1990LS400

With labor rates at even independent repair shops typically exceeding $100/hour, $200 for a diagnosis sounds completely reasonable to me.  I drove Lexus LS for 24 straight years and had numerous $1,000+ repair and service bills on them so $200 doesn't sound like much when we're talking about figuring out what's gone wrong on an LS.

I suggest you call a towing company with a flat bed truck and have them take your car to a repair shop.

10 hours ago, Simplify123 said:

You obviously do not have the latest Lexus crap technology .  My 2015 uses a mouse pad. They took away the wheel that lets you click through and now with your finger you have a tiny dot you need to maneuver to th perfect spot on the screen and then double click .  There is no easy way to navigate with this system.

You could also use the Lexus Enform smartphone application to set the destinations you want before you get in your car.  The "Saved Destinations" will be automatically transferred from your phone to your in-dash navigation system.

17 minutes ago, Simplify123 said:

I have news for you - i have a 2015 and it STILL SUCKS !!!    Its even worse now !!     instead of the knob to cycle through the options i have a mouse pad and you have to use your finger to nagiv[gate the tiny pointer to use the map.  sounds cool but it SUCKS !  The nav system asks you 2 and 3 confirmation questions to confirm what you said is what you want.  Do you want to add this to your route now ?  OK do you want to go direct ?  Frustrating.  The voice recognition isnt even close !  say 123 main st.  ... do you want to go to Walmart type not even close.  I love my 2015 RC350 but will be trading it in becuase i cant see buying a GPS to stick to the window when i have a nav system that is unusable.

 

IT BLOWS !!!!

It's almost always quicker to manually click through these navigation systems instead of using voice commands and waiting for voice prompts.  Plus, some functions are limited when using voice commands.  I almost always program in where I want to go while vehicles are stopped, e.g. before I pull into traffic.  If one navigates to the same locations on a regular basis, manually selecting from "previous destinations" speeds up the process immensely.  On most navigation generations, it is possible to turn off or limit voice prompts - that can makes using voice commands faster.

The costs of running low miles and high miles cars equals out to some extent.  A higher priced lower miles  car "should be" more trouble free and require fewer repairs than a less expensive higher miles car.

I think it comes down to your personal preference.  If we were all "smart", we might be driving a Toyota Prius like my CPA wife does.  It's a fascinating super reliable high tech / high economy vehicle with radar cruise control and automatic braking but nobody would call it fun to drive.

Except for one rarely driven 2-seat zoom car and not counting the cars my wife has driven, I drove only three vehicles from 1979 until 2014:  1979 Mercedes sedan from new to 210K, 1990 LS400 from new to 183K, 2000 LS400 from 38K to 179K.  So ... my method has been to buy fairly nice new vehicles or low miles used vehicles and drive them every day until the wheels fell off or they started requiring too many repairs or when I started thirsting for newer technology.  Some people like to change cars often.  We buy cars like we invest:  "Buy and Hold".

Only yesterday when I tried to get my wife to test drive a Tesla Model S as we walked by the Tesla dealership, she chided me about how much I have spent on cars during our 40 years together.  I reminded her that it seemed that she enjoyed riding in them a lot and I reminded her of how few cars I've bought.

What works for us doesn't work for everyone.  Do what you want!

Please understand that Billy is the "pro" here and I'm just an amateur.

Unfortunately, Billy lives in Texas and, as we all know, a Texan's first impulse is to whack whatever goes wrong ... dashboards, Afghanistan, Iraq ... you name it. 

I once offered to set Billy up with a newly widowed woman friend who lives near him.  Billy's excuse was that he already had one wife and was hesitant to take on another.  Our woman friend hitched up with another retired Texan old f_art so Billy's off the hook for now.

I really liked the 2000 LS400 I had for 10+ years and might have kept it for occasional use if we had garage space for extra vehicles.  Unlike Billy with his gazillion vehicles, my wife and I cut down to only two MPV-type vehicles and moved to "Geezer Village" in preparation for retirement.  I've still got the "car bug" but was unable to persuade my wife to test drive a Model S when we walked by the Kansas City Tesla dealership yesterday.  

My understanding is that only 95-up LS wheels will fit a 95-up LS400 or LS430.  90-92 15" wheels won't come close to fitting and I've never seen anyone try to put 93-94 LS400 wheels on a 95-up LS400 or LS430.

You would be safe with any OEM LS wheel made to fit a 95-00 LS400 or 2001-2006 LS430 in 16", 17" or 18".

There is no room for error when putting 95-up 16" wheels on a 95-up LS400 or LS430 - barely 1mm of clearance between the wheel and brake caliper and hidden stick on weights cannot be used to dynamically balance the wheels.  Hammer-on weights must be used to get a true dynamic balance.

Based on your photo, I think your aftermarket wheels look quite nice and make your LS400 look a bit more modern.  Your car would, however, have a "plusher" ride with 95-up LS 16" wheels.

I suppose you could remove one of the other front sensors and see how it is attached.  All I can tell you is there is a separate part number for each body color front sensor and that the "pad/cover" as you call it is not listed as a separately available part.

The body color part you see is an integral part of the sensor and is not, to my knowledge, available as a separate part ... or at least it is not shown as a separate part in the parts list which I just checked.  Tell me the year and color of your LS430 and I might be able to provide the part number for the complete sensor if I notice your response.  Sometimes used sensors come up on eBay.  Many Toyota and Lexus models use the same sensors - getting the correct color is the hard part when buying them used.

James,

If the Lexus dealer didn't understand what is going on you would not have been offered a no-cost replacement of the back window.  Say nothing critical of them, accept their offer with grace and allow them to keep their dignity.  They are being very generous.

I have long told people to never have aftermarket tint applied over back window defroster grids but most people "know better" and ignore what I have learned.  I've had only one back window tinted.  When the tint failed after eight or so years, a tint shop recommended replacing the back window instead of having them try to remove the tint and its underlying adhesive.  Lesson learned.

So I'll say it still again:  Never EVER have aftermarket tint applied over back window defroster grids unless you plan to "punt" the vehicle after relatively few years and don't care about the problems a future owner will have.

19 minutes ago, billydpowell said:

come on Jim, have you EVER heard of anyones tac or speedo sticking and completely not working... mine have been sticking for over 6 years and a whack ALWAYS jars them loose and my dash has not suffered ANY damage... 

Yes, Billy.  The speedometer in my 2000 LS400 stopped working for days at a time in the summer of 2013.  A rap on the dashboard would no longer get it going.  I had the same problem in the winter of 2013 when we were driving between Des Moines and Kansas City in an ice storm when I had the temperature set as high as it would go and the HVAC in  defroster mode trying to keep the windshield clear - no amount of beating on the top of the dashboard would make the speedometer needle work.

I had a Garmin GPS mounted on the dash of my 2000 LS400.  It had a GPS-based speedometer which I used when the speedometer in the cluster wasn't working.

If I had known that a company with an excellent reputation like Tannin could fix the problem at a nominal cost, I would have sent my cluster to them when the problem first started happening in the summer of 2012.

19 hours ago, flashedwards said:

So just give it a good whack? That reminds me of the scene in "The Longest Day" where the Bren Gun Carrier is stalled on the beach and the Beach Master gives it a hard rap in it fires right up or maybe in "No Time for Sargeants" when Andy Griffith spits in the back of the aircraft's radio, smacks it hard and it comes to life. I suppose that I can do that because if I pull the instrument cluster to have it repaired the wifey will be less than happy with the car in that condition. Judging from your post this condition will not interfere with the drivability it just is a nuisance?  If it doesn't effect anything else then I suppose I can live with it for a while but I won't be real happy.

Thanks for the info....it has helped alot,

Flash 

Come on, Flash.  Have the dang cluster fixed.  Rent a car for your wife if necessary.  I wouldn't recommend driving the car without an instrument cluster.

Forget "whacking" the top of the dashboard.  The problem is only going to get worse until it stops working completely when even a "whack" isn't going to help.

The sticking speedometer on the 2000 LS400 I sold in 2014 seemed related to temperature with the needle most likely to stick the worst when outside temperatures were above around 90 degrees or in the winter when I was running the windshield defroster at a very high temperature like when trying to keep the windshield clear in an ice storm.

Tannin usually offers very quick service.  Have them "rebuild" the speedometer too - it's going to start failing soon.  Fed-Ex "overnight" your cluster to them and you'll probably have it back in your LS in less than a week. 

57 minutes ago, James_A said:

The windows were tinted by Lexus dealer at the time of purchase. After noticing  and reporting it to the dealership, the tint was removed by the Lexus dealer, it helped a little bit, but the picture that I have posted is after they removed the tint. After many communications  with Lexus , they have agreed to replace the rear windshield. They told me if I replace it and the problem still exist, they will not be responsible for it since the glass it not the Lexus original part even though it is certified and is replace by Lexus dealership. That's why I have nor replace it yet.

 

I am going to investigate the comments that were provided by Paul. and provide you with the updates.

 

Thanks,

James

I'll bet they weren't able to remove the adhesive layer of the tint.  The tint layer is pretty easy to pull off - I've done it myself on side windows - but the adhesive layer is a completely different matter.  It is difficult - maybe impossible - to remove the adhesive layer from a rear window without damaging the defroster grid.  The only way I have been able to remove tint adhesive from side windows is by using a razor blade and plenty of ammonia based window cleaner.   Ammonia based cleaner should never be used on a defroster grid.

If you've got an offer of a free replacement rear window - take it!  Rear windows are apparently fairly easy to remove and replace.  I had the undamaged rear window of my first Lexus (1990LS400) removed during a collision damage repair and it went back in with no problem.

And then just leave the rear window un-tinted regardless of if your ES has a rear window roller shade.  No one will notice the difference.  The only comments we have had about our side windows having aftermarket tint and our back window not having aftermarket tint have been positive. 

On ‎4‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 10:59 AM, slodriver said:

1990LS400, you sound like a Toyota apologist. When I'm paying north of US$45kin 2016, I don't think it's unreasonable to have essential safety features and the color upholstery I want. You're right in that the message is clear, they don't want to sell that particular car, whatever the reason, the market speaks. I've decided to wait, my current RX is running just fine, I don't really drive that much as I'm a retired bum, so we'll see. If you have young children or grandchildren, you'll understand why "creme" upholstery is a disaster waiting to happen.

I'm only explaining reality.  I was surprised that the local Lexus dealer could not find a single white short wheel base LS460 with PCS and DRCC in a nationwide search in early 2014.  I was flexible on everything except exterior color and that it had to have the equivalent of Safety System+. 

It's not just Toyota.  In the same 2014 time frame, we special ordered a white Acura MDX SH-AWD with safety features equivalent to (really better than) Safety System+.  We gave up on that and got our money back when there was a parts supply shortage that caused the delivery date to slip by several months with no guarantee that it would be built even then.

I knew a guy - no longer "with us" -who had to wait almost a year to get his special order Mercedes S-class sedan built and shipped to Michigan and he was even a Unimog dealer.

I eventually ended up special ordering a white Toyota Sienna Limited with the Advanced Technology Package (PCS, DRCC, VDIM, etc.), blind spot monitor and cross traffic alert and waiting for it to be built and shipped.  It wasn't my first choice but I like it a lot - very Lexus-like with ottoman 2nd row and electrically reclining 3rd row.

Maybe you could be more flexible.  You could wait for your perfect NX or buy something else that has the features you want.  Get that Mercedes GLC - that would be "educational" as this three-time Mercedes owner can attest.

Dark color upholstery gets just as dirty as light color upholstery.  One of the reasons I prefer light color upholstery is that I want it to be obvious when it needs cleaning - I don't like sitting on filth whether I can see it or not.

I was retired once - didn't like it ... went back to work full time.

I have responded to your PM with a recommendation to checking the wheel speed sensor connections.

Have you gone through the bizarrely complex adjustment procedures?  They start on page 385 of the "Using the Audio System" manual at http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM50B55U/pdf/sec_03_03.pdf

Maybe you could try adjusting the sound for the "FRONT" listening position.

I have seen this problem only on Toyota and Lexus cars that have had their back windows tinted with aftermarket tint film.  The imprinted defroster grids on vehicles made by Toyota are especially thick and almost always cause unpleasant reflections from the defroster grid when aftermarket tint film is applied.  I will never again have a rear window tinted with aftermarket tint film - I have only the side windows tinted.

Do you have tint film on your back window?

If there is no aftermarket tint, be sure to clean the rear window and its defroster grid by following the instructions in your ES350 owners manual.  Do not use commercial window cleaners.

If there is aftermarket tint, use only a recommended cleaning agent to clean the aftermarket tint.  I use "Solar Magic" liquid in a spray bottle and a soft cloth to clean the aftermarket tint on the side windows of our vehicles.  Never use paper towels. 

1 hour ago, blackis220d said:

Thanks again 1990LS400- i registered on toyodiy but cant see any diagrams!

It took several days for me to be provided access to diagrams when I registered some years ago.

Here is that diagram from www.toyodiy.com

I drew an arrow pointing to the screw that to me looks like it might be inserted and tightened from the back of the right side of the glove box housing.

You might also check for screws inside the glove box hidden behind small removable portions of the glove box panels.  Sometimes small removable pieces like this are difficult to see and can be popped out only by using a sharp tool like a knife blade.

And I do not know how much force will be required to remove the glove box after all the fasteners are removed.  Sometimes a certain about of force must be applied with an appropriate trim removal tool in order to "pop out" interior trim pieces - can be a bit scary.  I once slightly cracked the plastic surround for the radio and HVAC controls in a Toyota Camry we used to have when I missed finding a hidden screw. 

Look at item #12 on the list of customizable settings in the document at the link I posted below.  It is possible that a prior owner had this setting customized so that the switch between modes is not automatic.   Lexus dealers and some repair shops are equipped to customized these settings.  If you want to try to do it yourself, the Carista smart phone app might be able to do it.  Carista requires a Bluetooth adapter that plugs into the diagnostic port under the dashboard. 

http://www.lexus.com/pdf/service/RX350_LPS.pdf

If you have a Lexus dealer do this for you, you might want to review all the other customizable features and have the dealer do everything you want at once.  Lexus dealers typically charge about one hour of labor to do this customization after the one free one that an original owner gets.

Looking at the diagram for a right hand drive 2008 IS220d on www.toyodiy.com , it looks like there is a screw on the inner right side of the glove box that is inserted from the back size.  This makes me wonder if it is necessary to do some disassembly of the center stack (radio, sat nav) in order to remove a screw.  I once removed the glove box from the 2000 LS400 I used to have and I remember it being more difficult than I though it should be.

You could register on www.toyodiy.com so that you can see the diagrams but it has sometimes taken a few days for registrations to be processed. 

I'm not in a position to post an image of the diagram right now, but I can tonight when I get home - assuming that this old guy remembers!

The U.K. company my German friend found that provides metric instrument faces for U.S. specification cars is www.lockwoodinternational.co.uk

I looked at the owners manual for the 2008 ES350 and I do not see a way to switch the display between Fahrenheit an Celsius.

You could probably learn quickly to mentally convert Fahrenheit to Celsius instead of changing your car's instruments.  I have been switching between metric and U.S. standard measurements all my life and doing so has become automatic.  I "think" in metric measurements when I am in Canada and Europe and in U.S. standard measurements when I am home. 

Wow, that is strange.  That might be some sort of chemical stain that has eaten into the paint.  Has any repair work been done on the mirror? Maybe the Lexus dealer would have an opinion about what could cause the stain.  Maybe consult a detailer to see if he can help.

The only vehicles made by Toyota that I've seen where both  miles can be changed to kilometers and Fahrenheit to Celsius are those with completely digital instrument displays like in  the Prius.  I once changed miles to kilometers in my wife's Prius as a joke to see how long it took her to notice.  Have you looked in the owners manual to see if there is a way to change Fahrenheit to Celsius?  I cannot change miles to kilometers in my Sienna but it is easy to change Fahrenheit to Celsius through a setup procedure in the multi-function display. 

A friend in Germany found a company in the U.K. that makes instrument cluster overlays for North American vehicles imported to Europe  but I don't have their name handy.  What country are you in?

Sorry, Billy, but others have found that this problem cannot be solved with "lube".  Electronic components in the cluster begin to fail over time.  People on Lexus forums have seemed to be very happy with cluster repairs done by http://www.taninautoelectronix.com/ and their prices seemed reasonable last time I checked..

You might as well have Tannin go ahead and "fix" your speedometer too.  The speedometer needle in the 2000 LS400 I sold in 2014 started to stick in around 2012 but, like Billy said, a firm rap on the dashboard would often get it working again.

50 minutes ago, Steve77 said:

I have ordered 5 cars prior to the Lexus in my lifetime and all 5 times the dealership replaced an order in the system to accommodate me.  As I mentioned in my original post. a member in the Lexus forum ordered his car on 4 February (three weeks after I ordered mine) and his dealership obviously modified an existing order to accommodate him since he got delivery in April.  My brother ordered a Camaro the week before I placed my order for the Lexus and the Chevy dealership also replaced an existing order with his order.  He got the car in 8 weeks.  It is obvious to me at this point that the Lexus dealership did not go out of their way to do me any special favors which is why I will never buy another car from this dealership.  I also have other issues with this dealership.  Once I pick up the car I intend to send an e-mail to Lexus Headquarters outlining all the problems I have encountered with this dealership and inform them that no way would I ever buy another Lexus. 

I did an Internet search on this dealership and there are numerous negative reviews on this dealership from people complaining about the crappy service they received when buying or leasing a Lexus.  I just hope I get better service from their service department when I have to take my car in for any type of service.  If their service department is no better than their sales department I guess my only option is to take the car to my local independent garage for service or see if I can get it serviced at the Toyota dealership where I was a previous customer.   I previously owned a Toyota Avalon and always got great service from them.

I've given you what I think is reliable information on how it works based on information gained through 31 years (retired) with a well known provider of financial services to franchised auto dealers.   You can take it or leave it.

I think it is wonderful that a person can special order a Toyota-made vehicle at all - that is really possible only for vehicles assembled in North America.  Try special ordering an LS460 from Japan and see how it goes.  My sister's former employer once special ordered a Mercedes S-class and his wait was just under one year ... and he was a Unimog dealer and they didn't cut him any slack.  My information may be outdated, but my understanding is the only way most European cars can be truly special ordered is to 100% pre-pay for them and often to pick them up on a European delivery plan - something I'm investigating due to age restrictions for renting cars in Europe.  I'm not ready to get on a tour bus!

For vehicles not made in North America, most special orders are really dealer trades.  My first Lexus, a 1990 LS400, was about to be loaded on a truck bound for Phoenix in a dealer trade when I bought it.  The 1998 Camry my wife drove for many years was diverted to Kansas City from the dealer in Wisconsin (IIRC) who originally ordered it. 

Don't bother emailing Lexus corporate about your perceived problems.  You would only be wasting time and energy and you won't be taken seriously.

42 minutes ago, Lexus16530 said:

That is awesome. I really appreciate the information and the help. I root-caused the problem to a loose connection.

Thanks

Excellent!