ArmyofOne

If you add a darker tint percentage over the top of the factory mirror tint, it will make it almost ompossible to see into, but it will not nessecarily tode down the look of the factory tint. the factory tint is 15% i believe, so say you put 5% over it. it would make the reflection stand out more outside, but inside it woudl be dark. i say go for it.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...romCompare1=yes What do you think? i need new tires now, the Dunlop SP2 sports on the rear are wearing, and the Yopkhama Avids in the front are just sub-par...wearing on the inside horribly from the bad rack and pinion i had, now that that is corrected, i want to buy new tires. I dont need anything extremely special, but i would like low road noise, good comfort, and excellent traction on sdry roads. the wet traction i am not so much concerned with...what i mean is, i am willing to take a hit on the wet traction for excellent comfort. though it looks liek this tire will do it all around. assuming it costs $20 to mount and balance a tire, I can have a set of these, installed and ready to go for $343.40 plus tax. not bad... and i dont have to pay the tire place to put them on the car, i will do that myself, haul the old tires and rims with the new tires down there in the F150. thoughts?

my own experience is evidence enough for me. *damn, i swore to myself i would never get involved in another oil thread* *leaves immediately*

sounds nasty, but not unfixable. all other panels line up straight? rear doors? trunk? no extar learge or extra small gaps? i would pop for the repaint now too, espeically if i had the cash. $2,200 s a VERY lowball extiamte, and may not be quality work. expect to pay 3-4,000 for OEM repaint.

It is extremely rare for a Toyota PCV valve to ever get clogged. Army, lots of the troubles you've seen with American cars, like blown up AC compressors, alternators and water pumps after just 100K miles don't happen with Asian cars ← say that to my engine Cam seal: What was left of the PCV valve: IT IS NOT RARE. it will clog, irregardless of toyota, ford, chevy, nissan. it will clog. I have spent my life around cars, i know a little something about them. when it does clog, NOT IF, but when, you will have a mess on your hands. 1 by 1, the seals will start to go. and eventually, every seal on the motor needs replaced. its better just to change it and move on. I have seen water pumps like mine, go 150K and still look like new, i have seen water pumps on a camry, (arguably the most reliable car on earth) fail after 60K. i have seen it enough to know that maintenance schedules are there for a reason. check the OFFICIAL maintenance interval for the PCV valve, you will be surprised. i suppose next VGR you are going to tell me the tranny fluid rarely needs changed either huh? a car is a car, lexus, or ford, the basic underpinnings of the system are the same. i gauruntee it. searchthe forums for incedents of water pumps, power steering pumps, shocks sturts and other things failing on toyota/Lexus. you will be surprised there as well. i suggest you go here: http://www.toyotanation.com and do a little searching too. asian cars are relaible, but they arent impervious to problems. and dont give me this bull*BLEEP* about a power steering pump lasting 360,000 miles, becuase in the real world, that usually doesnt happen.

dont ignore it! it will crack! replacement is unfortunately the only option. ← with this last go-round, im pretty much left with stuff i can do myself. this has put a HUGE dent in my list, and a fairly large hole in my wallet ;) ) Motor and tranny mounts Rear main seal Power steering pump (still working, but leaky) High Pressure Power Steering Hoses Shocks/Struts/Springs (lowering when i do it) Fuel Filter motor and tranny mounts and the fuel filter i will do myself. along with the struts and springs, but i will use jason's tools to do those.

Does anyone know how i would go about making my moonroof switch "one touch" operation to open it? i currently have to hold down the button to open it. further explanation, i want to be able to have it open like the dirvers side window does, goes down if you press once...

DO NOT go back to that dealer. get a second opinion from a privatemechanic. alot of times the price will be less, and most fo the time they will be more honest with you.

dont ignore it! it will crack! replacement is unfortunately the only option.

oh man :( and after your tune up and getting int running so nicely too! you should stay at home more :P (sorry, had to). LOL. do you have AAA? if not, the first person i woudl call is your ins. co...

are you serious? the exhaust on the ES's after mine goes UNDER the oil pan? what an utterly stupid design...

ok, the ES250 ignition system is noit very elaborate. its all mchanical, unlike newere lexus' with electronic ignition. it is very simple to diagnose. start the engine, pull off the #6 spark plug hwire at tyhe distributor. if the car doesnt change the way its idling, then the plug or the wire is bad. to tell if the wire si bad, reconnect it to the distributor, and disconnect the other end from the plug. take that end and place it near the valve cover. if it sparks...your wire and distributor is working correctly. if this is the case, replace your plugs.

ok update, tranny is fine, blew a seal on a high pressure power steering feed. nothing too bad. it isnt leaking alot. THE OIL LEAKS ARE GONE. ok, all but... the rear main seal is still leaking, but i could care less. it sat OVERNIGHT in jasons shop, dripped ONE drop. thats better than him coming in to a 1/2 a quart of oil on the floor after sitting overnight. so the the list of repairs this trip: Timing belt-1 Water pump-1 Valve cover gaskets-2 Crank seal-1 Cam seals-2 Valve cover washers-12 spark plug seals-6 Distributor o ring-1 Coolant Bypass pipe (the pipe that goes from water pump to the engine)-1 Bypass pipe o-ring-1 Intake hose-1 PCV valve-1 Thermostat-1 once again, i will reiterate, the tranny is not leaking as far as jason can tell. now dont ask me for the price as i am not at liberty to discuss it. i have been sworn to secrecy, but lets just say, in the last month, the total has come near to $3,000. BUT...everytime i get this car back, i love it even more! It isnt going anywhere. the cause fo the overheating was the thermostat got caught half shut. the radiator is still clogged, but jason did a backwards system flush (for a VERY Reasonable price, again, not at liberty to discuss) and repalced the t-stat, and now allis well, but i will still have to replace the radiator eventually. it is NASTY. and now the pix of the seals: http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02358.jpg http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02365.jpg http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02363.jpg http://lexuslovers.com/gallery/albums/album05/DCP02359.jpg

That really sucks to hear. That REALLY surprises me that a rear impact like that would total it out. Would you be willing to sell it, or let me purchase it from the insurance company? Thank, Frank ← re read that LOL: sorry, had to do it. but a 30mph impact in the front of a vehicle is more than enough to total it. especially a small pickup.

definately, and glad i could help. the fenders and hood from that link will come primered and ready for paint. all they will need is a slight sanding. :)

im an now wondering exactly how much more i can really bring myself to put into this car. the radiator is clogged now. the car is at jasons shop and he figured this out when refilling the coolant after the TB/WP change. you guys should see those seals...they are horrible. my valve cover gaskets were hard as a rock. as well as all fo this, now the tranny is leaking...but it wasnt when i took it in there...maybe the pan seal again? i suppose it could be residual from the power steering resivoir, a hose had to be removed for easier access. at least it will be driveable now. oil leaks suck. LOL. its so frustrating when i keep having to shell out cash. but we will see what comes about. check # 4 @$1,500.

simple: buy the panel and have it painted. search a junkyard if you can, they may have one already painted your color. if not, a repaint on a panel that size shouldnt run you much, about $250 or so i would think, if even that.

← a competent mechanic can do the RMS on a LS400 in under 7 hours, toyota or not. the EGR valve is under the hood, but not under the car, i believe its near the firewall on your model. and hes just a financial anaylist... *Silently wishing i made as much as Econ* LOL. the EGR valve activates allowing exhaust gas to be reused in the comjbustion process. unfortunately the only place they can put the EGR valve is BEFORE the throttle body, which means the throttle plate gets gunked up QUICKLY. i mean REALLY quickly. a cleaning every 10K is reccomended, and a complete UIM (Upper Intake Manifold) cleaning is reccomended every 50K miles. as for the rear main seal, it can wait a little bit, if indeed it is leaking. look under your car, does the ground have oil spots on it? does yoru catalytic converter look burnt? if not then there is no leak. the oil pan gasket can be tricky. if you dont knwo the exact torque specs and you overtighten it you could be back under there doing it again at your next oil change. btu if you use a torque wrench, (something NO home garage should be without) and know the specs, you should be fine.

i wouldnt, idling is worse for it than not running at all. i would take it for a drive once a week. make it a point to drive it to tghe store or somewhere liek that whenever you have the chance. maybe once ever 3 months, take it on a 2-3 hour drive.

You have no oil gauge, you have a dipstick on your engine. its a long piece of flat steel with 2 lines on it. one says "F" for full, and one says "E" for empty" on mine it is just 2 lines though. now, i woudl venture to say if you dont see it on the ground, the dealer is trying to pry $700 from yoru wallet. dont let em do it. seriously, go somewhere else, because if they told you you have an oil gauge on your dash, they are out to get you. the only thing you might have is an oil pressure gauge. if this is what you are referring to then, it wont move. the engine has to work harder to keep compression if you have a leak. but you dont have one. a rear main seal doesnt seep. it drips 9x out of 10. just FYI. :)

most speedy lubes will do tuneups for $150 or so. check your local listings :)

oil pan can leak yes. but it shouldnt cause the smell.

Well i wouldnt say the WILL have bad compression. mine is 15 years old and holding steady on all cylinders, even with massive oil leaks. with nearly 145K on the clock. I would take the car to your local garage, they will probably test it for you for a small fee (under $20). if you cant check the compression on your engine becuase fo lack of knowledge, i HIGHLY suggest you research what you are doing before you pick up a wrench. an engine is a elaborate piece fo equipment. there is one sensor in the intake, if you bump it, the engine wont run correctly. keep this in mind before you mod. if you dont know but want to, learn. start here: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automatic-transmission.htm

Bah, my car has been leaking for over 50K miles, it is still fine, just leaky. as long as you stya on top of the oil level. know how much it leaks and at what pace under what conditions and add to it, its not THAT urgent fo a matter if you KEEP UP WITH IT. LOL. now seriously, if you have the means, fix it. HOWEVER...it should NOT cost $3350. LCA Bushings-if they were gone you woudl know it, clunking and squeaking in the front end. these are urgent, perhaps moreso than an oil leak...if you dont fix them your steering rack and pinion and everything connected to it (tires, bearings, ball joints and even your transmission) will wear exponentially faster. so take care of that first: $500-$700 at a independant shop. (DO NOT GO TO A DEALER IF YOU CAN AVOID IT...in your area, their shop rate is WELL in excess fo $120 per hour usually). The rear main seal should run $800-$900 to replace. do the Timing belt and water pump now, or wait another 10K miles and have en tear it apart again. Individually, the TB/WP replacement will run between $650-$800 depending on shop. with the other fixes, it may be cheaper. do the filter and bulbs yourself they take 10 mins each.

I am a human torque wrench. i can judge torque fairly accurately by hand. comes from being around cars all my life. however, i still use a TQ wrench on things like head bolts and internals, things that have to be precise. spark plugs on an engine liek this dont have to be torqued precisely. simply put anti seize ont he plugs, gap them with a gapping tool from autozone ($1.00) and then put them in. turn lightly with little pressure until they wont turn, then give it about half a rotation of heavy pressure and you are good. put the plug back on the wire and drive.