1990LS400

Having been a Mercedes owner during much of the 60's, 70's and 80's, my understanding is that the debadging trend started primarily in the 1970's (1972 specifically) when European owners of Mercedes with engines over three litres removed the model badges to hide the tax status of their cars. In several European countries, cars with engines over three litres (such as Mercedes 350/450 V8 sedans) were taxed at substantially higher rates that similar cars with engines under three litres (such as 6 cylinder 280 sedans). Debadging also became of symbol of modesty and perhaps even false modesty. You really didn't want your neighbor to know that your Mercedes cost twice what his similar looking one cost. Soon, not just owners of expensive Mercedes V8 cars were removing badges - owners of inexpensive Mercedes cars started doing it too perhaps trying to make people think that their relatively inexpensive 6-cylinder carburated Mercedes 280's were really expensive fuel injected 350/450 V8's. Soon, Mercedes made model badges a "delete option". I owned a Mercedes 450SEL in the 70's and have always wondered if it was the car that Toyota was trying to emulate when it conceived the idea of the LS in the early 80's. The 450SEL was Car and Driver magazine's "Best Car in the World" in 1979. I guess I followed the trend and had a mid-size Mercedes sedan debadged in the early 80's when it was in the body shop for collision damage to the rear - but mainly to prevent corrosion around the badges that was typical of the era. And, if I had thought about it, I would have had my 90 LS debadged when it was in the shop for a $10,000 rear collision damage repair in 2000. Heck, I completely debadged one of the first Honda CRX-si's sold in the the U.S. in 1984 -- what a hot rod and way faster than my first LS! Personally, I think it is tacky for manufacturers to put all these logos and symbols on their cars. The black chrome rear logos on my current LS would be in the trash by now if there weren't holes in the bodywork under them. I've always thought it was funny when people seem "impressed" that my car is a Lexus. My previous and current LS have always worn a Toyota license plate frame on the back - they are just nice Toyotas after all.

I don't know, Steve. The buyer of the 90 LS I owned for 13 1/2 years told me that his neighbors thought it was brand new. And I didn't use clay, orbital polishers or multi-step processes to keep it looking great. All I did was to keep the car clean and garaged and wax it with cleaner wax a few times each year.

My current personal favorite cleaner/wax is Zymol which is available at stores like Advance Auto for about $10. If I remember correctly, it was top rated in the last Consumer Reports Magazine evaluation of car waxes. A big plus of Zymol is that it causes fewer fine marks than most other cleaner waxes. It is particularly easy to apply. The application instructions say to apply it only with a back and forth motion - never with a circular action. I apply Zymol with a damp soft cotton towel which I have rinsed in clean water and rung out. The instructions say you can use a wax applicator too. Waxing our LS takes only about 30 minutes and seems to last about three months - it would last longer but it didn't sit outside on weekdays.

I would be quite surprised if you found adapters to integrate the Parrot or any other aftermarket phone kit with the head unit of your LX. A European company named Connects2 has integration kits for a few Euro car models that display phone call information on the radio's display but it would be a long shot to expect one to fit a U.S. spec Lexus. It is also "possible" that the "45MUTETOYOTA" harness from Dashmount U.K. might work (with an additional adaptor for the Parrot) since it is listed as applicable for mid-90's Toyota Landcruisers - but it is a long shot. Mute leads like the ones from Dashmount generally just supply power to the phone kit, mute the audio system when a call is in progress and play the call through the front door speaker. Using an external speaker (comes with most phone kits) with your Parrot and hiding it under the driver's footwell should provide good sound quality. Your LX was probably prewired for one or more Lexus phone models which likely means that you can find a mute point without getting near your head unit. I found a mute point in a 6-pin connector (two rows of three pins) under the center console in my 00 LS that was apparently meant for use with the Lexus "Portable Plus" phone - the mute pin was the middle front pin. A 2nd mute point was in an OEM phone harness connector in the trunk. Phone kits are generally straight forward to install although quite a bit of interior trim removal can be necessary to route all the wiring. PM me if you want to discuss...or I will try to watch this thread.

At one time there were pre-production photos on clublexus.com which showed these unused lens housings being the front side marker lights. One story is that the lenses were slightly below the minimum DOT height requirement so Toyota quickly came up with the surface mount lenses. Also on clublexus is a tutorial on how to convert these lens housings to additional marker lights.

I sure hope not ;) ← You don't like lower prices and excellent quality7 :whistles:

A Toyota branded vehicle visually indentical to the GX is currently being assembled in mainland China. Likely, most Lexus vehicles will be sourced from China soon.

Personally I am very happy with Blizzaks on our 00 LS - makes it get around like an SUV - a small price to pay for 3 months. Keep the pressure near the minimum (30 psi) for comfort and best handling and do not exceed 70 mph. In Aspen answering on a Dell Axim wireless PDA...

I agree that the average person oould get confused on which companies provide good glass. My recommendation is to discuss this issue with your insurance agent, Lexus dealer, or a trusted independent repairshop. I have bought lot of aftermarket glass over almost 40 years and got only one bad windshield - in 1976 on a VW Rabbit. Even this one distorted window was replaced at no cost within 24 hours.

SK, did you know that the same major glass makers that supply OEM glass to Toyota-Lexas also supply glass to the aftermarket? Except for not having a Toyota-Lexus logo, it is the same product. Also keep in mind that, like most automakers, Toyota manufactures few components in its own factories. Car companies do not "make" cars - they design, assemble and market cars. Long held beliefs are sometimes hard to let go.

The quality of most aftermarket glass is equal to OEM. In fact, glass is probably the highest quality of all non-OEM parts. With that said, my recommendation is to use only name brand non-OEM glass - just like my local Lexus dealer does. Plus using aftermarket glass helps keep insurance rates down. We replace windshields when they become worn and we do not bother to have our insurance carrier pay since the reason for replacement is "wear and tear". I ask our insurance carrier to pay only for broken glass - again to keep rates down. Of course working in the insurance industry for 28 years has definitely colored my opinion!

Aftermarket is fine - even the local bodyshop (owned by the Lexus dealer) uses aftermarket glass and that is what they installed on my previous LS. My current LS will get a new aftermarket windshield at its 5th birthday. Glass replacement is covered under compehensive coverage as are road damage and vandalism.

The concept of model years seems to be mostly a U.S. thing. Month and year of manufacture or 1st registration is often elsewhere.

Why don't you just pay the fine and then get legal tints? Or, if you get legal tints before your court date you may avoid a fine.

It is not possible to increase wheel diameter by even one inch without sacrificing ride quality unless you keep the tire section height the same which then trashes speedometer accuracy. I've heard complaints about ride quality from people who have gone from standard 16's to only 17's - including complaints about dramatically reduced tire life. Tires provide much of the "shock absorber" function. I saw a teenager driving an early LS400 with fancy 19's or 20's on a rough small town street in northern Missouri a few weeks ago. He was driving like a 90 year old - probably to keep from jarring his brains out (and from bending his wheels). Although the street was rough I just comfortably blazed past him on my standard size wheels - I didn't have to worry about damage to my standard size wheels. When I was at a wheel shop last November having my wheels balanced, I was shown a bunch of 18 - 22" wheels that were bent by potholes. Why do people put up with all this trouble? IMO the silliest thing of all is to see cars with aftermarket wheels that cost more than the car is worth!

Actually, the mudflaps Toyota supplies for Lexus cars are barely noticable and really help reduce tar buildup and damage from rocks and paint spills. Photos of how muds look on my 2000 LS are in my gallary. Mudflaps were standard on LS400's in some markets outside North America. I don't remember seeing any LS400 in the U.K. or Europe without them. A couple of nights ago on BBC TV I saw a U.K. spec LS430 with molded color keyed mudflaps - looked very nice.

I added mudflaps to both my previous 90 LS and my current 00 LS. The first ones came from a Lexus dealer in London (they were not available in the U.S. until 1991) and I bought a set for my 00 LS from Metro Toyota/Lexus in Victoria, BC - real close to Kirkland! Mudflaps were removed from the Lexus accessory catalog several years ago according to my local Lexus dealer. I don't know if mudflaps are available for the GS - give Metro a call or send them an e-mail for a quote. They offer fast service, discounts from retail and are licensed to ship directly to the U.S. I usually deal with Paul in their parts department.

John, I hope you find a good pro installer. We've had more bad installs than good ones and have had interior damage and components positioned in unworkable places (speaker blocking the action of the service brake, microphone blocked by sun visor, phone holder blocking air vent, etc.). Be sure to verify capatibility between your chosen Bluetooth kit and your phone - some kit providers like Parrot (www.driveblue.com) have compatibility info on their web sites. Howard forums can be a good place to see if there are issues with particular phones and Bluetooth kits. Installing a kit is an interesting DIY project and is not all that difficult if you plan well and especially if you have the service manuals for your car (or do a one day $10 subscription to Toyota/Lexus on-line techinfo).

I noticed on http://www.lexus.ca/brochures/pov_brochure...300_English.pdf that the 97 ES was in fact prewired for a phone. If your car has a male 6-pin connector (two rows of three pins) under the center console box, it my be like the one in my LS. Search for my user name "1990LS400" and "phone" on this forum and you will find a link to a doc I wrote that has a photo of this plug with my phone kit's mute wire connected to it. I think this plug is for the Lexus Portable Plus phone but I don't know the first year Lexus cars were wired for it. If you find an unused female connector nearby, it is likely for the Lexus fixed phone -- I did not find a mute point in this connector.

I hope someone with personal experience with phones in an ES responses. I have hooked up phone kit mute wires only on a 00 LS and 98 Camry. Was the 97 ES prewired for a Lexus phone? Check the left side of the steering wheel hup for a removable plastic blank where the phone "command module" would go. My opinion is that it is safest and easiest to hook a phone kit's mute wire to a mute point on the car's OEM phone harness. Look at the electrical diagram for your car's audio system. Mute points on my 00 LS were labeled something like "TELMUTE" on my car's diagram. If your car is prewired, you might find a mute point on a plug under the armrest like I did on my LS or on a connector in the trunk where I also found a mute point on my LS. Our Camry was not prewired for a phone so I attached the phone kit's mute wire to one of the pins on the "data port" on the back of its single-DIN radio. But I know these data ports are on many Toyota branded cars beginning with the 98 model year. I had to plug a $15 Soundgate adaptor harness into the data port to get access to the radio's mute pin by scotch-locking the phone kit's mute wire to the appropriate wire on the Soundgate harness. FYI, Soundgate or similar harnesses and additional adaptors can be used to add Sat radio, MP3 players, etc. to Toyota vehicles with the 12 pin data port. But if you car is pre-wired for a phone, that is the way to go in connecting your Bluetooth kits mute wire. PM me if you want, I have not been visiting this forum as much recently.

Testy? I really am quite "warm and fuzzy"... The point I am making is, if I can sense that you are undecided by reading a few of your posts on an Internet forum, then a professional car salesman will size you up in a heartbeat and not consider you to be a serious customer. Salesman didn't call you back? Of course not. He isn't interested in your "thrill of the hunt". He wants to make a living. If you are going to buy a used car, you will likely have to be either be somewhat flexible in your requirements or you will have to expend most of the energy yourself in finding your "perfect car". The sales commission on a used Lexus, even a fairly new one, just isn't all that much. I'm not a salesman "type", but I appreciate what they do. Our wonderful sales force allow me to make a very nice living. Hey, I've been called "a salesman's worst nightmare" because I apparently understand "the game" so well that I can, if I want, "toy" with salesmen and "make" them do deals they can't afford to do. But I don't do that anymore. As I have gotten older, I have grown to appreciate that everyone has to make a living and I don't mind giving a salesman or dealer a decent (or even generous) commission or markup for finding something I want. I look at a salesman as a partner - not as an advasary. So my advice is to figure out what you want before you do much more shopping. Until then, when entering a dealership, it is a nice gesture to tell salesman that you "are just kicking tires for now and not buying today". I love to look at cars and I do this often -- I notice that at least the smart salesmen appreciate my being upfront with them. When you finally figure out your minimum requirements, take your checkbook and your wife (or significant other) with you and be ready to deal. And if you happen to find your "perfect car", by all means don't let a few thousand dollars difference between asking price and your offer stand in your way when spending $30+ for a used or new car. It's a "nit" and who knows how long it will be before another "perfect car" comes along. I used to hear that the only sound deal was one in which both buyer and seller were equally unhappy. I don't believe it. The best deal is when both buyer and seller are happy with what they received. But forget about cars. It is January! Depending on what is allowed in your tax bracket and your employment situation, it is time to fund all allowable IRA's, Roth IRA's, 401K's, Keough's, etc. as quickly as possible to get the biggest bang for your investment buck. Investing for the future is way more important than buying a car.

I wish we could meet up Steve but I'm heading north for two days of packed activities in Baltimore - now beginning on Feb 18. But at least it is a "fun" trip with my wife this time -- I used to get the feeling that my 2nd home was the hotel across from the running track at Johns Hopkins. Best wishes!

Sure, installing Nav in a non-Nav LS has been done before (spending thousands of $ to do it) but why would you want to do this on a relatively new car when there are lots of used LS430's with Nav available? ECUPirate, you've been surfing here for at least a month. Why are you having such a hard time finding an acceptable LS430 at a reasonable price? On lexus.com, there are eight pages of CPO LS430's within 250 miles of the DC 20001 ZIP code and probably far more nice (and lower priced) used LS430's available at non-Lexus dealers and from individuals nearby. The asking prices on some of the CPO cars even seem reasonable and some (probably most) can likely be purchased for a lot less if a serious offer was made. If the LS430's are really too expensive, consider stepping back a few model years. I'll be arriving at BWI on Jan 28th. Do I have to help you choose a car? :chairshot: ;) (Sorry ... love to give the kids a hard time...)

Yes, keyless entry was an option on my 90 LS although it was an inexpensive option. The service key should have a single button on it that is flush with the plastic part of the key. If the key does not have this button, then it is a valet key. The keyless entry on the early LS was not very sophisticated compared to later models and there is no audible beep when the doors are opened or close. I think the "beep" was added in 93.

There are lots of past posts on this issue. Look at this one and/or search for "Homelink" for other posts: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...052&hl=Homelink