1990LS400

Page 366 of the 2014 IS350 owners manual has a diagram and instructions on how to run power cords out of the center console with the lid closed. If you need to power multiple devices, consider something like a Bell Power Source. We have several. Plugging one into an aux 12v port provides one USB port and two 12v ports on flexible cables - very nice.

I assume you are asking about the trim around the Kenwood double-DIN. Yes, it is from Metra. The installer showed me the cheapest place to buy it on Amazon.com - around $15 if I remember correctly ... it took maybe four days to get it with standard shipping. It fits perfectly but it is lightweight plastic. The color doesn't match exactly but that is not very noticable. The HVAC controller and OEM radio headunits in the 98-00 LS400 have a slightly metallic finish and even the expensive metal Beat-Sonic kits don't match. If I was worried about theft, I would buy the $100+ Beat-Sonic install kit and bolt the Kenwood and HVAC controller in with 10mm "Allen" hex-key bolts just to p1ss off a thief. As it is now, it would be very easy for a thief to rip the Kenwood and HVAC assembly right out of the center stack without unbolting anything. If you really were asking about the "trim around the new phone", it is a Samsung brand charging cradle for my Samsung Galaxy GS3 phone. The charging cradle was purchased from an AT&T store for only $17.50 and comes with a windshield mount. I detached the charging cradle from its windshield mount and bolted it to the Kuda leather phone console I bought maybe 10 years ago. The Kuda in "ivory" is an almost perfect match to the car's upholstery. The Garmin and phone charging cradle are wired into the car's accessory circuit so they turn on and off with the ignition key. If you have an Android phone, check out the free iBolt Dock 'n Drive application on Google Play. It is incredibly useful and starts automatically when I insert my phone into the charging cradle. Dock 'n Drive can also be started using an NFC tag if your phone has that capability - I do that in our Prius which has a phone holder instead of a charging cradle. I taped a programmed NFC tag to the Prius dashboard and pass my phone over it to start Dock 'n Drive.

Putting the HVAC control below an aftermarket head unit has been done but from the photos it did not appear to fit very well. The person who did it had to piece in some wood to cover the gaps and the HVAC controller stuck out more than it should have. The center stack is narrower at the bottom than at the top and the HVAC controller is too wide to fit low down without using force to spread the center stack frame. That's the reason I bought a Kenwood DDX470 without navigation - it would have been too low in the center stack to be useful and the Garmin I already have is easier to use and has lifetime map updates. My Kenwood has handsfree phone capability but the Garmin's voice control handsfree works better and syncs the phonebook from my phone. I haven't been able to get the Kenwood to sync my phone's contact list. I'm able to pair my phone with the Kenwood for A2DP audio streaming and with the Garmin for phone handsfree at the same time. Here is my setup.

All I can tell you is that I paid $9,000 less for a non-CPO off-lease (38,000 mile) 2000 LS400 in 2003 than the local Lexus dealer wanted for either of two lower specification CPO 2000 LS400's of similar condition and mileage. I've since driven the car 138,000 miles. The CPO warranty would not have paid for anything on this particular car. I wouldn't necessarily kick a CPO Lexus out of bed but they are often priced unreasonably high in my opinion. There is certainly a benefit of buying a car with plenty of it's original basic warrant left - gives you time to make sure all outstanding issues are addressed before the warranty expires.

There is no aftermarket interface harness available for a conversion from 98-00 LS400 Nakamichi to an aftermarket radio - of that I am certain. Last fall I had a Kenwood DDX470 double-DIN headunit installed at Best Buy. The installer did not cut or splice a single wire but instead used specialty connectors between the Kenwood and the OEM connectors. The Nakamichi amp was used and the subwoofer and all the Nakamichi speakers work great. If I wanted to, I could reinstall the Nakamichi head unit in less than 10 minutes. The only "problem" with the install is that the night-time dim of the Kenwood's display is tied to the headlights and not to the instrument cluster display. It doesn't matter that much but as you know the instrument cluster's dim mode is separate from the headlights. The installer found that polarity of the speaker connections matter - be sure to connect positive to positive and negative to negative. I'll attach the same 98-00 Nakamichi diagram that I supplied to the Best Buy installer. 1998-2000 LS400 Nakamichi audio system diagram.pdf

The auxiliary 12v receptacle in the console box is well above the bottom of the box. I just now went to the garage and plugged in the most humongous 12V USB adapter I have and it had plenty of clearance. I have never used the 12v receptacle in the console box because I store a lot of stuff there. I bought a cheap 5-buck 6' coiled 12v extension cord at Target, chopped off it's male end (ouch!) and attached its wires to the wires under the console wood leading to the console box 12v receptacle. The console wood is very easy to remove. For my purposes, I ran the 12v extension cord forward and placed its 12v female receptable underneath the radio head unit. Into the female 12v extension cord (cigarette lighter-type) receptacle, I plugged in a "spider" 12v power adapter that has a standard USB port and two cigarette lighter-type 12v ports. I plugged a standard USB-to-MiniUSB cord into the spider's USB port to power my Samsung phone. One of the 12v cigarette lighter type ports is used to power a Garmin GPS I have installed on a bracket by the radio. I suppose I could have plugged in an additional twin port USB plug like you are considering into the remaining 12v female port on the spider and ran charging cords back the center console. I actually did run cables from my aftermarket Kenwood head unit back to the upper tray in the center console - one is a 3.5 aux-in and the other is a USB input to the Kenwood. I've got a heck of a lot of cables and power adapters hidden behind the ashtray, below the radio and console wood but there is plenty of room and all are hidden from view except the one exiting the top of the phone console to power the Garmin and the other exiting the bottom of the phone console that attaches to my phone's charging cradle per the attached photo. All three cigarette lighters and the center console power port in your car turn on and off with the ignition key when it's in the ACC position. The accessory circuit is apparently quite robust. I've had this set up for quite a few years and never had the accessory circuit fuse blow. My wife sometimes also charges her iPhone via the front cigarette lighter so that makes three devices being powered/charging at the same time by the accessory circuit.

This forum has deactivated Windows "paste" so I can't provide a direct link without manually typing the URL and likely getting it wrong. Go to www.clublexus.com and select the "ES350 and ES300h (2013+)" forum and look for the recently active thread entitled "Splash Guards". It has a link to the eBay seller and photos of the mud flaps installed on forum member's cars. Club Lexus members who have bought and installed them seem to be happy with them. I recommend not having them painted if you are going to keep your car very long - paint tends to crack on flexible mud flaps.

There were some nice perfect fit ones on eBay as of a few days ago. No drilling necessary to install the front ones but requires drilling one hole to install each of the back ones. Each set of OEM mudflaps I installed on my LS400's have required drilling one hole for each rear mudflap- no big deal and the drilling was through plastic.

"Need" is subjective. Does anyone really need anything more than the cheapest Kia? The "foot print" of the 2014 Highlander isn't all that big and is actually five inches shorter than that of my 2000 LS400. It would fit nicely in the smallish 2-car garage of our retirement hovel. The Highlander is 12" taller than my LS but even our Prius wagon is substantially taller than the LS. I know you didn't like the Prius you had but I like Toyota's hybrid technology a lot. The only Highlander we are considering is the Hybrid Limited with the Premium package which has adaptive cruise, PCS, panoramic roof, heated rear seats and steering wheel. And I want a hatchback for what may be the last vehicle I purchase and I would like to be able to carry more than five people in a pinch. It remains to be seen if the 2014 Highlander Hybrid is going to work for me. Like you, I haven't driven one yet - wife and I had an appointment to drive the non-hybrid version two weeks ago but the only one in stock was blocked by a vehicle for which the keys could not be located. I've even considered a GS450h but it isn't a hatchback and my wife would rather I not spend $20K more (> $70K) than the Highlander to buy one. And I can't find a trailer hitch for the GS450h - I need to carry our bikes. A trailer hitch is an option on the Highlander. At least the GS450h interior dimensions are very similar to that of my 00 LS. I may end up keeping the old 00 LS for another year if it turns out that the Highlander Hybrid is not available with at least HID headlights. I love the continuously leveling LED headlights on our Prius and I'm not going back to fixed halogen. The 2015 Highlander Hybrid is "supposed" to have a direct injection engine similar to the GS450h so it might be worth waiting another 8 months if the 2015's come in "on time" unlike the 2014's.

Yes, absolutely this sometimes has been reported but I don't remember which car models were involved. Your car is 19 model years old and has a relatively low value - probably less than $2,500 on a good day if it looks perfect. A future buyer isn't going to care. If you are concerned and don't already use one, start a log book in which you record events like this.

pancho, you did not answer dcfish's question. Does the radio display show the AM stations? Here are more questions: Do you get good FM reception? Nice clear sound? Did the AM work in the past in the same area where you are now? Do you get any sound at all from AM? Static? Faint reception? Your RX has only one antenna which functions for both AM and FM. I have very little experience with AM radio since I rarely use it.

RaliR, I will continue to respond to this thread since it contains my or your replies. It is doubtful that a burned out fuse is the cause of the position indicator by the gear shift not lighting up. There is only ONE bulb below the gear shift position lever to light all gear positions. You will see how the position indicator "cover, slide" moves (slides) forward and backward over the one bulb if you replace the bulb yourself. All the diagrams I have looked at for numerous Lexus and Toyota models have shown the same one-bulb design. If I were guessing, the Lexus dealer would charge one hour of labor to replace the bulb in the instrument cluster and one hour of labor to replace the bulb at the gear shift.

It is probably fuse 45 which is for the "Instrument panel lights". If the "position indicator lamp" does not light up when your headlights are on, the bulb is probably burned out. The arrow in the attached diagram shows the bulb. Replacing it requires careful disassembly. It is usually possible to slight the position indicator plate upward on the gear shifter shaft while replacing the bulb. I don't remember if it is necessary to slide the lower position indicator housing up and out of the way to replace the bulb. I have done it only on a Camry but its gear shift mechanism looks the same as the RX. By the way, it is best not to piggyback your question on an unrelated thread for a different car model. Start your own thread in the RX300 section.

IMO, you should be telling people every time you start a thread about all the problems you have had due to lowering your car so much that a tire chewed into a critical wiring harness. There are a number of interrelated components in these cars as a friend of mine found when I fixed the long-dead radio in his 1999 LS400 by bypassing an ECU in his trunk. Some of your new problems may be related to your chewed wiring harness. For example, the wire for the outside temperature sensor behind the front bumper may run through the same harness that your tire chewed up. It is, of course, connected to your HVAC (climate) control module above your radio head unit.

These may not be commercially available. Adding halos to headlights was a popular DIY mod after BMW came out with them some years ago. It's been a long time since I've seen forum threads on doing it.

I know other issues can cause a CEL and VSC off warning but the only time that has happened on my 2000 LS400 when the car went into limp mode was when the throttle position sensor started to fail at about 115,000 miles.. Attached are instructions on how to test it. sf-36.pdf

The AM is not separate. Very unusual problem. Could it be an antenna problem?

GS headlights got more complex beginning with 2006 due to AFS. The DOT has cracked down on noncomplying aftermarket tail lights. I thought the smoked tail light fad was fading away - only see them on old "ricers" these days.

There are both headlights and ballasts on eBay for the 06 GS300. What exactly is the "electrical problem"?

You can take your car anywhere you want for oil changes and other maintenance without affecting your warranty. Just be sure to keep all receipts and keep a log of all maintenance performed. Be sure to continue to adhere to the maintenance schedule exactly. Your CT200h has a long oil change interval but it is dependent on both time and mileage and requires the use of a specific grade of synthetic oil. Our Prius wagon has the same drive train. There are advantages to using your Lexus dealer for maintenance while your car is under warranty since a Lexus dealer is the only way you are going to get work performed under Technical Information Service Bulletins (TSIB).

My advice is to let the dealer salesman make you an offer on the GS. I assume that his initial offer would be at substantially below invoice since it is an unsold 2013. He shouldn't have any problem showing you all his cost information on the GS. It's almost always best to keep the transactions for the sale of a current car and the purchase of another car completely separate. You might want to to sell your ES first - either to the Lexus dealer or an independent dealer like Carmax. I would think that exchanging a used 2013 ES300h for a leftover 2013 GS300 would result in a big hit to your pocket book. I haven't driven an ES300h but I have driven a 2013 ES350 (a Lexus dealer loaner) and a 2013 Avalon Hybrid with the same hybrid drivetrain. I was amazed at how powerful and fast the Avalon Hybrid was ... and it can get 40 mpg on regular gas if not driven hard. Are you sure you don't want to lie down until this feeling passes? I'm really getting into to Toyota hybrid technology - planning to replace our LS with a 2014 Highlander Hybrid when they arrive in April/May. It is hard not to smile when I take my wife's Prius v wagon to the gas station to fill it with regular. I'm not smiling so much when I take my V8 Lexus to fill up with premium.

The following phrase or a similar one is the owners manuals of a variety of Lexus vehicles: "If only the TRAC system is turned off, the TRAC system will turn on when the vehicle speed increases." Doesn't anybody RTFM? (RTFM = "read their owners manual" )

Really consider using that stethoscope I suggested. We once looked all around the interior of my first Lexus trying to find an irritating buzz and couldn't find the source. We found the noise source quickly using a stethoscope -- a loose setting in a ring on my right hand!

Seriously?

A CD player cannot play a DVD. Your Lincoln must have had a DVD player. Assuming that your RX has the Display Audio system, a simple, low cost solution would be to copy your audio folders and files to USB flash memory and then to control the music through the Display Audio system. This would give you direct access to your audio files unlike from a disc where you have to access the files sequentially. I stopped using audio discs in 2012 when I discovered that I could not hear a difference in the sound quality between WMA audio files and the same music played from commercial CD's. Selecting audio/music files from a screen is much more convenient and my glove box is no longer crammed with discs. I copied my music collection to USB flash memory but I rarely use it since I have since copied the same music to my smartphone and now stream it wirelessly via Bluetooth. Am I correct in my understanding that Display Audio and Bluetooth music streaming is standard on the 2013 RX350?