My 2000 has been bulletproof since new. NOTHING zip zero except normal maintenance. OH but with one odd exception.
At about 50,000 miles as I recall the front brakes started clicking and clacking when I would first move the car "cold". Every time I wouls start up in the morning and back up, then step in the brakes, CLACK!. Then go forward and the first time only that I stepped on the brakes again CLACK! Then nothing until I parked the car again for awhile...then CLICK CLACK. LOUD! And you could feel the metallic vibration in the steering wheel.
The service dept. went over them brakes (3) times...(3) trips trying to get it fixed "under warranty"... pulling the pads, checking all parts, lubricating everything, making mystical incantations, etc etc and assuring me there was nothing wrong with the brakes they "work just fine".
yeah. Click clack. Click clack.
Finally, I got a whiff of something called "reality" when, frustrated, I confronted the service manager with my conundrum....an LS400 with 50K miles should not be clicking and clacking every time I started up from being parked. Certainly the car was not designed to remain silent until 50K and then notify me daily that it had reached that milestone. His response "Mike we have gone over the system and there is surely 'no safety related issue to be concerned about' with the brakes."
WHO is talking safety? I am talking NOISE! I became direct: "Is there NOTHING you can do under warrenty to correct this problem?" No..we cannot find anything.
"SO WHAT can we do?"
Well, A complete brake job might take care of it. Now there's a surprise. I got the picture now. OK SO DO A COMPLETE BRAKE JOB. You think I care about scrimping over a brake job as much as you are on a car like this? :chairshot:
next day, brake job done....money changed hands....silence.
That was about 22,000 miles ago and blessed silence remains.
Other than that...she still looks new, drives new, sounds new.
Adieu.