1996 LS 400 Mirrors VS 1998-2000 models
 

Having gotten a y2k LS400 it had a few minor issues and one was the passenger mirror being broken. The mirror has 2 screw studs on ball joints that allow it to adjust and is snapped in by the center round bit. Mine only had one white plastic screw stud and the middle bit was broken too. So it flopped about and the PO used (gag barf) tape to secure it. Ok, if this was a 92 ford crown vic with 400K on it, fine, but really...

Having cruised the forums I was wondering what was shared and what I could do to fix mine flopping about without paying $$$ to lexus to get the thing fixed.

Instead I went to the local pick and pull and snarfed a mirror glass out of a 1996 lexus ls400 - less than $6. Figured I could mooch parts from it at least and then make something work.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...fdcbacc7d8.jpg


Here is the difference in mirror shapes, and note, that the location of the adjusting studs moved too! WHY?? Da bums. The mirror backing plate is just about identical on 98s versus 97s so you can't share them. All you can share is the ball jointed based white plastic screw thingies.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...658317eec5.jpg


You can take a small pin punch after you lever up the mounting plate from the backing plate and push out the ball white plastic stud thingies. I did this to swap mine out and put the best ones on the mirror. However, the middle of my mounting plate is broken and doesn't secure the mirror so mine is just held on by the plastic stud thingies. Not great and the mirror is still a bit loose, but way better than before and I could remove all the packing tape that was holding the thing on.

It might not be too pricey to get just the white mounting plate and a couple of ball studs. That or wait for a 98-y2k to show up at a local bone yard.

You can pop this out by prying up from the bottom of the mirror housing with a screw driver padded with a towel or a plastic trim/upholstery tool like I used. The round hole in middle is suspended by two that lock the mirror in. The white screw thingies point towards us are what move the mirror about.



The 98-2000 mirror is on top, the 96 mirror is on bottom. note that the shape is different, the mounting plate (white bit) is the same, but the studs are mounted in different spots. one is shared, one is not. Studs are the same.


Hope that answers questions for you all and is helpful. The forum has already been helpful to me so I wanted to return the favor.

are you certain that mirror is from a 95-97 model? i am under the assumption that 95-00 mirrors are the same. you could have a 90-94 mirror there.

either way, thanks for sharing this info!

the series IV introduced a redesigned mirror housing to reduce wind noise. I guess they had to redesign the internals of the housing as well to be able to fit. I think the similarities begin and end at the mount for the mirror housing. I believe they are the same and a series III mirror housing can fit on a series IV and vice versa. Don't quote me however, I'm going off of what I've read from lexls and from when I bought my aftermarket housings, the guy said they would fit any 2nd gen.

i replaced the driver mirror in my wifes 2000 with one SUPPOSEDLY from a 95 ls400. it fit perfectly. you got a steal from that pick a part if that mirror has functioning autodim! wanna sell me yours for 20? :)

'98+ mirrors and wiring is significantly different as i recall. the whole housings will interchange though i'm not sure on the wiring.