1990LS400

I think youngdoog is missing my point. I have for a great many years been in a business closely tied to the franchised auto dealer industry. From this and other life experiences, I am painfully aware of how difficult and competitive the auto dealer business is. Have you ever called on a dealership and found out that it went bankrupt just before you got there? I have. You may think dealerships are a "gravy train" business but it is not. I have lots of friends and relatives in the dealer and repair shop business. None of them can afford to operate as charities. The dealer mechanics who work on our cars are just like you and me. They want to be paid a decent salary and to get health care and other benefits. They want to be paid for removing your radio and resetting your security code. The cost of maintaining a 94 LS is similar to the cost of maintaining a 2004 LS. Adjusted for inflation, the new cost of a 94 LS and a 2004 LS are not very different. And of course, the cost of owning a 94 LS is a lot higher than the cost of owning a 2004 LS since a 2004 LS is under warranty. And you should be aware that the medium annual income of a 2004 LS purchaser is over $175,000. If you don't like these figures, then don't whine about the cost of owning an LS. As a frugal LS owner I have learned to perform much of the maintenance myself. And I drove cheap Hondas and Volkswagens and "paid a lot of dues" until I got to a fairly advanced age and only started to buy expensive cars when I could afford to properly maintain them. -- An "Olddog".

As I wrote in a post on another similar topic, the Platinum Series of the 2000 model year and the similar Coach package of the 1997 model year appear to have been an effort to pump up sales at the end of a model (body style) run. The Platinum Series package was very heavily discounted right on the window sticker which made the options quite a bargain over what it would have cost to have purchased them separately. My late 2000 LS Platinum Series even included chrome Platinum Series wheels (like 2001 LS430 wheels) at no charge. Personally, I could care less about the package but I certainly was amused at the "WOW!-response" from a dealer parts department employee who looked at it last Friday to confirm a minor part I needed.

It is not the dealers fault that you don't have the security code. Nor is it the dealers fault that they have to remove the radio to reset the code. That is just the way it is and they can't be expected to do it for free. Like I said, the radio is quick and easy to remove so it should be relatively inexpensive. I've had quite a few $1,000 plus repair/service bills in my 14 years of Lexus ownership. If spending $100 to get the radio code reset is a big issue, then you may be in for a shock when it comes to maintaining an LS. Don't mean to be harsh but these cars can be very expensive to maintain if you don't have the skills or time to do everything yourself.

It's probably just the finish that is cracked. The finish on mine cracked much worse when I was re-ended in 2000 but the wood itself in the early years is quite thick and sturdy - much thicker than on my current LS. When I replaced the console wood in 2000 on my 90 LS, it cost right at $100 from the dealer. The finish crack on your wood certainly does not look bad. It is just a sign that the car is aging gracefully and it looks great at 13 years.

My interpretation is that the average age of LS buyers increased as the LS price increased since median income generally increases with age. When I bought mine in early 1990, a modestly equipted LS could be had for about $30,000 cash. Then there were quite a few $1,000 price increase events and the implementation of the "luxury tax". Prices rose a bit during the first five years and sales fell off dramically. I think I read that more LS's were sold in the U.S. in the first 1990 model year than in any model year since. And, of course, Mercedes and BMW really got there act together and increased content and dramatically lowered prices. For example a well equipted 300E listed for nearly $50K in 1990 but an even better E320 was listing at about $41K in 1994. And of course, BMW reinstated its V8 program which it had cancelled in about 1990 and Mercedes started offering V8's in their mid-size cars. Having switched from driving a Mercedes to an LS in 1990 made it all especially interesting to watch.

According to the window sticker from my 2000 Platinum Series package also included heated front seats, Nakamichi/CD audio system. and Platinum series badges on the sides. Apparently the content of the Platinum series on the 2000 LS varys a bit. I wonder if mine has a little more stuff since it was made at about the end of the 2000 model in June 2000. At this link, for example, is a "for sale" of a Patinum Series 2000 LS that was probably sold in California and which does not have heated seats or Nakamichi: http://www.autosaleassistance.com/Clients/jncrlse/ls400/

Here we go again! It sounds like still another case of a broken wire - probably the "white with black stripe" one - in the left trunk hinge. Try this link or do a search on "hinge" http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=4726&hl=hinge One of the last occurances of this problem was reported by member "Troubleshooter". There used to be a lot more posts on this problem but they were lost in last years server crash. I had this exact same problem last year and solved it by splicing in a short piece of wire. If this is the problem, make sure you solder in the splice or use good connectors. It is amazing that this one wire in the hinge is too short in so many wire harnesses. Good luck! Jim

The radio head unit is easy to remove so I doubt that the price would be all that big at the dealer. I've done it several times on both a 90 and 00 LS and could probably remove and reinstall the radio head unit, console wood, ashtray and center vent in less than 15 minutes. Instructions for 90-94 are at http://www.carstereohelp.com/stereoremovalLexusLS400str.htm At some point Lexus stopped putting instructions in owners manuals on how to replace remove the headlight units and replace all the bulbs in the car -- I don't know if the 94 owners manual still has the instructions. The owners manual for my 00 LS says to take the car to a dealer whenever a bulb burns out. Yeah, right.

Although my owners manual went with my 90 LS when I sold it last November, in the 13 1/2 years I had it, I never put in more than 5 quarts of oil when I changed the oil and filter. I thought that 5 quarts was what the 1990 owners manuals said was the capacity. Maybe the capacity increased after 1990 per Mapman with his 1991 LS. Have you thought about registering with Lexus and getting an owner's manual? Or just buying one? I know that the oil capacity in the LS was increased over the years and my 00 LS manual says that it holds 5.9 US quarts. My owners manual for the 94 Euro spec LS says that it held 5.4 US quarts. The oil light should not come on during normal driving when the dipstick shows the oil being only a half quart low. However, the person who bought my 90 LS told me that the oil light recently came on during an extreme braking incident. Since my 90 LS never used oil in the 183K I had it, it never dropped below full on the dipstick and I never saw the oil light come on. I know that there are probably good people working at Wal-Mart but I tend to doubt that Wal-mart or "quick-change" oil businesses are good places to have a Lexus, or any other car, serviced. It takes probably less than 30 minutes to change the oil and filter on an LS - even with removing the belly pan. My opinion is that you are better off doing it yourself to ensure that it is done properly.

When I programmed the garage door buttons on my 00 LS a few months ago, they did not work until I performed additional steps. According to my 00 LS owners manual, the additional steps only have to be performed if your garage door openers have a "rolling code feature". Here are the additional steps from the 00 LS manual. "1. Locate the "training" or "learning" button on the in-garage receiver and push and release this button. Location of the button may vary by the garage door opener manufacturer. 2. Firmly push and release the trained HomeLink button 2 times (some garage door manufacturer may require you to push the HomeLink button up to 3 times) to complete the process." On my Sears openers, the training button is a square red button and a diode lights up when it is pressed. The visor with the Homelink buttons that you purchased sounds like the ones on Camry's and Avalons. But who cares as long as they fit and look decent. Better yet if they are covered in cloth instead of vinyl -- the only place the vinyl ever deterioated in my 90 LS was on the sunvisors.

If your main issue is that your current Pioneer CD player can handle only a single CD, check the back of the radio to see if it has a plug receptable for a Pioneer six CD changer. For example, I was recently surprised to find out that Toyota audio systems with the single CD unit can also accept a changer for a total capacity of 7 CD's. Whether or not you revert back to the original LS Pioneer radio, you might consider putting the CD changer under the passenger seat since running a cable to that location would be relatively easy. Plus it is nice to not have to open the trunk to pop it a different CD cartridge. And you would not have to worry about water getting into the CD changer -- the early LS's trunks leaked rather badly.

My understanding is that the filters sold at Toyota dealers for use on V8 Landcruisers have always been the same as the ones sold at Lexus dealers for use on the LS. The only difference seems to be that my local Lexus dealer wants three times more money for the same product than does the Toyota dealer. When I first purchased an LS in 1990 and for quite a while after that, the oil filters sold at Lexus dealers only had "Lexus" printed on both the filter and the boxes they came in. Lexus no longer seems to hide the fact that filters and other components are used on both Toyota and Lexus cars -- probably because of the costs associated with maintaining a duel inventory.

VBDenny, Whoops, what I meant to say was to ask a Toyota parts department for the same oil filter that is used on V8 Landcruisers - although they might know that it is the same as used on the LX450 and LX470. That is what I have used on my 90 and 00 LS. Sorry, Jim

Just go to a Toyota dealer and ask for an oil filter for an LX450 or LX470. My wife bought the last two 10-packs for me at a local Toyota dealer at a unit cost of exactly $4.00.

bbrunelle, The "Premium Sound System" is from Pioneer. Nakamichi radios have "Nakamichi" printed in about the same place on the radio's face. I have not seen anything lately from Dogboy on adapting the Lexus phone controls for use with non-Lexus phones. The Nokia "CARK-134: Full Car Kit" works with the Nokia 3595 according to the Nokia website. Nokia sells the kit for $149. http://www.nokiausa.com/nokia_accessories/...431,,00.html#70 Do you have one? It looks similar to the Nokia CARK-91 kit that I installed in my 00 LS last week except that it does not appear to have a privacy handset - at least as a standard component - like the one I installed in the upper tray of the center console where the factory phone goes. I installed the cradle for the Nokia handset on a bracket, similar to a "Pro-fit" backet, just to the right of the radio. I had to drop the headliner a bit to run the microphone wire, remove the radio, wood console trim, upper and lower console inserts, center vent, rear seat, glove box, door sills, and lots of other trim to run all the wiring -- about 10 hours of very careful planning and work. I bought a 15 foot extension cable and utilized the cell phone antenna embedded in the rear window by extending the existing cable from the right well of the trunk, under the right side door sills and above the glovebox to attach to the antenna wire at the phone cradle by the radio. The Nokia car kit junction box slipped neatly between the carpet and the console -- to the left of the ashtray and just forward of the drivers seat. The Nokia microphone attached to the left of the garage door opener controls works well enough to allow consistent voice dialing of my Nokia 6340i. If you can't utilize the Lexus phone controls, the above option is a pretty good alternative and beats the heck out of using a headset. Another forum participant mentioned phone car kits from Cellport that might work. Unfortunately the dealers listed on the Cellport website that I contacted do not admit to selling Cellport products. If the "A" and "B" plugs on the amplifier match the standard Toyota plugs shown on the web site I mentioned elsewhere in this topic, my guess is that the mute cables sold by Dashmount and European companies "might" work with your standard radio system to play the call through the front speakers, mute the radio and supply power to a Nokia car kit. With some difficulty I bought one of these cables from Dashmount U.K. but I'm not ready to part with it yet since I still have some hope of getting or fabricating adaptors to make it work with the Nakamichi or may just give it to my friend who bought my old LS (with standard Pioneer) and has a Nokia phone. I hope to sometime post photos of the phone installation. It came out very nicely and much better than any professional installation I've had done. If you have specific questions, I'll try to respond. Jim

I had promised that I would report back on my success in integrating my handheld Nokia's CARK-91 car kit into the audio system of our 00 LS and 98 Camry using the "45MUTETOYOTA" auto mute lead harness from the U.K. company Dashmount.com. It is supposed to mute the audio system on a call and play the call through the front door speakers. Unfortuately the harness plugs are not compatible either with the amplifier plugs on the Nakamichi in the LS or with the upgrade radio in our Camry. But ... it looks like the 45MUTETOYOTA harness might work on LS400's with the standard Pioneer audio system or the Lexus Navigation system. Or at least the photos of the amplifier "A" and "B" connectors shown in the 00 LS repair manuals match the connectors on the 45MUTETOYOTA harness. Drawings of connectors "A" and "B" are at: http://www.installdr.com/Harnesses/Toyota-Wiring.pdf under the "87 and newer" heading. But I am not certain. Since I can't use the auto mute lead on either of our cars I plan to see if my repair shop owner has a customer with a Nokia kit in an LS with a Pioneer or Nav system to see if he wants to try to use the harness. It looks like it should be nearly "plug and play" although the Nokia's junction box has to be within about 34 inches of the amplifier -- or the junction box would have to be repositioned or this part of the harness lengthened. Probably not a problem in the U.K. where the amplifiers are behind the glovebox or center console instead of under the passenger seat. My understanding is that adaptor kits are available for other phone manufacturer's car kits. I will report back if my repair shop gets the auto mute lead harness to work in a non-Nakamichi LS. If it was practical, I would swap my Nakamichi for a Pioneer - but it looks like way too much work and expense.

VMF, I'm fairly certain that 225/60 - 16 became standard on the LS in with the 1993 model year where there were also many other substantial design changes from the 90-92 models.

My opinion is that 225/60's are preferable and I hope the tire center will make things right. I experimented a lot in the early 90's with tire sizes on my first LS which came with only 205/65 tires. Wider 225/60's provided dramically improved braking and made the car feel more stable at speed. I would think that using 215/60's would compromise braking and handling since there would be a smaller contact patch on the road. The smaller contact patch provided by narrower tires is generally an advantage only in the snow.

Mandingo, I always hate to see questions go completely unanswered and I hope that some LS430 owners will chime in. You might try providing more information on where you expect to mount your V1 and from where in your car you would like to pick up power. If you are wanting to mount your V1 near the front edge of your sunroof, there are plenty of hot wires above the dome light assembly. I don't have an LS430, but the entire domelight/sunroof switch assembly in my 2000 LS can be easily dropped after removing the lens and then a few screws holding the assembly to the roof. I had mine off last week while planning for the placement of my Nokia's microphone. You would need a test light to identify a hot wire and some small "scotch lock" or similar connectors to connect the V1's wires to the existing wires. Have you considered asking your Lexus dealer's service department for help? Some are very helpful and, after all, you car is under warranty.

Having worked in the insurance industry for the past 27 years and being with a company that owns a large insurance company mentioned in this forum topic, I have to say that a better source of information than this forum is your licensed insurance agent. And if you are dissatisfied with what he or other employees of your insurance company tells you, it might be best for you to consult an attorney rather than to rely on information presented in this forum.

I am unaware of a state or federal law that ever requires the use of OEM auto parts in repairing a car. An insurance policy has the same force as a contract. Policy language usually, if not always, stipulates "like kind and quality". While one might successfully argue to an insurance company that a aftermarket fender is not up to Lexus standards, it probably would be more difficult to argue about glass since the general quality of aftermarket auto glass is very high. A person with a high deductible on the applicable coverage might well have to pay for the replacement of a windshield.

93LSOWNER, http://www.exoticwooddash.com also lists wood kits for the 90-94 LS. Take a look.

Dogboy, I sure hope the forum moderator doesn't mind since so many people are looking for a way to use their handheld phones with the factory system. A "radio mute lead" harness that I ordered from a U.K. company last Wednesday arrived today. It is supposed to integrate a Nokia handhelds's car kit into the audio system of most Toyota/Lexus cars - or at least the ones sold in the U.K. - play the call through the front speakers and mute the radio on an incoming/outgoing call. The harness includes a mystery "black box". I'm taking it all to a phone installer tomorrow for his opinion although I may try it in our Camry first -- cheaper to fry the Camry radio than the Nakamichi! Dogboy, I hope a lot of people will be interested in your ideas! Consider registering your with the search engines. It can take quite a while for a new site to show up in the listings if you don't pay the listing fees. Thanks!

Hendrick Auto Group's (also owns the Lexus dealership) body shop in Kansas City, replaced the windshield on my 90 LS with a non-Lexus windshield (PPG?) about two years ago for a little over $200. I paid for it myself since it was worn from 12 years of driving and not broken. When they ordered the windshield they asked me about the interior color so they could match it and of course my interior color was gray so maybe I lucked out. Even though it was not from Lexus, the windshield had the "black dot" design (it is not a heating element) around the edge and looked just like the original. If you have to settle for gray at least it is a neutral color and will probably look OK.

My wife has twice bought a case of oil filters for our LS's at a Toyota dealer at a price that breaks down to only $4 each. And the parts guy throws in 10 oil plug gaskets at no additional cost. (The owner of an independent repair shop said that this is near the wholesale cost.) The Toyota Landcruiser V8 uses the same oil filter as the LS - at least through the LS400 run. Costco stores sell Mobil 1 for less than anywhere else I've found. It has been frustrating how many times dealer (especially Mercedes dealers) and non-dealer repair shops have damaged and dinged my cars over the past 40 years. And these guys are professionals? Unless you have a eally wonderful repair shop, I've convinced that the best thing you can do to preserve a car you love is to buy the repair manuals and take care of simple repairs and oil and filter changes yourself. A quality floor jack and a set of metric tools are pretty cheap and will last a lifetime.