1990LS400

I suggest you ask a Lexus dealer when one opens on Monday. Surely the dealer could order a new key that will get you into the trunk. Its not like you will need to use the new key to start your car. But if you need a new key that will start your car, here is a link to a thread with programming instructions. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...key+programming

You might consider having your A/C converted to R134a. I had it done on the 90 LS I had and the A/C worked just as well as with R12. Then if you still have any leaks you will at least be recharging it with cheap refrigerant.

A technique I have used successfully several times when I have seen someone coming up from behind fast while I am stopped in traffic is to tap and release the brake pedal as rapidly as possible to get the following driver's attention. About two weeks ago I used this technique when I was stopped in traffic on an overpass in a 40 mph zone and a conversion van was closing on me at what looked to be about 60 mph. My flashing brake lights appeared to get the driver's attention and she slammed on her brakes and skidded to a stop about 10 feet behind me. She looked like a teenager and she then proceeded to "freak out", grabbed her head and started slamming it into her steering wheel. If it had been raining I would have been hit and it would have been really painful - and not just for my car. Another time, I was lucky enough to be the only one stopped at a traffic light so I was able to nail the gas pedal and run the light as the driver (another woman driving a conversion van!) skidded completely through the intersection (and red light) to a stop. What really scared me is that she chased me down to thank me -- I just wanted her to stay away. LOL Watch your rear view mirror! Sometimes you can prevent getting rear-ended or at least reduce the force of the impact by flashing your brake lights.

It seems odd but not even my official two volume 2000 LS400 repair manual set describes exactly how to replace a headlight bulb in my 00 LS although it does show the headlight housing in detail. On inspecting my car, it looks like the routine is about the same as for the 90 LS I had for many years - and I changed the headlight bulbs on it many times. I have not had to replace a headlight bulb in my 00 LS so the rest of this is speculation based on the 90 I had. First you remove the one screw you can see that holds on the turn signal. Carefully, using your finger tips at the front edge of the turn signal housing, pry the turn signal housing outward until it pops out. Be sure to spread the force so you don't crack the housing. Then unplug the cable from it and set it aside - or just let it dangle. Once the turn signal has been removed, you should see one or two outer bolts holding the light housing to the outside corner of the car body. Remove them. Remove the upper and lower inner (near the radiator) bolts holding the light housing to the car frame. The entire light housing should now lift right out. (It took a bit of "jockeying" to remove the housing on my 90 LS.) You should be able to free the light housing from the electrical housing by simply unplugging it. Someone reported recently that the autoleveling of the HID lights did not work after a bulb was replaced. I do not remember seeing the reason posted. At least on my 90 LS, as long as I did not mess with the aiming screws, I could replace a bulb without re-aiming the headlights.

The shift lock button is important for at least two reasons: Allows a tow truck operator to straighten the front wheels for towing if he does not have an ignition key. Allows the driver to shift out of park if the brake pedal switch fails. - You will appreciate this if your brake pedal switch fails and you would still like to be able to shift out of park and drive your car. I sure did.

I agree with you that out where you are, in the Midwest, people drive relatively calmly and courteously, but the opposite is true in California. Especially on the Los Angeles freeways. LA is the biggest market in the USA for Japanese luxury cars. Monarch, I was talking about how new LS cars are generally bought by older, more conservative drivers who usually take very good care of their new expensive cars. I spend plenty of time driving in CA (LA traffic is a "breeze") and especially around S.F. where we have family. I don't notice people in California driving differently than in Kansas City or in other highly populated areas (e.g. NYC, DC, Phoenix, Chicago, Seattle, Tampa, Pittsburg, Portland) where we've driven lately. People in the U.S. are generally very courteous drivers and little different than in the U.K. and Europe where we have also done quite a bit of driving.

Well, then maybe it is related to model year since I (think) I remember my previous 1990 LS400 had all three lines instead of just one as on your 93 cars. Here is a link to an engine photo of a 1990 LS400 which also shows three lines instead of one: http://buzztrader.com/showimage.cgi?1271&1..._69_10232_3.jpg

From a news story at http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/arti...7/1003&refsect= "The Center for Auto Safety said the cost soars into the thousands of dollars if the automaker or dealership replaces a vehicle's electronic control module. Some advanced systems are programmed so that the modules are matched to a unique set of keys. If the original keys are lost or damaged, the module also must be replaced." The bottom line is to not lose all your keys. If your 02 LS430 is similar to our 00 LS400, it takes one working key to program a new one - otherwise the ECM has to be replaced. My wife and I each carry a set of keys for the LS but a third key set is safely stored away.

Actually, I've seen many 1-owner Lexus LS4* cars (and other Lexus models) that have been perfectly maintained, driven gently or moderately and always garaged. Both my older next door neighbor and I bought early LS400's - he in late '89, me in early '90. Both our cars looked and drove like new when we sold them 13 - 14 years later. IMO, the key is to find a 1-owner (or 1-lessee) car with a complete maintenance history. Lexus LS cars, like most other fairly expensive cars, are usually bought or leased when new by older people who are more likely to drive their Lexus cars like the boulevard cruisers they are. Last Saturday I spoke with another "old !Removed!" Lexus owner like me (mid to late 50's) at the gas station who was filling up his flawless, 1-owner, low mileage 2000 Platinum Series GS400. It was clear after speaking to him for a few minutes that he was a fanatic about maintaining his car. But after a car goes through two, three or four owners, then all bets are off and who knows what you will get.

Craig, I suspect that the extra vacuum lines are related to the different emission controls on U.S. models vs. the emission controls on your Canadian-spec LS400. Looking at the sparkplugs tutorial photos on lexls.com I can see see quite a few differences in the engine "plumbing" from your LS. Hey, your engine looks clean enough to use as a dinner plate!

With proper maintenance, the drivetrain of an LS400 can last several hundred thousand miles - like most other Toyota/Lexus products. Rust seems rare on an LS of any year - at least my first one did not have any when I sold it in 2003 after driving it over 13 years. The few LS400's with rust that I have personally seen had body damage that was improperly repaired. Like any car, repair costs on an LS rise as age and mileage increase. These are great cars but they are not bullet-proof. If you are considering an LS, familiarize yourself with the equipment that was available for the particular model year. For example, I've seen several posts from people who bought 98 LS400s and were shocked to find out later that their cars did not have HID lights. If you want stuff like heated seats, upgraded stereo, air suspension, etc., then focus on the cars that have them.

Have you considered putting an on/off switch in the power lead to the antenna? -- just in case you or someone riding with you wants or needs to listen to a local radio station someday. I never thought about it but it seems odd that your 02 RX has an external antenna when our 00 LS and even our 98 Camry have radio antennas imprinted on the inside surface of the rear window.

Do these instructions help? http://carstereohelp.com/stereoremovalLexusES300StrR.htm

The warning message for the front brake pads on my 00 LS400 happened to come on for the first time on the way to work today at about 71,500 miles and I am having them replaced tomorrow. Our Camry is at 88,000 miles and has lots of life left on the OEM front brake pads. From our experience, Toyota/Lexus brake pads last a very long time. I estimate the ones on the rear of my LS will go around 120K miles. I'm curious. Is a 45K mile brake pad life fairly normal on an RX?

Here is an article from the November 1989 issue of Automobile Magazine comparing the new LS400 with the Infinity Q45, Audi V8, BMW 535i and Mercedes 300E. This is the article that first got me into a Lexus showroom and led me to buy an LS400 in early 1990.

ylekiot1, Your loose accessories fuse issue might be related to a Southwestern Bell Mobile phone installer using a spade insert in June, 1990 to power my old President brand fixed phone kit. I think I remember once removing that spade insert from the fuse box and finding that the cigarette ligher or some other accessory had stopped working. So I pushed the spade insert back in to the fuse box and everything started working again. Hey, I don't get to see my (eh, your) "baby" anymore. Stop driving the Tundra to work and take the LS back from your wife! ;)

I suggest that you use advanced search to search for past posts about "phone" and "mute" from Blake918 and me. It is possible to use some features of the OEM phone system with newer aftermarket phone kits including Bluetooth kits.

The FAQ page from Dunlop confirms the above opinions: http://www.dunloptires.com/care/faqs.html#mix

Here is one for your 03 LX - same place (Sewell) where I bought one for my 00 LS - I use it almost every day: http://www.lexus-parts.com/partlist.asp?Su...ID=4&ModelID=82

Whoops, sorry, I was thinking you wanted hubcaps with just the chrome L logo instead of the entire cap chromed. It might be a bit harder to find chromed hub caps. I don't think chrome wheels were available as "official" Lexus options when I bought my gen 1 LS new so I assume the chrome wheels and hubcaps were from aftermarket suppliers. There are a few chrome hubcaps for 90-92 LS 15" wheels on e-bay today including some without the L logo.

Try searching on Google, etc. There are a zillion sellers like http://www.hubcaps.org/lexus.html

On all the cars we have owned, we have had the 30K service done at 30,000 miles, the 60K service done at 60,000 miles, the 90K service done at 90,000 miles, etc. A few months before I sold my first LS at 183K+ miles, I had the 180K service (including a 2nd timing belt replacement) done at, yes, 180,000 miles. I have never seen the point of letting maintenance slide on cars, houses, etc. In the long run, it is less expensive to keep property well maintained. When I sold my first LS, the buyer was especially impressed that all maintenance had been done on schedule.

Personally, I think the biggest "bang for the buck" would be with a 98 GS300 - a 60K mile one should be well within your $12K budget - particularly if you go with a private party deal. The used car market is very soft so you might even find a low mileage 99 GS or a higher mileage 00 GS300 within your budget. But it is all a matter of personal taste. The front wheel drive ES (and RX) drives and feels completely different fom the GS and LS. Every time I drive an ES (or RX), it is a shock how different the Lexus front drive cars are from the rear drive ones. If you like front wheel drive cars, go with the ES. I agree with Steve that the ES will be considerably less expensive to own. And you likely get a much newer ES for the money. If you go GS, look for the best one you can find and avoid Nav if it is a 00 or older GS.

According to this link to Sewell Lexus (where I bought the net for my 00 LS), the cargo net for the 99 GS300 uses anchors already in the trunk rather than coming with additional anchors. http://www.lexus-parts.com/partdetail.asp?...roduct%20Notes:

ko90ls, In the 90 LS, the headlight beam pattern is mainly controlled by the glass lens instead of by the metal (it may be metalized plastic) reflector. In theory you could "bypass" (perhaps break out) the reflector by putting in a projector unit but the projected light is still going to be highly altered by the glass lens. Look at all the little lines in your headlight lens - these are what shape the beam. In theory you could probably put projecters into a 98-00 LS400 headlight unit since the plastic lens is clear and does not control the beam pattern. The only way I can see that projectors would work in a gen 1 LS headlight housing would be to fabricate a replacement for the glass headlight lens for the projectors to stick though - a la Range Rover. I sure wish there was an easy solution.