cleverdick

Well, seeing as it's a Mk3 then maybe he does have a point... ;) In all seriousness, I will admit that I don't consider the LS400 to be the best looking car (of its type) ever made. But that's not why I bought one, nor you I suspect. For me, having grown tired of Granadas that never quite delivered what they promised in terms of smoothness, reliability and freedom from irritating faults, it was a no-brainer. Reading in the sales brochure about the driveline which was designed straight so as to minimise vibration totally struck a chord. The Crown Vic/Grand Marquis or LHS of the same age are infinitely more elegant IMO. But they can't compete on refinement or longevity, as the reviews on Carsurvey will testify.

Be very wary of buying second-hand parts unless you actually see them first. This includes from Club "approved" or "recommended" suppliers. Been caught too many times like this, where what turns up is actually in a worse state than what you wish to replace.

Glad all sorted. When I did mine (and it was a good few years ago now), I bought a filter and gasket set from Jaggraveyard in the US (non-OEM against my better judgement). Still, it worked OK, and seeing as I was going that far I thought I might as well change all the fluid at the same time. The biggest challenge was obtaining T-IV from the Toyota dealer, who would ordinarily use something generic! :-0 I don't recall any issue with the exhaust being in the way; maybe the setup is different on the Mk4.

Also, check out the lexls tutorial which is an invaluable resource. I used red Hermetite on mine with no problems. Good luck, Rich

Heaven forbid you ever have to use a second-hand car dealer's warranty anyway. Chances are you'd end up in the situation of (1) not knowing where the car is, (2) what work is being carried out and to what standard, (3) when you'll see your car again and (4) what other faults have been created in the process (or parts swapped without your knowledge). This is exactly what happened to my wife's horsebox which was bought as a new conversion on a second-hand Movano (aka Master) chassis. When the vehicle developed serious engine trouble, it was returned to the seller at his request. It then basically did a disappearing act for several months. Turned out the work had been outsourced to "Joe Bloggs up the road" - which we only found out after a phone call from said Mr Bloggs. We had been promised many times by the dealer that it was "nearly ready", and "in the process of being test driven" etc. etc., when in fact the remedial work hadn't even been started! We turned up at the premises unannounced. Imagine a chaotic scrap metal/breaker's yard in a large asbestos shed (without room to swing a cat) and you'll get the picture. The paintwork was scratched, the door was in bits with the panel slung on the seat (when there had been nothing wrong with the door) and the top half of the engine was off, with "parts on order". Understandably, my wife went ballistic, not just because of the damage, but on account of the fact that we'd been lied to hand over fist by the original seller. He kept saying that he used them "because they are very good at what they do". In fairness, they did make good on the paintwork and the engine has since been OK, but a worse nightmare you couldn't imagine. In fact, it was one signature away from becoming a legal matter. The mechanic also turned quite nasty towards the end, and I do wonder if he ever got paid by the dealer for the work. So BEWARE of dealer warranties. No dealer is going to take on warranty work with a good grace.

I can't say that I have, but I guess you could take the car for an MoT - which would probably be as useful. If the mechanic was amenable (and not too busy), you could offer him a bit extra to look for some of the non-MoT issues (such as possible accident damage, etc.).

For a long time I really wanted a 1980s 300ZX 2+2. (Or even an earlier 280ZX - now that really was a good-looking car!) I never got one though - one thing that put me off was the plasticky interior. I've no idea what they're like nowadays...

I had to check the link to see what this car actually was that could cost 170k (Merc nomenclature means nothing to me). Looking at it, I have to say that I wouldn't give tuppence for it. Just another aggressive little insect on the road that needs to be swatted out of the way. Same as Porsches, I just don't get it. I mean, if you want to go fast with a lot of noise and discomfort and in cramped conditions, then buy an old 1275 Mini. Job done! I wonder if he's the John Guest of Speedfit fame? Whatever, he's a sad, materialistic b*****d IMHO.

OK guys... Just spent most of the day (until it got dark) struggling to get these b**t**d nuts undone. The rearmost ones, copious amounts of Plusgas later, came off reasonably easily - where it's possible to get a socket and extension bar square on. But the ones above the boxes? No chance! I eventually shifted one of them with the aid of some molegrips (and this took about two hours). The problem here is that there isn't room for a socket (without taking the exhaust off), and the spanners I had succeeded in doing nothing other than rounding off the nuts. Easier said than done, my friends! The plates are now held up to a certain extent, but I'm tempted to just get rid of them. (No, make that the whole car!) What should have been a simple job, to fix a trivial issue, has taken a disproportionate amount of time - all because of a bit of stupid design.

OK, I'm talking about the heat shield covers above the rear exhaust silencers. One of mine has corroded through at the mountings and thus has fallen down and is now resting on the silencer itself. Assuming I could get the nuts undone, it would be a simple matter to reinforce the mounting area with a large washer. Except, the nuts look pretty rusty and I don't fancy my chances of getting them undone - at least without shearing the studs. I'm wondering whether these plates are really necessary? The simplest solution would be to dispense with them altogether. (Gen1 LS400) Thoughts, please....

Try Chris Billimore (CheapToyotaParts). Don't be tempted to buy secondhand. Having said that, the TPS is pretty reliable actually. It's only a conductive plastic potentiometer. You can make a test rig and put an audio signal through it at line level (1kHz tone would be most useful) - just like a volume pot on an amplifier (or whatever). Obviously, when you rotate the spindle there should be no breakup/cutting out - which would indicate a worn section of track. PM me for more details if you wish, but chances are it's OK.

Sometimes you can have the opposite problem - where people see an old car (whether pristine or not) and think you are a peasant and can therefore ride roughshod over you. About 10 years ago I had an old (but near mint) Mk2 Granada Ghia X in white. In a Tesco car park, some fat arrogant t**t in a beat up (but much newer) blue Cavalier opened the door wide enough to hit my car - and got in - without pulling the door in at all - leaving me with a nice blue stripe down my door. No apology, no nothing. Had my car been a 430 or something, no doubt they'd have been a bit more careful. Luckily I was able to T-cut it out, but it's hardly the point is it? Anyway, in your case I hope the insurance company co-operates - which I'm sure it will.

A look on Carsurvey will show that the Lincoln Mk8 wasn't that well built either. The Soarer, on the other hand.....

Go OEM if you possibly can, take your time and don't revisit!

Check out the tutorial on lexls. If you work carefully and methodically I think an hour is a little optimistic. (I've done this job on two LS400s now.) Possibly a good time to change the HT leads as well, which fortunately are supplied pre-loomed. Plugs are Denso PK20R11.

OK, looks nice, but the first thing you'd have to do would be to change the fuel filter. If it had got so low that the warning light had come on, then who knows what could have got stirred up. Too many dealers seem to think that cars can run on fumes!

Actually, I'm still trying to identify this vehicle. Can anyone enlighten me? I don't think it does any harm to discuss our cars of yester-year; it helps to remind us how far we've progressed (although I don't believe that the motoring experience as a whole is any more fun now than it was then). The Cortina MkIII colour would have been Daytona Yellow, the MkIV being Signal Yellow. The former was more commonly seen on the GT than the top-of-the-range GXL. For the record, I had the MkIII 2000E (two of them in fact), plus a MkIV 2.0 Ghia. If ever there was a Friday afternoon job, the MkIV was it! Of course, versions for other markets were better specified in terms of engine capacity and options like air-conditioning, although the Australian ones were a bit crude. The South African Cortinas were probably the best, especially in Perana form!

You have to ask yourself why it's pictured in a public car park and not at the seller's home (given that it's advertised as a private sale). Oh yes, hubcaps missing as well.

I don't know which LEDs you bought - whether mounted in a bulb cap or not - but in its most basic form an LED is most certainly not a drop-in replacement for a bulb. An LED will have a specified maximum current rating, and, depending on the colour, generally drop about 2V at its normal operating current (maybe 10mA or so). Consequently, you have to select the appropriate resistor according to (1) the supply voltage, (2) the desired current and (3) the power that will be dissipated in the resistor. In 'bulb form' you have to assume that the manufacturer has done all this correctly. It also goes without saying that an LED is by definition polarised and thus will only work one way round. You may find that reinstating the original lamps restores correct functionality. Hope this helps.

I have to say that I've had a total of two replacement windscreens and one repair, across two LS400s. All were satisfactory. The replacements were carried out at Autoglass Basildon, Essex, which I was happy to travel to even though it's some way from my home. I figured that there was less scope for problems on-base and under cover. The only issue was that, for some reason, the original brown-tinted glass was not available, so they'd ordered in blue and grey. I chose grey which looked just fine. The repair, last year (after getting sprayed with loose gravel on a road which Essex County Council had seen fit to leave like that rather than rollering the surface) was carried out on my driveway by National Windscreens. (Fortunately it was a dry day.) The guy could not have been more helpful, even repairing several other chips that were not part of the original claim. Ther repairs aren't perfect of course, but that is to be expected. So, if you're having a replacement screen fitted, I would suggest opting to go there and have it done under controlled conditions. Just be prepared for the long wait whilst the adhesive cures.

Well that's what Clarkson said.....

Hang on a minute, isn't driving an LS like being dead?

I can't answer that. But I do know that as a rule-of-thumb, TV costs at least 10 x that for radio to produce. Now, just imagine that it used to be your car....

You know what, seeing this makes me ashamed - no - humiliated to work for the BBC (although I have absolutely nothing to do with TG). An organisation that shouts from the rooftops about its "green" credentials and efficient use of the licence fee. I hadn't seen this clip before, and I didn't even bother to put on my headphones to hear where this was going - I could tell. Of course, destroying the car rather than giving it away obviously makes good entertainment for some. TG is one sick programme if I may say so, and befitting of Clarkson's obsession with killing machines. (See the evil glint in his eye?) They call this "delivering quality first", by the way.

Mind you, I'm not sure I like the look of that battery! And where are the auxiliary fans, I wonder? And that expansion tank in the front there. Might have had some front end damage, actually.