1990LS400

Of course you can always trust a car salesman to provide accurate information. ;) Here is a pretty good article on the subject: http://www.edmunds.com/advice/finance/arti...79/article.html

Drive harder and crazier and you'll hear the "chime". If you want to "play" with the system and really hear the chime, take your car to an empty, icy/snowy parking lot (with NO light standards) and drive in a circle until you "lose control".

I guess he could have reused the brake pads if they looked in decent shape. The rotors on a 98 ES and our 98 Camry are pretty robust -- maybe someone used an air wrench on your lug nuts and warped them that way. The current retail prices for 1998 ES300 rotors shown on http://www.parts.com/ is $100.91 each and $52.99 for a front brake pad kit. So maybe that is an indication that only your rotors were replaced. And I don't even want to know how you pronounce "Uranus". :o I'm a bit of an astonomy buff too, cursed with the same last name as "Uncle Edmond" and having to live with the nickname "Comet".

Actually, my measuring calipers have both "inside" and "outside" measuring functions (thanks for asking ;) ) and are in both inches and millimeters -- truely one of the useful tools I've ever bought and hard to believe I've never lost it over the decades I've used it. They are labeled "The Central Tool Co." and "W.-Germany". They are simple but effective. Maybe measuring calipers like these are more widely available than I've noticed.

"43512" is the correct Toyota part number prefix for the brake rotor but I can't find "43512-0631" -- maybe it is for a kit that includes both the rotor and brake pads. Why were the rotors replaced? I often "eyeball" the outer pad thickness without removing the wheels -- I've been living in "Metric World" most of my life so I know what a millimeter looks like. The inner and outer pads usually wear at the same rate. For exact measurement, I use small brass calipers that I bought probably 30 years ago and almost always carry in my pocket. (Always good for laughs from people when I whip out my calipers and start measuring stuff.) I rotate our tires myself so I do a more exact check of pad thickness when the wheels are off. Maybe your mechanic is using my "eyeball technique" of checking pad thickness but his eyeball is not so accurate. It's also possible that your pads really are wearing down quickly if you do an extreme amount of stop and go driving, ride the brake pedal or are a member of the Richard Petty driving club. If you want, you could probably buy calipers at a hardware or tool store. As I said, I bought mine decades ago and had since never seen any like mine for sale -- until last week when we were buying a gift for the grand nephew in this science store and I saw calipers just like mine: http://www.hms-beagle.com/

I'm surprised that you have only 3 mm left at only 36K miles on the pads unless they are softer aftermarket pads instead of OEM pads. Our 1998 Camry V6 LE has exactly the same braking system and uses the same pads as your 1998 ES300 -- same part numbers. I just now checked the front pads on the Camry -- easy to see without removing a wheel since the wheels are the optional alloys -- and I can easily see that the original outer front pads have substantially more than 3 mm left on them at a whopping 111,300 miles. I'm starting to wonder if my wife uses her brakes -- maybe she is dragging her feet to stop the car! At this rate, I'm guessing that the original factory installed front brake pads on the Camry will last to about 175,000 miles. And yes, she will probably keep the car that long unless it gets hit badly or she decides she would like a car with even more safety gizmos like VSC. (She's got a rare 98 Camry with options including ABS, Trac and side airbags.) Personally, I don't trust repair shops when they tell me how long they think brake pads are going to last -- even shops with good intentions. It's better to check the pad thickness yourself. For example, I was told at the repair shop I use that the original rear pads on my LS were going to need changing by 75,000 miles. I checked them a few weeks ago when I installed my snow wheels/tires and the original rear pads were still fine at over 116,000 miles. From what I've seen, needless brake jobs are the absolute #1 one repair shop scam going.

Well ... the GS certainly has a "sportier" ride than an ES or an LS. One thing you could do is try to keep your tires near the minimum pressure shown on the inside of the glove compartment door and/or in your owners manual. Doing this can be a bit of a challenge as ambient temperatures rise and fall since tire pressures go up and down on their own about one psi per 10 degress of temperature change. I find myself altering tire pressures much more often in winter. The temperature is going to be in the 40's today where I live but it's currently about 5° F. where I'm taking the car next week. I keep an small electric air pump in my trunk and use it often.

The ratings and surveys on Tire Rack are a good place to start: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchRe...g=S&tab=All The "category" of tire you get is your call ... depends on how you use and where you drive your car. Most people get by with all season tires. I'm doubting that, living in Connecticut, you'll want to drive on "Grand Touring Summer" tires in winter unless you have suicidal tendencies. :o My take is that if I'm going to spend money on a Lexus, I'm going to get the most pleasure out of it by using heavy duty ice and snow tires in winter on less nice wheels and high performance summer (not all season) tires during the other three seasons on nicer wheels ... but I'm a wacko car nut.

I tend to think that the BMW "big red bow" holiday commercials are better than the Lexus ones: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2GYINR-clY

It's too late for you but my Lexus dealer replaced my badly corroded chrome wheels with no haggling at three years under the car's 4 year / 50K mile warranty. The original owner/lessee used the chrome wheels in winter -- bad idea. The first thing I did when I bought the car was to buy a set of painted wheels and snow tires. The replacement chrome wheels have been used only in summer and still look perfect after 6 years. You could have your wheels rechromed through a Lexus dealer or a wheel shop. My next door neighbor had his Lexus LS wheels rechromed over one winter while riding on his painted wheels and snow tires.

I've had so much minor damage done to nice wheels over the years that the only places I trust my Lexus wheels to are a local high end specialty wheel shop and the Lexus dealer. Is there someone you know and trust at "Schwab/Discount Tire"?

I happened to post this information again earlier today in this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=61671&hl=

Don't you just love the caution that Lexus gives for the 2006 LS430: 18-in performance tires are expected to experience greater tire wear than conventional tires. Tire life may substantially be less than 15,000 miles, depending upon driving conditions. You are doing absolutely super if you are getting 30,000 miles out of a set.

Had to make the 30 mile drive to deposit my wife at the airport before 6:45 am this morning ... she's headed someplace much warmer than the 9° F. it was at the airport. Brrrrr! Still taking good care of "my" 90 LS? If I had known it was going last another 6 years, I would have charged you more for it. ;)

Attached is a complete list of the customizable LPS settings for an 01 LS430 but I think it is the same for all model years of the LS430. You might as well have all the features you want customized at once. Any repair shop with the scanner and program card can do it -- usually at a nominal cost or for free like the indie Lexus repair shop I use on a regular basis did on my 00 LS. I actually like increasing the headlight shutoff delay to the maximum -- makes it nice when parking on dark streets. I also had the interior light shutoff delay increased to the maximum. 2001_LS430_LPS.pdf

eBay

There are a few threads on the German language forum about installing VAIS iPod interfaces into newer European specification RX vehicles: http://euro.lexusownersclub.com/forums/ind...ighlite=%2BVAIS Also, there are instructions on the European Lexus technical information website about installing the official Lexus iPod interface accessory option into a recent RX300/RX400h: http://techdoc.toyota-europe.com/aimupload...%20000900-1.pdf There are also owners manuals for the European market Lexus iPod interface product, en Francais, on http://techdoc.toyota-europe.com under "Repair .... Accessory Installation Manuals". By the way, your written English is very good ... my French language skills are so terrible that no one in France or Quebec wants to hear me attempt to speak French or le français du Québec. :)

This webpage describes two gasket kits: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/steering/pspumprebuild.html Gasket kits 04446-50011 and 04446-30171, described on the above webpage, are available on http://www.parts.com for $25.89 Odd that the descriptions for both part numbers say they are for a 90-92 LS400.

Sorry Steve but the bulbs used in the 98-00 front turn signals are clear and there is a plastic amber "bubble" bulb surround inside the clear turn signal housing. Some people break out the plastic amber bubble and then use silver coated amber bulbs to make the housing look clear while still providing amber light from the turn signal. Some people, however, have damaged their turn signals while breaking out the amber bubble. The problem is that the amber plastic can break away in a big chunk requiring the use of needle nose pliers break up the amber plastic chunks into pieces small enough to be extracted through the bulb hole. I don't see the benefit but I guess some do. There is a much more detailed thread on Schnitz's projector headlight mod on ClubLexus. My opinion is that the sharper cutoff is a not all that important but a plus is that the low beam seems substantially wider than the standard HID low beam -- more similar to the low beam pattern on a European car that provides better light for rounding curves. The mod also preserves the OEM automatic headlight leveling. And it gets better! The bixenon projectors provide an additional high beam that works in conjunction with the existing high beam headlamp. I'm not usually much of a fan of mods but this is the best headlight mod I've seen.

The replacement interval for the timing belt has always been every 90,000 miles or 6 years on all model years of the LS400. I bought my first LS400 new in 1990 and had the timing belt and related parts replaced at about 75,000 miles when it was trashed (didn't really break -- just badly scuffed up) due to water pump failure and again at 180,000 miles a few months before I sold it after 13 1/2 years. The 90 LS engine was non-interference so I wasn't all that concerned about it breaking. I had the timing belt and related parts on the 2000 LS400 I currently have replaced at just before 90,000 miles and within a day of seven years from its in-service date. I have the original timing belt out in the garage -- it looks like new. "Killer" mentioned timing belt "dry rot" as being a potential problem on the 96 LS that is the subject of this thread. I've never heard of a timing belt failing on a Toyota vehicle due to the timing belt actually breaking due to wear -- it's always been caused by the failure of other parts ... tensioner, idler, water pump. One LS400 timing belt a repair shop owner told me about was trashed by a "mystery bolt" that apparently had been rattling around inside the belt cover. People should focus more on the need to replace the ancillary parts than on the replacement of the timing belt itself. The replacement of the timing belt is almost a side issue and should be replaced when the ancillary parts -- the ones that usually cause the problems -- are replaced.

I make it up, Randy. :D

Yeah, I think they made a convertible version of the SC ... it was called the SC430. <_< Chopping the top off a car is not a trivial act. I remember when the nut-jobs on the BBC Top Gear program attempted to convert a sedan to a convertible and had parts flying off it the first time they drove it on the highway. If you want a really big opening in the top, a number of companies make large sliding fabric sunroofs -- photo of an example is attached. Or just find an old Citroen 2CV.

It has always been a little surprising how much less these cars cost as used cars in the UK than in the US considering that the standard level of equipment and original price was substantially highter in the UK than in the US. I doubt if most in the US realized how well the UK 98-00 LS400 was equipped in standard form compared to the ones sold here: http://www.lexus.co.uk/used-cars/specifica...=tcm:585-646429 We couldn't get rear heated seats ... or headlight washers ... or mudflaps ... or an RDS radio ... or a GSM based phone, etc., etc., etc.

Based on what I am seeing on http://www.parts.com/ and http://www.toyodiy.com , it looks like the first year the compact 17" spare was used on the Solara was 2004 and only on the higher trim level SLE version. Beware through -- some 2004-up Solaras came with 16" spare tires.

Come on, guys. You know he is talking about the heater fan. Attached is a diagram that shows the squirrel cage fan and motor in a 1993 Canadian spec LS400. I never removed the fan in the 1990 LS400 I used to have but it must be fairly easy since a repair shop didn't charge much to do it when they removed it to remove debris that was trapped in the squirrel cage fan and causing noise.