JonCAGS300

Interesting. Did you flush the brakes by yourself without using a brake flush kit or a second person? That would be great.

Am I reading this right? You don't need to do the manual brake press routine? There is an electric pump that will pump out the brake fluid? So I could just add new fluid, open up a bleeder valve, and then switch the ingition on? That would be very cool. Can anybody speak to this?

Am I reading this right? You don't need to do the manual brake press routine? There is an electric pump that will pump out the brake fluid? So I could just add new fluid, open up a bleeder valve, and then switch the ingition on? That would be very cool.

I've just developed a ticking, sort of like a rattle, in the front of the engine when idling. It is consistent when at low idle, but disappears as soon as the RPM's increase. At first I thought it might be a fan clutch or even the fan hitting the shroud because it sort of sounds like that, but it doesn't seem to be coming from the fan. It's more to the right. It seems to be coming generally from the front of the valve cover, possibly from within, but I can't pinpoint it. Other than that, the engine seems to be running fine. Any ideas? '94 GS 300 Thanks, Jon

The first time I tried adding the new surround with the console in the car, I discovered that the new surround wouldn't slide under the ash tray. It got stuck part way. When I tried to remove it, it was like super glue. I ripped it off of the console and ended up sticking it to the shifter. Then when I pulled that off a little leather came off. Result: The new surround was trashed and my shifter has lost a litttle leather. A total nightmare. So then I bought a new surround, and had my mechanic take the console out and apply the new surround to it. Sorry, I don't have the info on how to remove the console, but I can't imagine it is too difficult. I had my mechanic do it because he has done this several times before for other GS300's. I should have had him do it the first time.

Here's the way to go: http://www.dashkitstore.com/details.php?id=138 $60. There are a couple of other places that sell them too: NYCDashes.com Most important: remove the entire wood surround from the car and do the install outside of the vehicle. I learned this the hard way. The new surround has the most aggressive adhesive on it. You literally only get one shot at it. If you misalign it, you can't take it off without damaging it, or other parts. You cannot fit the new one between the surround and the ashtray; remove it. Having said all that, it looks good after installing. I removed the metal base from the original one all together; stripped it down to the wood. Then installed the new one. Looks great.

I had a loan on a car > 5 years old. No problem. I have a '94 GS with 141k miles on it. Not burning oil and tight as new. Lexus is the most reliable vehicle on the planet, so you can't go wrong. Just be sure to get a pre-purchse check and run a car fax: www.carfax.com

I put in a new shifter surround from NYCDashes, which is also Wood Dash Experts: www.wooddashexperts.com. The trick to these is that you only get one shot at putting it on, so the alignment must be perfect. The adhesive is extremely strong. If doing the shifter surround, you must take the surround out of the car before doing it. I learned the hard way. But it looks great now.

They are TLC (Toyota Lexus Care). Located in San Diego, in the Kearny Mesa area. 858-541-0852 That's a bit of a drive from Idyllwild. Speaking of which, my grandparents used to live in San Jacinto, so I spent some time in Idyllwild as a kid. How did you fair in the recent fire?

I asked our Toyota dealer if they could work on my Lexus. They felt that could do the basics, tune-ups, brakes, etc, but nothing more. Apparently parts are not interchangeable. One would think simple things like brake pads and air filters would be interchangable, but the dealer told me that they put extra tabs and such on them to prevent this. So, the Toyota dealer doesn't carry the parts and doesn't really get into working on them.

We have a Toyota and a Lexus. The Toyota has always gone to the Toyota dealer for work because it was purchased new, and it's "her" car. The Lexus is used, very used, so I take it to an independent Toyota/Lexus mechanic. They only work on Toyota/Lexus. They are much less expensive than the Lexus dealer, and probably less than the Toyota dealer. My independent mechanic is impressive. I feel that their knowledge/experience is greater than that of the dealer. I'm sure the dealers are good, but I just can't trust the 90 day wonders that the dealers employ for basic work. The guys at the independent mechanic shop drive Lexus vehicles, and Toyotas. They are really into the cars.

I used Plastix a few months ago. Worked great. Have yet to need to reapply.

I go to an independent Lexus/Toyota shop. They only do Lexus/Toyota. The mechanics are great. They own Lexus vehicles themselves. I think they are better than the dealer. And it costs half as much as the dealer.

I've decided to go with a RAZO shifter, Silver model, I found on eBay. I've seen pics of this on other GS's (at CarDomain) and it looks cool. This one's specifically made for A/T gated shifters. I'll post pics once I receive and install it. RAZO Shifter Knob This is for the manual trans, right? I'm looking for the auto trans (94 GS 300, brown). Any ideas?

My 2 cents... So long as there isn't any damage to the car (you have done the Carfax), it's probably as sure a thing as any other vehicle for sale. What could be wrong with it that couldn't also be wrong with any other car? Take it to an independent Lexus mecahnic for a pre purchase check. If the money is right, it sounds fine. No worries.