Service Bulletin Check Please

[handygal]

Can someone tell me the general gist of the service bulletins for the '98 LS400 issued in 2001 ----

Make : LEXUS Model : LS400 Year : 1998

Service Bulletin Num : EL00201 Date of Bulletin: JUN 01, 2001

NHTSA Item Number: 622172

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Make : LEXUS Model : LS400 Year : 1998

Service Bulletin Num : EL00201 Date of Bulletin: JUN 01, 2001

NHTSA Item Number: 627088

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Make : LEXUS Model : LS400 Year : 1998

Service Bulletin Num : EL00201 Date of Bulletin: JUN 01, 2001

NHTSA Item Number: 622300

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The summary for all is similar:

Summary Description:

ON SOME VEHICLES, THE MILES SINCE REFUEL DISPLAY MAY RESET TO ZERO EVEN THOUGH VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REFUELED.*JB

I am having this issue and though it's just annoying now, I'd like to know what Lexus knows about it.

Thanks!

[UCF3]

Sounds like an display issue. I think I'm experiencing that with my 94. Can you take the car to the dealer w/letter and ask them?

[1990LS400]

By coincidence, I'm taking my 2000 LS to the dealer for warranty work tomorrow morning and the TSB about the "miles since refuel" problem is one of the items on my list. Last I heard, this problem is also happening on LS430's and there is not yet a reliable fix. The fix on a 98-99 involved replacing componets at both the fuel tank and fuel gauge; the gas tank fix was apparently implemented with the 2000 model year and only the the gas gauge portion of the fix is needed. However, I have read that Toyota is still looking for a solution. Mine does not reset itself very often so I am not going to push the issue unless I find out tomorrow that a reliable fix is now available.

[99lsguy]

By coincidence, I'm taking my 2000 LS to the dealer for warranty work tomorrow morning and the TSB about the "miles since refuel" problem is one of the items on my list. Last I heard, this problem is also happening on LS430's and there is not yet a reliable fix. The fix on a 98-99 involved replacing componets at both the fuel tank and fuel gauge; the gas tank fix was apparently implemented with the 2000 model year and only the the gas gauge portion of the fix is needed. However, I have read that Toyota is still looking for a solution. Mine does not reset itself very often so I am not going to push the issue unless I find out tomorrow that a reliable fix is now available.

Jim,

Let me know what they say about the 99's too.............

Thanks,

Roy

[98 LS]

Interesting ...........

Mine use to do the "Random Reset" routine as well and I got use to not using that function.

What I have found recently, however, is a little step that seems to make it work and reset only at a fill-up time?;)

What works on my car is to have the "Miles Since Refill" actually showing in the "Data display" when filling up the car and before leaving the pump and driving off ...... cycling through the available info screens and returning it to "Miles Since Refill" and mine resets as soon as I drive away, as it should.

It’s been working properly and consistently when I do those steps. Give it a try. I’d be interested to see if works for you guys or is just a fortunate idiosyncrasy of my car?

-----------------------------------------------

Also, relavent topic FYI .......... over on CL.

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=69452

[1990LS400]

I took my 2000 LS to the dealer yesterday and one of the issues I reported was that the "miles since refuel" sometimes resets to zero before refilling the tank. I told the service writer about the TSB for this issue when I dropped off the car. Apparently the information I gave early in the morning about the existance of a TSB on the problem was not noted on the service order or provided to the mechanic.

When I picked the car up in the afternoon, neither the 2nd service writer or the mechanic were familiar with the TSB - strange because it seems to be a common problem. The 2nd service writer did an on-line search and found the TSB. Then the 2nd service writer and the mechanic told me that I must be inadvertently pressing the reset button and resetting the "miles since refuel" display.

Last night I tried resetting the "miles since refuel" display with the reset button - it could not be done. Today I looked at the owners manual on-line and it does not appear that the reset button can be used to reset the "miles since refuel" display.

I wish this had been the only problem during this visit to the dealer. No one should have to get out their owners manual to prove to a Lexus dealer service writer that his car has a particular feature (i.e. day-time running lights). They should know what features their cars have.

Maybe it is just this one Lexus dealer, but I don't think I have had a single service experience there which has been as good as the worst experience I have had at an independent repair shop specializing in Lexus.

Although I hate returning to this dealer, I need to go back as get some other expensive (e.g. temperture display) issues addressed before the basic 4-year warranty expires August 1. Driving to Wichita, Des Moines or Omaha for dealer service is not practical and I don't know how good they are anyway.

[99lsguy]

1990LS400 - Jim,

That is really sad.......I usually find that I know more about the vehicle than the service managers <_<

Have you tried the other location up north??

99

[handygal]

Thanks so much. I'm glad to know it's not just me. Since Lexus really doesn't know what to do with this and it isn't the first sign of a larger problem in the future, I'll just ignore it. I have a few quirks, the car has a few quirks.

I think you guys just saved me a long day dealing with the dealership. It's a shame that such a nice car from what is supposed to be the biggest dealer in the world can have such a crummy service department. I have connections there, I do business with the service department, get them out of jams all the time and I still have problems. Jim - you aren't alone. Heck, I had my 95 SC400 there for 2 weeks while I was away. The struts were bad and at the time it was warranty problem. Friday morning I call to get it - they haven't touched it. Friday evening I come to pick it up, the cashier says "sorry, i don't have your car" and turns away. I almost blew up but ended up asking a runner to find a gold SC with my tag and give me the number hanging on it. They found the car eventually. AGHHHH! That was just the easiest of the problems. They do NOT want to hear a girl tell them about cars and refused to record what I said was happening. (8 service calls later and I was correct)

I am glad to say this LS hasn't been at the dealer more than once that I can remember. My Mom's '03 GS430 hasn't seen the dealership since it's first day.

Jim - I will test your theory a few times. I have to warn you, I'm not eating up tanks of gas very quickly these days. I will also try to not fill the tank right to the very top. I have suspected over-filled tank in the past. I'd like to find the idiosyncrasy for my car.

[1990LS400]

The dealer service writer called today after researching the "miles since refuel" TSB and offered to replace the entire combination meter under warranty. The combination meter of course includes the odometer. He said that he could have the current mileage "burned" into the odometer on the new combination meter. But who knows how many miles I might drive before the new combo meter would be installed.

I have come to the same conclusion as "handygal" and I do not think that this problem is worth trying to fix - particularly after hearing from others that replacing the combo meter does not always fix the problem. Also, I would rather keep the odometer reading accurately. So I told the service writer to forget about this issue.

The dealer is, however, going to replace the climate control module above the audio system because of debri in the outside temperature display. I was surprised that the entire module is an $850 part which I think is quite a bit less than the price I was quoted for one in my old LS about ten years ago.