Razor61

The car passed the first MOT in my ownership at Lexus Bolton yesterday without any advisories. I would have been very annoyed if there were advisories after all the work I've done on the car.................... I knew the headlight aiming was too low and Lexus Bolton adjusted this for the MOT. I assume this was caused by replacing the suspension arms and needing to disconnect the height sensors. Rather than disconnect the sensor arm from the suspension bracket on the front, I had to disconnect it from the sensor itself after marking the position. This was due to the nut being seized on the suspension arm and I needed to get it into the garage to work on it.

Applied the vinyl wrap to the passenger door trim which was the only one with chunks of paint missing. Spent a bit of time working out the best way to do it. Wound the passenger window down, measured a length of wrap and applied it. Trimmed the edges and it went on really well. Shut the door and was very pleased, ready now to do the rest. The rest are in good condition with no paint missing but I wanted them all to match. However, I stood back and looked at the result. The finish is pretty close to the rear door so I didn’t bother doing the rest. Next job………the black button on the rear passenger side glass were most of the paint has gone. Button is the same size as a 1p coin so just that as a template to cut a circle. Dried the button and applied the wrap. It’s not perfect and I may do it again if it starts coming off after washing etc but it’s a hell of a lot better. Overall I’m pretty chuffed and thanks again to Howard for suggesting it. pic of before wrapping, not the best pic cos it’s cropped from another pic of the whole car but you can see where the paint is missing and I’ve used a permanently marker. Trim done button done

I've took the plunge and ordered the satin finish and a toolkit to go with it. I'll see how I get on and posts some pictures.

Thanks Howard, good advice and good to see a piece of the vinyl in situ.

Maybe it was due to a ***** up when I flattened the primer which I haven't mentioned....................... I used panel wipe after flattening and it started to remove the primer and in places it was back to bare metal and uneven, thinking about it I shouldn't have used panel wipe at all but you live and learn. I did leave the primer to dry for 24 hours. Very very annoyed with myself so wiped down (not with panel wipe), cleaned and gave them a another thin coat of primer. I really couldn't wait until the next day for it to dry for 24 hours again, flatten and spray the top coats so left them for an hour, used a hairdryer for 10 mins, wiped down and sprayed the top coats. The orange peel effect is all over the trims not just at the bonnet end, in real life you can't really see it unless you get close and in the high res pictures I took you can see it. Proof is that further up the trim it looks fine in the pics. When the paint hardens I could try flattening the paint and buffing it but I'm not bothered because it looks spot on and I quite like the subtle 'textured effect', a professional sprayer may disagree but I don't care.

Thank you Howard, next job is the door trims in Gloss Black. The drivers side is ok but the passenger side is pretty tatty and permanent black marker only last so long. Removing them to spray isn't an option or practical, I don't fancy masking off the side of the car just to rub down/spray them and doing them outside with the time you need to wait between primer and top coats isn't an option either. So I think your idea of vinyl wrap is the best option. I'll need to build up the paint where it's come off with some kind of fine filler or just spray the affected areas with some primer and paint and flatten so the surface is nice and flat for the wrap. I'll order the stuff today when I get chance and see how it goes.

Job completed, trims refitted and I’m pleased with the result. Bigger job than I thought but glad I did it, if nothing else I sorted the rusty bits under the trims. The worse rusty bit would have rotted through in a year or so I think. There is some glue on the roof from where the masking tape was stuck for a few days but will remove that when I next wash the car. Leaving that for a few weeks to let the paint harden. The paint is still soft but should cure and harden in a few weeks, I hope. Wax applied to give some protection. I nicked a bit of paint with a fingernail putting the door seal back, only a very tiny bit so touched it up with a touch up stick using the black paint I used, did it after I took the photos. If there is a next time for this I would buy a second hand pair if possible, paint them and swop them over. There is a pair for sale on eBay but they are £55 each and were available before I started this job, if they were £20 each I would have bought them. I might buy them anyway, will have a think about it.

I feel your pain and have been there myself a few times, what should be a straightforward job turns out to be a pita and is always something that ‘has’ to be sorted. I.e rear anti roll bar bracket - bolt snaps - can’t leave it and needs to be drilled and tapped. The rear engine mount or transmission mount wasn’t a 5 min job for me to do under the car even though the bolts came out ok. Getting the mount etc off was fine, getting it back on wasn’t as easy. I struggled with it and needed another trolley jack under the mount to push it up so I could get the outer bolts in. A lot easier done on a ramp of course, like most things. I think you have been really unlucky for a bolt to snap, it’s not an area I would expect it to happen. You are right to take it to a specialist to get it on a ramp with good access and get it sorted out. Worse case, if it’s not a blind threaded hole, it could be drilled out completely and fit a nut, bolt and washers maybe.

They did look like new and it did go well…………until I came to glueing the rubber trim on one of the trims😠 I should have glued it on before I sprayed the trims. I didn’t realise the paint wasn’t quite dried/hardened so when I placed them onto some clean material to check and glue the rubber trim, the material left a weave pattern in the paint in some areas with just the weight of the trims. I wasn’t chuffed at all………….so with rubber trim glued in place now, it was back to the garage - cleaned them down and another 2 coats of paint. Left them for an hour then moved them into the house where it’s warmer. They will stay there for a few days before I fit them to the car.

If I had some paint I may have done but I’ve already bought the satin black paint. flattened the primer this morning, 3 coats of satin black applied approx 6 mins apart and they are hung up drying. Painted the bits around the screw fittings that were rusted with a touch up kit I bought a couple of weeks ago from Chipex to sort some stone chips. I’ve covered everything with cling film and masking tape so it doesn’t get wet where the trims are supposed to be. Tomorrow, when the paint is dry, I’ll glue the rubber seal on and refit them.

Removed the windscreen trims and sanded off the old paint, the finish looks really good so placed them on the car and took a pic. Looks really good on the car but they are being painted and 3 coats of etch primer has been applied. Tomorrow they will be gone over with very fine wet and dry, cleaned, wiped down with panel wipe and sprayed with satin black. One of the thin rubber seals has detached so will be glued back on after they have been sprayed with the final coat and dried overnight. There was some corrosion round the top screw fitting on the drivers side so it’s been cleaned, scraped and De-ox gel applied to work it’s magic overnight. Whole thing should be finished on Monday, not spent a lot of time on it. It’s the time you need to wait for things to dry properly or leave to do their stuff.

The problem screw which had the pozi rounded.

Couldn’t help myself this morning and had a go at removing the drivers side window trim screws. Got all 3 screws out without much trouble, tighten first or try to, then undo and I could feel them moving then worked them out gradually. It helps having a long ratchet screwdriver with a good quality new bit to get the purchase and torque, I just had a quick go yesterday with a normal screwdriver. No prizes for guessing which make of ratchet screwdriver I used today😉 Cleaned up the threads with a m5 0.8 die and wd40. Did the same thing on the car with a m5 0.8 tap and wd40. Passenger side first 2 screws, lower and middle, were no problem using the same method. Top one………….pozi had been rounded (not by me) so cut a slot in the top with a piece of hack saw blade, took a while cos it’s awkward. Filed down a flat bladed screwdriver bit at the end so it fitted into the slot I created and the screw came out no problem. Cleaned all the threads up as above. Trims ready to remove and paint, looking at the finish underneath the door seal where the sun hasn’t got to them they do look satin as Howard has said. I may look at getting them anodised or maybe remove the black paint and see what they look like underneath. Looks like they are a polished finish underneath. The screws were rusty but not seized, they can be removed though with some patience unless they really are seized solid. If that’s the case they can be carefully drilled out and tapped. Chuffed to bits now, door trims are a different matter though and these will be painted on the car I think.

Had a good look at removing the windscreen trims, I only looked at the passenger side. Suffice to say they are staying where they are, at least for now. Screws are in tight, I may have another go with an impact screwdriver if and when I feel like having a go. At least I know what to do now to get the door seals off and then the trims. I also cleaned around the bottom where all the crud collects and the water drains through the inner wing, after removing the rubber cover things. Nice and clean now after degreaser and lots of water to clear it all out. It was very manky and worth doing. Back to the original question of what the original finish was, if the finish was the same as the door trims then it was gloss black. I’m pretty sure the door trims were gloss and not satin. I had a brand new IS200 in 2003 and the door trims were gloss black.

That won’t fix it like the speedo, if it is the actual gauge that’s faulty. I did it to prove it was the gauge at fault and not anything more serious. With mine it sometimes stayed at the bottom on cold, slapped the dash and it moved up a bit, another slap moved it up a bit more.

Could be thermostat but I don’t think so. I would guess at the temp gauge itself, mine went a month or so ago. Temp gauge went higher than normal so had it checked out at Lexus in case something was about to go pop. Main concern was head gasket/s. Nothing was wrong and it was the gauge itself, I slapped the dash on the right hand side and the gauge was all over the place. I bought a spare instrument cluster a while ago and swopped the main board from the existing cluster to the spare one. Fitted it and all is good.

For my LS400 I bought an intermediate service kit at the end of March this year - cost £80.92 The same intermediate service kit now - cost £91.30 Gone up by just over £10 I seem to remember the old 'Oil promotion' was 0.01 for the first 5 litres or something like that, now it's first 5 litres £21.82

I will be very careful, any hint of trouble taking them off - I'll stop and re think what to do. The door seal looks to be very tight next to the trims, I'll have a good look at the weekend how easy it is to remove and then figure out if it will go back as it was. I don't want wind noise after cos it's loose or something so if I'm not sure they will stay where they are.

Just had a look at the 3m 2080 satin black wrap stuff, I think that’s the way to go for the door trims and probably for the windscreen trims as well, even if I can remove them ok. Thanks for suggesting it Howard.

Not thought of that, good idea👍 I’ll see if the screws on the windscreen trims are seized or not, if they are then it’s vinyl trim or paint them in situ.

From what I can see the trims are bolted on. I'm talking about the LH and RH side trims or 'Outside Mouldings' on the windscreen, nothing else.

After sorting nearly all the main issues and niggles on the car, I'm ready to paint the black front windscreen screen trims and door trims. They have black paint missing and look scruffy so I'm going to remove the windscreen trims and paint them. I'll need to 'mask off' the door trims and paint them I think, the 'Front Door Belt Moulding' can be removed but not sure how much of the door needs to be dismantled first. Maybe removing just removing the inner trim (Frame Garnish) will enable me to get to the 5 screws and 4 nuts for the 'Front Door Belt Moulding'. If that's the case I'll remove it and paint it off the car. Question I have though is what finish did the car have when new, satin black or gloss black? Does anyone know what the original finish was? Thanks

you could try the ebay seller below, looks like they have dismantled a MK4 LS400 as there are loads of bits for sale. Maybe they have the undertray and not listed it yet. https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/internetscrapyard?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=mh4Vb2l4TJO&sssrc=3418065&ssuid=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY or these guys https://www.lexusbreakers.co.uk/

I buy mine from Lexus, Lexus Parts Direct have the fronts discs/pads at £180 and the rear discs/pads for £210. Not worth fitting alternative non-OEM stuff in my opinion. If you have a word with your local Lexus dealer and quote the Lexus Parts Direct prices they may match the price. They did for me. OEM Pad anti squeal shim kits are not cheap in the UK and neither are the fitting kits. Adds around £90 for each axle at UK prices iirc. You may need them, depends on whether they are present on your car and in decent condition. The anti squeal shim kits include the wear sensor retaining clip, £13 each in the UK😬 I ordered all of them from Amayama at the same time as ordering other bits. Makes the postage etc more cost effective.

Absolutely correct Phil and a more technical description than I offered👍 No smell of fuel this morning, as described earlier, today has been sunny and didn’t touch the car all day. Opened the boot 10 mins ago, no smell of fuel then opened the drivers door……..I was a bit apprehensive to be honest and didn’t want to smell fuel. Glad to say I didn’t smell any fuel at all, just the smell of a 1998 LS400 and that’s it. I’m still not counting any chickens, time will tell if it’s fixed or not over the next few weeks.