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Hello, the backlights in my 97LS radio recently all went out. I would like to fix this but have no idea if this is difficult or expensive. Any thoughts? I went to a radio shop and the guy told me that since all the lights went out at the same time that it is probably a circuit issue. So, I am shopping for a good aftermarket radio that is moderate in price and runs both the CD changer and subwoofer. I would also like a somewhat "clean" look for the radio. This way I could utilize my iphone and maybe satellite radio in the future. I don't really care about navigation. Anybody have any good suggestions?

I took my 97LS to the Toyota Dealer for service on a coolant leak at/near the theromstat. The dealership called and stated that the coolant had leaked onto the timing belt, contaminating it. They recommended changing the timing belt and water pump. Has anyone ever had this happen or heard of this before. The timing belt only has 20 k miles on it since it was changed. I am thinking that the dealership is trying to make some change on me.

Mine comes on all the time also. I did find a brake light out this time though.

Thanks for your help with my questions. The fluids are dark but I know that the car has been maintained well and thought that the fluids may naturally be dark. I have another question regarding the leather seats. Is there anything that can replenish leather that has become hard? The tops of the back seats and iside of the doors has become hard. No cracks but the texture feels different. Any thoughts?

I have a couple of maintenance questions about my 97 LS. First off I bought it last year from my parents and it now has about 122k miles on it. Beautiful car that is truly impressive. 1. Are Lexus fluids (ATM, brake, coolant) typically dark in color or should they be light? The reason that I'm asking is that I know the maintenance schedule has been followed and I took the car to the Toyota dealer for an oil change and they suggested the previous fluid changes. I don't mind doing the changes but don't want to get ripped off. 2. Is there any good product out there that will remove brake dust from the inner corners of the 10 spoke wheels? I have tried a toothbrush and simple green with minimal results. 3. What is a good polish for removing minor scratches/transfer? 4. I am also looking for a good after market air filter. Thanks for any help that you can provide.

Try your local Toyota dealer. I spoke with mine and they can perform all maintenance except warranty recalls.

You can find an antenna cable on eBay. I think that I paid 14.00 or so. Took me about an hour but I had to take the motor out and take it apart to get the cable out. Not hard at all. There should be a thread on this if you look in the search mode.

I am looking for a driver's floormat for a 97 LS400 if anyone has one. I need the taupe (brown) one and I don't want to pay 90.00 for the set. I only need the driver's seat as the previous owner's detailer lost it. ??? Any help would be appreciated.

I bought mine on eBay with no issues for about 40.00. I also saw them at Autozone even though I could not find them in the online Autozone website. They were about 16.00 - 20.00 each. I would check there first.

I agree with SRK, try both alignment and different tires. My neighbor had similar problems until he put Michelin tires on the car. Fixed the problem.

Try your local car stereo shop. You may not get the exact same speaker but you may get one with much higher quality for a third the price. You might also try and call Crutchfield or go on line and check them out.

I just read (Consumer Reports) that a 98 Lexus LS400 is more reliable (fewer problems) than a new Mercedes. That is pretty amazing.

A couple of weeks ago my antenna mast quit working. The antenna mast motor would make a grinding noise but the antenna would not go up or down. I have a friend who is a mechanic for Nissan and he attempted to get me a new mast since he said that it was probably the interior cable for the mast. However his (dealer) cost was about 65.00. I then called the local radio shop and they said that Lexus was the only one who supplied the part and it cost about 75.00. Not wanting to pay this kinda money I checked eBay. I found an antenna mast on there for about 19.00 (shipping included). I ordered the part. A day later the seller sent me an e-mail with detailed instructions. The antenna came in within 5 days. Using the directions I installed the new antenna in approximately 30-45 minutes. This included taking the motor out of car and disassembling it to take the plastic cable out that was broken (most of the time you don't have to do this since the cable comes out with the mast). Anyway if you need a new antenna try and contact Gary Guear glgdirect@comcast.net I was really impressed with the service.

I am usually a do it yourself guy but the window tint on my car needed to be replaced after being on the car for about 10 years. I paid my tint shop 30 bucks extra to take my old tint off before putting the new stuff on. I figure that I could handle the side windows but I didn't want anything to do with the rear one. Some things are just better off left to the pros.

I have a simular but different problem. My remote key switch will activate the trunk but the switch on the dash will not. Anyone know how to fix this?