Tells Us About Your Car And Its Mods Or Problems

[SKperformance]

List your model, year ,

# of owners ,

price when bought and from where

lenght of ownership and attributed problems and repair costs.

Also mention where you had it fixed ( lexus, independent, midas or diy).

When it was done.

Any mods done to the car and its costs.

If desired your age and insurance you pay.

If you have any picutes in the gallery put links in the post so we can have an idea about the car.

Please only post once and if you have a question either pm the member or make a new thread .

This will keep the page from being filled with excess.

[michaelsn]

1993 LS400

No traction control, no air suspension, no height control.

Nakamichi sound system

2nd owner

$7,450. Bought it on Ebay on Oct-25-2003.

Shipped from Houston, TX to Hayward, CA using DAS.

102,000 miles at time of delivery.

Started driving it on Nov, 2003.

Here's her story.

1. Passed CA smog/emmision test. (Whew!) $80

2. Paid Oakland Coliseum Lexus $180 for a safety inspection. They recommended about $7,000 worth of work which includes replacing the timing belt, "torn" CV boots (I don't think so), etc., etc.

3. Successfully registered and titled vehicle with CA DMV after receiving Texas issued title from seller. $800.

4. Removed window tint - DIY. $0.

5. Fixed defective door speakers - DIY. $38 on Ebay for 2 pairs of 4" Polk GXR4 2-way speakers. Sub and tweeters are still working.

6. Flush transmission fluid - tried 2 qt of Chevron Dexron III even after reading the posts to use Type-IV. I still have that very mild rumbling at low acceleration. I will flush again using Type-IV.

7. Flush power steering fluid - will DIY. Still reading the posts for a good way to flush it.

8. Bought hood struts from Ebay. $70. Buy the one from Pepboys instead.

9. Bought a "Lexus Repair manual on CD" from Ebay. $15. It's better to get a Chilton or original Lexus manual.

10. Bought key blanks from Ebay. They work but don't buy if you want a key blank that has the real logo on it.

11. Intrument cluster - has the famous fuel gauge problem. Light flickering problem started today since it has been unusually cold the last 2 days - will try DIY or send to Jim Walker. Tachometer and speedometer used to work intermittently in the beginning but is now working fine .

12. Grey leather is perfect (except for minor cracks on steering wheel cover) and conditioned using Meguiar's leather conditioner.

13. Cleaned a/c filter.

14. No mods on this car. I might go for the Daizen Polyurethane Bushings.

15. Replaced burnt interior lamps (even the one IN the rear ashtrays, what a car!).

Many thanks to the members of this forum for providing technical information and inspiration thereby making it possible to get the work done.

"Please only post once and if you have a question either pm the member or make a new thread .

This will keep the page from being filled with excess. "

[90LS400Lexus]

1990 LS400 - color: dark walnut - mileage: 226,100

OPTIONS: Sunroof, remote entry, leather, gold trim package.

Standard suspension

(Lacks the following options: CD player, Nakamichi sound system, air-ride suspension, seat memory, heated seats)

Original sticker price - $38,000 (approximately)

The good:

My car was a 1-owner car. Still runs like new. I am really impressed with it. The engine and transmission are still very smooth. The interior is still in very good condition, with no cracking anywhere on the seats or steering wheel. The instrument cluster lighting and guages still work perfectly- which is good, considering this is a common problem. All electrical systems are fine. Car is also still 100% squeak and rattle free. Still has the original paint and it still has a good shine.

The problems (very minor): It has 226K- but these cars are made to go 300K+ if properly maintained/cared for. Was told that the A/C evaporator was bad, so I have no A/C, but heat works perfectly. I have also noticed that most recently- I can see a very little bit of darkening in the bottom corner of the LCD climate control- which is a very common problem, but not a big deal. Also, the illumination lights (lights that come on when the headlights are on) that light the left hand side of the heat-A/C controls does not illuminate- which is also a very common problem. I have a very slight leak from the power steering pump, but just enough to dampen the hose - no drips yet. I think it is just the hose. I have some scrapes on the bottom of my bumpers. Other than these minor things mentioned- no complaints/problems.

The only thing I have had done recently is have new Lexus (Toyota) rear struts installed for a smooth ride (at independent repair shop). I also took the car to the Lexus dealership to have the airbag system re-activated, as the previous owner had it disconnected.

I bought the car in November of 2003 for $4000 + tax.

Insurance: (to be announced) - I am not sure exactly the price for the Lexus alone- as I have my other cars on the same policy.

Overall- a excellent car.

[wwest]

1990 LS400 formerly owned by Bill Gates, gave it to friend who later donated to a Charity auction.

1991 LS400, 30k miles, formerly owned by Eddie Bauer Corp, used it as company car for 5 years and then gave it to my brother.

1992 LS400 purchased new, still own.

1995 LS400, purchased used at 30k miles, Canadian origin, company still owns.

1992 LS400, owned by Turkish citizen who returned home, purchased at 153k miles.

91 had rear main seal failure immediately upon return from Bellevue Lexus for oil change. Currently over 100k miles with ONLY oil and filter changes.

92, new, now has about 90k miles, one oxygen sensor replaced, three batteries. otherwise ONLY oil and filter. Will soon replace factory anti-freeze due to murkiness.

95, over 100k miles, EGR tube bent over to block, otherwise only oil & filters.

92 at 153K miles timing belt and water pump replaced, used digital dash installed, new brakes, new struts, refurbished climate control LCD, All struts, lower ball joints, new refrigerant pressure sensor, R-134a, used ABS pump/motor/pressure accumulator.

New 92 had a propensity to suddenly fog over the front windshield so I installed a few mods to help overcome the problem.

1. Resistor that can be switched into series with the cabin temperature sensor and thereby make the climate control ecu "think" the cabin is extremely cold. Activate switch anytime defrost/defog/demist function is used to give instant max heat and high blower for the airflow to the windshield.

2. 2800 ohm resistor to be switched into series with the OAT sensor to prevent A/C operation below 55F OAT in the wintertime.

3. Four 12 volt exhaust fans, two each side, mounted inside the rear quarter panels to move humid and/or stagnant airflow from the cabin when front or rear defog function is used.

[Phargraves2]

Woo Hoo!!

I dumped my E class Mercedes for my "new" 1996 LS 400. WOW!!! WOW!! WOW!! I took 5 to 6 weeks to find my LS. It was a 1 owner with 93,000 miles that I found online through www.autotrader.com The car was approximately 50 miles from my home. I had it prechecked by a AAA certified mechanic and then ran its history through www.autocheck.com and paid $13,500.

My question is how can I find out when I should have the timing belt replaced??

Sincerely,

Paul Hargraves