1990LS400

The airbag shouldn't scare a professional mechanic. They should know to disconnect the battery and how much time to wait before working around the horn pad/airbag assembly. Does your horn pad seem to not depress evenly and seem kind of stuck like the spring behind it has failed? That's what happened to the one on my 2000 LS400 a couple of years ago. My mechanic found a good used horn pad/air bag assembly at a salvage company. The defective assembly was riveted and not repairable. I think he charged me about $500 for the used part. A new one was something like $2000 if I remember correctly. I found out that my horn was intermittently working when my wife almost backed into me in a nearby shopping center where we had parked beside each other. I didn't know I could scream that loud. Her current car, purchased after that event, has a backup camera! I now have a ritual of testing my horn while driving under an overpass after each refueling.

I doubt if you can beat the OEM all weather mats - available for all three rows and the cargo area. Register your forum member name with Sewell to get discounts: http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accessories-catalog/interior/GX460-2010.html

According to the illustration on page 136 of your owners manual, it looks like the release levers have to be pointing straight up for the bars to disengage: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM48566U/pdf/1-5.pdf Pull harder? Maybe spray with silicon (no WD40!) before you try again.

I've never cared for ramps due their tendency to slide while driving up on them and that it can be a 2-person operation to use them safely. I have four heavy duty jack stands and a 30 year old floor high range floor jack. Here is a photo that shows them when I was installing a DRL kit on our Prius wagon earlier this year.

Sewell's online price for a 90-92 center engine undercover is about $182 with a forum member discount but the shipping cost could be fairly high due to its size: http://lexus.sewellparts.com/oem-catalog/5102MBS408-Body-LS400-1992.html The 93-94 LS engine undercover is a different part number. From what I've seen, a common cause of LS400 engine center undercover damage is bending them out of the way to remove the oil filter instead of fully removing the undercover. I've watched Lexus dealer mechanics remove all the bolts holding the engine undercover in place except the front bolts under the bumper and then bend the cover severely downward out of the way. I'll never forget an evening in the mid/late 1990's after retrieving my 90 LS400 from Superior Lexus (now Hendrick Lexus) in Kansas City. Suddenly there was a continuous scraping noise. When I pulled off at the next exit I found the engine undercover dragging on the pavement and held in place only by the front bolts. The undercover was pretty messed up but I didn't bother to complain - Superior Lexus had screwed up so many things since I had bought the car new from them that I was "done" with them. My 90 LS came home with a new undercover the first time I took it to an indie Lexus repair shop. Apparently, a mechanic at the indie shop put somebody else's undercover on my car and the other person got my damaged one. The shop owner couldn't figure out which other customer's car was involved, told me to not worry about it, and said that he would give the other customer a new engine undercover when he saw their car again. Probably the main reason the original engine undercover on my 2000 LS400 is still in good condition at 172,000 miles is that someone else has changed its engine oil and filter only five times. I always fully remove the undercover before doing an oil change and also remove it before taking my car to a mechanic for work in which the undercover might get in the way.

"Special wax job"? "finish on the car is much smoother"? Makes me wonder what special features are available in New Jersey? The ES300h is pretty cool. I've driven the Avalon hybrid with the same drive train -- amazing power for a car that gets 40 mpg. The 2013 ES350 loaner I had in June was nice too.

An interface from http://www.vaistech.com/site/home.php will get you an aux-in so you can stream music and you could even plug a A2DP receiver into it so you could stream wireless instead of plugging in your phone - the more recent square-shaped ones from Blackberry get particularly good reviews. Or something like a Parrot Mki series kit will get you both handsfree phone and audio streaming but I can't remember if the audio streaming is wireless: http://www.parrot.com/usa/ There are interface harnesses that make installation easier: http://www.quickconnectproducts.com/Find/find.php I use a Garmin 2595 portable GPS mounted on a Pro.Fit bracket by the radio of my non-nav 2000 LS400 for handsfree phone and navigation - works particularly well with Android phones which can pass location information to it. My Garmin is hardwired into the center console so that it turns on/off with the ignition switch - a "semi-permanent" installation. I had an aux-in added by Factory Radio Service in California but I don't know if they offer this for the LS430 since there are other better solutions like the ones from VAIS, iSimple and others.. There are lots of other Bluetooth kits that will work on your car but choices seem to be drying up as more and more cars come standard with this technology.

If the bulb is good then the next component I would suspect would be a ballast unit. However, HID bulbs and ballasts rarely fail and usually last the life of the vehicle. My 2000 LS400 is still on the originals at 171,000 miles. My advice is to take your ES to a Lexus dealer or an independent repair shop that specializes in Lexus cars and which you trust for a diagnosis.

Here is a Comsumer Reports review of the Goshers product: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/07/goshers-blind-spot-detection-system-review/index.htm

Now that I'm typing on a real computer instead of a phone .... the problem is that Nakamichi went bankrupt short after Toyota stopped using their products in the 2000 model year. A Nakamichi company exists today but it is not the same organization as the old one and does not support the previous Nakamichi company's products. I recently read how supplies of used Lexus Nakamichi components is drying up and that the only alternative may at some point be to install an aftermarket audio system. It's a bummer. The Nakamichi in my 2000 LS400 is an incredible system but it is one of the reasons I'm planning to replace my LS next year.

Sorry. I was hoping that John Nguyen would offer you a used Nak LCD salvaged from a non-working head unit. I don't see any used head units for a 98 GS on his website but you could check his eBay store or see if someone else on eBay has a working head unit for sale. Have you checked auto salvage yards? Or advertise for one on Lexus forums including Clublexus where a coworker bought a 98-00 LS400 Nak system a few years back.

Contact factoryradioservice.com in California and ask. They replaced the LCD bulbs and installed a wonderful aux-in port on the back and an on/off switch on the front of my 2000 LS400 Nakamichi radio last year. Excellent, fast and reasonable.

The first thing I would check is the condition of the battery - any idea how old it is? In 23 years of driving Lexus V8 cars, I've rarely had a battery last more than 4 years and some have lasted considerably less time ... on only about one year. You could take your battery to a store that sells them and have it checked. And not that it is going to solve your problem, but make sure that the battery terminals and cable clamps are bright and shiny and spotlessly clean - corroded terminals and clamps can interfere with battery charging. A terminal/clamp cleaning tool is a few bucks at an auto parts store. Baking soda mixed with a little water can help clean battery terminals and cable clamps - I use an old tooth brush. Also check to verify that the bottom of the power steering pump is free of dripping fluid that could be leaking on the alternator. If the power steering pump fluid level is low, that might indicate a leak.

The 1990-1994 had the trunk hinge wire breaking problem but I do not remember anyone ever reporting it on a 95-up LS400. According to the section of your owners manual that covers fuses, which you can view online at http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM50475U/pdf/6-4_233.pdf , fuse #18 at the driver side kick panel (on the drivers side under the dash) is for the tail lights, side marker lights and license plate lights. If your side marker lights and license plate lights are working, then fuse #18 is probably OK but it would be good to check it anyway. You can use the diagram in the owners manual to tell which fuse #18 is or there should be a diagram on the fuse box cover which snaps off the fuse box. According to your owners manual, fuse #18 is a 10 amp blade type fuse - available at any auto parts store and probably at a discount store like Walmart. There are slots in the fuse box in the engine compartment for extra fuses so you may find extras there if they have not already been used and not replaced. There were never any recalls for tail light problems on any year of the LS400 and even if there was, a 1995 like my 2000 would be way too old for a recall to apply.

Great questions from fhb5032. My main question is does the engine shut off as if it is being turned off with a light switch instead of sputtering and dying? At what speeds are you typically traveling when the engine shuts down. Are you turning a corner or have you hit a bump or pothole just before the engine shuts down? And, yes, does the engine start back up easily? The reason I ask these questions is that a failing connection between battery cells can cause an engine shutdown and can be triggered by hitting a bump/pothole or turning a corner. Or it could be a failing alternator which is often caused by a failing power steering pump leaking fluid on it. You might see if there are any stored problem codes using the procedure at http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/intro/codereading.html

Power steering pumps on Lexus V8 cars improved somewhat by 1993 and are not as likely to fail. I went through countless power steering pumps in the 13 1/2 years with my 90 LS400. Mainly check to see it is leaking since a leaking power steering pump can cause the alternator to fail. It may seem tacky but some people fashion plastic protective shields for alternators on 90-94 Lexus V8 cars - there are photos of them on this forum. The "bottle of choice" for making these shields seems to be a Clorox container. If the A/C works, don't worry about it except to ensure that the refrigerant level is correct. These generation 1 V8 engines are strong and remain strong if they are properly maintained. The engine in my 90 LS was still running perfectly and using no oil between changes when I sold it at about 183,000 miles in 2003. The subsequent owner drove the car to about 295,000 miles before he it. The 90-94 Lexus V8 engine is not interference but still could be damaged if the timing system fails at high engine speeds.

My suggestion is return your "chip" and get your money back. These chips are just one of the more recent examples of aftermarket "snake-oil" performance and economy products that have been plaguing the auto industry almost since cars were "invented".

No, I don't think you can tell if failure is imminent since the belt itself almost never breaks but is instead taken out by the failure of the tensioner, idlers, water pump, etc. I suppose you could drive the car until the timing system fails which might be never. The reason I've never done this is that it is a safety issue. All power is lost when the timing systems fails ... not something you want happening when crossing a railroad track or making a left turn in heavy traffic.

It's because most of the LX450's I've seen have let a very hard life (re: the torn seats) and there were few sold. You could easily spend more that the purchase price on having the A/C repair if it needs a compressor - I've replace three A/C compressors on Lexus V8 cars and they are not cheap with all the other parts you also should replace.

You will want to change the water pump, idlers, tensioner and a few other misc. parts besides the belt. The water pump on a 90 LS400 I bought new seized at only 75,000 miles and trashed the timing belt. I had very little warning ... smelled coolant ... lost power and coasted into a convenience store parking lot - lucky I was not yet on the Interstate highway I took part way to work. No damage was done but I was driving at a low speed on a city street on an icy day when it happened. After the repair, I drove the car to 183,500 miles and then sold it to a friend who drove it to 295,000 miles until he sold it to a third owner.

$400? Those sharks must smell blood in the water! Google and you will find lots of programming instructions but I can't vouch for their accuracy: https://www.google.com/#q=2002+lexus+es300+key+programming

Do you happen to have a cell phone paired when this happens? Such as a Android phone that interrupts the audio each time it issues a notification that an email or message has arrived, a new Facebook update, an available application update, etc.?

My advice is "Run, run away as fast as you can." The LX470 was a huge improvement over the LX450.

There are four distinct "series" of the LS400 with the 95 being "completely redesigned" per this excellent website: http://www.lexls.com/info/lsgenerations.html

Good. How long was the trunk open? If the battery is good and all the connections are clean, it should take several days for the trunk light to run down the battery. If it took less than 36 hours, consider cleaning the cable clamps and battery terminals and then apply a thin coat of non-conductive, non-volatile grease to inhibit corrosion - petroleum jelly works well. My wife fairly often does not fully shut car doors after parking in the garage - one time just last week. I, am course, am perfect and never do that. I've found repeatedly that if an open car door causes the battery to run down overnight that the problem is usually dirty cable clamps or battery terminals. Which reminds me ... its time to clean my cable clamps and terminals before winter.