1990LS400

15 hours ago, RX 300 2001 said:

What happened to your links...they don't work?

Look two posts back in this thread and follow the link provided by Filehorse to get to the documents.

Was the valet key stolen when the car was parked where you frequently park it?  If not, the thief might not find your car again.

You might be able to have the all the keys "deleted" from the vehicle ECU memory and then have the keys you still have programmed back in.  The thief would still be able to unlock and gain access to your car but the stolen valet key could not be used to start the engine.

If that is not good enough, yes, you can have the service center replace and program new keys but there will be significant expense to change the door and trunk locks and the ignition switch.  Insurance may cover much or all of the cost if you have it.

14 hours ago, kiarawillson92 said:

Any specific reason behind selecting only this brand? I mean there must be something which isn't offered by other brands any kind of USP? Like I prefer pennysaviour.com over many other famous coupon websites like Retailmenot, Groupon, etc, because I get many emerging and small brands coupons from them which aren't easily available on other websites.

The reasons are that Anker brand products routinely get extraordinarily favorable reviews and all of the many Anker products I have purchased have been consistently wonderful.

Google "Anker" and do some reading.

You said "Also, am getting (gasp) older and the 4RNR is a little bit of a climb in.".  And you still what another SUV-like vehicle?  The Prius v has almost as much space as the RX400h and the driver seat sits higher than the regular Prius which is why my wife liked it.  I saw a butt-load of Prius v Orange Cabs in Seattle - their high cargo volume is why they are popular with cab companies.

Or consider a Toyota Highlander Hybrid if you want an RX-like hybrid vehicle - same space and most of the amenities of an RX400h at substantially less purchase and maintenance costs.  And, the rear visibility from the driver seat of a Highlander is much better than from the driver seat of an RX.  Mechanically, they are the same.

After 24 years of Lexus LS, my opinion has come to be that the only reason to buy a Lexus brand vehicle is if a similar/same vehicle is not available under the Toyota brand ... unless you really, really like the "free" pastries at the Lexus dealership.  The Toyota version of a vehicle is sometimes better than the Lexus version.  For example, the Toyota Avalon has received substantially more favorable reviews than its Lexus ES clone.

1 hour ago, PaulM73 said:

Apologies for bringing this post from the dead, but it was the most applicable to my situation.  1998 Lexus LS400, VIN JT8BH28F1W0120418, 

   I get this same error in my car, and I know why. The hard drive unit within the GPS/Nav computer has been removed. My question is, does anyone know where I can source the actual hard drive from?  I'm not talking about the Nav computer, which is PN 8684150040 and physically installed in the vehicle.   

Ive been looking online for the past couple of days and I find absolutely no reference to the actual hard drive unit itself which should be installed in the GPS computer.  

Thanks for any help. 

A salvage company may be your only option or maybe advertise for one on this or the "other" Lexus forum.  Some people have replaced their in-dash nav units with modern systems and may be willing to sell or even give you their hard drive.  The last update (hard drive exchange) from Lexus was in 2004.

8 hours ago, the analyzer said:

I am hoping to purchase a used RX400h AWD.   What can anyone recommend or share or advise?  Should miles matter more than year? I know all maintenance matters.   I am currently driving a mint 1990 Toyota 4RNR, 131,000mi. I have LOVED that vehicle.  I have NEVER had any prob. with my 4RNR which I purchased used with 40,000mi over 30yrs ago!!.  I live downtown  in city and drive couple times a week.   I want easier city car as when I do drive (Seattle) I sit in traffic!   Also, am getting (gasp) older and the 4RNR is a little bit of a climb in. The back window keys down then open tail gate etc. And want better cupholders. LOL.  Also, I keep my car nice and to find perfect little parts (like new cupholder) its difficult on this truck.    I did pimp it out with Apple car play and backup camera!!   Lots of peeps say Im crazy to sell 4 RNR because I barely drive.  That I dont need a hybrid etc etc.   I like <2010 models as I agree with the newer being stodgy and ya, want Hybrid cause I sit in traffic.  I dont want problems.  Ive heard brake actuators can be prob.  This is not easy for me as I dont want to regret this.  I have several people interested in my 4RNR.  I also want either light blue or champagne or dark blue color with tan beige inside.   Want well cared for car like Ive cared for my 4RNR. Yep probably  a unicorn Lexus!!  Ive asked my mechanic and he says IF Im selling 4RNR I wont be happy with anything but lexus because of my standards. I have also been told to stay away from BMW etc.  Am I better off buying from dealer (ug) which put crazy high prices on them or private?  Does anyone recommend getting additional maint. package?  But then again dealer is involved???  Help!!!  I saw Deb W posts and like the feedback and have lots of common questions. Thanks ALL

Funny ... we got back last night after 8 days of driving rental cars in the Seattle area doing the touristy things we didn't do during our many visits when we were (much) younger which, back then, included hiking the Wonderland Trail and climbing Mt. Rainier twice.  The main purpose of this trip was for my wife to see a new born grand niece.

IMO, miles are infinitely more important than years.  For example, my wife's seven year old hybrid Prius v wagon just hit 40,000 miles and is still like new although it's been garaged day and night most of its life.  The eight days it sat in long term parking at the Kansas City airport while we were in Seattle was by far the longest it's ever sat outside.

If you live downtown and drive only twice a week, have you considered a Prius?  I noticed that the Seattle streets are filled with both private and for hire regular Prius sedans and Prius v wagons including Orange Cab, Uber and Lyft.  If you buy a top trim older Prius (about 2011-up) you can get standard automatic emergency braking (Pre-Collision System), Dynamic Adaptive Cruise Control (DRCC), LED headlights with pressure washers, heated seats, panoramic roof, etc., etc. - probably more features than you can get on an older Lexus RX.  My wife's top-trim 2012 Prius v Five with the Advanced Technology Package can even parallel or back-in park itself.   Parking in downtown Seattle is a bit sparse to say the least and a smaller car might make it easier since so many spaces are marked "compact only".

Adaptive cruise control is VERY nice in Seattle I-5 traffic.  The rental 2019 Camry we were driving in Seattle had it as do all the vehicles we currently own and it makes driving much less stressful.

My take is that the Japan assembled Prius is the most reliable of all vehicles Toyota sells.  We have had zero problems with our Prius - not a single problem or flaw.

Or if you really want to stay with the Lexus brand, consider the CT200h hybrid.  It was discontinued for the U.S. after 2017 (still available in Canada) and is available with even more do-dads than the Prius including a memory driver seat.  It's about the size of the Prius but much snazzier.

Is it really bothering you?  The 8-speed transmission changes gears so that the engine runs in its most fuel efficient rpm range with excellent power on demand.

I usually don’t even notice the shifting of the 8-speed transmission which was  much more noticeable with the previous 6-speed transmission. 

I assume you are driving in areas with at least modest size hills.  If it's shifting when driving on completely flat roads, then there is a defect.

Edit:  Whoops!  The 2017 still had the old 6-speed with the much more noticeable shifting on hills.

Adding a backup camera to a 2001-2003 LS430 is rather involved.  There is a post on ClubLexus on how to do it on an LS430 with the Mark Lev system but I don't know if would work for the standard nav system:  https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-3rd-gen-2001-2006/511807-how-to-ls430-mark-levinson-everything-w-pics-and-part-s.html#post5620270

If you can't see the attachments in that post, here is a direct link to the YouTube video about it:  

According to the old http://www.lexusnavigation.com/what-to-order/ website which was shut down in 2017 but can still be viewed through the Internet Wayback Machine, the 2013-2015 RX350 navigation system is of the type that must be updated by a Lexus dealer tech using the "Master USB SST LEXD-HDD-07-XX" tool with the XX representing the map update year.

You'll need to buy an activation card, part number PT219-HDD07-XX with the XX representing the update year and present it to the Lexus dealer that performs the update for you.

According to the following Lexus dealer web page, the 2018 map update (suffix "-18") is Version 17.1 which is odd since, from my experience, the part number suffix and Version number are usually the same:  https://parts.keyeslexus.com/oem-parts/lexus-gen7-v17-1-nav-map-u-pt219hdd0718?c=az0x

You might have to consult with a local Lexus dealership to verify.

Normally, one would buy the activation card from the same dealership that performs the update.  My wife's 2012 Prius has a similar nav system and we bought the activation card at one Toyota dealership and presented it to another Toyota dealership which did the update.  It took the dealership tech two tries and several hours to do the update - they might have regretted quoting me only $40 to do the update.  I bought the activation card for the Prius navigation system through the Costco Auto Program.  It had the same $169 retail as the Lexus activation card but I paid $143 for it through Costco.

If updates were still being made available, the one for east of the Mississippi for 2018 would be PT219-GEN5E-18 and the one for west of the Mississippi for 2018 would be PT219-GEN5W-18.  From what I am reading, only the POI's are different on the "east" and "west" DVD's.

The last two digits indicate the update year, e.g. "-18" = 2018.

A Lexus dealer can tell you if generation 5 map updates are still being made available.  Map updates for generation 4 navigation systems were discontinued after the 2015 (-15) update.

Beware of scams of navigation updates on eBay and Amazon.  There's no such thing as a current, valid, non-pirated navigation update for less than about $130 which is about dealer cost. 

dcfish?  Whoa!  That's a blast from the past.  There have been people looking for you asking about navigation and audio systems.

I still drop by this forum once a month or so and sometimes try to help.

There's not much in the current Lexus lineup of interest to us.  Somebody in Nebraska is driving the 2000 LS400 I sold in 2014 ... wish he would change the name/address associated with the car so Lexus wouldn't contact me about it.

My daily driver is still the "Lexus of Minivans" - suits us perfectly for our lifestyle these days.

Nice to hear from you!

Dang, the parts list for the 2016 GS is confusing.  It looks like you are on track per http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/q_U_2016_LEXUS_GS+SERIES_all.html

On 10/24/2018 at 7:44 AM, Af TWITCH said:

Do the running lights have a separate fuse from the headlights? My headlights work fine. Just the clear lights next to them do not work

There is no separate fuse.  Have you checked the bulbs?  My first (1990) LS400 had similar running lights outboard of the headlights and I went through quite a few bulbs in the 13 1/2 years I owned it from new to 2003.

Sure, have an indie mechanic replace it if it really needs it.  There's nothing magical about Lexus dealer service departments except for their high prices and wonderful waiting rooms.  I rarely used Lexus dealers for service during the 24 years I drove Lexus LS sedans although the indie shops I used were owned and staffed by former Lexus dealer employees. 

The trunk lid seals becomes depressed and stiff and allow increasing amounts of water into the trunk as they age.  I had similar problems with water coming into the trunk on both the 1990 LS400 I bought new and sold in 2003 and on the 2000 LS400 I bought used in 2003 and sold in 2014.

While my 1990 LS400 was under warranty, something like "re-seal trunk" appeared on my bill almost every time I took the car in for service although I was never charged anything for it.

I don't remember anyone reporting the problem on the LS430 so maybe it was solved by then.  I suppose you could replace the trunk lid gasket but it might still leak some.

The horn pad on the 2000 LS400 I drove for many years "froze" about 10 years ago when I struck it hard to alert someone backing out of a parking space.  The indie Lexus repair shop I used for 20 years was unable to repair the horn button feature of the pad but quickly found a salvaged horn pad/air bag assembly that solved the problem.  Back then, the total cost of the the repair was around $800 if I remember correctly.  The horn pad/air bag assembly on the 2000 LS400 is held together by rivets which meant that it could not be disassembled for a repair attempt.  It's probably the same for your 2001 LX470. 

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC) is not perfect.  We have it in all our vehicles and it sometimes gets confused and malfunctions in a variety of ways with the worst being hard braking for no apparent reason - that's when I clean off the radar unit and the grill lens ahead of it with a damp towel.

Even with the occasional issues, I absolutely love DRCC.  I had a rental car without adaptive cruise control last week and not having it drove me crazy.

I suppose you could complain to your car dealer about the malfunction but that never got me anywhere when I did.  DRCC does not make a car self driving - the driver still needs to be always ready to intervene.

None of the three headlight systems available on the 2018 RX get the IIHS highest "Good" rating.  The adaptive bi-LED system gets the second tier "Acceptable" rating and the other two systems (triple beam and LED projector) get the next lower tier "Marginal" rating.

You can read about the 2018 RX headlight ratings at https://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/lexus/rx-4-door-suv

Based on the IIHS tests and complaints from RX owners, the triple beam headlights appear to be the least effective of the three systems.  Which system do you have?

The main purpose of fog lights is to light up the road edges when driving in poor visibility conditions at low speeds, e.g. no more than 30 to 35 mph.  Fog lights are not going to supplement the range of low beam headlights.

21 hours ago, Af TWITCH said:

Does anyone have any pics of the phone ecu in its original location? My radio is muted so I have no sound but keep hearing about the phone ecu but can't seem to find any good material on it. Thank you 95 Ls400

This photo is of a phone system ECU in a 1998-2000 LS400 but I think the one in the 95 LS400 looks about the same.  It's under the false floor on the right side of the trunk.

If I remember correctly, the cost of a replacement master key for the 2000 LS400 that I drove for 11 years was about $250 in around 2010.  The Lexus dealership cut it and then programmed it while I watched using the procedure in the attached document.  There are no "dip switches".

I hope you have more than that one master key.  If you lose it or if it completely fails, you'll be looking at something like $1,000 for a replacement ECU.  Lexus used to provide one "free" new ECU per vehicle when all keys were lost but that may no longer be the case since LS400's have become rare.

In the past, some locksmiths could replace, cut and program Lexus master keys at lower cost.   

1998 LS400 key programming.pdf

A 2014 RX has a generation 7 navigation system with its maps stored on a hard drive.  

Updating it requires buying the appropriate update activation card and having a Lexus dealer do the update.

The document at the following address shows how the dealer does it for the fall, 2017 map update:  http://www.revbase.com/BBBMotor/TSb/DownloadPdf?id=202375

The Lexus dealer tech enters the activation card number from the card you purchased during the update process.  

The only brand I buy these days is Anker ... charging cables, DC chargers, AC chargers, etc.  https://www.anker.com/products/108/204/car-chargers

Many Anker producters are available on Amazon.com .

Slip your fingers under the lower front edge of the seat cushion and pull up - hard!  Mine required a goodly amount of force the first time I removed it - easier after that.  Simply lift the seat cushion out and slide it out of the car through a door.

There are a number of bolts holding the rear seat back in place.  If I remember correctly - it's been about 15 years since I did it on a 2000 LS400 - there are one or two bolts hidden behind leather panels held in place by Velcro behind the center armrest and/or maybe behind the head restraints. 

The fuel tank is between the rear seat back and the trunk so don't go doing any drilling?  There are small holes covered with vinyl tape on the upper outboard sides of the interior metal body work - near where the upper outer corners of the seat back contact the metal structure.  The holes are big enough to pass some fairly big electrical wires through.  It's easier to run wires forward to the front on the driver side since it can be difficult to get them behind the glove box and CD changer - I know that from experience.

Or get the headlight lens refinishing kit that has been rated #1 by several auto mags.  I've used several kits and agree with the reviews that the Sylvania kit is the best - about $20 on Amazon. 

14 hours ago, txdabj1 said:

I am having this same issue now on my Lexus. Were you able to resolve it?

Thanks...Bill

Two beeps can be an indication that the "PWR DOOR OFF" button on the dashboard has been pressed.