four door

If your thinking about purchasing a 1st gen LS400 go with the '93 or '94. As noted a number of upgrades were done to the '93 LS400. On top of this I have read that they are rated as some of the most reliable years for the LS400. You will be getting a lot of bang for the buck if you find one in nice shape with current maintenance. Four Door.

Forgot to mention that your old lug nuts will fit the new rims. Four Door.

I picked up a set of four '94 LS400 rims/center caps for my '92 LS400. Also mounted new Michelin MXV4+ Energy tires on the 16" rims. Improved ride, handling and gave it a updated look. Expect to spend at least $700-$800, decent looking OEM rims/center caps and tires don't come cheap. Four Door.

It's spotless under the hood of my '92 LS400. When I bought it 8/03 it was very clean, no leaks. Used a degeaser sprayed on an old towel and wiped it down, no water. Since then I just wipe it down when I do an exterior wash and it hardly gets dirty between washes due to the excellent design that keeps moisture and dirt out of the engine compartment. Same thing with all the door, trunk and hood jams, they get a wipe down with the exterior wash. Prior owner had it detailed every spring so it was in excellent shape. Four Door.

Revisiting the issue of the correct tire size I'm sure one of the major virtues of the LS400 is the ride and when Lexus upgraded the tire size to 225/60/16 in '93 they did it for a lot of good reasons. Another post has someone complaining about vibrations in his LS400. All said and done if the bushings, strutts etc are in good shape I'd be willing to bet inferior tires were mounted on his LS400. If you want to maintain the original ride and handling of your LS400 stick with OEM parts and the correct size/quality tires. Four Door.

Check the struts to see if they are oem Lexus, had a preowned ES250 some years back and the prior owner had rear struts replaced with aftermarket that made it ride like a truck. Stick with the factory struts if you want a smooth ride. Four Door.

Check your owners manual for the correct tire size but I'm positive it's 225/60/16 (V rated) for a '93 LS400. If the tire shop screwed up and put 215/60/15 they would be liable for any misfortune you might encounter (accident), a big time liability issue. As someone else said other then used for snow tires the smaller tire is not desirable and your LS400 would not handle and brake as well as the mfg recommended size tire for that year and model. Do a search for tires and see what other LS400 owners have chosen for tires and buy the best you can afford, this is one item I wouldn't skimp on. Four Door.

dbarnett sorry to hear about your ripped subwoofer, a bummer. Their have been numerous posts re replacing the subwoofer. From the simple replacement with another factory subwoofer which can be purchased from a salavage yard. You can also replace it with a aftermarket subwoofer as VMF suggested. Check in the SC300-400 section to find a ongoing post re subwoofers and see a lot of ideas. Four Door.

You can try Tap Recycling in CA <taprecycling.com>. From experience I found it next to impossible to swap the guts (mirror/motor) out of my mirror body that was damaged. Best bet is to get a preowned mirror from Tap, a lot less money then dealer. Make sure you tell them if it is a memory system mirror or not, the memory system has a different plug. They might even have the same color mirror. Four Door.

'92 LS400 owner thinking about updating standard premium audio system (NO CD changer) to a Nakamaichi audio system with cd changer. After reading all the posts re the stock subwoofer not putting out out good volume I am doubtful about useing a stock 10" Nak subwoofer and subwoofer amp. Of all the posts SC300 seems to have found a way to get the deep bass and volume that I'm also looking for. I was thinking of doing it myself but now wonder if I would be better off going to a very good mobile audio shop to have the Nakamichi system installed. I want to stay with the Nakamichi head unit and cd changer and use aftermarket for the rest of the system (subwoofer amp/subwoofer). Also considering aftermarket for the door speakers. I'v been told that the '90-'92 Nakamichi head unit contains the amp for the door speakers and the wiring is compatable with my present speaker wires. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Four Door ('92 LS400)

Deltag restoring your '90 LS400 over a three year period sounds like quite a project but I'm sure your at least as talented as my brother who was formerly a jet aircraft mechanic and you will do a terrific job. Used parts are available more so for the early years ('90-'92) in the salvage yards. I think in that respect a '90 LS4oo was a good choice. Four Door.

'93lsowner if you purchase the key let us know how it works out. I took my '92 LS400 transponder key apart to install a new battery. I would like to swap the black plastic part that is very worn. Four Door.

Pioneersuby if you could contact me re the upgrade to the Nakamichi system, I doubt your in the Boston area and think I could do the majority of the work myself. You mentioned that you make up the cd changer cable which I will need. I will have to locate a 90-92 Nak head unit, subwoofer, subwoofer amp, cd changer and carpeted trunk panel for the cd changer. I'll probably also change all the door speakers. Really appreciate the info, Four Door.

My wish is a Nakamichi audio system for my '92 LS400. I have the standard audio system with no cd changer and finally got an answer that the upgrade to the Nakamichi system was very doable as long as the Nakamichi equipment came from a '90-'92 LS400. The info finally came in a post re an unrelated subject. Since August '03 I have picked up quite a bit of info. I try to post a reply whenever I think I mighht have something worthwhile to add. Just my opo, the LS400 was never intended to be a sports car. The vehicle was designed for high speed cruising on the US interstate highway system and it performs that function like no other vehicle. The priorities are comfort, luxury, superior reliability, speed and surprisingly fuel economy. I can't think of another vehicle that can match the LS400 in all of those catergories. Four Door.

Pioneersuby thanks for the info. My '92 LS400 has the standard premium audio system with am/fm/tape and NO cd changer. My goal is to upgrade to a complete Nakamichi audio system, with Nak speakers, amp and cd changer. I beleive that I would have to replace the present wiring/plugs from the head unit with one from a Nakamichi head unit to make it work. The wiring seems to be the major obstacle in doing this conversion. Would the present wiring if the plugs were changed be adequate to handle a Nakamichi system? Or would the whole audio system (minus the speaker) have to be rewired? Four Door.

WWest I'll have to check the trunk again of my '92 LS400 for the CD plug. Last time I looked I couldn't find one. Where should I look? Four Door.

Also you could try Tap Recycling, salvage yard in CA specializing in Lexus.

Parting out four (4) alloy/plastic '93/'94 LS400 #8325 center caps with gold emblems. Center caps are in good condition with some minor scratches. Four Door.

The Nakamichi Audio system is rated at 220 watts with a 10" subwoofer for the 90-92 LS400. The standard "Premium Audio System" is rated at 140 watts with a 8" bi-amplified subwoofer for the 90-92 LS400. Newer LS400 audio systems may have higher wattage starting with the '93 LS400.

Recently purchased a '90-'94 Lexus dealers parts manual and will get back to you with the amp wattage. Four Door.

I have a set of four "92 LS400 wheels and Michelin snow tires with excellent tread in the garage collecting dust. The '94 Camray (fwd) is my snow/ice/slush/salt car. Don't plan on useing them so if anyone is interested let me know. Four Door.

I replaced the factory 15" alloy wheels/tires on my '92 LS400 with '94 LS400 16" alloy wheels and Michelin MXV4+ Energy tires and I have had no problems, the ride and handling is excellent. The '93 & '94 LS400 alloy wheels were the same for both years and will fit the the '90-'92.

The 1st gen LS400 is by far the most reliable large luxury sedan ever mfg. My '92 LS400 is a two owner (second certified), dealer maintained and continues to be garaged night and day. When I purchased it from the just retired 2nd owner who was moving to Europe it just turned 100.000. Looking at the vehicle no one would suspect it was 11 years old. Other then purchasing a new set of tires (Michelin MXV4+Energy) I have found nothing mechanically wrong with the car. All for a grand total of $8,000. I suspect that the problem cars are ones that had abusive owners that did not maintain the vehicles.

Might be a rear wheel bearing, my brothers '93 LS400 had similar noise/problem and was very difficult to pin down. Lucky for him the LS was still under the certified warranty. Four Door.

Getting a little closer to a rear window shade if there is one left in the world. Contacted member in the New Zealand club and he thinks he might be able to locate one in SE Asia if I can get him a part number. If anyone as access to a parts/accessory list for the 1st gen LS400 ('90-'94) with the part number for the rear window sun shade I might locate one of these. Many thanks in advance, Four Door.