1990LS400

Actually, I suspect you will find this much harder that you would imagine. A Lexus is not a Pontiac van. Toyota/Lexus does not normally install wiring harnesses for options a car doesn't have. I don't remember specifically about the ES300, but others have checked and found that seat heater wiring was not installed at the factory in their Lexus cars that did not come with seat heaters. Just finding functioning seat heater elements out of a wrecked 96 ES could be a challenge since they sometimes break as they age and not working by the ten year mark. The price of new seat heater elements is high -- I just checked an online discount Lexus parts seller and found the elements for the two front seats for about $1,920 total and the two switches for about $132. This doesn't include the seat heater wiring which is normally integrated into the car's wiring harness. You could get aftermarket seat heaters... they come with the wiring harness and switches. Here is the first thing I found when I googled "seat heaters": http://www.heatedseatkits.com/heatedseatkits/index.html

Forum malfunction (or maybe it was me!) -- see my post below.

I see that this is your post so I will tell you that many people on this forum have expressed the opinion that a Lexus should be used to tow a trailer. I doubt if you will find many, if any at all, on this forum with a hitch on their ES350. I have a Draw-Tite brand receiver hitch on my 2000 LS400 ... bought it from etrailer. etrailer has one made by Curt for the ES350: http://www.etrailer.com/hitch-2007_Lexus_ES350.htm Draw-tite also makes a hitch for the ES350 but I don't see it on the etrailer website ... Here it is on the Draw-tite website: http://www.draw-tite.com/ The two hitches would likely look about the same on your car. Offhand, it looks like the receiver on the Curt might not hang down as low as the Draw-Tite but I don't know if that can be ascertained from the photos. I mainly use my hitch to carry a bike rack but my car is all wired up to tow my utility trailer. I think my trailer wiring harness is from Modulite. The wiring harness attaches to wires leading to the taillight assemblies on my LS ... the power wire exists the trunk through a hole an ABS wire already passes through and it runs under the car to a terminal next to the battery in the engine compartment. I doubt if a hitch for the ES350 would look much different than the one on my 00 LS -- photo is attached.

I don't think we are the same page. You said that 50% is legal but "is almost nothing". Yes, 50% tint is quite light compaired to the 35% that is allowed here in Kansas but 50% is substantially darker than the 70% tint allowed on side windows in New York. Here is a wikipedea about tint: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_tinting

OEM tint is far from being 100% clear -- I'll never forget buying a new VW in 1975 without the tint option and being shocked at the different between completely clear windows and factory tinted windows. I hope you are I are talking about the same light transmission amounts but tint darkness is usually expressed in the amount of light that tint allows to pass through it -- 70% for side windows in New York. 70% is the least amount of tint allowed in the US except for the few states that allow no tint at all. I have never seen specifications for the amount of OEM tint on Lexus cars. The specs probably exist somewhere in some obscure Toyota/Lexus corporate document and you can likely find out from a Lexus dealer or by calling Lexus corporate. I suppose you could remove the tint from one side windows and ask the police or a tint shop to test the untinted window with a meter. It's amazing that NY police would quibble over such a tiny difference. If you got nailed for having 70% tint on OEM tinted windows, there is probably not a car in NY with legal tint.

This is a duplicate thread -- I posted a response on the other one here: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=55516&hl=

According to what I am reading on the Internet, the Samsung SGH-G800 was never offered in the U.S. so there might not be forum members that have it. Instructions on how to pair and sync the SGH-G800 are not on the U.S. Lexus website. Have you tried following instructions for other Samsung phones? For example, the instructions for the somewhat similar looking Samsung SGH-T809 are here: http://lexusbluetooth.letstalk.com/brands/...f/167_LS460.pdf If that does not work, you could try instructions for other Samsung phones that are available in the U.S.: http://www.lexus.com/models/LS/accessories/bluetooth.html

Well, if is only 3% off, then I suggest you have the tint independently tested and take the results to court ... or do you know if you have illegal tint? If your location "11235" is a ZIP code that indicates that you live in New York, then the following website indicates that only 70% tint on the side windows is allowed: http://www.tintlaws.com/ Here is another website that shows the same thing: http://www.tintdude.com/laws.html 70% tint is hardly any extra tint at all. It's only a guess but I'd bet that the factory tint on your side windows is around 80%. I have the legal maximum (35%) here in Kansas and it isn't dark enough to prevent discomfort on a hot sunny summer day. I confused how your tint could be only 3% off and still be 33% in New York. If it was 3 percentage points too dark, it would be 67%. Also ... did you get pulled over only for tint? ... or was the tint violation just an extra on top of why they really stopped you.

What does "Not Working" mean exactly? Does the radio turn on and off and tune stations but there is no sound or is that there is no sign of life at all?

I sent a PM to Jainla who also has an 01 LS430 UL. He has significant knowledge on how the audio system mute works. Be patient ... he's great about replying to issues like this. While waiting for Jainla, you can entertain yourself by looking at the attached audio system diagrams for the 01 LS430 -- not sure if they cover the ML though. 2001_LS430_audio_1.pdf 2001_LS430_audio_2.pdf

It is doubtful that the iPhone will work better with 2010 Lexus cars unless Lexus bends its Bluetooth system to make up for Apple's failure to comply with basic standards and conventions set by the Bluetooth SIG. At least Apple has been consistent over the years -- going its own way. This fun video kind of sums it up but be sure to watch beyond the credits at the end:

Only today there was a great new post about replacing the bulbs in the switches on a GS: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=55494&hl= Do the switches in your ES look similar?

One of the longest diagnostic sections in the 2-volume repair manual set for my 00 LS400 is for the optional air suspension -- it is almost 70 pages. If you don't want to buy the manuals, you could pay $10 for a 1-day subscription to https://techinfo.toyota.com and download the diagnostic instructions and lots of other information for your car. The diagnostic procedure may be different for your 93 LS but for the 00 LS the most complicated required tool I noticed is a voltmeter.

No, there are not connectors in your car for both standard and Nak systems. I don't know about the 95-97 standard and Nak, but it was explained to me by an audio shop tech that the architecture of the two systems on the 98-00 is very different. Some functions that are controlled by the amp on the standard system are in the head unit of the Nak system and vice versa -- don't know if that is really true but that's what I was told.

You might try Speedofix in Toronto since they have been reported to working on Lexus speedometers: http://www.speedofix.com/contact.htm Although they specialize in mph to km conversion, their website says they work on "other related diagnostic and repair issues". If they can't help you, maybe they can refer you to someone who can.

So true. The world revolves around people selling each other things they don't really need.

In Europe, top speeds for sedans are set in an agreement among car manufacturers -- the equivalent of 155. I think the limit in Japan is the equivalent of about 112 mph. I'm a little surprised that the IS350 is limited to a speed as high as 142 mph since the LS430 was limited to 130 mph in the U.S. due to the H-rated tires. I once got one of my LS400's up to 85 mph -- in a 60 mph speed zone while passing a truck that was picking up speed as it descended a steep hill on a 2-lane highway. I was apprehended by one of Missouri's finest.

I guess I would take it to a body shop and be careful to wipe away spilled gasoline in the future. I see from previous posts that you are also getting small chips from rocks thrown up by trucks. It can be frustrating watching a "new baby" (a car, that is) deteriorate as soon as driving away from the dealership. I guess that is just part of car ownership. There a few minor similar stains in the paint of my LS and certainly a lot of tiny rock chips. Every few weeks, I carefully inspect the paint and touch-up new chips with touch-up paint. I doubt if the Seattle area, where I have spent a LOT of time, is any worse than other areas of the U.S. for paint deterioration. OK ... maybe it is worse. You aren't driving on some of my favorite logging roads, are you? I'll never forget having a large one piece glass headlight lens broken on my nearly new Mercedes by a rock kicked up by a truck while driving on a regular highway on the Olympic Peninsula ... had to drive around for a couple of weeks with a big piece of duct tape covering the shattered headlight lens ... didn't help visibility at night! I used to know a guy who would, on purpose, put a scratch on a car as soon as he bought it. His attitude was, if it is going to get scratched up, he was going to have the honor of putting the first scratch on it. Yep, it sucks.

Wow! I had no idea that taillight lenses were available separately. I thought it was a sealed unit and that the lens was glued to the housing ... guess I don't know as much as I thought. I suggest you check eBay for a replacement. I suspect you could buy an entire used OEM assembly on eBay at a fraction of the price of a new one.

Well ... it is doubtful you need either for take care of breakdowns. I think I can count the number of times my wife and I have had to call a tow truck over the past 35 years on the fingers of one hand. We have found that Triple-A provides important benefits for us but those benefits may not apply to everyone. Sometimes we can get the best hotel rates through Triple-A. For us, the most important benefit of Triple-A is that the rental car company we use most often allows adding additional drivers at no extra cost. To get this benefit, all family members must be covered by the Triple-A membership or they each have to have their own membership. Sometimes, the annual Triple-A membership gets paid for in just one car rental -- pretty important when you rent cars about 20 times per year for from three days to two weeks at a time like we do. I suggest you read the Triple-A membership benefit information and see if it would be worthwhile for you.

From http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_library/IS/2008.html "Top Track Speed (mph) 142 (electronically limited)"

Whether you have the 18 or 17 inch wheels probably matters most when it comes time to purchase tires since the 235/55R18 tires are usually far more expensive than the standard 225/65R17 tires. The 17" wheels and tires probably provide a cushier ride and the 18"" wheels and tires probably provide slightly sharper handling with a slightly harsher ride. Larger diameter, lower profile tires usually wear out faster. The 18" option might have been offered to allow the dealer to make more money. Who knows why. People like choices and some like to buy "more, more, more" at the last minute. I've know several people who have bought new cars with optional larger wheels and tires who have been shocked at tire replacement prices when the original tires needed replacement. I think one of these people sold their car rather than contend with the high tire replacement costs. IMO, it's mainly a marketing game.

I don't know what year your "Camry 16” alloy wheels with 8 spoke" are from but they will probably fit on all your cars. I'm not absolutely certain but I think the bolt pattern change on the LS460 is the first bolt pattern change on Lexus/Toyota cars in over 20 years.

Actually, if I had worked directly with the F & I products business unit of the company, I would have slit my wrists a long time ago and would have never come close to making it 31 years with the company. Fortunately, I mainly provided support services. I was involved in the design of a new F & I product only once -- a little like seeing how sausage is made. I had to frequently remind myself that many people really did feel that they needed to buy the F & I products we sold. And I truly believe that some F & I products, like those that make car payments in case of illness or death, really do benefit some people. It did make it easier to buy a new car. Sometimes just mentioning my employer's name in a car dealership brought forth a welcome like I was an old friend. I also usually heard something like ... "Well I guess you don't want to speak with our F & I person, do you?".

Shhhh, you are giving away the secret. Jim ... recently retired from the largest U.S. provider of F & I products.