1990LS400

I don't know Blake. My comment is based on a Lexus dealer service writer telling me that the total cost of replacing the strut rod assemblies which included new bushings was less than buying the bushings separately and having his mechanic spend the time to remove the old bushings and press the new ones into the old strut rods. I'm looking at the invoice and the labor charge for replacing the two strut rods was $327.42 in 2007. I was charged $254.64 for the new strut rods that included new bushings. I don't see the hourly labor rate on the invoice but I think it is currently $110/hour. I don't normally use the Lexus dealer for repairs but the alignment equipment at my normal repair shop was not working and I needed to get the repair done before going on a trip. I've seen at least one comment on the forums where someone said that an auto parts store pressed new bushings into his existing strut rods. I usually have a professional mechanic take care of repairs that would put a car out of service -- I no longer have extra cars to use to run back and forth to an auto parts store while a car is up on jack stands. I guess I could ask one of my next door neighbors if I could borrow one of their extra cars for runs to the auto parts store -- two Maseratis and one Porsche! The strut rods (the invoice calls them both "bars" and "rods") were replaced on my 00 LS at 86,671 miles and probably needed replacing 5 - 10 thousand miles before that. I was getting quite a bit of vibration and sloppy handling and I thought it was a tire defect or a wheel balance problem. I no longer have the records for my 90 LS but I thought the strut bars on it lasted far longer. Having the new strut rods/bushings did make an amazing difference. You don't realize how bad some things are until after they are fixed.

The Carson checkout is a secure checkout as are most these days -- there is the little padlock symbol at the lower right of my browser window. Some credit cards provide more more protection (zero personal liability) when making online purchases than when using a credit card in person ($50 maximum personal liability). We've made hundreds of purchases online (auto parts, clothes, travel) from all over the world and never had a problem. I regard online purchasing as being safer than handing my credit card to a cashier in a store or a waiter in a restaurant.

Did they show you documentation of the TSIB expiring on December 8th and that it has been updated to cover only squeaks? Their story sounds like total "BS" and that they want to make you think they were doing you a favor.

amcdonal86, I think you are going to set a record for the most threads started by a new owner and I hope you are not getting stressed out by the minor issues you are having. Keep the new threads coming! I'm sure everyone will continue to help as much as possible. Things will settle down soon. Ommmmmmm.

A "clean carfax" means nothing -- less than nothing. I suggest you have someone ride with you whose sole job is to determine exactly where the rattles are coming from. I once had me wife drive (not a Lexus) while I probed the interior with my stethoscope to determine exactly where a rattle was coming from. It's even possible that the rattles are not coming from something loose in the car interior.

What do you mean by asking if Bluetooth can be added to your stock head unit. Of course, an aftermarket Bluetooth kit can be installed in your car. I consider installing phone kits a challenging and fun project -- but I'm weird that way. There are Bluetooth kits available from lots of companies -- Motorola, Parrot, Nokia, etc., etc. It should be possible to attach any of them to your audio system so that your radio/CD/etc. automatically mutes when a call is made or received. It is possible to play the phone call through a door speaker but easier in most cases to use a separate speaker installed under the dash. If you want to do the install yourself, the first thing to do is get a copy of your audio system wiring diagram -- a Lexus dealer printed it for my LS so I could identify the wire color of the mute connection. The easiest way to power a phone kit is with an "add a circuit" piggyback fuse connector at the under-dash fuse box. Not that it is necessarily the best Bluetooth kit, but both Lexus and Toyota dealers in the U.K. and Europe sell the Motorola IHF1000 Bluetooth kit as an official accessory on vehicles without navigation. The IHF1000 sold in the U.S. does not have an external antenna and charging cradle like the ones sold in the U.K. and Europe. You will likely need to pull your radio to access the back for a mute connection. There are good instructions on the Pro.Fit International website -- they sell brackets for phones, GPS, etc.: http://www.pro-fit-intl.com/Adobe/MV-50-03-G3-p1.pdf I don't know where the audio system amp is located on the RX and even if the amp is separate from the head unit; if your RX has a separate amp, there may be a mute connection there. It varies -- sometimes the mute is on the amp and sometimes on the head unit. Here is a thread where someone installed an IHF1000 in his LS400 -- the principles are the same regardless of the car: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&hl=IHF1000 If you install a Parrot, here is a company that might have interface cables to make it a little easier: http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/find.php There are a number of past threads on this forum about installing phone kits.

The current ClubLexus 10% discount code for Sewell is “CL911M”. Sewell has given me a substantially larger discount than 10% without having a discount code but that could be because I am a repeat customer and have placed some fairly high dollar orders.

Alter the model year in both places in the following URL to see what options were available in various model years: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/2003/2003LSspecs.pdf You can see similar and sometimes better information for 2002-up in the CPO model library on the Lexus website. My main advice is to completely ignore the used car valuations on websites like Kelly.com -- they are complete fantasy and do not begin to reflect current real world prices. You should be able to easily buy a decently equipped, low mileage (< 50,000) 2003 LS430 for less than $15,000. The current used car market is bizzare. If given the choice between a newer high mileage car and a slightly older low mileage car, I would definitely go for the older low mileage one. I know these cars last a long time but there is no substitute for lower miles. If you want an LS400, get the newest possible since it has the most safety features -- e.g. the only LS400 that had Brake Assist was the final model year (2000). The first year that had DRL was 99. The first year that had VSC and side air bags was 98. An advantage of the LS430 of any year is that its audio system architecture allows easily adding interfaces for sat radio and iPod and you don't have to put up with the awful cartridge based CD changer that the LS400 had. It's certainly a great time to be a used car buyer but not a good time to be a seller.

Paul, that link really shows how much my 00 LS repair manuals suck. They couldn't even include the words "cell battery" after the word "dry" in my manual. I almost always spend the few hundred bucks to buy the repair manuals each time we buy a car and I've found that the Lexus manuals are pretty bad compared to the mostly Honda and Mercedes repair manuals I bought before we started buying Toyota/Lexus products. I keep reminding myself that I am sooo funtunate to have a good indie Lexus mechanic that I can depend on to figure out the more difficult issues. Finding a reliable indie mechanic to work on your car is one of the best things you can do -- ask other Lexus owners who they use to maintain their cars.

SK, could Canadian spec cars be different? I don't see the cladding color code beside the body color code (062) on the door jam label on my U.S. spec 00 LS -- only the interior color code. Excuse me, I meant "colour"! -- "Two peoples separated by a common language."

amcdonal86, a good way to find out what is going on is to take your car in for a front wheel alignment. A good tech who do alignments can usually tell you what specific parts are worn. A lot of money can be wasted on trying different fixes. You might as well find out from a professional exactly what is wrong if the problem is not obvious.

From my experience, the front strut bar bushings are the first thing to go in the front suspension -- they seem to last an average of 90,000 miles plus or minus 10,000 miles. You can see the strut bars (some people call them strut rods) by kneeling down and looking in front of the front suspension -- the strut bars run horizontally from the wheel suspension to the front of the car. It can be less expensive to have the entire strut bar and bushing replaced rather than having new bushings pressed into the bars.

I agree that the whining might be from low refrigerant or worse in the A/C compressor -- I noticed that the one on my similar 00 LS gets noisier when low on charge. The "major rattles coming from the door panels" is odd. I have an almost identical car and it's about the most rattle free car I've ever owned. The few times I thought I had a rattle in either my 1st or current LS, it turned out to be junk in the glove compartment or door pocket moving around. Once I had a buzzing sound that was driving me crazy -- I traced it down to a loose setting in a ring I was wearing... which was funny since I doubt if I could have heard the buzz if driving any other car. A tool I have used to trace interior noises is an automotive stethoscope. I have one exactly like this one: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...amp;cm_ite=auto How many miles does your "new" 99 LS have on it? There are a few front suspension bits that typically wear out between 80,000 - 120,000 miles that can cause some nasty vibrations.

Paul, my repair manual doesn't say way the "dry" is -- maybe someone else on this forum will help? I don't know where the connectors are. I found a few photos on eBay of 98-00 GS300 mirrors - here's one for sale that shows a connector in one of the photos: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Parts-Acces...bayphotohosting As quickly as a mirror can be changed, I'm guessing that the mirror connector is behind the speaker -- assuming that your GS has a radio speaker there. Here is link to a website that shows more about the mirror and lots of other components on Lexus vehicles: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_1999_LEXU...EAQFA_8701.html

Assuming you have the "Electrochromic Outside Mirrors" option mentioned on http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1999/1999GSspecs.pdf it's unusual for them to both fail completely. The glass does tend to fail and become cloudy over time with the clouding starting at the edge of the mirrors and spreading towards the center. This has started on my 00 LS and I'll eventually have to do something -- hopefully replace just the glass. But it instead sounds like your outside mirrors are in permanent dim mode. I don't know if my 00 LS has the exact same connectors as your 99 GS but I've attached the rather pathetic brief diagnosis procedure from my 00 LS repair manual. I can't tell from the procedure what the default mode of the mirror should be. I would think that the default mode would be "bright" but maybe your car is proving that it is "dark".

The exact date of manufacture is not in the VIN. There are lots of VIN decoders on the Internet. Here is one: http://www.decodethis.com/Decoder/YourOwnV...76/Default.aspx which gives you this: VIN JTJBT20X460111262 VALID Passengers 5 Date 1/11/2009 Year 2006 Doors 4 Invoice $40,571.00 Make Lexus Manual/Auto Trans. No / Std MSRP $46,635.00 Model GX 470 Forced Induction No Delivery $715.00 Trim FrontWD No Engine Type 8 Cylinder Engine Style 4-Door SUV 4WD RearWD No Engine Size 4.7L/285 CID Market 4WD Sport Utility Vehicles AllWD No Horsepower Towing FourWD Std Torque Fleet Only No Stepside No Fuel Type Gasoline Fuel The month and year of manufacture should be on a sticker on the drivers door jam. What kind of "official certificate" you are looking for? The VIN should be enough for an insurance company claim and they can figure out the rest.

racwld1, I don't think I understand. Are you unable to remove the bulb socket from the lens housing or are you unable to remove the bulb from the socket after you remove the socket from the lens housing. The warning light on the dash can be caused by something as simple as a broken bulb filament that can still make enough contact to light the bulb. It can also be caused by a bad ground wire, a bad socket, or the bulb failure sensor but it is more likely a problem with a bulb. What's with the "1993 LS430" in your car model? I don't think they made the LS430 in 1993. ;)

I don't see in the TSIB (see attached) where warranty coverage for the rear brake pad problem ends at 25,000 miles. The TSIB includes the following: "Applicable Warranty*: This repair is covered under the Lexus Comprehensive Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 48 months or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s in-service date. * Warranty application is limited to correction of a problem based upon a customer’s specific complaint." I have to wonder if the Lexus dealer is trying to "double bill" for the work -- i.e. bill both you and Lexus for replacing your rear brake pads. ES350_Rear__Brake_Pad_Wear_TSIB.pdf

This web page has a summary of what is available for Lexus vehicles: https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/...&_nfpb=true As you can see, the repair manual is a small part of what is included on Techinfo. Perhaps the most important information on Techinfo are the electrical diagrams. The electrical diagram manual is separate from the repair manual set. Now that the audio system diagrams have been removed from the Auto Repair Reference Center, available through many public libraries, Techinfo is now the only place I know where they can be viewed. I bought the hard copy two volume repair manual set for both of my previous 90 and current 00 LS400. They are useful but certainly not the best in comparison to what some other manufacturers offer.

This document does not seem to be in the format of any official Toyota/Lexus document I've seen and it covers relatively few model years. Plus, the document has the phrase "Although the vehicle manufacturer does not recommend a specific scheduled maintenance interval". Toyota/Lexus definitely specifies timing belt replacement intervals in the owners or maintenance manuals that come with their cars. There has been a phenomenal amount of misinformation in the various forums on which are and which are not interference engines. If you want to know which is which, I suggest that you ask a Lexus technician who has taken these engines apart.

The silver-like Toyota/Lexus touch-up paint I have has P/N 00258-UCA29 on it in a small font and UCA29 in a large font. I can't remember if I got this for the "Diamond White Pearl" 90 LS I sold in 2003 or for the "Crystal White" 2000 LS I still have. I think I remember that the paint code for the lower cladding was not on an ID plate on the car and that the dealer had to figure it out -- and had some difficulty figuring it out. I used it a few years ago to touch up the front bumper of my 00 LS and it seemed to match. All the paint codes for the 98 LS, except the cladding and bumpers, are listed here: http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1998/1998LSspecs.pdf

In the 11 page sunroof diagnostic procedure for my 00 LS, there is a limit 1 switch and a limit 2 switch described as being on or near the sunroof motor. I am guessing these switches sense when the sunroof is open or closed and stop the motor. I don't see any instructions for reducing the forward travel of the sunroof. The way the sunroof works may be different on your 02 ES. The LS has an auto close sunroof feature with "pinch protection" -- don't know if the 02 ES has that. Have you checked for debris or something bent (e.g. the little arms for the pop up wind deflector) that could be impeding the closing of the sun roof? This would probably be an easy one for a mechanic to figure out. What do you mean "not on seat 2 (passenger)"? The memory function is only for the drivers seat and has nothing to do with the front passenger seat. Have you set a second drivers seat memory position by pressing in and holding the Set button while you press the "2" button?

The Lexus version of "forest green" was called "Woodland Pearl": http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/1998/1998LXspecs.pdf Forest green was a very popular color on all sorts of products in the late 1990s/early 2000s but has almost disappeared on today's products. Who are the "color police" who make these decisions for the world? I can't even find touch-up paint for our 9 year old forest green patio furniture -- Hmmm, I wonder if Lexus Woodland Pearl paint would work! That might be a first.

I'm mostly sure that 1999 was the first year for DRLs on both Toyota and Lexus cars sold in the U.S. market. My wife's 98 Camry doesn't have DRL and she drives with her headlights on during the day -- always. There are lots of DRL kits available -- especially in Canada where they import a lot of U.S. spec cars and commonly install DRL kits to comply with their regs. Check the Internet for kits -- they're inexpensive. Here's a company with a big choice in kits: http://www.daytime-running-lights.com/ I don't know about the ES but on the 99-00 LS like I have, there is not just one relay for the DRL. I don't know why but there are so many on the 99-00 LS -- perhaps has something to do with the automatic headlights.

It might be a 6,000+ mile round trip from Miami to Banff and back but it's not like you are going to the North Pole. You will probably be on interstate highways or similar much of the way. You might want to have snow tires on your IS and make an appointment at the Lexus dealer in Calgary to have your car serviced before heading back. It sounds like an adventure ... a very long, tiring adventure! I know you didn't ask but ...Round trip air fare Miami to Banff is less than $450/person with advance purchase and it takes as little as 7 hours and only one stop to get there. A hard shell locking ski case like I have carries two sets of skis and poles and cost only about $100 -- it's great for air travel. You can get a shuttle from the Calgary airport to Banff if you don't want to rent a car -- a 1-way shuttle from the Calgary airport to Banff is as little as C$53 -- and the shuttles run many times each day. Have fun!