End of the road? This '96 Lexus LS 400 thinks so. The CAR WIZARD finds out what's really going on
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ธ.ค. 2022
- This 1996 Lexus LS400 thinks the world is about to end. Why are there so many warning lights on the dash of this super reliable car? The CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ finds the solution in just a few minutes.
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Fixed the description line. It is a 1996. Not a 99. Thanks guys.
It’s not 96 wheels, could be 99 wheels
I wish you be closer here in Miami,FL Wizard, my 95 Ls400 has the traction light flashing and it seen no mechanic can't tell me what is wrong with it since they all says is a 95 and newer computers can't communicate with the car...I LOVE WHEN YOU MAKE VIDEOS ON THE LS 400 man... keep it up please 🙏🙏👍👍
@@EsmilBaker If you ever come to Naples or close to it, try Saby's Garage. He used to work for Germain Lexus.
@@EsmilBaker contact Rainman Ray Repairs he is in Bradenton Florida
What do you think of 2nd...and I guess even 3rd...generation Lexus ES300s? Would love to see you do a video on the golden age (IMHO) of the ES300.
The design of this era of LS is timeless. It looks luxury and relevant even today.
I think the 2009 looks timeless.... And it looks a lot more like a Mercedes-Benz
There are some vids on how Toyota developed the engine. Worth watching.
No. It looks like a car from the 90s.
Uhhhh nahhh lol it looks very 90s. It's cool though. I'd say the ls 430 facelift is far more timeless
It is a fantastic car, but we shouldnt put the rosy glasses on. This car was a knockoff mercedes benz. Granted, the drivetrain was 10 times the mercedes but still...
These cars are proof that cars COULD be made reliable, if a company wanted to.
Amen
It depends on the company, if they want to make the money they want on the car or with parts. Now days they make it to brake.
AND the customer wanted to pay for it.
27 years old and the ABS is still working! Remarkable.
Not on a BMW
@@CarWizard let’s see if the promising b module platform does better 😉
Why? Because it's not an American car!!!
@@CarWizard even new Toyota not the same this amazing car ! Now a day quality is very low even in Toyota 🙅🏻♂️
@@CarWizard the letters
**B M W** STAND FOR
**B** OWEL
**M** OVEMENT
**W** IPES
I had a similar experience with my LS 430 - oil control valve going bad caused traction control warning lights to pop. A little reading, $100, and 20 minutes under the hood cleared all the codes and replaced the parts with made in Japan Lexus brand parts. Highly recommend these vehicles, there’s no better 20 year old car you can buy.
Ha I have the very similar story! Good old Toyotas.
but when they fuck up arent they hideously expensive to fix?
@@themysterycook7320 Not really, it’s a Toyota, although some things like suspension parts are pricey, anything that isn’t on another Toyota car or truck. Insanely over built and reliable, and the driving experience makes spending the money feel worth it.
@@haircutdeluxe here noone wants them, everyone says too expensive to fix..
Do not, under any circumstances, put Commie-made parts in these. They may cost less but you get what you pay for.
My Explorer had some weird noises coming from the back end (or so I thought). I was scared my differential had thrown in the towel after 188k miles, so I took it to a transmission shop. Like you, Car Wizard, they did an inspection first. It was just a loose control arm on the left FRONT. $35 later and I was back in business. A lot of mechanic shops would have just dumped friction additive into the differential and sent me on my way, with the loose control arm still flopping around and making noise. Glad there are some thorough and honest shops around my area too, not just in Kansas.
This is why I DIY, know may cars. What year Ex.?
That's really just standard procedure to inspect any vehicle when it comes in the shop. Problems can arise generally from bad communication. When there are too many people involved. Service advisor, shop manager, shop foreman and then the technician. It's frustrating on both ends. Both the customer and the technician. That's why I generally talk to the customers myself. No information lost.
And then you can have the customer that's already pissed before he gets to the shop. Maybe he had a bad experience somewhere before. I'll just use your car as an example. Customer says " My rear end is making noise. Just fix that and don't look at anything else." Technician looks at the rear end. No problems found. Now the customer is pissed even more and now questions the technicians ability because he can't find any issue.
It's all about communication. Cars cannot be repaired properly if the customer does not want it inspected.
Some days can be nothing but frustration.
@@Mike-qp8bv
Frustration, you’re being polite and respectful
I'm glad that you found an honest mechanic cause they could have charged you hundreds of dollars and it still wouldn't be right
@@Mike-qp8bv it also shows why the Car Wizard says it doesn't pay to self-diagnose (he said it on a previous video), but make the mechanic figure it out. Just like with the Lexus in the video, my Explorer required no parts and very little labor time to fix, so I'm grateful they ignored my attempts to self-diagnose because I was WAY off. And like you, the mechanic who fixed it came up and told me what he found himself so everything was clear.. Overall it made my Christmas, not having to cough up another $1000-2000 on top of what I've already spent this year keeping it on the road.
Another example of the best of Toyota's engineering only needing some thought
and a little tlc, rather than replacing a lot of expensive parts.
Having worked in electronics all my life, my early days of training on how to do
methodical fault finding has saved me rebuilding a item just to find the fault.
The hardest part with cars is find a "Car Wizard" near you, and not just a spare
part fitter of which there are plenty.
We’ve got a ‘99 LX470 and this thing is basically a tank. It’s especially good in the snow that we get here in the Great White North 🇨🇦. I expect this vehicle to be on the road for many more years.
I hope that you're Lexus lasts a long time
@@Vincent-ke5zn Thank you 😊
It won't be if you're not fastidious about rust prevention on that frame
Have O2 lx
Had 00 and 01 land cruiser
How can you not love these!?!? ❤
Great car. I had mine for 315,000 miles... ran and looked great... a creep sawed off the catalytic converter and I couldn't afford to fix it. How I miss it. Had an ES 350 too. Had a Mercedes wagon of the same year and never again. Expensive to maintain and not nearly as reliable in the long term
My first car was a GS400 that had been badly neglected, and I replaced an awful lot of worn out stuff... But it ran perfect until it got hit. So I bought a GS430 that same night. Once you own a UZ, you can't own anything else.
230k miles? This thing hasn’t even reached a quarter of its life expectancy yet
Hey Dave: For a rig that's 23 years old with a quarter of a million miles on it; it's a solid ride... Toyota did the right thing in over engineering this car and it should provide many more years of service to come... From the home of PB Blaster Silicone spray... Cleveland, Ohio....
Greetings from, "remove it with a torch, WNY!"
@@stevenatwater7298 lol
@@stevenatwater7298 Nothing beats the blue flame adjustable. Well, maybe the BFH.
over-engineering is the opposite of what Toyota does.
The germans do that and have reliability issues.
Straight forward tech, easy accessable (even for a V8) ... Their hybrid system is 25 years old. The improved it. That's all.
Battalon hit on what I was thinking. Things have been engineered so well today that they build in life expectancy just until after the warranty ends. Without supercomputers, parts were designed work...... forever.
I don't understand why anyone who isn't really into cars buys anything other than a Toyota
I think it’s more for the illusion of not buying a “ boring “ car even though 80% of the cars on the road today are meant to appeal to people who don’t care about their car outside of it being a method of transportation and nothing else. They won’t buy a Toyota Corolla, RAV4, Highlander, etc, because they’re a “ boring “ car but then turn around and go buy something like a GMC Acadia, Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fusion, and anything else along those lines even though those cars are also about as boring and generic as they come. It’s more so people trying to be “ different “ even though there are hundreds of thousands of other drivers with the same car anyway
Because for us who actually enjoy cars don't want to drive the cars from the most mundane boring overhyped blobs that Toyota makes .
Boring junk
What are u frigging talking about brother, just bought a w203 2007 merc estate and its brilliant, supa quiet,lovely automatic gear change,just a lovely drive!🤨👁👌👌🙏👍👊👊👊
I am into cars and still get Toyota. Wanted a treat and new car for myself and really wanted a great and fun summer car. Was it a Mustang, or Challenger or GTI or a BMW?
Nope. V6 Camry. Good looking, comfortable and still a lot of fun to drive. Some performance tradeoff, true. But will be able to enjoy it for 20 years, not just five.
Toyotas break just as often as everyone else. The proof is their stores still have huge service department in the rear, which are always full. The difference between Toyota and others is this A) low fleet sales, which bring down the values of the cars and B ) usually a better owner who keeps up with service from day one. Making them better used cars.
The LS400, E38 7 series, and W221 S class I think are timeless designs and will always look great.
Don’t for get the 220
W202
I agree, especially about the W221. I was about to buy a nice used one to replace my '06 C219, but the mechanic at the MB dealer told me to forget it because of reliability issues. So I still have the C219 and it's still going strong.
Gotta say, I adore my 95' LS400. Old girl doesn't look nearly as good as this 96' but shes still running great!
Undoubtedly the best car that I have ever owned. One problem I had was that the steering pump leaked over the alternator and both had to be replaced, a common fault apparently. Also adjustable shocks went bad.
Same problem with the power steering pump/alternator on my 1995 LS400.
Third for my 1992 😔 God I miss that car
What about leaking steering rack? They are notorious for leaking. I replaced mine and a few years later it needs to be replaced again.
Very common. Something to look out for. Mine started leaking about 8 yrs. ago and I added a thick PS sealer to the reservoir just to try to hold out until I could get the pump replaced. It stopped leaking almost at once, so I've just kept an eye on it since.
You’re such an honest man. A lot of the dealers know this would be the problem but charge you to diagnose per light on to scam you
$200 fix at omega, $1000 fix at a dealership. Excellent work mr and mrs wizard 🍻
Lexus dealerships are actually nice , i doubt they would exploit people
@@sergiopereira9546 Yeah in Europe this is the case as my Swedish buddy tells me with his Lexus dealers. Here in America, they're still privately owned and you just have to have a good dealer near you, or they'll exploit you.
I have 2 dealers in my town. The one near me in the auto mall charges DOUBLE than the one on the SE side of town. But they're still crazy expensive, but they did give me a good in depth inspection on my 93 LS400, but I will do as much service my self as I can such as installing a new rack and pinion, rebuilding my PS pump, valve cover gaskets, etc.
I'm not paying the couple THOUSANDS they ask just for basic stuff.
Today this car looks better than the MB it was based on. Love the two-tone. Great Daily. Beter future classic.
It was not "based" on an MB.
I believe that all of those ligths coming on at once help people stopping procrastinating on their cars repairs. Thats a good way to keep a car healthy
Every time someone mentions the 1st gen LS400 I want to buy one immediately. Sadly they are very rare in germany
Appreciate your informative information and enjoy the subject matter and content. I went ahead and ordered the code reader shown in this video. Used your link. I don't have an LS400 but I do have a LX470 and I am looking to keep that thing going for a while. Not interested in buying anything new at the ridiculous prices of today. Thank you!
That car is ageless just amazing
Greetings Dave, My first look at your show and channel here. I like it. I have a 1979 MGB. With pertronics ignition and I reverted back to the dual SU HS4 carbs. I've learned to work on my car & I fully restored it. I also put a proper overdrive in a dozen years ago, and I've lowered it to the pre-rubber bumper riding height. She starts with half turn of the key! Reliable and a blast to drive it!
This is how you can tell that Car Wizard is a real mechanic and not just a parts changer
hes really really intelligent!!
@@themysterycook7320 Im not so convinced. I bought a used GMC Terrain 120,000, and I put 90,000 additional miles, just had it serviced....the mechanic was like no issues, you can get another 100,000, easily. Mr Wizard made a video about GMC Terrains, basically never buy a GMC Terrain....they are junks and they have serious engine failures, could be catastrophic ...sorry but not all these mechanics are genius.
yeah, the wizard is very overweight and hes hardly mr energy/flash gordon eh?
@@MBB563 maybe you just got a lemony Terrain.
@@MBB563 I DUNNO how large a gmc terrain is, sounds in donald trump lingo ''yoooooge!!' but go toyota next time if possible. not mitsubishi. toyota..
I had a 98 LS400. What an awesome car. During 12 years of ownership it was in the shop maybe 4x only. Sold it with 165k on it.
Last of the LS400 models. Best of the best - still the most comfortable car I have ever owned.
@@gavinr9107Last year of the LS400 was 2000
Why did you sell it, if it’s good, keep on keeping on
@@dirtfarmer7472 while the mileage wasn't terrible but she'd been hit a few times and looks wise she wasn't great. Most reliable vehicle I've ever owned.
@@nyccollin Yes it was. 98-00 was the 'third gen' I believe, last of the original models before the LS430 was released.
Just sold my LS430 with 235K miles...still ran flawlessly
I love those cars, I almost traded my 2000 Mercedes c230 Kompressor for one with about the same mileage but couldn't bring myself to let go of my Mercedes . It only has 130,000 miles on it and the supercharged m111 it has is one of the best engines Mercedes ever made I think . It's been dead nuts reliable since I have owned it over the last 4 years
The main reason I would pick the Lexus versus the Mercedes is for cheaper and more plentiful wear parts.
@@Mis73rRand0m suprisingly everything is relatively cheap I myself was shocked. And parts are plentiful just not here in the US. That is one drawback is that if I do need a part 90 percent chance that I'll have to order it from Europe somewhere so it takes between a week to a few weeks to get something I need . But the W202 Mercedes is hugely popular outside of the US so there is a huge aftermarket parts supply and like I said I have been shocked at how cost effective this car has actually been. I think the w202 was the last real solid Mercedes generation made . Even the way the car is designed was done with forethought. Out of all the cars I have owned and worked on this car is actually enjoyable when working on it . Plenty of space to work on things I especially like how the hood has the ability to open all the way up where it's straight up giving you the same amount of room as removing the hood . And it's all around really well made . I almost passed on it but I'm sure glad I didn't it's been probably my favorite car and I have owned well over 20 . My mother liked it so well that she wanted to trade me her 2017 Ford escape but after I drove it for a week I backed out because the ride was rough. Now I'm glad I didn't because the transmission is failing in the Ford escape. It has the bigger twin turbo Ecoboost 4 cylinder which I admit it makes good power . It's right on par as far as speed as my Mercedes. But unfortunately for my mom the transmission is starting to fail and will need replacement. Other than that it too has been a good car and runs well . Just turned out that they have shit transmissions . I'll never buy a newer car I see way too many less than 5 years old with blown engine or transmission issues. It's not worth it I'd rather put the same 20 or 30 k into a couple of older cars and basically make them like new for the same price but better quality than the cars made today.i have seen and know so many people that have had to make payments on a car with a bad motor or transmission and they can't afford to fix it because of the payment. It's just a loosing situation to me . I'd rather buy something cheap and go through it and have a reliable car for way less and no payment.
@@miztatone918 No matter how much money you put into them, they'll never be like new again, unless you ship of theseus that thing (at which point, you might as well have just bought a new one). Time makes fools of us all, even automobiles.
Well, the LS400 is a big upgrade over the Mercedes C class. The Lexus is a bigger vehicle and much more comfortable. Unless it's a Merc E class, there is just no contest with the LS400. In terms of maintenance, you'll be surprised that your 4 cylinder C230 K engine actually needs more engine oil quantity than the V8 1UZ-FE 4.0L engine from the Lexus.
The M111 was the last good Mercedes 4 cylinder petrol engine. Everything after that was rubbish.
I liked when these cars came in once in a while to the toyota dealer i use to work at...felt like a important person driving it while knowing ill actually make it back to the shop vs a merc or bmw lol
Bullet proof vehicle!! They go forever. The 1UZFE has two ignition coils. One for either side of the V. The drivers side is tucked away near the bottom. That one always goes out due to the placement being beside the exhaust manifold. Great video!!!
2 coils is correct. I had to move both out the way when I did my timing belt.
I giggled cause I knew better. The Cartune company has a UZ channel - a good mate of mine and super into these cars and engines
Yeah, I thought exactly the same. The one on bank 1 is a pain to get to. But credit where credit is due, Car Wizard has the cilinder count right. Lexus uses odd numbers for one bank, even numbers for the other.
@@nct9466 nice pointing toward about the cartune company, it's quite a treasure trove of ls400 stuff despite the kiwi munching sounding accent(not sure if its the fruit or the birdie though 😬). anyway, gotta adapt. thanks! 😉👌
@@kittytrail hey don’t knock my accent! Bitch... lol
I’ve been to the Wizards shop n I live near Cartune n known kelvin since early 90s....
Hell yeah! One of my all time favorite looking sedans. I want one of these so bad!!!
Get one soon! People are starting to appreciate what a steal these are. I got a GS430 dirt cheap about 6 years ago, and while not as ritzy as an LS, it's just as sturdy.
My former boss had a LS430 he was getting serviced. They told both struts were bad and needed replacement for $630. This was around '07 if I remember correctly. Meanwhile, he was out on the showroom floor and checked out the LS460 and ordered one. Lo and behold, they installed new struts FOC calling it "goodwill warranty". BTW, he had over 200K miles on it and it ran like new.
I know it's a cliche now but it's also true, the high level of engineering on these cars simply cannot be overstated. I had a 93 LS400 get donated to our High school. I had 208k miles and no electrical power to any system, but the motor would crank over and over and not fire. Long story short, replaced several fuses, full service, and (root cause of its troubles) a computer rebuild from a third party, and she ran perfectly! I purchased the car from the school and put 15k miles on it. My mom needed a car so I sold it to her and she put 12k miles on it. She decided to get a SUV and then sold it to my daughter in college and she has put over 18k miles on it to date!
I had an ls400 that wasn’t running right and it turned out to be the ecu as well. Sadly by the time i figured that out it was too late. Still miss that car, one of my favorites
you (re)sell your cars to your immediate family members? interesting... 🤔
@@kittytrail rarely but I did in this case. It’s that good of a car.
How much did you pay for it?
@@zackanderson3914 500 bucks.
Thank you, Wizard and Mrs. Love the LS400, and the tech tips
Man that body style is flawless, Lexus all day baby.
There is NO end of the world scenario for anything with a Lexus emblem on it. Class dismissed.
My 2002 Lexus ES300 is just as amazing. I'm the 2nd owner and its at 172,500 miles (bought it in April 2021 with 160k miles). EVerything still works like new. Shortly after buying it the rear struts started leaking, had all 4 replaced with one notch below OEM. Rides like new and the rear end sits up much higher then before. Also, last year replaced the OEM Alternator, AC compressor (started squealing). Then this spring the Starter crapped out. All replacement parts were GENCO. also earlier this year i had the ignition coil in one of the front cylinder threw a misfiring code. Replaced all 6 coil packs and plugs with Denso parts. Now its smooth as can be. I change the synthetic oil every 5k miles, last change was in May, have about 3,600 miles on it since that change and it hasnt burnt any oil ! 1MZ engine is amazing.
I was looking for a decent one....couldn't find any. So bought a newer 2014 LS
I really like your conclusion for car repairing estimates over the phone or email. Yes, there are many different reasons for the same symptoms. Sometimes it may be serious, sometimes not.
I have one of those strut locks on one of my cars. I added the struts to replace a prop, which I hated, & the struts work well, but it takes very little for them to close. The clamp acts as a handy safety device.
Thank you Wizard i really enjoy all of the videos and i hope there are many more to come.
These are great. Subarus and Toyotas both like to throw all the lights at the first ecm dtc set. When you scan the other modules you will have a hermetic code for example “abs MIL requested by ecm”
The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on TH-cam! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!
Just before (I had to edit out the huge worldwide thing that occurred in 2020, because guidelines) started, I bought a '96 SC400. With one family ownership and service history I had no concern at all that it had 185,000 miles on it. Almost four years and the only problem I've had is a sunroof drain tube messing up and flooding the interior. Had to take everything out and vacuum out the 3" deep pond in the floorboard. I hate sunroofs. Other than that it's been a gem.
Thank you, as the owner of a 95 with 295K I appreciate your wisdom. We first got ours and it ran crappy. It was pinched to ground spark plug wires in the area where the wires run then branch off to cyl. So some cyl weren't firing. this caused buildup in cats. had to run some BG 44k which helped. New Denso o2 upstream sensors REALLY helped
I had a '97 ES. Easily my favorite vehicle of all time.
One of the best cars ever made.
I had a car diagnosed over the phone. I bought a brand new Fiat 124 Sport Coupe from people I knew. I helped them lock up when I left. On the drive home, the volt meter fell to zero. I called thier compeitor, also a friend of mine, and expalined the situation. He said the big orange wire had fallen off the fuse box, he was right. Reinstalled it and gave it a little squeeze. all was good.
Another great video, thank you, love keeping up with your reliability reviews. My Toyota avensis threw the same lights for a brake light lamp failure, abs, TCS etc for a lamp! Third Toyota now and wouldn’t want another manufacturer of car.
All hail the absolutely superb 1UZ-FE ❤
Ls400 is pretty great, I have been able to do most major repairs with just regular tools, some systems are complex like the vacuum tubing but pretty simple in terms of diagnosing
Wizard i took your advice and bought a Lexus, a 99k mile dark green IS300 SportCross wagon with 2JZGE. its been a superbly comfortable reliable fast fun practical and imo stylish car but it had a niggling check engine light and a fault code, P0443. My garage changed the oil etc but didnt want to mess with it and sent me to the Lexus main dealer, who ran a health check (all good apart from the CEL and some tyres, not bad for 2004 Toyota!) and confirmed it was something called the Evapourative System Vacuum Switcxhing Valve. They asked £830 to fix it, or the best part of $1000. I assumed it was deep in th eengine or perhaps above the fuel tank and an absolute nightmare to reach, but decided to see if I could fix it so didnt pay them except for the health check sheet. I did some research and bought the part I thought I needed, which fortunately was extremely easy to reach, on the manifold under a plastic engine cover. It was held on with a single bolt, and some vacuum lines and a plug. i swapped it for the new part (including 10 mins of swearing when my cold fingers dropped the bolt into the abyss and had to find it in the undertray.. but anyway i fitted the new part with my new socket set, did some tests on the old part with my new multimetre (confirmed duff) cleared the code with my new odb device and now have been driving for several days in all types of traffic and roads and so far.. no light. If it truly is fixed, this is the first time i ever fixed a car, and saved £705 doing it, and it was thanks to watching your videos and getting a little confidence to try it myself.
Thanks!
I hope one day i can afford a lovely workshop/office/world HQ like yours!
Thanks again
Alex
Same in my 06 Avalon. Cylinder misfire gave a traction control and VSC light plus CEL
The 95-97 LS400 is my favorite. Just great cars.
After owning crap GM all my life because my dad worked for GMPD I gave up on the brand. I'm now a converted owner of 2 Lexus's, 14 RX & a 18 GS 350 F-Sport RWD which I'm hoping will be the last cars I ever own at 58 years old. Both are naturally aspirated V6's and have constant PM's performed on them to increase longevity. Neither car has been back to the shop for ANY failure period, although the 18 will have the fuel pump recall performed at "The Car Care Nut's" shop in the Chicagoland area since Wizard is too far away from me. Dealerships are useless for maintenance unless it's a warranty item and I'm paying out of pocket for the fuel pump recall since the dealer always does some type of cosmetic damage to my cars.
Stick with independants like Wizard since guys like him are always more trustworthy than any dealership. Remember folks, the dealers motto is always sell, sell,sell whether the customer needs it or not! Being a car guy all my life I got tired of all the premature failure on most domestics. I'll sacrifice bells and whistles on most brands for Toyota/Lexus reliability any day!
It's all I'll buy now.
My dad gave me a 03 Corolla about 5 years ago and it had 198k on it . Today it's got 256k and all I fixed on it was valve cover gasket and intake plenum gasket. It just works, everything even the power windows. It really is " ole reliable" .
@@Derek8487 Good for you, keep that car going!
I’ve got a 3.4L 2001 Supercharged Toyota 4Runner which (according to previous owner) had the supercharger installed at 3.7k miles in Louisiana. (TX truck)
At 212k miles now, it got a timing belt & water pump, valve cover gaskets, a fresh set of plugs and she runs like a damn top. I wouldn’t be afraid to run it across the country and even better, it’s been boosted it’s entire life. Previous owner took REALLY good care of it and really kept up. Cleanest used car I’ve ever bought, even with the mileage it has.
I had a 96 4runner with 370k on it, TRD supercharger was on it for 200k miles. Frame rusted out I’m in New York, I removed the charger me and my son refurbished it and bolted it on my sons 04 lifted Tacoma and added the seventh injector kit. Runs great he loves it lol.
@@pattersonfilm9117 bet that thing lights up the tires! Can’t imagine the rust y’all have up yonder and the hell it brings to them yotas.
Keep up with the maintenance and even with high miles it’ll still pull on most new vehicles
My 93 LS400 was running on the factory spark plugs, and wires at 140k miles. I replaced them all with NGK plugs and wires, I was amazed how well it ran on factory plugs.
I also just did a cluster swap with a cluster I snagged from a 94 LS, the car I took the cluster out of I found out had 295,545 miles. And it looked nice, and I can guarantee it was at the pull-a-part not because of engine failure, but because it was badly wrecked. My car has a CEL, for the MAF sensor, which is difficult to find a working one.
I have a lexus ls430 2001 with 370,000 miles with original engine and transmission. Original starter and alternator. Have had the timing belt pulleys serpentine belt spark plugs waterpump thermostat all replaced at every 100,000 miles. Just regular maintenance brake pads and fluids. The ls430 are bullet proof car with regular maintenance
Same with my '02 Sequoia with 340k miles. Although the shifter indicator light bulbs have started to burn out in the IP. I'm writing a letter to Toyota expressing my bitter disappointment.
I'm never buying another Toyota again...because it might just outlive me.
Wow that’s so awesome 👏🏽
These older LS' from Lexus (the 1990's) are getting old already, but these vehicles are still running as it is a brand new one. Anyway, hopefully by spring, the Car Wizard will do a buy this, not that video for minivans, as the weather warms up, parents pick up and drop off their children at soccer practices and tournaments and go on road trips in the summer. I have a list for the minivans:
Honda - To Buy: 2011 to 2017 Odyssey with the 3.5 L V6 and six-speed automatic (extremely fuel-efficient and less problems)
Not to Buy: 1999 to 2010 Odyssey with the 3.5 L V6 and any automatic (numerous problems with the transmission)
Toyota - To Buy: 2011 to 2016 Sienna with the 3.5 L V6 engine and six-speed automatic (2017 to 2020 - problems with eight-speed)
Not to Buy: 1991 to 1997 Previa with any four-cylinder engine and any transmission (poor safety rating and way too old)
Mopar - To Buy: 2001 to 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan or Chrysler Town and Country with any V6 and any automatic (fairly reliable)
Not to Buy: 2011 to present Dodge Grand Caravan or Chrysler Town and Country or Pacifica with the 3.6 L Pentastar V6
engine and either the six-speed or nine-speed automatic (the Car Wizard explained about this during the six
vehicles with these engines and/or transmissions that you should not buy a little earlier this year)
Kia and Hyundai - To Buy: 2006 to 2012 Sedona or Entourage with the 3.8 L or 3.5 L V6 and the five-speed or six-speed automatic
Not to Buy: 2015 to 2021 Sedona with the 3.3 L V6 and the six-speed or eight-speed automatic (that generation
had some problems with the GDI engine, they were recalled due to fire risk, electrical issues, the
body frame was plastic (unibody), most dealerships would not be able to repair the vehicle and
safety rating could be questionable for most buyers and from some reviews and owners)
Bonuses - To Buy: 2012 to 2015 Mazda 5 with the 2.5 L four-cylinder and any transmission (newer and safer than previous-gen)
2014 to present Ford Transit Connect with the 2.5 L or 2 L four-cylinder and the six-speed or eight-speed auto
2004 to 2009 Nissan Quest with the 3.5 L V6 engine and the five-speed automatic (not the four-speed auto)
Bonuses - Not to Buy: 1999 to 2007 Ford Windstar and Freestar with any V6 engine and four-speed automatic (too old already and
had countless problems with the transmission, engine and so forth, same with late-80's to mid-90's Aerostar)
2000 to 2006 Mazda MPV with the 2.5 L or the 3 L V6 engine and the four or five-speed automatic (problems
with the transmission and the engine, these vehicles rust when they age, which is a daily occurrence)
1997 to 2009 minivans from General Motors (Montana (including SV6), Venture, Silhouette, Uplander, Relay
and Terraza) with any V6 engine and the four-speed automatic (poor safely rating and fuel consumption - in
addition, these vehicles had problems with blown head gaskets, transmission and other mechanical issues)
Thank you very much and I hope that the Car Wizard will have a great weekend, as well as the holiday season. Cheers to everyone.
My advice? Replace that Plastic Radiator if it is Original.
Simply the best automotive engineer on eBay. Brilliant and easy to understand and very polite.
You do well explaining how systems are interconnected. Or not in some cases. Thanks Wizard.
I just had the same problem with my 2010 Ford Fusion 4cyl. I changed the plugs and forgot to check the gaps. Sure enough, they were wrong and as soon as I properly gapped them my car ran so much smoother and the misfire was gone.
If you're not driving and enjoying a piece... you're not using it the way it was meant to. I'm GLAD this person is driving their car vs worrying about mileage and keeping it in a garage.
Really good color combination. So way back when I picked up a preproduction Lexus at Orlando Airport to deliver to AAA for a test drive. This car was strange and kind if beat up. It was a strange metallic blue color. It had 2 different design tailights, door panels and door handles. The trunk lid didn't fit right and there was dampness in the trunk. It had a phone! I called my mom in Pennsylvania from the car.
Had an issue with my Vauxhall Astra 1.8 ivvt recently here in the UK, same as the Saturn Astra in the US. It was throwing about 5 or 6 codes for all sorts of things. In the end it was down to low battery voltage on cold mornings. The voltage was dropping so low during start that various systems could not communicate with each other on the CANbus. And so multiple codes thrown even though nothing was actually wrong.
I love these things! I am currently saving up 5-10k to buy one of my own! Great video thanks wizard!
We have a gas station by us that does full service pumping, so especially in the winter I frequent them. Several times they have not tightened the cap properly on my Avalon. Which as the Wizard has talked about sets off the check engine, VSC and Anti-lock warning lights. Truly does make it seem like there's carnage about to ensue. Nope, tighten the cap, clear the codes - good till next time. :) It seems that with as advanced as these cars are if it notices a large "gross" emissions leak all of a sudden, that it sould come up with a nice message that says, "hey idiot, check your gas cap" instead!
When I got a cylinder misfire on my 2006 Toyota Yaris, I replaced all 4 coil packs and replaced and gapped all 4 plugs. Maybe that was a waste of money, but I hope the car will be just as bulletproof as a Lexus for a few hundred thousand kms. I had to get the car towed home while on a family outing so it was a major inconvenience when that coil pack blew last time. But I DID keep the 3 good coil packs just in case...
Dear Car Wizard,
I enjoy listening to your recordings on You Tube about old Lexuses.
I hope you can help me. I bought a new 1996 Lexus LS400 27 years ago. It now has 221K miles on it. Last year it started running rough in Florida, and I also saw smoke coming from both exhausts. I told my mechanic to do a complete tune-up, (plugs, wires distributor caps, rotors, etc.) Still ran rough and smoke from exhausts. He replaced the 3 catalytic converters, but no help. He replaced the 3 oxygen sensors, but no help. He examined both mufflers all okay, but no help.
I finally shipped the car to my mechanic in Massachusetts. We removed the top intake manifold, examined the fuel rail, inspected the 8 fuel injectors and replaced the 8 rubber seals, and performed a compression test. Still no help. We disconnected the power steering line to the engine, still no help. I read that if the engine oil was overfilled, the oil would foam and smoke, and not lubricate. (Lucas oil was added last time), so we drained and replaced the oil. Still no help. I love this car and do not want to abandon it. Any suggestions?
Not bad to have distributor, wires and timing belt, these old designs still very reliable. Thanks Wizard for how a miss fire causes fault lights in other models, but it is illogical and misleading to driver...and mechanics.
2004-2006 LS430 is the sweet spot imo ❤
That would be the perfect car for me if they had AWD. Tired of driving my LS400 on icy roads, even with snow tires and snow mode it is still dicey.
94 ls400 over here. She’s a beauty! Did have some weird Intermitted problems that threw codes for trac control and tps 1 and 2. Turned out to be leaking capacitors in the ecu.
9:15 I've a Porsche 1996 993 C2, iris blue metallic, 66,000 miles, 6-speed manny tranny, LSD, varioram. No CEL, no oil leaks. (I do my own maintenance.)
I had an alternator (middle) belt go bad, which made the ABS/ABD lights go on!
They had about the same failure rate at the yearly inspections here in Sweden as the w140. Despite the MB being a more complex car. But the MB had more gadgets that could break possibly.
They both have each an almost inevitable problem but once its fixed there is no need to worry about.
W140 has the evaporator leak problem
Ls400 has the steering pump leak problem.
They are -1k$ repairs but most have probably been repaired.
Love both of them, 1uz 4.0 and m119 4.2/5.0
@@S70AMG or just covert the rack to manual and get an arm workout all in one
These Lexus videos make me miss my old LS, looked just like this one. 280k and all I ever had to do was an alternator, brakes, & preventative timing belt.
A weird think in my LS430 and a Toyota Avensis I had (maybe the same for the 400) was a bad O2 sensor would cause not only the check engine light, but the traction control and stability light to come on. Many owners would panic thinking the car had major issues, but it was just an O2 sensor.
It’s normal for all those lights to come on at once, all three computers communicate with each other so if the engine control computer stores a code the traction control computer and anti lock brake computer light up also because they sense an issue. I worked for a lexus dealership for 12 years as a tech.
My ‘07 Subaru started misfiring a while back. It triggered a check engine light, went into limp mode and no cruise control. It turns out it was the old dry rubber seals on connection at the coil allowing moisture in. A smear of electrolytic grease on each one and it’s been almost 5yrs no issues.
i have been told that my 2012 chrysler 200 with the v6 has reached the end of its life. with 92000 on it still run great burns no oil, run smooth still has lots of pep. several people said it will just blow up without notice. true or false Mr WIZARD???
It's a Lexus. There's never an end of the world for them.
Lol sure. If you wash it everyday because nothing rusts faster than a Toyota
Except rust
Honesty is a wonderful trait to possess. Thanks for the video.
One of the common reasons for these cars to exhibit rough running esp. on first starting in the morning, multiple warning lights on, etc. is nothing more than a weak cell or cells in the battery. Always start diagnosis with battery load testing.
I have a '97 with 165,000. Uncomplicated as Lexi go. Just gas, oil, tires, brakes for the last 5 years...
Very nice motors. They seem to have a great reputation amongst mechanics.
My grandfather had a 2001 Volvo xc70 with a vibration in the front end. He was told his axle is bad and it was going to be a very complex job involving a transmission rebuilt to get it fixed. He decided to drive it until it just let go. We’ll a few days before he was due to scrap the car he got a flat tire. Put on a new tire and no more vibration. Almost junked a perfectly good car all because of an out of round tire!
236,000 miles - barely broken in. I see OJ's Bronco in the shop. Though I'm surprised this car hasn't got rust all over it, being in Kansas.
This is one of the best cars ever made. Lexus has insane quality.
Great video, and I too owned 93 LS400 for years that was bulletproof. (until that starter goes out on you it's a bear to get to!) Lol🍺
Mercedes E class during this generation were super reliable too. In fact the 1st gen CLK we had was so nice. This car is good too, my grandma this generation along time ago that when was only a few years old, owned by famous baseball player.
what i like on 2004ish cars. the whole dash is on like a christmas tree, going on 3 out of 4 cylinders but it still gets me home. till the engine turns it goes. or if its in limp home mode it still goes like 130kmh (for example clio 2 sport)....it just cant rev more then 3000 rpm. nowday you dont get in the car with a nice smile it want start.
These cars were very solid. Kind of a grandma car, but they run forever.
Great video!
Depends on what color you get them in. My friends has a white on black car and I’d never think that but if I saw this one in the video I’d definitely see that
Well, grandma and grandpa cars are the most reliable! Lol
@@TTime685 They certainly do not get driven hard....
My immediate thought was a battery problem, but the codes don't lie. Toyota know what they're doing and a premium Toyota is an excellent car.
I put a new battery in my Golf a couple of weeks ago and, as expected, she freaked on the first start. Most warnings calmed down on the way to the gas station, scanned and cleared the remaining codes afterwards and all is well.
I also suspected a low battery or similar.... it's a bit odd that you recognize that Toyota knows what they're doing, but you drive a Golf, LOL. Get rid of that junk and get a Japanese car.
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894 Long-term reliability and durability is only one criterion for buying a car. My Golf is reasonable on that point (not as good as a Toyota, but far better than an Audi or a BMW), while delivering a much sportier driving experience.
If would have been a Toyota hyrbid the 12V battery would be the first thing to check.
Or more accurately on just about every modern car the 12V battery is the first thing to check when there are strange issues.
We need an Omega auto with it’s ethos of honesty and professionalism in every city in the US of A.
I have a pair of the hood strut clamps that I use when I go to the wreaking yard. They are a skull saver. I think the clamps should be a part of anyones tool kit.
The good ole Reliable 1UZ Engine. The most bulletproof engine Toyota ever made.
Toyota Diesel's are more bulletproof (1HZ, 1HDT, 14BT)
But yeah this is a GREAT engine, one of my favorites (i prefer gas engines)
@@paulsteverodriguez3549 But were they aircraft certified? 😉
No they are not aircraft certified, but they don’t need sensors, computer, spark plugs, signals... nothing
Just a power cable to the pump and another for starter, with that they run a million miles
Only if everyone could find a mechanic that they can trust like you be a different experience getting your car fixed
This is the reason I have a EFI Windsor 5.0 Ford , Never a problem and no plastic crap under the Hood !
Another great video from the wizard. Thanks
Much nicer than the one Freddie had!
Freddie's one has more than 1 milion miles
@@organiccold and your point?
My '03 es300 has 250K, and the original struts still hold up the hood strong
I have the exact same car, I love it bought it at 160k 1 owner, only needed a alternator and thermostat runs beautiful very quiet. But all of a sudden after thermostat replacement it seems to skip or pull back a little (rpm) , would happen to know what it could be? & ball park of the cost to repair?
Check the ductwork between the air box and throttle body. I had an issue with power, and after replacing it, ran 100% better.
I hear you on trying to troubleshoot a problem over the phone--------it just doesn't work. Great video, Wizard!
my 95 Went nuts over some bad capacitors in the ECU. Upon close inspection I found two traces that the corrosion from the leaking caps had caused it to crossfeed, so all sorts of crazy stuff would happen, but only once the car was warmed up. Speedo and tack would jump around, car would idle erratically and then stall, misfire. $5 and she's been going strong for over a year now :) however I did send the gauge cluster off to be rebuilt, something in the power supply for the lighting exploded. The gauge cluster is lit by a cold cathode light, so think old computer lights or even like a type of neon light, and LEDs just don't look right, so I wanted it repaired to stock. That was money well spent. Now I have to get the seat belts fixed of all things LOL. they fail to retract properly...