gharnden

I noticed in my 04 LS manual that the auto tilt away function for my steering wheel/column can be turned off. It states that it is done at the dealer. Can I do this or must it be done at the dealer? What does it cost? I have never had the auto tilt away feature before and really do not need it. Is there a reason that I should not do this? I assume the adjustment button as well as the auto seat memory functions will still work, correct? Besides not needing it, the noise drives me crazy. Any comments would be appreciated.

Playdrv4me

Me and "Caddyowner" on this forum (at least) have had this done and I recommend doing it. I had my car in for a transmission flush yesterday and asked if they could do it for me, and they didn't charge me a dime.

Unfortunately, unlike the Driver Select system or whatever its called in the LS400, these feature adjustments are not available to the owner on the LS430. The dealership has to turn this off with their Toyota comm tool.

There is no downside to doing it and all buttons continue to operate the steering functions normally. On the contrary, its WELL WORTH doing because the tilt and telescope mechanism on these cars is KNOWN to fail and can be pricey to repair. This is the primary reason I had mine disabled, though the extremely high pitched "squeak-squeak" noise when it retracts was not pleasant either.

caddyowner

When you have your seat and steering column adjusted for comfortable driving, see if you can comfortably enter and exit the car. If you can manage without moving things around, have the auto retract feature disabled. If it is difficult to enter / exit with the steering column in place, leave the feature enabled. Generally, persons "of size" (tall, wide, of thick) are more apt to benefit from this feature.

I had the feature disabled at no cost while the car was in for other service that required hookup of the comm tool. Look through the list of other dealer selectable features and make any other changes you desire at the same time. I remember seeing a full list of these somewhere. Does anyone have the link to that list?

Bocatrip

I had my steering wheel tilt away disabled when I purchased my car. I had no use for it and all that wear and tear on the motors comes to a high repair bill when it breaks.

CarGuy89

You guys know if this motor is covered under warranty? I plan to have mine disabled after my warranty expires (I do like this feature as I am 6 ft and it gives me more room when climbing in). If it isn't covered then I will have them disable it at the next service, along with DRLs (which I just don't want to have to replace those bulbs every yr).

Jabberwock

I had to get my new Texas registration/inspection this month so I took it to Lexus to get the state inspection performed. $39 is the standard fee for TX inspection so I figured might as well take it to Lexus instead of quiky-lube.

While it was in for inspection, I requested that they change the cbest settings to turn off the auto steering wheel retract. Cost was $28 to change cbest setting.

SlowLS430

This is an old thread, but here is a fresh data point for those interested.

Today, 12/22/20, Kuni Lexus of Portland quoted $90 to plug into my '04 LS430 and disable the automatic part of the steering wheel adjustment. They said total time to get into the shop and out again would be a half hour.

I may try a closer Toyota dealer to get it done for less.

If I wanted to just leave it in one place I would just pull the fuse, but I want to retain the ability to move the wheel in and out for different drivers.

Bocatrip

Disabled the steering wheel feature 11 years ago shortly after original purchase. Never missed it.

TriC

My Lexus dealer disabled the steering wheel on both my formerly owned 2006 LS 430 and my current LS 600h L at no charge.

BaconLS430

For those of us more mechanically inclined, you can enable/disable/adjust most of those features with a good scan tool if you have one or choose to purchase one. I have a Zurich ZR Pro from Harbor Freight and I've used it to adjust headlight auto-off, entry/exit lighting, etc. I was also able to program a new smart key to my LS430 with it. The cheapest option that may work for this that I've seen is the Launch X431 Diagun for about $680 on Amazon.

WILLYumD

What in the world...

An "alternative" Techstream VCI cable is $30 or even less on eBay.
Set up the software, connect the cable, turn on the car, adjust all the settings you want(/have access to).
$30.
Please don't spend anything over three digits for a simple SOFTWARE configuration setting.

BaconLS430

An excellent solution as well. I forgot about that option since my need for one is dispensed. Counterpoint to that being it necessitates a laptop to use in your car, a 3 digit purchase if you don't already have one.

I suppose I should have elaborated further that I meant it could also be used past software configuration for purposes in the vein of automotive repair. I personally own 3 OBDII cars and am regularly enlisted to help my family with theirs as well so for me it makes good sense to have one. I'd like to think others would also use good sense to determine if a scan tool fits their needs or if it's a luxury they can afford.

BigBoomer

I use a TechStream cable and a laptop to change this type of setting on my 430.
Easy enough to use once you get it all working. Mine even works on Windows 10 :-)

VWTim

That's crazy money, but I guess they've gotta keep the lights on. It's a 10 min job with Techstream. Next time I work in Portland I could throw my cable in the truck and help you out? Standard 6-pack fee applies...

TominPT

The cheap work around is to pull the fuse when you have the wheel where you want it. I did that but a few years later when I decided to reactivate the tilt/telescope it would not telescope, at least for a few days. It fixed itself and has been working great the last year. My theory is that turning it off, whether by fuse or by Techstream, may not be a good idea long term. . YMMV