cleverdick

1998 is Mk4. But Mk2 (up to 1994) should be OK. Three different coloured tints as well, be sure to get the right one. Surely this is the problem of Audoglass/whoever has been appointed by your insurance company?

I hope you took them to task over this. I'd be asking what, then, exactly was the cut-off age for support. Toyota know I have one of their vehicles (and if not through the dealer's parts counter then through DVLA). I've never been notified in writing that support has ceased, or is about to cease. (And to their credit, I can still get most parts OEM for a 20-year-old vehicle - which was never the case with Ford.) For such a premium brand, I would expect parts and knowledge to be available at any Toyota or Lexus dealer until the very last one had been scrapped! Total blue-sky thinking of course, but they could - and should - be more transparent about their design life policy.

If only I'd known! I have a '94, same colour, which also has its MoT in a couple of weeks (3 weeks in advance, just in case). I'm hoping for the best, but what I could have done with was the driver's door. The previous owner has caused slight rust under the chrome trim with the use of vinegar-based glass cleaning products, and has also attempted to remove said trim clips from inside the door, with the result that it's now a bit loose in places. But anyway... Please don't suggest I contact somebody whose name comes up on here quite a lot - I bought some front hubs from him once and they were rusty to the point of being quite useless. And, he refused to refund my money. A lesson there, I think.

I think I'd want to know which part of Japan this vehicle was from. Remember, this is a small country where the world's worst nuclear disaster is still raging out of control, largely unreported by the mainstream media and far, far worse than most people realise. It would certainly be prudent to have it checked over with a Gieger counter - particularly the HVAC system and seat fabric. (Yes, I'm deadly serious.)

Likewise for Mk2, 1994 Rgds, Rich

Do the later LSs have an emergency fuel cut-off that is activated by impact?

What?!!! Mind you, there were some Renault 5s with roadwheels that looked like Revox 10.5" NAB spools... This thread is getting sillier by the day. Fine by me... :)

bitrate, perceptual coding, 16-bit linear wav files, You really are a cleverdick. cleverdick. William Not really, Bill. Nowadays these are everyday terms for everyday technologies. By definition we, on this forum are computer users - and as such should at least know what a .wav file is. As we would a .doc, .jpg, .xls and so on. I wasn't trying to blind anyone with science here (or pseudoscience like the adverts)!

Maybe the switch contacts have become tarnished due to lack of use. There are no relays for the windows; the actual motor current is carried by those switches - which I would imagine is quite hefty.

The window switches can go high-resistance and fail to operate. This happened to my car on the front passenger door, and a replacement switch panel fixed it. What is the issue with the memory function? Does it store the position (i.e. when you press and hold '1' or '2' and 'set' until you hear a beep)? I believe the recall function is disabled when the engine is running (for safety reasons).

Let's be clear about this. It's the coding for DAB which does the downgrading. The degradation due to an in-car FM transmitter link will be negligible in comparison.

An interesting story, hope it's nothing serious. This got me thinking - what if I'd turned up at that same dealers in my 20-year-old Mk2? Would I have received the same level of service? What's the cut-off age after which the dealer just laughs at you? I tried desparately to get a straight answer from Ford about this - with no luck. That's one reason why I'll probably never have a Ford again. Toyota seems to fare better - certainly in terms of parts availability for older models - but what about expertise and experience? If that same dealer did exist in those days, chances are he was representing another make.

I'm not sure if the Continental Premium Contact 2 is available in a size to fit the 430, but it's woth considering. I currently have these fitted and I'm very pleased with them. I was influenced somewhat by a Which? tyre test, at the time classing the Falken ZIEX as a "don't buy" due to its extremely poor grip. I don't know if that's true of their current range. By the way, the PC2 is made in Portugal (not China).

It is indeed very easy to write something which, in the cold light of day can appear abrupt or arrogant - even if it was never meant that way. I've done it myself - and have been very grateful for the ability to go back and edit a post retrospectively (in the hope that the OP hasn't seen it first)! Also, never a good idea to post when tired or in a bad mood! :) (Or drunk for that matter!)

Vanity mirror illumination was on the mk1 - except UK models. I presumed this was Toyota's literal interpretation of "not being allowed to show a white light to the rear" (or whatever is/was stipluated in the vehicle regulations).

OK, here's a good one... The seat-belt clip only illuminates on the side on which the door is opened. There I was, thinking I had a blown bulb on the passenger seat-belt clip - and wondering how to change it - when I discovered this little gem of design refinement. The headlining and visors on this Mk2 are most definitely velour :), although if I recall correctly they were plastic on the Mk1.

The fact is that with so many channels crammed into a finite space, something has to give - and that's bitrate and hence audio quality. DAB uses a perceptual coding scheme (of a type that is obsolete and inefficient to start with), based on a crude analysis of human hearing. This means that it throws away what it thinks you can't hear in order to make it fit. The trouble is, it doesn't do a very good job of it. Some stations run at 64kb/S (or even lower); by contrast an audio CD (or 16-bit linear wav file) is about 1400kb/S. I think Radio 3 has the highest at 192kb/S at certain times of the day. So you will see that DAB is nothing like the "CD-quality" it was purported to be.

What do you mean by "the quality of FM in some areas"? Presumably you are referring to the coverage. Take it from me that coverage on DAB is unlikely to be any better. You mentioned in another thread that you are an audio enthusiast. So no doubt you are familiar with the real shortcomings of DAB in terms of coding, bit-rate and hence audio quality. Also, the DRACULA option has not been taken up by broadcasters; dynamics processing (e.g. Optimod) is still applied at source. I can't imagine many stations I'd listen to that are DAB only, with the possible exception of 6music. But if you were to buy this on the pretext of improved reception and/or fidelity, then I fear that you'd be disappointed.

I've been in one of those. As a front seat passenger I found it extremely claustrophobic. The windscreen is right over your face and I felt it was all closing in on me.

Well, despite not having all of the correct values immediately to hand I could not resist the temptation of at least carrying out a visual inspection. Struggled a bit with the kick panel, and the glovebox liner wasn't exactly a breeze either, not helped by that airbag connector on the right-hand-side flap. I am relieved to say that the electrolytics on the ECU board were absolutely pristine. I checked them for ESR too and all were under 1 Ohm. Of course, I was not able to check them for DC leakage on the board. A burst capacitor is normally caused by (1) reverse polarty, (2) excess ripple current, or (3) overvoltage. (A failed regulator on the alternator would do this...) General ageing usually results in (1) high impedance, (2) a reduction in capacitance, or both. Once again it's not necessarily possible to measure capacitance in-circuit. So I think I can put this job off for a little while. Steve - I'd be interested in a kit of replacements but would like to know the specifics (make, range etc.). Took the opportunity to remove and clean the cabin filters, now that was worth doing!

Hi Guys, I'm interested in doing this job on my own car ('94 LS), but before embarking on it I really need to know the values. Chances are I have them already, but I don't want to pull the ECU out to find that I haven't [got them] and have to put it all back together again for another day. To those that have done this and are looking to make up repair kits: Good work, and if I didn't have the component stock that I do I'd probably take you up on your offer(s). I presume that removal/refitting of the ECU doesn't require any warning lights to be reset? And what about the odometer reading - is that stored in the ECU? Thanks in advance for any info. Rich

Steve, Would you be kind enough to let me know the values (before I remove my ECU to check)? PM me if you wish. I don't have any running issues but nonetheless I am interested in this. Just for info, I have found the Rubycon RX30 series to be excellent in every respect, particularly ESR. They also have a 130 degree rating. Given the choice I would use these. Elna and Nichicon are good, too. There are brands of capacitor to avoid at all costs - I say this through long experience - but obviously I can't mention them publicly.

Out of interest, what was the symptom and the cause? Funnily enough, the guy from whom I bought my '94 LS had switched to a 430 and claimed to prefer the Pioneer system of the former. (I never got to experience the ML system so I can't comment.)

This was a 57 plate 120 series (can't be more specific - don't know - or want to know - much about them to be honest). What a piece of junk!!!! The seats were flat like boards and rock hard. The ride was as harsh as a 1970 Mini. The interior creaked and rattled. You could feel the engine vibrating at the traffic lights. Plus, the road noise was quite considerable too. And all in a world of grey plastic. OK, I know this would be more in the IS200 than LS400 class, but if this is what represents a luxury marque these days then I'm speechless. My 20 year old LS would absolutely p*** on this in every respect (except MPG of course). Whilst the LS is comfortable, the traditional (but now rare) American car takes comfort up to the next level. The poor Yanks must hardly know what's hit them with these nasty European imports! Preaching to the converted on here, it goes without saying...

Just wondering.... Given that regular petrol in the UK can contain up to 5% ethanol, is this an issue? I've always used super unleaded in my '94 LS400 anyway, and I was glad to read that as of 2011, most brands of high octane did not contain ethanol. But this may have changed in recent years. What is the concensus on this? Has anyone on here (with an LS400) fallen foul of ethanol in their fuel? Thinking back to 2007, I now wonder if the Tesco fuel fiasco was a "test" of acceptability [of ethanol in fuel] in the real world.