1990LS400

Although I have never done it myself, another Lexus owner told me that he was able to download the complete contents of the shop manuals for his car, including the electrical diagram and all TSB's, in one 1-day subscription to Toyota's on-line TIS system which covers Toyota, Lexus, and Scion automobiles. This is the same on-line system used by Lexus dealers and the independent garage that maintains our Lexus and Toyotas. A one day subscription is $10; one month $50 and one year $350. You would have to have a broad band connection, plenty of hard disk space (or a CD burner) and plenty of time to do it in one day. The URL for Toyota TIS is http://techinfo.toyota.com/

Based on figures in the TSB on the "miles since refuel" problem, it looked to me like there were more 2000 LS's sold than for 98 and 99 - at least 38,000 2000's were sold. LS's were manufactured at least through June of 2000 and may have been sold or leased for the first time by Lexus dealers well into the fall. My point is that you might find a used 2000 LS with four or five months left on the basic 4-yr/50K warranty and well below $30K from an individual or independent dealer. This would give you a chance to have any issues fixed under warranty. Six months ago I tried to by a 2000 LS from my local Lexus dealer. A certified LS with about 36K miles was over $39K at the dealer. Instead I bought a non-certified 2000 LS that had just come off a 3-yr lease, with all options except Nav, air suspension, and phone, and in nicer condition, with 38K miles from an independent dealer for less than $31K. The certified car certainly was not worth an additional $8K to me. I think I've seen several low (30K - 45K) mileage 2000 LS's advertised over the past few months at $25K - $30K. I have not seen all that many with Nav.

The owner of the shop that tinted my windows last year told me that some customers had complained about decreased radio reception when metalized film was used on rear windows having antennas. Since I also depend on the phone antenna in the rear window, I had them use a dye time film on the rear window and a metalized film on the side windows. The colors seem to match and the shop owner said that he would replace the rear window tint at no cost if it ever deteriorated. When I asked a Lexus dealer service writer, I was told that a metalized tint on the rear window would not cause a reception problem - but I did not want to take a chance.

While I have a 00 LS - same style as the 98 LS - my favorite LS design of all time is the 95-97. I'm not sure why I like it so much. Maybe it is because of what I consider the sleeker headlights or that the front turn signals are still in the bumper or that it does not have the "afterthought" front side marker lights like my 00. I like the wheels more that the later ones too. I saw two 95-97's on the road in the past two days - one was green. I never thought I could like a green car but it looked really stunning. I think the 97 and 98 have the same wheelbase and about the same interior space - someone please correct me if I am wrong. The main thing I think the 98 has going for it is that it can be had with HID's - I love the HID's - but the 95-97 headlights are probably pretty good compared to the early LS. If you like the 98-00 wheels you could find a 97 Coach Edition which comes with them. Options on the 98's were priced more individually than on the 99-00 which were more package-oriented. I don't know about the 95-97 but the 98-00 is a screamer. After driving a Buick rental in N.Y. for the past week, climbing into my 00 again yesterday was pretty wild.

mtnbkr, Have you checked your insurance policy to see what the deductible is for comprehensive which is the coverage under which this theft would probably be covered? The deductible on "comp" is often much lower than on collision coverage. For example, the deductible on my comp is zero but the deductible on collision is $500. My insurance company paid to have a lot of MB hood ornaments replaced over the years and it did not seem to affect my rates or cost me anything out of pocket.

An independent Lexus repair shop tried off and on for about two years to find a loose ground on my 90 LS that they thought was causing the dash warning light for the rear lights to come on. My problem turned out to be a loose "scotch lock" connector in the aftermarket trailer light wiring harness which was hidden under trim in the trunk. Or the problem could be a bulb with a loose filament. It doesn't cost all that much to replace all the bulbs and that would also give you a chance to check the ground connections. I have no experience with the brake pad sensors on my 00 LS yes - my 90 LS did not have them - but I wonder if they work like the ones on the Mercedes cars I've owned and if the sensor plugs into a brake pad at each wheel. If so, you might try removing the wheels and check that the coating on one of the sensors has done worn through to the metal and that that the wires leading to them are not cracked. I know that I did not always replace the sensors when doing a brake job if they appeared to be good - I usually replaced only the ones that caused the dash light to come on.

K9, Wheel choice and car color really boil down to personal preference. If everyone liked the same things it would be a very boring world. I think your new wheels look great and I'd bet that the handling is a lot sharper. And they sure look look like they cost much, much more than $485! It is always great to hear from you. Jim

I doubt if one could say that either Lexus dealers or independent repair shops are always better or worse than the other. But from my experience and where I live, the service provided by the two independent Lexus repair shops I have used has been substantially better than the service provided by the local Lexus dealer. Both independent repair shops were owned and staffed by former Lexus dealer employees. Personally, I would rather have the lower costs of an independent repair shop than the "free" breakfasts and pretentious surroundings at the Lexus dealership. But whether you choose an independent or a dealer, I'm convinced that the best way to prolong the life and appearance of a car is to do much of the minor maintenance and repairs yourself so as to reduce the number of times that any repair shop needs to touch your car.

Dogboy and I PM'ed each other a number of times in Feb-Mar but I have not heard from him recently. I may have his phone number at home but I'm in N.Y. for the next week. After finally getting the radios to mute in our LS400 and Camry when a phone call comes in on our Nokia's, I'd now like to see if I can get the steering wheel phone control to work with several Nokia functions. But my LS does not have a steering wheel phone control and Iron Toad did not answer my request for a price quote on one - maybe it is no longer available.

I am curious as to why you want to disconnect the DRL's. I wish there was an easy way to add them to our 98 Toyota. Safety studies on DRL's conducted in northern Europe many years ago certainly changed my mind. After that, neither my wife or I have probably driven once in 30 years without either headlights or DRL's on. If it is the yellow color you don't like, you might try changing to something like Silverstars. I certainly don't like how the high beams look from the drivers seat at night compared to the HID's of my LS. If you are really intent on disconnecting them, you might compare the wiring diagrams for a 98 and 00 GS. If you can't get a hold of copies, you could always do a short term subscription to Toyota's on-line TIS.

dah, I agree with "fatman" that you might want to first check the wires in the left trunk lid hinge. Search this forum for the word "hinge" to see past topics about this problem. When a wire broke in my 90 LS trunk hinge last summer, the reverse light stayed on and the transmission shifted very erratically. That day was the first time I used this forum in which I quickly found the answer and had the problem fixed within an hour.

The dealer service writer called today after researching the "miles since refuel" TSB and offered to replace the entire combination meter under warranty. The combination meter of course includes the odometer. He said that he could have the current mileage "burned" into the odometer on the new combination meter. But who knows how many miles I might drive before the new combo meter would be installed. I have come to the same conclusion as "handygal" and I do not think that this problem is worth trying to fix - particularly after hearing from others that replacing the combo meter does not always fix the problem. Also, I would rather keep the odometer reading accurately. So I told the service writer to forget about this issue. The dealer is, however, going to replace the climate control module above the audio system because of debri in the outside temperature display. I was surprised that the entire module is an $850 part which I think is quite a bit less than the price I was quoted for one in my old LS about ten years ago.

I noticed that rear window tint interferes with operation of the automatic anti-glare inside and outside mirrors on my LS. The mirrors don't darken as quickly at night when a car is behind. I forgot the brand of the film (it is not 3M) that was used, but the non-metallic tint on the rear window is the same brand and color as the metallic tint on the side windows. The warranty on both types is 10 years although the installer provides his own "as long as you own your vehicle" warranty. Fortunately he has been in business a lot longer than 10 years. I expressed the same concern about the non-metalic film lasting. He did not think this would be a problem but said that he would be glad to steam it off and replace it if it ever failed. My main reason for using non-metallic tint on the rear window was to ensure that operation of the phone antenna imprinted on the rear window would not be impaired. Even a little degradation in signal strength would be problem. I also recommend having a "pro" tint your windows if only because they have those PC controlled laser film cutters that cut the film to the exact size of each window. $210 I spent last time seems pretty cheap for a perfect job.

The owner of the shop that tinted the windows in my 00 LS in December told me that he has had complaints about radio reception being compromised when metallic tint film is used on rear windows that have imprinted antennas. Since both my radio and phone antennas are imprinted on the rear window, I asked that he install non-metallic film on just the rear window. He used metalic film on the side windows. Although one would hope that the installer would do a good job of cleaning your windows before applying the film, it might be a good idea to clean them thoroughly before you take your car in. Be aware that using a standard amonia based window cleaner can quickly distroy window film. Spend the extra bucks to buy the special cleaner for tinted windows and only clean the film with a soft 100% cotton cloth - never with a paper towel. Another thing I did was to ask that the film installer to not install film behind the high mounted brake light. He did a perfect job in cutting the film around the brake light housing so that the brake light is still just as visible as before. I used to think that window tint was silly - just people trying to look "cool". But now I understand that it is a great product and does wonders to improve comfort and reduce sun damage - not just to cars but even on one's left arm which happens to be the only place where I have sun damage that has required a bit of medical attention.

I took my 2000 LS to the dealer yesterday and one of the issues I reported was that the "miles since refuel" sometimes resets to zero before refilling the tank. I told the service writer about the TSB for this issue when I dropped off the car. Apparently the information I gave early in the morning about the existance of a TSB on the problem was not noted on the service order or provided to the mechanic. When I picked the car up in the afternoon, neither the 2nd service writer or the mechanic were familiar with the TSB - strange because it seems to be a common problem. The 2nd service writer did an on-line search and found the TSB. Then the 2nd service writer and the mechanic told me that I must be inadvertently pressing the reset button and resetting the "miles since refuel" display. Last night I tried resetting the "miles since refuel" display with the reset button - it could not be done. Today I looked at the owners manual on-line and it does not appear that the reset button can be used to reset the "miles since refuel" display. I wish this had been the only problem during this visit to the dealer. No one should have to get out their owners manual to prove to a Lexus dealer service writer that his car has a particular feature (i.e. day-time running lights). They should know what features their cars have. Maybe it is just this one Lexus dealer, but I don't think I have had a single service experience there which has been as good as the worst experience I have had at an independent repair shop specializing in Lexus. Although I hate returning to this dealer, I need to go back as get some other expensive (e.g. temperture display) issues addressed before the basic 4-year warranty expires August 1. Driving to Wichita, Des Moines or Omaha for dealer service is not practical and I don't know how good they are anyway.

Someone may well want your phone - especially if you include the trunk mounted transceiver and steering wheel control. Some companies will provide analog service if you already have digital service with them. My tri-mode phone sure spends a significant amount of time in analog mode when traveling through the midwest. I am trying to find a steering wheel phone control for my 2000 LS and just sent a request to a dealer last night. I got no response from the buy and sell forum. Supposedly the 98-00 were of the same design except the controls came in a variety of colors to match the interior. I would like to see if I can interface the steering wheel phone control with a few functions on my Nokia car kit. I am starting to get quite a kick out of tracing the LS telephone system wiring after recently connecting my Nokia to mute the Nakamichi when a call comes in. Or you might want to keep your steering wheel phone control if you want to try something similar.

Many garage door openers have a "rolling code" feature. Take a look at this previous topic. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=7601&hl=opener

Probably your U.K. sense of humor. Dismembering and killing family pets is probably not be as popular in the U.S. as it is in the U.K. Of course my neighbor across the street, originally from Edinburgh, sometimes sings a Monty Python song ("He's a lumberjack") while he washes his cars in his driveway. Maybe all this is caused by too much Guinness. ;)

Wow, I had not realized that the Gen II lost so much weight. I stand corrected. Here is a quote from a 97 LS road test on www.edmonds.com "The LS400's powerful V-8 engine pushes out 260 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque through the rear wheels; enough to get this 3,700-pound car from zero-to-sixty in a factory-reported 7.1 seconds."

SW03ES said Selling the car yourself will likely net you quite a bit more than trading it in. If your 94 is in excellent shape people will be falling all over you trying to buy it. I suggest that you offer it at least above the mid-point between Kelly Blue "Used Car Retail Pricing" and the "Private Party" price - you can always come down. FYI, an aspect that seemed to make my previous LS easy to sell was having every single record and receipt from day one, including the window sticker. Of course it helped that it looked so good, including under the hood, that people unfamiliar with Lexus thought it was new.

Which years have interference engines is not a mystery - at least not to me and the owner of the independent repair shop to which I usually take my LS. I hope that at some point a permanent link to an authoritative web page with this information can be posted on this forum. What really is a mystery to me is how so many Lexus dealer employees are not knowledgable about their cars. This morning I took my 2000 LS to the dealer for warranty work with one of the issues being related to the day-time running lights. Two service writers were adament that my car could not have a problem with the running lights because my car does not have them. I know that one of the two service writers had been with the dealership for quite a long time. I had to show them the page in my owners manual that explains how the day-time running lights work before they would believe me. Kind of sad.

There were quite a few comments in the automotive press in the early 90's about how the LS was gaining weight and slowing down as changes were made year by year. The fastest LS's from 90-97 are probably the earliest ones with the fewest options. Even a little extra weight makes a difference. I once removed the bumpers, the spare tire, pass. seat and a lot of interior and trunk trim before taking a car in for a partial restoration - it was hard to believe how much faster it was without the extra weight.

By coincidence, I'm taking my 2000 LS to the dealer for warranty work tomorrow morning and the TSB about the "miles since refuel" problem is one of the items on my list. Last I heard, this problem is also happening on LS430's and there is not yet a reliable fix. The fix on a 98-99 involved replacing componets at both the fuel tank and fuel gauge; the gas tank fix was apparently implemented with the 2000 model year and only the the gas gauge portion of the fix is needed. However, I have read that Toyota is still looking for a solution. Mine does not reset itself very often so I am not going to push the issue unless I find out tomorrow that a reliable fix is now available.

chips229, I hope that you will visit and participate in the U.S. forum any time you want. The whole idea is to share experiences and have fun. Lexus branded cars sold in various markets are not all that different and I often have found helpful and interesting information on the U.K Lexus forums. Thanks, Jim

Same thing happened to me a few years back. It is usually the brake light switch at the pedal. Do you have brake lights? No, it doesn't hurt to use the override but you are in danger if you don't have brake lights.