1990LS400

The Road & Track article to which you are referring covered cars a bit more "limousine-like" in the rear seat than the LS430 UL. The wheelbases of the cars tested ranged from 118.1 (VW Phaeton V8) to 124.3 (Jaguar XJ8 L). The LS430 with a wheelbase of 115.2 inches was probably seen as having rear seat space below the comfort threshold of others. The LS would have likely been included if Toyota had not cancelled the longer wheelbase V12 LS which was considered for introduction in the early/mid 90's. The long wheelbase V12 Toyota Century sold in Asia is a real "hoot" - looks like the Mercedes 600 from the 1960's: http://www.autogallery.com.hk/product.php?id=377 There are probably some interesting reasons why Toyota did not want to sell a larger, more powerful LS and create two distinct tiers of LS ownership.

I seem to remember from a post on another Lexus forum that one of the versions of the Portable Plus handsets was made by Qualcomm. In this particular case, a an Qualcomm handset - identical to the Lexus Portable Plus handset - did not function with the Lexus phone system - there might have been some custom software on the Qualcomm phones sold as Lexus Portable Plus phones. It is not difficult to interface a more modern phone kit (including Bluetooth) to mute your audio system when a call is in progress - I've done this on both our 2000 LS and 1998 Toyota Camry. You will be likely have to give up the use of your steering wheel phone command module - probably not a great loss since many modern phones and car kits have better voice dialing and auto answer/hang up. Yes, you would likely have to add an external speaker and microphone. If I remember right, the Portable Plus phone was rather LARGE - wouldn't you rather carry a smaller, lighter phone? Here is a link to to another thread that has my lame doc on how I installed a now out of production Nokia phone kit in a 00 LS and made it mute the audio system when a call is in progress: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...?showtopic=7791 Most aftermarket phone car kits have a mute wire that can be attached to the Lexus OEM phone wiring or directly to the audio system head unit or amplifier depending on which audio system the car has - or to the wiring for the defunct "Lexus Link". As far as I know, all phone car kits ground their mute wires when a call is in progress.

There have been several articles in the news about how Toyota and other manufacturers have asked the E.P.A. for permission advertise more realistic (i.e. lower) fuel usage figures for hybrids. I am not aware of the E.P.A. making any of these suggested changes. Manufacturers are not allowed to advertise mileage figures different than the E.P.A. figures even if they want to do so.

The LS I bought new in 1990 did not come with the radio security code set - I don't think any did. Try asking the dealer to contact the previous owner and ask for the code. The dealer contacted the 1st owner (leasee) for me with questions I had about my 2000 LS.

The bumper repair guy I used last year was a real artist. He spend about two hours working on our Camry while it was parked our driveway. $100 and the work still looks great - perfect paint match. The same guy repairs bumpers for the local Lexus dealer.

I remember reading that the early LS400 Lexus phone system automatically lowered the HVAC fan speed when a call was in progress. (I don't know about the newer LS.) If this is true, I suppose it is possible that these problems could be related. In the 98-00 LS, the trunk mounted phone unit can be bypassed by disconnecting two fairly large connecters from it (one male, the other female) and then plugging the connectors together. I don't have a Lexus phone but I probed these connectors with a test light last year when I installed a Nokia phone kit. When you "unplugged the handset", did you also disconnect the handset cradle at the connector under the vent that you can see when the center armrest is raised? It takes some minor disassembly of the console to get to this hidden connector. There may be more than one hidden connector in a 93 - I don't know. There are three phone connectors unter the armrest in my 00 LS.

Our 2000 Platinum LS400 rides great with its standard suspension and 16" wheels. And the handling is quite good for a large sedan although not quite as nimble as the 90 LS we had for many years. It ain't no BMW 5-series but then I couldn't make our 90 LS handle like a BMW 5-series either - I tried. But then the an LS doesn't break like a BMW either. Almost everyone who rides in our 00 LS expresses amazement at how it rides and handles the rough roads here in the central U.S. Would I give this up to eliminate "space between the tire and fender"? Why is this "space" a problem? Just for fun, we rented a Nissan Altima with sports suspension and 17" wheels in Arizona a few weeks ago. Drove all over the place - Phoenix, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon. Wonderful car -- painful ride even with tire pressure at the minimum -- won't do that again. Sure was nice getting back into the LS!

You might PM K9crew - he removed his phone cradle - I don't know if he snipped the wires or unplugged the connectors. He used to be very active in this forum but he has not been on since Feb 25. It is not all that difficult to partially disassemble the console to unplug the handset from the connectors under the air vent that you can see when the console lid is up. I have not removed a Lexus phone but I used the phone system connectors under the rear of the console when I installed a Nokia phone kit in my 00 LS. The phone connectors were in the same place on the 90 LS I used to have so they are probably in the same place on your 95. If your the handset in your 95 is located in an upper console tray, the tray insert can be easily pried out - it is just snapped in place. I used a stiff putty knife well taped with electrical tape to protect the upholstery.

There was a lengthy troubleshooting procedure for the keyless entry in the Lexus shop manuals which I passed on to the buyer of my 90 LS. I don't see a similar procedure in the shop manuals for my 00 LS but the keyless entry system appears to be very different from the earlier LS. Kind of hard to DIY without the shop manuals or access to the Lexus techinfo website.

I guess you found the bolts behind the leather flap behind each head rest and also the ones behind the leather flap at the top of the cavity into which the center armrest fits. The seat is held in place very differently than on the early LS like the 90 I had. I had to use a pry bar to pop up the rear seat cushion out in my 00 LS - I thought I was going to break something before it finally "exploded" upward. Surprisingly difficult since it was very easy to remove the rear seat in the 90 LS.

The poor headlights of the early LS like the 90 I had for many years was mainly related to the design of the lens which produces a "blob" of light instead of a focused beam with a sharp cutoff. The design was required by the US DOT and was not Toyota's fault. I suspect that HID with your standard "blob" lens would be dangerous for other drivers - even if you could fit a beam control switch or somehow adapt the complex auto leveling mechanism from a 98-up LS. The best I could do was to use non-coated bulbs that used a halogen and a tiny amount of xenon gas. GE used to label them as "HO" (high output) and include the words "whiter light" on the package. Wagner's "Brite-Lites" seem to work just as well. Neither of these bulbs exploded like the 80/100W bulbs I once tried in my 90 LS. The headlights on the early LS400's sold outside North America used the European code lens design (with H4 bulbs) and most (maybe all) had a manual beam control on the dash like the current Toyota Sienna XLE with HID. At some point in early 90's (1993?), headhights similar but not identical to the Euro code were allowed in the U.S. Later the US DOT apparently caved in and allowed the same headlights as in Europe although the DOT did not require beam controls on HID like in Europe.

I bought grey touch-up paint for the lower cladding on my 00 LS at a Toyota dealer. Both the Lexus and Toyota names and logos are on the container. The part number on the container is: P/N 00258-UCA29.

For my 90 LS, there was a trouble-shooting procedure for the keyless entry in the 2-volume set of repair manuals. I passed these manuals on to the new owner in 2003 so I can't help you there.

In the 90 LS I had, the control unit was on the left side of the trunk behind the trim which is easily removed. My keyless remote worked erratically for at least 10 years and then stopped working except in the winter. The new owner told me that he found that the ROM module was not firmly seated in the control unit. Once he snapped it firmly into place, the keyless entry worked just fine.

After one or two started squeeking and sticking, all the door handles were replaced free on my 90 LS in about 1994-5 even though (I think) the basic warranty had expired. When a friend in the U.K. told me in 1998 that his early LS had a similar problem, he asked me to price the handles at a U.S. dealer - they were $135 each in in Oct 1998 (I still have the related e-mails). Apparently it is a common problem.

I'm not sure that you can always tell by the Lexus logo since some chrome wheels you see are non-chrome OEM wheels that have been sent out to be chromed by dealers or owners. I not sure but the OEM chrome wheels appear to have a "clear coat" on them which probably leads to the chrome lasting longer. My 00 LS came from the dealer with chrome wheels but they were OEM wheels that were chromed by an aftermarket supplier. My chrome wheels were deeply pitted after only three years and were replaced under warranty. A coworker's 99 LS has OEM chrome wheels and his wheels are still in decent (a little pitting) shape after almost 6 1/2 years. The wheels on my 00 LS seem to have a much more brilliant shine that his OEM chrome wheels. Maybe the clear coat is the key to telling whether or not the wheels are OEM chrome. Regardless, there are plenty of companies that rechrome wheels. My next door neighbor sent his LS wheels out to be rechromed and they came back looking like new.

Since no one with an SC400 is answering you, I will tell you about my towing experiences with a 1990 LS400 which is of course has a similar engine and is about the same weight. I towed a 4' x 8' utility trailer many times over 10 years - loaded with gardening supplies, building materials for home projects, ladders, appliances, etc. I loaded it to a gross weight of over 1500 lbs. many times. Towing this small trailer with the LS was effortless and I had to remind myself that the trailer was back there. The engine was so powerful, I really could not tell that a trailer was back there. Of course I towed mobile homes for a living when I was a kid (35 years ago!) so towing doesn't bother me at all. If Reese or one of the other majors does not have a ready built hitch for an SC4, you might be faced with having a hitch fabricated. Total cost of non-custom hitch, and installation of the hitch and wiring will likely be $200 - $300.

In 2003 I purchased mudflaps for our 00 LS400 from Metro Lexus Toyota in Victoria BC: http://www.discountlexusparts.com/ Here are the part numbers from the invoice: 76621-59035 76622-59035 76625-59035 76626-59035 At that time each mudfap cost $88 U.S. - quite expensive for what I got - but they probably prevent at least some body damage from debris - rocks and spilled liquids such as the adhesive used for stripes at intersections. Paul at Metro was very helpful and he shipped my order quickly. As of last December someone on another forum found that the price at Metro had risen to US $100 due to the decline of the US dollar but he was able to order them through a friend at Toyota at $78 each. The 95-00 LS mudflaps are smaller and probably less effective that the larger mudflaps for the 90-94 LS. The 95-00 mudflaps, however, do not seem to increase the noise level like the ones on my 90 LS. For the ES, is there any chance that ones for the Carmy or Solara would fit? Here is a link to the Camry accessories page which includes a photo: http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2005/camry/accessories.html

Sure Steve. I'll post pics when I return home from Phoenix on 4/12. The LS mudflaps are the same for 95-00. Don't know about the ES. I'll post the Victoria dealer web URL and phone # too. Nice people. Not too easy typing this on my WiFi PDA in the hotel bar. My wife is with me so I'm not being too delinquent. :)

Lexus USA removed mudflaps from their catalog several years ago. I bought a set for my current LS from a Lexus dealer in Victoria BC.

Exactly. Auto mag tests in the early 90's found that the power button made no difference in acceleration times. The power setting turns off the gizmo which retards the ignition timing during upshifts and smooths the transition between gears. It may do other things that I am not aware of. Heck, we may all be driving cars with CVT's soon and gear shifts will be a thing of the past.

How do you manage to get lost in Utah? ;) I added MS "Streets and Trips" to my PC and Dell Windows Mobile PDA and it provides all the maps and POI's I will likely ever need. Streets and Trips was only $5 at Costco last week. I tap on an address in my PDA's contact list and just choose "Find on map". Or I can do a "find" on an address that I enter or a "find" on a business or other POI name. There is even an on-line update for road construction detours -- just try that on a DVD or hard-drive based Nav system. I even downloaded maps and POI's for southern Utah on my PDA - we're going to Phoenix, Grand Canyon, etc. beginning Friday. All the maps for Phoenix metro, the Canyon, Flagstaff, etc. take up less than 1/2 of 1% of a 1-gig SD storage card. Took about five minutes to download all this to my PDA. I thought about getting the Bluetooth GPS kit ($217) for my PDA but I have not needed it yet. It would provide voice prompts, dash/windshield bracket, GPS/PDA battery charger, and continually align the map per my current location.

Like other manufacturers, Toyota started using "de-powered" air bags in their cars beginning with the 98 model year. I think it is a very different design. I drove a 90 LS with an all leather wheel from 1990 to 2003 and I think its all leather wheel was much more comfortable than the wood/leather wheel in my current LS.

I have never seen "remote start" on an options list for the 2000 LS. Here is a summary of what was available: http://www.lexusjax.com/shared/shared/cpo_...00/ls40000.html

Here is a press release regarding the manufacture of Prados in China: http://english1.people.com.cn/200205/16/en...0516_95820.shtm Google "Toyota Prado China" and you will find lots more information. Here is information on Toyota ADR's (kinda like common stock) which you can purchase from any stock broker: http://www.toyota.com/about/shareholder/ "Buy and hold."