Archie

I know most LS400 and 430 owners are not into fast tracking through corners. However we live in a very hilly region of the country with narrow roads and tight turns. My wife really didn't like the behavior of the new car on these type roads. She's the primary driver. The LS400 and 430 are set up for a heavy under steer as that's the feel a lot of drivers like. Under steer requires a lot of steering input to negotiate a turn and is considered safe as the front wheels will protest with a lot of noise and push if you enter a turn to fast. Over steer is the opposite and carried to extreme requires turning the wheel in the opposite direction to follow a sharp turn. Not at all recommended for the street! Somewhere between these two items is a happy medium. The stock LS40-430 uses a .5" diameter anti roll bar, some times called a sway bar, in the rear. I had a spring shop copy the existing bar but used a 7/8" diameter. I also replaced the existing soft rubber bushings with hard polyurethane. I did this about 5 years ago. It's an entirely different handling car. Absolutely no affect on the ride quality but when you enter a sharp turn at speed it stays flat and tracks like it's on rails. Why Lexus uses so light a bar I don't know. I don't know of any after market source for the 400-430. They do make them for the IS 300 and etc. You might check with Eibach or www.addco.net. If you live in a large city a spring manufacturer can probally bend one up for you. Not at all high tech. PS- the tires last about 20% longer too. No more tuck under and wearing out the edges.

How to you find the service at your Lexus dealer? Mine on a scale of 1-10 with 1 the Pitts is a 1. I can't believe these guys. You can't get a human when you call for service. A recording says please leave your number and we will call you back (at our convenience not yours). Then they rarely call back. They of course claim they did and it's your fault. So to beat the system I have to say this is my 3rd call please return it. Then 2 days latter I'm able to get a service appointment in 2 weeks. Took the car in for service last week. Told no loaners were available but they would hurry it up and it would take about 2 hours. Four hours latter the service guy comes out, after I asked sales for some help, and tells me they can't get to it to day but to reschedule. Other mad customers are sitting there telling the same story. It's the only dealer within a 100 or so miles and they sure abuse the monopoly. Seems to be a lot of friction and game playing between employees and departments. So what is your take on this , or is it just me?

We have a 1995 LS 400 and it's time to move on. Been an excellent car with low original owner miles of 78 K. Wife's car. So now I'm looking for a new 430. Any experience buying a new one off the net? I see a few "get it wholesale type" ads but are they for real? I move around a bit so it doesn't make any difference what part of the county it's in. I'm in Springfield Mo right now but will be in San Jose next week and then LA. Dallas area OK too. Also any ideas what the old one will sell for? Thanks for any advice. Archie

We bought new in 95 a LS 400. It now has 76K miles on it. The radio from day one has been the pits. AM never did work and FM sounds like a Pinto radio. At the time I didn't worry about it because I sometimes install after market radios. Little did we know that this radio fits only a Lexus and there were no after market units. So after 10 years as anyone developed a kit or method for getting a decent radio installed? Side note-- Just replaced the brakes based on advice I got here. DIY cost me about $130 for parts. Very easy to do front and back. Thanks to everyone for their help. Now a Grrr for Lexus. The pad indicator light doesn't tell which wheel or front or back. Also while I'm at it the door open light works the same way. Light on-- Guess which door? I wonder if the 430 has corrected this. You would think in a car this expensive it would give more info. I expect perfection but Lexus only advertises the pursuit of same.

The Brake warning light came on so I replaced the front pads. Looks like they still had a lot of life left. The warning light is still on. I didn't check the rears. I wonder if the rear pads are shot. Does the rear have a sensor like the front? If not, why is the panel light still on? 95 LS 400. 75K miles Thanks

95 LS 400. Can you just replace the pads? Rotors in excellent shape. Any DIY sites on how to do this? Thanks

95 LS 400, 76K. A warning light just came on. Round light with quotes around it just above the ign switch. No message. P 28 book says "Take vehicle to Lexus dealer". A very bad idea imho. Got any idea what this means?

My wife's 1995 LS400 , bought new, has 75K on it. I think it might be a good idea to change the plugs. Dealer quoted $350. I don't know if this included the wiring, cap and rotor. Has anybody done this themselves and if so how hard was it? I've worked on cars a lot and even cross threaded a plug or two on an al. head. I would prefer to skip that bit on the Lexus. Thanks