1990LS400

I cannot tell you specifically how to do it on your SC but non-power rear headrests are usually removed by just pulling them up and out while pressing the unlock button if there is one - as I found out over 22 years ago when a Lexus dealer cleanup guy misplaced the rear headrests on my new LS400 and I then had to convince a clueless service writer that, yes, my car really did come with rear headrests as standard.

"What was Lexus thinking?" Lexus is merely a brand name created by the Toyota Motor Company. Please remember that the IS was the "Toyota Altezza" in some countries until fairly recently. I like Lexus branded vehicles and am a TMC shareholder but I think people should keep in mind that the Toyota/Lexus brand relationship is in the same vein as as Ford/Mercury, General Motors/Chevrolet, and Chrysler/Dodge.

I'm pretty good at reading manuals (I essentially do it for a living), read your navigation manual and can't find another way to lower/mute the volume.

Hit the nav screen with a hammer? How much easier can it be? Softer ... Softer .... Softer .... Softer

I'm not sure what to try next - other than to have someone crawl under your car to verify that air comes out the vent tube the next time you fill the tank. My guess is that the problem is upstream of the vent tube ... junk in the tank?. Here is a diagram of the parts involved.

The miaintenance schedule is probably the same as for Camrys of the same year that had the V6 engine. If I remember correctly, the 2000 ES300 was in the last ES series that was mechanically virtually identical to the Camry V6 including the brakes which were different on later series ES. You should be aware that the V6 engine of this era was subject to sludging issues - one reason I've used Mobil 1 synthetic oil in our 98 Camry V6 since it was new. Valve cover gaskets usually start leaking by 90,000 miles and are a PITA to change. We finally had our mechanic do it last week at the 120,000 mile service. Front brake pads can easily last 120,000 miles as ours did and the rear pads "forever".

Page 302 of your navigation manual: http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/omnav/OM53A02U/pdf/11.pdf

Any option for a Lexus that costs only $115 seems dirt cheap to me. Pry harder or ask the dealer. The trim of this type I've seen is installed by forcefully pushing it into place including tapping it into place with a rubber mallet.

http://www.vaistech.com/dev/home.php

Well ... you can see all the option and package information at http://www.lexus.com...11_options.html How easy it is going to be largely depends on how particular you are about equipment and color. I doubt if you will find any "gotchas" on a 2008-11 ES350 with a documented maintenance history. If you purchase CPO, you can assume that the car has had at least the minimal required maintenance. If you are that flexible on model year and price, I suggest that you look an ES that has just come off a two or three year lease with a mileage cap - 24K or 36K miles - and which as a substantial amount of its basic warranty left. Maybe look at non-CPO cars. I bought my off lease 00 LS in 2003 at 38,000 miles from a broker for $9,000 less than either of the two CPO 00 LS with similar miles and less equipment that the Lexus dealer had on his lot. I've since driven the car to 150,000 miles and nothing happened could have made spending even a fraction of that extra $9,000 worth it. Even look at private party sales. You would likely give substantially more for a car than a distressed seller could get from Carmax. And keep the check book loaded and ready. I bought my 00 LS the afternoon before it was going to be offered for public sale. I rarely make snap decisions but that was one I never regretted.

There are plenty of choices in OEM ES350 chrome wheel styles on eBay, Amazon and the websites of wheel companies most of which I just saw are in California. The least expensive I just saw for newly chromed wheels were US$1295 for a set of four. I suppose you could keep an eye on Craigslist but that's probably a stretch.

The door edge guards are an inexpensive $115 official Lexus option - not just an aftermarket dealer add. I doubt if they are to protect a neighboring vehicle - more likely to prevent damage to your own vehicle while trashing the one next to you. If one door edge guard gets damaged, pop it off and put on a new one.

The Lexus website described the standard wood of the 98-00 LS400 as "Walnut interior trim" - kind of dark. The 2000 Platinum Series LS400 had "Bird's-eye maple interior trim" which is lighter and red-ish in color. You can see the Bird's-eye maple color in this photo of my car from my gallery: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?app=galleryℑ=816

It's going well. I hope the OP understands that your instructions on breaking the yellow glass in the foglight units apply only to the 90-94 LS400 and not to his 99 LS400. Ah, Virginia Beach - one of my favorite tourist towns.

The 98-00 LS400 foglights use single filament 9006 bulbs and not double filament H4/9003/HB2 bulbs. Some people swear by modifying 9005 bulbs to fit the 9006 bulb sockets to get a bit more light output without (supposedly) causing extra glare for oncoming drivers but I've not tried that. If you are interested in that, google something like "modify 9005 bulbs to fit 9006 sockets' - there are lots of instructions out there. The 98-00 LS400 foglights are probably the worst performing foglights I've experienced except for the ones on the 1956 Mercedes SL I drove as a kid in the 60's. The foglights on the 90 LS400 I drove for many years were far superior than the ones on my 2000 LS400 although its headlights were horrible.

The "lens" is permanently glued to the foglight housing - it doesn't come off. The bulbs plug into the back of the foglight housing. One way to change a foglight bulb is to remove enough of the fasterners holding the fender liner to the wheel well so that you can slip your hand in and change the bulb. If you are changing the bulbs thinking that new ones will increase light output, first check the condition of the foglight lens surfaces. Light output of the foglights on my similar 2000 LS400 increased dramatically after I restored the foglight lenses to like new condition with a Crystal View headlight lens restoration kit. Other good lens restoration kits are available - the good ones have a sealer that prevents the lenses from deteriorating again.

Yes, it is odd that OEM mudflaps are not available for the ES350. It might be because the ES is sold in relatively few world markets and not in Europe where OEM mudflaps are expected and have usually been standard on or available for most Lexus models. Here is a thread on ClubLexus where someone installed aftermarket mudflaps behind the front wheels: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/es350/604857-mud-flaps-installed.html And here is an eBay seller of aftermarket mudflaps that supposedly fit an ES350: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Splash-Guard-Mud-Flaps-Lexus-ES350-/400280027723?fits=Model:ES350&hash=item5d328c824b&item=400280027723&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr If OEM mudflaps were available for the ES350, a Canadian Lexus dealer would likely have them. Mudflaps weren't available from U.S. Lexus dealers for my 00 LS400 so I bought a set from a Lexus dealer in Victoria BC.

I doubt if you will find a more detailed diagram than one from the Sewell Lexus website: http://lexus.sewellp...000/520936C.jpg This one shows the location of the two air bag sensors at the front: http://lexus.sewellparts.com/images/oem/1400x1000/845172E.jpg It never hurts to disconnect the battery - better safe than sorry.

Your location on the U.K. forum is "Mayo" -- western Ireland? If so I doubt if you will find anybody on the U.S. forum who is familar with the audio systems in the LS400 sold in your market which are quite different than those in U.S. models. Does your 99 LS have sat nav? I thought all/most sold in the U.K./Ireland did. If it does not have sat nav, my "guess" is that there are multiple lighting sources for the LCD, buttons, volume control, etc. It is doubtful that it is a bulb issue and that all the bulbs could have burned out at once. Have you checked all the fuses including any labeled "accessory" - both in the engine compartment and under dash fuse boxes? In U.S. models, there are fuses labeled radio 1 and radio 2 - one in the engine compartment and the other under the dash.

Check for stored error codes? Check the charging system (alternator, battery and all connections)?

A number of people have said that the transmission mount is usually the first of the three mounts to go. There have been photos posted of transmission mounts that were in pretty sad shape at fairly low mileages - the rubber collapsed, severely cracked, and separated from the metal mount bracket. The rate of wear on the mounts must vary a lot. I had the original transmission mount on my 2000 LS400 replaced yesterday at the 150,000 mile service - it looks like new ... no compression of the rubber, no cracking, no separation of the rubber from the bracket. I thought a new transmission mount might eliminate the very slight vibration I was feeling through the steering wheel at idle but it did not. But a new transmission mount was pretty cheap - $150 for an OEM mount including labor - and I sure won't have to be concerned about it again during the final few years of owning this car. My understanding is that replacing the two engine mounts is substantially more difficult and expensive.

It sounds like a valve making noise - which is probably the most common cause of a ticking sound like you are having. It would be interesting to pull the valve covers and see how much sludge, if any, is in that area. And check the valve clearance. The engine shroud could be making the noise seem like it is coming from the lower part of the engine. The 90 LS400 I sold in 2003 made a similar clicking noise when the engine was cold but it mostly went away as the engine warmed up. My mechanic said it was valve train issue but didn't think it was worth trying to fix. I think it was on this forum perhaps a year or two ago that someone posted photos of an incredibly sludged up LS430 engine. One theory was that the engine had lost its coolant and became severely overheated.

I think your best recourse is to demand that the Ford dealer buy the car back from you. You've had the car only two months - don't spend any more money or energy on it. Dump it and run. Did you verify the car's maintenance history before you bought the car? Did the car's maintenance booklet have all the appropriate stamps, dates and signatures? Used cars with documented maintenance histories generally cost more but they are worth it.

The attached diagram for the 99 LS400 shows the receiver somewhere under the dash but it certainly doesn't show exactly where. The receiver was in the trunk on the early LS400.

The prices sound about right but it is rarely necessary to replace brake pads at all four wheel positions at once since the rear pads can last twice as long as the front pads. Measure the pad thickness and check the minimum specifications to see if the pads really need to be replaced. Generally brake pads don't need to be replaced until they are worn down to the last milimeter of thickness.