1990LS400

The guy performed a reset procedure and probably cleared whatever stored error codes were associated with the CEL and VSC warning lights on the dash ... odd that he didn't explain what he did since stored error codes associated with the CEL and VSC warning lights can indicate a serious problem that can eventually make a car undriveable or something as simple as a loose gas cap. If you haven't had a car with VSC or a similar stability control system, you are going to be amazed at what VSC can do. Here is a video that explains how the Toyota VSC works: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/206114/689691

Actually, I've sometimes noticed that Lexus vehicles sold in Australia have equipment not available on those sold in the U.S. -- that certainly is the case on my 2000 LS400 where we in the U.S. didn't get the rear air conditioning and audio controls. Perhaps the Toyota/Lexus engineers couldn't get voice recognition to recognize Australianese so they left the feature off. ;) I thought it was funny a few years ago when owners found that all they had to do to add voice recognition to the navigation systems in a variety of Toyota vehicles was to install an inexpensive (US$60) microphone from Toyota. Maybe getting voice recognition in your RX is as simple as that.

Here are all the threads on this forum that contain the phrase "piston slap": http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...Cpiston+slap%5C I thought piston slap was an artifact of the 1950's but I guess not -- amazing number of hits when I google "piston slap". It might not be as noticeable if you don't let the car idle "2 to 5 minutes" after starting. My favorite words on warming up a car are from "Click and Clack" -- Tom and Ray from the Car Talk radio program on NPR: "Unless it's below freezing, cars don't need to be warmed up at all. Driving them gently is the best warm up there is. If it's 25 degrees out, you might want to let it warm up for 30 seconds. If it's 10 degrees out, warm it up for a minute. If it's -10 degrees out, move somewhere warmer."

Is probably a sales ploy. They want to "buy" your car so they can sell you a new one. My wife got a letter like this fairly recently from the Toyota dealer where she bought her car.

A substantial amount of stopping power will be lost on dry and wet roads with 205 section snow tires. I'd stick with 225 section width snow tires unless you are going to be driving in areas that get far more snow than Toronto. Snow tires already have less rubber contacting the road due to trend design and you are going to have to be more cautious even on 225 section width snow tires. I don't see a good reason to downsize to 16" wheels unless you get an especially good buy on a set. Besides, due to the trend to larger wheels, the selection of 16" tires has been drying up the past few years. For example, as of today, Tire Rack has only five models of snow tires in 225/50-16 but they have twenty different snow tires in 225/45-17. By the way, the first measureable snowfall of the season here in Kansas has largely been washed away by rain, but I'm still heading out to the garage to install my Blizzaks in anticipation of next week's annual Thanksgiving (sorry, you guys in Toronto already had yours!) driving trip.

I think the Lexus owners manual is confusing because it mixes instructions on using voice commands with instructions for using the knob. Maybe it would help, at least for now, to ignor all owners manual instructions for using voice commands and to use only the knob. So ... after you send the address book entry from your phone, turn the knob until you find the the address book entry on the car's display. After you have found the entry on your car's display, press the knob to "confirm". I hope you are successful!

Take a deep breath. First, verify that your phone is compatible with the non-nav 2010 RX350 Bluetooth system: http://lexusbluetooth.letstalk.com/product...=1&model=RX If your phone is not in the list, you may be on your own for now. Also, Lexus is not responsible for the poor implementation of Bluetooth on many phone handsets. Become familiar with the section of your owners manual on Bluetooth. I've attached it for your convenience. Even if your phone is not listed on the Lexus website, page 362 of your RX owners manual has information about the requirements your handset must meet to be compatible. 2010_RX350_Bluetooth_wo_nav.pdf

Exactly what I said. Some people cover TPMS warning lights on the dashboard with a piece of tape so they don't have to see the warning. I'm not all that familar with 2 gen IS -- only ridden in one a few times ... don't know if it is practical to cover the warning light with tape on an IS. Myself, I'd probably buy an extra set of TPM sensors to use with snow wheels if my car had TPM. For the past few decades, I've followed a routine where I check the fluid levels and tire pressures in our cars every Sunday morning so I guess I don't see TPM as being very important. Our cars have sensors and warning lights for the coolant and windshield washer fluid tanks but I still check them weekly and top up the fluids if necessary. I check the battery and oil levels weekly too ... just a part of regular and thorough car maintenance which takes less than 30 minutes weekly to check both cars.

Some people use a small piece of electrical tape to cover the TPMS warning light when using wheels/tires without TPMS sensors. People drove cars without TPMS for over 100 years so it's not like they are necessary. They are a convenience. Check your tire pressure every few weeks whether or not you have TPMS -- check your tires even more often if there are wide temperature swings. Switching back and forth between snow tires and summer/all season tires on the same wheels can trash tire beads which can lead to air leaks. I have done that on only one car and will never do that again -- the worst part was the damage (scratches, gouges) to the wheels from switching back and forth. The very first thing I've done on the last few cars I've bought was to buy an extra set of wheels for snow tires. Having an extra set of wheels is also convenient -- I don't have to depend on a business to switch the tires for me. This week is a good example ... snow is in the forecast and the high performance summer (not all season) tires I have on my LS definitely would be horrible in snow. If it does snow, I'll spend about 30 minutes putting on my snow wheels/tires out in my garage. If we have an extended stretch of warm weather, I may slap my summer wheels/tires back on ... only takes a few minutes. If you plan to keep your car for only a couple of years, a second set of wheels for snow tires is not going to be cost effective. We aim to keep our cars for over 10 years so the economies of buying extra sets of wheels is a no-brainer.

What is the point of doing a "plus five" 20 inch wheel setup on a 90-92 gen 1 LS400 designed for 15 inch wheels? Are you trying to set some sort of record? It was not many years ago that a "plus three" 18 inch setup on a 90-92 LS400 was considered to be completely extreme and "over the top." But a "plus five"? Suggestions? Get reasonable size wheels and tires.

The history of my car is probably fairly typical. The 2000 LS400 I bought in fall 2003 came off it's 3 year / 36,000 mile lease on July 31, 2003 and went to an auto auction a few days later. It was purchased by a small used car dealer and "reconditioned" -- new wheels, cleaned up and the bumpers repainted -- just like a Lexus dealer would have done if a Lexus dealer had bought the car at the auction. The used car dealer drove my LS as his personal vehicle for a couple of months and then sold it to me at 38,000 miles and for $9,000 less than the asking prices for two used CPO 2000 LS400s of similar mileage and condition at Superior Lexus in Kansas City -- except that my non-CPO LS is a little better equipped than the two at the Lexus dealership. CPO would have been nice but sure wasn't worth $9,000. My total repair costs (repairs only -- not maintenance) between when the basic warranty expired July 31, 2004 and the 100,000 mile maximium that a CPO warranty would have covered were only about $700 -- two strut rods and an interior light fixture. My father-in-law, John, worked at an auto auction part time for 20 years after he retired. He never tired of telling how many Lexus cars were sold each week and the low low prices they brought. John, would you just shut up about it!

See attached for knock sensor price on parts.com

Randy, clearly you need one of the special Lexus hood supports like I have. ;) It's nice to hear that there are some decent aftermarket hood struts available. I've read several horror stories about bent hoods from using hood struts from Mighty Lift. I paid $122.02 for a set of OEM hood struts from Sewell Lexus online for my 00 LS but that was back in December 2005.

How big is the shade tree your mechanic is operating under? Surely this guy can't be a professional? Does he know how to read and interpret stored error codes? Here is a list for the LS400 and the list is similar for an RX: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html In the 260,000+ miles I've driven Lexus cars, I've never had a mechanic "guess" at the cause of a problem -- that's why they follow diagnostic procedures and use specialized equipment.

Since they are available in 225/45-17, I suggest you consider the Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60. Compare the snow performance and hydroplaning resistance ratings on Tire Rack for the WS-60 and the Michelin X-Ice Xi2. Also compare the "Would you buy this tire again?" numbers. It doesn't hurt that the WS-60 is lower priced either. I'm not a fan of Bridgestone's LM series "Performance Winter/Snow" tires but I love their WS series "Studless Ice & Snow" tires. I buy a LOT of stuff at Costco but down here in the states they don't seem to be very competitive on price with Tire Rack. Some of my friends and neighbors have bought tires from Costco and they have seemed happy with the service -- but heck, Costco is only a few blocks away from my house. I have a hard time believing that a Michelin X-ICE tire can't handle the relatively light weight of a 3300 pound IS250 AWD -- you could check the tire specifications to verify the accuracy of the information you are getting at Costco. I have bought almost all the tires I have purchased over the past 20 years from Tire Rack -- as many as 12 tires at a time. The aftermarket wheels I use with the Blizzaks on my LS are also from Tire Rack. Actually, you probably can't go wrong with any winter tire that has the "mountain/snowflake" symbol on the side wall -- any of those will be far better in snow than all season tires.

Now I'm really confused. The Safewireless webpage says that the JBL-AMP2 fits "RX 300 w/Nav from 1997 through 2002". But your RX is a 1999. According to the Lexus website, navigation was not available in the RX in 1999 and that navigation was first available in the RX in 2001: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1999/1999RXspecs.pdf http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/2001/2001RXspecs.pdf The QuickConnect website appears to confirm what I am telling you in that it shows only the "For the Do-It-Yourselfer - Bare lead QCHW-1" for the 1999 RX300 and only for the 1999 RX300 "without NAV". It looks like the Safewireless webpage is incorrect but you could try contacting them and asking. You might want to return the JBL-AMP2 and get a refund. This is far from the first time I've seen an incorrect application chart from a seller of audio adapter harnesses.

Is the 1993-up LS400 supposed to have a little removable plastic cover for the recessed shift override button like my 00 LS400 has? See attached photo. The shift override button on the 90-92 stuck up quite a bit. All the 93-94 LS I've seen have a shift override that look like the one in sanstoetter's 94 LS. Surely they couldn't all be missing the little plastic cover over the button.

Lots of people have found that increasing the microphone volume setting on their Lexus Bluetooth system has helped: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...rophone++volume Of course, some phones work better than others with the Lexus Bluetooth.

I suppose you could get the part numbers and ask for price quotes from the "usual suspects": Sewell Lexus, parts.com, Irontoad I tried looking up some of the part numbers on discount sellers websites to get prices but I didn't find them -- maybe not much demand for replacement carpet. Part numbers can be found on this website: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_2006_LEXU....html?hl=58570C Is your carpeting thoroughly trashed? Have you tried having a detailer steam clean it? Maybe a nice set of mats would cover wear or stains. It is an SUV ... a vehicle to "use and abuse", drive off-road, etc.

Are you talking about the little shift override button? I think 1993 was the first year that the shift override button was recessed similar to like it is on my 00 LS400. The button on my 90 LS was not recessed. My 00 LS400 has a snap-in blank that covers the recessed shift override button. Does it look like yours should have a snap in blank to cover the button? More importantly, does pushing the button allow the shift lever to be moved out of "Park" without inserting the key into the ignition switch? The clear coat on the console wood cracks fairly easily. The clear coat on the console wood on the 90 LS I had was even cracked when the car was hit fairly hard in the back when I was stopped at a traffic light. My 90 LS is long gone but I still have the old console wood with the cracked finish on a shelf in the garage.

You're giving him photos of how to remove the HVAC control? Where's the challenge in that? ;) "One word is worth a thousand pictures!". Definitely check the left trunk hinge wires -- other common "features" of breaking wires at the hinge are the Reverse indicator in the instrument cluster lighting up when the shift lever is in Drive and a poorly shifting transmission. Broken wires in my 90's hinge never caused me to have to use the shift override button but that could still be a possibility. The wires at the hinge tend to break repeatedly and have to be fixed over and over -- it's a "feature" of the gen 1 LS400.

$83.81 for OEM from http://www.parts.com Retail is shown as $121.22

I completely agree with skyfish. tigger777, is your RX still within 48 months of its "in-service date"? If it's getting close to the basic warranty expiring based on elapsed time, it might be especially beneficial to you to get this problem documented on a service ticket. Reporting the problem in a phone call probably did not get the problem documented in a way that will allow the problem to be repaired at no cost after the basic warranty expires. Getting a problem documented on a service ticket is "golden" when it comes to getting a pre-existing problem repaired after a warranty expires.

Are we reading the same magazine? The only Lexus vehicle reviewed in an Consumer Reports magazine article from January through December 2009 has been the RX350 which was reviewed in the July issue. If you are talking about the 2010 Consumer Reports Buying Guide that subscribers recently received in the mail, I can not find the GS350 AWD in "their least reliable upscale/luxury cars catagory (sic)". No Lexus is in the "Vehicles to Avoid" list. Only one Toyota brand product is in the "Vehicles to Avoid" list -- the 2008 Camry V6. No vehicle made by Toyota Motor Company is in the "Worst of the Worst" list. If you are talking about the "Auto Reliability" ratings section of the Buying Guide which is based on surveys completed by Consumer Reports subscribers, the GS350 AWD has an overall "Average" or better rating for 2006 through 2008. While the 2010 GS350 AWD is given a "Predicted Reliablility" rating of "Average" in the "Luxury Sedans" category, so are the 2010 Audi A6, BMW 535i, and Cadillac DTS. The GS350 AWD gets the "Recommended Model" designation too. djml07es, would you please set me straight?

I'll try to answer a couple of your questions -- need to run. The most common cause of having to use the shift override switch is a defective brake light switch on the brake pedal. I had two go out during the 13+ years I owned a 90 LS. You might want to check for corrosion on the battery cables. There are also a couple of fused links that can cause voltage drops when they get corroded. The climate control is very easy to remove. Pop out the center vents and the wood console -- use trim removal tools and be careful not to break anything. On a 90 LS, you will need to then remove the ashtray assembly -- the bolts holding it will be obvious if I remember correctly. You will need to use the shift override button and pull the gear lever backward to allow clearance. The HVAC control/radio assembly is held in place by only four 10 mm bolts -- two top and two bottom. Put a towel on the center console before you pull the assembly out so as to not scratch anything. Disconnect the cables as you slide the HVAC control/radio out and then separate the HVAC control from the brackets. All this is easier than it sounds.