1990LS400

This shop in Florida repaired my 2000 LS400 Nakamichi head unit earlier this year when the right channel stopped working: http://www.carstereohelp.com/ The repair was quick and "Bob" kept me informed. I highly recommend him. At least in my case, repair was substantially less expensive than a used head unit radio from eBay. Also, the face of my head unit is cosmetically perfect so I didn't want to risk buying a scratched up used radio.

Well that photo just shows that there is no limit to what some people will do! I'll bet that "bull bar" is meant for some other - much larger - vehicle and not for an RX -- really ... look at it ... doesn't allow for hardly any road clearance even with the massively over-sized wheels. If you google for "RX bull bar" you will find plenty but they are fairly compact and don't look anything like this silliness. Google for "RX side steps" or "RX running boards" and you will find plenty.

Yes, you are correct! I apologize. The little button under the dash only turns the wireless lock "beep" on and off. It looks like it takes a handheld tester to adjust the beep volume -- attached is a list of what can be changed - at least on the U.S. spec 98-00 LS400. The 1990 LS400 I bought new and drove for 13 1/2 years has a gray cloth interior similar to your early Celsior -- the cloth still looked like new when I finally sold the car to a friend -- photos are in my gallery on this forum. Very few LS400s with cloth interiors were sold in the U.S. and leather was made standard for the 1992 model year. I loved the cloth interior -- particularly nice because it didn't have seat heaters. I'm not disliking the leather seats in the 00 LS as much as I thought I would -- but it has seat heaters. As far as I've seen, only the RHD LS400s were equipped with the rear power seat, A/C and audio controls -- or at least I've never seen these features in a LHD LS400 while traveling in other LHD countries. CBES.pdf

I don't think the U.S. spec 1999 LS400 radio had a security feature -- my 2000 LS400 doesn't. I think the security feature for U.S. models was discontinued in 1994. I think a U.S. Lexus dealer charges $50-$100 to reset the radio security code. I'm surprised there is a problem if you were using your own security code. I wonder if it reverted to the previous code or the default code. For my previous 90 LS400, I think the default security code was listed in the owners manual. The U.S. owners manual has a VSC reset procedure -- attached is the one from my 00 LS owners manual. On U.S. models, there is a small knob under the dash on the drivers side to change the "beep" volume. I think the horn on the firewall is part of the alarm system but I've never been curious about it. There are an amazing number of difference in Lexus versions sold in various countries. Does your LS400 have the rear seat audio and A/C control in the armrest but without the power rear seat like the Australian versions I've seen on the Internet?

The main difference between a 2-wheel drive vehicle stuck in the snow and a 4-wheel drive vehicle stuck in the snow is that a 4-wheel drive vehicle gets to spin all four wheels while stuck. If you are worried about getting around in the snow, get a set of real snow tires -- they usually have a mountain/snowflake logo on the side walls --> http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=125 Maybe I've had more practice driving in heavy snow than most people where I now live, but I've routinely noticed that my rear wheel drive 00 LS with four heavy duty (not "winter performance") Blizzak snow tires gets around better than most 4WD vehicles with all-season tires.

Here is a Tire Rack article that has a link to a list of ""Tires Suitable for Use in Severe Snow Conditions": http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=125 Your post reminded me of a memorable day in Vancouver's Stanley Park when some "nut case" on a bicycle was screaming "Superman's paralyzed" as he road his bike around -- it was the day or day after Christopher Reeve fell off his horse. My wife and I ended up spending the evening with the "nut case" (a tugboat operator) and his girlfriend bar hopping down Robson Street.

After yesterday morning's 4° F and today's 9° F, I'm really missing global warming here in Kansas City. Based on my 18 past winters with Lexus LS cars, your car's warm-up time is pretty typical. If you park outside or in an unheated garage and have access to an AC outlet, a block heater is very nice to have. As well as providing quicker heater heat, it helps a car run better initially on a very cold day. The suggested retail installed price of a block heater at Canadian Lexus dealers has zoomed up recently - now C$360. The installed price was only C$232 last year. I would think you could get a "deal" on an uninstalled price. If you are interested in a block heater, I've been happy with the service from Metro Toyota/Lexus in Victoria, BC. Metro has an export license and can ship to the U.S.: http://www.metrolexusvictoria.com/aboutus/contactus.htm

Here is one of several places to view TSIBs for the GS: http://forums.theautomedia.com/local_links.php?catid=7 Your Lexus dealer may have a more reliable access to this information.

Sewell Lexus might be a good place to start. I found this web page from them on the 2007 Gen 4 update but its marked "discontinued" - maybe there is a later one: http://www.sewellpartsonline.com/parts_det...90137&all=Y I've bought quite a bit of stuff from Sewell -- good service. The current discount code from the ClubLexus form is “CL911M” although I've generally been given a discount without using a code. You might want to give them a call to make sure you get the correct update version: 888-909-6633 Don't know if an update would help you locate businesses -- the databases in navigation systems from car manufacturers are often behind the ones in portable navs like the ones from Garmin. EDIT!: I see on the Sewell website that your 04 GX has Nav generation 2/3 instead of the version 4 in the 04 LX -- Sorry!

I use the snow mode on my LS mainly at slow speeds when the road conditions are extreme and especially when ascending steep hills on city streets. I have found it to be the most useful when a street is covered mainly with ice. Maybe it's different on the IS, but on my LS snow mode makes the transmission to start in 3rd gear (at least, I think it is 3rd gear), keeps the car in each gear longer, and restricts the operation of the throttle. At least that is my perception of how it works. Use of the snow mode setting isn't mandatory. If you have good snow tires, you might not need it very often. I use snow mode only when I really need it and turn it off as soon as possible so that the transmission shifts normally.

Its pretty straightforward to install a Bluetooth kit so it would mute your audio system -- there are lots of nice Bluetooth kits available from Motorola, Parrot, Nokia and other companies. Lexus and Toyota dealers in the U.K. and Europe sell the Motorola IHF1000 Bluetooth as an official option - rebranded with Lexus and Toyota logos - for cars that do not come with Bluetooth. You can see an example of the IHF100 with its optional charging cradle on this U.K. Lexus web page: http://www.lexus.co.uk/range/is/accessories/interior.aspx A bunch of us including me have installed phone kits in Lexus vehicles so they mute the audio system. The first step might be to ask a Lexus dealer to print the audio system diagram for you so you can identify the location and color of mute wire connections. My Lexus dealer did that for me although it was easier for me since my car was pre-wired at the factory for a phone system.

What is a "true winter rim"? I used "take off" Lexus alloy wheels with snow tires on a 90 LS for 13 winters. The inexpensive alloy wheels from Tire Rack with Blizzaks on my 00 LS are entering their sixth winter of use and the wheels still look like new. I haven't had a corrosion problem with the wheels and a lot of salt is used on the roads where I live and drive.

See now I think your spec lights look far better than mine as I think the UK spec look as if most of your bulbs have gone,so really then I would only have to change the ones in the rear quarter panel with some US spec lenses and part of the loom because as you lot have said I might run in to some problems with the fog lights in the trunk. Thanks for the help with this and I'll be back to this after the holidays so might call on you lot for some more advice. Have a good Christmas I may be mistaken but I thought I read some place that the U.K. spec LS400 has dual filament bulbs for both brake and tail lights even though only one filament of a bulb is sometimes used. If so, could the socket for the brake light bulb in the outer lamp housing be wired up so that the unused filament is used for the tail light? I think I remember some threads on the U.K. part of this forum about re-wiring the rear lights -- it may have been about RHD Celsiors imported into the U.K.

Lots of older garage door openers are not compatible with HomeLink. Conversion kits are available to make an opener compatible with HomeLink - here is an example: http://www.expressdoors.com/html/homelink_...ersion_kit.html However, as I said before, if your garage door opener is so old that it does not have infrared safety sensors, replace it NOW -- infrared sensors would have likely saved the family pet of someone we know rather than it getting squashed and killed by a closing garage door. I recently required my elderly parents to get an opener with infrared safety sensors after my father was hit in the head by his closing garage door. I have found that it is not cost effective to add infrared safety sensors to an existing garage door opener. They are too expensive to buy separately but come as standard with every garage door opener kit. Garage door openers are an easy DIY project. I must have installed at least ten of them in my lifetime.

Here's a photo of my 2000 LS400 with the rear lights on -- shortly after someone rear-ended me and caused a little damage. The rear lights on a 1995-97 US spec LS400 are very similar. All the tail light bulbs are dual filament and also function as brake lights. Personally, I prefer the rear light configuration used in the U.K. and Europe -- better contrast when the brake is applied. I thought about converting the taillights to work similar to the German-spec but don't know if I could keep the bulb-out warning sensor working. I've always thought the US spec LS400 rear end looks like a Christmas tree -- way too bright. U.S. LS400s don't have rear fog lights in the inner lens by the number plate. There is a plastic cover over where the fog light bulb would be inserted and the there is no rear fog light setting on the stalk on the steering wheel column.

Here is a link to the main page on the Lexus website regarding Bluetooth for the IS: http://www.lexus.com/models/IS/accessories/bluetooth.html Although the T-Mobile Curve is not listed on the use/pairing web page, here is info for the ATT version which is likely similar unless T-Mobile has defeated some of the features -- not unheard of: http://www3.lexusbluetooth.letstalk.com/br....htm?prId=33372 Clicking on the "Quick Guide Pairing Instructions" icon on the above page gets you this: http://www3.lexusbluetooth.letstalk.com/br.../393_05Navi.pdf I suggest you verify that your garage door opener is HomeLink compatible -- many older garage door openers are not. If your garage door opener doesn't have infrared safety sensors, it's probably time to replace the opener. We had to replace our openers when we had our garage doors replaced a few years back to comply with current building codes that require infrared safety sensors. These days, it's probably impossible to find garage door openers that are not HomeLink compatible that do not have the rolling code feature.

There is a fairly straightforward but fairly lengthy diagnostic procedure for the heated seats in the various Lexus cars -- mainly involves checking continuity on the switch and the connectors to the heater elements. The diagnostic procedure for my 00 LS is in the two volume repair manual set which I happened to buy from a Lexus dealer in Victoria BC. Can you get hold of a repair manual for your ES? If the problem does turn out to be a heater grid in the seat, plenty of people seem to be able to replace the elements themselves. Like gbhrps said, the heater elements are very expensive -- discounted prices for both the seat bottom and seat back elements on http://www.parts.com are nearly US$800.

What did you own as a "lifetime Lexus owner"? I doubt if an 04/05 LS is going to cost much more or less than it cost to maintain a V8 GX or any other V8 Lexus vehicle. IMO the best way to buy a used LS is to get one that is coming off a 3 year lease with a 36,000 mile mileage cap. That's what I did in 2003 when I bought my 2000 LS400. If you do it that way, you will still have about 14,000 miles and one year left on its basic warranty to take care of any issues that pop up. I didn't have any issues on either my 90 LS400 or 00 LS400 that would have made an extended warranty cost effective. All the significant issues surfaced and were taken care of during the basic warranty period. I drove my first LS400 (the 90) from new until 183,500 miles and my current 2000 LS400 from 38,000 miles to 106,000 miles and never regretted not purchasing an extended warranty. For sure, if you are looking at an 04 LS430, you would want to pay special attention to the transmission condition. Quite a few 04 LS transmissions were replaced under warranty. Personally, I'd look for an 2006 LS430 that was leased for three years/36,000 miles beginning in October-December 2005. They should be coming through the off-lease pipeline right about now.

Here is a web page that has a pretty good summary about drifting: http://www.wikihow.com/Drift-a-Car I don't do this type of stuff anymore, but my favorite drift method was the "hand brake turn" -- especially easy to do on snow covered roads. IMO, drifting is easier and safer to do in RWD cars with fairly narrow tires. Cars with wide sticky tires can generate huge cornering forces causing the "breakaway" to be very abrupt and difficult to control. It doesn't take a powerful engine to drift a car. The easiest, most controllable car to drift I've owned was a low powered 1956 4-cylinder Mercedes 190SL 2-seat convertible. If you want to practice drifting and don't mind trashing your tires, find a large flat empty parking lot (with no light standards!), turn off your VSC and drive in a tight circle. Better yet, wait for a rainy/snowy day so that tire breakaway comes early and tire damage is minimized. Learn to steer by "feathering" the throttle. With VSC on, this is also a good way to understand how far you can go before VSC kicks in. It seems kind of funny that drifting has become an end in itself. When I started taking part in amateur sports car events in the 1960s, drifting was just one of many racing techniques taught and discussed in the local sports car club. Drifting a car on public streets can be extremely dangerous. I occasionally did it many years ago and only when there was zero traffic -- until that night in the 1970s when I lost control on Meyer Circle in Kansas City and barely missed hitting the stone wall where so many people have died.

Rough running and near stalling can also be a symptom of broken wires in the left trunk hinge. Here is a recent thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=53517 When wires in my left trunk hinge broke on my 90 LS, it had so little power that I was barely able to drive it about 10 miles to get home. If you have never checked the trunk hinge wires, you might as well do it regardless if it is the cause of this problem. It is a very common problem in the gen 1 LS.

Maybe this diagram will help a little: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_U_2004_LEXU...EAGKA_8102.html It's probably better to either replace the light module or find where it is leaking and seal it with clear epoxy. I wouldn't recommend drilling drain holes.

OK, the correct term for the bottom of a snow ski or board is "base" instead of "face" -- excuse me.

I'm wondering if some of the racks require stacking two boards face to face to get the advertised capacities. My Yakima rack is only 22" wide and it could hold at least four pairs of the older low side cut skis if I stacked each pair of skis face to face. There is even room on my Yakima cross bars for two of these 22" wide racks so I guess I could haul a total of eight skis if I added a second rack to the cross bars -- if I hadn't retired from skiing. Is there room to squish/fold your board bindings to stack boards face to face without scratching the roof of your RX? I'm not a boarder -- I'm old enough to remember when not a single ski area in Colorado allowed boarders. Edit: I see bainzey gave you the same answer. He must be able to type faster than me!

Back in the 1980s the official line from Mercedes was that there was no difference between the longevity of its gas and diesel engine systems of similar engine sizes -- don't know if that has changed. I would think the lifespan of a 300TD engine would be much longer than the engine of the 240D diesel sedan I bought new in 1979 and drove until I bought my first LS400 in 1990. My 240D engine was running at about 3900 rpm at 70 mph and had to be flogged to keep up with traffic. The original diesel engine was replaced at around 130K miles and the factory rebuilt replacement engine lasted barely another year before it had to be replaced with another factory rebuilt engine. I'm sure that a 99 300TD would be a much calmer and quieter car to drive. Other than the engine compartment, there really isn't that much difference between the gas E320 and diesel E300. Regardless, what goes wrong with a Mercedes often has nothing to do with which engine the car has. The aspect I hated most about driving a diesel was fuel gelling in the winter when it got really cold. We had several very cold winters in the 1980s in the Kansas City area including about a week when daytime temperatures never exceeded 0 degrees F. No matter how careful I was to mix the appropriate amount of kerosene or regular gas with the diesel fuel, it was sometimes difficult or impossible to start the car in very cold whether. I had a special problem since I drove my 240D around Colorado ski areas in the winter. My non-turbocharged 240D would barely run above 7,500 feet even on a warm day but a turbodiesel Mercedes probably would have done much better. I ride in a friend's E320 quite a bit and I don't find it to be particularly comfortable -- guess I'm use to the more plush Lexus. My friend is about 6'4" and he seems to fit in my 00 LS400 a lot better than in his E320. The complexity of his E320's audio and climate controls is noticeable. Funny ... I still sort of like the feel of a Mercedes. Maybe it brings back childhood memories. My wife and I spent two weeks touring Virginia in May 2006. I couldn't help noticing how popular Mercedes vehicles were -- they were everywhere and seemed much more common that Lexus cars. What's up with that? Some sort of social status thing? As sour as my Mercedes experiences were, I might consider buying a low mileage 99 E300TD if it was a wagon simply because I really like station wagons. But I'd pass on an E300/E320 sedan. The way prices are today, you could buy a pretty nice 99-00 LS400 or even an 01 LS430 for $13,000.

Or, if the brake light switch at the brake pedal fails, the shift lock override button allows shifting out of park so the car can be driven.