cleverdick

Fascinating pictures Chris - I had not seen those. OK, the fallout from the initial belch might have settled (remember we're talking about three full-scale meltdowns here), but the plant is still kicking it out big-time into air and sea. And, as I said, there is the ongoing burning of radioactive debris. So I don't think it would be overreacting to acknowledge some risk associated with JDM imports post-Fuku. Some work was done by one of the leading (and more respected) scientists in this field, where car air filters from Tokyo were taken and exposed to photographic film. The presence of hot particles was clearly seen on the negative. The comparison was made between a car's air filter and a human lung. A pollen filter might catch some of it, but you'd still be faced with disposal [of said filter]. This stuff sticks, and builds up cumulatively. Having a Geiger counter is one thing; understanding and interpreting the results is quite another. This is a subject that deserves a lot more attention, I feel.

I've said it before on here and I'll say it again. Be extremely wary of importing a used vehicle from Japan. I shouldn't need to point out that Japan is where the world's worst nuclear disaster to-date is still raging out of control, four years on. You don't hear much about it in the news, because the Abe gov't has imposed a media blackout / gagging order - call it what you like. This car could have come right out of the dead zone. (Many evacuees will have sold all their wordly goods just to make ends meet.) And all those hot particles from the (omnipresent) radiation cloud will have got right into the A/C system, for you to inhale every second you drive the car. (Look what happened to the crew of USS Ronald Reagan.) Not that there's anywhere totally safe in Japan - they're still burning radioactive debris from the "cleanup" in huge incinerators all over the island - including Tokyo. So I definitely wouldn't be looking to buy a JDM import post 11/3/11. OK, laugh at me - I don't care!

I think by now you are entitled to ask for a new seat.

Nice - but as we know the Crown hasn't been part of the UK lineup for some time. (I always liked the Super Saloon though; zero street cred so all the more for me!) I know someone that had one of the early '70s Crown estates, and it kept stalling. It turned out that, at that time, Toyota were painting the insides of their fuel tanks, with inevitable consequences when it started to flake off! (Perhaps that's why this one's on LPG - LOL!)

I know how you feel - I bought my first LS on the strength of the test drive - and that everything worked - without looking too carefully underneath. It was only afterwards when I got it up on a ramp that I saw how rusty it was (from having been in a coastal location), and that the brake pipes were almost rusted through (despite its MoT). Worse still, I subsequently noticed a few anomalies with the fit of the trim, and evidence of previous accident damage (and yes, it was HPI clear). But it was a private sale and I hadn't actually paid that much for the car. So I stuck with it for about 6 years and eventually scrapped it. In many ways a car that's been neglected is a safer bet than one that's been tinkered with or worked on by monkeys. No work is better than bad work and damage. At least you know what you're dealing with.

Now imagine reversing it out! Beautiful car of course; if only it had been made by Toyota... I was offered one once - for £100 - but as the estate version it was just too long for its own good. Plus, it had been brush-painted in Hammerite and was also beset with electrical problems. Would have been fun though!

It does look nice, but I'd suggest replacing the tyres (if not done already) as they'll have aged dangerously without necessarily being worn. I'm surprised that Lexus (during the service) didn't put the rear wheels back on their correct sides! Yes, the Mk1 (certainly the one I had) was very softly sprung on the rear - 4 up and it would hit the bumpstops! The Mk2 of course retained the same shape, but was already becoming "Europeanized" i.e. thick-rimmed steering wheel and stiffer suspension. The Mk1 was a break from the norm in the UK and still the best IMO.

If as described then why does it have to be a Mk4 to be worth £5k? It's true that the pictures do it no favours (but it does look mint). Can't be sure if it's grey or that very rare blue/grey colour with blue interior. The carpets look blue-ish. And rare zebra mats too! (What would I give for a set of those!) And it's a Mk1: It may well have been registered in 1993 but it's certainly from a preceding model year. Could be the garage of a "posh" apartment block - you'll see a Roller in one of the pictures. Some would say (including me) that the Gen 1 was never bettered, and later versions attempted to be too "European". Too bad I don't have £5k to hand....

If you can afford it, get both sides done. OEM parts and independent fitting is a good way to go.

Not sure if it's any help, but I have the 1991 book (it could well be very different from the Mk3). OK, so (according to the diagram I have) the cluster appears to be fed, in part, from the gauge fuse. If the fuse had blown/had intermittent contacts then I would expect none of the cluster to work. Interestingly, it shows the trip meter circuit (as opposed to the odo circuit) fed from the dome fuse! The only parts common to the odo and speedo are the speed sensor (on the transmission, just above the crossmember) and the odo drive circuit (on the cluster). The various gauges are fed from an "11V Power Source" which I take to be a bit of on-board regulation. I guess you could check the distribution from there (fractured joints etc.) Seems odd to lose speedo/odo one day and temp the next. I suppose at least you could (or get someone to) unbolt the speed sensor and test it independently, just to see what it's doing. Reading between the lines it seems to be an optical wheel/phototransistor kind of setup. Mind you, it's not really the weather to be out there taking the car apart, is it? (Unless you have a centrally-heated double garage that is!) The winters I spent fixing my Cortina in blizzard conditions... I sure don't miss that! PM me if you need specific info, bearing in mind that the combination meter section of the book runs to over 70 pages, and it may all be different in any case. I think a substitute cluster could be the way to go. Somebody needs to make a test rig for them. A huge undertaking, but it could pay off...

Point taken I guess... Mind you, selecting park at 100mph could be interesting! Don't discount the possibility of it being something to do with the cruise control system.

I sympathize with your predicament; even if you were to take it to the main dealer I doubt they'd take it seriously unless they could provoke the fault into recurring - which is unlikely. This also brings me back to the point (and it's a sore point) that manufacturers won't generally issue a recall where older vehicles are involved, but not only that, they won't tell you what the cut-off age is beyond which they won't [issue a recall]. Too many of these systems just aren't designed to be fail-safe. It's a universal problem, in part arising from the lack of real-world experience (by the designers) into how components fail. I don't necessarily buy into all these scare stories from the US involving cars out of control at highway speeds. It would always be possible to select neutral and coast to a stop. Let us know what kind of a response you get from Toyota.

I do find it strange that a non-Toyota/Lexus garage can claim that this job takes 3.5 - 4 hours when, according to Lexls, it takes "certified mechanics" 10 - 15 hours. Do they really know what the job entails? How will they know what all the torque settings are? Do they have the genuine service manuals? All looks too good to be true!

Probably worth having if only for a good source of parts (but not the interior, of course)! History is full of mainstream vehicles that have been facelifted by small companies in order to impart an air of exclusivity or sportiness. See this effort at making the S Class look like a Fiat: http://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/others/mtiara/4.html What starts as added value quickly turns into a liability - especially when that company goes bust and panels/trim/whatever cease to be available.

Does look rather good though, but out of my price range unfortunately. Still, if I had the money there would be nothing about this ad that would put me off. Quite likely the best one available right now, as he says. (Although selling with a twisted headlamp washer seems like a bit of an oversight!) An honest dealer will always put up lots of photos. You kinda get the impression that this one really is genuine.

Five (or six) air fresheners hanging up in the car - you can smell it from here! :)

I was going to keep out of this thread, but I've just seen a Mk4 he has for sale - with no MoT - which he says not to ask any questions about! Furthermore it has comedy wheels (which you are expected to pay extra for) - but no views of the proper wheels (which supposedly come as standard) or their tyres. Even through the blurred telephone photos, you can tell it's a pretty tired looking car. The spelling and grammar in the ad leave a lot to be desired, too. I suppose, though, that it's unfair to single out this guy when there are hundreds of others up and down the country doing business like this every day.

So who's going to buy me this for Xmas? ;-) Mind you, I do wish they wouldn't use that stuff that makes the tyres look shiny. There's just no need for it.

Maybe you do a Clarkson and stick your head out of the sunroof. Interesting that there are no photos of the interior. And especially of the instrument cluster whilst running. Apart from any warning light / instrument needle illumination issues, most dealers run their cars around with just a teaspoonful of fuel in the tank. I guess they wouldn't want to show that. As for the cambelt change, this is a horrific job as the lexls tutorial clearly illustrates. How a generic car dealer can just go ahead and do that I don't know! (I mean, will they check out the torque settings, have access to special service tools and so on?) I'd rather they sold it as it was - and in any case, why a cambelt change at such a low mileage? That alone would be enough to put me off. Prestigious vehicles on display is no guarantee of anything. A work colleague (who lives in that area, funnily enough) once bought a Carlton CD from a local dealer. He was contacted by Trading Standards to say that it had been clocked (presumably one of many) - and received a certain amount of compensation. Even if it's a posh car, "Buyer Beware" still applies!

Not wishing to contradict Jake and Colin, in my experience KYB dampers are not the same as OEM. The loop is narrower. The turning forces (with compression and stretching of the spring) will destroy the bush in no time. I broke my own rule and wasted time and money on KYBs, rejected them and went with genuine Toyota. Make sure the fitters use the Toyota SST spring compressor; a generic compressor will allow the spring to twist, resulting in a permanent twisting force on the bush at normal ride height (unless they allow for this - and believe me it won't even cross their minds).

Thanks guys, Appreciate all your replies so far - and some good advice by the look of it. Rich

A while back I wrote a tutorial on this (PM me if you're interested). I too was pretty put out at being told by a member on here (whose name has already been mentioned) that it was a "trade secret". I therefore developed my own fix, which I am happy to share for free. You will see a heavily edited - and modified [by Carl] - version of my write up on lexls, but I will gladly send you the original if you wish. You certainly do not need to pay anybody to do it.

Today, having been almost forced off the road by an arrogant pig oncoming in a black Mercedes Chelsea Tractor - on a local country lane where there is room to pass if one keeps to one's own side - I thought it was time to invest in a video recording device. Ideally it would be well-concealed and permanently fixed - operating automatically without having to remember to start it recording. And presumably with removeable media that continually overwrites, say, an hour's worth of footage. I haven't done too much research yet, but what would members recommend? (I don't have unlimited funds to spend on this, unfortunately.) Suggestions welcome!

I did a certain amount of research on this a few years ago; a lot of people on here were recommending the Falken ZIEX. However, Which? rated them a "don't buy" due to their relatively poor grip in the wet. And who was I to argue? OK, this was 5 years ago or so and things may have changed by now. But I looked at all makes - the criteria being safety first, quietness second and wear resistance third (since I do under 5k miles per year). I eventually went for Conti Premium Contact 2, which on the Mk1 (15") were very quiet. I also have these on my current Mk2 (16"): Not quite as quiet, but I guess that's true of any tyre in a lower-profile format. I did query the slightly higher noise level (WRT the previous Dunlops), and to their credit they sent a rep to investigate. Of course, he couldn't hear what I was trying to demonstrate. But I have no qualms about their performance or grip.

Reconditioned or not, £219 looks like a steal - especially given that access is so difficult. Not a job I'd want to do, for sure! Mind you, I once had an alternator fail on a Mk3 Cortina on Christmas Eve. Straight down the breakers, £15 and 20 minutes later - job done! Those were the days...