blake918

That's exactly how it is!! Notice the top of the cluster housing has all of the malfunction lights lined up, and when one needs to be lit, it shines the light on the instrument cluster. I actually kind of found those lights irritating when I test drove 90-94 models. I like the plain, boring setup my 95 has...the text read out in the 98+ is soooo cool! B)

The needles and cold cathode lighting in my 95LS still gives 110% after 10 years and 254,1xx miles. I'm impressed! B) I think the needle issue was just a first generation deal(across the entire line-up I believe.). ;)

Nothing just yet!! I can't decide on if I want to go the used or refurbished route. Used is around $200(ebay and junk yards) and a rebuild is about $400 from carstereohelp.com (I'm not sure what Pioneersbuy charges). I can't even get the darn thing out of its golve box, so that's step one for me! I'm in the process of getting a Nokia Cark 91h install underway-I'm tracking down the parts now-the 91h itself should be here in about a week and a half-2 weeks, and I plan to have a working rendition of Jim's(1990LS400) setup with the integrated window antenna and auto mute on the stereo by the end of this month. B)

My neighbor used to have a late model Olds mini van that would send the hatch right in to the garage door. He fixed the problem quickly and cheaply by attaching a piece of foam to the garage door where the hatch would contact. Something to think about...

My p/s failed too, but not until almost 225k miles on my '95! ;)

What ended up causing the problem with your seats? Wow...what an excellent post by VMF in that third link!!!

When we did the belt on my '95, we used a 200+ piece(I think. 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 socket sets plus several combination wrenches) Craftsman set, a 12 gallon air compressor putting out about 115psi, and a Porter Cable impact wrench 1/2". I'd say the impact wrench was one of the most important tools-getting the crank pulley off took all of 2 seconds. It was great! B)

That's weird about the glass shattering! Have you considered leasing a new Camry or Accord? It seems like a lease would suit you perfectly! ;) At any rate, good luck in finding a replacement!

Thanks for the info yall! Good to see you around '90!

I stand corrected; I clicked retail($11.3k) instead of private party. ;) However, around here(as well as on Ebay), a '95 with 100k miles will fetch a lot more than KBB's pp price of $8,600. Plus, the ball park figures I gave for the suspension work were on the high end; I'm sure you can find a dealer that will do struts, ball joints, and motor mounts for well under $2k.

About 2 weeks ago I noticed my speedometer doesn't work all the time in my 1995 LS400. I found out that if I hit the dash above the the cluster, the speedometer will start working. All of the lighting is 100%, and all of the other gauges are reading normally. Does anyone have any ideas as to what the problem might be?? A loose connection somewhere maybe? Also, if I decide to switch out the cluster, will the dealer have to set the mileage, or does the car's ecu keep track of it? BTW, the car has almost 254k miles.

PS problems are very common on LS's, so I wouldn't worry about the ps system too too much on an Accord/Camry/etc. Mine lasted to about 225k. It's not the pump that costs so much it's the gd high pressure hoses. $320 for a hose is rediculous. I'd be sure to make your brother get the car to a mechanic asap just incase it is leaking some fluid since it'll drip right on to your alternator. It's baffling that these engineers can design something like a 1UZ-FE that will last an easy 300k miles, but they put the ps pump right on top the alternator so when it leaks, it will destroy it too. lol

I feel sorry for you...being so tall in an ES. lol I'm 6'4, and I only lasted about 5 months in the ES as my daily driver. Headroom was ok, but the legroom was crippling. I moved on to a '95 LS which is a little bigger, but not what I'd expect for a tank this size, so I'm going to have the car modified to better accommodate me and my legs! lol What brought me to Lexus? Safety, quality, style, and longevity.

I find that proper ventilation is the key to keeping the interior smelling fresh. I eat a lot of fast food in the car since I'm on the road so much. Fast food in the car reaks of something horrid in no time at all. I just crack the windows/sunroof for a few hours when I have the car parked(I hate riding with the windows down), and the ff smell is gone. Fresh air coupled with quarterly usages of Lexol on the seats/doors/steering wheel makes my 254k mile '95LS smell like a new car; I actually get compliments on the fresh smell.

I'm not sure what a mechanic will charge, but when the p/s pump went out on my car, it was a $1,300 job at the dealer. :o

How's the P/S Fluid level looking?

I think you can get them from any parts store; I bought mine from the Lexus dealer though. Here's the Lexus part number for the PCV: 12204-50011. It should be less than $8. ;)

Sounds like an excellent deal to me! Even if you have the dealer do the tranny for $6k and figure another $2k for struts, ball joints, and motor mounts, you are looking at a nice deal on a '95 with 105k miles for $10.5k. If you DIY, all of these figures will be much, much lower.... For the DIY route, Park Place Lex has the tranny(I'd guess rebuilt from the looks of the price) for under $2k. Lower ball joints are about $90 each, struts are roughly $50 each, and motor mounts are $90 each. If you do all of the repairs yourself, it would be an even better value! Keep us posted!! ;)

It comes straight out...takes about a minute to do the entire job! ;)

Cool!!! Welcome aboard! :D The best part is you get to put some faces with names. I hope you have a pic ready to go! lol I had the same mentality as far as becoming gold-it was a no brainer...LOC members have saved me hundreds upon hundreds of dollars in repair costs as well as got me in contact with JPI Service, and I have come in to contact with several really nice people. It's the least we can do for this great Club and the people that spend countless hours and dollars keeping this place running so smoothly.

I know what you are saying, and what I was saying was that Acura and Buick are not similar in design philosophy. Drive a '05 3.2TL and drive a '05 LeSabre. You would be suprised at the difference. Buicks are great cars; I know first hand. We had a LeSabre that lasted over 200k miles w/ just regular maintinance, so I have no problems with Buick quality. Acuras are very sport oriented; Buicks are not. Buick is concerned with a soft, quiet ride just as Lexus is. That's all I was getting at. ;) Remarks like this are really not necessary here; we know how to calmly and rationally discuss other makes. Take your own advise, you should have looked before you lept. Buick and Acura are about as similar as a Ford Taurus is to a CL65 AMG.

Yeah, did yall notice the "4-Cylinder Ecotech" under his user name, and he has the nerve to sit there and slam Lexus. lmao Every magazine article I've read makes references to Acura being Germanlike in driving character and style. I find the TSX, RSX, TL, MDX, RL, and NSX are very different animals from Buicks.

Name (first name & last initial): Blake C State / Town: Louisiana/Ruston Age: 18 s*x: M Car Make Owned: 1994 ES300 and 1995 LS400(and 4 others) 1. Are you single or married? S 2. If yes to number 1 do you have kids? If so how many? None 3. What type of activities do you do for fun in your leisure time? Road trips, play French Horn in my university's Wind Ensemble, watch movies, study, go out with friends, browse LOC. 4. Do you consider your self liberal or conservative? mostly conservative 5. Describe you feelings towards the importance of money v. family? Family is more important, but having financial security makes family life more enjoyable-a Catch 22 of sorts. 6. Do you feel that luxurious possessions improve your social status? Absolutely, that's how social status works. 7. Please rate the following on a scale of 1-10, 1 being very low, 10 being very high and 5 being average: Mercedes-Benz: Quality 6 Value 5 Fit/Finish 7 Performance 8 Lexus: Quality 7.5 Value 9(ES300/330-MCV30 calls a 10 to mind though. just a remarkable value) Fit/Finish 8.5 Performance 6 Toyota: Quality 7 Value 8 Fit/Finish 7 Performance 7 Acura: Quality 6.5 Value 7 Fit/Finish 7 Performance 8 Audi Quality 6 Value 5 Fit/Finish 8 Performance 8 BMW Quality 6 Value 5 Fit/Finish 7 Performance 9 8. What do you feel the most important feature in a car is (Price, Safety, and Style etc.) and why? I think style and safety are the two most important features in my cars, and the safety category includes driver comfort which is so very important to me. 9. Describe your general feelings toward the Lexus brand? I would say that Lexus reliability is just a few ticks ahead of the competition, but their value, longevity, and refined powertrains are bar none. 10. What words come to mind when you think about Lexus and their brand image? Conservative, good looking, long lasting, luxurious, non performance oriented. 11. How do you view Lexus v. their main competition (BMW, Mercedes, etc.) in quality, value, fit/finish and brand image? I think Lexus tops in all but brand image. There are certain things that can only be done with a 3 pointed star on the hood-tops in status symbol/brand image is one of them. 12. What is the main purpose you use your luxury vehicle for? (i.e. work, travel joyriding etc.) general use with a lot of emphasis on hwy travel. 13. If you do not own a Lexus would you consider purchasing one? Why or why not? n/a 14. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being very low/no commitment, 10 being very high and 5 being neutral, please rate your commitment to the Lexus brand. 5. I'm only buying another later on because I think the '98-'00 LS is unbelieveably beautiful. 15. What factors/incidents would cause you to switch brands of cars? The factor that would make me switch is better driver comfort; my LS and ES are both subpar in this area...it's subjective, so nothing against Lexus. Also, I wouldn't mind a heavier feel to the ride characteristics of all Lexus models like in MBs. My next car will probably not be a Lexus; I'll be looking at '03+ Lincoln Town Car and MB S500(W140-probably 97-99). Note: I wish there was a definative explanation of "quality." I sort of factored together material quality and estimated reliability...there are cars out there that are made of really nice materials and not reliable, and vice versa. Also, I'm assuming that "performance" is the same as sporting perfromance(slalom times, g's, 1/4 mile, 0-60, 60-0, etc.) and not performance/convenience in everyday useage....I only ask becasue I'm seeing several people ranking Lexus before BMW in performance; I just can't see that being so.

Thanks for the info! JP Importz will do the work. He services my car, and I laid the idea on him one day, and he said sure thing! The problem is he's in the Dallas area, and I'm about 5 hours away in Louisiana. He wants the car for a weekend so that he can take his time and make sure it's all secured and working well. The problem is I'm not old enough to get a hotel room, so this will take some more planning to work out. My LS was given a Best Pick by the Insurance Institute, so I know it will stand well in a crash. I'm just worried that my knees might get shoved in to the dash since I can't stretch them out. My LS has about 42" from the gas pedal to seatback, and from my hip to heel is about 46", so it does fall a bit short for me.

Welcome to the club! Congrats on your new RX! B) If you don't mind me asking, how well did you fit in that Audi(are you tall?)? I'm 6'4 and I find my LS400 to even be on the small side; should I hit or get hit, I would hate to have to go through what you did. In the next few months I'm having the seating position in my LS lowered 1" and pushed to the rear of the car 5"-6", so I can fully stretch out. Your Audi was a stunning car! I'm glad you made it through well.