GoldfingerLS

How excessive are the CO emissions ? was it boarderline or is it way over ?

It would be a shame to turn back now after you have come all this way.

I still have the 430 and boy what a difference this dark side is one hell of a machine totally chalk and cheese.

Lucky I can have both. BMW 730d amazing.

I suppose i got a bit fed up of being driven around even though you actually drive a Lexus LS you still feel chauffeured, you have to be on top of this cat.

How do you rate the pickup and performance of the 730d vs the LS430. I know that the 730d is 245 bhp vs 290 bhp from the LS430. is it a big difference or not that noticable unless you floor it ?

Hi Malc,

I think mine is a Mk4 but have uploaded an image for clarification

Willydoit - Your car looks amazing. Your bodywork has got lots of clarity and refectivity, headlamp lense have zero clouding, you still have your original finish diamond cut alloy wheels looking shining and from the front tyre tread it looks like you have the OEM Dunlop D8z sport tyres which were made for the Mk4 LS400 (the D8z had a distinctive small tread block design). Next time you wash your car please can you post some pics for us, its great to see a mint Mk4 LS400 !

Never been attempted as far as I know, the grinding noise you can hear is the ferrite magnet having broken up so even if you manage to open it you won't be able to find the part needed.

The Toyota Landcruiser uses the same motor but the price is significantly cheaper than the Lexus one.

The LS400 and LS430 use the same steering motor. When the tilt motor stopped working on my Mk4 I bought a new one and replaced it. I opened up the old one to see if it can be fixed but I dont remember seen a broken magnet. To me it looked like it was either something in the way it was designed which prevented the shaft from rotating or an electrical component which has gone. But I didnt get time to look at it in detail....

Just enjoyed the first few days of my first holiday in the 400. I travel to South West Wales from Yorkshire once or twice a year. This trip actually took longer than usual, as we stopped at Aberfan Cemetery to pay our respects, something I've been meaning to do for years as I was the same age as those children who lost their lives and remember it happening clearly at the age of 11. One girl victim actually shared my birth date and it was quite moving. Not a jolly start to a holiday but something I felt I should do.

After arriving at my family's place in Wales after six hours I have never before felt so relaxed after that trip (and I have had some good cars). . I was not as tired as usual and could quite easily have made the return trip the same day. The car is so comfortable, quiet and responsive I can only think that it is noise, vibration and lack of refinement that cause tiredness.

Now driving around Pembrokeshire, the aircon working well in the 22 degree heat, this is exactly what the 400 is all about and why I bought it. I do not dread going out and driving after the long trip down, the narrow lanes are not a problem, as I just take my time. I have been up some very steep hills and put my foot down just to see how the car would respond. It is as if there is no hill, the power is phenomenal. The dog is happy, because the cold air routed to the back seats seem to be more effective than previous cars I have had. All very relaxing and not the usual experience in modern traffic.

This car really is something else. The attention to detail is incredible and falls down in only one area. Given the obsessive attention given the car during development, it is surprising that this was overlooked. It is not a major issue, but the outside door handles get hot in the sun. My daughter complains, but it is not really a big deal, if a bit surprising it was not picked up during the development stage. My wife did not want to bring the lexus. She distrusts it because it is fifteen years old. I think she is now glad that I did not bring the Octavia.

At its birth in 1989, the LS400 was designed for one purpose: To be better in every way than than a W126 Mercedes S Class, a E32 BMW 7 series and a Jaguar XJ.

In their quest to achieve this Lexus engineered a car which was quieter than a Rolls Royce, had better mechanical reliability and durability than the Germans, more smooth than a Jaguar and attention to detail. Without doing this they would have had no chance in breaking into the luxury car market and the LS400 would have gone down in history as another Honda Legend / Toyota Cressida / Mitsubishi Sigma / etc etc

Browsing fleabay again and spotted this example.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2000-LEXUS-LS400-CHAMPAGNE-/171366993079?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item27e644ccb7

Also there is a brand new 1990-1994 towbar on there at the moment.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Watling-Brinkmatic-Tow-Bar-Lexus-LS400-90-94-plus-Bypass-Electrics-Brand-New-/201111140992?pt=UK_Car_Accessories_Touring_Travel&hash=item2ed3287a80

I might not be in great condition hence only one photo, also the front alloy looks like its corroded.

If I was in the market for a nice LS430 then this looks like a car I would want to see:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201406145024252/sort/pricedesc/usedcars/postcode/EC2V7HH/quicksearch/true/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/radius/1501/page/7/make/lexus/model/ls?logcode=p

I love the black with light cream colour combination and it looks like its very well looked after. A man that puts 4 continentals on his LS is a man that doesnt skimp on caring for his car. A lot of people can pull out a 'stamped service book' and tell you how many stamps they have but few can pull out invoices to show some good money has been spent on the car.

450h will only use petrol when started from cold yet mine reverses just fine with the petrol engine running at startup.

The engine may be running but isn't directly driving the wheels when in reverse. It is running to get up to temperature so that heat can be used to bring the cabin up to temperature.

If the hybrid batteries are low/over temp then the engine will drive the generator which will supply power to the electric motor.

Thats what ive seen before aswell. if you have the heating or air con while stand still, the petrol engine will start up to heat or cool the car.

The steering wheel has gone slightly off track, will that have something to do with the ball joint?

Unless the ball join is so worn that it generates a lot of movement it shouldn't be the case. If you take it for tracking alignment and they are not able to bring the tracking back within manufactures tolerances then it could be bushes or perhaps the ball joint.

Sorry I meant leaking from it

With age a small amount of grease will leak from ball joints on these cars which are now almost 15 years old (which is expected) but it still might not need replacement right now if the ball joint hasnt worn.

I'm getting a slight creaking sound from the n's front

The LS400 often make a creaking sound in the very hot summer months, sounds like an old creaking bed but it quickly goes away.

If it really is the lower arms or ball joins the tell tail sign will be perished rubbers and as steve says excess movement in the suspension.

Guys,

I'm starting this thread even tho' I'm about to go away for a two week cruise to the Norwegian fjords.

As you may have read, I'm aghast that the hybrid batteries stuff on the Ls600 is scheduled to last 8 years.

Rather than just worrying about replacing them at a probable zillion ££££££s WHAT IF one just didn't, and simply ran the car on petrol ?

Thoughts please ......

Thanks

Malc

Malc,

Good question.

As far as I know, the CVT gearbox doesnt have a reverse gear. Apparently the car reverses by reversing the polarity on the electric motor. This was an issue on the very early Prius cars where owners in San Francisco complained that when Battery charge was low they were not able to reverse up steap hills but Toyota remediated the problem. So to answer your question you could lose reverse gear. If my knowledge is out of date or the LS600 works differently I would be interested to know.

It wont run on just petrol, the hybrid system has to energise to start the petrol engine, no starter motor here! Do you really think a progressive manufacturer like Lexus would stake its reputation on a weak product that only lasts 8 years? My GS hybrid is on 200,000 with no faults or drop off from the battery pack, that already is way more than the average car manages in its lifetime.

"Do you really think a progressive manufacturer like Lexus would stake its reputation on a weak product that only lasts 8 years" A "reputable" manufacturer like Mercedes has cheaped out on quality, whats there to say that Lexus wouldnt do it ?

I dont have a LS430 myself but my first thoughts are that the dashboard will light up like an christmas tree beacuse system may give errors thinking that the air shocks / system are not working, if the air suspension is integrated with the VSC it may give a VSC warning. If the car has a pre-collision system (like the LS460) where the suspension stiffens up not sure how the ECU will behave.

If there is a way to make coilovers work, I would personally get a set of KYBs which were fitted to Mk4 LS400s. The suspension on the Mk4 was just perfect, and it wasnt even air suspension.

I have recenty sold my Mk4 LS400 and I am already missing it. I would ideally be looking to replace it with an LS600 if anyone is looking to sell theirs or knows of anyone who may be selling one.

More specifically, I'm looking for a long wheel base car with 5 seats in either dark blue or black with the cream or ivory leather. The pre 2010 cars that have the Rear Seat Relaxation package only have 4 seats which is no good to me.

I've been looking for quite a while and there isnt much comming up so I'm also considering a BMW 7 series LWB as well if I dont find one soon. I've had a good experience with Lexus so I would prefer to stay with an LS.

If anyone knows of one that fits the bill I would be most interested to hear from you.

Thanks.

Just had a response from him about the cambelt. Apparently nothing noted in the service history...which it transpires was last done at 86K. Not exactly a full service history then!

Do you mean the cambelt was last done at 86k or the last service was done at 86k ?

Goldfinger hi, I've been looking at a few Ls600s on Gumtree these past few days.

None might be your cup of tea tho'.

There's a few there, one's a 2008, £13995, 158,000 miler with full service etc . looks a steal ... is it ???

Malc

Blimey,

Maybe I will be able to afford one in the near future, if they are that cheap, looks good in the photo's wonder what it is like close up.

As long the air suspension, hybrid system or CVT gear box doesnt need another £13k spent on it then it is a good buy. I went to see one recently which had the CVT gear box replaced.

Goldfinger hi, I've been looking at a few Ls600s on Gumtree these past few days.

None might be your cup of tea tho'.

There's a few there, one's a 2008, £13995, 158,000 miler with full service etc . looks a steal ... is it ???

Malc

Im looking for a dark colour (either black or dark blue) so I havent been to see this one. But personally I would be wary of buying a 'cheap' LS and go for a clean car and one thats been looked after. The cars which are below market value especially from a dealer are usally cheap for a good reason.

What a beauty!

There will be many reading this who would like to be that new owner.

What will the replacement be?

Thanks, the new owner was over the moon with his new car. Im on the lookout for a LS600hL which is a 5 seater but the problem is that most of them seem to be the RSR 4 seaters.

It has been said that all good things must come to an end. I have once again witnessed this recently since departing with the good old Mk4 LS400 a few weeks ago.

Although the car was used on a day to day basis, I enjoyed maintaining and detailing it over the years to a showroom like condition. Even after almost 10 years of ownership I still found it unbelievable how quiet, refined, comfortable and powerful these cars are even when compared to more modern cars.

The time had come to move on which would conclude a great automotive experience. And so the old LS was washed, clay-bared and polished to its usual gleaming dark blue finish for the last time, sitting majestically in the drive awaiting its new owner.

Photo1

Photo2

Photo3

Its been a few years since I've posted on here but from what I can see, this remains a great forum !

However, if you have just had new pads and discs fitted (at least for the first 500 to 1,000 or so miles), you might want to take your foot off the brake at traffic lights for long stops, especially when the brakes are very hot. This would be to prevent an imprint of pad material being transferred to the discs which could subsequently build up to form an uneven coating of pad material on the disc surface. This would result at some point in experiencing the effects of what people tend to refer to as "warped discs" but is in fact an even build up of pad material on the disc surface.

Thanks Steve. That makes sense. One side of the filter even has a slight rimmed groove which is probably to hold a washer. I'm guessing if i go to my local car accessory shop it should be one of those thin copper ones, one on either side right ?

Hi,

A while back i purchased from lexus a new fuel filter, and i'm going to replace mine soon. When I opened the box just recently I realised that there were no washers which came with the filter. I vaguely recall (but i'm not 100% sure) that when i replaced the fuel filter last time (which was an ADL blueprint one before) it came with gasket washers for each end of the in-line filter.

If somebody has replaced one, could you confirm if the fuel filter should come with washers at either end ?

mine is the UCF20 model where the fuel filter is located near the rear diff.

Thanks.

Its hard to believe that a car like the LS has such a design fault where Lexus engineers couldnt get the setup correct. The LS430 may have a bias for inner tyre wear but why would the suspension arm need replacing with a modified one ? i'm not saying the advice given was wrong but what is the underlying reason ? The amount of weight referred to above isnt really seem like something that would put this kind of car's suspension under stress.

I would stick with Lexus's own suspension settings.

Or why not buy a genuine Lexus one ? it works out cheap i think. The puravent price is £23.20 + £1.50 postage = £24.70

Last summer i replaced my cabin filter on my mk4, same as Chris' car which i bought from lexus dealer. With my gold member discount the price was £19.49 inc VAT.

Don't be fooled by how nice and clean the existing belt looks. The belt and water pump are not exposed to the elements and effects of weather so are likely to look pretty. Its the strain the teeth and layers of the belt take which is not visible to the eye.

£335 is a great deal. Is that all genuine lexus parts ?