1990LS400

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.

There are several companies that can replace the bulbs including this one that repaired my LS radio last year: http://www.carstereohelp.com/lexus.htm I don't think they repair Nakamichi radios anymore though if yours happens to be one. A few people have disassembled their radios and soldered in new bulbs. At least one person said he bought replacement bulbs at Radio Shack. Here is a thread on ClubLexus on replacing radio bulbs on an ES: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/es300-and-...-backlight.html There are frequently used radios on eBay. ebay seller "factoryradios" in Colton California sells used Lexus radios and I think he repairs them too. He also adds an aux-in RCA jack to the back or front of Lexus radios for a nominal price. Here is a thread where I posted information: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...l=factoryradios

Many issues can cause these warnings including, at least on my LS, a defective battery and a failing throttle position sensor. I've never heard of an oil change or a tire changeover causing them except for one case when someone reported that a repair shop damaged an component of the ABS system underneath his car. Have a Lexus dealer or repair shop check for stored error codes. Sure, the problem might be covered under either the basic or drivetrain warranties.

OK ... I finally found the customizable feature list for the 1998-2002 LX470 on the Chilton website -- it is attached. It looks like only one feature on the 98-02 LX can be customized -- the "auto tilt away" steering wheel can be disabled. Disabling the "auto tilt away" should not disable the tilt/telescope adjustment button on the steering column -- at least it does not when disabling the "auto tilt away" on the 98-00 LS400 like I have. I suspect that the first year of the wildly expanded customizable settings list for the LX began with the 2003 model year since the list was substantially expanded for the LS beginning with the 2001 model year. Maybe NicLX470 can supply definitive information??? LX470_1998_2002_CBES_LPS.pdf

The attached LPS list is for the 2007 LX470 and I don't know the first model year they apply to -- probably 2001 or 2002. Any Lexus dealer should be about to tell you. Disabling the "auto tilt away" through LPS does not disable the adjustment buttons on the steering column. LX470_LPS.pdf

Hmmmm ... I gave you information about the factory cell phone mute in my first post. Are you reading the information I am providing? You are not cooperating! <_< Throw me a bone! As I asked twice before, exactly which adapter wiring harness are you using? Let's see if we can verify that it is compatible with your RX and make it work before considering doing a massive amount of hacking and wire splicing.

I assume you are talking about the antenna retracting while using the Bluetooth phone feature built into your navigation system. It does sound odd that the radio antenna is lowered during a phone call -- maybe it's to slightly reduce noise while you're on the phone. If the antenna hasn't failed in six years, why are you concerned? Besides, an entire new OEM Lexus power antenna assembly for an 04 LX is not all that expensive -- $220 on parts.com -- and aftermarket is likely even cheaper. Heck, if the antenna motor wears out and you don't want to replace it, you might be able to manually pull up the antenna staff until it's where you want it. I suppose you could cut or disconnect the antenna's power wire ... but why? By 2004, I think SUV's were the only Lexus vehicles that had power retractable radio antennas -- the rest were either fixed or imprinted on the rear window like on my 00 LS. The power radio antenna on my first Lexus car automatically extended/retracted slightly depending on the frequency of the radio station I was listening to and whether the radio was on FM or AM. Does the antenna on your LX do that?

IMO, photos of cars with tint have little value since much depends on car interior color and the lighting conditions when the photos were taken. Assuming you want to stay "legal", you aren't going to be using 5% limo tint. Here are the limits for Florida: http://www.tintcenter.com/laws/FL/ Based on having the maximum 35% tint allowed in Kansas on both our cars, having a car tinted to the maximum allowed in Florida sounds great. 35% like we have on our cars doesn't seem dark enough. 28% on the front side windows (the Florida maximum) should allow plenty of margin for safety. 15% on the rear side and back window sounds dark but I'd sure try it. It might make backing up a bit of a challenge. If your car has a retractable rear window sunshade, you might skip having the rear window tinted and just keep the shade up -- makes a car easier to back up. If you don't like not having the rear window window tinted, you could always have it tinted later. Same as allowed in the Florida regulation, I have tint above the AS-1 line on my windshield -- no limit in Kansas and I think mine is 20%. It helps when driving into the sun when the sun is low in the sky. Mainly, find a tint shop with a good recommendation that has been around a long time. A good shop should give you a lifetime warranty even if the tint manufacturer doesn't. You could ask your local Lexus dealer who they use to tint cars -- I doubt if they do it in-house. Not that its worth much but here is a link to a gallery photo of my 00 LS with the tint I described above: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/uploa..._1119123507.jpg

Sorry, I don't understand the problem. Is your CD not muting when you are playing music from your iPod or during a phone call? Are you saying that you never get any sound from your Parrot when it is in phone mode or iPod mode? Is your "plug and play" adapter harness specifically for a US spec 99 RX? ... didn't know those were available. Have you tried the Parrot forum? http://www.parrot.com/forums/usa/index.php

Take a look at this diagram: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_1996_LEXU...TPGKA_5806.html I haven't removed the center console in a 96 ES, but it looks like it is held in place very much like in the ones I have removed in other Toyota vehicles -- a 98 Camry, a 90 LS400 and a 00 LS400. Judging by the diagram, it looks like the first steps are to remove the armrest and to pry out the console box. Plastic trim removal tools are useful but I've sometimes used a stiff blade putty knife with its wrapped with electrical tape to avoid scratching the trim. Some of the parts in Toyota/Lexus consoles are held in place only by friction fittings.

I understand now! It sounds like your RX has the same HVAC buttons as a non-navigation RX. That's a bummer. The automatic recirculation feature is nice although I don't know if I would miss if I didn't have it. I do have the sensitivity on mine bumped up a knotch for those rare days when I'm caught in stop-and-go traffic. It is probably more a source of entertainment to watch it switch back and forth between inside and outside air. Now what we really need is a sensor for interior exhaust fumes ... you know ... the fumes that are sometimes emitted from the southern end of passengers after the consumption of Boston baked beans. ;)

I'm apparently one of the resident phone kit nuts on this forum so I'll take a stab. First, a question. What "wire harness" did you use and was it advertised as being "plug and play" for your 99 RX? The only one I see on the QuckConnect website for the 99 RX and Mki9200 is the "For the Do-It-Yourselfer - Bare lead QCHW-1": http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/find.php Using the QCHW-1 is not "pretty" and takes a lot of wire splicing, manually finding a mute point on the audio system to attach to and either using an external speaker for the phone function or tapping into a door speaker. I'll attach a wiring diagram for a 2000 RX300 -- closest I have to diagram for a 99 RX. You will notice that the diagram shows a telephone transceiver. That means that there was an optional Lexus dealer installed phone system for your generation of RX and that there may be a mute point on the factory phone prewiring that you could attach your Parrot's mute wire to. Others have tried to attach their phone kit mute wire directly to the head unit or amp on a Lexus and it sometimes didn't fully mute their audio system during a phone call. In the 98-00 LS400, the middle front pin in a six pin phone connector on the drivers side under the center console is an audio system mute pin -- Blake918 used that mute pin when he installed his Parrot Mki9100 in his 99 LS and I used it when I installed a Nokia phone kit in my 00 LS. There is a possibility that your RX has the same six pin connector since the RX wiring diagram shows a phone transceiver. I remember a previous thread about there being a mute point (wire color violet, per the wiring diagram) in the rear of the early RX where the transceiver plugs in. If you have to pick up the mute point at your amp, it is the pin labeled "TMUT" (tele-mute). But I suggest you look for the prewire six pin phone connector I mentioned above. You didn't mention whether or not you are attempting to use the music functions of the MKi9200 and if you have had success with that -- are you? I'll stop now until (and if) you respond to my post. 2000_RX300_audio_system_wiring_diagrame.pdf

My guess is that a servo motor is not opening the damper that allows air to flow from your car's interior into the HVAC system when the HVAC system is in recirculation mode. Here is a diagram for the GS450h sold in Europe but it is not very detailed: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_E_2007_LEXU...EXQHW_8714.html I enjoy visiting car dealerships when travelling outside the US. I remember looking for a Lexus dealership in Athens in about 1998 and being surprised when I was told at a Toyota dealership that the Lexus brand had not yet been introduced in Greece.

Do you have the "Air intake control button" labeled "9" on page 279 of the 2010 RX350 navigation manual? If you have this button, pressing it repeatedly cycles the system through three modes -- exactly the same as a similar button works in my 2000 LS400. The three modes are described on page 284 of the 2010 RX350 navigation manual. I will include page 303 from the 2010 RX350 navigation manual simply because it points to page 410 which (poorly) shows where the sensitivity is customized by selecting "Vehicle Customization" and then "Climate Settings". Have you gone into the Climate Settings screen to see if has the sensitivity customization feature? If your RX350 isn't like what is shown on the attached 2010 RX350 navigation manual pages, could you take a photo of the buttons you have and attach it to this thread? If your A/C system is like what is shown on the attached pages, then you have a system that automatically adjusts between outside air and recirculation depending on outside air quality. Your experience with Lexus dealership staff not knowing much about the cars they sell certainly matches what I have experience over the past 20 years. My "favorite" experience was trying to convince two service writers that my 00 LS400 has DRL. They argued forcefully that DRL didn't start until the 2001 model year. They didn't even apologize when I showed them information about DRL in my owners manual.

Not to single mhawkin1 out .... but some of you guys are so funny! It's form over function ... form over function ... form over function. One of the features I have disliked about Lexus sedans is that there has been little protection from door dings. I get tired of all the "defensive parking" I have to do to avoid door dings. My wife is really tired of it. The last car I had with really great, heavy duty side moldings that stuck out considerably and protected the paint against damage was back in the 70's when I had a Mercedes 450 sedan. Crap, I never had to worry about getting door dings on that car. The side moldings were even strong enough to damage the edges of car doors that were slammed against them. Look at the attached photo ... now that's a car with good side protection. The optional ES side moldings are functional and look pretty good too .... hmmm, wonder if I could stick them on my LS ...

mikey, I've checked several TSB/TSIB websites including NHTSA and I can not find one about the brake light switch on either the 2004 or 2005 RX. Could you please help trevenarj out and 1) upload a scanned copy of the TSB, or 2) supply a link to where it can be viewed online, or 3) supply the TSB/TSIB number and, if you have it, the issue date?

On your navigation screen, try selecting "Vehicle Customization" and then "Climate Settings" to change the "Exhaust gas sensor sensitivity" from whichever setting you want in the range from -3 to +3. It is probably set to zero so you may not need to change it unless you would like it to be less or more sensitive to foul outside air. Push the "Air intake control button" as many times as it takes until the tiny light above the word "Auto" lights up to put the HVAC system into automatic recirculation mode. The air intake control button is the button with the little outline of a car and the word "Auto" on it. It might be easier to find this information in the owners and navigation manuals in the Owners section of the Lexus website rather than try to find it in the hard copy manuals that came with your RX. Some of the HVAC system information is in the navigation manual for the 2010 RX.

Codes can be stored for other than just engine problems. You might as well see if any codes have been stored. Your RX is very low mileage -- doubtful that anything major has gone bad.

Sorry, but what is a "TSB?" TSB = "Technical Service Bulletin". Toyota uses the term "Technical Service Information Bulletin" or TSIB. I seached the TSIB list for the 05 RX in the Chilton online system (usually complete) and I don't see a TSIB for the brake light switch on the 05 RX. I feel like a "broken record" since I seem to be giving the same advice over and over .... if the problem is not obvious (e.g. a failing battery), take your car to a repair shop or store (Autozone?) that has an ODBI reader and see if there are any stored error codes -- sure beats guessing and blindly replacing parts.

Sometimes I think a healthy !Removed! is enough to light up the CEL and Trac Off lights. There are many minor and major issues that can cause the warnings lights so you might want to see if there is a stored error code and take the appropirate action. This list is for a gen 1 LS400 V8 but the codes are likely the same for your car: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

Those wheels look amazingly like the chrome wheels my neighbor had on the LS400 he drove from 1989 until about 2002 -- right down to the lock on the wheel cover. I guessing these were aftermarket wheels from a company that targeted Lexus dealers. My neighbor had his similer/identical wheels refurbished and rechromed one winter while his car was on its snow wheels and tires. Wheels can be straightened -- maybe that is an option for you.

Here is a link to a thread where I posted info and a photo of someone on eBay who adds RCA jacks to the front or back of Lexus radios: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...l=factoryradios

If all the bulbs are good and firmly in place and if you don't seen any issues with the bulb sockets or the wires leading to the sockets, i wouldn't hurt to remove the trim in the trunk and look for a loose, frayed or damaged wire. Maybe the car has been in an accident and a ground wire was broken or not screwed back into place. As I reported several times in the past, the tail light failure warning in my previous LS400 was on for several years before I found that a "scotch lock" connector for my trailer light harness in the trunk had come loose from one of the tail light wires. I had spent countless hours looking for the cause of the problem and had paid my mechanic to take a look too. I felt a little silly when I snapped the connector firmly together and the warning light went out. Funny, someone on this or another forum reported the same issue and his problem also turned out to be a loose trailer light harness connector. Your problem may well be something simple. A bulb with a loose filament that you missed changing, a corroded socket contact, a wire mashed/damaged by the previous owner carrying something in the trunk, etc.

Many issues can cause that. A list of diagnostic codes is at http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

Side skirt? Do you mean the rocker panel moulding below the lower edge of the doors? It's held on with both screws and clips. Clips tend to deform/break --- they are pretty cheap so you might as well use new ones. If you are talking about the cladding above the rocker panels (i.e. on the front and rear doors), it's held on mainly by clips and adhesive. I reinstalled two pieces of side cladding on a 90 LS without using new clips and couldn't get it quite fully into place. I should have used new clips. Curious ... why do you need to remove these parts?