vacation

Thanks to you all for your help. I'll check out those links.

Bump... Any ideas from anyone? Thanks in advance.

Has anyone done this successfully? If so, how? Are there any wires on the factory radio that can be used as an input?

Did you somehow add a limited slip differential to your LS400? I agree, that a good LSD would certainly help with snow traction in any car and the LS400 would be no exception.

I have a '96 LS400 with Yokohama AVS V4 tires...I do not like the way it drives in the snow here in south central PA. Thankfully we have a second car, a Camry wagon, that we can use when there's snow or ice on the roads. If I had to drive the LS400 in the snow, I would definitely invest in a good set of four snow/ice tires.

I would use a good oil and change it at most every 5000 miles. I don't beleive a synthetic is necessary or even helpful in a street driven (is there any other kind) LS 430 since there's not really much stress on the oil at all. Synthetics are not necessarily better than conventional oils in normal applications like the LS 430. This was not always true in the past - 20 or 30 years ago, there were some synthetics that were vastly superior to convential oils of the time. But, in 2007, conventional oils are really, really good, and oftentimes may even be better that some synthetics. Turbos are another story, and a synthetic may be better, but, again, in a relatively unstressed, extremely well-built Lexus V-8, conventional at reasonable intervals is ideal, IMHO.

Also, I think some of the M3s actually spec'ed a 10W-60 Castrol oil. Not sure that they ever spec'ed a 15W-40 though, as that's usually a diesel oil viscosity.

I cleaned the solenoid screen in my '96 LS400 last year, and also flushed and replace the PS system with Mobil1 synthetic ATF. Steering is fine and alwys was, but it is a little stiff when it's really cold out, no matter.

My '96 LS400 does the exact same thing....it's really quite annoying. Next time I can, I'll check after I shut the car down and listen for the noise by the rad cap. Although, I just replaced the cap as a matter of routine a year or so ago. I guess I'll replace it again, or maybe try to clean it real well first since it is still relatively new - one year. Love this forum.

For me the decision would be simple: Get the LS!!! While both cars are fantastic, the LS is in a completely different league than the ES. Simple decision.

I recently changed all four struts on my '96 LS400. I bought the OEM struts from irontoad.com for approx. $80 each. I also changed the strut bearings (also called the top strut mount) and the spring isolators (the big rubber boots over the strut). Again, I bought all these parts from irontoad.com. The strut bearings were quite expensive so I just replaced the fronts, and re-used the rear strut bearings since they were still in excellent condition. But replaced all four spring isolators. It was really a pretty easy job. I was pleasantly surprised. Just to clarify a part name, the correct term for the big black rubber boot that protects the strut from the road grime is call the "spring insulator" not "spring isolator"

I recently changed the plugs on my '96 LS400 at 123,000 miles and they looked to be in nearly perfect shape. They were also changed back at 60,000 miles at a Lexus dealer by the first owner. Both replacement sets were the OEM Denso platinums. The car has always run perfectly, both before and after the plug change. Anyway, based on my experience, I would not feel rushed to change the plugs at exactly 60,000 miles. I'm pretty sure they could go much further.

I recently changed all four shocks/struts on my '96 LS400 and I did NOT have to remove the rear half shafts. The rear shocks were very easy to do. Actually, the hardest part was getting to the bolts (that hold the strut bearing) behind the rear seats and under the rear deck. The work by the wheel was very straighforward. And compressing the rear springs was easier than compressing the front springs. BTW, I used all genuine Lexus parts - struts, spring isolators, and strut bearings for front and rear. Even the front struts were pretty easy, just make sure you use the little tie rod puller on the front. No special tools, other than a generic spring compressor, are needed for the rear shocks. Hope this helps.