1990LS400

Yes, occasionally -- I eat a lot of beans. ;) No, never had any rear end noise on my similar 00 LS400 except for an unruly rear seat passenger. Can't check it out before buying? Ouch! How do you know if everything is working? The common steering tilt/telescope problem with on the 98-00 LS (fixed at the factory midway through the 2000 model year) alone can cost thousands to fix if it wasn't fixed under the TSIB. Does the car have HID headlights? Many 1998s do not. Are the radio and HVAC LCDs working and all the backlights for the buttons. Can't see much from the photos but I'm guessing that it is minimally equipped since it doesn't have the wood wheel and shifter -- the all leather wheel is more comfortable anyway IMO. Here's a link to the 98 LS specs in case you don't have them: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1998/1998LSspecs.pdf If you are really interested, can you have a Lexus dealer give you the car's history to see if any of the TSIBs have been applied. Sounds like a roll of the dice. It would be interesting to know how much this car actually sells for at the auction. I don't have much of an idea but I'd guess $3000 tops.

Well, maybe Pure has some information I am not aware of. As he said, the 93-up LS400 uses H4 headlight bulbs. The 90-92 LS400 used lower wattage 9004 bulbs. The 90-94 LS400 may all look mostly the same but there were a lot of differences between the 90-92 and the 93-94. The wiring harness connectors for the headlight bulbs are different between the 90-92 and 93-94 LS400. The bulb bases on an H4 bulb and a 9004 bulb are very different. The same HID kit is not going to fit both a 90-92 and a 93-94 LS. The relays should come with a good HID kit -- not necessary to purchase them separately.

The person you spoke to doesn't like to use relays with HID kits? I suggest you speak to somebody else and do some - no a lot of - reading on the subject. The power for HID kits generally comes from the battery; a relay is used to turn the headlights on when the headlight switch inside the car is turned to the ON position. Here is a web page with basic information about HID installs: http://orca.st.usm.edu/~jmneal/tiburon/hids.htm Gen 1 LS400s OEM headlights do not have sharp low beam cutoffs or an automatic or manual beam control. An HID kit in a gen 1 LS400 can provide dangerous glare for oncoming drivers and you might have to have your headlights aimed so low that they won't be all that useful. Most U.S. spec cars made after about the mid 1990s had headlights with a sharp or at least sharper low beam cutoff -- HID kits work better on them but can still blind oncoming drivers since they don't have an adjustable beam control and if you are carrying a full load that causes the headlights to point upward.

If you want to put a single DIN unit in a double DIN kit, there might be a pocket you could get to go under the single DIN unit. For example, here is a link to a photo in my gallery that shows the OEM single DIN pocket under the OEM single DIN radio in our 98 Camry: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=si&img=875 I would guess you could even use a single DIN pocket right out of a Toyota. You ES owners are damned fortunate that your radio is above your climate controls. Us LS400 owners are kind of screwed in that, if we want to install an LCD based double-DIN in our cars, it either has to be too low in the center stack below the climate controls to be easy to see or it has to have a motorized screen that extends the screen upward high enough to be easy to see but then blocks the climate controls.

Likely because the TRAC is applying the brakes and ABS is part of the brake system.

You can find a "sticky" about buying a used LS at the top of the LS400 forum. And here is an especially useful web site comparing the various years of the LS: http://www.lexls.com/info/lsgenerations.html I owned a 1990 LS400 from new until 183,000 miles and 13 1/2 years. When new, the gen 1 LS was about as reliable as in later years -- the biggest exception I know about being the power steering pump ... fails and has to be rebuilt over and over. And the optional air suspension seems to rarely function properly after ten or so years. The 90-92 LS400 has small brakes, wheels and tires compared to later years although the brake discs were improved a little in either 91 or 92 -- I forget which. Braking improves -- a lot! -- on the 93-up LS. IMO, the biggest challenge with the 90-94 LS400 is the headlights -- the lens design causes a horrible "blob" beam pattern. The 93-94 LS was slightly better due to the use of H4 headlight bulbs. The 95-up LS has far better headlights with HID being introduced as an option in 1998. The 95-up LS is substantially larger inside -- much better rear seat legroom. The body structure of the 95-00 LS is essentially the same. The huge bump in technology on the LS came in 1998 -- optional HID headlights, side airbags, vehicle stability control (VSC), 5 speed automatic transmission, trip computer -- the list goes on and on. I'll bet if you look around, you could find a fairly low mileage 98 LS for not that much more than the 91 LS you are looking at. In today's depressed market, if I was selling my 2000 LS400 today in a private party sale, I doubt if I could get much more than $8,000 for it -- even though it has fairly low miles (107K), looks wonderful, is fully optioned except without air suspension and navigation, is fully up-to-date on maintenance and drives like new. You can see the specs for all model years of the LS400s at http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1991/1991LSspecs.pdf Modify the model year in both places in the URL to see the specs for other model years.

If you've cleaned the nozzles with a straight pin or needle, maybe you could pull the hose off a nozzle and see if you are getting a good stream of water out of it. Seeing that you are north of the border and probably have headlight washers, I wonder if you could switch the hoses between the windshield and headlight washers to see if get a better stream of water -- assuming your headlight washers are working and the pumps are the same. As for as I know, the washer motors can be accessed on most Toyota products by pealing back the fender liner in the wheel wheel.

Maybe the reason the guy moved the entire HVAC control module to the driver door was that the temperature buttons were an integral part of the HVAC control module. Why don't you pop it out and take a look to see how it all fits together? I've pulled a lot of HVAC controls and head units and its usually pretty easy -- it might require a trim removal tool or two. Probably nothing helps as much as "getting your hands dirty" on projects like this.

I wonder why someone would tell you that. The foglights are separate and operate with the low beams. One thing you will lose is your high beam headlights -- unless you get one of the fancier and more expensive bi-xenon HID kits. IMO, a bigger issue is the glare to oncoming drivers that will likely be created by an HID kit in a gen 1 LS400. The headlight pattern in the U.S. spec gen 1 LS400 is very diffused -- lots of light scatter. I had a 1990 LS400 for 13 1/2 years and I thought that the headlights were absolutely the worst feature of the car -- the headlights were the reason I finally sold the car. I think your money would be better spent in obtaining a set of aftermarket headlights like the ones from Eagle Eyes -- look at this thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=49397 Someone over on ClubLexus bought and installed a set and he seemed satisfied; I think he reported that the low beams had a sharp cutoff instead of the "blob" of the OEM gen 1 LS400 headlights: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls400-foru...eagle-eyes.html I "stole" and attached his photo of the installed Eagle Eye headlights and foglights -- they look great to me.

I think you will find quite a few photos if you search past threads. For example, I did an advanced search (select "more search options") of the 92-06 ES forum for the word "double" and found this one: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...5&hl=double I googled 1998 ES300 photos and found quite a few showing a double DIN head unit -- the attached photo is for a 97 but I think it's the same as for a 98. As nice as the radio systems in Lexus cars look and operate, I sure wish they had used DIN and double DIN sized radios as they did in their similar Toyota products of the same model years. For example, it would be a "piece of cake" to install a double DIN in our 1998 Camry -- wouldn't even take a new trim surround to replace the existing Toyota/JBL single DIN head unit and pocket underneath it with a double DIN.

Well sure, have the problem fixed by the dealer if your car is under warranty -- or by somebody if it's not. Does your car have an emergency fuel filler door release in the trunk like other Toyota/Lexus cars with an electric fuel filler door release? Open your trunk and look for a pull tab or something similar near the fuel door. If that doesn't work and you're in an emergency situation where you have run out of gas, pop the trunk trim away from the side and take a look. Our old 98 Camry isn't a nice ES330 but its non-electric fuel fuel filler door cable can be unplugged from the backside (inside the trunk) of the fuel filter door to allow the fuel filler door to open. Edit!: I just checked my LS and the manual fuel door opener tab in the trunk was nowhere to be seen. I'm guessing that the body shop that removed the rear bumper cover had to remove the trunk trim and missed seeing the dangling manual fuel door opener cable when they put things back together. I just now removed the trunk trim and fished out the manual fuel door cable and then reinstalled the trim panels. If your ES has a manual fuel door opener in the trunk, it should be described in your owners manual -- at least it is in my LS owners manual in the section on how the fuel door is opened.

I'm guessing that traction control on the ES works like the LS, is linked to the VSC and is turned off when VSC is turned off. Check the "Starting and Driving" section of your owners manual.

The "Electronically Modulated Air Suspension" system is likely discussed in the "Starting and Driving" section of your owners manual. The High position of the Height button raises the car body slightly on its suspension "For driving on rough roads which are unsurfaced or continually bumpy." Also from the owners manual: "If the "HI" indicator light blinks, there is a malfunction in the system. Have the system checked by your Lexus dealer at the first opportunity." There is a lengthy diagnosis procedure for the Air Suspension system in the repair manuals for your car. If your you or your mechanic do not have the repair manuals, the diagnosis procedure can be found at the subscription based online Lexus techinfo website

Metra is the leader of installation kits. I think these are from Metra: http://www.installer.com/cars/by_car.php?carid=3255

There is a recent thread over on ClubLexus where someone moved the climate control to the driver side door panel to install a double DIN unit: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-second-...-installed.html The driver now has to adjust the passenger side temperature. Very strange!

The video for "Dropstop" looks like a skit from Saturday Night Live. Are we sure it isn't?

This is the best diagram I could find for a U.K. spec 1999 GS300: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_E_1999_LEXU...EAQFW_8505.html The web site is quite nice for seeing how components fit together on Toyota and Lexus products sold in markets around the world.

Front: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_J_1999_TOYO...AEAQK_4705.html Rear: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_J_1999_TOYO...AEAQK_4707.html Or, at least the above are for the 1999 Japanese home market Celsior. I don't know if any Toyota vehicles use the same brake pads as a 99 LS400. The nearest Toyota dealer parts department guys like to "tweak" the Lexus dealer by occasionally finding parts for my 00 LS in their Toyota parts catalog but it is hit or miss. Besides, I can usually get parts cheaper at one of the online discount Lexus parts suppliers than at a Toyota dealer. I reused the shims the few times I replaced pads on my first LS (a 1990) -- bought the kit but didn't use it.

I don't know how the dealer could have known that your 05 LS didn't need an alignment unless the alignment was checked. Maybe the Toyota dealer didn't want to deal with aligning your Lexus. I don't think I've ever heard anyone suggest that wheel balance has something to do with a car pulling to one side but I suppose it's possible if a wheel is terribly unbalanced. How many miles does your "new" 05 LS have on it -- reason that I ask is that front strut bar bushings can be worn out be as few as 75,000 miles and cause darty/sloppy handling (and vibrations) at highway speeds. Front suspension issues like worn bushings can be most easily identified during the wheel alignment procedure. Tires can developed wear patterns that can cause pulling to one side. If your tires have a wear pattern causing pulling to one side and if they are directional tires that can only be rotated front-to-back, tire rotation wouldn't not help the situation - or at least not much. I've noticed that cars with 18" or larger wheels tend to be more ... ahem ... "responsive" (I call it unpleasantly darty) than cars with smaller tires. I've seen more than one person trade his 17" or 18" LS430 wheels for smaller ones like the 16" wheels that were standard on the 01-02 LS430.

Are you having an actual problem with the doors -- wind noise, air leaks, rattles -- or are you searching for an elusive "feeling"? Cars do tend to get a little noisier over the years. You could check the "rubber" (not sure what the material really is) door seals. Door seals tend to become compressed over time. I lube the door seals (and the trunk seals) on our 00 LS and 98 Camry every few months with clear silicon spray -- I spray it on a paper towel and wipe the seals down. There are products made specifically for treating door seals -- do a google. I suppose over time the seals could get so worn and compressed that replacing them could help. Modern door seals like the ones on Toyota/Lexus products don't show extensive signs of deterioration like the ones used many years ago when it was sometimes necessary to replace them after a few years when they started falling apart. There is a procedure documented in my 00 LS repair manuals on adjusting the doors using a wrench on the four hinge bolts and a hammer on the striker after loosening its two bolts -- likely the same as for a GS or any Toyota product. You could be opening a can of worms trying to adjust the doors -- probably unneeded unless your car has had its doors off during body repair. Even when new, Lexus doors don't close with the kind of vault like "thunk" of a Mercedes but they sure don't rattle like a jar of marbles like the doors on the only Volvo I bought new and promptly got rid of. I'll attach the TSIB for the 01 GS door mirror noise problem. The fix was the same as for my 00 LS but I can tell you that the fix doesn't last -- the tape falls off after a couple of years and didn't help much in the first place. 2001_GS_door_mirror_noise.pdf

I don't think any Lexus cars had an AUX jack until about the 2007 model year. The following company is probably the most popular seller of input adapters for Lexus vehicles and it looks like they have products for the 03 GX: http://www.vaistech.com/

The warranty for all Lexus gasoline powered vehicles is the same (not sure about hybrids) -- 4 years/50,000 miles basic and 6 years/70,000 miles drive train. I've never heard of a car manufacturer's warranty not being transferable to a second, third, etc. owner. Like I said, the LS is a complex vehicle. Lots of forum members work on engine components themselves -- I rarely do. Replacing the timing belt and related components is a complex operation but probably no more complex than on other V8 cars with a timing belt. Replacing the timing belt and related components is currently about a $1,000 operation + or - $150. If you are spending enough money to buy an 06 LS430, the cost is a "nit". If it isn't, you might want to look at Camry or Avalon V6 where a timing belt replacement, with related components, is about half the cost. If you want to compare repair frequency statistics, I think there are better sources than J.D. Powers. Take a look at a recent Consumer Reports yearbook. Consumer Union subscribers/members report problems with their cars to Consumer Union in detailed surveys each year and Consumer Union compiles them -- We've been participating in the surveys since the 1970s and watched how our experiences with cars seems to correlate with others. It is nice that Jaguar reliability has improved somewhat under Ford ownership and with the use of Ford components in Jaguar cars. I hope Jaguar fares well under its new owners. If you have been an Audi owner, you will be in for a treat as a Lexus owner. The Consumer Union ratings I'm holding in my hand show the Lexus LS430 as having far, far higher reliability than any Audi after a couple of years. I'm not "trashing" Audi -- I love they way they drive -- but their documented reliability goes down hill pretty fast after a couple of years. It is not uncommon for a Lexus LS to require zero repairs, not including normal maintenance, during its first 100,000 miles. If you are really interested in the LS430 you are looking at, as a Lexus dealer to print out a summary of how it is equipped or ask the seller if he has the original window sticker. And, yes, the oil filter is easy to get to. I always change the engine oil myself every 5,000 miles -- just did my 50th oil change on Lexus LS cars over the last 19 years / 250,000 miles.

You might want to start by looking at the surveys on Tire Rack -- the Geolander G900 doesn't appear to get very good ratings on noise: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...2FT+G900#Survey It's best (and safer) to having matching tires on all four wheels. The Tire Rack surveys are an excellent place to see opinions about tires. I've bought scads of tires from Tire Rack and have found the ratings accurate.

Mainly make sure the 06 LS at which you are looking has the options you want. It's not practical to add them later. Here are the specs: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_library/LS/2006.html Except for a slight capacity increase in 2001, the LS engine hasn't changed since the 98 model year. It is about as "bullet proof" as car engines can get. The most common issue I read about is the optional "Dynamic Laser Cruise Control" but it can be overridden to function like a normal cruise control. It has a timing belt that should be changed every 90,000 miles -- no big deal ... I've had three changed. Routine maintenance "costs more than a Camry but less that the least expensive Mercedes". Unless you like the Lexus dealer's plush waiting room, find a good independent repair shop with lower prices. The 6-speed has issues when first introduced in 2004 and the issues were addressed under a TSIB. I haven't noticed problems being reported in LS430's after the 2004 model year. Yes, the dealer can disable the auto tilt/telescope in a couple of minutes with a handheld tester. Lots of features on the car can be customized with the tester. The tilt/telescope feature is nice and I don't remember issues on it reported on LS430s after about the 2002 model year. Well, it is a very complex car and things occasional fail. I've been driving Lexus LS cars for nearly 19 years and found the problem rate to be more than acceptable and far better on any Mercedes or Volvo I owned. Many people seem to love the Ultra Luxury version for all its "toy's" but it adds significant complexity and greatly reduces trunk capacity. There were very few Ultra Luxury versions manufactured during the 2006 model year. I didn't like the LS430 when it first came out in late 2000 but I have certainly warmed up to it -- particularly after driving and thoroughly going over an LS460. If I had to replace my 2000 LS400 today, the 2006 LS430 would be my first first choice. The 2006 LS430's leased in fall 2005 are now coming off 3 year leases and, with the plummeting used luxury car market, are incredible bargains. I bought my 2000 LS400 in 2003 after it came off somebody else's three year lease -- first time I ever did that and only used car I have bought since the 1970s -- buying an off 3-year lease car definitely gives a big bang for the buck.

Because Lexus dealers like to make a lot of money? The dealer price for HID bulbs does seem silly high -- they are silly in the U.S. too. Dealers are likely paying Toyota/Lexus a premium wholesale price so the bulbs may not be marked up all that much. Hey, a green card, comedian New Brunswickan friend of mine down here in Kansas once called the "new" bridge from the mainland to P.E.I. ... "the Bridge to Nowhere". Cruel, eh? We used to visit P.E.I. in pre-bridge days -- I thought moss was going to start growing on us before we left.