Just Got My Lexus - New Guy

[Turbo-GeoMetro]

Hello everyone. My name is Kyle. As of Tomorrow morning I wil be the proud owner of a 1996 Ls400. I was looking for an extremely reliable DD, as well as a great car to take on trips, i had a friend recommend an LS, so here i am now, a proud owner.

I don't have any good pics yet but here is the Autotrader add it is on.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p...;standard=false

We went and testdrove the car Saturday. It is almost immaculent. The interior is perfect, and aside from a tiny dent by the power antenna the outside would be perfect also. The owners have all the service records for the car and it obviously has been very well taken care of. I will update this when i get some decent pictures of the car. It also has brand new 20% tint all around.

My first plans for it will be to claybar and wax the entire car, then i will get some exhaust tips put on it. I don't plan on doing to much too it: Tanabe springs, tips, possibly wheels, and maybe a lip.

The only thing i've found wrong with the car was that the lights on the radio buttons don't light up, the LCD does, but the backlight doesn't.

Also, in case you are wondering about my user name, i also drive(not currently) a 92 Geo Metro that has(had) a custom turbo 3 banger, made close to 100whp and ran deep 15s, high 14s. It was the ultimate sleeper...

Thanks again,

Kyle

[billydpowell]

Welcome aboard, the LS you picked out looks fine, they are a sweet running machine... I used to have one that same (outside) color..

they are very well built... and solid.

cheers, bp

[AzHotLS]

Congrats on your purchase and welcome to the forum.

An iPod connection to the radio, you're all set.

As for your radio backlight issue, very common. I haven't fixed mine yet, but here a are a couple threads to get you going.

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=36871

I posted a link to a thread that has directions on how to repair resistor solder joints that fixes the backlighting issue here:

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=61125

[Turbo-GeoMetro]

Ok, thanks for the links. I've been searching around the site over the weekend, but i was limited to what i could do because my account hadn't been approved yet.

So what is the general consensus on the Tanabe springs?

Thanks,

Kyle

[landar]

Congrats on the purchase. You will love this car.

I see your car has around 175k miles on her. Just curious...at what mileage was the timing belt replaced?

[jcrome04]

Congrats on the purchase, She'll be around for years to come.

Just maintain her properly, and you SHOULD have no need for a repair budget :D

[Turbo-GeoMetro]

Here are a few pics of my Lexus. I've found just a few blemishes on it. I hope to get some tips soon and hopefully some Tanabe springs...

So far i've claybard the front fenders, trunk, and the hood. I also used Meguiars NXT wax on the hood, trunk, and the fenders. It started raining before i could finish the car. The interior is in excellent shape, i forgot to take pictures of that however.

Kyle

[Lexusfreak]

Welcome to LOC....very nice ride! B) Enjoy.

[rickatups]

Hi ... wow ... that is a very sweet LS you found .... great!

Ummmm ..... honestly ... the first thing I would put on my to-do-list if it were my LS .... would be to open up the Power Steering Rack Solenoid body and see if the little tiny (and very fragile) filter inside needs to be cleaned. If so ... might as well flush the power steering system now and then re-install the [clean] solenoid filter. This subject has been disused here quite often ....

some of us like to use starting fluid to clean this filter .... it works quite well, in case you have never tried it ... just make certian you are outside, and not smoking a cigarette when you do it .... (^-^)

It can be a somewhat messy job, so I have my independent Toyota mechanic do it for me ..... he charges me slightly less than an hour for this service item. It is great insurance, as this one simple thing can become the root cause of future power steering system problems ... When I got my 95 LS ... we could tell my filter probably had never been done in the life of car ....

In my opinion ... as long as that solenoild filter stays clean ... and the fluid stays clean ... you are not going to have power steeing problems ....

Next on my list would be the rest of the fluids in the car .... all of them ... as well as all the various filters ..... perhaps they are OK .... but it would be nice to at least take a look and know for sure, just for peace-of-mind ....

Of couse ... you are going to want to be sure to use the correct Lexus fluids / filters .... but you probably know that ...... (^-^)

It is this kind of information that makes this forum so valuable. We all drinve these cars and love them ..... and we also all love to save money ...

welcome!

[dcfish]

Welcome to the club Enjoy the finest Lexus forums on planet earth B) Nice LS you have there ;)

[billydpowell]

WOW, that is a nice LS, looks much nicer than the one I had, you were lucky to find one that clean.

Just take care of it and it will last you forever, you'll probably get tired of it before it is a problem.

Great photos also..

cheers, bp

[Dannymcenrow]

I used to have a GEoMetro also.

Brand new.

I was younger then and I used to burn rubber with that thing.

I had a Manual transmission one I used to screech the tires a lot.

But then I got in an accident and totaled it and after that I got a 1989 Dodge Aries.

[Turbo-GeoMetro]

[vin430]

Hello

My name is Vincent New member also and having trouble posting a question??

recently bought a 2003 Lexus LS430 Black with tan interior. One owner Lexus dealer certified. First Lexus I have owned and it is by far the nicest car I have driven.

I was wondering if I could get some info on Timing belt replacement schedule.

My car has 51000 miles always serviced by Lexus Service center. The previous owner took exceptional care of the car ( friends all thought it to be new).

The sales person said that at 90,000 miles I will need to replace the Timing belt and water pump. With 50,000 miles on her and my low mileage driving habits it may take a good 5 years before I hit 90,000. The Service Manager at the Lexus dealership said that I should consider replacing now, that every 7 years is recommended ?? I ran it by the sales person this , he said he has never heard of this requirement, so I am confused, and not eager to shell out major $ this soon after purchase.

Timing Belt replacement every 7 years ??

[blake918]

Wow, that's a very nice looking car! I love Moonstone Pearl, and the green interior is pretty rare too. B)

[landar]

Hello

My name is Vincent New member also and having trouble posting a question??

recently bought a 2003 Lexus LS430 Black with tan interior. One owner Lexus dealer certified. First Lexus I have owned and it is by far the nicest car I have driven.

I was wondering if I could get some info on Timing belt replacement schedule.

My car has 51000 miles always serviced by Lexus Service center. The previous owner took exceptional care of the car ( friends all thought it to be new).

The sales person said that at 90,000 miles I will need to replace the Timing belt and water pump. With 50,000 miles on her and my low mileage driving habits it may take a good 5 years before I hit 90,000. The Service Manager at the Lexus dealership said that I should consider replacing now, that every 7 years is recommended ?? I ran it by the sales person this , he said he has never heard of this requirement, so I am confused, and not eager to shell out major $ this soon after purchase.

Timing Belt replacement every 7 years ??

Vincent, this subject has been covered a lot of times. Just do a search on timing belts. Technically, you should have the belt changed based on going over the time limit(I believe it is 72 months or 90K miles). However, many go on mileage only and are fine. Personally, if I were in your situation, I would not lose a wink's worth of sleep waiting until 90k miles to have it changed. It is really up to you and your pocket book to mull over and decide.