Horta

Hey All

I am trying to find out what kind of items need to be replaced on 98-99 models LS. This will give me and idea of what things to look for while I'm shopping.

Would you mind quickly listing what items have been replaced on you car weather it was covered by warranty or not. Also let me know if you remember at what mileage you replace the part at. Maybe there some common issue we are not aware of.

I know for sure I can afford a 98 that's out of warranty, but I would like to know what to expect in repairs.

Thanks
Jerry

velandia

... I recently purchased a 99 LS400 (<1 month ago), and while I dont have the car's history on what's been replaced in its first 22k mi., here's my advice (its free ... you know what they say about that )

1) look thru the glove compartment, if the car has a manual, there may be documents on what has been replaced. (mine had the original window sticker, and a couple of lexus service entries)

2) be sure there is a wheel lock key if the car has wheel locks. I found mine once the car was already home... would have been a bummer to find out on the side of the road.

3) play with every button - mine had a jammed front ash-tray, and (biggest pet peve) I found out there are no cornering lights (see posted message)

4) Check fluid levels and maintenance items - Upon the first oil change (which I did myself), I found out the car had been taken to a "quick and dirty" oil change place - oil filter was on so tight, I punctured it and uttered many and expletive during the 1/2 hour it took to pull it off. I also found out the unidirectional tires are pointing the wrong direction!

Check out the front marker light configuration of 98 vs 99 LS 400, I didn't notice the "old style" marker light on the 99 until it was in the garage, and thought to myself... "hm, whats that yellow bicycle reflector doing on the front bumper?".


Good luck with your purchase.

-Mo

oac3

to what velandia posted above, I'd add that you look everywhere, under the hood and under the chassis, if you can. Check to make sure the car has never been in any accident or fender bender and repaired out of site.

As you know, I also recently purchased a 99 LS, and love this vehicle. Personally, I prefer the '99 over the '98 for two reasons: standard wood on wheel and shift ****, and it is newer than a '98.

The only problem issue I have on mine is that my passenger side mirror does not tilt back up when the car goes into D. Another poster here suggested I put the setting in L and then check it out. Turns out the mirror does tilt back up, but not all the way. But this is such a little thing and I am not too upset about it.

Whichever model you buy ('98 or '99), you'll love it.

velandia

One more quick note for peace of mind -

I used carfax.com before signing papers - I'd highly recommend paying 19.95 for a 1mo subscription which allows unlimited reports (you can only do tnis once per year, have to pay individual reports for remaining 11mo of year) - I used it on some of my previous cars (very fun - old 87 hyundai is still alive and kicking), and it was pretty acurate, though I noticed there's more entries for cars in CA than in FL.

-Maurice

paradox

..To add to that, Jerry:
-Carfax is a must, in my opinion. That was an excellent suggestion. Don't take anybody's word for anything in this arena. Try as best as possible to procure maintenance records on the car... Mileage isn't so much a factor on a car that's been properly maintained.
-Purchasing from a dealer has its tradeoffs. You'll pay more, but going to a Lex dealer will get you a car that's ostensibly current in service, been checked out thoroughly, and most likely garner maintenance history documentation. Certification to 100K doesn't hurt either. If you go to an independent dealer ,the auction, or a private party get it checked out thoroughly by a professional. If they balk, walk. Its like $88 for a 125 point inspection depending on where you go.
-For my own reasons, I relegated my search to a car that resided somewhat locally.
-TSB's for the 98LS 400 as per Alldata:
http://www.alldata.com/TSB/31/98310210.html\
One of note here that I've seen some posts on: RH Rear View Mirror - Auto Down in Reverse Feature Fault . TSB No. is EL006-99
-Pray on it, man! That helps, trust me!
-The only thing that needed changing on my car was the AC filter to answer your original question

I purchased my LS last year. If there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate....

velandia

Update for '99 owners

My wife and I noticed a few things going wrong with our car over the past few months.

1) there was a vibration at 65-75MPH.
2) auto tilt down side view mirrors stopped working
3) Hood struts stopped holding the hood up in cool weather (~50F)
4) A few of the segments on the radios LCD stopped working (eg 8 looked like 3).
5) The passenger seatbelt light flashed even when a passenger was properly buckled in

Fixes:

1) Before going to the dealer, I had a local shop balance the wheels, but the vibration remained. I asked the dealer to balance the wheels ($85). The dealer told me the tires where applying uneven road force (I'm guessing road force was uneven around the circumference of the tire), and therefore the tires needed replacement. However, after driving for several hundred miles with the newly balanced wheels, the vibration has gone away. There's plenty of tread left on the tires so I'll keep the tires till at least next summer, then get a nice set of W rated tires.
2) This one was user error. It turns out that the side view mirrors only tilt down when the side view mirror selector switch is set to R or L, when the switch is in the middle, the side view mirrors dont tilt down when you put the car in reverse.
3) Hood Struts were replaced under warranty - they work great now.
4) Radio was replaced under warranty - no problems.
5) passenger seatbelt latch was replaced under wrranty - works fine now.

I applaud Lexus service, they stood behind the little quirks of this particular Lexus product.

Recommendations:
Lexus owners - check your hood struts in cold weather before warranty runs out. Otherwise there are several posts about how to replace hood struts with inexpensive aftermarket units.

oac3

At ~60K miles, I had the right tilt down side mirror replaced under Lexus warranty. I complained to Lexus head office about a TSB on this for the '98 and suggested that it must not have been fixed quick enough for my '99 (actual build date/shipdate was 10/23/98). They agreed and it got fixed. The mirro housing and mirror alone cost $400 + labor. Ouch !

Now the car is at 73K miles, and here is an update:

1) Nothing
2) Nothing
3) Nothing
4) well... you are getting the picture....

The car is just purrfect.... What can I say ? I may need new tires soon. The current Continental tires look worn after only ca. 25K miles. I'll baby these until the summer when I'll likely put on the Bridgestone Turanza or Michelin.

Oh, FWIW, I have had all regularly scheduled service done to date. May account for why there has been nothing to complain about. Next service is 75k miles, coming up in 2 months.

It sure looks like the '05/'06 version will be the one to shoot for, with the AWD, bigger engine (500hp on v12), stretched version, etc.... Maybe finally Lexus will give Mercedes a run for their money on the highend luxury model - i.e. S600. Maybe....

afaleti

My LCD is messing up @!#$ Out ou warranty Clean 99LS