1990LS400

I'm too busy to address the "failed policies", whatever you think those are, but I will address this one. Harry Reid and I and many other people want Willard Romney to follow the same standard that all other presidential candiates have followed since Willard's own father George set the precedent 40 years ago - to release at least 12 years of financial and tax informaiton. Willard refuses. Why? I'd like to know how Willard got $102,000,000 in his tax deferred retirement account during his 15 years at Bain when the most he could have contributed was $450,000. Wouldn't you like to know so you could grow your money at the same incredible rate? I have an accounting minor and my wife is a CPA and we can't figure out how he could have done it. I would like to know why Romney disclosed a $3.000,000 Swiss bank account for the first time during a period in which there happened to be an amnesty on the disclosure of foreign bank accounts? Wouldn't you like to know what was going on with that? I really do hope Romney will come clean and explain it all. Maybe I could vote for him if he does. But my guess is that he is going to owe something like $40,000,000 in back taxes on the undervalued assets he put in his retirement account which must, under IRS rules, be based on then current market values. Chew on this for a while and do a little research on these issues.

Lenore, I just don't understand the paranoia. It does not seem at all grounded in reality. I wish you would explain why you are attracted to things like this film you obviously like. All I can figure out is there is some sort of fear going on. Fear of what? Whatever it is, this fear doesn't have anything to do with my life or the lives of the people I know.

I might attend too but I don't own the prerequisite white robes and hood.

My first suggestion is to verify that there is adequate coolant in the system. It can be tricky to get it filled after draining it. Here is information on how to do it: http://www.lexls.com...ng/coolant.html I think the electric fans are for more for ensuring adequate air flow through the A/C condensor than cooling the radiator. The twin electric fans on the 90 LS400 I had for 13 years rarely ran even on 100+ degree days. I've never thought about it but the single fan on my 2000 LS400 doesn't seem to run either. I would do an experiment and check it today but the forecasted high is "only" 88 degrees. The electric fans are controlled by a thermostatic switch. Sorry, I don't know where it is but maybe someone else here can tell you.

The "big" expense coming up is the 180K maintenance which should include replacing the timing belt, water pump, tensioner, idlers and a few other parts - probably $1,200+ at an independent shop and quite a bit more than that at a Lexus dealer. Has this car had any front suspension components changed? I don't know about the 02 GS but the 90 LS I drove from new to 183.5K had to have most of the normally replaceable front suspension parts replaced between around 140K and 180K miles. Has the car had regular coolant changes? If not you could be dealing with radiator and heater issues down the road due to corrosion. You might also check brake pad thickness on the front and rear and the condition and thickness of the brake discs. Is the air from the A/C blowing nice and cold? Has the car had documented differential, transmission and brake fluid changes? Have you checked the owners section of the Lexus website using the car's VIN to see if there are any maintenance records there? My 00 LS is at 155K and I'm hoping it does better than my 90 LS did as it nears 180K. The amount I spent on maintenance and repairs on my 90 LS in the last two years of ownership neared what I sold it for in 2003.

And there have been a number of threads on this and other Lexus forums discussing which compact spares from other car models are the same size as the official SC430 spare. A compact spare from a particular Toyota Supra model is one of the most mentioned choices.

The wheels were/are aftermarket chrome on OEM wheels and were on the car when it was delivered to the original owner(lessee). I don't know if Lexus corporate was involved in replacing my wheels. Lexus offered chrome standard wheels as an official option for the 2000 LS400 but mine is a Platinum Series which came from the factory with the same non-chrome 16" wheels that were standard the following year on the LS430. Chrome LS430/Platinum Series wheels were a common dealer option on the 2000 LS400 Platinum Series. The dealer did not provide a separate warranty on the aftermarket chromed OEM LS430 style wheels and covered the wheels for the same duration as the car's 4 year/50,000 mile warranty. So ... it would appear that your situation is the same as mine. The key questions are: Did the dealer provide a separate limited warranty on your chrome wheels. Were the chrome wheels on the car at the moment of delivery to the original owner? If your wheels came with a separate warranty are there exclusions? If the answers are No, Yes and No, then it would appear that your dealer owes you replacement wheels. A reasonable man would assume that everything on a car is covered for the same warranty duration unless components are specifically excluded in a document provided to the customer. In fact, many/most car manufacturers specifically state that accessories are covered by the same warranty as the car if the accessories are on the car at the time of delivery. What the dealer many have meant to do when the car was originally sold doesn't count. One more thing ... my replacement chrome wheels are nine years old, still look like new and don't leak air a bit - but they have never been used in winter or seen even a flake of snow. The original chrome wheels were trashed at three years by the lessee using them year round in midwest winters.

Why is this not covered under warranty? All four chrome wheels that came on my 2000 LS400 were replaced in 2003 under warranty due to deterioration of the chrome finish. How is this different?

It's been done.

At 82,000 miles a 2006 IS will explode in a volcanic cataclysm. Well ... not hardly. How's well is your RX lasting? An IS should do about the same if it has been taken care of in the past and will be taken care of in the future. Does this IS have a maintenance history you can verify? Can you tell if it has been raced or otherwise mistreated?

The early LS400 A/C compressor was apparently not as reliable as the later ones. By the time I sold my 90 LS400 in 2003 after driving it from new, it was on at least its 3rd A/C compressor ... I think it was on it's fourth. The orginal one failed the first summer I had the car - a memorable experience as we were all dressed up and driving to a wedding on a hot Saturday afternoon. I agree you have multiple issues. That the cold air is coming out of only one vent seems to indicate a problem in the system that opens and closes the dampers in the HVAC ducts. I don't have much knowledge about how the system works but based on the noises in my 90 LS after the engine was shut off, it sounded like the HVAC duct dampers were driven by vacuum. Is your A/C losing refrigerent? If it is, it should be pretty easy for a mechanic to find the leak by adding dye; I've had that done several times on both my LS400's although a slow leak might mean you have to return to the mechanic after a few days for him to check for the leak with a black light. Is your A/C still running R12 refrigerent or has it been converted to R134a. I had mine converted the last time I bought a new A/C compressor although thereafter I had to have it recharged every year or so - but R134a refrigerent is cheap compared to R12. I don't know what conversion kits cost these days. The total cost of conversion, not including another new A/C compressor, was something like $300-$500 12 to 14 years ago. It may be getting time to replace this car and maybe buy one new enough to have orginally come with an R134a system. Maybe your mechanics are a bit disinterested in fixing this because of the car's age and value. It shouldn't be this way but I sensed that kind of disinterest at the local Lexus dealer well before I sold my 90 LS in 2003. They seemed more eager in selling me another new LS than fixing my old one. I don't know if it will help but the following webpage has a link to informaiton on how to read HVAC problem codes in a 90-94 LS: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/air/

I doubt if spark plugs are the problem - the original ones in my 2000 LS400 looked like new when they were changed at the specified 120,000 interval. I just saw a thread on another Lexus forum from someone who was surprised that his original iridium spark plugs were in fine condition when he changed them at 160,000 miles. Iridium spark plugs might be considered lifetime if not for the emissions compliance requirement. Have you checked for stored problem codes? Your location says "Please Select". Where's that? You might also update your profile with your model year and model.

Again ... what are the stored codes? What did the guys who said "everything is fine" say the problem is. Didn't they check for stored codes - a CEL should trigger one or more codes.

Why is the check engine light (CEL) flashing? There has to be stored problem codes that could be read with a code reader. Many issues can cause a CEL and many of them are cheap to fix. Who are the bozos that say everything is fine? Everything is NOT fine. Your car is a danger to yourself and others.

Sewell sells a "LED Headlamp Retro-Kit" for the 2009 IS: http://is.sewellparts.com/accessories-catalog/Exterior/IS250-2009/2400.html Looks awfully expensive for what you get. Register at Sewell using a forum member name to see if discounts are available.

I've switched from regular to synthetic (Mobil) on two Lexus LS400's - a 1990 I bought new at 50,000 miles when Lexus finally approved synthetic for use and my currently owned 2000 LS400 when I bought it used at 38,000 miles. I drove my 90 LS400 to 183,500 miles and have driven my 2000 LS400 to 155,000 miles with zero oil consumption or leakage between oil changes. Many others have reported similar experiences on Lexus forums. Regarding the original question, I have never altered the oil change interval rather using regular or synthetic oil - always 5,000 miles and always change the OEM filter.

I do not see turning the auto light feature on/off in the list of customizable features for a 2008 IS250: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM53699U/pdf/sec_06-02.pdf It is possible to adjust the sensitivity. Do the lights turn on automatically in complete darkness such as in a garage?

The part website shown in the attachment shows a different number for the CD changer in the 1992-1996 ES300 - 86275-33010. Searching for 86270-33010 seems to indicate that it is not a valid part number.

The CPO library on the Lexus website: http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_library/ES/2009_options.html

"Piece, rear bumper, RH" and "Piece, rear bumper, LH" -- the attached diagram should show you what you need.

You can check the Nakamich amp part numbers for the three vehicles on a number of websites including http://www.toyodiy.com

You might be able to find it based on the attached diagram - sure not as easy as on the 95-up LS400.

And I've got this bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell to you. You could charge tolls for people to drive over it ........................... Can you get a refund on that "Scheduled Maintenance package" and cancel that bull$#!+?

The gen 1 LS400 does not have the hidden bolts behind the headrest flaps. I'm not sure what "wire loops" SRK is talking about - my 90 LS had fairly large and obvious metal tabs, coated with plastic caps, that had to be pulled forward before the front of the seat cushion could be popped up. The plastic caps on the metal tabs might have been to protect the back of people's legs from being scratched. I removed the rear seat of my 90 LS many times - very easy to do. It sometimes shocked people that I used my 90 LS sort of like a truck for camping/canoe trips and piled coolers, tents and cooking equipment in the rear seat area after I removed the rear seat. With all that "abuse" (I really babied the car) the car looked like new when I sold it in 2003 after driving it for 13 1/2 years.

Why don't you tell us specifically what you don't like about the Robert's opinion? Surely you agree with some of his views - like the view he has about people who "freeload" on the healthcare system. This whole discussion reminds me of the hype about Y2K - that there was going to be a total economic and social meltdown on January 1, 2000. Hmmm .... what actually happened in that hyped disaster? I'm betting that the Republican leadership is reading the same poll I am reading - that their own party members like and approve the Affordable Care Act by a healthy margin when they understand its provisions. Time is of the essence to get this overturned because a lot fewer people are going to want to once they understand the provisions.