Seguinite

Thanks for the original question, Bald Eagle, and thanks to 1990LS400 for the tip NOT to cut the wires. A red light runner totaled my "old" 99 LS 400 after 300K near-perfect miles. Thankfully, no one was hurt. After wiping away the tears, I bought a direct replacement (cherry, with 200K fewer miles) but it came with an old built-in phone. I was working my way through its removal and was about to cut the wires "upstream" from the plug connectors when I decided to check this forum. Because the phone is integrated with the audio system, it makes sense that cutting the wires could disable or screw up the performance of the radio.

If your phone system is a dealer installed Lexus phone system, on some of these it is important to plug connectors together after unplugging the connectors from the phone ECU in the trunk. I don't know if this applies to the 95-97 LS phone system but it definitely applies to the 98-00 LS. If it is a Lexus phone system, it is a good idea to remove the vent you see when the armrest is open and unplug the handset cradle connectors. Do not cut wires! Always unplug the connectors. If you have a steering wheel phone command module, there is no need to remove it.