr, but....it works!) Anyone need the Chrome details, ask? It's on ebay and rather too long to copy out! See further comment on Page 2 of this debate for further info

Either learn what the buttons are for and ignore the (heat faded) LCD screen on the stereo, (cheap option!) or get Lexus to replace -pricy option! My BMW 850 would magically close ALL the windows when you locked up the car, but not the LS400. (But my 850 cost me £2000 in 12months in repairs, but the Lexus-touch wood- has only cost a service (and time related cam belt) in that time and is smoother, nearly as fast, nice to cruise in.........

Citroen CXs were available in 'prestige' form, but that only added about 18 inches to the wheel base (they used the Safari wheelbase. was just right.) Stretch limos? Try to park that in a car park/on the street in England!

I guess we have to remember (with an LS400, but others too?) that we're driving a potent car. That's why we enjoy it, isn't it? It IS a 4 litre V-8 remember! It might be one of the sweetest engines around, but it is still a £50k car, not a Cortina-sorry, Mondeo! showing my age! My belt cost £314, (plus the Blairtax on top) last year. Did it on age ground; it's a series 3, 95 car, with only 54k miles, but 8 years old. Peace of mind really. I like to keep everything up together, (except the CD display!) Perhaps I should search this site for a new one of THOSE too? Chris Skelton. Shirehampton,Bristol

Yes, agree with previous comment. You CAN get parts checked, for instance, circuit boards as mentioned. But then you have to know a bit about how it all works. I guess this is why it's good to talk to people, and find out these kind of alternative solutions? For example, you can get your alternator rebuilt for a lot less than putting a new one in, or your starter motor. But then...you'd have to get it out first! Find a good old fashioned garage (that has a good reputation!!) as they'll be more ready to repair, rather than replace, things. Lexus's are quite traditionally built, apart from the electronic bits, and even these can be sorted. Don't forget scrapyards for parts, often available by mail order. But, big cars equal big bills, in the end. Just think of the pleasure you get from them though!

It won't 'hurt' the car to have a high ohm-age battery, if you can get one the same size as the space provided under the bonnet (AND take note of the other comments earlier in this debate, such as removing the neg contact first). It's a bit like having a V-8 engine rather than a 6, for example. The power backing is there when needed. It's helpful in winter when you use more power. This applies in Hi-Fi amplifiers too. The sound is much better when you have a high output transformer that can instantaneously respond to peaks in the music. My pre-amp has 6 power supplies; for each stage of the thing!! But then, it did cost £3000! As for the power amp.......(This is house system, not the car!!) You can get Car batteries direct from manufacturers. Here in Bristol, there's a firm called Bristol Batteries (surprisingly enough!) that will make whatever size you want; and advise you....check your yellow pages? Chris Skelton

My whole CAR gets misted up! Perhaps because I keep it outside, so the damp gets in? Am I the only one who thinks that the de-mist situation in The LS400 isn't as good as the rest of the car? Seems to steam up in winter, and the heating system doesn't blow out fast enough. Perhaps I need to have it checked. (I had a Jeep Cherokee that would be like a hair dryer on full speed! You could fly a kite (small one!) on the air blast!)

I've been a lifetime Citroen fan,especially DSs, so you get to know about Gas, as the suspension is pressured gas spheres (the perfect spring, in engineering terms, as the harder the pressure, the more it resists, but with no rebound like a metal spring). You have to have the spheres re-charged every couple of years for optimum efficiency. I found out that it's because there's almost no such thing as a perfect seal. The gas will leak out, molecule by molecule, over years! Citroen, being clever bastards, didn't try to 'cure' the problem (unlike FORD, who wasted millions trying to make a perfect seal!) and applied the same logic to the mineral oil they use in their suspension system. It leaks, a little, past the seals. So they allow for this by having a scavenging return pipe back to the hydraulic reservoir! (rather than try to do the impossible and make a 'perfect' seal!) Anyway, THAT'S why you need to recharge your Air-con every so often. I've got a contact who'll do it for cash, cheaper.......it's worth it though? Don't forget to run your Air con occasionally over the winter. The fluid keeps the seals supple, which will save you dosh, otherwise having new seals put in cos they've corroded isn't high on the list of things you want! I bought my Series 3 LS400 with the idea of keeping it for at least 10 years (crashes with loons not accounted for!), so these little tips will help to keep it going. Big cars are complicated. At least we have a pernickety company who went to great lengths to make their car as perfect as possible, so we can expect longevity. Chris Skelton

:o Isn't it aggravating, having to keep getting the car back up to how you'd like it....then you 'kerb' it ever so slightly..... I wonder how my (Graphite) LS400 would look with matching colour wheels? (Better than the corroding-ish ones I have now. Do Lexus do a Chrome LS400 wheel? Chris Skelton

The thing is with 'Spinners' that YOU don't get to ever see them work! So all you get is people thinking......What a prat? or whatever? I'd rather spend it on a better sound, or ....lifes pleasures? Chris Skelton

If he's a Scot, then REALLY the wife, If he has one? will be in charge of the purse?

Look in the 'Tyre pressure' section here, as someone mentioned a good dealer.

:D When you look inside the glove (who keeps gloves in here? CDs and Polo mints box, perhaps?) at the recommended pressures, you have three choices. As I only use the car with me, or me and my graceful partner, in, and I don't exceed 150kms/hr too often, I use the 'lesser' of the pressures, though it seems to me that a higher rating will result in less wear(?) but less grip, which is fine as I tend to cruise rather than race (I have a Series 3 LS400, bought for comfort, though fast on M-Ways) If I was a boy racer (who would call themselves that anyway?) I'd have a 200? Perhaps Helium would be better, as It would make the car a little lighter? (Include the spare?) Anyone got a spare set of wheels for an LS400 in good cond? Or even better, a chrome set? Chris at cskelton@madasafish.com in Bristol, U.K. B)