My New Car

[tbilisi79]

Hello.

I am new to this board. My name is Dave and I am a new owner of a 98 LS 400.

My 0revious car was a MB S500 1993. It was a good car but came with all of the regular stupid MB problems, like a bad climate cotrol, window regulators, hydraulic shocks etc.

I was sick of it, and just wanted a car that drives well and works every day. I really wanted to get a BMW 740 but couldnt find a good one for the money.

The ls has 93 k miles on it and I got it for 10000. I think its a bargain.

The only problem is, VSC comes on when I start the car and goes out 15 seconds later. Does anyone know what it could be??

Bad battery?? Or the Throttle body sensor?

Also how do I know if I have premium sound? It says Lexus premium sound, but doesnt say Nakamichi.

Oh and how do I post pics??

Thanks.

[cardona6569]

I think you got a good deal. Make sure the timing belt was changed at 90,000, it not do that at once. Second the VSC happens to me also I have the same car, just try this:

Make sure you start the car with enough starter power, or in other words do not let go the ignition til the car is really started or like half a second longer than you been doing, and you will see it probably goes away, we baby this cars too much and let go of the ignition switch a bit too early that could be the problem, it has been in mine. But also this could signal that we have one of the ignition coils not working the best way they should, I will ask about that when I go for the 90,000 check up. Checking the battery is also a good thing, it may be going.

Third clean the tb and make sure the tranny has fresh fluid every 15,000 along with oil every five thousand miles and you should be ok.

If the VSC goes away after 15 seconds is just ok, make sure you have it switched on.

C.PR

Hello.

I am new to this board. My name is Dave and I am a new owner of a 98 LS 400.

My 0revious car was a MB S500 1993. It was a good car but came with all of the regular stupid MB problems, like a bad climate cotrol, window regulators, hydraulic shocks etc.

I was sick of it, and just wanted a car that drives well and works every day. I really wanted to get a BMW 740 but couldnt find a good one for the money.

The ls has 93 k miles on it and I got it for 10000. I think its a bargain.

The only problem is, VSC comes on when I start the car and goes out 15 seconds later. Does anyone know what it could be??

Bad battery?? Or the Throttle body sensor?

Also how do I know if I have premium sound? It says Lexus premium sound, but doesnt say Nakamichi.

Oh and how do I post pics??

Thanks.

[SKperformance]

SOunds like the battery is going and resetting the vsc.

[tbilisi79]

SOunds like the battery is going and resetting the vsc.

Thanks a lot guys.

How do I know if the Timing Belt was changed? also how much is it for the belt and the job.

Also, the motor has a slight vibration at higher RPMs. I suspect the engine mounts, but could it be the coils? and if so, how do I check? Maybe a spark plug??

Otherwise I love the car.

[RedAE102]

Also how do I know if I have premium sound? It says Lexus premium sound, but doesnt say Nakamichi.

Oh and how do I post pics??

Thanks.

The "base" Pioneer audio system was also labelled as "Premium", and IMHO, I totally agree with Lexus calling it such. The '90-'94s actually said Pioneer on the front of the unit, whereas the '95-'00 did not. Both of our LS400s have the Pioneer system, and they both sound fantastic. There's a fullness behind the music which is lacking in other cars. I hear details in my music collection that I usually only hear on my Bose Acoustimass system at home; I never hear them in other cars. The other thing I appreciate about the LS audio systems is that there is no artificial emphasis on bass or treble; just relentless, accurate reproduction of sound. That said, though, the Nakamichi systems I've heard in other LS400s (such as my mechanic's '99) are just that much better...

Pictures are posted with IMG tags... There's a button for "Insert Image" in the new post window. First, though, you have to upload them to a site, such as Photobucket. They will also provide you with the complete IMG tags for each image you upload.

[cardona6569]

To know if the timing belt was changed first go to the Lexus dealer and with the VIN number of the car they will tell you if they have, if not look inside the car for maintenance records labels or anything that looks like a maintenance shop and call them to see. If not you must changed it and pretened it has not, also a mechanic could opened up and tell you what he thinks but that can be tricky. You could also call the previous owner, or have the dealer if non-Lexus find out for you. I believe the reason they sold it was to avoid doing the 90,000 mile maintenance which runs in about 1000-2000 depending where you live, and it includes changing the T. Belt.

C. PR

SOunds like the battery is going and resetting the vsc.

Thanks a lot guys.

How do I know if the Timing Belt was changed? also how much is it for the belt and the job.

Also, the motor has a slight vibration at higher RPMs. I suspect the engine mounts, but could it be the coils? and if so, how do I check? Maybe a spark plug??

Otherwise I love the car.