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BA.

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Everything posted by BA.

  1. they are FLAT RIPPING YOU OFF!! (or trying to anyway) My (new to me) 99 is OUT OF WARRANTY and I just got mine for free! (a little bit of luck perhaps) My last update was from June 1998 also,........the original,......and now I am at Sept. 2002. Under warranty it should be free, otherwise, it's up to them. $500 is ridiculus though. My local shop only had my car for about 3 hours and it was done. not sure how much of that was actual work time though. I did overhear something about a "hard-drive" though. :whistles:
  2. IF your Cat. was clogged I would think you would notice it. It does happen though. Your car would most likely not run right, would be down on power, not want to pull under high RPMS when driving around. They can be hard to diagnose, but I thought that an Exhaust Gas Temp Sensor would be a clue as to whether it's clogged or not. I'm not completely sure about what an exhaust gas sniffer can tell. Wouldn't hurt to ask a Lexus Tech..... (just call them, or drive in!) They can get clogged over time, or if the car ran rich for a long period of time before getting corrected/tuned up. They should have given you a printout of your results, no? It should list where your car exceeded the limit. Like in Nitrogen oxides, or CO or something like that. A good mechanic will know the key things that can cause one of those readings to be higher than normal.
  3. You *could* just ask your local places if they use 3M brand film. You'll get no purpling out of that. I don't see how the metallic content would interfere with the antenna? I wouldn't think you'd have a concern there at all.
  4. as I've read here before: condensation inside the headlights yellowing of plastic on headlights replacement of throttle body has been needed on some cars get service history from Lexus dealer before buying car. Confirm it's history of oil changes and the like! You'll likely feel a slight vibration at 60mph. Seems like most people do, but it's very very slight. You'll need to read up on it for more info. What works for some doesn't work for everyone to get rid of it. get 2 keys from the current owners! they ain't cheap. check the oil to see how recently it's been changed and for it's color and smell. there's really not much else to verify that is specific to the car I think. I just bought a 99 GS4 a month ago. :) It is truely awesome. Best car I've ever owned.
  5. awesome, ....21 readers, no replies. :(
  6. there there now Rush.......it'll be alright.........everything will be ok in the end......... you can do it man, I'm behind ya all the way......I know ya can, I know ya can!!! :) now get out there and give it all ya got Champ!
  7. Has anyone else noticed that the height of the rear spoiler has varied on the GS400's?? There is a bronze GS400 where I work, I ended up parking next to him the other day far away from the other door-dingers. ;) I noticed that my spoiler is higher than his........and I actually like his better! I don't know what year his is, but it's the same basic Lexus design, and I would presume it's stock,.....but it's just a little shorter. Anyone have info about that?? BA
  8. I was just sitting here reading the Eibach website about their springs and I got to wondering..... Are there any coil-over manufacturers who have the Progressive Spring Rate like Eibach big springs have? I've always liked that feature, but,...I'm trying to convince myself to pony up the $$$ for coil-overs. It'll be even harder to convince myself if none of them are progressive rate. :(
  9. Does anyone know the stock GS400 spring rates,.....front and back? I want to lower my car and I've noticed that some of the manufacturers out there are listing their spring rates, but I have no point of reference as to how much stiffer these aftermarket parts will be. I'm actually looking for a near normal ride quality, just lowered. I wouldn't mind it being a little stiffer if I had to have it that way though. Thanks!
  10. I'm probably the least 'lexus' educated person here, but I've not heard of a 'Coach' edition yet. L-Sportline edition, yes. Coach, ....no. :) Is that something on the ES? What's it mean?
  11. FYI>>>> www.radartest.com is owned by Peterson Publishing company, so, those are the guys printing the mags where we read the tests in the first place like Motor Trend, Car & Driver, etc. (that type of magazine)
  12. so, you're saying that Lexus' stock system will filter out some lower frequencies/or the signal strength to the stock woofer as the volume is turned up?? Where would they do that at actually? Depending upon how an aftermarket sub-woofer is hooked up, I would think that this may or may not be a problem. I mean, if the car has a stock free-air unit, and someone want's to essentially take the wires and connect them to a new sub-woofer 'box', then it sounds like you're saying it won't put out what it should at higher volumes. If that's the case, couldn't someone tap off the rear speakers to connect to a "line power" converter thing to an amp, and then that amp drives the rear speakers and woofer? Yes I'm a moron,....but a curious one. If there is a "filter" somewhere, can it be bypassed? I was hoping of moving my existing 2 x10" w/amp setup into my car soon and will be facing all these same issues I presume.
  13. dude, you need to create a new thread..........
  14. I've only had my 99 400 for about 2-3 weeks, but my "trip info" that is in the Navigation screen says I'm getting 17mpg for slow city and some highway combined. I think I was seeing 22 for the highway and I drive 75-80+ a lot. (bit of a leadfoot)
  15. damn I like having JPI around here! You're a wealth of knowledge dude.
  16. crap I kept saying Distributer in the 2nd paragraph, when I meant to say "Alternator" up there!!! I'll see if i can edit it.......... sorry about that.
  17. the distributer O-ring eh? Are you kidding me? I'm in doubt of that, but I'm just skeptical. You should pop your hood, follow the spark plug wires to their central point, and that will be a distributer cap. Follow that distributer until it "meets" the block and that is probably where the "distributer o-ring" would be located. If you don't see an oil leak there, or a bunch of dirt build-up, then, from here, my bench diagnosis is that you don't need it. (do you have oil spots under the engine or under car when parked?) Now, no offense is meant here, but, did the guy really say that your alternator had a "leak"? That's a new one to me, but then again, I'm just a shadetree mech. from way-back. ;) Can't say I've ever worked on a fancy-schmancy Toyota super--human, nuclear powered, titanium, never fails, sealed with unobtainium runs on cat litter, uber-engine before. I wasn't aware that a alternator leaked. It either provides optimum spark and the car starts, or it doesn't and the battery dies a slow death. They do fail though, so, you can "kinda" test it for having at least some output by starting the engine, then removing the battery cable (positive) at the battery. If the car stays running, the Alt. is putting out enough power to at least do that much, if the car dies, then the alternater is not doing it's job and it is bad. An alternator will also not "put out" if the belt is loose. Does yours have much play? It should have an "auto-tensioner" I would think...... Is it pretty old? How long did that new battery last you? If it was less than 2 weeks or so and the car was driven at least a handful of times, then it does look like your alternator is bad, or the belt was loose. Look at your Serpentine belt, if you don't see weather cracks all over the place, then it's fine. If you see them, then it should be replaced. More info will help us to help you. ;) PS. Alternators and Serpentine belts can be replaced pretty much ANYWHERE! Pep Boys, CarParts USA, NAPA, Firestone, Goodyear, even BP!!! BP ProCare baby!! ;) I'd say "go get a second opinion".
  18. well, the person that said that a "free air" sub wouldn't sound as good as an enclosed unit is correct. You won't get that deep thump you're looking for, nor will it be "tight" base. A woofer needs to have a specific amount of air to move, and in a fairly sealed enclosure. (save for the possible 'port', if you choose to put one on the box.) sorry but I don't know anything about the stock amps......
  19. I think the BIG THREE are: (in no specific order!) 1. Valentine 1 2. Escort 8500 3. BEL 980/990 series Seems like everyone else is behind those 3. Valentines' are expensive...... Thought not my reference point for the list,....here's a couple of useful links. http://www.radarbusters.com/support/produc...uct-tests/2.asp http://www.escortstore.com/ http://www.radartest.com/ All this research makes me think I need to get an upgrade!!! :)
  20. very nice dude tasteful and still blingin'. The blackout trim around the windows is sweet too, ........makes the car look "right". ;)
  21. I'm not so sure that making it wet will soften it. Heat does soften it though Also, GooGone is pretty effective. (and it will not hurt the paint) I had to use Nail Polish Remover to clean off the gunk from my emblems once.
  22. If you don't mind a used spoiler, it wouldn't hurt to check out www.car-parts.com. they have quite an extensive nationwide network of auto-salvage yards.
  23. The mileage is a 'little' high at 80,000, but it's not like I have to worry about a rebuild in the coming years or anything. I only put about 10k-12k a year on my cars. Also, it was put into service in October 1998, so technically it's been on the road 'almost' 5 years now. It does seem to be extra clean, and apparently driven by a non-smoker. I *was* tempted to drive it back and take a little vacation and do some side trips, even had a buddy lined up to go with.... It just ended up being that it would cost me the same either way,.....but I don't have 3-5 days to just "burn up" driving across country right now. Too busy with other stuff. :) Oh yeah, I wanted to say that I used to own a Z28 (a few) and recently a Caddy STS and I have to say that the LEX is a AWESOME CAR!! The steering feel is fantastic, the layout of gauges and stuff is dead on and the cornering is really, really good for this type of car and luxury. Really good. The seats are the bomb too, very comfortable, even on long drives which is more than I can say for my Acura Legend that is now for sale. ;) Time for mods!!
  24. I just wanted to post some pics of the car I picked up about a week or so ago. I found the car in Anaheim Hills California and had it shipped back to me in Ohio. The car is off of a 4 yr lease, was fully serviced from Day 1, and is EXACTLY what I was looking for: 1999 GS400, Silver, Black int,. Navigation and Heated Seats....the chrome 17" rims are a bonus. ;) Now to try to post a pic....... Apologies for the low quality color, I'm not even sure if the interior shot will work out or not...........it was dusk out and I do not have my photo software on my PC right now to brighten it up. (just went to XP Pro) PS. it really shouldn't take a freakin' HALF of an hour just to post 2 pics.......... :(
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