1990LS400

Does the RX hybrid work differently than Prius hybrids? The battery that starts the ICE in our Prius is the traction battery and not the 12V battery. A serviceable 12V battery is necessary to run the dashboard components including the radio and to trigger the traction battery to run the car in EV mode and to trigger the traction battery to start the ICE when necessary but power from the 12V battery does not actually start the ICE. I replaced the 12V battery in our 2012 Prius v for the first time a few week ago with an OEM battery from a Toyota dealership. My wife was in a hurry so I didn't wait for other battery suppliers to open to see if they had a 12V battery to fit the Prius. I bought the new OEM battery at a Toyota dealership that participates in the Costco Auto Program at a 15% discount. I later found that Batteries Plus has a 12V battery that fits our Prius but it wasn't much cheaper. I just checked and saw that Batteries Plus has a 12V battery for the RX450h for $215.

I assume you pressed the TPMS reset button. One of the sensor batteries could be dead. They sometimes start failing at 8 to 10 years. A tire shop should be able to read diagnose the problem including reading the strength of all the batteries with a handheld tool that they hold next to the wheels. The batteries are not replaceable which means buying new sensors. If one of the sensor batteries is dead, you might as well replace all the sensors.

This question has been asked many times on car forums. An Android phone's media audio must be connected to the vehicle in-dash system and the audio of the in-dash system must be set on Bluetooth in order to hear Google Maps voice instructions through the car speakers. Unfortunately, it is not possible to listen to radio stations while doing that. It's just the way it works. A workaround I've used is to connect my Android phone's media audio to a small aftermarket portable Bluetooth speaker. When I do that, I can listen to radio on the in-dash system while hearing the Google Maps voice instructions on the portable speaker. This issue was resolved when the 2020 ES got Android Auto. It would be wonderful if Toyota/Lexus would retrofit Android Auto to previous model year vehicles that have the Linux based in-dash system like it did when it retrofitted Apple CarPlay but I don't know if that will happen.

The Club Lexus forum is far more active: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ Activity in LS400 forums have declined as these cars have disappeared. The Lexus brand and the LS400 were introduced into the U.S. in the fall of 1989. My late next door neighbor bought an LS400 the first week they were available in 1989 and I bought one in early 1990. I sold mine for $4,000 in 2003 after driving it 183,000 miles. An early LS400 should be easy to sell in California if it is in at all decent condition. There is still a lot of interest in them - especially from the very young. Value is dependent on mileage, condition, features, interior and interior color and prices in your local market, e.g. from $500 to $5,000.

Did you use an original generation 2/3 disc? If you used a later generation disc or a pirated disc, it might have updated the navigation system software from which there may be no return. Navigation updates usually didn't change the way the system looked or functioned other than one of the early updates eliminated the need to press "I agree". The only discs that work to update a generation 2/3 system have part numbers like the following: West Dealers: PT219-GN23W-XX East Dealers: PT219-GN23E-XX The "XX" in the above part numbers represent the update year. The last year an update was issued for generation 2/3 was 2013, e.g. the part numbers for that update would end in "-13". IIRC, it's possible to update the generation 2/3 system to generation 4 by installing a generation 4 DVD drive and using a generation 4 disc but there's not much interest in doing that anymore since the last generation 4 update was in 2015.

If the TPMS sensors are the originals, they are at least 12 years old. Batteries in them often don't last nearly that long. Any competent tire shop has a tool that can determine which sensor(s) are the problem and their battery strengths.

If the car has optional Intuitive Parking Assist option, the sensors in the front bumper will be completely obvious. Google up some 2015 ES350 photos and you'll see what they look like. Don't go drilling holes if you decide to mount the front license plate on the bumper where there are probably dimples that mark where the screws go. Get the front plate mounting kit, which probably comes with self tapping screws, from a Lexus dealership. If she's the original owner, she probably has the kit and misplaced it or the kit is still somewhere in the trunk. I think a good place to mount the front plate is at the center of the lower grill. I'd put it on a backer and maybe use four black zip ties to hold it to the lower grill or figure out some other method to attach it. Here's an image of a very high quality silicon license plate backer I bought on Amazon for our vehicles. I bought black ones but it also comes in colors.

That's because an owner can't buy a DVD map update on Amazon for a 2007 LS460 and update it himself. Only a Lexus dealer can do it using a "master DVD" and the Navigation Update Tool that only Lexus dealers have.

Exactly where on the dashboard and for what purpose?

My opinion is that it is a bad idea. Two hours away is too far away from the nearest dealership. Not that the RX and ES are bad vehicles but I certainly don't regard them as luxury cars. They are decent vehicles. I've had a lot of RX and ES loaners over the 24 years I drove top of the line Lexus LS sedans and I've found them generally disappointing. I would take a Toyota Highlander over an RX and a Toyota Avalon over an ES. What are your needs? Since you now have a Honda Odyssey, do you still need a van that can carry a lot of stuff? Do you prefer a hatchback over a 4-door sedan? Is there a Toyota dealership close to you ... i.e. much closer than the Lexus dealership? Whatever you buy, I suggest you buy a 2017/2018-up Lexus with Lexus Safety System or a 2017/2018-up Toyota with Toyota Safety Sense. These safety systems include radar based automatic emergency braking (Pre-Collision System), adaptive cruise control (Dynamic Radar Cruise Control), Lane Departure Warning with Steering Assist and Automatic High Beam. Not that 68 is "old" but these safety systems are particularly valuable to us older people. My wife and I are a wee bit older than you are. If you need an Odyssey size van but would like one with more luxury features, I would suggest a 2018 or newer Toyota Sienna Limited Premium. It has height adjustable HID headlights, heated steering wheel, nice leather upholstery with memory driver seat, rain sensing wipers and all the features of Toyota Safety Sense. You might have to go a little higher that $25,000 to get one of those as a used vehicle since a new one retailed at nearly $50,000. If you prefer a smaller pseudo-SUV, I would suggest the redesigned 2019 or newer RAV4 Limited but only the ones with the optional adaptive headlights which are highly rated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (iihs.org). The non-adaptive RAV4 headlights are not rated well. There is a hybrid version of the RAV4 Limited. Toyota hybrid systems are very reliable. We've had a hybrid 2012 Prius v Five since new and it hasn't had a single problem although it's only at 43,xxx miles. My wife and I test drove a RAV4 hybrid a few weeks ago and found it to be very nice - much quieter than our Prius v. We had planned to buy a 2020 RAV4 Limited Hybrid but are now waiting for the recently announced 2021 RAV4 Limited plug-in hybrid. IMO, the main difference between Lexus and Toyota brand vehicles and their dealerships is that Lexus vehicles sometimes have slightly nicer materials and Lexus dealerships have better snacks in their waiting rooms. Otherwise there isn't much difference under the skin with many Lexus and Toyota brand vehicles using the same engines, transmissions and many other components.

It was locally customized by Lexus of Palm Beach for people over 70 years old who like vinyl roofs and gold trim. I don't think you can legally drive it if you don't have a Social Security card. 🤣

According to the parts diagrams and lists, it's under the dash in the driver side junction box. It might have its part number on it: 90987-02012

Maybe it's changed but replacement owners manuals used to be provided at not cost. Ask a Lexus dealership about it or contact Lexus customer service. The owners and maintenance manuals can also be viewed online in the owners section of the Lexus website. Registering is not necessary. I find the online versions much easier to use than the paper ones. The manuals are in PDF format and can be downloaded. Get that additional key before you lose the one you have and get into a bind. So many people have lost their only key and gotten into real trouble. I've bought several master keys at Lexus dealerships when "she who will not be named" lost hers. When she did lose her key, I was at the Lexus dealership the next business day to get a replacement no matter what it cost. I now keep one extra key for each vehicle in a fire proof safe. The safe is on an outside wall that could be easily retrieved if something happens to the house as long as the house doesn't blow away.

There's really no difference in gasoline between the U.S. and Canada. I've driven personally owned and rental vehicles from the U.S. into a number of Canadian provinces including B.C. on extended trips and there were no differences in how they performed on fuel in either county. Regular fuel is fine for the typical Toyota/Lexus V6 engine but maybe not for some recent turbo charged V6 engines like the ones now used in the LS500. I've always thought it funny that regular fuel has usually been recommended for Toyota V6 engines but that premium has sometimes been recommended for Lexus V6 engines. I've checked the part numbers for the V6 engine and their associated engine control electronics used in Toyota brand and Lexus brand vehicles and found that they are the same. Supposedly premium fuel will provide slightly more horsepower and perhaps slightly better fuel economy but it's a trade-off between results and cost. 500 km to empty after the tank is filled does sound a bit low but the calculation is based on the fuel usage rate of the previous one or maybe two tank fulls. Fuel usage is highly variable. The tank average for our 2014 Toyota Sienna V6 can range from average of 17 mpg to 25 mpg (13.84 l/100km to 9.41 l/100km) depending on how it is driven. If you are mainly tooling around Vancouver or Victoria on surface streets, you will get substantially poorer fuel economy that if you mainly drive on highways. Now ... would you please have a bridge built to Vancouver Island so that we no longer have to take a ferry? We used to have to take a ferry to P.E.I. but they finally built a bridge for us. 😁

I suspect the beeping is related to a problem with what was called Vehicle Skid Control (VSC) back in 2002. It's since been re-branded as Vehicle Stability Control. How it works is explained at https://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/experiences/experiences-details/ART2654 A loose steering wheel is worrisome and could be a symptom of the problem. We've had vehicles with VSC for almost 20 years and have never had the warning beeping occur when changing lanes or rounding curves on dry, smooth pavement during normal driving. It's occurred mainly on rain, ice or snow slick pavement and a few times on loose gravel when I was driving VERY hard and pushing the vehicle to the limit. This could be a dangerous situation. I suggest that you have a professional (e.g. Lexus dealership technician) diagnose the problem.

It's probably going to require a Lexus dealer technician to diagnose the cause of the problem. There are many components in the AFS system.

It's doubtful that both horns would fail at the same time but it would be easy to find out with a simple 12V test light. There are several potential causes. The horn on the 2000 LS400 I used to have started barely working if at all when something inside the horn pad/air bag assembly broke. An indie repair shop installed a salvaged horn pad / airbag assembly for around $800 which was great since the new part was over $2,000. Or it could be a defective spiral cable in the steering wheel. The indie shop that fixed the horn problem in my 2000 LS diagnosed the problem in only a few minutes but the mechanic was a former lexus dealer mechanic.

What do you mean by "roof rack"? Cross bars? You are certainly not going to find new cross bars that will fit your ES for anywhere near $50. $200 to $500 maybe but more around the $500 mark. And that doesn't give you the components to carry anything like ski's, bikes or a cargo box. Add $100's of dollars for those. What do you want to carry? Is there anyway to squeeze inside? I hate roof racks due to the noise and the hassle. I've got 35 year old Yakima cross bars with aero roof and gutter roof mounting hardware with snow ski attachments and all the locks in storage. I don't remember what I paid for the contraption back in the mid-1980's but it's a $750 set up if I was buying it today. This crap is expensive. I bought the Yakima to fit a Honda CRX - my winter "ski car" - but they fit my Lexus LS sedans just fine. Used cross bars and accessory attachments are sometimes available on Craigslist but it's trial and error to see if they fit and even then they might not be cheap.

Dave, the OP has a cracked screen! Your video isn't about that.

If I had a problem with any of ours, I'd send it to https://hitechserv.com You might find other repair companies if you do an internet search. It's usually fairly easy to pull a nav head unit but I've pulled head units countless times.. If you ship it for repair, wrap it EXTREMELY well with bubble wrap. I must have used $10 of bubble wrap when I shipped a head unit a couple weeks ago but it arrived at its destination with no damage.

Those are all signs that the traction battery is functioning. Funny, I've looked at the energy monitor screen on my wife's Prius only a couple of times in 7 years although I don't drive the car much - mainly to the gas station and car wash. I'm sure that my wife has never looked at it. We didn't buy the Prius because it was a hybrid or due to its fuel economy - only because it was a fairly small wagon-like vehicle that my wife was comfortable driving and it had must-have safety features like automatic emergency braking (Pre-Collision System). We'll likely buy the 2021 Toyota RAV4 plug-in hybrid that was announced last week to replace her Prius when it becomes available. It's suppose to have a 20 to 25 mile range in EV mode. Since she averages only 7.6 miles of driving per day to get to and from Yoga class, I might be refueling a RAV4 plug-in hybrid only once a year. On average, I refuel the Prius about every 6 weeks.

Not really unless you are driving under about 10 mph very gently. Even then, range in EV mode is very low. Does the internal combustion engine shut down at least some of the time when you are stopped at a traffic light? If it does then the traction battery is functioning to some extent. If you are doing a lot of highway driving, you might be noticing that the hybrid version of the RX doesn't get much better gas mileage than the regular RX. From the 2008 RX and RX hybrid sales brochures: RX:Fuel Consumption 18/23 mpg (FWD)19 (estimated city/highway) 17/22 mpg (AWD)19 RX Hybrid: Fuel Consumption 27/24 mpg (FWD) (EPA estimated city/highway) 26/24 mpg (AWD) EPA fuel consumption estimates are widely seen as fantasy. We've rarely achieve EPA estimates on our vehicles. For example, my wife's 2012 Prius v hybrid - owned since new - has been averaging only 32 mpg in mostly city (35 mph to 45 mph) driving. It's EPA city/highway estimates are 44/40 mpg. Of course, the battery in her Prius is over 7 years old and might be getting weak although the car has only 43,000 miles on it. Her low city fuel economy could be related to her rarely driving more than 15 miles/day and there aren't many traffic lights or downhill slopes that would trigger regenerative braking on the routes she takes. Traction battery charging is totally dependent on regenerative braking. I have to assume that a Lexus dealership could test your traction battery and the regenerative system for health. If your traction battery is weak and you want to replace it, there are several companies that sell re-manufactured ones ... like: https://greenbeanbattery.com/lexus-rx400h-hybrid-battery-replacement/ A traction battery supplier like Green Bean Battery should be able to tell you if traction batteries for new model years can be used in your RX.

Fuse functions are shown in section 6-4 of the 2003 RX300 owners manual. There appear to be multiple fuses for the door locks. Here is a link to the owners manual in the Owners section of the Lexus website: https://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM48442U/pdf/OM48442U.pdf It looks from the parts diagram that the receiver for the wireless door lock system is in the left rear fender - image of diagram attached. Sorry, I had to reduce the resolution substantially when snagging the image to get it to fit on my screen but you should be able to zoom in on it.

Key and ROM card sets appear to still be available as replacement parts. The ROM card that matches the key is inserted in a slot in the wireless receiver in the left rear fender. Here is an image showing the various key/ROM sets, their part numbers and the location of the wireless receiver.

Sorry, I think I misunderstood the parts lists and diagrams for the SC430 and my memory of how it's equipped is failing. If you have the retractable radio antenna instead of the one on the windshield, then I guess you would replace or fix it if it broke. I don't know why you would be messing with the antenna if you are going to install an aftermarket audio system. I would think you would just unplug the antenna from the original head unit and plug it into the new aftermarket one - at least that's what the installer did when he installed a double DIN screen Kenwood in my 2000 LS400. A modern aftermarket audio or audio/navigation system would make your SC430 seem much more modern ... one with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto would be very nice.