Farqui

Is the electronic adjuster seated properly?

Maybe twist is off and have someone switch to/from Sport mode. The motor should rotate each time. Remember to reseat the adjuster in the same setting from which it was removed? I vaguely recall that it's supposed to be in Normal mode to remove.

Ah okay, so maybe the other side needs replacing now?

Would be good to hear from someone who's had a damper fail properly (not just a dealer saying its leaking). They might be able to say if the dampers lock up?

Were the dampers dry or oily?

Good, eliminating worn bushes is good.

Sport mode will firm up the rear but i haven't tried bouncing it so can't say how firm is firm.

Does it bounce more when the dampers are set to normal?

Is the rear ride height similar to the front?

Are you certain that the cause is the damper?

Have you checked the damper is solidly mounted top and bottom? It could just be a worn bush.

Are the rear anti roll bar bushes and drop links all okay?

The multi-link rear suspension has many parts that could cause knocking.

Oops, my bad - well spotted.

What's an extra kilo between friends?! *ahem*

Hi David, That'll be ENERGY recovered during lift off/braking that's pumped back into your traction Battery.

On my vehicle one full E is 50kWh, there's a key on the screen.

So half an E or L is < 50kWh.

Welcome to the forum Paul and thanks for sharing pic's of your sleeper [emoji106]

My mrs isn't as keen to drive mine but when she does, she likes the 'lazy drive'.

That catch tank looks familiar, works a treat

Hi Mike, what mileage has the vehicle covered?

Are you able to lift the front wheels off the ground and check for any bearing play or grumbling from a dry bearing?

If the bearings are okay then your issue could be tyre related.  I recently had feathering on both front tyres that sounded just like bad bearings, it's easy to check too...just run your hand around the tyre and check for any ridges/saw teeth. The mrs had a tyre go slightly out of round that droned in/out like a bearing.  Both were easily sorted with new tyres, even tho the originals still had plenty of tread 😞

Peter, you can get a hybrid healthcheck and warranty at any time, on a vehicle up to 15yrs old. How good is that!

HI Peter, welcome to the forum.

Ah the age old question of mileage vs age and I would also take into account the condition and service history (if at all possible).

The traction Battery meter not showing green at the top end of the display is pretty normal and mine only goes into the upper levels when I head over to the hilly countryside and get some stronger/longer braking/regen.  Provided the Battery charges to the levels you have seen, then you should be good.  Lexus have just extended the traction Battery warranty to 15 years, just get yourself an annual hybrid health check 😉

The rear brakes can mostly be fixed with a good service, dealers may also tell you that dampers need replacement when they actually seem pretty reliable, alloys corrode and the paint can be in a terrible state.

From what I've read  vehicles from Japan are mostly in good condition, so that should give you some confidence.

Good luck in your hunt and let us know how you get on.

Cheers, Lee

Vlad, didn't you also mentioned that the pulsing went away briefly after working on the brakes...which suggests to me that the disks themselves are not warped.

As it's quite an involved job I would be tempted to replace as many parts as possible including the starter motor.  Although if your vehicle is low mileage or your budget is tight, then just opt for the obvious parts that are broken.  Replacing everything will make for a quicker fix, whereas checking and ordering specific parts will mean more down time.

Part numbers are in the US thread 😉

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-2nd-gen-1998-2005/394613-1999-lexus-gs-400-starting-problems-2.html#post4063189

Before you go any further I would take the time to confirm that the disks are actually warped with a dial gauge/similar.  A gauge can be found cheap on the bay of fleas/similar.

Ensure the disk/hub faces are completely clean and provide a true mounting.

Do you stay on the foot brake for a long time e.g. whilst sitting at junctions?  Some friction material can stick to the disk, especially after a long, repeated or hard stop.

I occasionally find that my brakes pulse and it can be cleared by some hard braking to clean off friction material that's built up from sitting on the brakes in/around town.

The LS400 starter motor is on top of the V under the inlet manifold, so isn't as straight forward a job as a typically located starter 😞

Here's a thread that links to a good guide for you; 

https://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/90496-starter-replacement/

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Mine has sport mode and the top of each shock has an electric motor that adjusts the damping. This motor twists on, so might yours be loose? Or not seated properly?

You'll need to unclip the boot lining to get to the rears, a 2 minute job.

The sport adjustable dampers are more expensive, circa £240 each.

Neither does mine and i fitted replacement struts, no change.

@Herbie the insurance company are looking after their own interests so I'm not surprised that they would look for ways to prevent or reduce a claim. Your pal must have had a specific reason why the claim was rejected and maybe it was a valid reason, albeit financially painful to them.

As I understand tyre's and their relevance to claims/the law...

• low tyre pressures can earn you 3 penalty points and insurers can use this against you in a claim, so definitely check your pressures regularly
• bald/bulging/badly damaged tyres are very bad, can earn you penalty points and are likely to invalidate your insurance
• tyres with too low a speed rating for the vehicle are a no no and are illegal in some countries.  higher rated tyres aren't a problem

You are allowed to vary your tyre pressures provided they still comply with the minimum vehicle and maximum tyre pressure ratings.

The recommended tyre pressure are cold settings that will increase after the tyres warm up once driven at speed.  So in theory once you're driving your tyres gradually become out of spec!

You are allowed to fit tyres from other tyre manufacturers provided they comply with the vehicle weight, rim size, width, speed rating, etc.  An extreme would be a budget tyre on a performance vehicle and nobody would bemoan and insurer reducing/eliminating a payout in this case.  So do all you can to eliminate any concerns later on.

If you had to fit the specific tyre and model to a vehicle then you'd be scuppered if the tyre was no longer in production/available to purchase.

There are so many variables involved that insurer's can exploit, it's a bloomin' minefield.

What were the pressures on the old tyres? Many fitters will check those to then determine the new tyre pressures.

Although you'd have thought a *ahem* Lexus trained tech would have set the pressure as per book. Although aren't the manufacturer suggestions just a minimum setting and you then need to factor in the tyres construction/etc?

There are other elements to consider, such as...

Did you both set/check the pressures using the same gauge? Some can vary quite a bit.

Do your new tyres have a softer sidewall? Different make/model? These may account for a few psi difference.

Maybe your old tyres were only wearing at the shoulders, so adding a few psi would even wear across the tyre.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/lexus,2008,gs450h,3.5l+v6+electric/gas,1441480,steering,tie+rod+end,7428

I've only paid the price at checkout, without any further charges in the UK. Unlike when ordering parts from Japan.

Have you tried RockAuto in the states?

I've ordered many parts from them and they deliver quickly with reasonable parts prices.

Checkout those toys! Very nice.

Hehe, it almost looks like your radiator took a liking to bubble gum!

Will be interested to hear what you think of Toyotek as they're not far from me.

Hi Sam, that's a great story and I hope that the LS turns out to be everything you hoped it would be.

Well done taking the plunge, with these larger vehicles they seem to be very well built so I'd like to think that you haven't taken on a big risk.

I do like your model, it looks very clean.  Do you have any pic's of the interior?

From your profile I see that you are based in Warwickshire and I'm keen to know why you chose Toyotek over her in Lincoln?  

Let us know how the garage work pans out.

Good luck, Lee

John, why'd you wish that you'd gone for a saloon? - ah, i now see your later reply (pref boxy shape).

Sorry to hear that the mrs isn't keen on it, might she come round?

I echo the above comments and have no issues with my hardwiring or working on our vehicles.

Beware using dashcams on the continent and do not presume they are legal everywhere.

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1059383/Dash-cam-fine-abroad-Europe-fine-jail-prison