2002 without smartkey. My car battery is so dead that the remote unlock won't work. Driver door lock has either been installed incorrectly after a door panel removal, or someone tampered with it, either way neither of my 2 keys will turn in it. Neither of my keys work in the trunk lock cylinder either - both have been like this for the past 3-4 years. I had Lexus dealership look at both locks this past September and they tried lubricating, but concluded I need new locks. The passenger door doesn't have a hidden lock underneath the part behind the door pull handle.

Since I have the UL trim, my glass is double-paned and extra thick, plus the LS430 is built to pretty tight tolerances, so the standard car break-in method of inserting a wedge in the crack of the door and inflating the little airbag to pry the door open just enough to stick a long metal rod inside to reach the lock switch might flex the glass too much and break it, and/or will permanently bend the door and result in wind noise. In addition, the inside lock switch appears to be designed to foil this method anyway, as the switch is very round and tucked in, with barely any lip to grab onto to flip open. Has anyone with a UL utilized CAA/AAA/locksmith to get in using the little airbag without any damage?

So far, the options I've brainstormed are:
1) Through the grille, drill the plastic area in front of the hood lock to expose the spring, and apply enough pressure on the spring (in the correct direction) to simulate the cable being pulled.





The first pic (standalone lock) is supposedly a 2001-2003 LS430 lock. The next 3 pics are for a GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005), but seems pretty similar. Can the lock be released by pushing or pulling on either spring? I know the cable goes in through the top right but don't recall what the mechanism inside looks like.

2) Through the grille, somehow pry apart or drill through the hood lock control cable cover (53629-50010, 53629-50011), surgically slice open the sheathing, then pull the steel wire inside to simulate the handle being pulled from the inside.
3) Find a constant-on/live direct 12V positive line to the battery, and plug in a battery there. Normally the trunk interior lights should work for this, but I can't get into the trunk. Even if my key was able to turn the cylinder, pretty sure there is zero mechanical link to the latch - latch is motorized and requires power to unlatch.
4) Break the grey inside part of the grille (53112-50090) which will cost CAD$400 to replace, then I have much easier access to the hood lock and the control cable cover and can likely get access to cable to pull the latch open.
5) Locksmith to use wedge+airbag+rod on front door to push lock switch from inside, assuming this won't warp the door or shatter the double-paned glass
6) Can anyone crawl underneath their car, remove the underbody shield, and take a picture upwards into the lock and/or confirm that it is/isn't possible to use a long hook to pull the cable? I'm parked outside and it's cold and snowy here.

Through the grille, I was already able to undo the 3 bolts holding the hood lock in place, but that still doesn't help much since the lock comes out through the bottom, and the hood being latched stops that downward movement to free the lock mechanism.

Anyone have any other ideas? Any other places to tap into the 12V line? Any hidden remote terminals?

As of 2004, the LS430, SC430, and IS200 were the only cars ever to score the maximum 100 points in the annual What Car? security supertest, and the LS430 scored 100% four years in a row. A variety of tests were conducted, aimed at reproducing the techniques used by professional car criminals. “To achieve a maximum score, it has to go way beyond passing both the entry and drive away tests. This is no mean feat in itself,” commented Steve Fowler, editor of What Car?. Performance far exceeded Home Office guidelines in which a car’s locks must be able to withstand a two minute attack test and a five minute attack on the car’s immobiliser system. The LS430 was also helped to top position with its visible VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), marked parts, etched glass, secure spare wheel, locking wheel nuts and barrelless boot lock (it can’t be drilled out). In addition to the award from What Car?, the LS430 is the only car on the market to achieve a five star rating in the NCSR (New Car Security Ratings) tests carried out in 2001. The LS430 scored a maximum five stars in the intensive ‘theft of’ vehicle tests and also in the ‘theft from’ tests.

 

You have a tough problem that is far above my expertise and pay grade. That said, have you thought about accessing a 12v wire through the side mirrors. The glass is easy to pop out and you may be able to access a 12v wire to back feed. I used a Youtube video to remove and replace my mirror glass. I believe it was for a GS but they all mount pretty much the same.

Also, can you access the light above the license plate. Just some thoughts to get the ball rolling. Best of luck and please let us know how it works out.

 

You're not doing it right. Push harder.

 

More seriously, I would spray the insides of the locks with GRAPHITE spray. Work the mechanical key in/out multiple times, repeat spray and work the key in/out again. Unless the pins are actually broken, this should free them.

Do NOT use WD40 or other oil based lubriant. Dry graphite power is OK, but best is to find the spray graphite which has the power suspended in a non-residue carrier.

Insert the key not quite fully before starting to attempt turning. Sometimes, a fraction of a mm out allows a key to turn a lock that otherwise won't turn at full insertion.

----

If you have a flexible borescope, you can also approach the battery from the left, trailing edge of the hood. Go between the hood and the rubber weatherstrip underneath it. If the battery's protective, red plastic cover is not completely covering the positive terminal/cable, that could let you establish contact using a stiff, insulated wire.

 

Use the slide out key in the truck lock, it's a mechanical release or as mentioned try and get the drivers door cylinder moving again. Failing that go in through the underside on a lift so you can remove the covers without need for breaking anything to release the hood.

I've had to do this for a few S-classes with broken hood cables and one 7 as well that had no power and mismatched/broken physical keys

 

Jack up the front of the car. Remove the under tray. Put a positive jumper cable on the positive post on the alternator, the other on the engine block.

 

You may have to use a mirror to see the positive post on the alternator. I think its on the top. Be careful putting the jumper cable on the post. Maybe use a smaller clamp so it only touches the positive post and not the body of the alternator to not short things out. Then once the wire is secure connect it to the alternative voltage source(battery pack/booster).

 

The conclusion of this tale is needed.

 

I had the same issue with our old RX400h. AAA was able to use "slim jim" to open door without inflatable wedge method. It turned out that the linkage in the electronic actuator mechanism where the mechanical key rotates to lock and unlock was broke.

 

I found the solution across two older threads on these forums prior to seeing pmesfun's suggestion above.

I saw https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l#post10342248 where rkw77080 identified that there is indeed a direct 12V line to the battery, and then found https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...l#post10376550 where lexusls211 described successfully tapping into this alternator terminal.

Starting from the driver side, I undid over 10 10mm bolts, and leaving the final bolt in the furthest back passenger side intact but loosened. The reason is twofold: (1) it's snowy out with -18C windchill and this bolt is the furthest to reach while wearing a winter jacket, and (2) you can pivot the entire splash shield on this one bolt, and rotate the entire shield towards the driver-side, revealing access to the alternator.

From there, I removed the rubber plug on the top of the alternator, which is a direct +12V line to the battery, had to slide the rubber plug down the wire a bit to get enough space to cleanly attach my battery charger positive clamp. I clamped the charger's negative to a random bolt nearby.

Plugged in my charger and set it to 2A (my other option was 12A or 75A jumpstart, and per pg.393 of the 2002 Owner's Manual, "Only do a slow charge (5 A or less). Charging at a quicker rate is dangerous. The battery may explode causing personal injuries."

Then just like user lexusls211 said, the alarm goes off for 30-60 seconds and you can hear various electronics and motors firing up as everything initializes, and by mashing the unlock key on the fob, the car will eventually recognize the key, stop honking, and unlock the door. I can now unlock all doors and open the hood, but since it's snowing, I'm continuing to charge from underneath.

There are NUMEROUS dead battery threads in the LS430 forums, so I think it's "normal" for the LS430 to kill the battery if it sits still for 12-14 days. My <3yo Costco battery was pretty dead when the car was parked this past March til June, and I exchanged it for a new battery in mid-June, so this new battery is definitely under 1yr old.

As others in this forum have advised and/or said their dealer did for them, it is best to install an onboard plug-in charger like the NOCO Genius GEN Mini 1 (smaller 4A box) or GENPRO10X1 (bigger 10A 4lb box) On-board Battery Charger if you go more than 7 days without driving your LS430. I have gone through 3 or 4 batteries in the past 11 years, and it doesn't seem to matter how new the battery is - they always die after 12 days. However, this is the first time for me that it was so dead that the doors couldn't unlock. The Costco Group 24F batteries are 700CCA. Costco online also sells a Group 24F Energizer AGM, Item #1226340, 710CCA - I'm buying AGM next time for sure.

In the summer, I'll open up my driver door to see why my driver door lock cylinder isn't moving (I've taken the door apart a few times, fixing the auto-closer, refoaming the door speaker, etc - maybe I reinstalled the linkage incorrectly), and I'll do a more detailed electrical system analysis with a DMM to try to figure which component is causing the battery drain.

 

I have left mine sitting for over 30 days at a time at least three times with an AGM without issues when I go back to it, try a better battery type

 

I have found that an AGM battery significantly reduces these types of issues.