Lexus LS 400/LS 430

lenscap · November 2001

Lexus has topped the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study for the 7th year in a row.

Lexus had fewer than half the problems of an average car.

The study measures the durability of four and five year old cars and trucks. An average 1997 car had 3.82 problems vs. 1997 Lexus models' 1.73.

The LS 400 and LX 450 were #1 in their respective categories, while the SC 300/400 and ES 300 were in the top three.

antiosama · November 2001

vencio, You should expect the car to be in perfect working order. You should have the A/C, antenna and anything else fixed by the dealer before purchase.

Check out the gauge cluster. Make sure it lights up fully and all the needles light up.

nealm1 · November 2001

Vencio -- that's my car! I trade a 90 LS w/120k+ in for my current LS430 last March. You are getting a great great car. Closely examine the LCD displays; are they sharp and clear? They have a tendancy to bleed, and they run several hundred bucks to replace. I also had to replace the a/c compressor and associated parts at abt 100k; check to see if it is in good working order. Obviously, have a mechanic go over the car carefully before buying, and check the paint and other things that are up to the owner to maintain, but generally, you should have a car that is set to go another 100k miles easy, and in great comfort. Enjoy it.

pcbrs · November 2001

Hi-

I was wondering if I could ask you guys for some help. The side mirrors on our 2001 LS 430 do not seem to be tilting when the gear is put to reverse. It used to do this fine. This has just recently happened. Neither of the mirrors will move. Did I press a wrong button somewhere? Have any of you had this problem? We'll probably take it into the dealer soon... unless you guys have an easy fix. Thank you.

Jeff

flint350 · November 2001

No, I haven't had the problem and I don't believe it is a user programmable setting (i.e. no button to set, etc) - it is a standard feature I believe and therefore indicates a malfunction. Trip to the dealer is probably necessary. I assume you have already tried moving them manually to make sure they aren't stuck or lost power.

bcleepe · November 2001

Before going to the dealer, make sure you check the side mirror adjusting switch that it is not at neutral position.

nofeer · November 2001

IF the switch is in the middle the feature won't work, move it to the left or right

Anyone know if the ls, gs, es will get AWD in the future, when i trade in my car i wouldn't want to go audi or e class

sfmartin · November 2001

Actually, I believe if the switch is to the right, only the right mirror will tilt. To the left and both will tilt.

bcleepe · November 2001

Both mirrors will tilt for the switch on either right or left.

anthonyp1 · November 2001

My friend of many years, and I go quail hunting every Thanksgiving. He owns a new s500, and we went in his car. I own Lexus. The looks of s500 and interior are subjective, and IMO are great. The s has both front seats that the bottom seat move back and fourth, lexus only driver side. The lexus is really superior in dash layout and nav display. The s500 has a small display for all the stuff, and did not seem user friendly. The Lexus has all the little things that s use to have, such as eye glass compartment and other nooks and cranies. On casual observation looks like s has done away with them. A very nice car, but not as nice as it use to be. Lexus is coming into its own now. With the lexus air suspension I think the drive is every bit as good as Mercedes. Tony

lexor2 · November 2001

Hi. I have a 1994 LS400 that is giving me fits. When cold, the instument cluster remains dark for about a half hour of driving. It then flickers to life. Stays on all day after that. Dlr says about $1100.00 to replace circuit board. Does anyone know where this board is on the car? If I knew where it was I might replace it with a salvage one or a remanufactured one. Thanks.

pcbrs · November 2001

Hey-

I just wanted to thank the members of this board for the numerous responses to my question. It was indeed the side mirror adjustment button that was put into the center setting. I have moved it to the right, and now both mirrors tilt accordingly. flint350, bcleepe, nofeer, and sfmartin, you guys are simply awesome. Thank you so much for taking the time to write.

Jeff

nofeer · November 2001

Anything on an AWD ls430 or gs, any secrets out there, also is there a site that talks about lexus future vehicles?

pcbrs · November 2001

Nofeer-

I don't know of any specific websites for future Lexus vehicles. But try motortrend online. They cover future vehicles for most makes. Here's a link.

http://www.motortrend.com/future/index.html

Some points of interest:

2003 Lexus GS: Rear-drive sport sedans to be redesigned.

2004 Lexus RX 300: The RX 300 becomes the first Lexus product to be built outside of Japan when production begins at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada plant in Cambridge, Ontario. We have not heard rumors, but it would seem to reason that this would be a good time for significant update or generational change.

Hope this helps. No talk of AWD though.

Jeff

rexp · November 2001

I just took delivery of an LS430. Great car, as everyone knows, but I'm struck by the poor radio reception. (I have the standard radio) Have others noted this? If so, any fixes?
Thanks
Peter

vencio · November 2001

I have a 1990 LS400 and I can't seem to get the personal lights next to the dome light to work. I checked the bulbs and fuse and they both are fine. Any ideas? Thanks.

wwest · November 2001

http://www.airsept.com/eed.html

Any of you suffering from mold or mildew smells from your A/C vents, or foggy windshield and windows, this product may be the answer.

ljflx · November 2001

rexp - Depends on where you live. The reception would be much better if the antenna wasn't in the window. In NY/NJ area stations are powerful but without question radio reception had greater distance ratios on 95 model when antenna was on exterior of car. I have the LX470 which is still on exterior and notice big difference to the car.

flint350 - I enjoyed the meteor show from my deck (sky is pretty dark where i live) laying on a lounge chair. Too bad it was so cold that night. But then again the cold made the sky amazingly clear at the same time. Both cars still absolutely perfect - hope same holds true for you. I had one in for service and noticed a brochure on the phone system last week but forgot to take it. Maybe they will get there - it's my only gripe. I also got a $50 amex gift check because of the recall/inconvenience on Lexus Link repair. I don't know if it was dealer based or a Lexus program. Did you get one? I misplaced my touch-up paint and asked for replacement so this time they gave me two of them. The service is still top priority here in NJ it seems. You should join in the dialogue on the other board from time to time. It's a lot more civilized now and everyone understands each others position. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.

flint350 · November 2001

Thanks, my Thanksgiving was nice. I would have tried my deck, but my lawn is surrounded by trees and would have been too limiting - hence the convertible (only went a 1/4 mile from home).
I, too, got the Amex check back in Sept. for the "inconvenience" of the recall. My wife was surprised by it, but managed to convert it to her use quite easily.

I agree the other board has become more civilized and I continue to read it. Just haven't had much in the way of input lately. And yes, my car has remained trouble-free also. As for the phone, it's been so long without it, I may well forego getting it - besides, I understand it is STILL a Sprint phone, which makes it far less useful to me. I am probably going to keep my AT&T Digital One Rate which I have been very happy with.

flint350 · November 2001

I see the name-calling has promptly returned over on the high-end board, with some of the usual "don't dare disagree with me" players. Guess it was too good to last.

ljflx · November 2001

Different times than before - a lot of more important things going on than fighting over cars. I'm very impressed with Bush and the American military power. I wonder if Osama ever expected this level of American response and he must be in disbelief at how quick everything changed on him. What a miserable life the guy created for himself.

Have you gotten behind the wheel of the Sc430? It's a great car. Fantastic blend of super luxury items combined with enough sportiness and its very fast and amazingly quiet - but definitely bent towards luxury over sport. The ride on the LX470 is very much like the old LS400 which is incredible for a truck that size. It's also very quiet in the cabin (is there any Lexus that isn't?) with plenty of wood for that warm feeling like the LS430. By the way when you get a loaner what are they giving you? I keep getting the RX300 which is also a nice truck but too small for me day in and day out.

carnaught · November 2001

as your loaner. My Lexus dealer gives us Corollas!

wwest · November 2001

The best thing President Bush has ever done, or likely will ever do, was to put Colin Powell in the driver's seat and all the military "hawks", and "hawks", in the back with their mouths taped firmly shut.

Now if we could just get the retired military to shut the $%^& up we might just come out of this thing unscathed (further).

ljflx · November 2001

At least they keep it in the family. I remember Nealm1 complaining about a Leganza as a loaner that was as unacceptable as it gets. I have no complaints about an RX300 - its a real nice truck (my wife loves it) that is very carlike but its just too small for me to own/lease. I prefer it over the old ES300 model which is also a popular loaner at my dealership. I have a feeling the new ES300 has more of an LS430 type of ride/interior amenities so I hope I get that at one of my future service appointments. But what the heck it's only for a day and nothing can top the LS430 anyway.

flint350 · November 2001

ljflx, they give me a choice btwn the RX300 and the ES. I'm with you, in that I would like to try the new ES next time, just to make a comparison with my car. At a $30K price diff, I surely hope there is a difference. But the new ES interior looks pretty close and very nice on the tv ads.
As for bin Laden, I agree, but don't want to wake up wwest for a lecture on our hawkish and less-than-capable leaders.
I see the host had to kick in over on the other board already.

wwest · November 2001

I really hate to think what our President would do if he were using a Lexus GPS/Nav for guidance and he arrived at the point where the Nav "bailed" and said "sorry, George, you're now on your own and by golly gee whiz we don't know Colin Powell's whereabouts.

Of course then we would have Cheney to deal with, probably the worse of two evil{doer}s.

glwhite01 · November 2001

i'm a reporter with the wall street journal working on a story about navigation systems and i'd like to talk to any ls430 owners about how you like the voice-control features. if you'd be willing to talk about your car, please send me an email telling me how to contact you. thks,
greg.white@wsj.com.

anthonyp1 · November 2001

Hi Greg

I personally have a bit of trouble with the voice part of gps. Maybe it is my voice, but the recognition aspect is not so good. If I were to say something like HOTEL, she will respond `ski resort` or something. I say GAS, some differen reply. I will study the manuel further to get just the right word or words, so it may be my fault. The gps is pretty good, but does say you are at destination about a block too soon. It also can take quite a while to pinpoint where you are. That happens just when you are genuinely lost, which I hope will be fixed on next visit. Tony

tt430 · November 2001

I have the 2001 LS 430 with the Sport Package which gives me the 17" tires and wheels. I need to purchase snow tires and prefer the Blizzaks but they only come in 16". I spoke with Tirerack and they recommended putting the 16" wheels and Blizzaks on for winter. I spoke to the dealer and they said in theory it should be okay but be careful of the brake caliper clearance on the wheels to be sure their is enough room. Also the front and back brakes have different clearances which further complicates the issue. He mentioned this had to be checked out especially in light of the fact that 2001 was a model change. This being said the dealer said that if these did not present problems than it should work. Does anyone have any experience with this, or advice ore recommendation?

sfmartin · November 2001

I have the sport suspension, too, but I don't worry too much about snow in San Antonio. However, 16" wheels were standard on the '01 LS430, so at least the factory 16" wheels shouldn't be a problem.

bcleepe · November 2001

Greg,

Sometimes I have trouble even to activate the voice command after several pushes on the button. Also, it may mistakenly recognize my words for different meaning.

Brian

bglass3va · December 2001

I don't own a NAV w/voice recognition but I do use voice recognition with computers. Even with high end microphones and very powerful machines, it still makes mistakes. Trying to use voice recognition technology in a car environment without special microphones must be very frustrating. You can't expect anything near perfection.

nofeer · December 2001

Voice Recognition---my X-WIFE listens and understands me better....i'd tried to use it , it doen't work, needs work. don't even try any more. USELESS

flint350 · December 2001

While I mostly agree that the voice integration is not very good, I have found a few instructions that the voice is good with and rarely, if ever, misunderstands. One example is "I'm hungry" (which I am most times) - it never gets that one wrong and always shows the restaurants. "cancel guidance", "zoom in/out" and "home" are other examples. Most of the rest are hit and miss.

Far less than perfect - yes. Useless - no, IMO. Can and should it be improved each year, of course.

poliwhirlguy · December 2001

Has anyone tried to replace their fog lights on a 95 LS400? I recently purchased the HID lights from eBay and managed to install the headlights but the fog lights are another story! i can't figure out what to do...anybody got some ideas about how to get them installed?

hage45 · December 2001

sfmartin-I just put snow tires on my LS 430 Custom Lux, which has 17" summer tires. Mounted 16" Blizzaks WS-50's and used OZ Opera 16x7.5 one piece wheels. I bought them from Tire Rack and just returned from a 400 mile round trip to Minneapolis, everything worked fine. Give them a try.

1316943 · December 2001

Any help on squeaky brakes? Front only. Replaced rotors, pads and even soaked in stop squeak product (sold at Lexus dealer) Any help?

wwest · December 2001

the leading and trailing edges of the pads to about 30 to 45 degrees. Works on a 78 911 with brakes upgraded to current Boxster.

jamesfletcher2 · December 2001

Does anyone know the name and/or contact information on the vendor of the GPS/Nav system utilized on the 98 - 2000 LS400? I am interested in seeing if they have mapping choices broader than is available from Lexus.

wwest · December 2001

I'm quite certain that the only source for Map updates to your Lexus GPS system will ONLY be Lexus. They do need your money after all.

darbh · December 2001

The thing I find frustrating is that although the car "knows" when there is a person in the front passenger seat, it still won't let the NAV be programmed unless the car is stopped.

The situation on the phone is ridiculous. And, they choose SPRINT, which, at least in LA, has incredibly bad service and they have not been truthful about it.

This is not to downgrade the LS430, its a great car. It is just that these points are out of character for such as great vehicle.

nealm1 · December 2001

My antipathy to the NAV/Arcade-game phenomenon is well known to this group, and probably well-worn-out. I won't repeat prior rants about its lack of ergonomics, threats to safety etc. Besides, I won't need NAV on my Segway. Can you get a Mark Levinson on one of those?

antiosama · December 2001

jamesfletcher2, The GPS/NAV designer & manufacturer is Nippon-Denso of Japan for the 98-2000 LS400 as well as for the current LS430. Don't have any contact info. though.

wwest · December 2001

Does business in the US under the name Denso USA.

If you really want I have a contact name in the US that I can find if I go searching.

But...

Denso is an OEM supplier to any and all (mostly Japanese) automotive manufacturer's (primarily), as such they do not (have to) deal with individual customers, end users, and haven't a clue as to where to start.

htran102 · December 2001

Hi:
I'm contemplating putting a NAV system (pulled from a LS 99 - screen, audio controls and all) into my 95 LS. Will it fit ? Can a car audio mechanic do it ? Thanks for your reply.

sfmartin · December 2001

What about the GPS antenna? I'm not sure where it was located. Maybe printed on the rear window?

lenscap · December 2001

I don't think you can just put a nav system into a 1995 LS 400. The system was not even offered that year. Therefore, I'm sure the car is not wired to have it.

harryburns · December 2001

I live north of Atlanta, GA. and do not require snow tires. However sometimes we get an ice storm. The county I live in has many hill. Our home is down a long hill. When we have an ice storm every one must wait or walk out and sometimes rent a car for a day.
Some one told me about these chains. I own a 2001 LS430 standard wheels.
I purchased a set of chains from: tirechains.com.
I installed the chains without removing the wheels or using a jack. See the site for a description.
The work very well for me. Please post any comments.

wwest · December 2001

you are absolutely on the right track.

I run on summer tires year round and keep a set of chains in the trunk in the wintertime. Worked for all the time I was out in Montana too.

antiosama · December 2001

The navigation system is very complex. I doubt just changing the stereo, climate control, and adding the Nav system is possible. From what I remember the dealer telling me, there is part of the GPS system located behind the rear seat-I believe the gyroscope is there-as well as hard drive in the trunk area. But beyond that, I believe the GPS system in the 1998-2000 LS400 caused the need to change alot of other electronics in the car that work with the GPS.

I would bet on it, that you won't be able to retrofit a 1998-2000 LS400 Nav system into a 1995 LS400. Best bet would be to go with a aftermarket Navigation system.

Lexus LS 400/LS 430

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