1990LS400

I would be surprised if "Lane Keeping Assist" was not available on the Japanese market IS. Japanese market vehicles often get more features than the US. LKA goes beyond lane departure warning and nudges the car back into its lane. Last time I checked, the only Toyota-made vehicles available with LKA in the US were the Prius sedan, LS460L and LS600hL.

Have you checked to see if your brake lights are working when you have to use the shift override button? (Throwing a towel on the back window can make easier to see if the high mounted stop light is lighting up.) If your brake lights are not working, the most likely cause is a defective brake light switch on the brake pedal lever - fairly inexpensive part.

www.toyodiy.com

One of my standard spiels is to tell people that they need to own at least one convertible during their lives and that it might as well be red. My first car and first convertible was a red 1964 Triumph Spitfire convertible. OK ... calling a Spitfire a car might be a stretch - "Spitfire" should have been spelled with an "h" instead of an "p". The SC430's retractable top addresses most of the issues I had with convertibles - wind noise at highway speeds, water leaks, theft of anything left in the interior, use on very cold and very hot days, damage from bird droppings and falling limbs ... Are we sure that this SC430 isn't just a figment of your imagination? Pictures or it didn't happen!

You live in Texas? The IS300h hybrid has never been sold in the U.S. although I would not be surprised to see it offered in the U.S. in the future. The brochure for the 2013 IS sold in the U.S. can be viewed at http://www.lexus.com/documents/brochures/2013/2013-Lexus-IS-Brochure.pdf Based on this brochure, emergency braking (Pre-Collision System) was available as an option only on the IS-C convertible and the IS-F. I do not see Lane Departure Warning listed as being offered on the IS in 2013. Toyota is expanding the availability of emergency braking systems and lane departure warning and assist systems over the next several model years: http://phys.org/news/2015-03-toyota-price-automatic-safety-devices.html

Is this it? http://toyolexparts.com/index.php/body-electrical/front-door-lock-actuator/new-genuine-driver-front-door-lock-actuator.html These must have been troublesome. I'm wondering if the supply of replacement parts is nearly gone.

Sorry, I didn't notice your Ontario location. No Pandora for you! But I see that Slacker Radio is available in Canada and it is pretty darned good if it works like in the U.S.. I seem to prefer Pandora over all the others so that is the only music service I pay for to get rid of commercials.

Randy, you rascal! OK, I'll do you a favor. I take your "new" SC430 off your hands and give you 50% of what you gave for it. OK ... 51%. Oh, the color is "Arrest Me Red". I swore I would never have another convertible unless I moved to the Left Coast.

Here is the relevant section of your owners manual: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM33875U/pdf/sec_03_03.pdf The owners manual seems to indicate the Bluetooth "portable player" can also be your phone and controlled through your Lexus audio system controls but that might not be the case. As the owners manual says:"Depending on the portable player that is connected to the system, certain functions may not be available." If you want to stream music from phone apps such as Pandora and Slacker then you will need to control those apps from your phone screen. Having a phone holder that puts the phone as high as possible on the dashboard makes it easier and safer to control music applications. iOttie phone holders stick to even modestly textured surfaces as long as they are flat. I can't tell you for sure but you might be able to skip songs when using music applications such as Pandora by pressing the channel buttons on your steering wheel.

Toyota normally does not install the infrastructure for DRL when it is not offered in a particular country or region. DRL is not required in the U.S. but Toyota has included DRL on many models and (I think) on all their Lexus vehicles since about 1999. For example, our U.S. specification 2012 Toyota Prius v (known as the Prius+ in most of Europe) did not come with DRL even though the Canadian specification 2012 Prius v did come with DRL. It was not feasible to add the Canadian type DRL to our U.S. specification Prius since our Prius was missing all the wiring and relays for it. I installed an aftermarket DRL kit but it does not comply with EC DRL requirements since it uses the front turn signals. My understanding is that the type of headlight based DRL used on the 2007 U.S specification RX. is not sanctioned in Germany and that there is no requirement to add DRL to older vehicles. Hella has a extensive catalog of aftermarket DRL products. Here is the English language website showing them: http://catalog.hella.com/lighting/lights/daytime-running-lights.html

Billy, everyone on these Lexus forums are amateurs compared to you. But do what you want to do and enjoy it.

Strangely enough, the same replacement air struts are listed as fitting all years of the LS400 which seems very, very odd to me. I suggest that you check with suppliers. Here is a relevant eBay listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rear-Pair-2-Complete-Strut-Shock-Air-to-Coil-Spring-Conversion-Kit-/310976052932?fits=Model%3ALS400

A 70-series tire was not a "balloon tire" and was considered to be quite a low profile and sporty tire in the 1970's. For example, the 1976 Corvette came with 225/70-15 tires and so did the Pontiac Firebird. "Normal" cars of the 1970's and even some sporty ones (e.g. Chevy Camaro) used the equivalent of 75 to 80 series tires.

My first question is always: do other phones work better with your Lexus Bluetooth? Is this vehicle new to your? Do you have a new phone? Has any phone worked well? On previous generations there was a microphone volume adjustment on a hidden menu. Only Lexus dealers should mess with the hidden menus as many owners have bricked their navigation systems by trying to do it themselves. Does the voice volume control in the navigation system's phone settings do nothing? I've never known if is for incoming or outgoing voice volume. If you have not already, have someone call you on another phone from your Lexus using your phone so you can see how it sounds. And is there any kind of volume adjustment on the phone itself? For example, I know for sure that the volume on the phone itself has to be turned up when streaming music from phone to the vehicle via A2DP - otherwise you might not hear the audio at all.

"Bridged"? No. Why? Is something not working? I assume you have already removed the phone ECU in the trunk. If the coax cable is still attached to the inside element of the antenna on the rear window, it can be detached and slipped above the headliner. It's been a LOT of years but I think I remember a small metal tab that holds the coax cable in place above the headliner.

The final map update for the generation 1 navigation system was released in 2004.

A common way to deal with a dead generation 1 Lexus navigation screen is to install an HVAC control from a non-nav car (check eBay) and an aftermarket radio and/or radio/nav. I doubt that your problem has anything to do with trunk hinges or fuses.

Your tires were worn out way before 38,000 miles. 1/32 inch of tread is crazy dangerous on wet roads. 3/32 inch is generally thought to be the minimum safe tread depth for summer and all-season tires and 5/32 inch minimum tread depth for winter tires. I first noticed the 15,000 mile tire life warning when 18" wheels and tires were offered as options on the 2004 LS430. Before that, the warning was that 17" tires might last no longer than 20,000 miles. My 2014 Sienna came with Goodyear all-season tires in size 235/55R18 - same size as used on the recent RX350. As of tonight, these tires have 8/32 inch tread after about 16,000 miles. I think they will last a total of about 30,000 miles (three years for me) with careful monitoring of pressures and alignment. I will replace them when they have 3/32 inch tread left. I check tire pressures at least once per month and far more often when ambient temperatures vary by much. Tire pressure changes by about one psi for each 10 degrees of temperature change. Just a 30 degree change will have tires down 3 psi and wearing faster. I will be lucky to get three years (5,000 miles per year) out of my Bridgestone Blizzak WS80 winter tires and only because I downsized to 17" wheels for winter use. I was able to get nearly 25,000 miles out of Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires on the 2000 LS400 but it had 16" wheels and was far (700 pounds) lighter than the Sienna. The public seems to like big wheels and tires - maybe its due to all those Hot Wheels toys! I would be fine if auto makers went back to much smaller wheels and longer lasting tires. The 1956 Mercedes I drove as a teenager in the 1960's had 13 inch wheels. The Mercedes W123 I bought in 1979 had 14 inch wheels. The Lexus LS400 I bought in 1990 had 15 inch wheels. Unfortunately, big wheels and shorter lasting tires seem to be here to stay and not just on vehicles made by Toyota.

How much a vehicle rusts seems to depend on location and the type of salt compound used. We barely get 20 inches of snow per year where I live and the salt compound used here is not as caustic as that used in other locations. I saw a 2001-2003 LS430 in a parking lot this afternoon and it had no visible rust.

I'm looking at 5mm on a ruler and it is "nothing". 5mm + 1/4 inch is right at 10mm. Do you have at least 10mm between your current rear wheel/tire and the rear strut assembly? I doubt if it would matter if the rear and front track matches perfectly if you were to use spacers only on the rear. But do you need to? Maybe you could mount one of the new wheels on the rear and measure the clearance between the wheel and strut. If you use the same tire size, the tires are not going to "bulge out" over the wheel rim as much as with your OEM 6 1/2 inch wide wheels. Edit: I guess it would be 3mm + 1/2 inch additional clearance that you would need. About 17mm. I forgot that your new wheels are 7 1/2 inch wide instead of 7 inch wide.

Your English is perfect. Strutmasters sells air suspension parts and kits to convert to steel spring suspension and it appears that they ship internationally: http://www.strutmasters.com/suspension-parts/lexus/lexus-ls-430/ Here is another company: http://www.suncoreindustries.com/lexus-LS430-suspension.php I don't know if the power steering pump on the early LS430 is any more reliable than those on the late LS400. The 1990 LS400 that I bought 25 years ago had at least five new or rebuilt power steering pumps during the 13 years I owned it but my 2000 LS400 required only one new/rebuilt power steering pump during the ten years I owned it. The LS430 seems to be at least as reliable as the 1998-2000 LS400. A fairly common problem in the LS430 Ultra Luxury is damage to the rear seat controls in the armrest when liquid is spilled. Another problem that I have seen reported several times is failure of the double-pane side windows where the windows become cloudy when a seal fails.

My take seems to be the same as your tire shop - that the width and offset of your new wheels are close enough. I suppose you could use spacers to decrease the offset as long as the tires don't hit the body but 3 mm of additional offset and 1 inch of additional wheel width isn't much. Can you have that tire shop mount your tires on the new wheels and see how they work? By the way, the optional wheel size for the RX in 2007 was 18"x7" with a 35mm offset. I bought my Sienna L/LE winter wheels from http://www.wheelsandcaps.com . Even if you don't buy wheels from them, the size and offset information on their website can be handy when shopping for wheels.

I would want the dealer to fix the problems. It could be cheap to fix or maybe not. The Toyota dealer would essentially be fixing it at "wholesale" if he has his mechanics fix it. If you have to pay to have it fixed, you will be paying "retail".

I see what looks like a used car lot sticker on the trunk lid. Is that the current seller? If not, then I don't know how it could be a one-owner car. One owner and no service records? That sounds strange. Does it have its maintenance booklet and has it been stamped after each service? Has it has the "90,000 Miles or 72 Months" maintenance performed on a timely basis? A 2002 should have had a second expensive 90K/72 month service by now. Have any of the services been recorded in the owners section of the Lexus website? (You will need the VIN to check.) You can view the 2002 LS430 maintenance schedule at: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/omms/SMG202/pdf/om1sourc/2002om/02omsupp/2002lexu.pdf All prices are local. Does it compare well with similar LS430's you have looked at? Does EVERYTHING work? (No warning lights, functioning tilt/telescoping steering wheel, seat memory, seat heaters, interior and exterior lights, etc. Specs for the 2002 LS430 are at http://www.lexus.com/contact/pdf/2002/2002LSspecs.pdf It apparently has the "NL" option package.

Did the seller provide guidance on the suitability of these wheels? One additional inch of width and three additional millimeters of positive offset seem trivial to me but I'm no expert. If you want a closer match, find a set of 5-spoke wheels from the 2011-2015 L or LE versions of what I sometimes jokingly refer to as the "RX350 Gigante" - the Toyota Sienna. Those wheels are 17"x7" and have the same 35mm offset and 5x4.5 bolt pattern as the original wheels on your RX. I bought a set of 17" Sienna L/LE wheels last year to use with snow tires on my 2014 Sienna Limited which came with 18"x7" wheels. Attached is a photo of one of the 17" Sienna L/LE wheels in its shipping box. The 10-spoke OEM 18" wheels that came on my Sienna that you can see in the photo should also work on your RX and so should the 6-spoke 19" wheels from the Sienna SE. If the 17's you bought are for use with winter tires, you could use your original wheels for winter and buy different (larger?) wheels for summer use. The downsize of the larger wheels is increased tire cost, faster wear and a firmer ride of lower profile tires but handling might be a bit sharper.