Wherryman Sam

10 minutes ago, BodgerBen said:

Hi Mike,

Good luck with getting your car mot’d and back to good health, you’re a braver man than me. But I would stick with an LS400, just one that needs less work, but we do get attached to cars, my Scimitar was my mums, she bought it when it was a year old, and it has power steering, and a little bit more go with the 1UZFE engine. I hope to keep it until I can no longer drive. 
I now have a superb LS400 that I hope to get many years of enjoyment from, so can only commend you on your decision.

Any excuse for a piccy of my lovely LS, good luck with yours

 

 

 

Thanks Ben - she's a lovely looking girl. That is a superb colour for these beasts.

Hi Paul, thanks for your reply. Yes, back oop North now on the borders of Bolton and Wigan, not too far from M61 J4.

Sorry, but I'm pretty useless when it comes to identifying the undersides of cars. I assume the first photo in your post is the corrosion on n/s and o/s integral body structure. The lower suspension arm ball joint you mentioned in your second photo I assume refers to the dust cover no longer preventing the ingress of dirt?

Hope that's right, but they're only assumptions on my part.

Thanks for your kind and generous offer to have a gander, but I think where she's being stored at the moment is going to be too much to ask of you. We currently have her in a secure car park at my wife's place of work, which is in Chester. That's well over 100 miles round trip from Darwen and travelling / looking /travelling back hours of your time. I can't ask you to do that.

Best regards,

Mike.

Pete - I hear you Loud and clear. Car regrets have been many over the years, but only because of other idiot drivers writing them off and me not being able to replace them. Worst was a 2.9i V6 Scorpio - God I loved that car!

I remember selling a shotgun for a newer model in the eighties - fitted me like a glove. Nothing I've ever owned since has come close. That's one I'll take to the grave!

Ben - Nice Scimitar! My wife was offered one in the Nineties, and very nice it was too. Her reason for not buying (despite my protests)? No power steering ha.🥵

Bill, I don't intend for her to become a costly money pit, and what's been spent on purchase and repairs -when factored into cost of replacement - is not a whole hill of beans.

Malc, you always knew the answer. 😄 I can't and I won't let her go without a damn good fight. So thank you, and the others for helping me regain perspective. It's been quite cathartic.

Nigel, thank you so much for your generous offer and if I was still in Norfolk, I would definitely take you up on it. Free advice AND a garage that has some knowledge of these exotic beasts is rare indeed.

You gentlemen are blooming marvellous. I'm blown away by your knowledge, experience and willingness to help. Thank you all so very, very much.

I'll keep you updated as to progress, but please don't expect too quick a fix. I think this will be a bit of a slog.

Warmest regards,

Mike.

On 3/3/2024 at 2:57 PM, Malc1 said:

Why on earth be concerned about Showroom Condition ……. just get her useable and enjoy the driving in a marvellous limo 

My two are 248k and 99k miles and brilliant everyday cars with assorted dings and dents that just don’t affect the comfort joy and bliss of outstanding driving …….. I just alternate their daily use …… no favourites here 

 

Your damp you can sort if you try hard enough I’m sure ….. and ££££ free too probably and the dash light bulbs just might be that ….. £1.50 bulbs ! 
It’s old school electronics and technology remember

Keep any new regn no. on that larger plate holder for sure …… why worry what outside observers observe in the detail 🤔

Go get her sorted ….. you know it makes sense ….. and will give you immense pleasure when done ✅ ……. and possibly a store of increasing value if you’re really concerned on that point 

Malc

Malc.rves

I'm not worried about outside observers, it's more a case that she's a completely original 1994 car.

On 3/3/2024 at 3:16 PM, Spock66 said:

The oil leak looks like it could be just the sump gasket or even the sump plug.

Andrew - you've no idea just how much your words - and others - have cheered me up. I'm feeling much more positive now, so thank you.

On 3/3/2024 at 4:29 PM, Howplum said:

Regarding the boot leak, I found on mine that water had been leaking past the aerial mounting because the material had gone hard. A smear of silicone solved it. Maybe you have the same issue. 

Howard - thanks for this. It makes a lot of sense actually, and probably what Malc was referring to when he said not much £££. The boot carpet does seem dampest under where the aerial comes in.

I've decided to keep her and get the work done, as time and funds become available. You've all made it sound much less of a biggie than I'd originally imagined, and I'm a lot less worried after reading your excellent advice, common sense and pragmatism, so thank you all so much. I feel like a weight has been lifted.

Thank you both for some excellent points. Howard, it was never about the money for me (well, within reason). My wife and I were shown this car by our family friend, small time fixer upper, trader and MOT tester when I was in need of a replacement vehicle. What enthralled us both about her was not only that she’d been saved, ( I for one had completely forgotten about them - you just never saw them on the road anymore) but that when we were married 30 years ago, my young 21 year old bride worked in Admin for a Toyota main dealer. Many of her colleagues were invited to the wedding, and in a generous gesture, her boss offered to us the use of a brand new LS 400 as a wedding car, with the Workshop Foreman ( a wedding guest ) volunteering to be our chauffeur.

That was my first and only experience of the marque, until 26 years later. Buying her was, for both of us, a romantic thing to do. So, she’s never been an investment, although I’m happy that prices are rising. Would I have another one? Not sure. I don’t have the skill to work on them and my network of acquaintances who might has diminished considerably over the years.

Malcolm, I think she’s always been under-used, not just by me. I have the service record book and a stack of paperwork which attests to that. I like your idea about the welding, and that could be well worth considering. I understand your belief in the marque, and this breed of beasts needs loyal defenders like you in their corner. I had originally thought about selling the reg, but think about this: that plate was issued on the first of August 1994, it is the original larger size plate,was fitted to the car by the dealer, and has stayed there 30 years. That, to me at least, means something.

The interior is okay for her age, the tachometer and speedometer have gone dark and the boot is manky. There are some worrying rust spots on the door sills, getting slightly larger each year. Unless those issues, along with the more pressing ones, are addressed, it’s very unlikely she’ll ever be in showroom condition.

lots to think about guys, thank you so much for your help.

Thank you for your considered replies. Taking them in turn:

Lex eleven - it is low mileage, but has been kept outdoors on the drive, at least in my ownership. I know your suggestion makes sense, but the thought of some oilk ripping the engine out and discarding the rest just to soup up a drift car fills me with dread.😟 

Cs150 - an independentl opinion could be one avenue to explore, although my MOT guy is a longstanding friend of the family and it is he who originally sold me the car. It had been destined to go into part ex with the previous owner on a newer car, but my guy insisted that he buy it himself to stop it from being sent to the block. That said, nothing would surprise me these days.

Malc - 3 months, I know - sad isn’t it? I suppose I was in denial, and Christmas is not the best time to be trying to move her on. Then of course comes January, when most people are skint.

 I suppose out of sight out of mind might have also come into play. We got her moved a couple of days before Christmas Eve to secure parking (outdoors, unfortunately) at my wife’s workplace.

Anyway, that’s where we are. The reg is L400 LEX and if that rings a bell with you, you gave me some excellent advice on my introductory post four years ago. If you find that post, you should be able to see photos of The Duchess.

HPS13 - you seem to know what you’re talking about with regards to MOTs. As mentioned above, I have no reason to doubt this guy but I do believe he’s cut me some slack over the years especially regarding brake pad wear knowing my annual mileage. I absolutely agree with you about the corrosion and oil leak, and I’ll attach some photos he took. When she was up on the ramp.

Once again, thank you all.

Greetings, fellow LS lovers. I’m afraid The Duchess failed her latest MOT and I’ve regretfully had to take her off the road. It really doesn’t seem fair; at under 83K miles, she’s hardly been run in. She’s never let me down in the four years I’ve been wafting around in her, aside from a rear coil spring shattering into three pieces last year, and she STILL got me home!

All I’ve done is replace the failed bonnet gas struts and a new boot lid seal. The seal was an attempt to resolve an issue with water ingress, and whilst it helped, it didn’t completely cure the problem. The boot still gets damp and smelly in wet weather.

On to the immediate issues…

I’ve attached a copy of the fail sheet. Obviously, the biggest issue to my mind is the corrosion of the front sub frame. My guy reckons a grand to solve the issues, plus another grand in a years time to sort out the advisories. I don’t have the knowledge, skill or experience to tackle anything like this, so I have to rely upon my guy. (Please note that the brake disc wear has been noted on advisories for a couple of years now - my guy chose not to replace them due to my low annual mileage of a thousand miles / year.

The thing is, I’m already up to what I paid for her in repairs, plus another two grand plus over the next two years. Additionally, I had planned to replace the timing belt this year on her thirtieth birthday, so that’s another expense. 

At what point do you wipe your mouth and walk away? I love her to bits and love wafting about in her, but I’m not made of money and things are tight as it is, so I’m looking for some erudite advice from you guys, who know far more about these behemoths than I.

Do I list her on eBay for spares or repair? Try to find an ethical breaker with a love of the marque, or pay for dry storage for the next ten years until she’s MOT exempt and/or my circumstances have changed? (Unlikely- I’m retired.)

Your thoughts and input would be appreciated.

Regards,

Wherryman Sam.

46 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

If I recall correctly the son advertised it on this Forum briefly. His father or Grandfather had passed away and he wanted to dispose of it.

Cheers John, that ties in with what I've been told. When I have more time I'll trawl this forum to see if I can find his OP. Always nice to get some more history behind her. 👍

52 minutes ago, Malc said:

just re-reading your latest MOT and you seem to have a PAS leak, if this is at the reservoir area above the alternator you really MUST get that fixed asap coz the leak WILL burn out your alternator .........  and that really is quite expensive and will come suddenly and immobilise you fairly instantly

it's happened to a few on here ( me included ) and is in the warnings section, the first post just above this one in this section of the Forum

Good luck

Malc

Whoa!

Thank you so much for that Malc, it'll certainly keep me awake at night knowing that!

You guys are so knowledgeable and I'm so glad I signed up. I'll speak to my man ASAP and get that looked at. I was going to talk to him anyway because I've noticed a DONK! noise from the front nearside when hitting speed bumps / potholes which I've read today is usually strut bushes. The leak, as with other MOT advisories I would have taken care of, but in light of what you've told me I'll afford it top priority.

Sam

Thanks for the info, Phil. No to chromed, then. 😝

Stuart, I'm happy to be a member of the Beige Boys Club, or as my wife calls it /posh voice/ "Champagne Gold".

Malcolm, thanks for that. I'll get the cambelt and water pump checked. I don't dislike the wheels, the two you can see in the images don't look too bad, just a little scruffy. The caps on the near side though have a lot of their original finish worn off and do look "plasticky" so I'll see what the wheel guy has to say about them.

I paid £2000 for the car from a trusted source who has worked on the car and carried out all its MOT work over the past decade. I'm happy with that.

Sam.

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys. She’s passed her MOT now and I understand that she’s been MOT’d and worked on by the same garage for quite some years now - I have MOT paperwork going back to around 2010, all from the same place.

My understanding of her history is that she’s lived her life in the Cheshire/ Manchester area and was sold new by F. Grange & sons of Cheshire. I’ve been told that the chap who owned her prior to me inherited her from his Father. I assume that the plates have been on since new, but I don’t know for sure. I might start doing a bit of digging now after your intriguing comments.

As for the wheels and side repeaters, thanks for that it’s worth bearing in mind. My wife knows a wheel refurb specialist so in the first instance I’ll have him take a look and see what he suggests. I have to say though I’m quite taken with the wheels on this example, but if the wheel guy can get mine looking tidy, that’s fine too. You’ve probably all seen what I’m linking to being aficionados but hey.

https://www.ronhodgson.co.uk/vehicle/lexus-ls400-ls-400-v8-free-delivery-in-lancashire-32515959-c452-486a-9f3c-acc47646de3a

Once again, thanks for all your kind comments and support.

Regards,

Sam.

Hi fellow LS400 lovers, 

i still can’t believe that I am now the owner of this. After gliding around in it for a week, my decision to buy is now firmly cemented in my mind as probably one of the best decisions I ever made. I’ve never before owned a Lexus, but when I saw this I was reminded that this model had been my wedding car. Twenty seven years later, my blushing bride and I are still together and still very much in love. We even still have wedding photos of us posing in blissful rapture alongside the Lexus LS400 which was loaned to us by the company my wife worked for.

it’s a joy to drive and at a tad under 80,000 miles, still a relative baby. She needs a good valet and those wheels need a refurb, but don’t ladies of a certain age need a trip to the beauty salon every now and again? 😉

I’m conflicted about the reg, though. On the one hand, it sits well on the car and the windows are etched accordingly, but it means nothing to me and we have our own cherished plate. I’ve thought about this for a while and I’m erring on paying the £80 quid retention and banging my own plate on it. At least if have to sell it, I can do so with the original plate on.

Anyway, I want to thank you all for your knowledge and advice. I’ve been “lurking” on the forums for a while and I’ve already picked up some valuable information. SGS Engineering for instance will definitely be on my call list because the gas struts don’t seem to be holding the bonnet up - I wondered why there was a 4 foot length of wood in the boot but after trying to check the levels, I think I know! 🤭

Regards,

Sam.