FreddT

I think it's still illegal to have your driver and passenger windows tinted in California. That's what an installer in Lancaster told me in 2001. He said that he would tint these windows for me, but said that he recommended only a very light tint, so the cops wouldn't take notice. He also said that in 10 years of tinting windows, he only had 3 people ask to have it removed, because they got a ticket. So the darker the tint, the more it might get noticed. I saw a California SUV the other day with rear seat and back windows darkly tinted, and the other windows untinted, and the SUV looked awful. Guess this is a good example of over-regulation, which California is famous for....

Try Goo Gone or Goo whatever-it's at Lowes and Home Depot-doesn't hurt the finish, and removes almost everything.

I live in a very sunny area-as in sunshine over 300 days a year. The one thing that bothered me about my pristine LS with 104K is that it has suffered from severe dings on the front nose-about 20 or so-just above the gold grille radiator trim. It's a white car, and the dings stand out a lot. So recently, I tried to improve the looks by cleaning and waxing the dings-no luck. Finally, I bought the correct touch-up paint, applied it as instructed-2 different bottles plus a clear coat finish. The result was awful.. No way the t/u work was acceptable. I've never been happy with touch up paints anyway-especially on clear coat finishes...So yesterday, I took a bottle of spot remover-Goo-Gone or Goo Go or something like that-a general purpose stain remover you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot. I used it years ago all the time for construction "Punch Lists", but I had never tried it on a car. I was simply hoping to remove the unacceptable touch up paint. I'm shocked at the results. The Goo stuff removed the t/u paint-and also 90% of the dings. While they are still there-to the touch-you cannot see them unless the ding penetrated through all the coats of paint to the base metal. I have about 3 dings remaining. Apparently, the dings create a discoloration that is not removed by simple cleaning. The Goo stuff must dissolve the stain. Let's put it this way-Bright light or garage darkness-The LS now looks fabulousssss.....

I bought a CD version on EBay, and it was useless. No more than a scan of the Owners Manual, not the Repair Manual. And I paid $25 bucks. Beware, my friend.....

Thanks, wwest. Problem solved. It was too much work replacing the rotors and pads to think that I would not know if the pads are worn down. What a great forum.

I switched to synthetic for my LS400 with 99K miles. Now have 104K. No problems. And I watch my garage floor for leaks like a hawk.

I just replaced the wires on my '94LS, and had a very similar "miss" problem 2 days later when going over 20. Turned out the wire from one distributor was loose. Replaced it with the old wire, and the problem was solved. I doubt your situation is the same, but it sure sounds like you have an electrical problem.

Nicely done. Sure seems like a bargain purchase. However, before you sprain your shoulder patting yourself on the back for cost savings, keep in mind that our near 4,000 lb monsters will put considerable pressure on your budget purchase. No problem if you're a handy guy with time on your hands. Keep those 10mm wrenches ready.....

I've had cracks in my windshield on nearly every car I owned, plus company cars, in Texas. Not sure why Texas, but it's so common there that, even if I didn't have collision coverage an an old car, I did take broken glass coverage. I learned the hard way that when I get a chip on a windshield, and do nothing about it, I would get a traveling crack later. Best thing is to replace the window, even with a deductible, if it's staring you in the face. Some say the crack fillers work-some say no. Strange thing is that I now live in California-and never see a cracked windshield.

I have a 91 and a 94. Love the Lexus. The 94 is actually a relic-used and abused-wife loves it. I figured I can always swap parts? I just took a drive in the '94 with all the plastic covers off the engine, but with the Mass air and the Air filter now installed. Of course, it runs like a top. Really confused, since I didn't do a lot to improve anything. My next guess is to run the car in the morning when it's cold. Although the problem started after a drive to the Market-after it was warmed up. I'll let you know if I'm stranded. Wife won't be too happy, either....

I thought I sensed a tiny hesitation upon acceleration in my 94LS with 103 K, so I replaced the plugs and wires a couple of weeks ago. Nothing seemed better or worse upon completion, until today. Suddenly I developed an alarming miss-definitely electrical. After crawling home, I tore open all the plastic covers and such, and couldn't find anything wrong with the new wires or plugs. I drove the car after this inspection, and it was awful. For the hell of it, I decided to drive the car without the new air filter and the Mass Air Sensor connected. Throttle body wide open. Wow, it ran like a dragster. Yes, the instrument light was on, but there was no hesitation. Really better, with no miss or hesitation of any kind. Never run smoother. Obvious question-is there a problem with the Sensor? Can I drive without it? I know it's expensive. Can I clean the Sensor? Any other ideas? Thanks.

Depending on where you live in Dallas: Take the S-287 through Fort Worth, Childress to I-40 in Amarillo. This avoids going straight North on I-35 through Sherman to OK City to I-40. Lose all kinds of time this way. 287 has higher speed limits now, better than the 80's, for sure. Less cops, too. I-40 Motels are cheap in New Mexico-Tucumcari, Arizona in Winslow. Speed limit is 75 in NM and AZ-Nice. I-40 straight to LA. Big decision here-You meet the I-15 at Barstow. You can go to the madhouse of LA (my opinion), or head to No Cal via the 58 to I-5. Then to Seattle or wherever. Check the tire inflation often. Watch the Chips-Cal State Police-They sit on top of the on-ramps-and then run you down. Made this trip many times. A lot of fun. Check in to your motel early-by nightfall-avoid a lot of problems.

I like the mileage. Price is a little high, however. However, if your location is "CT", (Connecticut) - that might be a problem, since I lived in Mass for a while, and found that older cars suffered from the weather. In a sense, the low mileage can be a detriment, since it means that the car was not used too often. If it was garage-kept, it might be a better buy-but how do you know? Best of luck.

Hey, TexasLexus, you may not be as confused as it first seemed. I think everybody should paste the address below, and see what you think. Apparently, having dark tint without reflectiveness CAN mean that clear windows don't heat up as fast as dark ones. This article is from the Vegas newspaper, so they otta' know a lot about heat. http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/200...s/21568428.html Amazing.....

Well, I printed out SK's instructions, and fooled with the belt for 2 hours. No way I could get it turned around. Must be me...The bottom slide in the connector is too narrow to allow any sort of "folded" belt to reverse the way it sits-backwards. Finally, I undid the bottom bolt, reversed the connection to the wall, released the belt and reconnected it securely. Oh, I also had to remove that plastic nib that stops the belt travel outwards, so I could reverse the belt. All is well and secure. I even doubled the belt thickness in the bottom bolt connector. Thanks for your help.

The drivers side front seat belt is correct. The upper latch faces out, and when I connect it, all is fine. The passenger side, however, is different. The latch is on the inside of the belt, so it connects in a twisted mess. I tried to correct the problem, but am stuck. How do I correct the belt? Sounds simple, but I'm fooled. Thanks for your patience, LOC members.

Problem solved with WD-40. I was fooled-I was looking for the door lights on/off switch on the roof pillar. Usually, the switch is very obvious and exposed-Not on our Lexi, with it concealed under a nice rubber cover on the frame. Also discovered the tiny manual door switch, which locks the rear door upon closure. Never knew it existed. The car continues to amaze.... Thanks for your help, LOC.

I replaced all the door bulbs on the 94 LS400, and have found an interesting situation. Not a big deal, but anyway: Open the drivers door, door light comes on. Same opening the passenger door, and the right rear door. Not so for the drivers rear door. It opens dark. Open the drivers door, door light comes on. Leave it open, open the rear drivers door, and now the drivers rear door light comes on. Very interesting. Any ideas? Thanks.

Thank you for your help, VY Guy. I pried the cover off, but it a piece of the cover off as it was removed, as I feared. I guess a 10 year old car will do that. I can jury rig it to look decent. Thanks again for your help.

I downloaded all kinds of info at that Techinfo website for 10 bucks. Took less than an hour with a broadband connection. You need Adobe Acrobat. I think the info assumes you are somewhat skilled-I still have another post where I ask how to get the "Rear Woofer cover" off to access the high mount stoplight. The techinfo site simply says "Take it off." Guess I need the Repair Manual for Dummies.

I am pitiful. Well, I tried to pry the cover off again with 2 screwdrivers, and all I did was dent it even more. It will not come apart. Let me ask-I'm inside the passenger cabin, in the rear seat on my knees, and I'm trying to pry the cover off at the joint between the woofer cover and the rear deck. It won't let go. Are there some screws I should release first? Why won't it release? There must be something I'm doing wrong. I see 4 screws in the trunk, but they look like they only work after the cover is removed, to take out the speaker. Thanks for your help.

I have the instructions to access the high mount stop light, but I am stopped because it says to "Separate the woofer speaker cover from the package tray trim." I assume this is the exposed perforated fabric cover on the shelf in the rear seat area. I tried to pry the cover off at the joint, but only succeeded in putting dents in the fabric. It would not come apart. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? Is there a special way to release this cover? Thanks a lot.

I ordered the 2 little paint bottles that are supposed to touch up my white Lexus a while back. On the Internet from a company in Louisiana. Numbers 40 and 51. I only have tiny little chips on the nose of the hood. I followed all the instructions re prep, temperature, etc. And. as usual for me, I found the results to be less than satisfactory. The little dab of primer, paint, and then a clear coat finish did not blend in well. I ended up taking the paint off. I was going to write this forum for help, but then I decided that the chips were too minor to mess with it. I also tried to touch up a nick on the rear bumper, but this looked even worse. Maybe it's me-I've never had success with t/u paints. Maybe one of our members can clue me in. Best of luck.

One other thought-and I'd like to be proved wrong. Since the auto-lock system is part of the overall government approved safety package for cars, I'm wondering if it can actually be over-ridden. I hope it can-when I rent a car, I always try and rent a car without the auto-locks. Drives me nuts.

This doesn't help you, but FYI- Back in the early 90's I had a turbocharged Eclipse. One thing I liked about it was the automatic seat belt. I know a lot of people don't like them, but it worked great for me. Even back then, the fine in Houston for no seat belt was $200-my boss got caught once. No problem with auto belts. Anyway, along comes General Motors, who petitioned the National Transportation Safety Board to not have to install auto belts. They admitted that they couldn't put them in because it cost GM about $400 per car, while the Japanese did it for half that. GM bargained, and won, by saying the auto-lock feature was equal to the auto seat belts. So there you are-The infernal doors locking because GM was too inefficient. Of course, the Japanese had to follow suit. Thank you, Detroit.