Proud New Owner > > >> I Wish . . . .

[mdugan322]

LEXUS LS 400 WITH 94000 ORIGINAL MILES-BRAND NEW 20 INCH RIMS - $4000 . . . . .

Thats what the craigslist posting showed. I figured, hell im in desperate need of a car, lets check out. Blinded by the glit and glam, i took it for a drive and ended up buying it. Caught up in the "new car" high, i failed to pay attention to the small things . . . lol . . . Sure its a used 1991 so its gonna need some work: brakes, oil change, a/c recharged . . . but had i not been caught up with other things in mind . . *sigh* . . . i would have noticed like any right minded individual that this cars needs lots of work.

I drove it for about 30 mins. with the previous owner and other than the brakes (cuz of the rims ) it seemed like a hell of a steal. One day later . . . $1000 + in work . . . . lets just say ive been had . . .

Enough about me, now on to more important things. Does any know where i can find an owners manual? possibly a download? Or even info on the fuse layout? The tail lights aren't working, ive checked the fuses but some of them could be missing. Also the telescopic steering wheel isnt working. It'll telescope, lol, but it wont move up or down.

thanks for your time

[dcfish]

LEXUS LS 400 WITH 94000 ORIGINAL MILES-BRAND NEW 20 INCH RIMS - $4000 . . . . .

Thats what the craigslist posting showed. I figured, hell im in desperate need of a car, lets check out. Blinded by the glit and glam, i took it for a drive and ended up buying it. Caught up in the "new car" high, i failed to pay attention to the small things . . . lol . . . Sure its a used 1991 so its gonna need some work: brakes, oil change, a/c recharged . . . but had i not been caught up with other things in mind . . *sigh* . . . i would have noticed like any right minded individual that this cars needs lots of work.

I drove it for about 30 mins. with the previous owner and other than the brakes (cuz of the rims ) it seemed like a hell of a steal. One day later . . . $1000 + in work . . . . lets just say ive been had . . .

Enough about me, now on to more important things. Does any know where i can find an owners manual? possibly a download? Or even info on the fuse layout? The tail lights aren't working, ive checked the fuses but some of them could be missing. Also the telescopic steering wheel isnt working. It'll telescope, lol, but it wont move up or down.

thanks for your time

Sounds like the infamous wiring harness that follows the trunk hinge, One of the wires has been shorting out causing all kinds of problems. There are a few threads on this topic. Search the first gen LS forums.

[eatingupblacktop]

Welcome to the LOC. No need to panic! What's in the $1000? There's plenty of information on your Ls here. I suggest you do some research on the symtoms your experiencing, then post your questions here. You'll get better response if you show that you've done some of the legwork yourself, rather than getting spoonfed. Another suggestion is to include as much info as you can in your posts. Hard for members to offer help if there's no details. Good luck.

[mdugan322]

Welcome to the LOC. No need to panic! What's in the $1000? There's plenty of information on your Ls here. I suggest you do some research on the symtoms your experiencing, then post your questions here. You'll get better response if you show that you've done some of the legwork yourself, rather than getting spoonfed. Another suggestion is to include as much info as you can in your posts. Hard for members to offer help if there's no details. Good luck.

thanks for taking the time. Ive had to replace the gas tank, rear brakes ( dont currently have all the tools or a garage to work in, otherwise i would have done them myself), guage cluster is going out this week/next week as well as the a/c controller, typical 90k fluid changes, replaced headlamp bulbs, a few studs and lugs, next to be rear wiring harness/wires (not exactly sure if this will solve my tail light issue *crosses fingers*), and have yet to find out whats gonna keep it from passing inspection. (The labor for the brakes and gas tank is what really put it up there.) Just wish i had a place to work on it myself, and more time before inspections due.

[eatingupblacktop]

thanks for taking the time. Ive had to replace the gas tank, rear brakes ( dont currently have all the tools or a garage to work in, otherwise i would have done them myself), guage cluster is going out this week/next week as well as the a/c controller, typical 90k fluid changes, replaced headlamp bulbs, a few studs and lugs, next to be rear wiring harness/wires (not exactly sure if this will solve my tail light issue *crosses fingers*), and have yet to find out whats gonna keep it from passing inspection. (The labor for the brakes and gas tank is what really put it up there.) Just wish i had a place to work on it myself, and more time before inspections due.

We all get caught up in the excitement of buying a new car sooner or later and wind up missing a few things. Hopefully we eventually learn from our mistakes to take a deep breath and check out the mechanics before the money changes hands. Haven't heard of a fuel tank being replaced on an Ls before. What was wrong with it? How much history do you have for this car? At 90K, I'd want to know if and when the timing belt/pump/tensioners etc were done. You'll find the harness along with the p/s pump, alternator, strut bar bushings, instrument cluster, climate control readout issues are common to this model. You can start with:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=11775

for info on most of these.

[mdugan322]

We all get caught up in the excitement of buying a new car sooner or later and wind up missing a few things. Hopefully we eventually learn from our mistakes to take a deep breath and check out the mechanics before the money changes hands. Haven't heard of a fuel tank being replaced on an Ls before. What was wrong with it? How much history do you have for this car? At 90K, I'd want to know if and when the timing belt/pump/tensioners etc were done. You'll find the harness along with the p/s pump, alternator, strut bar bushings, instrument cluster, climate control readout issues are common to this model. You can start with:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=11775

for info on most of these.

The tank some how got punctured by the tiniest pin hole and leaks into the trunk. Had some jb weld and tried to patch it but it was a no go. So i found a tank at a local junk yard already pulled for $50. I dont have any history on the car and was considering a carfax but that extra $25 is going towards immediate repairs. (Im trying to find an apartment as well, so there goes the 47" tv fund :( ). Pretty sure the majority of the repairs your talking about have yet to be done but hopefully will be addressed very soon depending on the costs. Thanks for the link and taking the time out to help. Greatly appreciate it.

[kc92hatch]

Hi there,

Congratulations on your new car. A little buyer's remorse is a normal thing!

Depending on how much you get into this yourself, you can also check out:

www.techinfo.toyota.com

For a $10/day fee, they have all the Lexus service/repair manuals on-line. They are all PDFs and you can download and save them to your computer, but it can take a while. If you want to download everything, plan on a 1/2 to 1 day of time. It is a bunch of small files you will need to save. Worth it though - lots of good info.

For an owner's manual, if you go to Lexus.com and register as a Lexus owner, I think there is an option there for them to send you a new owner's manual for free.

Good luck!

[Lexusfreak]

If Lexus.com is unsuccessful (due to the age of your LS for example) give e-bay a try. Welcome to LOC! B)

Also might want to e-mail Lexus with your VIN & see if you can pull the service records.

[VMF]

cheaper repair manual can be found at http://alldatadiy.com/

for mere 27$ you can get annual subscription to exactly the same material that can be found in the toyota repair manual. i got alldata first but then bought all 3 repair manuals so i had a chance to compare the 2 before alldata subscription expired. alldata subscription is worth every penny:)

[Lexusfreak]

Found this for ya...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/1991-LEXUS-LS-400-LS400...Q2em118Q2el1247

[mdugan322]

thanks for the replys and research, i really appreciate it. Ive considered purchasing a manual off ebay but kinda wanted to see if i could of got it for free on the net.

[VMF]

if you are talkin about the car manual, not a repair manual, if you register in lexus.com

you are going to be able to access it in the electronic format.

[mdugan322]

ive tried registering with lexus.com but it wouldnt identify the vin number i submitted. Maybe b/c its a 91? or b/c i bought the car 2 days ago? Not sure. So far my biggest problem is the brake lights not working and i think its cause of a short . . . :(

[Lexusfreak]

Why not call Lexus head office directly to register? Maybe they will be able to mail you a 'hard copy' of your owners manual.