1990LS400

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.

I'm actually dead serious. Put a couple of passengers in the back seat and/or stuff in the trunk and you will likely blind oncoming drivers as the rear end of your car sinks downward and the front end rises upwards. Here is a good reference about the legality of aftermarket HID kits: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/bulbs/Hid/conversions/conversions.html Maybe you will get away with your kit in NY - or maybe you won't.

Do you have an owners manual? U.S. specification models may not be the same but the owners manual for a U.S. 1996 LS400 at http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM50487U/pdf/lexomsou/96lexom/96lsom/sect6/640.pdf shows four fuses for the air conditioning system. The Lexus website does not have manuals for the 1997 U.S. LS400 but the 95-97 are essentially the same.

I think the "cooler thermistor, ambient" on my 2000 LS400 only shows the outside temperature on the LCD. It does not seem to affect the way the HVAC system operates but I am not certain. Assuming you are in the U.K., the parts number website I use - www.toyodiy.com - shows the same sensor (part number 88625-14110) being used on both the LHD U.S. spec 1997 LS400 and the RHD 1997 U.K. speci LS400. Here in the U.S., the sensor is quite inexpensive - $21.80 at http://lexus.sewellparts.com with a car forum discount. The outside temperature on my 00 LS400 often reads low for a few minutes after I wash my car at a manual wand-type car wash. Just yesterday I noticed it was reading about 15 degrees Farenheit lower than the actual temperature just after I washed the car. The display slowly returns to the accurate outside temperature as I drive away from the car wash. Maybe the sensor on my car is starting to fail.

The three LS400 Platinum Series packages were offered only in about the last half of the 2000 model year. The birds eye maple wood in Platinum Series cars is much lighter than the standard wood. Attached is a photo of the wood in my 2000 LS400 Platinum Series. Aftermarket wood kits can be pretty tacky looking after a couple of years and its always obvious that they are not original. I'd recommend using one only if your radio, HVAC controls, etc. are extremely worn and you want to cover the damage.

Aftermarket HID kits DO NOT provide the same results as the OEM HID option (currently $875 retail) on the IS. OEM HID includes autoleveling to keep from blinding oncoming drivers and different light units that properly focus the light from HID bulbs and also keep from blinding oncoming drivers. IMO, the most effective tool to use on aftermarket HID kits is the special "Aftermarket HID adjustment tool" shown in the attached photo.

Probably a clogged vent tube. Here is a YouTube video on how to clean one on a Camry:

Does the lock/unlock switch on the inside of the drivers door still lock the doors?

The parts are not available separately. If the air vent used to work properly, the missing part is likely inside the air vent assembly or has fallen on or to the side of the radio head unit.. I've removed the similar center air vents a number of times in my 2000 LS400 and most times the vent assemblies come apart and I have to put them back together ... can be quite a puzzle. And I've sometimes have had to search for the parts. I've actually been surprised that I've always been able to put them back together and get the to function properly. I've thought about trying to glue the vent parts together but my concern has been that I might accidentally glue together parts that are supposed to move. If you can't find the missing part in your car, look for a complete air vent assembly on eBay. If you don't see one advertised, contact an eBay seller you see selling other interior parts from a 98-00 LS400.

The inside trunk releases were not added until sometime after the 2000 model year. Owners of 1992 through 2000 Lexus sedans were offered a retrofit inside trunk release under a TSB in 2001 but I doubt that many took advantage of the offer since owners were not notified. It was not a safety recall - the phrase "to respond to requests of our valued customers" was used in the TSB. I'd call a locksmith to handle this situation.

Regardless of what the problem is, a car whose engine dies randomly is not safe to drive. My recommendation is to get this car to a professional Lexus specialist. The only times I've had the engine in my similar 2000 LS400 die at low speeds or when coming to a stop has been when a battery has begun to fail. I may be losing count but I think at 149,000 miles my car is on its 6th battery with one being DOA and another lasting only one year. Every time, the engine dying was the first sign of the battery failing.

Bulletin EL001-96 applies only to the 1995 LS400. From the bulletin: "Some 1995 LS 400’s may exhibit incomplete execution of the tilt/telescopic travel cycle when the key isinserted or removed from the ignition.To aid consistent operation of this memory function, the following production change has been made:PRODUCTION EFFECTIVE:FROMCHANGE1996 Model YearTilt position sensor wire harness lengthened by 15 mm."

And you haven't replaced them?

A transmission pan seal should last "forever". But a pan seal "repair"? You can repair a pan seal?

Pebble Beach mats are shown on http://lexus.sewellparts.com/ for other models but I don't see them for the RX. You could contact Sewell or ask a local Lexus dealer. Carpet mats are apparently accessories supplied by aftermarket suppliers - they are never listed in Toyota/Lexus parts catalogs. Replacement special edition carpet mats are sometimes not available for long. Replacement black Platinum Series mats like the ones that came in my 00 LS haven't been available for years.

It sounds like a defective Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) or Pedal Position Sensor (PPS). I had a similar problem with a non-responsive accellerator pedal on a 2000 LS400. Pressing the pedal did nothing and the Check Engine Light came on. I had both the TPS and PPS replaced - one had failed and the other tested below the acceptable range. The dealership should have instructions on how to test the TPS and PPS.

No, please climb the mountain and teach us something. I only wanted you to know that many people have tried and it's not easy.

Probably not. Many have said the were going to but I haven't seen anybody report noteworthy success in the 10 years I've been on three Lexus forums and following these issues closely. It is, however, relatively easy to install an aftermarket phone kit in your LS400. Here is a thread from Blake that shows the connector at the rear (driver side) of a 95-97 center console that contains a mute pin that be used with an aftermarket phone kit: http://us.lexusowner...=1 And here is a later thread from Blake about installing a Parrot MKi9100 Bluetooth kit in his 99 LS400: http://us.lexusowner...ot&fromsearch=1 In theory it might be possible to use your steering wheel phone control with a Parrot Bluetooth kit using their additional cost UNIKA interface but Parrot has no programming or installation instructions for Lexus for the UNIKA and you would have to figure out how to tap into the factory phone harness to even try. You would be on your own including getting the UNIKA from outside the U.S. It's easy enough to pop off the trim to install a phone kit and there is plentry of room under the dash to hide a phone kit speaker. I keep planning to install a Parrot kit in my 00 LS but keep putting it off since the old Nokia kit I installed in early 2004 still works well and I've got two handsets left to use with it. If/when I do install a Parrot, I will put its LCD on the instrument cluster shelf below and to the left of the temperature gauge and the controller on a Pro.Fit bracket on the left side of the center stack so I don't have to remove my hand from the steering wheel. The Parrot control box will go where the Nokia's control box is now - on the left side of the transmission tunnel behind the carpet for easy access to it. I'll run the microphone cable up the drivers side windshield pillar and place the microphone near the overhead light cluster if not inside it. I've got an extra overhead light cluster to practice on so I may try drilling two holes in the rear edge of it to stick the Parrot's twin microphones through. The following thread I started in 2004 has a PDF about my Nokia kit -- the PDF has photos that might help if you need to remove trim to install a phone kit: http://us.lexusowner...ia&fromsearch=1 I'm in Lenexa, by the way, and could explain some of this stuff in person if you are near by - ON A WARM DAY ... BRRR!

I'll upload David's photo to the forum since photos on Photobucket have a habit of disappearing. David, would you mind uploading a photo of the rocker switch to the forum and providing more information about how you installed your sat radio?

I have 1 question: Did you look at the previous thread you started on this subject? http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=72231&st=0&p=447768entry447768 ^_^

This is a North American forum so I doubt if anybody here will be able to tell you if the 3-button key will function properly with your RX. Toyota and Lexus cars of the same year can differ dramatically depending on market. As one of the attachments show, there were different three different key transmitters depending on country. Maybe the part numbers will help.

It is a very exact science to program an OEM Lexus key and it sometimes takes more than one try to do it right. It has to be exactly according to the instructions and there is no room for error. Aftermarket keys that work properly are available -- contact the eBay seller and report the problem you are having.

1st question: Yes, outside the car. 2nd question: Yes, the unprogrammed key. No, I didn't do it myself. I watched a Lexus dealer service writer do it just after I bought my 00 LS400 in 2003. He flailed around like a demented psycho while programming it. The guy had so much practice that it seemed automatic and he didn't have to follow any written instructions. The 3rd set of keys for my LS is stored in a fireproof safe. Many people on Lexus forums have successfully programmed keys using these instructions. I'm guessing that your new key is aftermarket and incompatible. If it is aftermarket, don't blame the Lexus instructions.

My gosh! The car is in a nose dive!

A bit of valve chatter is quite common on the gen 1 LS400 as they age. My 90 LS did the same thing for many miles before I sold it but I only noticed it at idle. My mechanic didn't think it was worth trying to fix so we never tried and I didn't find it bothersome. I sold the car to a coworker in 2003 after driving it from new to 183,500 miles. The guy I sold it to recently advertised the car at 295,000 miles on Portland OR Craigslist using the phrase "Drives amazing!" so it apparently continued to run.