Stu76

As you may know from other strings my car has set up camp on the drive for the last few weeks due to a broken road spring. Anyhow I recently bought a replacement from Sewell Dallas as well as one for the other side and two new shock absorbers. Anyhow they've turned up and they aren't the same. Firstly Sewells have accidentally sent front shocks and rear springs, I spoke to Darrel Diller of Sewell who has offered to send out the two front springs FOC. Now that I have the spring off the front I can see that they are colour coded with two orange spots of paint. I asked Darrel what colour coding was on the springs he was going to dispatch and they are different. Does anyone know the significance of this? I understood that it was to do with the stiffness of the spring, but Darrel suggested it's simply a way of marking which corner of the car they are for. I don't recall what colours his are marked as but will find out if required. Secondly does anyone think it matters? I was of the oppinion originally that if I get replacement shocks AND springs for both sides from the same source then it wouldn't really matter if they are a different spec to UK. I can imagine that they might be a bit softer than a UK spec but it should still work shouldn't it? Also Darrel doesn't want the rear ones back due to the cost of postage, so I could replace the rear springs too so that all four are now US spec. Only the rear shocks would then be Euro spec. I would appreciate any advice with regard to the significance of the colours as I haven't asked Darrel to dispatch them yet until I know whether I will use them or not. Cheers, Stu

Sorry, I don't understand the terminology so don't know how to vote for the one I prefer. I'll give you a clue though, that one of them looks to me like it belongs on a mondeo!!!!

To the courier - actually to the chap in the van? Thanks for that. I'll make sure I bring my cheque book into work with me from now on. I wonder where it is?!?

The sale Darrel said he "never had any complaint about" was for ball joints and various other parts. Probably was you then! Is it correct that UPS will bill me with the delivery for the import charges and VAT, and that I'll have 30 days to pay it?

I'm 29 and got mine when I was 28. I must admit that I do think of it as on old man's car, but I don't care. It's quiet, smooth, reasonably cheap to run compared to two litre cars, it's got a good sound system and it's reasonbly quick. I must admit though that although many people tell you how quick they are they don't feel it as they are comfortable, but setting off as this car want to 'normally' seems to usually put you in the lead. When I first got it I used to drive slow as I didn't want to get where I was going!!

I can do that even if he's not a paid up member? I followed the hyperlink and that stated that one of the perks of being gold member is access to other gold members e-mail addresses. Is it not limited to them? Thanks for the advice,

Seems Mr Larkin would have to be a gold member also in order for me to talk direct? Also seems that having just written all about the work I'm doing on the car at the moment that I should've joined last week if I was going to join at all!!

News.....I eventually got bored of trying to decide what to do and went for the US original stuff option. It's therefore getting two new springs and two new shocks. I phoned the chap at Sewells to make the order as I was a bit shakey about the possibility of the parts being the wrong ones. Although he was very nice and explained that he was suppling as suggested by the chassis number, he did mention that he thinks he's sold once before to the UK!! This bothered me more, as I thought I got the impression from this site that you guys use them all the time!! Anyhow I now have a tracking number and the parts are in Kentucky having travelled the first few humdred miles of their trip. Hopefully they will arrive before too long so I can get the thing back on the road again. Some prat has left the reading light on though whilst looking for CD's one night and now the battery's flat!!

Once mines back on the road I want to sell it and it seems similar to what you are looking for, including location. I think I have to be a gold member of this site though to give you any more info and I don't know how to do that and what it entails. Can anyone advise?

I was told of a tow-bar that you can get fitted that not only is removable but retractable. It's alleged to be operated from a button on the dash, I have never decided whether to beleive this or not though, but do really fancy the idea of one!! I'm just concerned that I'd press it one day whilst towing and end up needing a new rear bumper.

If your recent bump that wasn't your fault hasn't been settled then the insurance company might still hold you as having no NCD, and worst still a recent claim. They seem to think it's fair to do this until they get all the money back off the third party's insurance company, then they will rectify your premium and pay you some cash back. When I first took out insurance on my 1993 LS400 I was 28 with full NCD and I paid something around £650 3PF&T. Didn't bother with the fully comp, I think that was via a broker called Adrian flux. When the renewal came they insisted that I had an immobiliser fitted to honor the theft, but I didn't want to pay for one of them or have my dash hacked to shreads and left with rattles. I don't think the car is the type to be nicked so I didn't bother. It's now effecitively insurance 3P and fire!! Hasn't moved for weeks though....see my lastest entry!!

Just been onto the Customs and Excise people (0845 010 9000) and found out that the items I am looking to import would be charged at 4.5%, but that's on the total bill including insurance and P&P. Then VAT is charged on the total amount inlcuding the import duty. Total bill now therefore is £271.65 Why do the government get so much of our money? People who have the courtesy to pay as much in in duty on petrol as LS400 drivers should get a discount somewhere shouldn't they?!?

The car's sat on the drive and seems to be getting lower and lower! I didn't think it would do that? I had to move it on Sunday just to get the car out from behind it so I can get to work and it's awful. I reversed onto the road, got the Cavalier out the did a turn in the road and reversed it back up the drive. It feels rough!! Anyhow, It looks like I could do with the strut to go with the new spring now, and probably therefore both sides. So the local dealership want £85 + VAT for the coils, £70 + VAT for the shocks and about £350 for labour. Even though it shouldn't have costed more labour was glad to hear them confirm that. I've had the parts quoted from Sewells also, their they are $78.27 and $62.92 respectively. Postage is $138. Total bill therefore, £221.24. A saving of about £140, but I don't know anything about import tax etc that I have heard you all talking about. Interestingly the postage didn't increase with the addition of the shocks, therefore I wonder whether I could increase the order more and more. There was once talk of a syndicate of buying on here, now I see why. Did it ever happen? How do I join? Meanwhile the Cavalier which I paid £100 for a few weeks back from a chap a work as I couldn't resists whay appeared to be a bargain is laughing at the Lexus every night when I get home!! Thanks, Stu

New news. I have spoken to the local Toyota dealership who want £70+VAT per spring and £350+VAT labour to fit them. The also didn't recomend that I drive it so offered to pick it up and bring it the five or so miles in for another £50-60. I then phoned Lexus in Bolton and they wouldn't commit to a price until they've seen it however the chap I spoke to did ask a few questions then reckoned that if I check that the spring isn't sticking into the wheel or anything then I could drive it if I take it easy. So I've had a look tonight and driven it the 2-3 miles home. Indeed the spring has broken (I found another bit of it by the side of the road this evening) but I don't think this was the problem. It looks like the flange on the strut has failed which has caused the spring to suddenly release, thus causing the damage to that. So do I need a new strut as well as a new spring, or even two new struts and two new springs? Odd feeling driving it home. I didn't go above 20mph and stopped every half mile or so in the name of my brand spanking tyre. The car felt really awful though. I e-mailed a couple of US places I've seen mentioned on here and wait for some prices. I need to ask them for struts now too. Surely heavy items aren't much cheaper from the states are they? Stu

I've had contact with this guy too and although I haven't used his services (as I've run into mechanical trouble which is more pressing) I can say that intial contact and prices seem very good.

When I was offered a Lexus LS400 last year I had a look around to find out about them and fell upon this web-site. Reading all you had to say convinced me that I should buy it and so far it's been great. I read that they are very reliable on the whole, but a few guys were talking about breaking springs - and I'm supposing therefore that's what's happened to me this morning. I don't have all the details as my girlfriend was driving and I was a few cars behind, but apparently the car "just went bang" at about 25 mph so she stopped. There were no pot holes on the road in the vaccinity and I generally avoid big curbs and pot holes anyhow. The body is now sat about half and inch off the o/s/f wheel. By the way the car has only done about 100 miles since it had 17" alloys fitted with wider tyres, previously it did about 12,000 miles on small IS200 wheels/tyres. Also it had two new tyres fitted to the front last weekend. Also it's been stood for about three weeks, until last weekend. Not sure that this is any use, but thought I'd mention it. So assuming that it is a broken spring as I recall some of you were warning of last year, please can you advise me where to purchase a new one. I recall you were all buying from a place in the US. Should I replace both? Do you think it is the spring that's broken? What kind of parts/labour charge can I expect to be facing? Shame really as it had new wheels/tyres for it's MOT so I was just about to sell it whilst it's got 12 months ticket!! That'll have to wait now! One more thing - can I drive it as it is? It's at the side of the road where my girlfriend left it and I can't tow it with a dolly as it should have the rear wheels lifted too. Probably would cost me my Granada's gearbox also! Thanks for your advice, Stu

Has anyone else had a similar rattle to mine? It comes from the passenger side - sounds like the seatbelt mounting on the door pillar area but isn't. Can't find it - and it isn't there when there's a passenger in which makes it harder to find. It's not too much of a problem - can't really hear it when the radios on but nevertheless is annoying when it's not.

I have a 1993 LS400 but not sure what month. Chap I bought it off told me that a problem with these is dashlights start to not come on straightaway then progressively take longer and longer. Sounds like your story so far. He told me Lexus can repair it but only be replacing with the same as they haven't found a fix, i.e. problem will come back in time. He told me he removed his (now mine) boards and posted them to someone in the states who fixed them for good. Don't know how true it is but will find out detials next time I see him. Incidentally I noticed the dash seemed to be broke when I first took it off him as it does go dim then bright again from time to time, but as I have driven it more I realise that it's when I go under bridges or trees during daylight hours. Is there some kind of auto sensor on them or something?

I didn't mean the remote on/off button to the left of the steering column, I meant the turny thing near the bonnet release that turns the sound of the beep up and down. It's not that though!!

Confused. Is the fob still opening the car? You know there's a knob near the bonnet release that turns the plip up and down and even off don't you.

Had my 93 LS400 air con done last night and blokey pulled out a filter from the back fo the glovebox and said, "you need one of these." It was full of dust and black. He reckons they should be light grey or white. Is this not a pollen filter then? Interestingly I did phone the local Toyota garage for a price, and even with the chassis number he told me my car hasn't got one. He asked me to bring it in!! Air con blokey only pulled out one though - did you say there should be two? Late - just checked the hyperlink and mine don't look like that. This is shown to be in the glovebox, but I only have a little glovebox and an airbag. We removed the panel underneath and the filter slots vertically into it's housing (two wing nuts). It's not square either. Air con bloke left it out and suggested I don't bother replacing it if I ain't got hey fever.

I bought a 93 LS 400 about 6 weeks ago after spending plenty of time learning about and looking for S class mercs then bumping into this. I looked into Lexus's quickly (before blokey could sell it to someone else) then bought it. Mine had 135k on it when I got it and I've put another 1200 miles on it since then. I bought it thinking that I could sell again in a few months if I find the right merc but I've stopped looking. I've had an oil change done on it and had the aircon re-gassed (does anyone know the weight of refrig they take as the bloke couldn't find it in his books or on the car so he conservatively guessed). Currently thinking about what else to spend on it as it does have a little list of things which on the old car would've probably been ignored..... 1) cam belt 2) rear pads 3) plugs 4) brake fluid 5) LCD SCREENS!!! By the way why were you asking about auto boxes on a HIGH MILER??

Thanks for all that info. I have had the car in to the main dealers last Friday for an A-service, since the book was badly in need of a stamp. Due to the age of the car I couldn't warrant paying Lexus prices so I've let the book slip to Toyota (Bentley's of Warrington). Can't imagine that's too tragic. The chaps there didn't pick up on the engine not running properly. In fact they had another 1993 LS400 in on the same day. It was even the same colour, chap told me that mine runs great so do I think I'm being too picky or do they not know what they are on about? They used to be Lexus dealers, and as I just said they had a benchmark on site to compare it with! Not sure whether to bother with the plugs yet then. It sounds like I'm opening an expensive can of worms that doesn't really need fixing. I'll concentrate my money on the air-con and start to consider that cam-belt change which needs doing (5 years, 17 thousand miles - again do you bother?) Oh by the way, Toyota reckon my rear pads need replacing - £100 all in, that the front discs want skimming (which I thought too) - £160, and a brake fluid change - £45. What about the front discs though? When I first got the car the pads had only done 400 miles and the car did judder quite noticeably under brakking, I've done about 1000 miles in it so far and it's no where near as bad. Were they just bedding in or am I getting used to it??? Stu

Have a look a few topics down on "Climate control black screen". There is a hyperlink on one of the replies there which takes you to a page talking about climate control screens and also about detachable tow balls for LS400's.

I have recently bought a 1993 LS400 primarliy thanks to this website. I had been looking for an S-class merc, but then a Lexus turned up - something I hadn't considered at all. A few days hurridly finding out about them, mostly via this website, made my mind up at to what it should be worth and whether or not to buy. Silly decision really being as I was fairly clued up on S-classes and have been watching their market and been looking at auction since winter!! Anyhow, one LS400 and a happy customer later and it's time to spend some money on it. It has 135k on the clock with a lexus service history upto ~126k which was in 2002. The chap I bought it off hasn't done many miles in it but also hasn't bothered servicing it. So I need to sort it out before it gets too late and I put many miles on the clock. Having come from a four cylinder engine I am not sure just how good these cars are supposed to be but I have noticed that when idling the car does seem to vibrate slightly, probably more than I you lot give me the impression that it should. When in a dealership last week looking for servicing prices I asked a chap there to come and see what he thinks and he said that it is a pot or two down at idle. I have returned 24mpg on the first tank I have used though so I don't think it can be running too badly at speed. So what should I do? I think that it wants a cheap A service for now, so that I can get the book stamped and a general look around, but should I get the plugs done too? I tend to just think that this hides the real problem temporaryily - is that right and if so what else could be up? Also looking for advice on the wheels. It have wheels from a 200 on it has the last chap said the proper ones were fairly pitted so when he was ready for new tyres he just bought some new wheels out of the autotrader. I personally think it looks great, especially as the alloys on LS400 have always been a bit ugly in my eyes. But does this make my car look silly to a real Lexus fan?? Once I work out this website I'll stick some photos on....