1990LS400

It still sounds like it could be one of the damned trunk hinge wires. You might recheck them and especially to see if there are other breaks in the black/white wire. A broken truck hinge wire is often accompanied by the Reverse indicator light in the cluster flashing intermittently while driving forward. Your symptoms sound exactly like what happened when the trunk hinge wires separated in the 90 LS I drove for many years -- like someone stuffed the exhaust pipes with corncobs.

Based on what you have told us, it sounds like your Lexus dealer is treating you fairly. Torn boots really should be replaced before expensive damage is done. Coolant weeping from the water pump is an indication that it, the timing belt and ancillary parts (tensioner, idlers, etc.) should be replaced soon - the normal timing belt replacement interval is 6 years or 90,000 miles and any decent mechanic will also replace the ancillary parts since failure of one of those is usually what makes a timing belt fail. $300 for rear brake pad replacement sounds about right for a Lexus dealer. The price surely includes machining the rotors which some people will tell you is not necessary but which really should be done - it's a "penny wise, pound foolish" situation. Rear brake pads wear out more slowly than front brake pads. Mechanics sometimes "eyeball" pad thickness instead of measuring them. You might take a look at them yourself to see how thick they really are - sometimes possible without removing a wheel. I have no experience with how quickly rear brake pads last on the RX last but I know that they have lasted far longer than that on the Toyota and Lexus vehicles we have owned. Yes, steering racks are prone to leak as they age but can often last years beyond when they first start leaking - same for differentials. With Lexus dealer mechanic labor rates usually being well over $100/hour these days, even the simplest job can be fairly expensive.

There are instructions somewhere on this and/or the ClubLexus forum on how to disable the obsolete analog Lexus Link in the LS430. I assume the procedure would be similar. You might try doing a search of the two forums. The reason for the $200 dealer cost might be because the dealer would do it the "correct" way including replacing the Lexus Link module in the overhead console - this would have been done at no cost if the vehicle had been taken to a Lexus dealer when the owner of record received notification that analog Lexus Link was being continued.

I don't know your SC has the same design, but I had to have a new horn pad/air bag assembly recently when my horn on my 00 LS started working intermittently - it wasn't something my mechanic could take apart and repair. Fortunately the repair shop quickly found a used assembly in the same color. Total cost of the repair was about $750 which was a fraction of what it would have cost if they had used new parts. I guess you could take off the pad and check the connectors and wires. Be sure to disconnect the battery if you do that.

Can you manually turn the fan up to its highest speed or is the fan speed stuck on low?

Seat belts are awfully important. How pricey is a new one at an online discounter like Sewell with a car forum discount?

Lexus leather or almost any leather used in cars requires very little maintenance. Here is the relevant page from your owners manual. "5% solution of neutral detergent for wool" refers to products like Woolite. Instead I use Lexol leather cleaner maybe twice a year - a mild cleaner originally available only at saddle shops and now available at auto parts and discount stores. I follow up with Lexol leather conditioner but that may be unnecessary. Your Lexus dealer also has appropriate products. Stay away from mink oil and saddle soap - not appropriate for car leather. The last thing you want to do is saturate the leather and cause it to break down. You only want to gently clean the surface. Do not try to "soften" the leather - I tried doing that back in the 60's when I was a clueless teenager and completely trashed some worn but serviceable Mercedes SL seats.

I've used winter tires my entire (long) adult life and have never had any last more than between 20,000 and 25,000 miles - plenty of tread left for dry pavement at those mileages but not enough for deep snow. The previous snow tires on my LS were Blizzak WS50 - wonderful traction and low noise and I squeezed five winters out of them. The Blizzak WS70's that replaced the WS50's have gone through two winters if you count the last "winter" where we had only a few inches of snow - they are even better than the WS50's which I loved. Just about any winter with the mountain/snowflake logo on the sidewalls would likely serve you well. Nokian's are rare where I live but Michelin X-Ice and Bridgestone Blizzaks are readily available at discount prices at Costco stores which often substantially undercut the prices of online sellers like Tire Rack.

The only photo I currently have of it is a low-res my wife took with her Blackberry. Although my driving of the Prius will be mainly limited to refueling once a month or so and taking it the car wash occasionally, I can tell that it having so much technology is going to make it harder to tolerate my 00 LS. Yesterday it took no more than 15 minutes to dump four of my favorite CD's to USB flash memory. I plugged the flash drive into the Prius's USB port and, voila, I could access the music through the nav screen or steering wheel controls by artist, album and other categories I can't remember. I never realised it was so easy. We can't put Entune on a corporate Blackberry so we'll be off to buy one or two smart phones - definitely Android and probably Samsung Galaxy S III. An odd thing about the Prius v I discovered yesterday is that it is one of the most labor intensive cars to wash and dry I have experienced. I think it is the sculpted body work that creates all sorts of little nooks and crannies for dirt to hide. I can't see how it could but it seems like there is more exterior surface area than on the LS. It will be interesting to do a side by side comparison of the Prius V to a coworker's standard Prius tomorrow. I always thought his car looked tiny but maybe it's bigger than i thought.

Of course it is a Prius v and of course Steve would be the one to know - should be disqualified for excess intelligence. Yep, I know I should have put this thread in Car Chat instead of here. Specifically, the new car it is a Prius v Five with the Advanced Technology Package and a few accessory items that were either installed at the factory or at the port of entry since they are listed on the window sticker. The car is white as were the past few cars we have bought. The Prius replaces the beautiful high spec 98 Camry V6 my wife has been barely driving the past 14 years - delivered yesterday to the 14 year old Iowa nephew who got his provisional drivers license on Friday. The Prius being a hybrid had nothing to do with why my wife wanted this car. She didn't didn't show any interest when I mentioned that she could be buying a base ES350 for less than the tricked out Prius. I didn't have much to do with the purchase other than to enjoy the F&I salesman's change in demeanor when I told him the name of the company from which I retired. (We insured the dealership and trained F&I salesmen to maximize profits.) The Prius V seems very different from the "regular" Prius - what a difference three to five more inches of height, wheelbase and length make. It looks and drives like a much bigger car - way heavier than a regular Prius and geared differenty to make up for it. I drove it for the first time last night when we practiced letting it parallel park itself. Using that system is a skill in itself - manually adjusting the target parking space on the nav screen. The Prius v is very "zippy" - accelleraties quickly and quietly. I drove it essentially like I drive my 00 LS without having to adjust for what I thought would be a lack of power. The absolute quiet between zero and about 15 mph is eerie. And of course the Prius V is a station wagon - something we have talked about buying for many years. In Japan and Europe, the Prius V (sold under different model names in other markets) is marketed as a "van" and has a smaller, more expensive battery pack that allows for a third row of seats and turns it into a 7-seater. It will take us weeks to explore all the features. Wife's Blackberry sync'ed easily with the car's Bluetooth. The second tier nav system is easier to use than I expected it would be and reliably responds to voice control. I even enjoy that the cruise control speed does not reset to zero when the speed falls a minimum -- first Toyota product I've ever seen that doesn't lose its cruise control speed setting. The main negative I've found so far is the lack of side turn signals - something mandatory for us geezer drivers .... nothing a trip to a body shop and side turn signals from an older Scion Xb won't solve. (The same XB side turn signals were used on the Prius in other markets before they were superceded by mirror turn signals.) And power front seats with memory would have been nice - the only power seat adjustment is the lumbar adjustment. A bumper mounted extendable "parking pole" would sure be handy - the dramatic hood slope makes it difficult to see here the front of the Prius ends. I can see another Prius v Five replacing my 00 LS when it departs sometime in the next few years. Maybe by then power memory seats will be available.

Romney is in a lose-lose situation. If he continues on without releasing his tax returns and other financial information about his foreign holdings and investments prior to 2010, he loses. If he does release the information, he loses. I think my bet would have to be that Romney loses - period. He's backed himself into a corner he can't get out of. And why do you think he wouldn't change his position on an issue? He's flip-flopped like a dying fish on just about everything he supposedly stands for.

I can see there is incredible curosity about our new car. ^_^ Additional hints: Its conventually rear opening rear doors are 5 inches longer than the ones on my 2000 LS400. It is made by a Japanese company whose name everyone on this forum should know well. It is a electric/gas hybrid. This model is rare around here. My wife and I each think we have seen one other of the same model as ours on the road. Photo tomorrow ...

We're doing rather well economically and this is certainly not about class envy with us. My licensed C.P.A. wife and I want to have it explained how Romney got over $100,000,000 in a tax deferred retirement account on a maximum legal contribution of $450,000. Period. No excuses, ifs, ands, or buts. This isn't about diverting attention from the issues. This is about whether or not a person running for the presidency has the basic integrity to be forthcoming about his financial situation and to prove that he has played by the same legally required rules we have. As you are probably noticing, this issue is continuing to heat up and it's not just because it is driven by the media and the Democatic campaign. I'm about ready to make my one of my usual $100 bets that Romney will withdraw from the race rather than deal with the embarassment and shame that would come with disclosing his tax returns and financial history. Anybody what make a bet? By the way ... I've made a lot of these $100 bets over the years and haven't lost one yet.

Hint: Our new car is not made in America.

Lenore, Don't forget that Lyndon Johnson was one of only two presidents since World War II to send a balanced budget to Congress. And don't forget Richard Nixon's role in expanding entitlements with more than a little participation from Ross Parot who set a record on White House visits during the Nixon adminstration. When one member of Romney's campaign team uses the term "Edge-a-Sketch" to describe how Romney takes positions on issues and another aid says that the media would have a "field day" with the information if Romney released more tax returns, I'd say he has one huge credibility problem. He just can seem to be up front about anything..

All the usual safety features ... ABS, traction control, stability control, multiple brake assisting features, a gazillion air bags. It can parallel park itself and back into a straight-in parking place on its own. It has a backup camera. It will brake to a complete stop on its own if the car in front of you stops or if it senses that a crash is about to occur while tightening the seat belts before contact is made. It senses if you are wandering out of your lane and does steering corrections to keep you in it. It's cruise control follows the car in front of you at a distance you choose. It has automatic climate control and heated seats. It has an unusually large in-dash navigation screen - voice controlled and with standard traffic informaiton. It can play video DVD when parked. It has Bluetooth for phone and audio streaming and has built-in iPod control - all can be voice controlled. It has standard satellite radio and all sorts of stock quote, weather, etc. information on the nav screen - more if linked to a smart phone. It has standard emergency help - like On-Star but not that brand. It has a panoramic roof, foglights, LED headlights and taillights and headlight washers. It has reclining rear seats. It is very cool! Any guesses? A photo of it will be posted on Sunday, Aug 19.

Today's news flash: When Romney was asked how much taxes he has paid, his reply was, quote: "Every year I've paid at least 13 percent." He certainly got a lot of attention about that statement- I'll bet way more than he expected. Isn't that "special"? And then Romney's wife said that if they provided prior tax returns that the information would only be used against them. Does she understand what she implied? -- that if people knew the facts, Romney would lose? Geez .... reality is stranger than fantasy.

Hmmm, Lenore, I might not mind us becoming more like France as long as we get its wonderful food and recently highest rated health care system in the world. It's my favorite place to visit and where I have been treated like royalty because, unlike most American visiters, I've bothered to learn to speak (somewhat badly) their language. Lenore, take a tranquilizer. Turn off Fox News. Get in touch with history and all the political scare tactics of the past. Sometimes I think the reason I can put all this in perpective so easily is that I know the history of a number of lines of my ancestry from the past hundreds of years. I've learned that the sky hasn't fallen on my family in the past and that it is unlikely to fall on them now or in the future. Maybe it has helped that I majored in history in college before I switched to something more economically rewarding. Please stop sounding off like a "Chicken Little". You are sounding increasingly creepy and desperate.

Follow Tire Rack's suggestion although these days I would probably stick with 17" rims and the OEM tire size. I love my Blizzaks! I suggest getting a set of OEM 17" wheels for the snow tires. Aftermarket wheels like the ones I bought from Tire Rack can be a hassle if one ever gets ruined - sometimes hard/impossible to find a matching replacement. Craigslist can be a good place to find used Lexus wheels. I bought OEM "take off" wheels for a previous Lexus from the Lexus dealer to use with snow tires.

So ... if I understand you correctly, you don't think it is important that Romney paid his taxes in prior years as long has he paid a lot of taxes in the past two years. You don't care if Romney declared foreign bank accounts only during an amnesty on declaring foreign accounts? Do you think your and my taxes might have been slightly lower if Romney had paid his taxes on the estimated $90,000,000+ in undervalued assets he put into his retirement account? Maybe this is not a big deal to you but it is to my CPA wife and me having spent most of working lives around the financial services industry. My wife is an auditor and I think she would just love to get her hands on Romney's financial records. I would have no problem making my entire 45 years of tax returns public, most of which (I'm a packrat) are downstairs in filing cabinents. Read this little CNN blurb on the matter: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/18/opinion/kleinbard-canellos-romney-tax/index.html On a lighter note ... did you hear Romney introduce Ryan this morning as "the next President of the United States"? Cool! Maybe it was a Freudian slip but Ryan may have a better chance at being President than Romney.

John McCain didn't have $102,000,000 in a tax deferred retirement account that was funded by a maximum of $450,000 of legal contributions. What little "wealth" McCain has is almost all his wife's. You can view many presidential candiates tax returns at http://www.taxhistory.org/www/website.nsf/web/presidentialtaxreturns/ although a number of candiates released more years than this organization has on its website. Willard Romney is not one of those. Romney camplained in an interview that was shown on tonight's news that we should be focusing on issues instead of the candidates personal lifes. That would be well and good but Romney's stonewalling against disclosing personal financial information completely removes him from consideration for the highest office in our country. What does Romney have to hide? The clock is ticking and he just digs a deeper hole every day he delays.

I see three on eBay right now and I could probably find more if I checked the used car radio suppliers I know about. Are you sure the amp is the problem? When the Nakamichi in my LS400 went dead everyone said the problem was the amp but it was instead in the head unit.

So ... when is the following movie going to be in wide release? It shows Mr. Willard "Etch A Sketch" Romney himself flip-flopping on just about every position he's taken: I don't think there is anything this guy wouldn't say or do to get elected. My favorite is the flip flog that took about two minutes. I can imagine his handlers telling Willard, "YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!" and then giving him a completely different script. How can any of you take this guy seriously?

Back to Romney ... what I and many others want is the kind of full disclosure of personal finances that other presidential candidates have provided since his own father George set the precedent in the 1960's. Does Mitt Romney think he is going to be the only candidate in the past 40 years that is given a pass on this? My best guess is that Romney's finances were put in order in 2008-2009 time frame so that he could appear "clean" while running for President as long as he disclosed only the minimum required information. This kind of secrecy is not going to cut it. Romney's not running for a city council seat. I suspect we are going to find that Romney was on the Bain payroll long, long after he said he was not. But maybe Romney is perfectly squeeky clean on all this. I hope he is but every day he refuses to disclose, he digs himself into a deeper and deeper hole.

And I would also like to know about Romney's foreign holdings prior to 2010 and particularly to see if he was involved in speculating agains the U.S. dollar as many think. While this may be acceptable for many large investors, speculating agains the dollar is not going to be seen as acceptable for someone who wants to be president. There is a good change that the financial information about Romney is going to come out one way or another before the election. He would do himself a favor if he makes the disclosure himself. Romney's personal finances go to the heart of whether or not he is suitable to be the leader of this country. There is a difference between tax avoidance and tax fraud. I have strong doubts that Romney is going to survive this one issue regardess of his flipflops on "Romneycare" and many other issues.