1990LS400

Yes, the line on pricing will likely hold and prices may even go down as Toyota moves its assembly of Lexus vehicles to the Chinese mainland where labor costs are a fraction of those in Japan and the U.S. Toyota has for some time been manufacturing parts in China used in Lexus branded vehicles and assembling some of its more complex Toyota branded vehicles such as the Landcruiser Prado (in the U.S. called the Lexus GX470): http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/about_toyota/history/2000.html FYI, the retail on my 2000 LS was $61,770 including a supposedly $1,700 dealer installed chrome wheel option and before a $1,900 "Platinum MSRP Discount". Based on the prices in the autotrader.com archive it looks like the maximum retail with Nav and air suspension for a U.S. spec LS in 2000 was around $64,500. The top prices for the final LS400's were likely substantially higher in countries where power rear seats (with massage!), and rear seat A/C and audio system controls were available. Kind of funny how Toyota finally put all the rear seat goodies on a U.S. spec LS430 and called it the "Ultra Luxury" (in Europe, the "President").

It has been a long time since I replaced the drivers side light switch on the door jam on the 90 LS I used to have but I remember that it was quite easy to do and required popping off the sill trim and the trim covering the seat belt retractor to get access to the screws holding the switch in place. I remember that the old switch under the rubber cover sometimes got sort of "kinked" which prevented the switch from opening and closing. I could temporarily straighten out the switch but it would soon get kinked again. My 2000 LS does not seem to have these switches - perhaps the light switch function on later models is part of the latch mechanism in the door.

The Lexus website says that for the 1998 LS400: "One-touch open/close feature with pinch protection added to all windows " It may be a little more complicated that just exchanging switches. Lexus vehicles with the auto open/close feature also have a feature called "pitch protection". Pitch protection not only protects a person (mainly a child) from having a window or sunroof closed on an extremity but also prevents a child from being strangled by a closing window. The parents of a child who was strangled to death by a closing a closing car window have led a lobbying effort that has led to a regulation change that will require a feature similar to "pinch protection" on all cars sold in the U.S. with power windows/sunroofs. Last I heard, U.S. car companies have delayed the implementation of this requirement by several years. Personally, I don't find the auto open/close feature on our 2000 LS to be very useful. We had a 90 LS for over 13 years and I thought that having an "auto down" on the drivers window was enough. A related feature I really do value is being able to lower all the windows and open the sunroof with a button on the key as I approach the car on a hot summer day.

A variety of roof top carriers and cargo boxes, including both open and enclosed ski/snowboard carriers, are available from European and U.K. Lexus dealers. Here is a link to the Pan-Europe Lexus web page for the RX - click "Accessories Chooser": http://www.lexus-europe.com/showroom/rx_2003/index.asp I bought a variety of accessories and parts from a Lexus dealer in London in the early 90's when in London and later from the U.S. by phone. I assume that a U.K. or a European Lexus dealer would be able to help you although the prices will likely be quite high due to the U.S. dollar currently being in the dumper against the pound and the Euro. Shipping costs can get a bit high too.

Amazing, aren't they? I've got WS50's on my LS (for the 2nd winter) and they sure make driving (and passing stuck SUV's) in heavy snow fun. Of course VSC and the transmission "Snow" mode probably helps a lot too. I never expect a set of snow tires to last much more than 4 winters/20,000 miles, based on 5,000 miles use per year, since effectiveness in deep snow depends on having a lot of tread depth. The LS I sold in last year after 13+ years was on its fourth set of snow tires. My recommendation is to watch tire inflation on snow tires much more closely than on summer tires since winter temperatures often vary more - by 40 degrees here in just one or two days. And compensate for garage temperatures if you check tires in a warm garage, e.g. I'm going to add three pounds (1 pound per 10 degress) to the recommended pressure today since my garage is about 30 degress warmer than the expected high temperature for today. A great little device is a little inexpensive "Air Master 250 psi" 12 volt electric tire pump -- sure beats going to a gas station to check tires and it fits perfectly in the spare tire tray under the trunk mat.

We have a V6 Camry and I had a nearly new loaner ES330 a few months ago when my LS was in the shop. If I closed my eyes (I don't usually do this while driving) the ES was remarkably similar to our Camry. They seem to handle and accellerate about the same and the noise level seemed the same. I actually expected the ES to be a bit quieter. But the ES has a far nicer interior than any Camry you can buy. And you can get neat options on the ES that are not available on the Camry. Or least I assume that memory seats are not available yet on Camry's. (Love those memory seats!) Both our great cars but I think my wife would prefer an ES330 instead of her Camry.

Bison, You might want to stick with the U.K. forum for questions about lights. A coworker of mine in Portsmouth bought an LS shortly after I did in 1990 and we found all sorts of significant differences that prevented us from obtaining parts for each other - particularly regarding lighting. The U.K. and Euro code headlights on the early LS were wonderful (and way different) compared to the awful ones on U.S. versions and we never did get the beam control dial on the dash. We got the crappy high mounted fog lights and you got the ones mounted under the bumper where they should be. Our rear lights were also very different (bigger) and U.S. models never got a rear foglight. Audio systems were completely different too aside from the different frequencies supported -- and you guys got RDS and traffic almost from the beginning -- RDS was only recently introduced here on the LS430. My early LS didn't even have rear cup holders in the armrest like yours probably does!

I don't know Roy ... I'm starting to having a lot more gadgets on my current LS. If I had it to do over, I would not have excluded air suspension when I searched for a car last year. I'm starting to warm up to the LS430 and my next LS will likely be a three year old Ultra that has just come off a lease. By 2001, Toyota/Lexus had at least 12 years of practice making LS/Celsiors with air suspension which means that air suspension has likely gotten a lot more reliable. If one can afford to spend $38K for a used car, I doubt if it will hurt all that much to pay for the repair of the air suspension years down the road - and it may never break. The Ultra really "rocks". A co-worker spent an hour playing with the rear seat gadgets in one and now he has bids in on several. (I was good enough last week to not submit a "winning bid" for him when left my PC still signed on with his ebay account!)

http://techinfo.lexus.com/ may have the wiring diagrams you are looking for - I don't know how much detail they have on the older phone systems. A friendly Lexus dealer employee printed enough of the audio system wiring diagram from techinfo for my LS to enable me to hook up a Nokia kit to my car's OEM phone wiring to automatically mute the audio system when a call is made or received. I tend to doubt that your old Lexus phone is linked to the car's computer. On my 00 LS, the OEM phone system wiring appears to be fairly low tech. A former participant in this forum (username "Dogboy") had some success in interfacing modern handheld cell phones into the Lexus OEM phone wiring. I suspect he gave up marketing them for the reason that he could not make enough money selling them. I had hoped to get the steering wheel phone control to work with our old (but really nice) Nokia CARK-91H car kits and obtained information on the voltages used to control phone functions via the pins in the Nokia cradle. But I do not have the skills or time to build an electronic interface to generate the micro-voltages necessary to control a handful of phone functions from the steering wheel control. With only three buttons and the lever switch on the OEM steering wheel phone control, I would have had, at most, three speed dials and an answer/hangup function. Our Nokia phones already automatically answer and hangup (when in the car kit), and have 10 speed and 10 voice dials so I wouldn't be gaining much. The CARK-91H kit, probably the most popular car kit ever made, has been discontinued by Nokia and Cingular just dropped the last phone that fits into it. I am, however, happy to see that http://www.dashmount.co.uk/ is selling a plug and play "Nokia CARK 91 Converter Cradle" which allows the current Nokia "Pop Port" compatible phones sold by Cingular to be used in with the CARK-91H kit. http://www.connects2.com/ sells interface kits that integrate two Nokia and one Sony-Ericsson kits into the audio/OEM phone controls of BMW, Landrover, Opel and Renault but they have nothing for Japanese cars. It looks like we eventually may be have to go with aftermarket Bluetooth car kits if we want hands free in our older cars without having to use an headset. My bet is that the market for Bluetooth car kits will dry up within a few years - even inexpensive cars are starting to come with Bluetooth built in or as an inexpensive option. As for me, I'm going to try to make our current Nokia kits last as long as possible and have gone so far as to purchase "backup" Nokia 6340i GSM/TDMA/AMPS handsets to make this happen. Good luck with your project. I'm sure it is possible with enough time, knowledge and effort.

It is troubling how very differently various phone manufacturers are implementing the Bluetooth specification. From my experience, it is not much better with non-phone Bluetooth devices -- I have found that (usually) I can establish a fully functional Bluetooth connected "personal area network" only with PDA users who have the same brand as mine. I hope that phone manufacturers will work out the bugs with Bluetooth over the next few years although our corporate research group is not optimistic. Jim 00 LS

This seems like an odd group from which to choose since there are six rather small cars and one large roomy car - the Avalon. For someone financially conservative like us, the choice in this group would be an Avalon - but one that had just come off a 3 year/36,000 mile lease where someone else has eaten the worst of the depreciation. If you want a new Avalon and can wait a while, there is a big change next year --> http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=7555 But gosh are 3-series BMW's fun to drive...

Not sure what you are looking for, but according to the Lexus "1992 Dealer Model Reference", the "USA Model" for the LS400 is "9100". This information is from http://www.clublexus.com/index.php/article...iew/1974/1/352/ and this page includes other identifying information.

Isn't the tendency for a car's steering to "self center" a feature of all cars. Some the older (50's, 60's) cars without power steering I've had took some real muscle to hold the steering wheel in a sweeping turn. My Dad usually just letting the wheel slip though his hands to return to center when driving the manual steering cars of my youth. A "gentle nudge" sounds pretty normal for a car with power steering. We had both a 90 LS and a 00 LS for about a month last year and the steering effort and feel was not all that much different except the 90's steering seemed a little lighter and transmitted a bit less "road feel" than the 00.

VSC and "Trac" were standard in all three model years. From the CPO model library: "The 1999 Lexus LS 400 has retained the features refined in the 1998 design. Additional modifications include daytime running lights, and it now meets Transitional Low-Emission Vehicle (T-LEV) certification for all 50 states. The 1999 LS 400 is also available in a new color: Mystic Gold Metallic. Changes Made To The 1999 LS 400 Standard Features: - Adoption of driver's-side outside mirror tilt-down feature - Floor mats standardized - Wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob standardized - Daytime running lights - Meets Transitional Low-Emission Vehicle (T-LEV) certification for 50 states For the year 2000, a number of safety and mechanical features have been added as standard equipment, including Brake Assist,[1] Child Restraint Seat (CRS) tether anchor brackets, and an Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) system. Some individual vehicles will have an optional chrome-plated spare included with optional chrome-plated alloy wheels. Changes Made To The 2000 LS 400 Standard Features: - Brake Assist[1] - Child Restraint Seat (CRS) tether anchor brackets - Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery (ORVR) system - Fuel-tank capacity slightly reduced" If you come across a 2000 Platinum Series, be aware that there were three distinct models SE, SF, and SG and each has quite different equipment. You can do a search on "Platinum" on this forum and find the details I added to a topic.

Well, does the Toyota filter look the same and does it fit your ES? Lexus and Toyota V6's have been almost identical for many years. I've been buying filters for our LS400's from a Toyota dealer (last time they were $4 each in a 10-pack) ever since I found out that the same filter is used on the V8 Toyota Landcruiser.

I am fairly certain that 1998 was the first model year for snow mode + VSC. I think 1998 is also the first year of the 5-speed auto transmission. My previous 90 LS with snow tires (it did not have Trac) and a couple of bags of sand in the trunk was quite a handful in snow for me although its new owner told me that he is happy with how it does in snow. My 00 LS with snow mode, VSC, and Blizzak snow tires was absolutely incredible in heavy snow last winter. And it seems to have more ground clearance that my 90 LS which I high centered on snow a few times in the 13+ years I had it. Once you learn to trust it, VSC is pretty hilarious when the roads are slick or snow covered. Of course VSC will not save you if you drive like a complete idiot but gosh is it fun to watch it interfene.

My first LS (a 90) had bushing noise problems (loud groans and squeeks) when just a few years old. The dealer came up with a permanent fix only when he learned how much attention the noise was drawing from parents when I drove across a speed bump in front of an expensive private school. Seeing him visualize the lost car sales was rather humorous.

Yes, I think I heard similar bells and whistles when I was 19 years old. But then the voices in my head told the bells and whistles to stop. Or maybe it was that medication they put me on... Maybe the chimes meant that the Flux Capacitor was warmed up and ready for a "Back to the Future" experience. ;) Another possibility is that you are fastening your seat belt before turning the ignition switch so that the "seat belt unfastened" chime doesn't sound. Or maybe your seat belt chime has died. I think your car is a little early to have customizable CBest settings for changing the volume/duration of sounds, interior light dimming, etc.

Is the DRL on a GS simply the high beam at a reduced intensity like on an LS? If it is, having it on at night, even at less than full strength, might blind oncoming drivers. I notice the glare when I meet an oncoming car with DRL at night when the driver has forgotten to turn on the headlights. It is a painful and dangerous experience for us old folks with the beginnings of cataracts.

[ A small black button under the steering column. Unlabled, but clearly factory as it is not cut into the plastic but molded. Here is the really odd thing. It is not referenced in the owner's manual. ← That would probably be the button that toggles the keyless entry "beep" sound on/off. The button should not turn the cig lighter on/off and is described on page 13 of my 00 LS owners manual.

I replaced the battery in our 2000 LS a few weeks ago at about the four year, three month mark - that is the longest a battery has lasted in my almost 15 years experience with LS400's. Whether OEM or aftermarket (usually Interstate), batteries in our LS's have rarely lasted past four years and sometimes have lasted only three years. I have had several discussions with owners of independent repair shops regarding how hard LS's are on batteries - it seems to be a "feature" of the beast. I'd say to shop based on price and/or convenience and replace the battery at the first sign of weekness. Don't bother to go to the expense of having the electrical system or battery checked if the battery is over three years old - just replace the battery - they don't cost all that much.

OK, my turn... It is important to remember how very close this election was. Bush won (depending on the results of the recount in Ohio funded by the Libertarian party) with most of his support coming from less densely populated areas of the U.S. Look at the county-by-county voting statistics for a much better picture of how areas of the U.S. supported Bush and Kerry. I think you will be very surprised. Heck, even I won 70% of the vote in our last highly contentious homes association election. Bush's 51% win certainly was not a mandate from the American people. Bush's 51% win means that just less than half of Americans wanted someone else to be President. And I am in agreement with (almost) all of Steve's (SW03ES) views on the matter. That's a first! :)

Well, quite a few manufacturers used to have (and some may still have) trim and option packages just for southern California (and for the gulf states) but I don't think Lexus ever did. The first LS I purchased in 1990 was being shipped to Phoenix because of the high demand in desert states for cars with a cloth interior. Speaking of Phoenix, are there ANY Lexus cars sold in Phoenix without chrome wheels? I don't think I saw a Lexus without chrome wheels when I was there in June. Chrome wheels are relatively rare on Lexus in the Kansas City area. Perhaps you would find more Lexus with chrome wheels in southern climates. Some options are probably more popular in some areas of the country, e.g. seat heaters and all season tires in colder climates.

The tradition of wearing poppies on what was formerly called Armistice Day in the U.S. seems to have mostly died out in the central U.S. I remember the tradition well during my childhood in the 1950's when many World War I veterans were alive and active in the small community where I grew up. Poppies were always sold (but mainly given away) by veterans groups on the streets on November 11th. It is always very nice to hear from our Canadian friends. Jim U.S. Army 1971-72 (family from Chatham Ontario)

One good website almost entirely dedicated to the installation of phone kits is http://www.siocommunications.co.uk/ in Scotland. Unfortunately the "public" forum on the site is fairly sparse compared to the "installer" forum which Terry apparently took private last year.