FLC OF LGT HAS CLRNC CONFUSION DUE TO CTLR PHRASEOLOGY AND DSNDS BELOW ALT AT WHICH APCH CTLR WANTS HIM TO BE. ON THE GAR ACFT IS KEPT HIGH; ABOVE PUBLISHED GS INTERCEPT ALT.

Narrative

ON CIVET ONE INTO LAX -- WAS CLRED 'CIVET ONE ILS RWY 25L' SINCE WE WERE NOT CLRED FOR ONLY THE CIVET ONE; NOR WERE WE CLRED FOR THE CIVET ONE EXPECT ILS RWY 25L WE FELT CONFIDENT THAT OUR CLRNC WAS FOR BOTH THE CIVET ONE AND ILS RWY 25L APCH. OUR FLT PATH COMPLIED WITH ALL XING ALTS AND THE NUMEROUS SPD REDUCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH HVY ARR TFC. JUST PASSING FUELR WE WERE GIVEN A SPIT OUT HDG OF 180 DEGS AND THE CTLR ASKED US IF WE WERE AT 8000 FT CAUSE HE SHOWED US AT 7800 FT. THE FUELR XING IS 8000 FT AND SINCE WE HAD CROSSED THAT FIX WE WERE JUST BEGINNING A DSCNT TO CROSS GAATE AT 5000 FT. WITH THE GIVEN PATTERN TURN OUT AND THE CTLR'S INQUIRY REGARDING 8000 FT WE INITIATED AN IMMEDIATE RETURN TO THAT ALT FROM 7650 FT. WE STILL FEEL WE HAD A CLRNC THAT ALLOWED ALL ASSOCIATED DSCNTS ON THE STAR AND THE RWY 25L ILS. IF WE WERE IN ERROR OUR TOTAL ALTDEV WAS APPROX 300-400 FT. CTLING THROUGHOUT THIS ARR AND APCH BORDERS ON 'UNSAT' AND RESULTED IN AN EVENTUAL GAR DUE TO ARR AT A VFR POINT APPROX 1.5 MI FROM THE RWY WAY TOO HIGH TO LAND SAFELY. AFTER THE TURN-OUT FROM THE PATTERN; WE WERE GIVEN A SERIES OF VECTORS TO RE-INTERCEPT BUT NO REASONABLE DSCNT CLRNC. WHEN FINALLY GIVEN APCH AND DSCNT CLRNC (DSND TO CROSS HUNDA AT 3500 FT) WE WERE APPROX 1-1.3 MI FROM HUNDA. THIS RESULT IN OUR XING HUNDA AT 7200 FT USING OUR BEST EFFORT AND ALL MEANS AVAILABLE TO US. (3700 FT ABOVE GS ALT APPROX 12 MI OUT.) EVEN AFTER OUR GAR AND OUR RETURN VECTORS FOR THE ILS RWY 25L; THE CTLR KEPT US AT 4000 FT AND GAVE US TURNS TO INTERCEPT THE LOC AND APCH CLRNC THAT BROUGHT US TO POINT APPROX 10 MI OFF LAX -- 2- 2.5 MI INSIDE HUNDA WHERE THE PUBLISHED GS INTERCEPT ALT IS 3499 FT. A MORNING OF FAIR TO POOR CTLING.