Howplum

For comparison, I had a quote the other day from a garage here in Milton Keynes of £470, including VAT, which comprised 3.2 hours at £60 p.h. (plus VAT) and a genuine Lexus cambelt kit and water pump at £199.65 (plus VAT). No mention of the cost of coolant though.

The main dealer initially quoted £850 ish, although reduced this to £750 after a bit of pushing.

The LS400 certainly represents a lot of car for the money, and it seems to me, as a non-owner (yet!), that within the £2,500 - £3,500 range there is plenty of opportunity to pick up a really good car.

I'm sure the values will only go one way, and eventually only the good ones will be left. As far as I can see there are currently 8 being broken for spares on eBay.

Sorry, I've gone off topic a bit, but what I'm driving at, in answer to the original question, is don't sell it too cheap.

This one is recently listed at £3,250 with half the mileage, although no mention of a cambelt change, and corrosion crops up on the MoT history:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F254368109789

I have got some prices from the main dealer for items that may be needed, depending on the MoT tester, hence the question.

Surprisingly they were the cheapest for a new Battery, albeit only slightly.

For my 1993 Mercedes I always check with the dealer first, and have been pleasantly surprised on several occasions.

Hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, I shall shortly be enjoying the experience of owning, and driving, an LS400. However, it does need some TLC, some of which I plan to do myself.

I have been tinkering with German cars for several years now, so am familiar with the usual suppliers, both the ones to use and the ones to avoid.

However, this will be my first Japanese car, so am looking for some guidance on the aftermarket suppliers that provide good quality parts (and those that don't).

For example, the timing belt and water pump etc. will need changing, and I have seen full "kits" on eBay for £187.00 which are unbranded, which worries me. Similarly, there seems a wide variation in price on suspension components, which may also be needed.

My impression, and I may be wrong here, is that there is a greater supply of non-dealer supplied parts in the USA.

Are there any companies in the UK that tend to specialise in these cars, or is it a case of shopping around as each component is needed.

I'm trying to start a friend's car, which has stood for 3 years with a flat Battery, with a view to possibly buying it and saving it from being scrapped. I have put a fresh Battery in, but it won't even try to fire up after cranking for several seconds.  Tellingly perhaps, there is no smell of fuel, which could be expected after sustained cranking.

I am suspecting the immobiliser, which seems to be the most likely cause following the fitting of a new Battery, according my research on the internet. The central locking and alarm work just fine.

I spoke to a very helpful technician at the main dealer here in Milton Keynes, who said the immobiliser might need resetting, and to leave the ignition turned on for 10 minutes (although on the internet several people suggest 6) after connecting the Battery, but unfortunately that didn't work.

I obviously need to check for a spark, and see if the plugs are wet after cranking, just to be sure I'm not barking up the wrong tree.

If I could draw on the experience of others, I have several questions:

1. Is there another resetting procedure I could try? I understand the security systems (possibly Scorpion) were dealer fitted in this country.
2. It seems that pins 2 and 3 on the fuel pump relay (FPR) should receive a current with the ignition on. Pin 2 supplies the actuator and pin 3 supplies the pump, via pin 4, when the switch is closed. Is that correct? I found the attached diagram which helped.
3. Does the immobiliser cut the power supply to the FPR, or the pump, or something else?
4. Could I run a test wire from the Battery + terminal to pin 4 on the FPR socket, which according to my logic should tell me if the pump is working?
5. Does anyone know if Lexus tended to fit the immobiliser control unit in a consistent location, and if so, where? My assumption would be on the interior side of the front bulkhead, but I am reluctant to start dismantling underneath the dashboard just yet.
6. Once the control unit is found, does anyone know which wires are for the immobiliser unit? A wiring diagram would be very helpful.

I am reluctant to engage an electrician just yet, in case the solution is reasonably straightforward, so any guidance or advice would be much appreciated.

Lexus LS400 fuel pump relay circuit.odt

I am new to the world of Lexus and am quite keen on buying an LS400 that hasn't been used for 3 years. It used to belong to a friend of mine, although it's fair to say he wasn't very proactive when it came to looking after the car, but it has only done 80,000 miles, has a full service history (not main dealer though) and only 2 owners in 23 years. It's a car I have always fancied, but missed the opportunity when I was was offered it 3 or 4 years ago, due to other projects on the go.

I am used to working on BMWs and Mercedes, for which there is a plentiful supply of non-manufacturer parts, but the Lexus marque does not seem so well catered for.

Most of the electrics work, or try to, except the heated front seats, which I understand is quite normal. The upper LCD display is faulty - can that be rebuilt?

The car won't start at present, so there is either a fuel or ignition issue. The security light to the right of the steering column is not lit when trying to start, so I am assuming the immobiliser is not interfering with the fuel supply. Do the fuel pump relays play up on these cars? Is there anything obvious I should be looking at? The fuel level is low, but surely it should at least cough a bit if it was getting even a little 3 year old fuel.  Perhaps I should bung 5 litres and some injector cleaner in, just in case.

I was hoping to take the wheels off to check the brakes and suspension, but I didn't realise the nuts would be a monstrous 21mm, so I need to go back with more tools. Let's hope the security nuts don't thwart my efforts. The parking brake is on, so no doubt that will be seized.

From what I could see underneath the suspension components are very crusty and the bushes may be past their best, although they have never been mentioned by the MoT tester between 1999 and 2016, which is when the last MoT test was carried out. Assuming a worst case scenario what is involved in a full suspension rebuild front and back? I am assuming the parts can only be bought from the dealer, although I would use a local garage to do the dirty work.

I would only buy it if I can get it running and then get it taken on a low loader to my local garage, who will sort out the brakes, and anything else obvious, before putting it through an MoT test.

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated.