Lexus LS 400/LS 430

greasykid1 · May 2001

Has anyone tinted their windows? Some on the Benz board have stated that their windows fit so tight that they get scratches on their tint. Any problems on an LS430?

Have the Parchment Crystal & am open to suggestions as to what color tinting would look best.

Thanks

wwest · May 2001

92 and 95 LS, and 2000 GS300 took window tint with no problems

gsenthil · May 2001

Hi,

I saw 2 more LS400s today. I didnt see any Mercs because I wanted a reliable car and liked the Lexus features better.

The one I have set my mind on is a steel blue 1990 LS 400 122k with nakamichi & cd changer/moonroof. None of the other LS400s i saw had the Nak/CD- which is very important to me. The price is $7000. Is this a good price? Here is a list of whats wrong with the car. Please suggest how much would it take to correct them:

1)The LCD in the panel above the CD display..the one that displays temperature etc has leaked and needs to be changed. I can live with it- it doesnt affect any of the functionality.

2) The 122k reading indicates it needs a timing belt replacement soon. Dont know when it was done last. How much does it cost?

3) The remote key doesnt work. The person said it used to work till the last month and figures its possibly the batteries inside that need replacement.

Please advice me on this issue.

Thanks

Senthil

wwest · May 2001

If it's in good shape $7,000 is a really good price.

Take the VIN # to the dealer and he can tell you when and if any authorized dealer last changed the belt. If you ask nicely he will even give you a complete run-down on the car's history as far as Lexus knows.

The original timing belt interval for 1990 was 90,000 miles... I think.

Radio Shack carries the batteries.

barb85 · May 2001

I've decided against pin striping my black cherry ultra. I, too, really like the way the light plays on the paint, and I think that pin striping would detract. Black cherries already have natural highlights. On the other hand, I'm still planning on getting the gold kit.

barb85 · May 2001

I also wanted a custom luxury, but didn't want to wait and bought an ultra instead. I believe the custom is worth the extra money over nav/ml because the laser cruise control (among other options) is fantastic! You set it and forget it. Drive through construction zones without "one foot on the brake and one on the gas". Helps the nerves as well as fatigue. Park assist is nice because you can manuver around within inches of hitting something in complete confidence. I've also enjoyed the variable air suspension that you can get on a custom (it may be an option on a custom) because I can have either a cushy ride on the interstate or a stiffer suspension on winding mountain roads. Customs also now come with 17" chrome wheels. Cooled seats too (heated also, of course). A fan in the seat actually blows cooled air through the seat to cool your tush and your back.

The only difference between a custom and an ultra are the back seat goodies and rear and back window shades. Variable air suspension is included on the ultra and is an option on the custom. So, you're getting alot of really cool high tech goodies on your custom (I'm sure I haven't thought of all of them) without spending the extra cash on the back seat stuff.

wwest · May 2001

First imagine the car without any "badges" at all. As soon as I bought my 92 burgandy it went into the paint shop to remove the ugly trunk badges and be patched and repainted. I had to live with the front grill badge so I had it painted burgandy also so it would be less obtrusive. It still looks grand today, 10 years later.

I think pinstripes or a gold kit would spoil the "understated elegance" appearance I suspect the original LS designers intended. Remember the huge front badge on the early Infiniti that everyone hated so it quickly disappeared?

If you travel to Japan you will see that "branding" is a very BIG thing over there, everyone goes out of their way to be sure they are "noticed" for the vehicles they drive and the suits and dresses they wear, even the evening gowns.

Not the american way (I hope).

Porsche has a option to remove all badging, who needs to be told what THAT is?

sweetspot · May 2001

I just bought the LS430 with the NV/Mark Levinson package. When I was trying to negotiate a price I discovered that there was a real lack of information about what people were paying in the real world.

For the benefit of others who are looking I will post the price I received here. Please don't flame me and tell me I'm an idiot, etc. I am just trying to provide information to others who come after me.

My price (before tax & license)for the LS430 with NV/Mark Levinson package was $56,750.

Best wishes.

chasfj · May 2001

What was MSRP on your car? And what area of the country? I am negotiating a $61230 car (Nav/ML/Link/17's) in the Midwest. $56750 seems a pretty good price to me. My goal is to get $4000 off list, but maybe I'll deal a little harder.

rennybosch · May 2001

I too would have preferred the Custom Luxury option to the Ultra because I don't need all that back seat luxury. But I couldn't wait (like barb85) and so got the Ultra. The one thing I know I would miss if I had the Custom Lux is the little refrigerated compartment in the back seat. It's so nice to have a cold Frappucino or Club Soda whenever I feel like it (substitute Red Bull or Michelob or whatever).

ljflx · May 2001

It's finally summer here so my time for the boards will not be as great as during this forever snowy/miserable past winter. So I promise I'm going to stay with this board only going forward. But I could'nt pass up that comment from auto magazine. My fighting spirit wanes in the summer heat so if someone is going to win a battle with me now is the time. But I'm smart enough to back-off beforehand. Besides these cars are so great why even discuss it with guys who don't wnat to hear it or more importantly accept it.Let them continue to believe the predjudiced mag articles.

You're black cherry looked awesome to me. It also had the ecru inteior which made it stand out even more. I love the pine color as well and finally had chance to wax it (used Zymol - no swirls). The wax deepened the color and it looks spectacular. Then my wife shamed me into waxing her silver one for mother's day and that looked great to. Then I saw a parchment and a black one on the road as we went out to a late mothers day dinner that caused me to get home to late for the Soprano's - and they looked real good too. You know the cars looks have grown so much on me that I like just about every color I see it in. And the more I see the S the more I see a Taurus/Sable

Happy mother's day Flint.

topgun7 · May 2001

I am in the SF bay area and waiting for an sc430 but also interested in a ls430 with custom luxury if it come before the sc. As part of the discussion with the dealer, we have 2 dealers that offered us about $5,000 below msrp (or about $3,000 above invoice) for nav/ml/17/lexus link. I believed the msrp is about $61k. You can also try www.cardirect.com and put in Los Angeles' zip (91311). I believed they cardirect offers the same car about $5,300 below msrp there. hope that help. By the way, the dealer here would go down about $3,000 from msrp for the ultra.

barb85 · May 2001

I'm inclined to agree with your idea that the car would look better without badges. However, I think removing the Lexus name and logos may hurt the resale value. If that's the case, it's my opinion that gold looks better on burgandy than silver. When I looked at the black cherry paint close up, I think I remember seeing some very small flecks of gold in the paint.

By the way, I may get one logo taken off. The dealer put a chrome looking dealer logo sticker on the back which looks cheap to me. The dealership I bought my other car (SC300) from uses metal logos that match the Lexus nameplate. In any case, the car should be the focus, not the badges.

wwest · May 2001

My cars are typically "keepers" so I usually don't worry about resale value. In any case most of the logos are of the stick-on type with the exception being the "L" in the center of the trunk.

If you are worried about resale value you can always have the Gold kit installed when you go to sell it.

Did the dealer who installed his shop logo give you a huge discount for advertising his shop or do you agree to do it for free. If a dealer dared do that to one of my cars, especially in this price class, I would have him FIX it immediately.

The worse my dealer has ever done is put license plate surrounds on and I make a point of removing them in a place where ALL can see and pointedly return them to the salesman.

I would not advertise any dealer in this way, paid or not!

"The car should be the focus, not the badges..."

slexy · May 2001

I've been super busy, but on the Multifunction Display I have no idea how the car apparently fixed itself! The dealer reset one or all of the readouts, and after a few hundred miles I now show logical numbers on all readouts? This car corrects itself! On window tinting, I got ONYX 35 tint (grey/medium tinting) that goes great with the parchment color. My dealer reccommended the window tinting retail store where I got a discount by mentioning the service manager's name. I called first, and got a higer quote, so I know I got a discount. I don't know the mfr. of the tinting, but it is a well known brand that doesn't interfere with my Valentine One radar detector.

chem123 · May 2001

Certain tints can interfere with the Valentine? This is something I did not think about. Does anyone have previous experience with this or is it just a well-known fact that I simply missed the boat on? What percentage tints are known to possibly cause this disturbance? Your assistance is appreciated.

seadog7 · May 2001

I have been patiently waiting for a Mystic Sea Custom to become available in my area (Long Island, NY). Today a salesman told me that this combination is not being produced. Could this salesman be misinformed? Does anyone know this statement to be true?

sweetspot · May 2001

The car also has lexus link, which I forgot to mention. I actually didn't want this, but trying getting a car without it. I gave up and took the $1000 hit.

The MSRP was $61,200 (approximately). Even though I thought the $56,750 was a pretty good price, this is still far more profit than I have ever given for a car. I negotiated hard among several dealers, however, and I am convinced that this was the best I could do in Washington state.

chasfj · May 2001

My preference has been a Mystic Sea /Ecru Custom also. My dealer (Chicago area) just called me an hour ago. The factory rep is there today with a production listing. He says "no chance at a Mystic Sea or Black Cherry". According to the rep, the only two colors currently being produced in the Custom level are Black / Silver with Ecru. Anything else is a special order with no guarantee of being built. He also said that after this production period(?), Lexus was going to stop producing the Custom. Apparently they think the Custom is cutting into Ultra sales and for the relatively small difference in price they would rather concentrate on the Ultra. Now, to settle for a Silver/Ecru, or start looking for a Mystic Sea NAV/ML. Decisions, decisions.

ljflx · May 2001

Are you still out there? How's the car running. When you wax it try Zymol - rally made my silver one sparkle.

Pat host - re your post 1102 - flint350 and I are buddies; he was only reminding me of past times with inflexibe people. Sorry - I should have responded sooner.

seadog7 · May 2001

You helped me make up my mind. A local dealer has 2 silver customs in stock. The interior of both is black analine with purple colored wood (not at at all nice in sunlight), not ecru. How much can you get a custom with LL for in your area?

chasfj · May 2001

My salesman says they have only seen one Custom to date. I looked at that car and it was Black / Ecru. With LL/and 17's it was $66,270 on the window. After some negotiation, we are at $62, 270, although I think there is still some room for negotiation. The Aniline leather is $645 more. They are supposed to get a Silver Ecru Custom in this week. I'm going to look at it and basically decide whether to go for the extra goodies in the Custom or have them look for a NAV/ML in a color I like a little better. BTW he says the number of Ultras they are getting lately has dropped off also.

seadog7 · May 2001

I just called the Lexus customer satisfaction number to see if there is additional information available. The person answering the call said "there are 33 custom models remaining to be shipped to the North-East/New England area for the 2001 model year". He could not tell anything about the color. However, he also indicated that "Lexus will dramatically increase the percentage of customs to be produced for the 2002 model year thus increasing the likelyhood of an acceptable color/option-package combination". He had no clue on changes for 2002, like other colors. That production mix seems to be at odds with what you heard.

seadog7 · May 2001

Who is your dealer?

wbwynn · May 2001

Really enjoying my LS...

Some observations:

The power and sheer quiet of the car continue to impress me most; you have to be careful in town....it's comforting to have great brakes on a vehicle of this weight. Gas mileage has been excellent...(just need to get the price down).

The exterior is no longer an issue in my opinion...I like it more each day and think the design has its own merits i.e. super drag coefficient, low wind noise, etc.. The quality of fit and finish is superb....Lexus service has been the best experience, but I've only seen them once at 1000 miles.

I'm taking a trip to the coast on hwy 17 north of Charleston....will be interested in the NAV by the ocean.

flint350 · May 2001

ljflx, thanks. Pat"host", I think all of you moderators need to get together and either agree on a STANDARD of acceptable criticism/disagreement minus personal attack and use it more even handedly. My post, to which you objected, did not contain (IMO) any personal attack or slander, just pointing out the inflexibility of some positions taken on another board mostly controlled/visited by Benz Brand Loyalists - including the moderators over there. The moderator has occasionally jumped in to the defense of his own bias toward the Benz, calling into question the posting of some of us who defend our belief in the Lexus product as a better value/feature package. If you read the current postings on the High End Japanese/Amer. board, you will see what is REALLY personal criticism - with no host intervention. I agree there should be respect and decorum on these boards and they are run by you all, not us. Still, the levels where you moderators jump in to admonish are decidedly uneven (IMO, again). And that point seems to often coincide with *some* moderators personal viewpoint on the car being defended/criticized. I could list many examples of xenophobic statements, personal attacks, etc that go on and are not interrupted, depending on the subject. That should be admonished and often is not. But my defense of my position is/was fact based (with opinion clearly stated as such) and not personal. If the purpose of a comparison board (or this one, for that matter) is free and open discussion, sometimes heated - but respectful within reason - it should be expected to take on some amount of vehemence or zealousy. I fully defend my right to disagree with anyone's opinion and in that defense, point out obvious misstatements, etc - just like the Host on the Benz and comparo board likes to do. So, either please lighten up - or tone the others down and attempt to keep an even-handed approach on the admonishions. You accused me of "disparaging" other posters. Well, all I called into question was conflicting and contradictory statements often made (no names, no name-calling) and pointed out the inflexibility of it all in some posts. Part of my understanding of "disparage" is to discredit - and that I might have done, but only to the argument posted, not the poster. An argument that is shown to be factually inaccurate should be discredited or at least challenged. I did that. If you take it as too personally aimed at posters, rather than posts themselves, then any real discussion, especially involving comparisons, will become nearly impossible under YOUR guidelines, and biased under the other hosts guidelines. Lastly, I posted no attacks such as "you Americans always think...." "what you posted is such a load of crap..." "it must be true simply because YOU believe it..." All of these posts appear on those boards with no hint of objection from the host. Maybe you need to get out more (to the other boards) or maybe I just need to get out (of here).

wwest · May 2001

Very well said, I agree....

rolloman · May 2001

I'm with you too. Tell it like it is, and if this Message Board can't take it...we'll go somewhere else!

swiftm · May 2001

I couldn't say it any better Flint, I hope they will get the point. Swiftm

pat · May 2001

Hello flint350,

I hear what you are saying. Town Hall's boards have different hosts with different personalities and different styles - I think that is just the nature of the animal.

I should clarify a couple of things for you. L8_Apex and I cohost all the discussions here on the Sedans board. That includes the board I think you were referring to - the "High End: Japanese, vs. German vs. American" was the one, right?

One of the Town Hall hosts from other TH boards is indeed an MB enthusiast, but when he posts on any board other than those he hosts, he is posting as a guest, the same as you. He might be the one you are thinking of, I'm not sure. I know that neither L8_Apex nor I go around "defending" MBs or any other car make here on the board we host. When you see a post made by a host, you can tell whether the person is the host of that particular board or some other board by checking the signature.

I did not mean to "accuse" you of anything, although as I look back I can see how you took it that way. A few months ago, this LS discussion did veer off into some personal attacks of other Town Hall members who were posting in other Sedans discussions. All I really meant to convey was "let's don't go there again, folks" (meaning everyone, not just you). At the time, I read (and perhaps misinterpreted) your post as an invitation for what I recall happening several months ago to start up again.

There is a difference, as you certainly recognize, between heated exchanges of opinions and personal attacks. I suppose that "difference" is open to interpretation, and and that interpretation can vary from time to time even from the same host - i.e, me.

I always welcome any emails that bring to my attention something a member has concerns about and would be happy for you or anyone to let me know if you think I have missed something. Sedans is an extremely busy board, and in trying to keep up with all the posts in all the discussions every day, it is certainly possible to miss some things that should have been attended to.

I appreciate your comments. And I apologize. In retrospect, I do think that I could have held my tongue, so to speak, to see if what concerned me actually did develop before I said anything.

Could we take any further discussion of these issues offline? I don't want to disrupt this discussion any further with this conversation, but I'd be happy to continue it via email if anyone is interested.

Again, thanks for your comments.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

flint350 · May 2001

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I agree, this should end here as being off topic. However, I was referring to the interjections by the host on the S Class board more than the Luxury board. I realize this was confusing, since I was quoting more from the Luxury board as to the "attacks". Anyway, thanks again and to you other guys for the support - I truly appreciate it. Now, back on topic.

greasykid1 · May 2001

Have done both of the above including a tint band at the top of the windshield. My Valentine is mounted on the sunvisor(not so obvious) and reads thru the tint with no problem. Using 3M tint but would advise staying away from metal based tints.

Tinting the rear window likwise had no effect. Should mention that this was done on my last brand X car not the LS430. Plan to do the same on the LS.

pat · May 2001

Just a point for clarification:

Do you mean the Mercedes-Benz S-Class discussion? That also is part of the Sedans board and therefore is also hosted by myself and L8_Apex. Any other host who appears there (or in any other conversation under Sedans) is posting as a guest.

Pardon me for doing just what I asked us not to do by continuing this, but I just want to be sure you understand that piece.

If you do something like "Read Subscriptions" so that you just go from discussion to discussion without noticing which Board you are on, you can tell by looking at the links at the top and bottom of the page. In this discussion, at the very top of the page and also just above the Post Box you will see a link to "Town Hall" followed by a link to "Sedans" followed by the name of the discussion you are in, in this case "The Lincoln LS". Sedans is the "board", The Lincoln LS is the "discussion" within that board.

Comparing the Board name to the host's signature will tell you whether the host is posting as a guest or a host.

I hope this is a little clearer than what I said before about boards and discussions - I see that I used the wrong term myself (board vs. discussion) when referring to the "High End Luxury" discussion, so I contributed to the confusion of terms.

Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards

chem123 · May 2001

Thanks for the info on the compatibility of the Valentine One/window tint combo. Anyone else able to second this? Greasy, you might want to check profile...not too sure about the availibility of a 2001 LS400... : )

nofeer · May 2001

Any idea which phones are compatible since they went against the pcs type, i've got the nokia 8860 with a profit mount next to the indash cd changer, but it would be nice to integrate the "lexus phone"

bonger · May 2001

After looking at the LS430 many times I can't say its the most beautiful car I've ever seen. I can't put my finger on exactly why either. I have been swayed by the dark side lately looking at 740 and the S but today I saw a black ultra on a showroom floor. The force was strong -- very strong. I pick up my Black Ultra tomorrow...can't wait... Bonger from Indiana

ljflx · May 2001

wbwynn - what I am starting to love the most about the car is the tremendous acceleration you get when you go from say 50-55mph to 70-75mph. The car seems to get there before you've finished stepping on the gas pedal. By the way this is where the S-430 paled in comparison and even the S-500 didn't seem to be as quick. This is one of the bigger performance improvements to the car from the old model unless of course you went to the euro suspension as you did. Then I'm sure the handling would also be of equal rank (though it is noticably better even on the base suspension). The car has so many attributes I don't know where to begin. The gas mileage is improved - I know I've moved up to a 25mpg avg. from about 21-22 on the old model. The a/c unit is a refrigeration chamber. I find the car cools down so quickly even after parking it in the sun on a hot day. The Benz guys seem to complain about their a/c units not being cool enough and I know a friend who has an E-class who is unhappy with his climate control system. I find myself raising the cabin temperature because it gets so cool so fast even though I prefer it on the cold side. The silky smooth ride plus the ultra quiet cabin combined with all that engine power is impossible to beat in my opinion. The ml stereo is the icing on the cake.

Flint350 - Don't leave the board. It needs you and as far as I'm concerned you can become the chairman of this thing. I'd also miss your great dialogue. Nuff said!

Pathost - the hosts should use sur-names when they want to join in a group discussion. The opinions don't show the proper impartiality/objectivity Edmund's should have and can only hurt its' reputation. I know that I've become somewhat distrustful as a result. My feeling is that if Edmunds lets its hosts show bias then the writers must also go un-disciplined. The bias is irritating and was very noticable on the S-class (at least when I was looking at that board when I was evaluating the S vs. the LS430) and comparo lux boards.

ljflx · May 2001

Good luck. It's a truly great car and looks fantastic in black. Make sure you use a swirless wax when you wax it. And watch your speed. The car is very fast.

stevestein · May 2001

Just keeps getting better! Only three suggestions for "improvement" - things I tried to get adjusted through C-Best that the dealer can't do.
1. Make the turn signal noise louder (either a louder relay or hook it up to one of the electronic chimes. I can't hear it (partially because I'm at that age) and have found myself driving with it on.
2. Some sensitivity adjustment for the automatic wipers (I confess -I'm lazy and tend to leave it in auto all the time). Sometimes it tries to clean the windshield when there's just a little dirt on it.
3. Change the brightness level at which the car changes from day to night modes. I'd prefer the headlights to come up just a little sooner.

Of these only one is serious in any way, and that's the first. It's a safety issue. I know I hate when someone else has a turn signal on and doesn't turn, particularly if I pull into traffic based on their signal. My service rep said I should call the Lexus Customer Satisfaction 800# and tell them my feelings. They take customer input seriously and use this info when deciding changes for the next model year. If you agree, please take the time to call them. Better yet, if by any chance you find that your dealer can do anything about the above let me know. I suspect no dealer knows all the parts of C-best.

Seadog7 - I'm feeling better about my decision not to wait for the Custom. The laser cruise and Park assist (and the other goodies) would have been nice, but the car is great even without them.

All - Let's give the host some appreciation. Imagine having to read every post on a busy board like Sedans and keep all the threads straight. I have a hard time with the few I follow.
Even though it's past the time when I can apply the knowledge, I started to read the discussions on smart shopper under questions for a dealer and inconsiderate buyers/salespeople. They provide a very interesting look at the car business and provide a different perspective on the sales process. Anyone still in the buying process should scan these discussions.

bitkahuna · May 2001

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2001-05-17-jdpower.htm

Brand Defects

1. Lexus 85

2. Jaguar 108

3. Acura 118

4. BMW 119

5. Saab 121

5. Toyota 121

7. Buick 123

7. Infiniti 123

9. Cadillac 126

10. Mercedes 129

Hmm... looks who is tenth. I vowed not to post to A.R.Coates' board any further, but feel free to cut and paste there!

ljflx · May 2001

But the Chrysler Concorde took first place in full size car - thank goodness Daimler bought Chrysler or they would have been shut out. Of course Toyota doesn't have an entry there, nor does Nissan or Honda so that may have something to do with it.

I'm done with that board too so I won't bother to post it. They don't want to believe it anyway so why bother. I took a look at the S-Class board today since I alluded to it on my prior post. Those people have more problems with 1 car than 100 LS430's would have. The funniest problem was a guy a while back who had a popcorn making dashboard. Today another guy was complaining about his car doing a lot of shake, rattle and rolls. It's almost comical to read posts like that about $75-100k cars. MB must have those people hypnotized. Thank God I stayed with Lexus.I'd be mad as hell at myself if I didn't.

Flint350 - How are you doing?

flint350 · May 2001

I might be incorrect, but I thought you could adjust the auto-wiper sensitivity with the little ring dial on the control that is normally used to adjust regular interval wipers. I will re-read that to be sure. I don't believe the other 2 problems noted by stevestein are C-Best adjustable though. In my case, the lights come on at an appropriate time, so I imagine this is a very personal taste issue and would be kind of hard to pinpoint for each car's best setting.
ljflx, I'm fine, thanks, and still here (all bark, no bite). I read those S Class posts as well. I almost bit the bullet and posted today, but got control of myself. They were talking about the ABC in the Benz and how it's too bad that it causes a harsh ride, with rattling doors and other parts, but oh what fun to drive. Someone else mentioned the LS430 is smoother and quieter, but of course, it has no soul. So, as you correctly state, why post the reliability numbers and other factors, when they will be ignored. I enjoy reading about all these problems they have though and the intriguing reasons why they aren't really problems after all. I'm sincerely glad they like their cars despite all, as I sincerely love mine. A couple of pilot buddies of mine came to town last night for a few hours and I picked them up for dinner. The car was, naturally, the subject of many questions and admiring remarks. Being pilots, the Nav system was especially entertaining. And for once, I actually got to use the back seat stuff a little. The other big attraction turned out to be the radar cruise when an SUV decided he needed my lane more than I did and cut in front of us rather unceremoniously. The downshifting, braking and warning from the system were perfect and then it calmly resumed cruising. Needless to say, they were envious and I was in my glory! We were unsuccessful at only one demonstration - they asked and I thought for a long time - but still couldn't come up with..........a defect or problem. And I tried so hard, too! LOL.

nofeer · May 2001

I love this car, as you drive you take for granted the greatness of engineering, especially when i drive my other cars. but if some things i'd like see changed

1. quicker trans downshifts (sport mode doesn't help seems to only help when upshifting and going down hills)--since fly-by-wire, this can be "reprogramed"
2.cruise control--make it always on, and just a flick to set( I DO like the way MB, vw, honda does it), and resume even when using the brakes (if i stop, or brake, i have to reset the cruise won't resume)

other wise perfect---6.5k miles not a squeek, or qlitch (unlike my MB)

ljflx · May 2001

Went back and read the post you noted. Now let's see - Do you want to get in your car and drive it? I know I create a need for myself to drive it because I love it so much. That noise he is talking about from the chassis - guess I'll have to ask the government for some of their listening equipment or maybe better yet hire those detectives who bugged the lamp in our favorite show. I never heard any such noise. I guess if I leave the stereo off I might hear the wind noise with some support equipment as well. Like I said MB has them hypnotized.

And Flint - like in that other soprano episode - don't leave me alone out here.

Have a great weekend.

rennybosch · May 2001

Is there a proper way to send suggestions for improvements to Lexus? I doubt that they systematically read this board, so just posting here doesn't seem like a winner to me.

Lexus should have their own (moderated) board where people can suggest, criticize each others' suggestions, build on them, and even get feedback from Lexus.

ljflx · May 2001

nofeer - What Mercedes are you coming from and what are the major differences you see?

rennybosch - Lexus always sends you a card asking about your satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the car. They also ask what improvements you would like to see. I just sent back the form yesterday and suggested a tire pressure indicator, the rear view camera (I think that was a good idea by Infiniti and would love to see it on SUV's particularly the bigger ones), and a stretch version. In the past Lexus has written back to thank buyers for suggested improvements so it's clear they do want to know. If you get that form give it a try. I agree that a web site where they have pros who talk back to you would be more ideal. By the way Panasonic has such a site for hdtv and related hi-tech stuff. Lexus should copy them - after all its the same country of origin.

cainep · May 2001

You mention that the cruise control doesn't resume after you've hit the brakes. On my 99 LS, flicking the lever up is supposed to do that whether you disengage the cruise control by braking or flicking the lever towards you. However, I find that this doesn't work maybe 25% of the time - it just won't resume and I have to set the cruise control from scratch. I've mentioned this to my local dealer and, of course, they could find no problem, because it didn't happen when they tried the car (it usually happens to me at speeds around 60 mph).

Is mine an isolated case, or has anyone else experienced domething similar?

wowser · May 2001

stevestein wrote in #1142:

1. Make the turn signal noise louder (either a louder relay or hook it up to one of the electronic chimes. I can't hear it (partially because I'm at that age) and have found myself driving with it on.

Even my 2000 Cadillac has a warning chime and message to indicate when a turn signal has been on for more than a minute or so. (Of course, that is almost a necessity, since the click can be mistaken for just another rattle in the dash!)

nofeer · May 2001

The MB's i've had, include a98 slk 230, and ml320, have driven on many occasions the e and s class. OK the ml320 has dragged MB quality down, my slk had a few glitches, but this car is nearly perfect. i do like the way MB has a stem for cruise control. I would be hard pressed to go back to MB (if they made an e300 diesel with 4matic maybe i'd be tempted) Too bad Lexus doen't have a diesel ( when youdrop 61k for a car maybe it's accademic about mileage....)

jjs4 · May 2001

I'm expecting to get an LS 430 Nav Lev for $500 over invoice. Have gotten confirmed quotes in South LA for $1000 over, via email.

Anyone have dealer contacts who have done $500 over, please?

Lexus LS 400/LS 430

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