Matt2828

I have some BlackBox ones. I originally had some Logitech noise canceling headphones, which sounded really good, but they broke when I fell asleep with them on on a plane. I was looking at buying the Bose ones, and the store I was at also had the BlackBox M14 noise canceling headphones. I tried both of them and found the BlackBox ones to be far superior. Notice I said the Logitech ones sounded "really good"? I used to think they sounded amazing, but after using the BlackBox ones for a couple of months, I'm blown away by them and would now only class my old Logitech ones as really good. They produce a very smooth and balanced sound, one I would liken to the sound of the Mark Levinson system in our LS600hL. They seem to operate very well at any EQ setting I've thrown at them, and with noise canceling turned on, turning the bass right up will sound like a sub-woofer. The only thing I don't like about them is that with the noise canceling turned on, people around you can hear the music easily, even when the volume isn't turned up much. Here is their site: Blackbox Noise Cancelation Products

Interesting. That's really not good, and if I recall correctly, a few years ago there was an issue with some Mitsubishi Heavy Vehicles having wheel hubs cracking, but Mitsubishi apparently ignored the complaints until they started causing problems in western countries, where people stopped buying them. If I can find an old textbook from a couple of years back, I'll try and find the article as it was in there.

Polish it..... Only thing is that it might be hard to polish easily because it's recessed in the bumper. You'd also want to start with a low abrasive polish and move up to a more aggressive polish only if you need to because you don't want to wear through the chrome plating. You could try some Optimum Metal Polish or Collinite Metal polish (both Collinite and Optimum make some pretty damn good products!). You'll want to protect the chrome after you've polished it, so the products I've recommended above both leave behind some sort of protection on the chrome, the Collinite leaves behind a wax and the Optimum a polymer coating. You could also try an OTC metal polish from somewhere like Pepboys or Autozone and then apply some car wax or sealant afterwards, but it's unlikely the OTC products will work as well as the Collinite or Optimum products. If you do polish, be sure to add some how too pics on here for others with this problem B) Cheers, Matt.

Yep, my mums LS has it (New Zealand model). I'll take a video some time if I get a chance. It's been pretty bad weather here the last couple of days...BEAUTIFUL up untill now!

WOW SKILLS! I love your "I want it to look custom" mindset! It's the only way! I especially like those radar and laser buttons, they look awesome! Nice job! And yea, I agree with the next Chip Foose comment!

Actually I've read somewhere that this can be the injectors. Something like they're getting ready to fail or....? Not quite sure exactly, but if you look around this site, I think I've read it somewhere in the GS forums.

I'm not sure what the difference between Lexus glass and Pilkington glass is, but I know that over here in New Zealand, a lot of OEM glass is made by Pilkington. Esp for Holdens and Fords and I even think, yep, just checked, Toyota OEM glass is made by Pilkington! I doubt there is any problem with the Pilkington.

Hmmmm....well I know that a lot of owners manuals say that each time you start the car, as soon as you drive above 10 or 20km/h the ABS and VDC will do a self test. This entails being able to hear the clicking sound of the ABS system for about 10 seconds and possibly a slight pulsating feeling through the brake pedal. I've never actually been able to hear it myself, but it may be that some cars have nosier pumps that others, possibly replacing the pump would help if it was that. I'd also read your owners manual cover to cover, you should find a mention of it in there somewhere.

Useless! The rear left hand tire on my mums LS600hL blew out on the freeway the other day, and she said that the car had been shaking slightly for about 5 minutes, but she was on a new patch of road so assumed it was the new tarmac, then she 5 minutes later the shaking became horrible and she noticed smoke coming from the rear tire. Upon seeing the inside sidewall of the tire, the whole sidewall was torn and ripped open. I don't see the use of these TMPS sensors at all as they didn't provide any help in this situation. Lucky it wasn't a front tire or she probably would have crashed!!!

Hmmmm well the heater does take its heat from the coolant, so it sounds like there is a blockage somewhere, otherwise your coolant pump (water pump) isn't working, but you said you replaced that so it should be working. Ummmmmmm, it's interesting that the heater is blowing cold air, I think that will be part of the problem of the overheating. There is a valve the regulates the amount of coolant going into the heater exchange box, if you have the A/C on and temperature set to the coldest, then this valve should be closed and not allowing any hot coolant into this exchange, where if your heater is set to high, it should be allowing hot coolant into the exchange box. I want to say there is a blockage somewhere in the coolant system, I guess you could check by draining the coolant, checking the amount that drained out and comparing it with the amount that the system is supposed to hold. That's about all I can think off at this moment (as I'm quite tired- you can probably tell since my post doesn't sound very well structured), I'll have to think it over. Cheers, Matt.

I agree with the above. It could be clearcoat failure. If the previous owner never waxed the car and left it sitting in the sun constantly then this is a highly likely possibilty. It could also happen if it has had a bad respray at some stage where the paint hasn't bonded properly. Photos would be a great help so we can see exactly what is happening. If the paint hasn't been waxed and taken care of properly, then the paint will definitely have to be matched as the wax will protect the paint from fading (due to the suns UV rays) and other things (bird bombs, salt etc etc). If the "plastic" coat is a clear bra, you can remove this and if you have enough detailing knowledge, polish the area underneath to make it look nice again, if it's clearcoat failure, then a respray is going to be the only option, and that will be expensive.

I like the colour of the car. It's not quite black is it? While the wheels are aftermarket, they don't really look super aftermarket, which is how I like. So for some nice wheels, I think they are quite nice.

Whoops, double post.

Glad to see you found the problem. You might like to do a write up on the replacement as I know there is a tutorial for replacing the starter on the GS400, but I'm not sure if one exists for the GS300. Sorry about the bad luck with the starter. So it looks like your original prediction was right, where the motor got fried from being jammed on?

Did you bed in the new brake pad? If you didn't bed in the brake pads, then there will be an uneven amount of material transfer on your brake rotors/ discs upon first high heat use and this will cause them to shake. Different brake pads have different bedding in requirements, but here are some links on different ways it can be done: It might not be caused by this, but there is a chance. Zeck Hausen Racing -how to bed in brakes Skylines Australia- How to bed in brakes - I am also a member of this forum, with the screen name "Nearly Skyline" Tire Rack- Bedding in brakes Hope this helps. Cheers, Matt. :)

The ones he linked to were for an Aristo, which is the Japanese version of the GS as up untill 2005, Japan didn't have the Lexus brand. Those are what you are after.

Could be that the spring that holds your E-brake (I prefer to call it a parking brake) is getting weak, so when you brake hard, the forward inertia of the E-brake peddle is pushing it down slightly, just enough to tell the sensor that the E-brake is applied.

O whoops, I didn't see this. I would recommend ordering from www.autogeek.net They have AMAZING customer service! and great prices (infact they sell 303 for lower than the manufacturer of 303 sells it on their own site haha) (that's where I order from and even though I am ordering internationally, they are so accommodating for my orders- Infact I've just placed another order with them lol). I'll give the product links below for you: Lexol: All Lexol Selection at Autogeek This is a full kit with cleaner, conditioner, neats foot oil and a couple applicators Lexol Leather Cleaner Lexol Leather Conditioner They also have different sizes available for purchase if you don't want this size (they're at the bottom of the page). I would also suggest buying a leather scrub brush as leather has pores which you need to clean out (a microfiber doesn't really managed to get into them but a brush does). Leather Scrub Brush 303: All 303 selection at Autogeek Different size 303 Aerospace Protectant bottles Hope that helps. I'd order with them rather than order with Amazon as if anything goes wrong with your order (gets damaged in transit or anything like that) they sort it out no problem and send out a new product for you free of charge. Absolutely no hassles where I can't vouch the service of Amazon if it goes wrong.

Yea, Lexol is good. I personally wouldn't use it on the leather in my car as I feel it leaves the seats looking too greasy (even after buffing (a through wipe down). I don't believe that it's made specifically for coated/ finished leathers, so you can use it on unfinished leather too (I use it on my wallet and belt leather, keeps them looking like new). Lexol will certainly stop any deterioration of your seats though so it will have the desired effect.

While soapy water can work, a lot of people like to use diluted Woolite to clean their seats. This works, but you have to be sure to throughly rinse the Woolite from the seats afterwards as it is a soap which is not intended to clean leather and will leave a sticky residue which promotes re-soiling faster and the remaining surfactants will wick up the moisture from the leather. When Woolite were contacted and asked about using Woolite on leather, they replied saying it wasn't a good idea. Question About Woolite The part about the safety of Woolite on interior surfaces is quoted, and is just above my reply that says thanks. If you were going to use diluted Woolite, you could use diluted Meguiar's APC or APC+ as well. I know that is popular among many detailers. While that is also effective at cleaning, it also needs to be rinsed free.

ArmorAll isn't supposed to be used on leather, and yes, it does look like a 13year olds oily face even when used on your dashboard! It's horrible stuff :P Well for an OTC (over the counter) product, there aren't really many good ones. You can't really find an OTC product for both leather and dashboard material (well there is one, I'll mention this in the next paragraph), but, if you want a product that's not too pricey and that will do a decent job then Mothers and Meguiar's make some good products. There are much better "boutique" products out there, but these two will outperform Armor All any day. There is one product that will work well on both, that's 303 Aerospace Protectant. I love this product, infact, I love it so much I have 2 16oz spray bottles and a gallon jug of it at home. You can use it on the dash, outside rubber/ plastic, leather (make sure it's coated or finished leather (99%+ automotive leather is finished/ coated). You can also use it around the home because it is waterbased not silicone based. When you use this, I would reccomend buffing with a microfiber towel about 3-5 minutes after application as this will bring the shine down to a nice natural sheen and will look SUPURB! (can't you tell I just love it ;) I couldn't live without it). Infact, they'll even send you a free sample if you request it. As well as buying this online, most boating stores should stock it- if you can't find it, ask for it 'coz they should have it. For some more readily available automotive products, I have included a list of Mothers and Meguiar's products that are decent for what they do (I would recommend 303 before I would recommend these, but I would recommend the boutique products first as they're the best). For leather, it's important to clean it as well as condition it. The dirt is what does the most damage to leather as it's abrasive so I'll list cleaners first, then Conditioners: Meguiar's Rich Aloe Gold Class leather cleaner Mothers Leather Cleaner Protectants/ Conditioners: Meguiar's Gold Class Rich Leather Aloe Conditioner Mothers leather conditioner For your dash and other interior plastic/ rubber panels, you can use 303 Aerospace or Mothers protectant for vinyl and rubber. Of course, if you are willing to buy online (some brick and mortar stores will stock them but not all- you could try though), then I can suggest some much better products. Any other questions, please feel free to ask. Cheers, Matt B)

Guess I got a lemon :o haha Hi this is my first post here but I'll give you some help. For leather you really need a detailing website. I'll give you a link to one, but I'll also recommend some products. This is a great detailing forum and I am a member here. Autogeek online detailing forum Now, for your seat, you'll want to use a leather cleaner and also condition the leather. The leather in most cars (the leather in your car will be) is coated leather. This is where a clear coat (it's vinyl of some sort) is applied over the leather to enhance the durability and reduce the maintenance needed for the leather. As it sounds like you've never conditioned or really cleaned the leather before, I would recommend starting with Leatherique. This is a really good thorough product and is great to use once or twice a year. Leatherique After that, you'll want to condition your leather regularly. There are many products out there that do this, but I will give you a link for a few high quality ones: 1Z Einszett Leather Care. This is one of my favourite leather conditioners. Pinnacle leather combo Wolfgang Leather combo Connolly hide leather care Now, the best thing to do would be to read. Read read read the forum and search the forum. There are a lot of knowledgeable people over there and they are always willing to help. You'll also find almost every detailing question you could ever have has already been answered so a search will find it. If not, feel free to ask. I'm Matt and you'll see me over there often as well (I'm a car detailing nut, trust me, it's addictive). Oh, and you can't repair your leather once it's cracked, for that you would have to have it replaced. Keeping leather clean AND conditioned is the key. If you do this to your leather frequently, it will stay in a like new condition. Sorry for the muddled state this reply was typed in, I'm quite tired.If you need anymore assistance, feel free to ask. Night, Matt. P.S. If you have any ArmorAll, THROW IT AWAY! That stuff's horrible! NEVER let it touch your leather, or for that matter, any part of your car. There are much better products out there.