LOTC

problem is just getting everyone together, there is usually one or two that can never make it

nthach

i for one cannot make it, it's gonna be in SoCal...

Horta

Great car! I love the Color. How many miles? If you dont mind me asking what was the asking vrs what you paid?

Jerry

Lexls400

I like the car!! I'm looking for a 98 LS myself for a good price.

Good Luck with yours!!

-Joe

mingsterso

Well the guy was asking 25000 for the car but I paid 22000. I probably didnt get the best deal on it but I was just really tired of looking for a clean one and this was the cleanest looking one and he had all the service records so I knew it was very well maintained. There was 62000 miles on it when I bought it.

Yeah I hope I dont have any problems with it.

bluestar

That is an outstanding deal. Blackbook has it at $22K retail without Nav for a clean 1998 LS, so you did real good. Congrats. You will love it, as I am sure you are already finding out. I bought my 1999 LS400 in Nov 1998, loaded with Nav for ca. $52K + TTL (MSRP $53.5K). The car now has 86K miles and drives like new. Never needed a single repair except regular stuff - oil change at 7500 miles, new tires (2x), new brakes, and regular 30K (~$300), 60 (~$650) and now due for the 90K mile service (~$1000 cost). Pricey services, YES, but you cannot (should not) skimp on this car. Have you checked on TSBs issued for 1998 LS ? One you may want to look into is that for malfunctioning outside mirrors which may not tilt when the car is in "R". Check to ensure yours work fine, otherwise you can have the dealer fix it for no charge quoting the right TSB # for this fix. I had this done on mine 2 years ago after it failed to work. Cost was $600 (mirror and housing = $400; labor = $200). All charges picked up by Lexus.

bunmango

Wow, I wasn't aware of this feature. We just picked up a used '98 LS400 ourselves this past Thanksgiving and I've never noticed this before

EL006-99 JUN 99 RH Rear View Mirror - Auto Down in Reverse Feature Fault

does that sound right? Do I just go to the dealer and tell them about this? We have about 112k miles on the car now. Thanks.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Bluestar,

I'm 99% certain the mirror-tilt-in-reverse feature was added in 1999 and was not available as standard or an option in 1998 LS400s. My 1998 LS does not tilt, nor does any other I looked at when shopping. The 99's we test drove did tilt down.

There may well be a TSB on this feature, but only for 1999 +.

bunmango

Weird... I'm not sure how accurate alldata.com is, but the TSB is listed under the 1998 model, not the 1999 model.

http://alldata.com/TSB/31/98310210.html for 1998 LS400, #28 on the list
http://alldata.com/TSB/31/99310210.html for 1999 LS400

Any more clarification on this issue?

bluestar

Bunmango is correct, and so is the link. Dave you may want to triple-check your 1998 LS for this feature. It started from the 1998 LS.

bluestar

First off, is yours malfunctioning ? If it is then here is what I recommend:

You FIRST contact Lexus Corporate to tell them about this malfunction and remind them of the TSB for it. What follows is that Lexus Corporate will ask you for a preferred dealer or one nearest to you, who you'd want to fix this for you. They will do everything for you: arrange time, date, and service rep. The dealership will contact you to confirm when the parts will come in and when you can bring the car over, plus if you'd need a loaner. They'll take care of you regardless of your mileage. You'll find Lexus Corporate (customer service) very responsive and extremely helpful on this. At least that was my experience.

Good luck, and let us know how it turned out (assuming you have this problem).

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I believe the Alldata TSB website is incorrect. If you look at the LEXUS website, it clearly lists the feature as new for 1999.

http://www.lexus.com/cpo/model_detai...9.html#changes

Anyone else with a 1998 LS400 care to chip in? I'm still at 99%

mingsterso

The difference on the 99 and the 98 is that the 99 has reverse tilt mirrors on the drivers side also not just on the passenger side. I guess mines is working fine. You have to put mirror adjustment switch set to the driver side in order for it to work. Not certain though........mines work like that

mingsterso

really good site about LS lexus AKA Celsior.....but all in japanese.

http://park15.wakwak.com/~celsior/

bluestar

Hi Dave:

Even I am confused. I talked to a local Lex dealer who confirmed it was available on the 1998. Could it have been an optional feature in '98 which became standard in 99 ? Could be. I know that when I initially had the problem, Lexus customer service told me it only effected the 1998s according to the TSB ! I then claimed to them that it should cover the '99 as well, seeing that there is a known problem already. Then they agreed to fix mine as well. In 2002, I did see the TSB myself, and it is similar to the one posted by bunmango (the alldata.com link).

OK, let's do a simple test to confirm if your 1998 LS came with this feature:

With the engine running, put the mirror switch button to the "L" position, then engage the gear into "R" and see if BOTH mirrors tilt or not. I'd like to know what you find doing this simple test.