Larry W

Hood supports are only $28 at AdvanceAutoParts.com and they're warranteed for life.

I replaced my hood supports last year with a pair from Advance Auto Parts. The cost was $27 each and they work just like the factory units. If there is not a store locally they have a website at AdvanceAutoP B) arts.com I love my 94 Lexus LS 400 with 98K miles and I always try and use the best gas, oil, and lubricants, but there is no reason to spend $70 each for a factory dealer part on an item like this. Save the $100 and take your wife out to dinner. Oh by the way..they are warranteed for life. Save the receipt for a no charge replacement.

I just repaired my steering wheel after 8 months in the up position (how annoying). Took my 13 year old son about 25 minutes to repair (with my overseeing). On the 94 LS (like mine) there is a hidden screen that can only be seen by turning the steering wheel to expose it. Cleaned out the pieces of the spacer and installed a "garden hose washer" behind the gear. It should last forever (hopefully) and it only cost 10 cents at the hardware store. The local Lexus dealer wanted $250 to "try" and rebuild the unit...WOW! After talking to a few LS owners this price can be as high as $500.00! Look for the tutoral in the repair section. Great pictures and EZ to do! Any day you don't have to visit the dealer is a good day! Good luck!

Is there a cabin a/c filter for this year LS? How do I service it? How do you know when it's time to replace it?

Steve: I guess I'll check the local dealers for a unit that might complement the dash arrangement. Thanks for the reply. I was getting ready to ask you why your controls are reversed from mine than I realized your car is in the UK. Thanks again.

Thinking about upgrading to a better unit. Is there a replacement cd radio that doesn't look like an "after market" unit. Something that complements the dash and doesn't look like it was made to fit. I currently have a factory am/fm cassette (my boys keep asking me "what a cassette is?"-last month it was, "what is a record?"). I remember making a Pioneer in dash unit fit my 69 Road Runner. It sounded great, but the "adapter" kit was rather lame. Come to think of it, the car was only $3000 new, so I guess the manufacturers didn't think it mattered to us kids buying this car. Anyway, some recommendations would be helpful. I know there are companies that re-do stock looking radios with 21st technology. Any advice? Any pictures of your installation? Pricing?

I posted this problem months ago and its not really bothered me until the other day when the needle "stuck" for about 2 blocks worth of driving. Is there a tutoral for repairing this sticky issue? I know why it does it, just wondering is this a very labor intensive job?

Hi WaterB3007, I have a 1992 LS400 and had the same problem - running lights working, but brake light on right hand not working. If your stoplight fuse is good, then you probably should try a known good bulb in the socket first to see if that works. If not, then you may have one of the following three problems: 1. Circuitry in your Light Failure Sensor - mine was melted and I just soldered it back very carefully so as to not mess up the rest of the circuitry, or 2. The Brake light socket - heat from the bulbs had melted a part of the brake bulb socket base causing a short circuit (my stop light fuse kept blowing), or 3. The wiring in the left hinge of the trunk lid may have a broken ground wire (white with black stripe) - this is the ground wire for some of the lights in the rear end. In my case I first had some taillights and all brake lights out. Thinking the Light Failure Sensor was bad, I disconnected it and checked it out - sure enough it had a break in the circuit where heat had melted some of the soldered connections. After fixing this, all the lights except the brake lights worked. When I stepped on the brake pedal, the stop light fuse would blow. I ruled out the stop light switch by disconnecting the LFS, and stepping on the brake and the fuse did not blow. Anyway, to summarize, I simply bypassed the LFS, and ran the 12v from the #9 and #10 pins in the connector to the #1, #2, and #6 pins to check the circuitry. If there is no continuity to ground ( broken white with black stripe wire) the brake lights will not light up! In my case, I used a simple rig with a wire and fuse to jump the connections and kept blowing the fuse (2 amp) on connection to #2 (the right hand brake lamp) indicating a short in the circuitry. I took the lamp apart and looked carefully at the socket and found that the base of the connector was sort of melted. In your case, you may have a similar situation, but without the short. Hope this helps a bit. I had a problem with my 1994 LS 400 left brake lights. I replaced the bulbs and they worked fine for a day or two. I had my son pump the pedal as I checked the bulb socket wiring. I discovered the wiring was "crushed" and after straightening the wiring to the socket, it's worked ever since.

I'm far from expert, but check your antenna. It should go all the way up on AM and it self adjusts on FM. I wish I could get my antenna to fully extend on FM, I have poor reception. Maybe you need to look for another radio, I haven't found a site to repair them or the CD changer. Check dcfish. The antenna does auto adjust on FM. Hate to remove the radio as it sounds excellent on FM.

The other day I switched the radio to the AM band only to discover its all static. The FM band works great and 99.9% of the time my radio never leaves this band. Any clue as to what would cause this issue? Almost like there is no antenna attached.

I would like to change the coolant in my 94 LS 400. Is there a tutorial on this service? Is the coolant anything special or can I pick up a gallon or two at the local auto store? How much does the system hold? Am I using the mix of 50/50 off the shelf? I live in Ft Lauderdale where the temps are sometimes close to a 100 degrees with a heat index some days of 110. Car is not overheating. I just want to perform routine service. How often is this service recommended?

I changed my hood supports about 9 months ago with a set purchased from Advance Auto. The supports were only $27.99 each and took about 10-15 minutes to replace. They work perfectly. Hood opens like it was new. Best part is that this will be the last set I purchase as they are warranteed for life. Some parts should be "Lexus only", but its hard to pass up on this price and availability. I wouldn't purchase a starter for this car there, but come on....they're only hood supports.

I noticed that the speedo needle sticks when accelerating from a dead stop. It kicks in at about 10 MPH and I've gotten used to it. Yesterday it did not move for a few miles. Any advice on servicing this problem? The odometer works fine.

if you think high octane gas increases your power on a factory tuned car, then i've got some C16 i'll sell you for the low low price of $12/gallon. it's 160 octane so according to you that should be good for about another 80hp or so? im willing to bet that cleaning all the crap from and regapping your spark plugs caused the increase in power you're feeling more than the bull*BLEEP* that is sidegappping. don't believe me? put up the money to dyno your car and realize that you're STILL making stock HP or more likely lower. also, learn to type, your spelling spelling and grammar are atrocious. Thank you for saying what we were all thinking....

I did some research and found one complaint on rip-off report.com. 9 or 10 complaints on the BBB website. Most of the complaints were resolved. The (3) US companies do "NOT" have an accreditation from the BBB. I think we'll pass on this company for now.

I received a call today at work from a company called Nationwide offering me an extended warranty plan for my Lexus. They offered a plan that covers the entire drive train, (timing belt too),power steering assembly, a/c, electrical (starter,alternator), etc and pretty much all of the major items are included (GPS too if I had it) and I can choose my own shop to take it to (Lexus or Toyota). 24 hr roadside assistance is included. The plan extends my 90,000 beauty to 190,000 or 5 years for $2805. Has anyone purchased this plan and how is it? Are you pleased? $168.30 per month seems like a bargain, but I would like some feedback from other owners.

Thanks. I did check the pedal to see if it was hanging. It was just a little low on fluid. Thanks again for the assistance.

I was looking at a used 1995 LS 400 the other day with low mileage and a clean car fax report. I noticed a sticker on the door jam from a Lexus dealer stating that this car had the mileage reset to zero in 1999. The sticker said the car had 67K when rolled back. Any idea why the odometer was reset to zero? No accidents on the car fax report and the title is clear. Any thoughts on this one?

Thanks to Royt and Billy for helping us find the elusive 3rd screw. This is such a simple repair. If anyone needs any assistance, please feel free to ask.

My son (13 years old) and I attempted the steering wheel repair again tonight with SUCCESS! There was a 3rd screw exposed behind the steering wheel when turned allowing the upper and lower covers to separate. Here's a great tip. Instead of modifying some tool or scrap metal we used the small paint can openers I got over the weekend at Home Depot! They were small enough to fit behind the plastic gear and gently nudge it loose. Best part is that they were free! They are the smallest ones I ever seen. They're now in my tool box. After removing the gear we saw the problem. The rubber (what was left of it) had pretty much gone away leaving the blue gear to wobble and fail to line up. After cleaning the rubber remains my son inserted the "hose washer". He reinstalled the metal washer and nut and it works! 7 months in the up position was quite annoying. I set it on auto and after a few tests put it back together. By the way, I called the Lexus service center and this repair is $240.00! How can they justify this? Total cost of this repair......25 minutes of time and a 10 cent washer that will probably last for years. Anytime we can avoid the dealer is a good day. Thanks guys for your tips and help once again! (My wife is very happy too.)

Is there a 3rd screw that we missed? We did move the wheel to expose the right side screw.

Billy: Thanks for the reply. The problem is the wheel is not lowering itself when the key is inserted in the ignition. You can hear the screw cycling and what sounds like the gear grinding like its misaligned. It sounds like the classic system of the washer being worn down behind the gear. I'll check for a 3rd screw later today after work.

We went out this evening and attempted to repair the adjustable steering wheel problem (stuck in the up position). Tool box in hand and garden hose washer at the ready. I followed the pictured tutorial I downloaded last week. So with my 13 year son we got the two lower screws removed, separated the left top cover, but could not remove or unfasten the right side. Something is preventing this from being released. We looked for a 3rd screw, but there was none. What is keeping the top cover from releasing. It's also keeping the lower half from dropping down. I'm sure its something simple, but I did not want to force the issue and possibly cause some damage. I know you guys out there know the answer. We're waiting here for your reply. We'll complete the repair tomorrow based on your assistance. Thank you in advance...again.