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Sedans Lexus LS 400/LS 430 Lexus LS: Problems & Solutions 
2081 messages, Last post on Oct 30, 2006 at 9:56 AM
You are in the Lexus LS 400/LS 430 Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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I want to add to the data base with an interesting experience in my '99 LS. A couple of summers ago, I came out to the car at a friend's, started it, backed it up a few feet, put it in drive and nothing happened. I pressed the gas and the car just sat there, idling smoothly at the usual 800-900 rpm. I threw it in neutral and pressed the gas and nothing happened. I pressed further and further until at the far end of the pedal travel, I finally got the RPM up to maybe 1200. At that time, I also noticed the CHECK ENGINE light was lit (duh!) as was the TRAC/VSC OFF light (because the ECU turned it off as a precaution). Anyway, since I was able to coax the engine to 1200 using full travel, I swallowed hard and shifted it into drive and crept 6 blocks home and put it in the garage - it never went above 1200rpm and never shifted out of first (thankfully, I was in a residential area near my home and had no major streets or freeways to contend with). I turned the car off and went inside to consider what I was going to do. After fuming for half-an-hour, I went out and restarted the car (or re-booted, as they say). All was normal and I took it around the block - A-OK. I parked it, turned it off, re-started it again in 60 seconds and repeated my trip around the block - still A-OK. When I called my man at Superior Lexus, he knew exactly what it was - a soon-to-fail TPS (throttle position switch). Lexus must have already had a TSB circulating. He said bring it to KC as soon as possible for CPO warranty repair. I told him about how I discovered the "limp-home-mode" using full throttle to get enough RPM to move home in first and he said he thought that procedure was covered in the Owner's Manual. I told him it most definitely WAS NOT, nor do I think the two-volume mechanical Shop Manuals had that information (I don't own the third Shop Manual - which is devoted to electrical systems; maybe it's in there?). I drove the car around town for the rest of the week with no problems and then made the 225 mile trek to Superior Lexus in KC with no problems. The CPO warranty covered the $225 part and the $100 labor and two years have elapsed with nary a problem. As anyone else had an experience with this "limp-home-mode" (which is obviously designed to protect the car from damage.....but would be SO useless far from home)? I know we pay a fortune for this machine, but I also appreciate the complexity of today's modern cars, especially the good ones from the Asians. If this had happened in my '68 Cutlass, I would have coat-hangered and duct-taped the problem together and then probably not bothered fixing it properly until I was good and ready. Thanks for tolerating another long-winded posting. Happy cruising, everyone!  Mike |
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Hi, again. One more posting and I'll stop! I use a good pair of $200 polarized sunglasses for driving in the sun. I can drive 10 hours from MO to TX in the blazing sun with no eyestrain; they are great glasses, courtesy of my local optometrist (but give the LS the bigger credit for allowing me to drive that far with just one gas/potty break). While wearing them, I can barely see the phosphorus color touch screen for NAV/AC/Radio etc. I have to remove or tilt the glasses so I can see. The black LCD time and temp displays in the center column are the same way; hidden from view by my sunglasses. Fortunately, the whole Speedo/Odo driver's display is easily visible wearing these glasses. Seems to me I eMailed Torrance about this problem back when I first bought this CPO car in 2001 with my comments and a suggestion but I never heard back..........sigh. Question: Does anyone know if they have finally corrected this problem in the new flagship LS600? I also wear a good pair of yellow lens "blue-blockers" when driving in dark, rainy weather. I'd have to check again, but I believe they DO allow all displays to be seen clearly (not sure if they are polarized or not). Anyway.....just trying to share experiences and enrich the data base. Happy motoring, everyone.....  Mike
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Replying to: mikeyinmo (Sep 16, 2006 8:20 am) |
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Replying to: mikeyinmo (Sep 16, 2006 8:49 am) CPO, by the way is Certified Pre-Owned, and they come with an extended warranty. |
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Hi, rgsw and nybanker: Txs so much for your timely responses - after 12 hours, I was concerned that this chat post was "dead." Maybe I am just too anxious for a reply to my "niggling" problems. (But always remember this - we are Lexus owners, the proudest group in the world - and for good reason; we are privledged to own and drive the finest automobile ever built - [even tho it requires 93 octane and a horrible premium at the Dealer Service Bays...!!!]) rgsw, CPO is Certified Pre-Owned; It comes with a 3-year from date-of-purchase, maximum overall mileage of 100K, warranty. Covers most everything, as you can see from my 4 previous posts this date. It has treated me very well through two cars. And (plug, plug,) Superior Lexus (south) in KC MO has been been my preferred dealer of choice and they have actually manipulated the Lexus "system" in my favor during this CPO time. (can I say this on Edmunds? Hope no one at S.L.-KCMO gets in trouble!). Alas, it has expired.....sigh....so now I am on my own......... What a marketing scheme, though. Brilliant! Keeps the re-sale of used Lexus cars high......and you know it probably keeps the used Avalons and Camrys high, too. And it allows Lexus to jack their newer cars up to stratospheric levels...!!! And EVERYBODY in the chase after Lexus is playing ME TOO and CATCH UP. Bimmer, MB, Acura, Infinity; all the usual wanna-be's. (But would I buy a used Ford or Chevy with a 3-yr, unlimited mileage after it has been used?....Ummmmm, I think not). (Goodness, I wouldn't buy a NEW Ford...., not even with a ridiculous 8-yr, 100K new-car warranty like Korean Hundai is offering...........). In fact, I wouldn't accept by dear Mom's low-mileage, newer Buick Lesabre in her will (sorry, Mom; it IS a brilliant Lipstick-Red but, still.....no thanks). But I digress.....(sorry!) Back to the Lexus CPO and the pricing lug it takes to get one: I paid approx. 66% of sticker for my first, 3-year old LX ('94 model bought in '97 at 35K miles in KCMO). And then again, I paid almost exactly 66% of sticker for my present 3-year old '99 LX (which was bought in '02 at 25K miles; a real bargain at the time with such low mileage - again in KCMO). Both were basically fully loaded, and both a WONDERFUL joy to own. Being retired, the '99 may be the last one I buy - they will probably want $70-90K sticker for a loaded '07 LS600 (and even MORE for a tricked out LS600h) and the 70% 3-year math on THAT model is becoming prohibitive for my meager capital budget....lol....) (Though I guess I could wait 5-8 years and pick up a 150-200K mileage car for around 30-40K - or MORE?). But that's not important at this point in my life. I have been privledged to be able to own and drive two LX's ('94 and '99) and that is enuff for me. And the little doggies I have owned and transported in style and safety (black cocker "Sheila", rest her soul, and the present 30-lb "mutt" named "Buster") have loved the long trips we have taken, grinning at me from the back seat as we drove hundreds of miles with the backseat A/C aimed directly at them. Anyway, thanks for responding, rgsw and nybanker . I discovered this Edmund's site after I Googled "Lexus LS 400 - bad tires" or some such nonsense and here I am. Glad you like my writing, grsw. And, I DO have to ask an awful question of "nybanker," just because of your screen name: This last week we commerated 9/11 - 5 yrs now and even tho I live "safely" (I think) in a little university town in SE MO, I SO FEEL the heartache of NYC. Sir, were you involved? What did you see, what did you do, were you able to go home and kiss loved ones at 6PM? I so hope you were.......and God bless the people who air TV shows like NYPD Blue, Saturday Night Live and all the other TV shows that give us Midwesterner's a perhaps somewhat distorted view of NYC. Make no mistake...........we feel your pain here in the Heartland....and we so love you all. Happy motoring, everybody. Enjoy this beautiful country...especially as 93 octane is dipping to below two bucks and a half.  Mike
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Replying to: mikeyinmo (Sep 16, 2006 8:34 pm) As for Fords, I understand the new CEO of Ford arrived with an LS430 and he had some good words for Lexus. I suppose he will be driving a Ford/Lincoln soon. As for cost of Lexus ownership, I read in the media that "new" cars depreciate about 30% the first year. My experience on "one year" trades on LS430 is nearer 15%. My rationale, is you get a new warranty, new tires, new car for the 15% depreciation. When I traded for my first LS, I traded a 3 year old Yukon and a Chevy S-10. The few problems that I have had have been corrected by the dealer on a timely basis. As you point out in your posts, they sometimes bend over backwards to provide customer satisfaction. That's been my experience. On my most recent purchase, the dealer also threw in a cupon/voucher for a free 10K inspection and switched the XM Radio from the old LS to the new one as part of the deal. If you have not seen the "search" feature at the top of the forum page, it is very useful in researching comments on specific subjects. Happy Motoring. |
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Replying to: mikeyinmo (Sep 16, 2006 8:34 pm)  I was not there, and had no relatives there, so I was left undamaged as were you. I have not forgotten it. |
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Replying to: mikeyinmo (Sep 16, 2006 2:46 pm) I don't have NAV system but know exactly what you're talking about. I also wear polarized sunglasses and when I used to wear a beloved pair of Revo$ (loved those glasses!), I could not read the digital screen on some of the gas pumps. |
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