Alex JB

Hi folks, Just wanted to establish if US LS' all have air sus or was it an option? UK cars are all coil/shock at least to late 90's. Only imports from Japan (Celsior) have air and not all of them either.

my coolant level was very low when I changed my oil so I filled it up with about 4 pints of water/coolant mix. how to get rid of an air lock?

Here's my old girl, yes we ho have 18's in the UK! 20's are a rare sight though.

Hi Gents, I have a heater problem where the heaters start to get warm in the morning but don't realy get past cool unless the car is given some beans and then the heaters get hot again for a while. Driving the first 4 miles in the morning in 2nd gear just to warm the inside of the car up is doing nothing for my fuel bill! basically smooth driving = cool air, hard driving = plenty of hot air. All the time the engine temp needle is planted at about half way, as it always is. Anyone had anything similar? Thanks, Alex JB.

Hi Chaps, It seems we have 2 things in common, We love our Lexus' and shortly I will be a resident of the US of A too. I'm moving to Illinois, in the Chicago to Bloomington area (working in Joliet). I will be looking to buy two cars, a replacement for my S1 LS400 - probably another LS400!, and something with a 3rd row. What I'd like to ask you guys is... 1. how to buy a $5-6K lexus in the US, what to look out for, I'm fine with the car mechanicals ect, I'm worried about service history, what the hell is carfax and things to do with the deal so I don't get ripped off, also insurance. 2. What's the most car for the money and reliable ect for $8-9K with a 3rd row? I need space for 4 adults + 2kids + luggage to and from the airport once a month and weekend outings, you know the score. Any help would be gratly appreciated! Thanks, Alex JB.

ez: If your vehicle is sitting in a towing impound yard, DO NOT authorize it's release from that yard (to the insurance company's yard) UNTIL you have a check in your hand that is an acceptable amount of compensation from the insurance company. In fact, you should call the towing company and specifically tell them that you DO NOT authorize it's release and that only you can authorize it's release. Get the persons full name and make a notation of time and date. The insurance company has to pay the towing company a daily storage fee, which adds up over time. The first thing the adjusters are trained to do is to get the vehicle released, so that the daily fees from the towing yard stops. If the vehicle is removed from the towing yard and moved to the insurance company's yard, the insurance company has ZERO motivation to bargain with you in good faith. And like another poster said, be prepared (because it WILL happen) to haggle. I didn't realise insurance companies were such crooks in the US !? In the Uk the over 50% rule applies the same and some body shops will put in what they think is 40% of the cars value, start the work then 'find' more work later so often up to 60-70% car valvu can be spent on fixing. However, incurance companis do not make the effort to worm out of paying like the US, last incident I had they payed me the excess (250gbp) back within 3 months of the claim being finalised and paid for both the body shops loaner car and the hire car I paid for myself once I gave them the bill.

Thanks fellas, I hadn't thought about the supra 4 pots but it's a good idea. Cheers.

did you check the fuses in the engine bay and the ones in the drivers footwell near the steer column?

Does anyone know if the LS400 S1 brake disks are the same Toyota part number as another Toyota / Lexus model? Maybe the Camry? It's that time and I just bought pads for 11GBP inc postage (Camry 2.2 GLS) from fle-bay, as opposed to 30GBP for LS ones, the part number is the same, its also the same as the late model Celica (ST202). Wondered if I could apply the same principle to discs (rotors), people expect you to pay extra if they advertise Lexus parts, they expect you to demand value for money if you buy Toyota... :whistles:

this sounds like the same issue I have. Ask your daughter if she had to brake hard or from speed... I'm about to chage the disks (rotors) as the heavy LS heats them up a lot under harsh braking and the natural tendency with an auto is to hold your foot on the brake once you stop, this creates a localised heat spot under the pads where the heat can't escape and warps the disc in this spot. It's no guarantee but as discs are cheap ish and easy to change it's an easy try to just fit new ones (would go for pads too).

I just came back from a trip tp Germany where I had the smallest BMW (in europe called 1 series, don't think available in US) it was running out of puff at 200K/hr but it was far less stable and predictable at that speed as my LS. I'm not condoning excessive speeding, just suggesting that however much speed limits change from country to country the driver and defianately the car make a big difference to the overall safety...

MY goodness! I'm in the UK but I work for an American company so with loads of 'Peorians' around I thought I understood the lingo a little... evidently not! Did anyone ever see the blue LS for sale though?

Hi LRP, have you looked at the lexls how to on lighting, I'm sure it's there I saw how to use a H4 bulb with nothing more than 6" of wire and a ring terminal.

Any of you guys considered talking to the lowrider comunity? I have owned here in the UK, old Merc's on air that are a smooth ride. When done to allow the car to be lowered to look good not hop, that is. Replacement bags cost me 60quid ($100 ish) One guy has converted an LS from conventional struts to aftermarket air... The ride is supposed to be fantastic. Seems like the Car geometry is the key.

Hiya, Althought the std sub isn't bad for factory fit, it's well matched with the small amp. If you want to replace the sub you'll struggle to get a low enough RMS rated aftermarket unit. It's not that big a job to replace both and you will get much more sound, the LS boot is well sealed and acts as an enclosure so mounting most subs from underneath the rear shelf via the trunk will be fine. I hung a 15" sub under there with an amp I had kicking around, sounds great! The output from the factory head unit to the tiny amp in the boot is low level, if you use aftermarket head unit and std amp you have to input one low level (RCA lead) to the amp, wiring diagram is V easy to understand, I'm sure there's one to pull from internet, if not e-mail me and I'll send you the PDF.