1990LS400

Yes, Randy, buy that S420. It will be a completely trouble free car. By the way, I have this bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell -- you could make a lot of money by charging tolls to cross it. Smart arsh. ;) So, how much for the bridge, Jim? For the bridge, I want ... one MILLION dollars! (quoting Dr. Evil) $9,700 sounds like a very nice settlement for a 98 LS with 100K miles. I've seen an 01 LS430 with similar miles sell for just a little more than that.

Congrats, you are the 10,000th person who has asked this. No, there is no way unless you snip some wires behind the dash and potentially create other problems in the process. Why not ignor the chime or fasten you seat belt?

Or you could just follow the manufacturer's reommendation: 5W30 I've done about 265,000 miles in Lexus LS cars over 20 years on the recommended 5W30 oil and the engines haven't used oil between changes. Why bother experimenting?

Use 5W30 oil year round. It's not exactly the tropics in Taos -- highest summer temperatures there are lower than here in Kansas.

First of all, do not cut any wires! You didn't say which of the two phones your car has -- don't know if deinstallation is the same for both the portable and fixed phone systems. To remove the handset cradle, pry out the plastic insert out of the upper console tray. Unscrew/unbolt the handset cradle components from the insert. The insert will snap back into place. One person covered up the holes that are left in the insert by cutting up and gluing a black mouse pad to the insert. Remove the vents you see when the arm rest is up and unplug the handset cable and, if used, the antenna cable. I think the antenna cable is used only for the portable phone but I'm not certain. The other end of the antenna cable is in the trunk and is probably connected to phone ECU. The other coax cable in the trunk leads to the phone antenna imprinted on the back window. Remove the right side of the trunk floor and unplug the connectors from the phone ECU. Plug the two large connectors together after you unplug them from the phone ECU. If you want to tuck the phone connectors out of the way, there should be a plastic bracket on the bottom of the housing the tool kit slides into -- you have to remove the right side trunk trim to get to it. It's not going to hurt to leave the phone ECU in place but you might as well remove it and get rid of the weight -- chuck it into the trash ... it's an analog system and useless. Leaving the steering wheel phone command module in place won't hurt anything but it is easily removed by removing the screw or screws and unplugging the one little connector. I don't know if a plastic blank is still available as a separate part to cover the hole in the steering wheel hub that will be left. By the way, if you want to install a modern (e.g. Bluetooth) phone kit, there is an audio system mute pin (center front pin) in the six pin connector you will see on the driver side under the arm rest air vent. There is also a mute pin on one of the large connectors in the trunk. The phone antenna imprinted on the rear window works well for a GSM phone (ATT/T-Mobile) but I don't know if it would work for CDMA (Spring/Verizon). Let us know how it goes.

I don't think the MKi9100 install guide contains detailed diagrams -- I'll try to attach it here. Gosh, I'd spend $100 for a harness to avoid splicing -- I sure wish a harness was available for my old 00 LS. http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/find.php ... image for your 02 SC is attached. Parrot mki9100---user-guide-uk.pdf

If your tires are the original ones, they may well be all season tires: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_library/LS/2008.html There have been many threads on this forum about all season tires and snow tires. I participated in some of them. In my opinion, there is no comparison between driving on even the best all season tires and driving on true "winter" tires. When buying tires for winter use, ignor the term "snow tires" since there is no industry standard of the use of that term or on the abbreviation "M&S" or "M+S" which most all season tires carry on their sidewalls. True winter tires almost always have a "mountain/snowflake" symbol on the sidewall: http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=125&currentpage=120 Mounting and dismounting snow tires each year will not damage the rims if done correctly. But doing that will more likely damage the tire beads. I switched between snow tires and summer tires on the same wheels for 10 years on a Mercedes sedan and had a couple tires trashed in the process. IMO, it is better to have a second set of wheels which also allows you to install the snow tires yourself if there is an early or late snow storm without having to rely on someone else. Don't even consider using snow tires only on your back wheels -- it's unsafe ... there are articles about that on the Tire Rack website. I believe your LS460 can handle at least two sets of tire pressure monitors and there is a switch for alternating between the sets. And, of course, you really don't have to have tire pressure monitors -- but why not purchase an extra set since your car has the feature. There are lots of good winter tires from a number of name brand companies ... Bridgestone, Michelin, etc. I've milked seven winters (25,000 miles) from the Bridgestone Blizzak WS50 winter tires I took off my LS last week but they are worn down past the winter wear bars and should have been replaced last year. Plus, most "experts" think tires are not safe after six to eight years. I plan to buy a new set of four Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 tires at Costco when they are introduced in July 2010 but, like I said, there are other good brands available. Just make sure the snow tires you buy have the "mountain/snowflake" symbol.

I won't say it's impossible but I doubt if you will find a dealer who would try anything like this. For one thing, cars without options usually don't have the wiring for them since wiring looms are usually manufactured with only the connectors for the options a car has. Besides installing an option, if it could be done at all, would likely cost many times the value of the option on a used car. For example, I've seen several people try to add factory HID to a 98 LS400 with the standard halogen headlights. The HID option was only $500 in 1998. The new price of the parts needed to retrofit HID headlights is at least $2,000 and that doesn't include the portions of the wiring harness for the front and rear suspension sensors which are not available separately but are part of a much larger wiring harness that is available for collision repair. I saw one local guy spend thousands of dollars in 1990 to have a fully adjustable front passenger seat from a right hand drove U.K. market LS400 added to his new 1990 LS400 -- this was back when the passenger seat cushion adjusted only forward and backward and not up and down. He certainly provided that an unlimited amount of cash could get things down. The local Lexus dealer actually did the work but that was in the early days and I doubt if they would try that now. I recommend being patient and finding a car with the options you want.

I had a 90 LS for over 13 years and replaced the high mounted stop light bulbs a couple of times. If I remember correctly all you have to do is pry up the front edge of the speaker cover/light assembly and the whole thing will pop out. Flip it over to change the bulb. Reinstall by snapping the assembly back down.

You too? There was another recent thread about somebody losing the same part in his 95-97 LS. I've "lost" the same part you lost several times while removing the air register in my 00 LS but I've always been able to find all the parts -- they usual fell all the way down behind and under the radio. Pop out the wood console/ashtray assembly -- it is held in by four or six friction fittings. I use a stiff putty knive with the blade covered with electrical tape or a hard plastic/fiber trim removal tool. Some people use a regular screw driver. Mine comes out easily since it has been removed so many times. I helped a friend remove the wood console/ashtray in his 99 LS a few weeks ago and it was a lot more difficult to get out -- obviously had never been removed. When you remove the wood panel/ashtray, you'll have to unplug the VSC, seat heater and ashtray buttons. The radio/HVAC assembly is held in place by four 10 mm bolts -- lay a towel on the console frame so you won't scratch the vinyl as you pull the radio/HVAC assembly out. Disconnect all the connectors from the back of the radio/HVAC controls and set the assembly aside. I'll bet you'll find the part you lost without dismantling carpeting, etc. At least I always did. I've had a LOT of practice ripping this stuff out when installing phone components or when I had to get my radio repaired. It's easy once you get the hang of it. By the way, I checked Parts.com a few weeks ago and I think they had the register assembly for something like $450 -- much more expensive the one for a 95-97 LS -- probably the wood trim bounces the price up. Good luck.

Yes, Randy, buy that S420. It will be a completely trouble free car. By the way, I have this bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell -- you could make a lot of money by charging tolls to cross it.

What steering wheel controls? The only available steering wheel controls on a 96 LS I know about are for the obsolete analog dealer installed Lexus phone system. If you want to install a Bluetooth phone kit while keeping the OEM radio, that is fairly easy. If you are looking to stream music from a Bluetooth A2DP device, then you will probably need an aftermarket radio system. What exactly are you looking for?

And your point would be .... ? 1994 was the last model year with the on/off button so your information is not going to help the OP with his 95 LS400.

The "Auto tilt away" function of the steering wheel on a 98-00 LS400 can be turned on/off with a Lexus Diagnostic Tester and appropriate program card. A number of other functions are customizable.

Instructions are attached.

As you can see by looking up your 06 RX and iPhone, there there isn't much capability from transferring the iPhone's phone book: http://www.lexus.com/models/RX/accessories/bluetooth_customer_service.html Since the current RX can upload the iPhone's phonebook, my guess is that Toyota/Lexus changed their nav/Bluetooth to address the iPhone's "quirks" like other car manufacturers have due to the the popularity of the iPhone. The only method I remember being discussed on Lexus forums is to transfer the address book from the iPhone to a compatible phone and then from the compatible phone to the Lexus nav/Bluetooth system.

The attached TSIB discusses using a "Lexus Diagnostic Tester" to turn the "DRL Function" off. 2002 SC430 LPS settings.pdf

Attached is the 1994 LS400 Nakamichi diagram from the "Auto Repair Reference Center" (ARRC) website that is available through many public libraries. 1994 LS400 Nakamichi diagram.pdf

Complete bummer! But if there is any car I want to be in when "the big one" happens, it's an LS. Maybe this is an "opportunity" to move on/up to something you will like better. A base LS430 seems to be better equipped than a fairly highly optioned 98-00 LS400, so maybe you would like one of those.

Some people use velcro tape and leave the sat antenna exposed on the rear window shelf -- might work for you if your sat antenna looks decent.

Have your strut bars or strut bar bushings ever been replaced? They just don't last 110,000 miles on a gen 2 LS400. Take your car back to your alignment guy or maybe to a different one -- maybe at a Lexus dealership? Any alignment tech worth his salt will figure this problem out in a few minutes.

I tested my amp in a friend's 99 LS400 that has a Nakamichi option. If I understand correctly, the Nakamichi was standard in Canada on the 98-00 LS400. Nakamich was common on the U.S. 98-00 LS400 -- maybe on about one third of the cars sold? I can imagine how precise a fabricated piece has to be -- I'd need more tools than I have to create one. Plus, the plastic material is an usual type in that it is somewhat flexible -- almost "rubbery". Igor is a really cool guy -- no laughing involved. Finding these graves was the culmination of years of effort. It's a complicated story but was part of a sequence of events that led to a big family reunion I attended in London, Ontario in 2008.

Factory Car Stereo Repair in Florida fixed my Nakamichi in early 2008. I got wonderful service from them ... "Bob" called me multiple times to give me a status report. The problem with my Nakamichi was the balance control -- the right channel intermitently cut out until they resoldered the connections to it. I've been told that replacement parts for Nakamichi have become unavailable in just the past two years -- maybe that's why you didn't get the service you expected from Factory Car Stereo ... the lack of parts is out of their control and I don't think they want to even look at Nakamichis if they can't get the parts needed to repair them. The local Kansas City Lexus dealer parts guy told me recently that replacement Nakamichi components are no longer available either new or refurbished on an exchange basis. He said that Lexus was required to supply replacements for seven years after the car's original sale date. Yep, the strut bars/rods are usually the first suspension components to go on a gen 2 LS400. I replaced mine at 85,000 miles and should have done it much sooner. The new strut bars eliminated all the vibrations and made the car drive like new. A few years ago, the caretaker of a nearby cemetery helped me find several family graves. The caretaker's name was "Igor" (really!) and he told me that he was originally from Romania ... I suspect Transylvania!

Making a replacement for the missing piece sounds very doable -- should be possible to use one of the other three as a template. I know exactly which piece you are talking about ... I'm pretty sure one of the four verticle pieces is what I dropped. I like the 2000 LS a lot -- had it for almost seven years and planning to drive it until about 2015. The only reason I might want a newer one is that it is easy to interface an iPod in a 2001-up LS. Young Frankenstein is definitely my favorite Mel Brooks film ... Put the cancle BACK!

The navigation suppliers for Lexus, Mercedes and BMW are in a very different world than Gamin. Garmin is building standalone products that don't have to interface with the rest of a car's electronics. I like Garmin for both its products and that it makes an important economic contribution here in the Kansas City metropolitan area. But what we are talking about here is an apples and oranges situation.