SRK

That's a beautiful car, and just think - from the angst of the accident you've now got a magnificent replacement, due entirely to your diligence. Well done!

A strange god indeed. He's oblivious to the plight of 100,000 now dead Haitians, but has time to help you find your lost Lexus parts.... "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy"

The engine has two ignition coils, which you may have seen working around them. Check them both, one may have failed, and that's common.

The car gave it's life for you. Buy another one, and don't even THINK about fixing that one. It will be substantially twisted throughout the unibody as a result of that accident. It's dead. Move on. Be thankful you are OK.

I think you should change mechanics. It's possible that the "heater core" is actually the "evaporator core", part of the AC system, and that it's leaking refrigerant oil. There is no way that the heater core could leak just oil - it would have to leak a lot of coolant with a tiny bit of oil in it, even in the worst case scenario. Get a second opinion at least....

I believe it is a crescent type pump, and is part of the front cover and driven by the crankshaft. Why do you think you need to replace it?

Exactly, as without an oil analysis, the colour is just a guess as to the condition. For sure it will change colour in service, and I'm aware that Honda transmissions routinely show "dark" oil, and it's considered normal.

Perhaps you could advise us all as to what kind of car to buy, considering you don't like the most reliable brands on the planet. If you really like transmission problems, I'd advise YOU to buy a GM, Chrysler, or Ford. You deserve one. And over $500 for a trans oil change? You're kidding right?

The ebrake is unrelated to the wheel caliper assembly. As a check the wheels can be spun when jacked up off the road and the drag on each corner confirmed. The caliper can be unbolted quickly to see if the ebrake is in fact dragging. Easy diagnosis, which seems to have eluded the dealer.

I'd swap wheels and tires - either front to rear, or put summers back on. The vibration is apparently road speed related, and that usually means tires. No tire shop will admit their tires are bad..... At least it won't cost much, if anything, to do this check and properly either identify or eliminate tires as the source of the problem.

Well that ain't extremely cold.....from a Canadian perspective.... Sounds to me like a door weatherstrip is folded a bit in the chill, and when the interior warms up it conforms better. Wind whistle perhaps.

For sure the 80's are better, and I chewed up a certain 4L60E twice.....but the electronic GM's don't impress me. Turbo 400 - that's a trans.

Later LS brakes are huge - early ones, like my 92, are not. The brakes on that 2000 should have no trouble invoking the ABS. There is something wrong with the system - air perhaps, or glazed pads, or a partially failed master cylinder. It didn't brake like that when it was new - something has changed, and is not correct.

We're talking a VVti engine here. Not so easy. If they aren't leaking, I don't change seals. To do otherwise to a customer is fraudulent.

I don't think annoy is the right word. Amuse is. Especially the idea of using the 4L80E trans from GM. Piece of crap. Throw away the best auto box ever made to install one of those.....hahahaahahaahahahahahahahaa.

I'm only about 30 miles away, across the water, from Vancouver. I don't get the Olympics thing. I don't disagree with them, I just don't have any interest. You won't find a better place to visit than Victoria though. All of BC is fabulous actually, the "best place on earth" as we like to say around here. Big too. About the size of Washington, Oregon, and most of California rolled into one..... it takes a while to see.

That's called duplicate labour, and it is a fraudulent way of doing business. That's not the "way it is". Many try it, but it's not acceptable. No honest shop would do it. Most flat rate tables reflect multiple operations as reducing the time charged. I'd speak to the Lexus regional manager from Toyota. They might be interested to hear that, or perhaps not.....

Well jdavis it's not that the belt will never fail - eventually it will. Just when is a crap shoot. There is no visual check that can determine the amount of life left. Certainly a visual can tell you to replace it. I've repaired lots of engines that have had belts fail, and seen more than a few that were economically un-rebuildable. So it will be with the Lexus V-8. You'll find it cheaper to install a used engine than to repair the failed one. So be sure to check back here and gather the sympathy from those who have told you to drive a bit further. I'll be watching. Just why it's important to squeeze a few more miles and months from a belt that Lexus themselves says to change is beyond me. Why change the oil in fact?

The time interval is seven years. There is no percentage in trying to get an extra year or two from the belt. Change it and drive with a peaceful mind. You might also find a shop that will do the belt for less than $2k, which is insane. My GS400 was well under $1k Canadian, with eight spark plugs and a serpentine belt installed as well, at the dealer.

Sure, like your experience with a TAURUS transmission has anything to do with Lexus. One of the worst transmissions ever built, and the track record is that they all explode, so your "anecdotal" evidence is worthless. You bought a Taurus - they're designed to explode. Lexus transmissions don't.

Buy the H's. They will last a bit longer, ride softer ( a bit ) and be perfectly safe. You simply have to avoid cruising speeds past 125 mph......

It's commonly done to reduce the chances of brake squeal, and it speeds the break-in process. As you mention the area is less, but the pressure from the caliper is exerted over that smaller area producing a higher unit pressure, so all remains the same.

I know of very few body shops that would use materials supplied by the customer. They use systems that they like, and unless yours is the same, I doubt very much they'll touch the job. By having "paint" do you mean the first stage acrylic base, second stage urethane clear, the reducer/thinners, catalyst, sealer, two part primers, what? I used to paint cars.....

The Lexus V-8 - and all Toyota engines for that matter - are among the LEAST delicate engines ever built. The V-8 has six bolts at each main bearing! Balanced to a fraction of a gram. A valve train that is silent and capable of least 1 or 2 grand past normal redline. You want to hear about delicate? Try a Chevy LT-1 in the fourth gen Camaros. They are pieces of junk. I had one. The Ford 5.0 HO with forged factory pistons? That one is as tough as an anvil, but still no match for Lexus. You won't hurt that engine clearing it out every now and then.....

You've already got it figured out I think. When you drive gently the exhaust system gets deposits in it, as well as the converter. When you suddenly use full throttle the extra exhaust gases tend to scour the system and you see the accumulations get blown out as brown/black smoke. At full throttle most systems, and I'm sure Lexus is one of them, go to a rich condition to protect the engine, which bypasses the normal emissions standards. That produces the black/grey smoke you see. It's all quite normal. The rich condition also overheats the converters, which cleans them further. The engine isn't dirty, just the exhaust. As for fuel injection cleaners, they are mostly a waste of time and money. Just use full throttle every now and then, and the extra duty cycle that the injector sees, and the increased fuel flow, will clean things up just fine. Every engine needs to "take a deep breath" every now and then. Doesn't hurt a thing.