craigamuir

my center console has broken vent fins. The dealer says it can only be fixed by replacing the entire center console for $13k (stereo, LCD, etc.). Does anyone know if this is true?

my center console has broken vent fins. The dealer says it can only be fixed by replacing the entire center console for $13k (stereo, LCD, etc.). Does anyone know if this is true?

I originally had an LS400 with a silky smooth cruise control when you pushed the lever up. It gained speed very slowly until you released the lever. When I first drove my 2010 LS, the cruise up lever was so bad I took it to the dealer, who advised me that it was performing "as designed". If you hold the lever up for more than .5 sec but less than 1.5 secs, the 2010 cruise is designed to respond by raising your speed by exactly 1.5 mph. The 2010 control was changed from continuous (2000) to discrete. If you hold the 2010's lever in the up position for 2 secs or more, the control will gun the accelerator.

Given that we're talking about car dealers, you certainly could be right. I gather from the dealers discussion that the tank vents through the charcoal canister and into the drain line. There's no reason you couldn't design it that way, I guess. Houses use common drain-waste-vent pipes. I used 4 gas stations of different brands and the problem occurred at all 4 regardless of the angle of the pump handle. Previously, I had had no problem with gassing up at these stations. Besides, the liquid does not come back out the filler pipe but rather a 1 cm wide "blow hole" above and to the left of the fuel filler hole. They said that this is an outlet of the vent system (presumably for tank vent air that's come through the cannister). I don't see how holding the pump handle the wrong way could cause gas to go in the filler pipe and back out the drain-vent pipe .

Last year my 2000 LS developed a problem when you tried to fill it with gas. As you pumped the gas in, much of it just sprayed back out. The dealer said that the charcoal cannister and the fuel filler valve needed replacing - $900. I paid for the repair. A few weeks ago the same problem repeated (or so I thought). I took it to a different dealer and told them it better not be the charcoal cannister or fuel filler valve. They pulled the shop manual on the car and began to search for the problem. 4 days later they called to say that they had solved the mystery. Apparently there's a rear drain hose for runoff water around the trunk area. The air release for the gas tank also vents into this drain line. Putting gas in the tank vents the air in the tank into the drain line. If the drain line gets clogged as mine was, the venting air causes the backed up water to gurgle and then spray out a drain hole just above and to the left of the main fuel filler hole. This makes it look like gas is coming back out when you put it in. Actually it's the backed up drain water in the line. The second dealer blew out the obstruction in the drain line with an air hose and now the car seems fine. The dealer said that they had never encountered the problem before.

The dealer is Pohanka in Chantilly, VA. They recommended upgrading to the LS430 with a Mark Levinson. Of course, the Levinson unit doesn't fit into an LS400.

I bought my 70k miles 2000LS on eBay. It took a leap of faith to wire transfer $20K to someone and then wait a week for my car to show up. None of my friends could believe I did it. I live in Sterling, VA. and I bought a Jade green LS from a dealer in Tucson. I was the only bidder, just meeting his minimum. We talked afterwards and he was mad. He said he would never buy another green one because nobody wants them. He went to Connecticutt to buy mine and he had to truck it to Tucson. The buying experience was great. It turned out that he had misrepresented the tires because they would not pass inspection. 4 new tires cost me $600. He said that he felt the tires were ok but to avoid a bad feedback he would do whatever I asked. We split the cost, $300 apiece. The main point was that in August 2004, 2000LSs were selling for $31K - $33K at dealers, but they were going for a lot less on eBay. I won the bidding on mine at $19,900. I had to pay $800 to have it shipped here. A 10-car carrier showed up on my street about 7 days later and off loaded my baby. I would recommend eBay to anyone buying an LS.

I tried to upgrade from the Pioneer to the Nakamich stereo in my 2000LS. The dealer said that Nakamichi went broke last year in April and that nobody picked up their stock. The dealer said he rides eBay looking for parts just to service existing customers with things like blown speakers. Anybody know a source for the Nakamichi units?

ref - doesn't know which gear it wants to be in, 1st or 2nd. Wow, I thought that was just my 2000LS. Sometimes I think I've got a major transmission problem on my hands but then it stops once the speed picks up. Glad to know what it is.

I got a 2000 LS last year with 70K on it. Within a month the charcoal cannister and fill valve on the fuel intake needed replacing. $900. The symptom of the failure is that the fuel fill spout gurgles and then a large percentage of the gas comes shooting back out the vent hole that's just to the left of the filler cap. Today, at 92K miles it appears that it needs it again. In order to even see what's wrong they claim that they have to pull the fuel tank. Has anyone else had this problem?

I have the standard sound system and CD changer in my 00 LS400. I would like to have the Nakamachi unit and the premium speakers. I pulled the instructions to replace the radio and speakers and it looks pretty straightforward. My dealer won't even discuss it. When a Nakamachi unit breaks (gets stolen, etc.), there must ba a way to replace it. If Nakamachi units can be purchased and installed as replacements for defective units, why wouldn't someone be able to replace the standard soundsystem with a Nakamachi? Does anyone know? I have to think that if the dealer was trying to sell you a new LS and the sound system was a problem, they would find a way to swap stereos pronto. My dealer has answered several of my requests of this type by gently suggesting that I consider getting a new car. Does anyone have the Nakamachi to know if it's actually a fair bit better than the standard?

Unfortunately, I may be able to shed some light on the fuel tank valve and charcoal cannister. At 70K miles I was unable to put gas in my 00 LS 400. The gas would just spray back out all over my hand or down onto the ground. I managed to dribble enough gas into the tank to get it do the dealer. After checking it out, he said that it needed a new valve ($56.37) and a new charcoal cannister ($385.29) plus $380 in labor to install. I would assume that both the valve and the cannister are located between the fuel filler door (nozzle opening) and the gas tank. I hope that you don't need these replaced any time soon.

Several of my friends drive E-320s. I took one to lunch the other day in my 00 LS400. After a while he said 'thank God my wife hasn't ridden in one of these. I'd never hear the end of it. She refuses to ride in my car because the seats are like concrete. I tell her that Germans like it that way and besides, it's the only way to get a really good car."

Craig ...... does the repair involve electrical components or is it just a lubrication issue with the gear train? ← Depending upon the VIN range of the vehicle, it looks like it ranges from swapping out the set bolts to replacing the telescoping motor and e-rings. It is listed as "production countermeasures". Wouldn't you love to know what that means. It says that the "warranty application is limited to correction of a problem based on customers specific complaint". Of course, the warranty has expired anyway. But usually the "fix only on specific complaint" means that most cars do not get the fix.

When you turn off the ignition in your 99-00 LS400 does the steering wheel groan and move in short jerks as it returns to the top position? Mine does. :( When there are guests in the car, it's down right embarrassing (e.g., "at least my Mercedes doesn't do that!"). I just bought my 2000 LS 400 in August and have been attempting to work out some of the bugs. My Lexus dealer said that the behavior was 'normal', that I was just being fussy. I looked it up on <http://www.alldata.com/products/diy> and found that there was a Techincal Service Information Bulletin (TSIB) on the subject <#ST003-00 published by Lexus on May 19, 2000>. The warranty period for this fix has expired and it appears to be a rather extensive and expensive fix. But, if the problem bothers you, you may want to look into the TSIB. FYI, my discriminating and courteous Lexus dealer is busy denying that the TSIB even exists. (The next closest dealer is 30 miles away.) NOTE: To access data on alldata.com requires a subscription fee. This TSIB is the only item of any real import relative to the 2000 LS400s.