glenmore

What model year did these rims come and will they fit on a 1990 LS400? Thanks All, glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 MBZ 300CE

My car has the odd ball color combo of burgundy exterior AND burgundy interior. Some leather panels in the seats are like cardboard also. PO may have had the car in the sun alot. I have not tried Leatherique but Lexol has not made any difference. I paid $3000 for my 1990 with 130m. I did get it for a little below market which seems to be around $5000. Timing belt and water pump are nice repairs to have gotten past. Clean engine bay means nothing. It may have been steam cleaned and now you don't know what has been leaking. I had complete service records and the PO (friend) used the car as his daily driver so I didn't get a used car inspection. You should get one from Lexus. Well worth the $200. I'll bet they'll find $3000-$5000 in repairs. The key system to check is the power steering. This is a known problem (check forum) and is a $3500 number. Cracked EGR pipe, a common problem and an annoying $800 repair. Depending on your area, always keep in mind, there are ALWAYS LOTS of used cars for sale. glenmore 1990 LS 400 1991 MBZ 300CE

I am a Mercedesshop forum junky also. If not too much trouble, could you give us a quick and dirty on your E420 problems? My 1990 with 130m has a poor finish problem. The PO would use a broom to knock off leaves! So the clear coat is completely scratched up. I just tried Meguiars Swirl Remover with a Porter Cable random polisher and the results were pretty good. Scratches still there but minimized. Looks great with a nice coat of wax. To get the scratches out, I'll need a more aggressive polish but for me and my level of experience with the polisher, the swirl remover is about as aggressive as I can go. If the timing belt was done by the dealer, there is usually a sticker on one of the engine covers. Where is this Johnsons alignment place? Thanks, glenmore 1991 MBZ 300CE 1990 LS400

The 2 telephone book sized Lexus manuals are readily available on ebay. They are $120 if you are in a hurry. I waited for a used set for $85. Your repairs are going the same route as on my car. I've see rebuilt racks on ebay also. I have used this Japanese indie since the mid 70's. After new car warranties were over, he serviced my 72 Mazda RX2, 83 Mazda 626, 83 Toyota Camry, and now my 93 Mercury Villager. He handles all Japanese cars and he can work on Mercedes because he owns two himself. Always been fair and competent for me. Call Haines @ Haines Car Service, 626-300-9269, Alhambra, 2233 W. Valley, just east of Fremont. Tell him Glenmore Wong w/ red minivan and MBZ sent you.

Here are the events the PO went thru with my Lexus. Noisy p/s pump @ 68m fixed with pump and pulley $627, p/s line $326, labor $329. Noisy, leaking p/s again @103m. Tried new valve as suggested above, $225 + $180 labor. Still noisy and leaking. Noisy, leaking p/s @ 103m. New rack $1305 + $228 labor. Here is a disclaimer at most internet sites concerning the p/s system: Note: Remanufactured Identical to Lexus/OES unit. Component failure in this power steering system is often due to hose and fluid deterioration which results in contamination of the entire system. It is strongly recommended that all components of the system (pump, hoses & steering rack) be replaced at the same time. Failure to do so may shorten the life of the new unit and the components not replaced. Warranty credit will not be allowed on components for this power steering application if upon inspection any contamination is found. Try and find an indie to do the work. Dealer prices are way too high. I am in SoCal also and there are plenty of competitive shops to work on Japanese cars. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 MBZ 300CE

I just did my first oil change on my 1990 LS400. The oil was reddish like ATF. Is Lexus synthetic oil this color? I used Mobil 1 5w30 but will use 0w40 in the future. Around here in Southern California, Mobil 1 is normally $4.99/qt and $3.99 on sale. To save even more, register at the Mobil One site and get rebates of $5 for every 6-pack you buy. Also just bought some Toyota oil filters on ebay that fit the LS400 and also one of the Lexus SUVs for $25 for 4. glenmore 1990 LS400 1991 MBZ 300CE

FYI, I just bought a 1990 LS400 and the PO did this repair @ 103k. Part was $125 and $608 labor at a dealer. glenmore 1991 MBZ 300CE 1990 LS400

I just picked up used copies of volumes 1 & 2 on ebay for $75. There is a regular seller of NOS sets for $120. glenmore 1991 MBZ 300CE 1990 Lexus LS400

I believe the recommended interval for the timing belt is 90k. Keep in mind that if you only drive 5k a year, you shouldn't wait until your 18th year to change the belt. Time as well as miles will wear on your timing belt. The PO had the belt done at 83k at the dealer. Cost was $60 for the belt and $350 labor, plus $97 for the timing belt idler. I am sure an indie could do it for far less. With a typical car, I think the fear is that a broken timing belt at speed may bend some valves when the pistons slam into them. I gather that this cannot happen in a "non-interference engine" . glenmore 1991 300CE 1990 LS400

Is this an "inevitable" flaw in all wheels of this vintage? My 1990 LS400 has 5 spoke chrome after market wheels since the car was new and i'm looking to find a decent set of original wheels. Thanks glenmore 1991 300CE 1990 LS400

Hello All, Just bought a 1990 LS400 with 130m. Unfortunately not the color combo I would have liked, burgundy/burgundy and the stock rims have been replaced with some unknown chromes but the car has been mostly dealer serviced and the price was within my budget of $3000. I also pretty complete service records which might be interesting to all of you. Some of the highlights: 12/22/89 Car bought new, $41,074. 1/8/95 Second owner, 34137 miles. Brakes: typical wear, huge repair cost difference between dealer versus your corner gas station. Batteries: seemed to go thru batteries, 4th new one 11/18/03, but the owner was the type never to check his battery. This last time when they tried to jump the near dry battery #3, it exploded! (they aren't kidding with all those warning labels on batteries!!) Timing belt: 83500mi, $500 at the dealer for belt, idler assembly. Fuel pump : 62,000mi, $440/dealer Lower ball joints: 127000mi, $500/dealer Water pump: only one water pump at 127,000mi!!, $1000/dealer for belt, pump. Radiator cap $32!! EGR pipe : cracked, finally addressed at 103,000mi. $125 part but $610 labor!!! I saved the worse for the last. As indicated by the several threads on power steering, this seems to be a weak and very expensive system to fix: 68,000mi, noisy p/s, new pump assembly with pulley $627, pressure line $327!!!, labor $329 101,000mi, p/s rack leaking, tried installing new vsv valve in p/s pump, $225 part, $180 labor, still noisy 103,500mi, p/s noisy, low fluid, leaking, new p/s gear (rack?) $1305 plus $180 labor The last bit of news the owner got that prompted him to sell the car was a loose connection at the cam sensor. The dealer just used a ziptie to hold it on but then recommended new engine wiring, which I gather is very expensive. glenmore 1991 MBZ 300CE 1990 LS400

I was looking at steering component prices at one of the internet sellers and they had this disclaimer for the rack and p/s pump: "Component failure in this p/s system is often due to hose and fluid deterioration, which results in contamination of the system. It is a strong recommendation that all components of the system (pump, hoses, steering rack) be replaced at the same time. Failure to do so may shorten the life of the new unit and the component not replaced. Warranty credit will not be allowed on component for this p/s application if upon inspection, any contamination is found". Just the hose is $370 discounted to $143!! Yikes!! Sounds like the p/s system is something to watch out for on these cars. The 1990 LS400 that I am considering buying has had this repair to a tune of $1500. glenmore 1991 MBZ 300CE maybe 1990 LS400

Anybody use a Topsider to just suck oil out the dipstick tube rather then getting under the car? glenmore 1991 MBZ 300CE maybe 1990 LS400

Hi, I saw that ebay auction. What did you end up paying in the private transaction? Is that the going rate, about $125? Thanks, glenmore MBZ 1991 300CE Maybe 1990 LS400