1990LS400

Yes, the vent tube can be accessed without removing the fog light unit. It should be obvious on the back ... a little L-shaped hose pointing downward. Do you have an owners manual? It might tell you how. If there are no visible fasteners then it must be held in place on the back side. It will probably be obvious like on the two Toyotas we currently have.

I suppose you remove the fog light unit and see if it's practical to epoxy up where it's leaking. Verify that the vent tube on the back of the unit isn't plugged up trapping condensation.

I suggest you find the part numbers of your seats on www.toyodiy.com and then use the part number cross reference to find the models and model years they were used in.

It's not just Lexus. My neighborhood was built out in the early 1980's but it didn't show on Garmin portable GPS devices until the late 2000's - maybe around 2007. Toyota/Lexus Map updates come out every November. You can't expect map update suppliers to capture every change up to the last minute.

The "level warning switch assembly" has likely either failed or become disconnected. Accessing it may require removing or loosening the right front wheel well liner and/or a under-cover.

Do not use any brush - use only a soft cloth to apply whatever gentle leather cleaner you are using and then wipe it off with a damp towel. Do not attempt to saturate the leather - that will only cause it to break down. You are only gently cleaning the leather surface. Leather upholstery is rather fragile - far more so than cloth upholstery which usually wears much better than leather from my experience. Edit: Look at page 356 of your owners manual which confirms what I told you. You can view it online at http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM33588U/pdf/sec6-5.pdf

Have you checked the radio #1 fuse? It's fuse 33 in the passenger side kick panel per http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM50616U/pdf/6-4.pdf I see at least two other fuses in the charts that are associated with the audio system.

I'm guessing the clips are what I highlighted in the attached diagram. I suggest going to a Lexus dealership to verify. The clips shouldn't be very expensive.

Did you show the dealer service writer the page in your owners manual that says it can be done? I see it on page 705 of the 2016 GS350 owners manual at http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM0E012U/pdf/OM0E012U.pdf

If you have mechanical skills, I suppose you could remove the rear door panel and attempt to determine the problem. Door panels on vehicles made by Toyota are usually easy to remove by those who understand how they are attached and who have the appropriate trim removal tools. If the problem is with the actuator, its replacement can be quite difficult. If you do not have the mechanical skills or depend on using the car for daily transportation, I suggest that you have a professional mechanic repair the problem. It looks like a beautiful car! I have always wanted to visit Iceland but I have read that it is being overrun by tourists and is currently among the most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Maybe your local tire store makes more money on Cooper and Nokian tires! I've probably bought more Michelin tires than any other brand and have never been dissatisfied. I bought a set of four 235/55-18 Michelin Premier All-Season tires a couple of months ago for our 2014 Toyota Sienna Limited which I jokingly refer to as an "adult size RX". The Michelin Premier supposedly has superior capabilities on both wet and snowy roads if you believe the hype and the ratings on the Tire Rack website where it is rated as #1 in the Grand Touring All-Season category. I've rarely used all-season tires in Winter. I have Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 tires on OEM 17" wheels on my Sienna for the Winter. The Blizzaks turn our vehicles into "snow beasts" that are virtually unstoppable unless the snow is deep enough to "high center" the vehicles. I bought the Michelin Premiers at Costco during a recent $70 off promotion where installation was free for Costco executive card holders. I don't know if the promotion is still on. I suggest that you look at the ratings for the tires you are considering at http://www.tirerack.com/ although they may not have ratings for all the ones you are considering.

Here is a link to Tire Rack's current ratings of Grand touring all-season tires: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS I bought sets of Michelin Primacy MXV4 for the Camry and last LS we used to have and they were very nice - quiet and decent handling. I recently bought a set of Michelin Premier A/S tires for my Sienna - they happen to currently be #1 in Tire Rack's ratings of Grand touring all-season tires. They supposedly are much better than average on wet roads but I didn't have much time to evaluate that aspect since the Sienna is now on its Winter wheels/tires. You could go with true summer tires as long as there is zero chance that you will drive on snow and ice. Many summer-only tires, however, are very performance oriented and don't last as long as all-season tires.

Unless it has changed in the past year, you can stay up for 48 hours straight with a short term subscription and download all the PDF's you want for any model.

I had exactly the same driver seat recline problem on an LS400 in around 2000. An independent repair shop specializing in Lexus fixed it by replacing a worn horizontal metal shaft at the bottom of the seat back. I still remember the surprisingly low total cost of the repair - around $75. I'm surprised that later Lexus vehicles are still having this problem.

If you want to "take everything out and replace it" (Nak head unit, amp, speakers, etc.) then you are going to start from scratch and run all-new wires to whatever amp you are using and to your new aftermarket speakers. If you want to use an aftermarket head unit with your Nakamichi amp and speakers then you need to create your own simple interface harness or chop off the connectors on the car side (NOT RECOMMENDED!) and get out your soldering iron to make the connections. I don't drop by this forum very often. I sold my last Lexus (2000 LS400 with Kenwood head unit using the Nakamichi amp and all the Nakamichi speakers including the subwoofer) in 2014. I gave you a link in response to your post on ClubLexus that should give you everything you need if you want to connect an aftermarket head unit to the rest of the Nakamichi components. Yes, you are making this overly complicated. Maybe you should consider a professional installer or at least talk to one about your project. If you just want to get audio from a phone or MP3 player into your Nakamichi head unit, send or take your Nak head unit to Factory Radio Service just south of San Francisco and they will install a wonderful aux-in for cheap. I think I gave you a link to their web site on the ClubLexus thread.

I had Factory Radio Service in California install an aux-in port on the Nakamichi head unit of the 2000 LS400 that I drove for many years: http://factoryradioservice.com/index.php I got the "deluxe" version of the aux-in with the aux-in port on the back of the head unit and a push button on/off switch on the front. Great service and it was done cheap and fast.

Assuming you are in the U.S., your navigation system can be updated by a Lexus dealer using a master DVD and the proprietary navigation update tool through the USB port. Take a look at http://www.lexusnavigation.com/what-to-order/

Some models have the lines in the backup camera image and some don't. Some models that have them in some model years didn't have them in other model years. It makes no sense. Others have asked but I don't remember anybody being successful at adding the lines to a system that doesn't have them.

The parts diagram I'm looking at doesn't show anything except the two screws holding the "PANEL SUB-ASSY, CONSOLE REAR END" to the forward portion of the console. You might try using a plastic non-scarring trim removal tool to gently pry along the seam between the two console parts. Toyota often uses friction fittings to largely hold interior components in place and the parts might have gotten a bit "married" if they haven't been separated in 13 years. I've dismantled center consoles on several Lexus LS and Toyota sedans and have found that they are usually held together similarly. Maybe you'll be able to repair the tracks after you get the rear console portion out.

Owners manuals for all Lexus vehicles can be viewed and searched online at http://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/home It is not necessary to register to view manuals. Vehicles often have handy features which are not obvious and are explained in owners manuals.

I'm still around although I don't look at this forum very often since selling my 2000 LS400 in 2014. Yes, the 98-00 LS400 is a wonderful vehicle and infinitely more enjoyable to drive than the new air suspended LS460L that I test drove a few years back. I'd still have my 2000 LS400 if it hadn't started to corrode, if I could have updated it with modern safety features and/or if I had enough garage space to keep it as an occasional car.

I've seen threads about people cutting out mufflers/resonators on old cars but sometimes with unintended consequences. Apparently some engines run better with the particular amount of back pressure provided by the stock exhaust system. Gosh, I wish I could eliminate all engine, exhaust, road and wind noise. I'd rather have complete silence while driving except for the audio system .... and of course my wife! My favorite aspect of my wife's Prius is that it is silent when stopped or being driven slowly. It even has a speaker in the engine compartment that creates noise to warn pedestrians when the gasoline engine has automatically shut off and its running in EV mode. A/C compressors on most newer cars are electric and don't require the engine to run to keep the interior cool. The engines of an increasing number of newer non-hybrid vehicles shut off when at a stop. Powerful EV's like the Tesla Model S don't make any exhaust noise at all. It looks like you want to go one way while the rest of the world is going another way.

I suggest taking your LS to a Lexus dealer or an independent repair shop that specializes in Lexus and have the problem diagnosed. Your "sputter" could be caused by a number of different components - no sense speculating and throwing money at it.

Here you go: http://www.vaistech.com/newsite/product/mml-t1/

My understanding is that 2009 was the last model year in which the RX350 navigation could be updated by the owner and only Lexus dealers have the "Master DVD" and "Navigation Update Tool" needed to update the 2011 RX navigation system. Here is a web page that shows what is needed to update navigation for each model year and model: http://www.lexusnavigation.com/what-to-order/ Navigation updates always, of course, update the maps and sometimes the navigation software although it is rare for new features to be added. You might check with your local Lexus dealer to see if they run any "specials" on navigation updates. It would be interesting to know how much a Lexus dealer wants to update your navigation. My "guess" is around $400 but I hope it is less. Maybe you could post it after you find out.