TA in KC

My previous 92 LS did this a couple of times when the refrigerant level was very low. It took a mechanic to help me figure out there was a serious leak in the A/C system that was causing it to lose its refrigerant very quickly. That might not be what is causing your problem- but I have learned from experience that A/C work is best left to a professional. I think taking your car to one for evaluation would be the best course of action. Servicing an A/C system properly (so moisture won't get inside) is nearly impossible to do without special tools and equipment.

$600 sounds very reasonable to me. A few years ago when my previous pearl-white 92 LS was involved in a rear-end accident, the cost to remove and repaint the bumper alone was over $1000 at a reputable body shop.

I've had mostly lousy experiences with aftermarket brake pads and prefer to stick with OEM Toyota ones. Sewell Lexus is a good place to purchase them- with the forum discount, the pads for my 98 LS cost about the same as aftermarket ones. I tried Wagner ThermoQuiet pads on my previous 92 LS a couple of times. Maybe I wasn't doing something correctly, but with them installed the brakes always made a squealing noise that I couldn't get to go away. That, and on two different occasions the ceramic elements of the pad became separated, fell off while driving and caused damage to the rotor from the metal to metal contact. The second time it happened I went back to OEM Toyota pads and had no further problems. Why not try having your rotors resurfaced before replacing them? Unless they are very worn, that should be enough and would be much less expensive than replacement.

You can purchase all those keys and have them cut from your car's VIN from Sewell Lexus. Registering with your forum user name will give you a substantial discount. http://lexus.sewellparts.com/accessories-catalog/Keys/LS400-1996.html

Billy is correct. It's a little unnerving pulling that light out for the first time, but once you have it off and see how it is attached, you'll have no problem getting it off in the future. I got to be pretty good at it with my previous 92 LS!

I performed this same "fix" on my previous 92 LS after replacing the power steering pump and also noticed no real difference in the way the car drove. I found that an "Oil Tite" brand 14 x 1.5 MM oil drain plug (purchased from O'Reilly Auto Parts) was an exact replacement for the worn-out air control valve I removed. I used the gasket it came with, wrapped it with teflon tape before installing and had no problems with leaks.

I assume since you are using the term "marker lights" you are referring to the orange ones near the bottom of the bumper. Those come out in two pieces. The first piece you need to remove is the one that "wraps" around the front of the bumper to the side of the car- there is a screw on the end that is closest to the back of the car. Remove that screw and pull starting on that section...it will come out of the other piece it's attached to and then you will see the screws necessary to remove the other one that is left.

After recently adding a key to my 98 LS400, I learned that there are actually two procedures that must be performed before the key can be used to start the car. The first procedure is in the document that 1990LS400 provided- those instructions are for programming the remote to unlock the doors/trunk. Before you can use the key to start the car, you also need to register the transponder/immobilizer with a seperate procedure that involves inserting the key and pressing the accelerator and brake pedals in a special sequence. Did you find these instructions elsewhere and get your key to work? I have them written down at home and can post them if needed.

This sounds like a particularly odd problem that I think will be difficult/impossible to diagnose through the forum. I think your best bet may just be to bite the bullet and take your car to a Lexus dealership or independent mechanic who specializes in Lexus vehicles. It would almost certainly be less expensive to pay the mechanic to properly diagnose the problem that it would be to replace various parts based on recommendations from forum members.

Then you should probably avoid buying high-mileage used cars. Like I said earlier, the rust must not be very bad or you would have noticed it before you bought the car. The fact your other cars have no rust reinforces my and SW03ES's belief that your car was probably had some collision damage that wasn't repaired quite correctly. Clean "Carfax" or other accident reports don't mean anything- half the accidents that happen never make it onto them. My previous 92 LS 400's Carfax and Autocheck reports I pulled when I sold the car were still clean even though it had been involved in a rear-end collision and then the front fender scraped by another driver in a parking lot during the time I owned it. If it was a manufacturing defect, the problem would have surfaced much earlier in the car's life. If there was a widespread problem that affected all LS 430's, we would all know about it by now. Personally, I would just consider it a lesson learned and forget about it....agonizing over it isn't going to get you anywhere. In the end, it is still a nice-looking, comfortable car that will give you years of great service- a few rust bubbles isn't going to change any of that and you shouldn't let it get in the way of enjoying your car.

I don't think so- I think this is the reason the fluid reservoir was no longer mounted directly on top of the power steering pump on the 98-00 LS.

On a car of this age, I think the most likely cause of rust would be prior collision damage that was not repaired correctly. I seriously doubt it is a "manufacturing flaw" or the problem would have shown up much earlier. The rust must not be very noticeable or you surely would have seen it before you bought the car- so why let it keep you from enjoying it?

Yes, that will work fine since the early LS keys were not equipped with a transponder. I had several extra keys made for my previous 92 LS that way, and although finding a locksmith with the correct key blanks and equipment can be challenging, they are much less expensive than an OEM key.

If you're looking for a "college car" my advice would be to pass on any LS and look for a newer Camry or Corolla. The first-generation LS are great, fun cars but they can be very expensive to own. While quite reliable, they are still very old and require a large amount of maintenance just due to their age. I took my previous 92 LS to nearly 200,000 miles but as I got closer to that number I usually spent between $1500-2000 a year maintaining it which included replacing various worn out components such as the power steering pump/alternator, electronic components, suspension parts, etc. When I wasn't too tired and didn't mind having the car inoperable for a while I did some of this work myself and saved some money. When I was on a tighter schedule or didn't have the proper tools I just took it to a professional. Whichever you choose, parts for these cars are expensive and troubleshooting them isn't always particularly easy for a do-it-yourselfer or a mechanic who isn't familiar with them. I think leaking power steering pumps that short out the alternator are by far the most common problem with the first-generation LS. It happened to me twice and I think it eventually affects them all. That problem is hard to notice until most of the damage has already been done- and it can easily be a $1000+ repair. The 98 LS I replaced my old 92 with has far fewer miles and has been substantially less expensive to maintain. I suspect it will follow a similar pattern as the old 92 and become more expensive to keep up as it gets older and parts start to wear out, although I won't mind putting money into it because I like it so much, even though others might think it is foolish. The last thing you need is a call from your son with a broken-down car at school, where you will have no choice but to tow it to a dealer or mechanic and pay a big repair bill. There's always going to be some surprises with a low-budget used car. But for what you spend on an old LS, you can probably buy a Camry or Corolla that is much newer and has fewer miles. Those cars don't have the "prestige" of a Lexus, but they are a much simpler design, parts are less expensive, and I can say from experience since I have owned a Camry, even at equal age and mileage they are less expensive to own than a Lexus. Not to mention they get much better gas mileage.

On my 98 LS and most other Lexus models, that feature is activated by holding down the unlock button on the remote for a few seconds. I understand that the newer models have to have this feature programmed in by a dealer before it will work, so if they did not demonstrate it on your own car, obviously you will need to have that done. I don't think most dealers charge to activate this feature and other "CBEST" options since it is a quick and easy procedure.

This problem sounds odd for a well-maintained car. Since there are many different things that can cause oil consumption, have you considered getting a second opinion from another Lexus dealership or independent mechanic?

I think so too. Although a much more neutral color, the original diamond white pearl exterior of my previous 92 LS still looked like new when I sold it at 19 years of age and 192,000 miles. I never did much besides wax it twice a year- that kept it looking great.

You could try Sewell Lexus (www.sewellpartsonline.com). They are much less expensive than most dealers and frequently offer special discounts for Club Lexus forum members. Other than that, you could go to a salvage yard or just strip the gold plating off the emblems on your existing center caps.

I don't know how long you have owned your 96 LS, but it sounds like it is in good condition and I think holding onto it would be a good idea. Scheduled maintenance can be expensive but you have to do that to any car. It's not going to be any less expensive on a newer Lexus. And I don't think an LS that is 3 or 4 years "younger" is going to be much more reliable than your current 96 unless you were lucky enough to find one with unusually low miles. Those usually aren't cheap and a 99 or 00 LS is still 11-12 years old. I think you should keep maintaining your 96 LS well and it will continue to be an outstanding car.

Welcome back. I'm sure if you send an email directly to "lexusownersclub@gmail.com" our club founder will help you.

I'm not too familiar with the LX, but do you know if yours ever had a factory installed cell phone? If so, perhaps there is a loose connection somewhere that is causing its Mute feature to activate.

Did your aftermarket stereo/navigation equipment have a wire that was connected directly to the car's battery? Have you had the battery and alternator tested? Most chain auto parts stores will perform this service free of charge. My previous 92 LS did almost exactly the same things when a leaking power steering pump shorted out the alternator. Your problems could be as simple as a bad battery - I don't believe the car's electrical system can function properly without a charged one - but I am guessing there must be a problem somewhere in all your stereo wiring that is causing your alternator not to work correctly. It's probably not what you want to hear- but I have to think that the cost of a tow and a reputable mechanic's diagnostic fee will still be much less than what it will cost to change out various parts yourself until the problem is solved.

I suppose that is possible- but I doubt the key being worn would keep it from being able to be inserted fully. Maybe you have a stuck/loose tumbler somewhere in the lock cylinder that is getting in the way of the key. Perhaps you should just call a locksmith- not sure what other option you would have if your only car cannot be started.

I would try "Lock Ease" or some other type of lock lubricant. Since you say you can sometimes get the key more than half way into the ignition, I'm guessing that will solve your problem.

$500 doesn't sound so bad to do the entire bottom section of the seat. Leather is expensive- maybe you should consider having them recovered with vinyl and color matched instead or buy a nice set of sheepskin covers. I doubt you would have much luck finding seats in better condition from a salvage yard. At least around here, most of the first-generation LS400s I have seen in salvage yards have very high mileage and look like the seats/interiors were already trashed even before rain, snow, etc, got all over them through missing windows and doors. A friend installed a replacement leather upholstery kit (don't remember if it was from leatherseats.com) on his SUV and while the material seemed to be very good quality, the fit was never quite correct and they almost just looked like cheap aftermarket seat covers. They would probably look excellent if professionally installed, although I'm sure this would add significantly to the cost. If you decided to go this route, I'm sure many people here would like to see photos.