rvgraham

Don't know what's wrong with your LS, I have a lead foot and get min. 24 mpg in mixed driving (99 LS) and up to 31 mpg on a 240 mile trip once. I certainly wouldn't trade the world class ride and feel of an LS for anything Toyota branded, and most certainly not a fwd car. No, I haven't driven the newest Avalon, but even if they doubled the qualitative values in terms of feel and response (from the previous generation, which I have driven), it still won't touch the LS for those who are cognoscenti, as the Italians would put it. For those just wanting a Buick with more power and quality, the Avalon might make lots of sense. Bob

Mine's only a CPO. They probably wouldn't fix something like this, though maybe I should ask just the same! Bob

Wow, the problem persists! I thought the new seats seemed like a huge improvement on mine! See my post on the 98-00 seats: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=15439

Not sure about the SC seats, I've only sat in the newer generation, whose seats seem superb. I've largely solved my problem, and put it down to three things: 1. Don't put the seat nose high, it puts too much pressure on the thighs, pressing the pressure points of the seat into the back of your legs. I've forced myself to learn to be comfortable with the seat essentially level 2. Minimize the use of the Lumbar support. I've always used lumbar support at max (in other cars I've owned), and liked it that way on my LS as well. Problem was, it was pushing me forward in the seat and reducing the overall contact area of back side and thighs. I've found the LS seat back causes no back discomfort with little to no lumbar, unlike other cars I've had where I had to max it just to be comfortable. 3. Now that I've developed theory 1 and 2, re-teach myself to relax my leg muscles and enjoy the ride. We took the car on our habitual Saturday jaunt around the Monterey Peninsula (35 miles each way plus another 30 or so in Montery and Pacific Grove for our usual shopping, eating and relaxing spots) and I had no pain whatsoever. Before developing these fixes, I had pain from the pressure points of the seat within 2-3 miles of driving. I still feel the seat is badly designed, designed more to look like a nice easy chair. I've noticed from the other replies that this mostly affects larger drivers over 200 lbs. The radical change in the stiching layout and padding shape of the new LS shows that Toyota was not unaware of the problem. I'm sure I could drive the new LS430 with my habitual nose-high and max lumbar settings comfortably, but I'm no going to beat myself up about it. It wouldn't be worth the payment difference, and I have so few other complaints with my '99. It does leave me wondering whether a used LS430 seat would fit in my '99??? Bob

Depending on your geographical area, you might find yourself competing with a lot of dealers paying more than 90% of retail for LS 430's, frequently because they have a ready buyer in the wings and the car never goes to a lot for sale. Mine came off lease and then was snatched up at auction by Stevens Creek Lexus and sold to me a day or two after they re-conned it and got their paper work done. Also, the auctions frequently "officially" disallow bringing retail buyer companions to the auction. A friend of mine who recently bought a car that way was actually wearing the dealer's wife's badge! Bob

Check the price difference between CPO cars at dealers versus wholesale prices. The CPO warranty is much better than most brands, and might be worth the difference. In my '99, I've already had my radio head unit, a defective windshield washer level sensor and a power window motor/regulator replaced under the CPO warranty, and I've still got 36,000 miles left. These minor things can add up to quite a bit in a couple of years even with a car as reliable as a Lexus. Most CPO warranties only cover powertrain, the Lexus covers the whole car for the duration. What's not covered is broken trim, minor noises, wear items. For instance there's a hairline crack in the finish of my wood steering wheel that would be covered under new warranty, but not under CPO. (I tried, they only offered to share the cost.) The Radio only had a couple of LCD segments missing, the power window still worked fine but made a clicking noise, and the washer fluid sensor sent false "empty" notifications from time to time, but they replaced all of them with new parts, except the radio which is refurb even if your car is new. I don't know if you have cash or better credit than mine (700 ish) but the dealer was able to push me through Lexus credit at 7%, I'd have paid 9-15% anywhere else. My dealer also treats me like a King, free loaners with essentially free gas (you don't have to bring it back with same as it left). That's also worth quite a bit. I paid $27,500 back in June, with 50k on it. Even if I had a friend in business take me to the dealers auction, I would have had to pay $24K for the same car here in SF bay area. I think the $3500 will melt away with the better interest and other benefits mentioned above. Bob

Did you have the stiching design changed? Why don't I feel the seams in Volvos and (does anybody remember) Peugeots? How much would it cost to have the cushion resewn without the seams? How else can the leather be held to the padding, can it be glued with low tack adhesive? I have the black leather interior (really very dark gray), can it be matched easily? If you have the answer to any of these questions I'd greatly appreciate it. Bob

Now, after quite a bit of study, I see what the problem is with the seats. The seams are like steel rods just under the surface. Push your thumb hard on the seam in the seat cushion. It's hard like granite. Now for someone under 200 lbs, I can see it probably wouldn't cause much discomfort. The rest of the padding holds a lighter person's weight without letting their legs press onto the seams very much. But for someone my size, the pressure causes my driving leg to feel each contact point with a seam until I'm just about writhing in pain. I wonder if an upholstery shop could replace the seat cushion surface with one with no seams. I know it would look less than perfect, but I'd prefer that to looking at the back end of the car driving away with a new owner at the wheel! Bob

Regarding lumbar support, I use it at max, and consider that to be minimum. To me it's one of those adjustments that offers: Barely sufficient Way too little Way Way too little. I'd be in a world of pain if I didn't have it at max. So I guess we're all different! At least as regards the back of the seat. But I'm starting to see a bit of consensus on the lower cushion. Maybe a Volvo seat would fit??? (Kidding) Bob

I appreciate the feedback from both of you. My seats are not real firm, so I'm thinking the 91 mentioned in the first reply may have somewhat different seats than mine. The 95 is probably a lot closer. I have no complaint with the firmness/softness balance, I think it's about ideal; the issues I have are most likely ergonomic. Curiously, I've found that I have less seat pain if I put the seat lower and flatter, though this starts to leave me a bit shorter on leg room. Aside from my wife's Maxima mentioned my original post, the most comfortable seats I've ever used were in a Volvo S60 that I had for a rental for a few days once. I don't think very highly of the Volvo's repair costs/reliability, however. I'm probably closer to buying a second 98-99 Maxima, though I have some issues with that car on the climate control and a couple of other issues. Most likely I'll keep the LS and just figure out how to modify the seats or my position to stop the pain. Hoping to get some feedback additionally from guys with 98-00 generation. Thanks again, guys. Bob

Don't get me wrong, this is by far the best car I've ever owned, and the seats are comfortable and well made. Nonetheless, there's something about the shape of the driver's seat that causes either pressure points in the back of my thighs, or causes my thigh muscles to tense up until I'm in pain, I really can't tell which. I'm 6' 2", 230lbs, my legs are about average bulk for a man my size. I set the seat all the way back, have the front of the cushion fairly high, the back of the cushion somewhat lower. My heels sits comfortably at the base of the gas pedal and dead pedal. This setting allows my legs to be evenly supported out to the edge of the seat cushion, a luxury I don't have in most cars. Usually, even with the seat all the way back, in smaller cars my knees are a bit up in the air. The discomfort is present on any trip over a couple of minutes, not as bad on longer freeway trips if I can set the cruise and move my legs around frequently. Since buying the Lexus back in June, we've picked up a Nissan Maxima for my wife, a 99 GLE with leather and power seats. No discomfort at all in this auto, though the seats feel a little harsher initially. I feel that the ergonomics of the seat are just a bit off, the seats don't seem to cradle your legs at all, don't seem fitted to the anatomy. Other opinions, from smaller, same size or larger folks? Any fixes or advice? I'm to the point of thinking of selling, even though I'm only 5 months into a 3 year CPO warranty. Bob Graham

If they EXIST! Don't type your credit card over the internet unless you can confirm the PHYSICAL location of the company asking for your card number, and some smidgen about their character. You may end up with total identity theft. Bob

I always check out dot com sites at resellerratings.com. They have only one input about this site you found, and that one's negative. If I decide to ignore other info about a site, I base my decision on how they sound on the phone, whether or not I can find their physical address, and then any local information I can find about them through Google and other resources. I NEVER just type my credit card in for a web order at an unknown site. Bob

Thanks for your replies. By perusing another, unnamed lexus forum, I've run accross several posters who have had their steering wheels replaced at Lexus expense; apparently $1600+ worth of expense! Some even said that the service personnel brought it to the owner's attention without being asked! It's going in for the window motor and washer fluid sensor on Wednesday, I think I'll bring it up at that time. Bob

My new (to me) '99 with the wood steering wheel has a crack at about 11 O'Clock that runs a bit more than half way around the wood (in the direction of a spoke, not following the circumference). I'll try to post a picture later. My question is, has anyone else experienced this, and does the warranty cover it, or do they say it's normal aging? I have the CPO warranty, they've already replaced the stereo head unit and are replacing a power window motor for noise problem and the low washer fluid sensor this week. In other words, this CPO warranty is, so far, better than most new car warranties that I've had in that they are replacing things that aren't acting ideally, even though they haven't failed yet. It's not the nature of wood to sit forever in the direct sun and not eventually dry and shrink some more. I'm not sure whether or not the latest finishing processes are supposed to be semi-permanent or if the old truisms still apply. I can't swear to it that it's the wood that's cracking, and not the finish on the wood. Not sure what the finish on the wood is; I don't think it's a lacquer, more likely an acrylic but that stuff gets beyond my knowledge. Rambling now.... Bob

In the part of California I live in, I should add. Elsewhere you might snag one for less, both private and at the dealer!

Certainly look for CPO vehicles from Lexus dealers before paying similar money for a car with no Lexus backing. (3yrs or up to 100,000 odometer miles same as new car warranty.) I paid $27k for a '99 five months ago; with the cpo warranty you get a huge dose of peace of mind for 2-3 years. At least it'll be mostly paid for by then. It's already provided me with a replacement stereo head unit when some of the lcd segments died on mine. I might have bought the same car for $24k private or from a non-Lexus dealer, but Lexus Financial came through with an interest rate half what I would have been able to get anywhere else. Between the finance savings and a few incidents like the radio, I figure I'm coming out about the same as buying private for less, just with more peace of mind. If you're not borrowing to buy, or your credit is a lot better than mine, the advantage will be smaller but still worth considering! Bob

If I understand it correctly, it's related to AMWAY? If it is, that's enough reason for me to avoid it even if it was a good product. Someone correct me if I'm wrong about the Amway connection. Bob

Actually it makes a real difference, but not several miles per gallon, just part of one or maybe one. Lexus ads from the early days made quite a fuss about it, and none of it was about preventing splashing.

I believe it's mostly about aerodynamics, you may lose a bit of mpg if you go without it. They didn't achieve a co-efficient of drag of 0.29 or whatever just by shaping the mirrors nicely, it's about the underside of the car as much as anything else. Bob

I'm referring to the Certified Pre-Owned Lexus warranty, which is only available when you're buying the car used from a Lexus dealer. I'm thinking yours came from another dealer? If it had come from a Lexus dealer it would have had the CPO warranty, (I think) it's practically automatic if the car is less than 5 yrs old and has less than 60,000 miles on it. Supposedly it has to pass a check list to qualify for the program, but almost all off-lease cars become cpo vehicles. The Lexus CPO program covers just about everything other than light bulbs, brake pads and other normal wear items. It might be hard to find such a warranty elsewhere. The main thing most aftermarket warranties cover is drivetrain, and you probably won't have any problems there. Bob

I'm assuming you didn't buy it from a Lexus dealer? It's not a CPO vehicle? My '99 LS had the same problem (Bought it in June with 50,900 miles) and they replaced the whole head unit no charge to me. Of course, I probably paid a couple of grand for that warranty. Incidentally, mine's Black with Black interior and Chrome wheels, pretty close! Bob Graham

I appreciate your comments but... My question was about scratches, the kind you can feel with your fingernails, not swirl marks. I've talked to a body shop guy who's a friend of mine, and his opinion is to wet sand the scratches out, then buff out the paint. I'm not sure why he's not recommending coarse grit rubbing (cutting?) compound followed by polishing compound. It's definitely going to take sanding and/or machine buffer work to fix. My worry is just that I hope the paint is thick enough to take the loss of a mil or two to get below these scratches. After that I'll look at claying or other hand work solutions to keep the paint looking nice. Bob

:o I did the all time stupid the other day, I started to apply a coat of wax to my new (to me) '99 LS400 without checking carefully the rag I used. It (the rag) had just come out of the wash a couple of days ago, nice and clean and with no fabric softener or other contaminant. It had, however, somehow pick up a tiny metal shaving or something like that, so as I started to buff out the wax a couple of minutes later, I found a big pattern of fresh scratches all over half of my hood! My car is black, (no clearcoat) and the paint is quite thick; I can tell just by looking where there are a couple of deep chips in the paint elsewhere. Although I can feel the scratches with my fingernail, I'm hoping they can be buffed out thanks to the lack of clearcoat and the thickness of the paint. I have a Porter-Cable random orbit and pleanty of skill using hand tools (I used to shape and polish marble and granite a few years ago, for a living). I'm thinking of picking up some buffing pads and cutting compound and trying it myself. In one sense, I don't have much to lose, if this doesn't fix it, I'm going to have to have the hood re-painted. I'm not going to live with it as is! :cries: Your experienced answers are much appreciated! (Especially any of you with specific black Lexus experience.) Bob Graham

I found a thread on another newsgroup that was helpful; there's a sensor on the back of the mirror, pointing forward, that senses the ambient light condition. If you block this sensor with your fingertip, you can see the mirrrors all dim. My outside ones do work, but it's somewhat more subtle than the inside mirror, and it changes to a bluer color rather than the greenish hue of the inside mirror. I believe that sensor may be somewhat differently located on the ES, as I had an '04 ES for a loaner today, and the mirror was quite different from the one in my '99 LS. The good news is that they did replace the radio head unit for missing lcd segments! Thanks, Bob