JellyBean

Surely Ariel was Prospero's sidekick in The Tempest?

This clearly absurd! My entry in the YOU-MUST-BE-KIDDING of Lexus pricing is over £600 for replacement elements and pads to fix the driver's seat-heating - not including labour. Any more YMBK examples out there?

LS460 is 25mm longer than LS400.

You have a point. The resulting figures may be inaccurate, but as the same methods are used for all cars, they will still have some relevance as a comparison between different makes & models - providing the sample sizes are decent.

Thanks - it's fascinating. But at 1,200 pages a bit daunting at first. This is what I came up with, for 1996 cars (same as mine): Lexus LS400 = 26.4% MOT failure rate. Merc S420 = 32.6% Audi A8 = 36.5% Jaguar XJ8 = 37.2% BMW 740 = 39.4% Hmmmmmmmmm indeed.

Surely the Lexus Parts Dept can tell you the part numbers?

I agree with everything you say, particularly about the batteries. Indeed, I believe petrol/electric hybrids will prove to be a cul-de-sac. All the trickery in the world cannot overcome the laws of physics - as regards dragging around masses of extra weight. (I love the Bentley Continental GT, but 2.4 tonnes for a two-door is quite daft.) The basic 460 has a 505 litre boot but only has all the 'good bits' as options. I think it's the air conditioning for the Rear Seat Upgrade Package that steals boot space. Perhaps I should look out for a basic 460 with the Mark Levinson stereo? That should keep the weight down and the boot space up, so to speak. This said, many extras which may seem gimmicky - such as Lane Keep Assist - become almost essential inasmuch as, were they taken away, they would be sorely missed! Many years ago I thought central locking was a gimmick. Imagine having to walk around the car checking that all the doors were locked; but that's what we were used to doing.

Many thanks for this offer but last weekend I slid along to my local dealership and fetched a 2009 brochure. I also quizzed the salesman. What I found out was that all LS460s are the same length, despite Autocar, Honest John, et al, thinking it came in standard and LWB versions. The only LS with these options is the 600 hybrid, which is the only LS now being manufactured as the 460 is now discontinued. Clever as tho' the hybrid might be, offering a large luxury car with a tiny 330 litre boot must cost them sales.

I believe someone has had this problem before and that it was some sort of contact problem with the gear lever, i.e. not too serious. I hope I am right and that either you can find the posting on here or someone else could remember it.

After 5½ years, I am still loving my Mk 3. Believe it or not, I still get mildy surprised as to how smooth & quiet it is!

Well, last night I was watching one of those Traffic Cops progs when they stopped this ASNEM* candidate who was driving without a seatbelt; nor were his passenger (wife) and his young boy belted in either. He was covered in tattoos. He had no insurance or driving licence. They seized his car and crushed it and awarded him 2 months in the clink. When I heard this I found myself shouting "Good!" at the TV. *ASNEM is the society for those with an IQ of minus 150.

Well... I know what you mean... but if you are not Croesus and are going to buy a full-on luxury car, best to buy the most reliable one (not to mention the quietist and with the best ride). So this IS common sense! At the risk of boring those who have read this from me before: I decided I wanted to sample the delights of one of the best two or three cars in the world. So I persuaded She Who Must Be Obeyed that I would buy an LS400 and own it for one year - hang the depreciation! - and sell it, thus getting my delusions of grandeur out of the way. That was coming up to six years ago and I still love it! And so does Mrs Jelly Bean. Most expensive item (save tyres) has been a set of mats. Indeed, if my Life Assurance policy which matures next year pays out more than two chocolate coins and a plastic token, I shall have me an LS460. Not many who have bought an LS have regretted it. Let us know how you get on.

Oh no! You have mentioned the C word. You'll wake up Old Skellington again...

Two questions... 1) I thought the LS460 SE-L was the LWB version of the LS460 - but they are the same length. So, does anyone know what's the difference? 2) I notice that the LS460 has disappeared from the "Lexus Range" on the official website. Has this 'ordinary' model been dropped, then?

I had a clunk when I first bought mine and it turned out to be the tie bars aka radius arms.

Do you really mean this?

Funnny you should say that... On the Saturday before Xmas I had to make a 40-mile trip, the last ten miles being on white, shiny roads with the temp at -5ºC. It was not enjoyable. However, as I approached my car when I came to leave this venue (it was Oxburgh Hall), I saw a four cylinder two-wheel drive Audi having great difficulty in moving off and I feared getting stuck. But putting the old girl into gear, and not touching the throttle at all, we exited without any discernable slip. (Mine is a '96 without traction control.) I was quite surprised - not to mention relieved - and then I remembered that multi-cylinder cars have better traction. When the Cosworth V8 was the dominant engine in F1, the V12 Ferraris and BRMs often used to win when it was wet (e.g. Beltoise at Monaco in 1972). I expect the V16 Bugatti Veyron might be quite good in the snow. Provided it is less than 5mm deep and that you disconnect the throttle entirely.

How about a WHOOSH? And Merry Xmas, LOC confederates!

Wouldn't they make your clothes a bit dirty?

Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman once went into print to state that the plural of Lotus was Lotus. Just thought this might add credence to the notion that the plural of our beloved swishmobiles is 'Lexus'.

A few years ago, I was talking to a former work colleague who had gone to work for Jaguar in a pretty senior role. She had not long joined the company and in her eyes Jaguar could do no wrong. Any rude remarks I made about the cars were greeted with sense of humour failure. And then she drove one of those early LS400s which Jaguar had for evaluation. Someone else told me that when she handed they keys over the following morning, she said "We might as well give up now". I seem to remember that in the US, Lexus outsold Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes IN THEIR FIRST FULL YEAR. Perhaps someone could verify this?

I remember - yonks ago - buying a QH clutch release bearing for a Jaguar. It would not fit. Part number was checked and double checked. So they gave me another one, supposedly exactly the same. And it fitted. Original equipment is nearly always the best bet, methinks.

What a strange way of doing things - but there must be a reason for it.

Surely all LS exhaust systems are sst?