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I was also sold this "invisible" ad on! Only to be told by the dealership "after" that it's not adjustable. So basically it's just a dimly lit thin strip! This should be included. Lexus could and should've done better!

Hi. Some friends of mine suggested that I should post this here for more people to see. Hopefully it'll help people for years to come. You will need: About 50 bucks budget for the balljoint rod and the pipe clamp. Height sensor with bracket. 10mm wrench Washers that fit 10mm/M6 bolts. 10mm/M6 nuts Some smaller (8mm wrench) I own a 2001 LS430. The height sensor control arm's slider has rusted and become damaged over the last 19 or so years. The ball joint rod to the height sensor has also seized too. The height adjustment rod there in the red was seized, and the height slider in the blue was badly corroded and broken off. Rather than buy an entire control arm (green) this is an alterative method to repair it The arm is ~26mm in diameter. Buy yourself one of these pipe clamps in 26mm diameter. Or make one. Shouldn't be expensive. The hole needs to fit a M6/10mm bolt. Grind off the remnants of that slider from the control arm, and slide the pipe clamp over, and put your 10mm/M6 bolt and nut through and secure it in place where the slider used to be. Rather than using the control arm as a slider, we can instead use a sliding ball joint rod such as this one; This is a 220 320 00 32 from Mercedes - a height adjustment rod with a 8mm locking and a 10mm/M6 ball joint bolt. You can pick one up off eBay for cheap. Or find some other M6/10mm adjustable ball joint rod. Look at the diagram and try to imagine it in your head. This is what your bracket and rod/clamps should look like. One day I might snap a picture of what my repair looks like, but I hope you can make out what I mean via the diagram. This repair should be very easy. Maybe some sanding/grinding and surface preperation. The clamp will hold on tight and is easy to replace. The adjustable link rod will last longer and allow for easy adjustment, and less risk of corrosion damage. Hope this helps. This is a fairly easy job and took me less than 2 or so hours to do.

Did I mention this?..... I don't like the fact that our governments plan to force us to buy EVs. I wouldn't mind having one, as we already have solar panels and don't pay for electricity, but I think we should be able to choose what we drive (within reason).

At the part store they run a load test on the battery that mimics a big draw. If it holds up to a certain voltage it means the battery itself is not weakened yet. As the battery ages it will weaken as in not be able to supply a given amount of cold cranking amps. When its cold the oil thickens some thereby making the engine have to work harder to rotate. Hence the term "cold" cranking amps. I'd say you should investigate why the check engine lamp is lighting up. It could be a sign of what is taking place to cause your car to struggle to crank over. The part store can often "read the code" and determine why the CEL is lighting. My gut tells me your voltage regulator in the alternator is hit and miss. A long time ago that was a little box on the fire wall or fender. These days they are inside of the alternator. It determines how much electricity goes to the engine to keep it running and to the battery to charge it. It only has to be off by a little to keep the engine running but not have extra to charge the battery. Another issue could be a parasitic drain. An out of the ordinary draw on the battery when the car isn't running. In my 04 GS 300 for example the CD changer kept trying to change discs and the seat memory kept activating. Now I could not hear the disc changer nor was the seat memory moving the seat, but they were drawing on the system leading to a weak or dead battery if I didn't drive the car every day. Yet another issue may be short trips don't allow the battery to charge enough. Example; start the car, drive to a store 10 minutes away, finish there, start car and drive 10 minutes to another store. Never giving the engine a good 30-45 minutes to charge the battery back up to the voltage used to start the car can also lead to the hard to crank or dead battery issue. Hope you find it soon and it's a cheap and easy fix.

No reason to upgrade, Those stock wheels are Classic on the SC 😉

But you love the Covid virus? 🙄

I just installed the rr racing supercharger. It’s the only way to go bud

That one is my son's new puppy. Her brother came home with me Chocolate lab mom, stranger in the night dad Yesterday they played all afternoon.

Purchase has been made!...I could not turn down the deal I got & the actual ES...2020 ES 350 'premium' with only 11k miles in Nebula Grey Pearl (windows are already tinted)....over 2 years of full factory warranty remaining; 1 owner, full service history & Lexus CPO. Our 'premium package' in Canada is equipped quite differently than our friends south of the border....with more features / standard equipment. Originally I wanted the UL package....but in these parts, they are very rare (I reached out to 17 Lexus dealers in a 400 mile radius of me...the UL units that are available are 5 to 6 k more & only about 20% are actually at Lexus dealers...the premium pkg checks 95% of the boxes I was looking for....as the expression goes 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'. I literally have a 6 minute drive to work... I pick the car up this Saturday.

I like it when I'm trimming a rose bush, grab one to place in a jar and while heading indoors the Mrs arrives from work so I hand her the rose. Or when I come from work and the dog greets me at the door, tail all wagging-like. And the parrot says "welcome home"…… Or when a nice breeze blows just as the grass cut chore is over and the Mrs brings out a tall glass of ice cold spring water. Or when a new baseball cap fits my noggin just right without adjusting it. Or I step on the bathroom scale expecting to have gained weight but the scale shows I actually lost a little. Or when my son and I went to do the first start after an engine swap, expecting a hard to start issue but ole bessy fires right up. Or when the lawnmover starts first pull……again. Or helping out old people. Or thanking a soldier/veteran. Or tipping the person at the toll booth. Yes I stop and pay in cash so I can do that. Or when the voicemail on your phone was not a robo-call and instead was a friend telling you "hello, here's my new phone number" Or when you sneeze and a perfect stranger says "bless you". Life is short. But smiling makes you live longer. Trouble with being dead is it lasts so long.

The cost of dental work, especially deep cleaning by laser and periodontal surgery, but also including implants.

That's the view when I pull into the driveway after work. Unseen in the photo is the dog wagging his tail "it's that guy, he's back, yay!!"

Update: I think I have got it after all the work, time, and money spent. I started checking again I found an unbelievable vacuum leak around lower intake manifold. replace gasket today runs great thanks for all of the support. something that simple fix. when the engine was swap the starter was replaced. The gasket moved or something apparently cause a vacuum leak. I had no idea a vacuum leak could cause random misfires. I was sure it was an ignition problem.

My Daily 😀

The Lexus brand cell phone that was a dealer installed option lowered the HVAC fan speed and muted the audio system while a call was in progress. I even connected an aftermarket Nokia CARK-91 phone system I installed in my second (2000) LS400 to mute the audio system but I didn't bother to connect it to lower the HVAC fan speed. Even when a Lexus phone system was never installed, corrosion of the factory installed cell phone harness in the trunk can cause HVAC and audio system issues.

20 years ago I swapped a domain name for a Lexus. The love affair started and I am now on my 10th Lexus

And Because We All Love Pictures 🙂

My Lexus is my weekend car. My daily is my 2009 Mazda 3i.

I changed my oil but haven't changed the transmission oil yet. Haven't had any issues with it till recently. I have owned it for a few months now and it just started to act up by not wanting to shift into fourth gear. So it's been parked for the past week. i have just started reading so much on this vehicle that I'm excited then worried then relieved as I continue to learn more and more. I never had any issue so I would chalk it up to I must not know how to read the dip stick or did I understand it. I am so glad I found this group, the fact that I get replys with their past experiences or some what of a direction that helps. I'm waiting on a mass air flow sensor and new coils already did the plugs. Then with I forgot how many videos I must have watched, but I swear it took me longer to change out 2 of the back plugs then it's takin me on any other vehicle to do plugs, oil and filter for both engine and transmission. They make it so that you have to take your vehicle in to a dealer.

I reached out to the place that sold me the car and they recommended a locksmith they use. He provided same day service, cut 4 keys for me, and programmed them All in for $160. Thanks for the help!

Typically, a flashing CEL means that engine damage is eminent (usually catalytic converter damage). In your case, probably due to overly rich mixture or misfires. Perhaps the plug wire repair was temporary? As far as no communication with a scan tool, read here. Not saying this is the problem but it should be towards the top of the "should be considered" list: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-1st-and-2nd-gen-1990-2000/656360-all-my-crazy-lexus-issues-solved-ecu-leaking-capacitor.html Of particular interest from link: MODELS/ENGINES AFFECTED: This issue affects all Lexus & Toyota models with the following engines: 1JZ, 2JZ, 1KZ, 1UZ, 5E, 1G, 3S The following are some of the models affected: ● Lexus LS400 - 1990-2000 (in 1997 and earlier models, the problem is extremely common) ● Lexus SC300 - 1993-2000 ● Lexus SC400 - 1992-2000 ● Lexus GS300 - 1993-1996 ● Toyota Celica GT - 1985 -1998 ● Toyota Supra Mark III (JDM) - 1986-1993 ● Toyota Supra GT - 1995-1997 ● Toyota Supra Mark IV - 1993-2002 ● Toyota Supra Twin Turbo - 1993-2002 ● Toyota MR2 - 1990-1999 ● Toyota Camry - 1987-2001 ● Toyota Soarer - 1992-2000 ● Toyota Aristo - 1993-1996 ● Toyota Celsior - 1990-2000 SYMPTOMS: Please understand that any one of these symptoms can be a sign of ECU capacitors beginning to fail. - You do not need all or most of them to have this issue! Your ECU capacitors are strongly suspected if you have at least one of the following intermittent issues on your Lexus or Toyota: ● problems in getting into diagnostic mode or scanner says "no communication" ● random dropping into "limp home" mode ● weird shifting problems ● OBD port is unresponsive, seems dead ● throwing random fault codes ● engine won't rev out/rev limits at 2000 or less rpm ● engine runs like crap, then suddenly runs fine again ● random not starting or cutting out ● low idle or erratic idle ● often very hard to start, requires starting fluid ● transmission will not automatically shift, only manual shift is possible ● transmission jerks from 1st to 2nd gear, and kinda slips from 2nd to 3rd ● no A/C compressor operation ● idle speed rolling up and down, or sometimes too low and sometimes too high ● speedometer not working reliably ● speed (cruise) control not working ● tachometer not working sometimes ● air bag light flickering intermittently ● A/C going into reset with flashing front defog light (front defog light typically flashing 10 times) ● check engine light on sometimes, but no codes stored, often in concert with ECT light ● ECU not communicating with scanners or not displaying codes with jumper installed ● bad sulfur exhaust smell in concert with not running right above

It's cheap in the view of things. I don't want to have to replace this motor. I shopped for 9 month before buying my SC430. I have done maintenance that it turned out had already been done. I'm not going to call the prior owner with these types of questions. I save those calls for important stuff. So I did all the fluids a week ago. engine oil it was due and I knew it from the miles I had put on. Transmission fluid was perfect when I dropped the pan, no burnt smell, no metal on the magnets in the pan. Cleaned it all anyway, changed the filter and gasket and added 6 quarts back in. But perfect fluid should have been my clue that it had been done. LOL Get back to the differential, and you guessed it, dumped out perfectly clear, like new gear oil. Let it drain anyway and refilled with 2 quarts. I think most people with these cars keep the maintenance tip top. That is a plus in my book. I intend to keep this car so I like knowing where it stands maintenance wise. Yes it costs a little money but I do believe it helps the cars last. And that's why I picked a Lexus and not a Mercedes or other cars of this type of styling. If you want to gamble on maintenance there are plenty of other models of Lexus cars or others out there to do that with. But I bought this car because it's becoming a classic and its got the Toyota drive train. I plan to keep the car the rest of my life and enjoy it for all that time.

Thanks for the advice it is much appreciated. Now that it has been bleed correctly. I now have power with no leaks.

Thanks for the encouragement, my friend used a 1/2 in. hex socket and an 18in. breaker bar and with a little effort broke all of them free. I may need a gut check when working on this car...lol

https://youtu.be/vnOM7RfgP1A this is about as easy as diy projects come. No tools needed and instant results!

This partially why I gave up riding a motorcycle to focus on convertible sportscars in which I can drive with shorts and a tank top during Summer months.. 😏

I'm not sure tbh. I didn't look that close. I did find where it plugged in, and the engine seems to be running fine. So I'm choosing to assume I guessed and got lucky.

My goodness. Haven't read all the back and forth, but 50 years plus of being a mechanic means you should RUN, or have it towed asap from the current shop. Reasons: No car in the history of the planet has 3 coils go bad all at once. Not possible to diagnose injectors unless they are pulled and flow tested. Head gasket problems are relatively easy to diagnose on the V6. Since head gaskets don't blow simultaneously, unless you SERIOUSLY overheated the old girl, the sparkplugs on either bank will be utterly absolutely clean, cleaner than the other bank. Really, the best way to QUICKLY check a bad head gasket is to smell the exhaust. A sweet smell, obvious as hell. Timing problems, more than likely. Car can easily be saved with a competent mechanic. Don't be afraid to pull out of the shop -- money spent is money gone. Which is why is use YELP, etc. Good luck.

No splicing will be necessary. The mechanic will simply unplug and discard what is left of the exterior mirror harness from the door panel wiring harness. He will then plug the harness for the replacement mirror into the door panel wiring harness. Here is a photo from eBay of a used right side mirror for a 1998-2005 GS. The cable from the mirror attaches to the wiring harness behind the door panel.

I like wild animals left in the wild 🙂

I like giant Tonka toys

I've been researching car wraps for a while, possibly for a future body color swap when I eventually get a new car. Apparently, wraps last about 3 years because if a wrap is left on too long, it may be very difficult to remove it. This is true with many types of tapes, even those with very weak adhesion. So before you have a wrap done, I suggest discussing this with the "wrapper".

...looks familiar.

I like that it is Boating season here...Boat goes in next week 🙂

Japan

I've posted this link, quite a few times within the last few years. Should You Get an Extended Warranty for Your Car? - Consumer Reports Essentially, if you insist on buying a known unreliable brand (like Tesla, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, Chevrolet, Ford, etc), then an extended warranty may be a good idea. Better yet, skip buying a vehicle from one of the aforementioned companies, altogether. I went through the same type of sales pitches you did when my daughter was buying her first new car, a Subaru. Your intuition is right in that if the salesperson is pushing hard to get you to sign, then the dealership profit margin is almost definitely very high, due to infrequent use of the policy by the consumer. I advised her to keep saying no. One of my sisters recently bought a used Lexus and the sales/finance person did the same thing. She called me and of course, I told her that she should pass. You did the right thing.

My God, how old are you, 90?😏

The ls400 is a great car, I daily a 1997. That being said, the cars are getting pretty old at this point and are going to need some regular work that would be needed for any car that’s 20+ years old. If you can’t do the work yourself it’s probably not worth driving a car this old. If I didn’t do all my own work on my LS I would probably be close to 8k in the hole at this point between timing belt, water pump, trans and motor mounts, rack, little things, etc. I’ve spent about 1k on the car total for parts.

No manual release, Maybe this will help

Recently purchased a 2004 SC430 - black with saddle - 157k. Have wanted one since 2002 when I saw one in the showroom. Long story short, I located one in Texas and after speaking with the owner, decided it was a worth making a deal. While waiting for the car to arrive in Colorado, I signed up for Lexus Owners Club and read as much as I could about the strengths and weaknesses of the car. All I can say is LOC is a fantastic resource for any Lexus owner, but I found it particularly valuable for my newly acquired SC. So far, I have replaced front and rear shocks/struts, both upstream O2 sensors, front brakes and rotors. Within the next month I will replace water pump, tensioners and timing belt. (previous owner did it around 95k) All repairs have been done based on recommendations and information obtained from LOC forums. The suggestions for aftermarket parts were invaluable - as were the recommendations for OEM parts. Repairs were accomplished by a local independent Toyota mechanic I have known for awhile. Cosmetically - the car is in very nice condition. It was garaged most of the time and it shows. Bottom line is a HUGE thank you to all the other SC owners for sharing your knowledge and resources on this forum. Thanks to you, I am enjoying the hell out of this car and plan to have it for many years to come. Here's a photo:

I just replaced my front pads and rotors with Akebono ACT870 and used Centric 12144122 rotors (the non-coated variety because I live in the south). The result was the exact brake feel and performance I wanted. Really impressed -- really made the car that much better. Easy tip in feel and overall modulation, much stronger braking performance than the factory pads and rotors I had, zero noise, no issues with vibrations. Really quite impressed with the Akebono pads and would recommend them to anyone here (with new or refreshed rotors, of course). Not expensive setup either and took me, what, a total of an hour to get done working slow. (Love this caliper design.) Nobody needs "performance pads" on an LS 430... common now. I race cars and laugh at the money people spend on brake pads for their regular daily driver car... you aren't lapping your LS 430 around Road Atlanta and all you're doing is introducing the potential for noise and premature rotor wear. One warning, though, the Akebono pads don't include hardware so be careful with the existing hardware (which is okay to reuse if it's in good shape... don't worry about it). Just be super mindful of the little cotter pin that you need to keep and reinstall.

Since the beginning of ownership, 4 months ago, my Lexus has been showing lights on the dash for: VSC, have checked by dealer Check engine Traction control off I would scan my car with your normal scan tool and it would read "camshaft position A actuator circuit". I ended up replacing both the sensor and solenoid on bank A. Neither of those things fixed the issue. $700 later, I replaced the timing control motor. More power, no lights and no issues. Passed inspection.

If all these codes appeared at the same time it would seem they have a common cause such as a bad connection in the coil harness or the fuel injection harness. Ignition coils are a common problem with this generation RX but they would fail individually. Fuel pressure is another common source that would cause multiple misfires simultaneously. Here is a link which discusses the P0300 code for your Lexus and that might help. https://www.autocodes.com/p0300_lexus.html#disq I also would not discount the camshaft position sensors or the crankshaft position sensors as they can also create havoc with the engine control system. Given the age of the vehicle and the mileage you should think carefully before throwing a lot of money at the vehicle in search of the cause and then the repair. Good luck.

Good info here Same thing happened with my elder brothers 07 LS460L; solution was that the mechanic took out the latching machine out and aligned it and put it back again; then the trunk started to lock normally as it would do It is highly unlikely that the latch system will die; most likely it can be fixed

Sure thing, Northwoodsperformance.com. The spacers are the same as the 01 to 07 Toyota highlander. Ask for Nathan the owner and he can give details. Much better quality than the Russian spacers. They have a kit that includes 4 spacers, front end links, and hardware. I am also going to lift my 2013 Toyota Highlander with their Gen 2 Highlander spacers. It has nearly the same suspension as the 04-09 Lexus RX series.

New to foruM I’ve been off-roading my 99 Rx300 for some time. I have some mods and some other stuff

Welcome to the Lexus Owners Club Charles! Pearl white is one of my fave colors.

I discovered this article today, thanks to a member at ClubLexus. I went and made a scan of my copy, thanks to his discovery. I don't suppose it would hurt to post it here:

Thanks for the posting! We always like new information. Paul