CanadaCraig

That's exactly right. [although I don't actually recall 'gunning it' out of a driveway!! lol] Craig!! :)

I checked - and checked again - and YES - I CAN dim the dashboard gauges with the lights OFF. Isn't that odd. Hmm... Maybe it's a combination of the year ['93] and the DRL's. I can not - however - turn the gauges completely OFF without the parking or headlights being on nor can I dim the gauges nearly as much as I can when the lights are ON. Craig!! :)

Hi Guys!! :) Still on Santa's 'nice' list?? I hope so!! Just curious.... does traction control and ABS work when the car is going backwards? [in 'reverse' - in other words] Craig!! :)

VBdenny said... "I also turned of the automatic steering wheel tilt. I figure if I don't use it, it won't break. besides, it is kind of annoying to begin with." You know something - I've been meaning to do just that for a couple of weeks now. What's the point of watching that steering wheel go up and down. Doesn't really serve any purpose. And now that I'm no longer amused - I turned it off. Thanks for the push. Hi 99lsguy!! YOU are the type of guy I'd LOVE to buy a used car from!! lol As for not being able to dim the dashboard lights when the headlights are OFF - that doesn't apply to MY car. [a 1993 LS] Maybe it's because my LS is a Canadian car. We have DRL's. [daytime driving lights] Craig!! :)

Hi drool400!! :) First off - welcome to the 'family'. Congratulations on your 'new' 92!! I know that on MY LS - a '93 - there is a switch on the dashboard that can turn on or off the keyless remote. Does your car have that switch? It is on the lower left side of the dashboard just to the right of the power mirror controls. It's a long shot - but I thought I better mention it - just in case. [and before you go out and buy some other remote thing] Craig!! :) ps tell us more about your 'new' car?! What colour is it? How many miles? [and so on]

Hi Guys!! :) Tire update - as soon as I have driven a few more km's. Now - to the question. What are the odds? We often hear about the gauges burning out and the a/c and clock displays going black [on 1st and some 2nd generation LS400's] but how often does that really happen? Is it just a matter to time OR do most LS400's go on forever [as far as we know] WITHOUT having any gauge or a/c display problems? What I'm doing - in an attempt to keep my gauges alive and well - is making sure that at no time is the display set at its' brightest setting. I read once that the 'problem' had something to do with the 'fact' that the needles [not sure about the rest] were designed to handle 12 volts but the 'whatever' [at full brightness] puts in 14 volts. [if that makes sense] Not sure if my 'keep 'em dim' theory holds any water [maybe some of you electrical buffs can enlighten me!! lol] but it seems to make sense. Craig!! :)

Hi Guys!! :) Just in case some of you haven't seen this 'page' - here's the link. Photo's of LS400's It's the cardomain site. Interesting to see what some people have done to their LS400's. Some of them look really nice - and some of them - well - look a little sad!! lol By they way - do any of you have clear front turn signal lenses? If so - where did you get them - and how much did they cost. Also - do you have to use orange bulbs? Craig!! :)

That WAS the reason - SW03ES. The Acura people [so I read] didn't like the fact that no one knew 'Acura' but DID know 'Legend'. I wrote an article on this very thing once - and posted it at VTEC.com. Silly move. If I were in charge - the next RL [which should be out next October] would indeed be called the Legend. Wouldn't that be great? "The Legend is BACK!!" Oh well... As far as the next RL NOT being AWD or RWD - apparantly the head of Honda/Acura has promised that is will definitely NOT be FWD. Acura has been under a lot of pressure from its dealer's. The RL is not a big seller and pales in comparison [as a car] even to Acura's own TL. [especially the really nice 2004 model] And just you know... RL stands for 'Road Luxury' and TL stands for 'Touring Luxury'. Craig!! :)

Poor [stupid?] Acura. They had the Japanese Luxury car market [in N.A.] all to themselves. Before Lexus - Acura was #1. No other car company could touch it. [J.D. Power wise] But... they know best [so they thought] and stuck with FWD. Sure - for all models beneath the 'flagship' - that's fine. But to be thought of as an equal of the best - you have be LIKE the best. [whether or not that goes against 'your' philosphy of how to build a car] I also think it was a big mistake for Acura to drop the 'Legend' name. 'RL'. What kind of a name is that? Why not get rid of the 'Accord' name. Call it the TP or the BS. [or whatever] Why indeed. Because people LIKE names. The name 'Legend' meant something. People were proud to own a 'Legend'. I bet - IF the 'RL' was still called the 'Legend' it would be a far more successful car. [even as it is] If what I'm saying is true - is LS400 or E300 [or whatever] OK? Sure - because that's how people first go to know those cars. [more or less] Changing the name of a car [other than the number to signify an increase in engine displacement] kills the car. The 'RL' wasn't the 'all-new Legend' in people's minds. It was an 'all-new' car. The 'Legend' died - so people looked elsewhere for a new car. The next 'RL' [still have my fingers crossed it will be called the 'Legend' or Legend RL'] will NOT be FWD. That most likely means that it will be AWD. Still no V8 in sight. But the 3.8 litre V6 will have well over 300 h.p. [so I've read] But no matter how nice it ends up being - without a V8 - it will NEVER be considered an LS430 or E500 or 5-series equal. And that's too bad. Craig!! :)

Hi Guys!! :) Let's get together and trade in ALL of our LS400's and get one of THESE... Take a look at THIS!! Starting price... $850,000 We can figure out a time-share type of thing. What do you think?! Craig!! :D

It's not a dumb question - 90LS400Lexus - just a difficult one to answer. [at least for someone like me who has NEVER driven any other LS400 - other than the one I own] If I had to pick - I'd say my LS has a 'normal, comfortable, factory-like ride'. But how do I really know? I think it's nice - but maybe other LS owners would think it's 'floaty' or 'too soft'. [or whatever] I just put new tires on my LS. That - I'm hoping - is going to firm up the ride a bit and help the car track down the road better. [went from T-speed rated Michelin X-Ones to Bridgestone Turanza LS-V's] That said - I still think my LS had a nice 'ride' - only the tires were cause for concern. By this weekend - I'll know better what effect the new tires have on the car. [can't say just yet because I drove straight from the tire shop to the dealer. I'm having a few more things dealt with - like an alignment and a new a/c filter, etc.] And when it comes to how many people are NOT responding - do yourself a favour and ignore those 'view' numbers. [or you'll go nuts - like I first did - after joining this forum] Every message has far fewer replies than 'views'. Craig!! :)

Hi Huskyak!! :) Read the messages [if you like] in the following 'topic'. Bridgestone Turanza LS tire Information On Tuesday [December 16th] I had my Michelin X-One's replaced with brand new Bridgestone Turanza LS-V's. I'll let you know what I think of them after I've had a chance to drive the car more. [my car is at the Lexus dealer - until Thursday - having the a/c filter replaced and a wheel alignment done - plus a couple of other things] I hope that helps!! Craig!! :D ps thanks for the pat on the back 99lsguy!! :D

Is there an interesting story to go along with that - braheem?! :) [were you driving at the time - that sort thing] Craig!! :)

Hi Guys!! :) Not sure how nice your LS really is? Drive something else!! My mom owns a 2002 Acura TL Type S. I drove my mom's car last night for an hour or so. [as I often do when 'mom' comes to visit] A very nice car. And good looking - too. The Eternal Blue paint complements the 'Ivory' [or 'tan' or whatever they'll calling it these days] interior. The very first thing I noticed was the gear selector. Compared to the solid-as-a-rock LS gear selector - the TL felt like a piece of crap. [no kidding - and no nicer way to put it] The steering also felt horrible. Sure - I got used to it as the drive went on - but not having driven a FWD car for a few months - I couldn't believe how obvious the torque steer was. The LS's steering is so much nicer. The TL is a faster car - no doubt about it - but as far as I could tell - that is its' ONLY advantage. And considering the fact that the TL is only 4" shorter and about 2" narrower - it felt MUCH smaller. Did I tell my mom this? No!! But after that hour in the TL - I appreciated my LS even more. Craig!! :)

I don't appreciate the sarcasm - SRK. No - of course I don't hover my left foot over the brake pedal on my manual transmission NSX. What has THAT got to do with it? If you think right-foot braking is best [on a car with an automatic transmission] good for you. I don't happen to agree. As far as you never personally having to accelerate to avoid an accident - that's been YOUR experience. It hasn't been mine. [in all the years I've been driving] I'm sure there are many cats and dogs and cars backing out of driveways that are grateful that I chose NOT to slam on the brakes but - rather - chose to accelerate AROUND 'them'. Craig!! :)

Hi skperformance!! :) I would agree with you IF people were 'left-footed' or 'right-footed' as they are left or right-handed. But they are not. When you go for a walk - is your left or right foot always trying to catch up? When you jump up and down - do you look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Probably not. As for always hovering your foot over the brake while going through an intersection - I agree. I just think that 'foot' should be your LEFT foot and not your right. Like I said earlier - braking is NOT always the best way to avoid an accident. Sometimes stomping on the GAS pedal [and NOT the brake] will be what makes the difference between life and death. IMHO Craig!! :)

That's interesting - SRK. And it makes sense - with vehicles that have air brakes. But it doesn't make sense [to me - at least!!] with ordinary vehicles. In an intersection - one never knows IF braking OR accelerating is going to make the difference between getting into OR avoiding an accident. By using both feet - I'm ready for anything!! Craig!! :)

I agree with what you said SRK. And just so you know - I certainly would NOT suggest that someone who right-foot brakes SWITCH to left-foot braking. I'm just one of the few [i suppose?] that was taught TO left-foot brake. I think it's the safest 'way'. In fact - I've never really understood the logic behind right-foot braking and/or why anyone would think that THAT is the best way. Whenever I'm going through a busy intersection - my LEFT foot hovers over the brake. The few milliseconds faster that I could begin braking [if need be] could be the difference between life and death. [for me OR for someone else] Craig!! :)

You're right - Mick. The terms 'Cabin filter' and 'air conditioning filter' are used interchangeably. They're the same thing!! [it took me a month to figure that out!! lol] Speaking of which - the A/C Filter on my '93 LS is going to be changed on Tuesday. It's not cheap - $121.00 CDN - just for the TWO filters - but it's worth it - I think. Especially when 'you' consider the fact that the filter [on my car] has NEVER been replaced. [and it's supposed to be every year - on a '93] Craig!! :)

Hi Lextech2k3!! :) From what I have always understood - none of the LS400's have ever had their top speeds 'governed'. The first generation's top speed of 150 m.p.h. was the actual top speed. 'Governed' only by the inablity of the car to push through the wind any faster. The 1995 LS [according to the February 1995 issue of Car&Driver] had a top speed of 156 m.p.h. Still no governer. The LS400 models after '95 - I'm not sure of. The LS430 - on the other hand - DOES have a 'governer'. The 2004 LS430 - for instance [according to the December 2003 issue of Car&Driver] has a top 'governed' speed of just 131 m.p.h. The reason for the governer - I believe - is because of the H-speed rated tires the new LS430 uses. Lexus decided [i imagine] that with the 17" wheels - a 'V' or 'Z' rated tire would prove to be too harsh for the LS430. Without a governer - I'm sure the LS430 would easily reach 165 m.p.h. Craig!! :)

Hi 99lsguy!! :D Imagine that!! 3.9 seconds to 60. That would be fun!! [and probably a little scary] My NSX gets to 60 in 5.4 seconds. [or about 5.2 with the traction control off] But that's a 3,000 pound aluminum car with a 5-speed manual transmission and an 8,000 r.p.m. redline. So you can only imagine how truly powerful the LS430 is to move something that weighs about 1,000 lbs MORE to 60 in just 5.9 seconds. Amazing!! Craig!! :) ps Happy Holiday's to you - too!! [and to everyone else!!]

Hi Guys!! :) I hope you're being good. Santa is watching!! Are OEM springs expensive?? [for a '93 LS] How much are they - do you know? AND how much would it cost - do you think - to replace the springs AND the shocks in my car? Can you get aftermarket springs that are - perhaps - 10% stiffer [or whatever] but do NOT lower the car? Just curious - because I'm a little concerned about the fact that my car is lower on the driver's side. Wouldn't that have some negative effect on ALL of the suspension parts? [not to mention the new tires that will SOON be on my car] Thanks, Craig!! :)

Don't put yourself though this. Get another alignment done. If you're anything like me - you'll just worry about it until it IS done. Craig!! :)

Oddly enough - my '93 LS400 is a bit of a 'dog' off the line. Not that impressive. But 'floor it' [hard enough to push in that 'passing gear' button under the gas pedal] at any speed about 20 m.p.h. or so and the car takes off like a bat out of hell. It's quite amazing. So only 'race' someone on the move - never from a dead stop!! lol Craig!! :)