Tells Us About Your Car And Its Mods Or Problems

[aznviet6uy]

i have a 93 lexus gs 300, it was recently flooded so right now its just crap, i need to get a new front and rear bumper, and deciding if i should keep it anymore or not? its just been having alot of problems lately its kind of sad, i have to tape my gas door down because its also broken.

[Ronalder]

I have strange wheel vibration at 60MPH

stock wheels oem tires 30K.

[jason76]

3 days ago, i traded my 98 honda prelude for a 2002 gs300 sportdesign. it has 43000 miles on ODO, and four new tires. exterior is flawless except some chips on hood and bumper. interior is perfect. the only give away that this is a used car is yellow floor mat on driver side. obviously, what attracts me is the car's perfect condition with low miles, and Lexus's reputation for quality. after 3 days of communiting, impression is mostly positive. i like how quite engine is, quality of material, and comfortable ride.

now some gripes. -- 1. rattles from dashboard 2. squeals from headliner 3. so-so stereo. to me, the first two is totally unacceptable for a manufacturer well-known for fit and finish. my 8 years old Honda costing nearly half of the Lexus DOES NOT make single rattle anywhere inside cabin!!!!! as to the stereo, word "Preminum" should be dropped. Come on, it's only a bit above average. CD payer is really a lay-down in terms of clarity. as far as driving dynamic goes, i wish steering could be a bit weighty, and precise.

i don't have regret getting the lexus because there is no perfect car in the world. i mean BMW may be a driver's car, but it cannot match lexus and honda for longetivity. M-Benz is even worse in that regard. maybe just maybe one day engineers from Lexus and Honda could work together to creat a nearly perfect car.

[stroked4.6]

I just bought my bosses car which is a 1993 Lexus GS300. Its blue with black tint. He has had a lot of problems with it so he just sold it to me for 1000 bucks. The car only has 58000 miles on it and with a little work it will be in tip top shape. The first oil change I did the oil was dark so Ill be doing that again very soon. So here is a list of all the stuff I need to do:: basic maintance items (pcv, fuel filter, oil, trans fluid), brakes and rotors all around including parking brake assembly which doesn’t work at all, a window motor, power antenna, tune up, cracked wood trim, and an electrical problem in the dome light circuit. This car just hasn’t been maintained how it should have been. I am able to get a lot of these parts for cheap and I do all the labor so it really isnt that bad of a deal. Ill be on here often especially since this my first foreign car.

[LuckyJay]

1998 GS 400 113,000 on the dash, got it for 10G's flat back in April. First thing I did was change the plugs, timing belt, trans. fluid, oil and tires. Fast forward to November brakes started grinding with out notice. Luckily caught it before to much damage. Being that I have Drilled and Slotted rotors that would have been a pretty penny. Changed all four pads. Week before Xmas started hearing a knocking sound...driver side wheel bearing went bad and now the passenger side is bad as well. Also looks like my M flashes which signals the check engine, the computer code says my speed sensor could be defective. Has anyone seen that problem? Other than that car was clean as a whistle many people at the dealer had tried to purchase and say I got a pretty good deal. Never the less glad to be part of te club.

[Fidel Castrol]

...cracked wood trim...

Very common on every 1st-gen GS I've ever seen in my dealership. The wood trim isn't all that expensive to replace, but the only part I need is the wooden bezel around the shifter, as I've collected the rest. I've found it's about $100-120 at my shop.

However, it's hard to justify replacing some cracked wood trim when you have a newborn...so Super Glue has helped out.

[mrblackmagicj]

I recently bought a '94 GS300 with 75000 miles on it. One previous owner and it was traded in at the same dealership as it was purchased from 13 years ago. it rides great, but i do have one issue with the car. The radio keeps coming in and going out randomly. on the hour drive home from the dealer it was hardly noticable, but now it wont stay on for more than 20 seconds at a time without going out (meaning i cant hear it, but the display shows it is on). it is the same if i am listening to a cd out of the changer, it will come in, and go out, but the display still shows the disk is playing. any ideas on what it will take to fix this? Also the wood trim around the gear shaft is cracked, but i saw them on ebay for about $100, so i know how to handle that.

Edit: Actually it doesnt go out as often (or at all) when the volume is low. Maybe the speakers are busted?

Edit: Yet another break in the story, the car wouldnt start the next day, so i bought a battery and all was well when i replaced it. the sound system even worked, but as the day went on it kept cutting out, then the battery light came on, then the car died. looks like my alternator is the issue.

Car is fine now that the alternator has been replaced, no starting or sound system issues.

[BLUEV8DGS4]

I am the new owner of a 1998 lexus GS400. I purchased the car about 2 weeks ago.

It has 143k, something in the ABS system has malfunctioned, thus throwing the VSC light and disabling the VSC, so she will get a lil sideways w/o the traction control. I am yet to get it fixed but if you guys have seen this happen often and know what normally causes it (abs sensor gone bad), VSC sensors got soda on them (ones mounted under center console) etc let me know :)

[GS430inIA]

I recently bought a '94 GS300 with 75000 miles on it. One previous owner and it was traded in at the same dealership as it was purchased from 13 years ago. it rides great, but i do have one issue with the car. The radio keeps coming in and going out randomly. on the hour drive home from the dealer it was hardly noticable, but now it wont stay on for more than 20 seconds at a time without going out (meaning i cant hear it, but the display shows it is on). it is the same if i am listening to a cd out of the changer, it will come in, and go out, but the display still shows the disk is playing. any ideas on what it will take to fix this? Also the wood trim around the gear shaft is cracked, but i saw them on ebay for about $100, so i know how to handle that.

Edit: Actually it doesnt go out as often (or at all) when the volume is low. Maybe the speakers are busted?

Edit: Yet another break in the story, the car wouldnt start the next day, so i bought a battery and all was well when i replaced it. the sound system even worked, but as the day went on it kept cutting out, then the battery light came on, then the car died. looks like my alternator is the issue.

Car is fine now that the alternator has been replaced, no starting or sound system issues.

I have a 2001 GS430 that has had some similar electrical gremlins. When the car was newer it would occasionally not turn off the stereo (ML Premium sound system) even when I left the car and had the keys in my pocket. At least once it shutdown normally but then later started up again about 30 seconds after I was out of the car (scared the heck out of me). After a couple of dead batteries I took it to a local dealer and no fault found. This winter it has developed a habit of making me wait about 5-10 minutes before the stereo will play. After the stereo starts it stays on, but its frustrating to have to wait.

[gold93gs300]

My windows have been a constant headache. Regulators and switches. I wrote a long story about how to change your regulator in another thread.

Do a search on my name or on 'Window"

HOW TO FIX WINDOW LIFT SWITCHES:

Since my last post, I've figured out how to fix the @#$$%!! window switches on my GS 300 when they go out. This is not the kind of thing just everyone is going to want to try, but I'm sorta handy and I had 3 of them go out, so I decided to take a shot at it myself!!! The alternative was to just buy the switch for $75-$100.

First, I bought some spare switches off eBay for cheap. The only one I couldn't get in 100% working condition was the master switch on the driver's door. It is also the most expensive, by far. My master switch panel could not lower the FR passenger window, but it could raise it. But it felt limp, as though something inside had snapped.

The one I bought online had the same problem, but on the driver side front window (the seller stated this but I bought it anyway).

Well, having the spare used master switch off eBay gave me the guts to take a chance at dissassembling a master switch, so I started by carefully tearing the used one apart -- maybe I could salvage a spare part that would fix my car's master switch problem.

The heart of these switches is really two tiny gold-colored teeter-totter contacts; one for Window Goes Up and the other for Window Goes Down.

Remove the switch from the car. It pries out fairly easily.

Unscrew the 3 screws that hold the wood on.

Unscrew every screw you see from the bottom of the white chassis. Should be seven of them holding the black plastic upper frame on.

Remove all six switch covers so you can pull off the black plastic upper frame. The front two pull right off (Hint: On each window switch, pry the inboard ears off first, then the easy to get at outer ones.)

Pry all four window switch covers off.

Lift off the black plastic upper frame and set it aside.

You should now see the green circuit card. You are almost home.

You do NOT have to take the LED off for this next step.

Locate the tab on the back of the switch housing and pry the outer shell away from of it with a tiny screwdriver. This is HARD so take your time. Just pry under the back of the switch housing, and pivot the top of the switch housing forward, leaving the LED connected. Yes, you are bending it. No, this doesn't hurt it.

In the shallow plastic well where the contacts are housed, they each pivot, as I said, on a metal contact. They don't touch anything until you rock the teeter-totters forward or back.

There are metallic contacts at the bottom of the teeter totter wells, and when you tilt the rocker switch, forward or backward, only one teeter-totter will touch a contact and turn on a motor.....while the other will do nothing.

When I took my teeter-totter contacts out, they were all scorched and sooty. So were their contacts, so I cleaned the contacts with electrical cleaner and a Qtip and cleaned the teeter-totters with a Dremel mini-wire wheel (you could use steel wool).

I must also tell you that when you move the switch, a pair of whitish colored vertical plastic fingers that normally rests on the middle of the teeter totters is being moved forward or backward slightly. This is what tilts both teeter totters either forward or backward. Well, when the switch overheats, one or both of these plastic white fingers can, and do, physically melt!

Sometimes the teeter totter contacts just get corroded and pitted and covered in soot. Other times they get so hot they melt the plastic finger that tilts them. This is game over. This is the END of your switch, boys and girls. If you switch feels loose and floppy, it will probably never move that window again no matter how much you wiggle it.

So I cleaned my contacts and replaced them, and then took the melted white piece out and swapped it for a good one from my used eBay switch. Also, I accidentally broke the plastic upper part of the switch (the black part you touch) the first time I was taking it open. These are VERY easy to snap. But I have several of them now, and ALL MY SWITCHES WORK!!

[scott802]

Hey, I love the pics...I have a 1998 GS300, what I'm wondering about is how you got the OZ wheels on there...I couldn't find any wheels that were decent that would fit (16") GS300 profile...

Thanks!

New to the board... Just thought I'd say hello! I bought my GS400 in March of this year and I love it to death. Truly, a driver's car! It is a 1999 with 50k. The car has Eibach Lowering Springs, Blitz Nur Spec full system exhaust and a set of 18" OZ Wheels (front 18 x 9 , rear 18 x 9.5) It is in almost perfect condition.

Here are a couple pix.

I haven't had any problems so far other than one I "may" have caused on my own. I was wondering if anyone had any similar experiences. I maintained a fairly high speed (+100 mph) for a good 15 min and then, out of nowhere, this exit ramp to a long and straight highway approaches so I have to take it. At this point, I stomp my foot to the floor and hit just over 140 mph and I hold this speed for less than a minute when I notice a little bit of smoke in my rear view mirror. (Oh, *BLEEP*@!@!@) I pull over at the next exit and get out and open all doors and hood but only see smoke coming from right under the car about where the seats sit. It didn't smell like an overheat (temp. gauge was fine too) or rubber so my only two thoughts are I fried the cats or all the gaskets for the aftermarket exhaust system.

Any input would be much appreciated.

TIA

[bmoss85]

hello everyone. i have a black 93 gs300. the check engine light and the trac off light keep coming on at the same time. ive reset the computer whenever it comes on and they stay off until i get the car up to about 80mph or higher. has anyone else had this problem, if so what is it and how do i solve it. i try to push the trac button but nothing happens, the light still stays on like it does when i turn the traction control off.

i have not done any mods as of right now. im planning on a tt swap once i finish my supra build.

brandon

[jmw]

List your model, year ,

# of owners ,

price when bought and from where

lenght of ownership and attributed problems and repair costs.

Also mention where you had it fixed ( lexus, independent, midas or diy).

When it was done.

Any mods done to the car and its costs.

If desired your age and insurance you pay.

If you have any picutes in the gallery put links in the post so we can have an idea about the car.

Please only post once and if you have a question either pm the member or make a new thread .

This will keep the page from being filled with excess.

SK, do you have any 1993 ls emblems left. jmw

[WowNiceLexus]

Let me be the first to reply to this being that everyone else are sitting on their fingers.. I have really nice GS.. And it has tons of problems right now.. I'll list what I can remember off hand.. First off my mainseal is leaking, my Precision Industries TC rattles when the car is in PARK or NEUTRAL.. The front bumper drags on the ground, the right headlight and right Foglight don't work anymore.. Oh, and the strobes in the right foglight doesn't work either.. The hood is alittle twisted, the front right quarter panel fell off somehow.. Also something is wrong with my rim, whenever I go try to put air in the tire it just leaks out.. I think my control arms are bent and I keep hearing a clicking sound up front, so maybe a coilover is busted.. One more thing, I don't know what's up with Lexus hoods either, for some reason mine bent alittle.. :( :( I'm sure if I thought harder I can come up with some more things, but now I'm depressed enough so I'll stop... :D ;) Here check it out... This is my car....:whistles::whistles:

Here's my car if you care to see my bucket of bolts....

Sorry to hear of your loss. Is it repairable? If not are you planning on parting it out?

[WowNiceLexus]

Hello all. I have a 2002 GS300. Black exterior and creame leather interior. The car has almost 80,000 miles and its still running great. I haven't done too much to the car yet, but of course I have big plans for it. So far I've tinted the windows all around and put my system in it. I have a JL W7 sub with JL 1000 watt amp hooked up. I also have a large capacitor attached. My next step is to get some rims. I haven't deciced if I'm going chrome or black. Any one have any suggestions? and does anyone know if 20's fit? I was debating on going with 18s or 20s. I've kept the car well serviced and thus far no problems. The only small problem i have is that the directional compass in the rear view mirror is turned off and I can't seem to get it back on. I've tried holding the button for over 6 seconds but nothing happens. Any one know how to fix that? Well other then that small set back I absolutely love this car.

Here are a few pictures...

[gold93gs300]

I'm the owner of a 1993 GS 300 that rides great. I have had it for 3 years and it just broke 100,000 miles. However, I continuously keep having problems with my windows.

I have replaced switches, now I think the motors have gone out in the rear. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Any suggestions, having a hard time finding replacement.

I DOUBT IT'S YOUR MOTORS....SEE MY POSTS ON THIS TOPIC. MOST LIKELY A REGULATOR, DIRTY OR MELTED SWITCH. IT COULD COST YOU SEVERAL HUNDRED IF YOU PAY SOMEONE ELSE TO FIX THIS. REPLACING THE SWITCH WILL BE AT LEAST $75 JUST FOR THE PART.

I BOUGHT MY CAR WITH 118K ON IT AND I'VE HAD TO REPLACE 3 SWITCHES AND 3 REGULATORS SO FAR.

IF YOU'RE HANDY AT ALL, TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF. I TELL YOU HOW. SEARCH FOR WINDOW OR GOLD93GS300 - I EXPLAIN HOW TO CHANGE REGULATORS AND/OR SWITCHES IN TWO SEPARATE POSTS.

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL -- THIS IS JUST WHAT WORKED FOR ME.

[LexDiamondz]

I just bought a 2000 GS300. It is in very good condition.. with mods done .. (although I am not familiar with this "fast n furious" stuff).. new headers??? and air intake... I will post more pics later.

[lexatlast]

hello all,

i hail from jersey, just bought a 95 gs300 touring edition. I love the look of this thing. there are a whole bunch of little problems with it like front/back option on seats isnt working but all the rest are... the factory head unit is security locked and i can't get it to open cause i don't have the blasted password... hood and trunk lifts need replacing...

but aside from the first two annoying ones, everything else is managable and fine.

[99blkgs]

Let me be the first to reply to this being that everyone else are sitting on their fingers.. I have really nice GS.. And it has tons of problems right now.. I'll list what I can remember off hand.. First off my mainseal is leaking, my Precision Industries TC rattles when the car is in PARK or NEUTRAL.. The front bumper drags on the ground, the right headlight and right Foglight don't work anymore.. Oh, and the strobes in the right foglight doesn't work either.. The hood is alittle twisted, the front right quarter panel fell off somehow.. Also something is wrong with my rim, whenever I go try to put air in the tire it just leaks out.. I think my control arms are bent and I keep hearing a clicking sound up front, so maybe a coilover is busted.. One more thing, I don't know what's up with Lexus hoods either, for some reason mine bent alittle.. :( :( I'm sure if I thought harder I can come up with some more things, but now I'm depressed enough so I'll stop... :D ;) Here check it out... This is my car....:whistles::whistles:

Here's my car if you care to see my bucket of bolts....

IT LOOKS LIKE A BUCKET OF BOLTS BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE U HIT A TRAIN WITH THE POOR THING "NOT THE CARS FAULT"

[wm burroughs]

I recently purchased a 98 GS300 from my local Lexus dealer.

113k miles, some minor dings you'd only notice up close, it just needs to last 3 years or so well. I replaced the battery a few weeks ago, I take it to the carwash (brushless) every other week, it gets dusty with the quickness .

Anyway, one "cool" feature is the steering wheel that slides into place when you start the car. Sometimes it doesn't slide into place. Usually this only happens in the morning (?). I'm not a gearhead by any means, but I'm reasonably handy. My preference to take it to the shop could be over-ruled by a simple inexpensive self-fix.

I imagine something like this is common so what could possibly be the problem and how much will a repair cost?

[anubis24]

Hi

3 years ago I bought my wife a beautiful pre-owned 1998 GS400 at approx 200K miles. Black with a tan interior, chrome 17" factory 5-spoke rims. Car is still beautiful but now at 256k miles, starting to have some issues see below:

1. Vibration in steering wheel
   
2. Jarring when going over any road imperfection, ( Car feels like its a waterbed.)
   
3. When coming to a stop, the steering wheel jerks to the left and the right.
   
4. Feels unstable over 55mph especially when on a curvy highway.
   

Lexus Dealership Costs

--------------------------------------

Rack & Pinion - $925

Lower Control Arms - $632

Wheel Bearing Rt front - $462

Front Shocks - $1,190

Rear Main Seals - $830

--------------------------------------

Total: 4,039.00

Can any of this stuff be done at a lower cost? Dropping 4k on this car is kinda out of my reach right now.

[Titanium]

00 Lexus GS400 91K miles now.

No Major problems here lower ball joints are starting to click nothing major $350 fix.

2800rpm stall

L-Tuned Exhausts

Tein Coilovers w/ EDFC

Stoptech 14" Brakes

Supra Rear End

etc etc

[jarvis]

I bought a 2000 gs 300 3 days ago and my drivers door wont unlock with the remote. and the only door that locks is the back driver side door. what could this be? i need help it annoys the hell out of me!!!!

[Jeff in Tampa]

2000 GS300, Platimum Edition

Purchased in 2001 (with about 20K miles) for about $28K from Lexus of Tampa Bay. Purchased the max extended waranty.

All maintenance has been done by the dealer.

Car has about 72K miles as of 10/30/2007.

Problems have included:

1. AC distributor (the unit behind the dash) failed; it was replaced under warranty. No further problems (except #3).

2. window regulator(s); passenger front failed in 2005, and it took 3 visits for the dealer to confirm the problem (it was intermittent at first). The regulator was replaced under extended warranty, but has just now failed again; consequently, I suspect that "repair" was a patch, or the repair was done with a used part. The drivers side front window is now also acting up.

3. When on AM, the radio often crackles and cut out when going over rough pavement. This sounds like the speaker wires might be loose, but it does not occur on FM or the CD, so I suspect there is a separate AM antenna that has a loose connection. This problem began some time (but not immediately) after the AC dist. unit was replaced. It refuses to manifest when at the dealer.

No mods yet, though I have switched from Michelins after years. I now have Yokahama ES100's, 225/55ZR16's. This is a great rain tire for Florida - I haven't felt them hydroplane yet. Too early to tell about wear characteristics at this point.

I have been considering after-market turbos (having once had one of the few Alfa GTV-6 Callaway Twin Turbos, I miss that kick in the a$$). I understand there were units specifically engineered for the IS300, and since this engine has the same bosses on the block it should be a bolt-on operation. Has anyone had experience with them?

My first Lexus was a 1990 LS400 purchased in 1991 (with 17K miles) for about what I would have paid for a new Maxima... the dealer wanted to get trades back on the street as fast as possible, and I happend to catch this one when the original owner just had to have the new Coupe. I put the larger coupe wheels on it, but made no other changes. I still got about $8K in trade for it (for my GS) by which time it had 135K miles (and a drivers seat that wouldn't aty upright, plus various electrical problems).

My wife also bought an off-lease 1995 LS. The kid ran that into a palm tree in 2004, and while it didn't look that bad (the air bags didn't even deploy), it needed a wiring harness. Sayonara, baby! She's now in an Avalon.

[Achille]

Hi all, I'm an italian guy and i moved to Costa Rica two week ago. I've bought a Lexus Gs 300 of 1994. I've a problem in the light panel with the indicator of the SRS; it is always red.

Here in Costa Rica anybody could help me. Someone could help me in this blog?

I've tryed to look at the fuse but it looks good.

What could it be?

Thanks