KY350

I much preffer the two tone white with grey cladding, but for $5K less, I'd get the all white LS and repaint the lower cladding with the original factory grey to look stock and you'd still be $4K ahead. Also, I like a dark (legal) tint but hate the gold Lexus badging. WRT VSC, If I am correct, it stands for Vehicle Stability Control and this sytem will correct for any oversteer / understeer by applying the brakes to one or more wheels to bring the car back onto its intended path, when you take a bend too quickly. VSC also incorporates the Tracion Contol functionality to prevent wheel spin.

CPR - Lexus paint is very good and considering that your GS is a young 2001 model, I assume the paint is in quite good condition. Therefore, you could use either a natural or synthetic wax and unless you are a meticulous detailer, you probably won't notice the difference between natural and synthetic. The only way for you to decide what is best for your car is to rest the may good recommended products on the market and that would take you years to complete. Just as you think that your testing is complete and you have a winner, the manufacturers release another "better" wax, so its back to the drawing board, testing again. So my advice is just pick one that you like, and try it out - I'm sure you will be happy with the results irrespective of what you choose.

Presicely why I was cautious of recommending using scratch remover without testing first. I love black cars, but will never buy one as they are too hard to keep looking pristine.

75% depreciation in 3 years!!!!! That's the worst depreciation I have ever heard of. Moral of the story - get mum to buy a used Lexus next time.

I use scratch remover for light scratches and they all come out easily. Mind you, both of my cars are silver and hide very minor surface irregularities. I have never used scratch remover on a black car before. Perhaps you may want to test on the most inconspicuous area of the car to see how well it works. The reason I suggest this is because scratch remover will cost you just $10 and is a good starting point. Otherwise, do as SW03ES suggests an buy a PC (approx $150) or pay a pro to fix ($???).

Same problem here - I tried a couple of times last week and gave up. Just go to either www.Lexuscarcare.com (how to section) or www.autopia-carcare.com for good detailing info.

Gumart1 - You are under the illusion that the dealer has done you a favour by telling you about the "crunch" noise and bad struts. All he did was prewarn you of the obvious faults that a lay person would detect with the car, as this way he manages (read lowers) your expectations prior to the test drive, so that you are not disappointed by the noises and rough feel of the car. After all, any individual with sound hearing would have noticed the noises as well as a hood that won't stay up! BTW, most 1st Gen LS400's can be detailed to look good with some elbow grease to the interior and exterior. The fact that this car has Lexus service records is wonderfull and the problems you see now are probably just minor in nature. You mentioned that you have a friend that is a mechanic. See if you can get him along to the dealership and let him check the car out for you prior to Fri if you are insistant on purchasing this particular vehicle. If this mechanic agrees that the problems are balancing / brake related, then subtract the cost of these repairs and new struts from the dealers asking price of $4500. That way, you'll probably be closer to $4500 than $3800 and ultimately your total outlay does not exceed $4500. The dealer may just bite at such as offer, especially on the day that he has to take it to the wholesalers where he'll get shafted on the price anyway!!! Best of luck.

Don't feel pressured to buy this car. It could have a lot of hidden mechanical issues. As WW suggested, get the car checked out by a reputable independant mechanic to get the good oil on repairs and associated costs if you buy the thing. As far a your offer of $3.8K, don't go higher than this. Remember that the dealer is the one struggling to get a buyer for this vehicle, so no need for you to stat getting desperate and increasing your bids. If your mechanical inspection reveals $1000 in repairs, you use this to justify your offer - not pay more for the car. Finally, in future, never make an offer on a car that you do not know is mechanically sound. Because now the dealer knows that you are prepared to pay $3800, even if you need to do $3k worth of repairs - you have given away your negotiation and revealed the price that you are prepared to pay for the car. Now the dealer knows you will pay at least $3800 and will attempt to stretch you even higher, even if the car needs many repairs. Remember, the dealer is out there to make a profit, not sell you a bargain. If the dealer sell the car to a wholesaler, he will get less than your $3800 offer, so your offer is looking quite good to him now in the absence of any other offers.

Welcome rusmani - the LS430 is a great car. Has it given you any trouble over the last 3 years?

To me it sounds like the 92 is a better buy from what you have stated above. WRT the clunking sound, it could be a suspension issue. Did you notice the noise coming from the front or back? Does it have air suspension? Also, are you sure the clunking noise was not just tyre thump over potholes? Get the vehicle checked out by a mechanic that is knowledgable with the LS400 prior to purchasing. That way you'll know if you need to do any costly repairs beforehand and can use this info as a bargaining tool to lower the purchase price.

Not sure how nasty your accident was, but if it was very minor, you would be able to get the paint and scratches off with a combination of clay bar and scratch remover. Worked on my car. If scratch remover cannot get the scratches out, then the scratches are too deep and will need to be touched up at a panel shop. If you have the option, take it to a Lexus body shop as they have a lot of experience with these vehicles. Most Lexus vehicles have a lot more fasteners holding the panels together, which most panel beaters find a pain in the butt. So if you take it to a Lexus body shop, they will know exactly what needs to come off, if anything, and know how to put it back together again, without leaving "spare bolts" post repair. Also, I would have a lot more confidence in a Lexus body shop colour matching the paint that Joe Bloggs down the road. Finally, Lexus approved repairers have their staff attend Lexus run repair workshops, so you know that your Lexus will be well attended to by these Lexus approved repairers.

Happy New Year everyone.

Well I am amazed that the price of the 04 LS430 is as competitive as it is, when you consider that the bottom has fallen out of the USD - truly amazing!!! You folk sure do live in the lucky country!

VBdenny - unfortunately we don't have a Radio Shack in Aust, but I will do to an equivalent electronics store to find a replacement battery. Infact, I'll get 2 batteries as the spare remote key is dead. 1990LS400 - I tested the switch this morning and of course it worked perfectly each time. The switch does not feel kinked under the rubber trim though. oberqc - thanks for the offer of the tutorial. I will PM you my email address right away. Thank you all for your responses.

Several times over the last few weeks, I have noticed an intermittent problem with the interior courtesy light. Occasionally, when I open the drivers door, the courtesy light will not illuminate. Each time this occurs, I close the door and reopen it to see if the light will come on and only once did the light turn on. I assume that the light sensor is located on the door frame and I will check this tomorrow morning to see if it is sticking closed. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem to this and if so, what was required to correct the situation? I am a little confused as to why the light does not turn on occasionally. Also, I have recently noticed that occasionally, the remote locking / unlocking function on the key will not operate. When it does work (95% of the time), I need to have the key no more that 1.5m (5 feet) from the car for it to work. Is this the normal working range for the remote? My newer Nissan remote fob works from 20m away from the car. I am assuming that I may need a new battery for the key? Is this correct and do I unscrew the little screw in the fob to access the battery? Where can I get a suitable battery from - Lexus???

Congratulations on the purchase leadbyxampl. I've had my 91 LS400 for about as long as you've had your 96. I really enjoy driving my Lexus and I can imagine that your 96 model would be even better to drive.

Finally, after 8 hours of cleaning, rubbing and buffing, the LS is looking almost like new. Mother's Scratch remover is another great product. It eliminated the obvious scratches on the bootlid that my better half was complaining about yesterday. It also was great at reducing (but not totally eliminating) the small paint marks from previous battles with foreign car doors. Now just a little plastic surgery at the panel beaters shop and the extreme makeover will be complete!

..... I realised that my sports car that I enjoyed driving daily for the last 18 months is too noisy with its unidirectional aggressive tyres!!! Now I've got the best of both worlds - drive the LS daily to work in cocooned silence enjoying a marvelous ride and fang the sports car on the weekend and enjoy the steering / handling and power.

Well, the treatment started today. I washed the car this morning and then spent 3 hours claying the body. After all that claying, my own body is in need of some TLC! However, the results are worthwhile. Clay bar is a miracle product. With much rubbing, I managed to get 14 years of ingrained tar spots, bug guts, minor paint spots left by other car doors, off the LS's panels. There is just two small paint marks from a scrub with another car that I could not get off, so I'll ask my panel beater to buff this off for me when I take the car to him to repair the tiny rust spot on the front wheel arch. Even without any sealer / glaze or wax, the paint job looks very good - this is testament to Lexus's high quality paint finish. Tomorrow, I'll apply scratch remover over some minor scratches (luckily my silver colour does not show swirl marks) followed by sealer / glaze and a layer of canubra wax for a showroom shine. Cannot wait for the end result!

Lexus - The S class Merc is a beautifull looking car from both the inside and outside. I believe that it is the best looking luxury car on the market bar none. You will feel good driving this car because it is beatiful and because your vehicle wears a 3 pointed star - shows that you keep up with the Jones's. If you can buy the car with a warranty that extends to the number of years that you plan to keep the car, then buy it and enjoy it as any repairs will be covered. If you do not get a warranty, and you want to keep the car for a long time, then you should think long and hard about the less glamarous looking LS430. It doesn't have quite the street cred of the Merc in the eyes of the "old money" types, however, you won't be reaching into your pocket for expensive repair bills with the LS as often as you would in a Merc. My best advise is to go and test drive both cars. You may totaly dislike the ride of the Lexus or the Merc and that will make your purchasing decision very easy and justafiable. Good luck with whatever you buy and let us know the outcome.

Merry Xmas to all LOC members from the land Down Under.

We must have missed out on heated seats in Aust as I do not have them on my 91 model (which came with all options) - bummer!

Have you replaced the battery? Sounds like you are charging which gets you going, but battery dies when left off again. Batteries do die all of a sudden often without any prior warning.

SW03ES - thanks for your response and thank you for the pinned therads and other information you have shared on this forum - very valuable. WRT wheels, I believe that the 1991 LS wheels are very plain looking to start with. I could not justify spending money on these wheels to make them look good as I don't think they look good even in pristine condition. So I will clay my wheels and get them looking as good as they can and keep an eye out for some 2nd hand 16" LS400 wheels. PS - I have a friend that can get me as set of 20" wheels for minimal money, but I have passed up the offer as I believe that these wheels are way too big for the LS and make it look pimp. Not to mention that the wonderfully compliant ride that Lexus spent thousands of dollars developing would be ruined.

Got my 1991 LS400 about 1 month ago. Mechanically it is in immaculate condition, having been serviced at the Lexus dealership all its 260,000km. However, the same cannot be said of the bodywork. The previous owner scrapped the front left wheel arch fairly deeply a while ago as some rust is showing. So next week, the LS goes in for a minor surgery to repair the damage and the numerous blemishes on the other panels left by uncaring motorists opening their doors onto the 400's panels, not to mention clashes with shopping trolleys! After that, I'm giving the girl to the full detailing treatment starting with clay, swirl remover, sealer and glaze, and finishing with canubra wax. As the previous owner only ever took the big girl through the drive thru car wash, she's never had any wax applyied in at least the last 9 years. So I assume then that I don't need to use a pre wax cleaner, as the clay should get rid of any minor wax residue (if any). Is this correct? Finally, onto the wheels. She wears standard factory edition 1991 alloy wheels, but they have a light yellowish tinge, not to mention heavy build of brake residue that does not come off with washing. Also, the surface of the wheels at the "spokes" is slightly pitted in some areas. I don't kwow if the 1991 wheels ever had a clear coat on them. If they did, would it still be present after 13 years? I want to clay bar the wheels also, but am unsure if the clay would ruin the wheels. The LOC Car Care How to section states "Clay is not recommended on wheels that do not have a factory clearcoat or powder coat finish." So should I clay my 13yo wheels as I don't think that even the strongest wheel cleaner will get 13 years of baked on brake residue off.