1990LS400

There is, of course, no "external telescopic antenna" on LS cars after the 1997 model year. The AM-FM radio antenna (and the phone antenna) on the 1998 LS400 is imprinted on the rear window similar to the defroster grid.

I think you would be happier if you mounted your sat radio on a console or bracket where it is visible and easily accessed. Do you really want to open your console lid and look down and far away from the road when you are changing stations or looking at a song title on your sat radio? It's a safety issue. Kuda has an inexpensive console for your car and Pro.Fit has a nice, compact and cheap swivel bracket also made for your LS400. Other companies sell mounting consoles and brackets too. You can see a Kuda console and a Pro.Fit bracket in this photo from the gallery: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/uploa...7_131_24292.jpg Personally, I think it is a PITA to mount anything you need to use very often in the center console -- the phone in my first LS was in the center console for 10 years and I was stunned when I found how much handier a phone was when mounted out in the open. I like the OEM look too but I have to be practical and safe.

Depending on the tire size you use on the 16s, the speedometer will likely be off a substantial amount. My next door neighbor bought an early LS400 in fall 1989 and he used 16" GS wheels with his snow tires for a number of years. I never heard him complain about any problems and we "talked cars" quite a bit. Do you know that 225/60-15 tires will fit on your OEM 15 inch wheels and and that they will keep the speedometer completely accurate as well as improving the braking and also the directional stability in cross winds?

If I understand correctly, your radio has never worked. If so, is it possible to speak to previous owners to see when the problem started? I suppose you could pull the head unit to check that the antenna and all other connections are plugged in to it -- very easy to do -- I've pulled the head unit in my 00 LS several times. I suspect there is some sort of defect in the head unit since the CD works fine. I doubt if it is as simple as a disconnected antenna. Lexus dealers aren't demons regardless of how we complain about them on this forum. A Lexus dealer might be in the best position to tell you what the problem is. There are a number of shops that repair Lexus radios and amps -- my local indie repair shop uses one in Florida and another 98-00 LS owner told me that the turnaround on radio repairs is very quick. Your 99 LS400 is a damned nice, and still valuable, car -- it's a shame to not have a radio to enjoy and it would be well worth a few hundred $ to get it working.

Having driven over 240,000 miles in LS400s over the past 17 years, I seriously doubt that your shocks are worn out at only 95,000 miles -- they usually last far, far longer and often way past 200,000 miles. My current LS400 just topped 90K miles and the shocks are just fine. The current owner of my previous 90 LS400 told me recently that the car is still on the original shocks at over 240,000 miles. With that said, be sure to have other front suspension components checked. For example, the strut bar assemblies on my 2000 LS400 had to be replaced at about 88,000 miles (about $550 at a Lexus dealer) -- the bushings were shot but it was cheaper to replace the entire strut bar assemblies. On my 90 LS400, most of the other suspension bushings and related components had to be replaced between 120K and 140K miles. Stay with OEM suspension parts if you want to preserve the "Lexus ride". Plus size tires and wheels and aftermarket shocks and suspension components usually substantially degrade the ride while giving only a modest improvement in handling. The main thing to keeping these cars going is to perform ALL the required services on time. And it doesn't hurt to change the differential and transmission fluid every 30K miles or so even if the service schedule says it is not necessary. Keep on top of the maintenance and you are golden; skimp on maintenance and you are screwed.

Interestly the Infinity M35 I rented in Virginia several months ago for a week had this feature and I wish I could have turned it off. It placed the seat so far back that I had a hard time getting out of the car. Your LS430 has three seat/steering column/mirror settings buttons. How many drivers are in your household? Perhaps you could dedicate memory button 3 to move the seat all the way back.

As I reported last year in this thread, http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&hl=Hundred , I was very impressed by the Ford Five Hundred we rented in Virginia. Comfy, huge interior and a lot of fun to drive. One of the aspects of I liked (a lot!) was the front styling. Although I doubt if we would have purchased one, I told people about and recommended the Ford Five Hundred to a number of people. The "new" Ford Taurus, however, is one of the most awful looking cars I have ever seen and it completely turns me off. I could never recommend it to anyone. I understand Ford's stragedy (strategy + tragedy) -- they wanted to change the Ford Five Hundred to be more visually like the old and more successful Taurus to try to attract owners of older Taurus cars. Maybe they should have instead changed the Five Hundred to look like the "Model T" or "Model A".

If your brake light switch has failed, you wouldn't be able to shift out of Park without pressing the override button on the center console. You have checked all four bulbs, haven't you?

You can find the mute pin in the driver's side OEM phone connector under the center console vent by probing the pins in the connector with a grounded test light (not a battery powered continuity tester!) while the radio is on. The radio will mute when you find the mute pin. As Bill H. said, there is also a mute pin in the phone harness in the trunk. And, depending on which radio, you can find a mute pin either on the amp or the headunit. However, probing an amp or headunit for a mute pin is a bit more risky than probing the OEM phone harness. Yes, the OEM speakers can be used with the phone kit although doing so substantially complicates the install. Here is an excellent tutorial from jainla on how he did it in his LS430: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=34849 Profession phone installers in the U.K. usually tie an aftermarket phone kit into a door speaker by intercepting the wire between the radio or amp and the chosen door speaker. I've seen details on how to do this on various forums but I doubt if I could find information very quickly. You might try searching clublexus - I remember a thread where someone did this on a GS. In case you haven't seen it here is my lame thread about my phone install and the mute pin -- it has a link to an install doc I prepared: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...791&hl=mute Also search for information from Blake918 about his phone kit install and how he found a mute pin. --------------- gx00850, I just noticed that you have a 97 ES instead of an LS. I don't know how much of this would apply to your ES. In my wife's 98 Camry, I found a mute pin in the 12 pin data port on the back of the radio. Although Camry's and some ES cars both have 12 pin data ports, people on this forum have documented that they do not work the same.

It looks like Bill H has not been to this forum since August 2006. The sixth photo Bill H posted shows the wire lead he used to tap into the fuse box -- it's the little cable with the fuses at the bottom of the picture. Check with an auto supply store or a car stereo installer to find one. The ground wire for your phone kit can be connected to a screw or bolt under the dash -- or at least that's what I did on my phone kit. I wouldn't give up on finding a mute point under the center console just because Bill did not find one. If you have an OEM phone, be sure to unplug the connectors to the phone ECU in the trunk and plug them together to complete the circuit. Unplug the OEM handset from the connectors under the air vents in the center console. Personally I think a better place for the microphone is to the rear of the sunroof tilt switch where it conflicts less with electrical switches.

Whoa, there! I have driven pearl white Lexus LS cars for over 17 years and I can assure you that the paint on the metal body of your car did not "yellow a little bit with age". Very funny. What happened is that the body shop did not paint your bumpers using the correct paint that matched the paint on the body work. Or the bodyshop did something else that let to a poor color match. My first pearl white 1990 did not change color over the entire 13 1/2 years I owned it before selling it in 2003 -- and, unfortunately, I had to have a substantial amount of bodywork and paint matching done over those years due to being rear ended a few times. Here is a link to a photo of it just before I sold it: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=si&img=803 Have the body shop repaint the bumpers using the correct OEM Lexus paint or painting process.

Yes, the front turn signals by the headlights on the 98-00 LS400 are only turn signals and are not running lights.

Perhaps and LX and LS are "apples and oranges", but last week I paid my favorite Lexus indie repair shop $1,417 (includes Kansas sales tax) for the 90,000 service on my LS. I excluded the oil change since I like to do that myself. The service included replacing the timing belt and water pump and changing all other fluids -- brake, coolant, transmission, differential. It included changing the engine air filter the HVAC filter. It did not include changing the spark plugs since the interval on a 2000 LS is 120K miles. The service included rotating and balancing the wheels, all the normal inspections and tightening of stuff, and a car wash and interior cleaning. I've found that some Toyota dealers in the Kansas City area do not include water pump replacement in their quotes for the 90K service -- this makes their prices artificially low -- and also omit other items that are included in the Lexus service schedule.

Why are you buying a used car that is not equiped the way you want and then wanting to spend a small fortune to add nav? If you want OEM nav, back out of the deal and go find an LS430 with nav. Many options - especially nav- are almost "free" when you buy a used LS. According to the unrealistically high Kelly Blue Book, nav adds only $450 to the trade-in value of an "excellent", average mileage (51K miles) 2004 LS430. The real world target price of a used car is generally somewhere between the Kelly trade-in value and the private party value.

That looks like a Avensis Verso instead of the more common Avensis sedan and wagon. I've ridden in Avensis sedan and wagon taxi cabs lots of times and especially like the wagen versions. We have a Camry sedan but I would much rather have an Avensis wagon. Toyota stopped selling the Camry in Europe and instead sells the similar size Avensis. I don't understand American's infatuation with SUV's. Maybe people in the U.S. don't care if they drive horribly crappy handling vehicles. Every time I get an RX as a loaner I find myself wondering why anyone would own one. The car you saw may be owned by a European tourist or someone here on a work assignment. As costly and difficult as it is to import a non-conforming car to the U.S., I doubt if anyone would try to import such a low cost car.

I posted photos a while back on replacing the bulbs in the high mounted stop light on my 2000 LS400 but I do not know if the one in the 98-00 LS is the same as the 1997: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=25937&hl= But for sure, the replacement procedure is very different between the 90-94 LS and the 98-00 LS.

Gosh, even the body shop owned by the local Lexus uses aftermarket glass. I've had aftermarket windshield installed in lots of cars over the past 40 years, including in Lexus LS and Toyota brand vehicles, and have gotten only one bad windshield -- way back in the 70s -- and it was promptly replaced at no charge. I'll be replacing the windshield on my currently LS fairly soon and, yes, it will be aftermarket glass -- for less than $300. The replacement will be done by a shop with which I have a long term relationship. Sorry, but I agree with your insurance company.

1. I'd suggest you look in the detailing section of this forum for recommendations. I simply use a wax that is top rated by Consumer Union and wax only 2 - 3 times each year. In my opinion, "less is more" - waxing too often can lead to swirl marks in the paint. 2. I can't help you much there. A car is not a dining room. I've been driving Lexus LS cars for over 17 years and there has never been food eaten in my cars. There are a variety of leather treatments that wil keep your seats looking good. To keep the interior in good shape, it helps a lot to have the side and back windows (if you do not have an electric retractable rear window shade) tinted to the legal maximum and to always use a windshield sun shield when parking outside -- I use a sun shield even in the winter. 3. We have quite a bit of snow here in the KC metro area so I would suggest that you buy an extra set of wheels and dedicated snow tires (with the mountain/snowflake logo) for use in the winter. You can get by with all season tires here in the winter but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. Several friends use Bridgestone Turanza all season tires on their LS cars. Since I have snow tires on extra wheels, I use directional summer-only tires on my LS - I like the extra quiet and better handling. 4. I highly recommend Ben Bennett's Exact Performance repair shop - http://www.exactauto.com/default.htm . He has been servicing our Lexus and Toyota cars and the cars of our friends and neighbors for about 10 years. Tell him Jim H. (with the white 2000 LS400) recommended him. 5. I generally have a policy of not commenting on service warranties (for a good reason) but I have never had a Toyota product where an extended service warranty would have provided a benefilt. I was told last week by its current owner that my first LS400 (a 1990) is still going strong at over 240K miles and its owner told me he wants to keep it forever. The key to making an LS last is to do all the required maintenence and get professional help when you need it. It doesn't pay to "over maintain" an LS. The normal maintenance schedule is just fine. Good luck with your new toy!

Oddly, two of the three TSIB's on the tilt/telescope steering wheel issues exclude the 1998 LS 400 and are apparently only for LS400s in the 1999 and 2000 model years. Very odd. Here are all three including the two that appear to be only for the 1999 and some of the 2000 LS400's. TSIB_ST001_04.pdf TSIB_ST003_00.pdf TSIB_ST003_99.pdf

An, I suppose the person you are speaking with may be being truthful and be unaware of the TISB's on the tilt/telescope steering wheel. I will plan on downloading the TSIB's from EBSCO tonight and post them on this thread. The TISB's involve changing both the tilt motor and the telescopic motor. Another TSIB involves substituting a rigid rod with u-joints for the flexible cable in the wheel telescope system. At the low mileage of the 98 LS you are looking at, it is quite possible that there was never a problem and that the TSIB's were never applied. And, of course, even if the work was never done, the problems may never develop on this particular car. TSIB work is supposed to be done only if the owner complains about a problem but often dealers encourage owners to complain so that the dealer can do the work and get paid for it by Lexus. The dealer should have access to all TSIB information for the 98 model year - even if it has been a long time ago. There are a few other TSIB's too. One addressed wind noise from the outside mirrors and involved stuffing various materials behind the mirror glass to reduce the noise. Be sure to check the age of the tires! If they are original, at 9-11 years old they would not be safe and should be replaced immediately. Also, the price the dealer is asking for this 98 LS really does seem quite high even with the low mileage and excellent condition. I paid a little less than $31K for my 2000 LS400 with the same number of miles on it in 2003 at a point when it was just over three years from its original in-service date. I suggest that you find out what the in-service date was on the 98 you are looking at to see at what point in the model year it was manufactured -- it could be as early as August 1997.

From what I remember, the tilt/telescope issues effected LS400's from 1998 until sometime in 2000 when the problems were solved by a redesign. My 2000 LS400 was made after the problems were resolved. I thought I had posted the TSIB's but I searched this and another forum and I can't find them. You can find them in the EBSCO auto repair database in the on-line reference system of many public libraries -- you usually have to have a library card to view EBSCO. The TSIB's have the VIN numbers of the cars that had the problems. I think there are as many as three TSIB's about the problem -- there are at least two. About the only way to tell if the car has had the TSIB's applied is to have a dealer look at the car's record. When I bought my 2000 LS400 in 2003, the local dealer verified that all TSIB work had been done. As I posted previously, a co-workers 99 LS developed problems with the tilt/telescope at about 90,000 miles. The TSIBs had not been applied. BTW, the TSIBs are done for free if the car is within warranty. After the warranty has expired it is rare that the work will be done for free. On a 9 year old car, it would be very unusual for Lexus to fund the repair. By "well equipted", does the 98 you are looking at have HID, wood wheel and shift knob, heated seats, air suspension, Nakamichi. Don't be scared of a 98 with air suspension -- the auto leveling is nice if you carry adult passengers in the back seat and lots of luggage in the trunk.

It would be good to find out if all the TSIB's have been applied when the car was under warranty. For example, if the TSIB's on the tilt/telecope issues have not been performed, doing the work on your own dime will cost at least $2K. How is this car equiped? What options? (There were lots of options on a 99 LS and some of the optional equipment was standard or more common on the 99-00 LS.) Most of the options on the 98's were individually priced and there were few packages offered. If the car has the OEM navigation system, I suggest that you pass on this vehicle - regardless of the mileage. If the car is well optioned, without nav and if all the TSIB's have been applied, then this low mileage 98 LS could be a rare find and well worth paying a premium if you plan to keep it a long time.

I'm back from using the Magellan Roadmate 2200T GPS for 10 days in a Honda Accord rental car in southern Florida where it let us down only once when it could not find what turned out to be a really awful restaurant in Homestead Florida. The Magellan did a great job getting us to a number of destinations in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and it was even of value in Key West where we used it to find various restaurants and points of interest regardless of whether we were driving or walking. One unexpected benefit of having a GPS is the effect it has on my obsessive wife who is paranoid about getting to the airport in plenty of time on the day we leave. On our last day in Florida, my wife could always look at the Magellan's screen and see exactly how far we were from the airport by the fastest route and how long it would take us to get there. It made the last day a lot more pleasant. Attached is a photo of the 2200T mounted in our 00 LS on a Pro.Fit Legend bracket that I installed yesterday. Although the Pro.Fit bracket has a built-in swivel, I found that moving it around quickly loosened the screw holding the swivel to the bracket. So...it is necessary to decide what position you want the swivel base to be in and then very firmly tighten the screw. Although I had hoped my wife could swivel the GPS towards her for easier use, I decided to point it directly towards the driver's seat since I will often be alone in the car. My wife can always lean a little to the left to get a better view of the screen. When I have more time, I will hide the power cord for the GPS behind the carpet on the transmission tunnel and connect it to a DC extension cable that I will connect to the wire leading to the center console auxilary power outlet -- I ran out of time last night. Overall, I am very happy with this inexpensive GPS. And, if I want a nicer GPS unit, it will be easy to install a different GPS unit on the Pro.Fit bracket and to hide its power cable -- doing so will require only removing/reinstalling the phone console and the wood panel/ashtray assembly in the center console -- should take less 30 minutes to install a different GPS.

I bought a small inexpensive plastic pump at a hardware store many years ago. It has a handle that you rotate like a fishing reel handle and two long plastic tubes. One tube is the intake and the other one is the output. I doubt if I spent more than $20 for it.