blake918

Here's the thread: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...topic=26385&hl= I'd be pis$ed if some grade school thief pulled a half as number like this on my car. If mine gets stolen, I want the police to recover nothing more than a char-broiled shell! If you're going to steal my car, have a little self respect and do it right. I guess the owner of the car came out with his 10 gauge in the midst of the theft; that's the only explanation I could think that they would take only the seats and headlights and leave the steering wheel, airbags, tail lights, etc. etc.

The picture is wrong. ;) There are 2 cam seals. I know both of the guys that do most of the work for that site pretty well because I email them so often about parts that are missing, wrong, etc.! They have cheap OEM parts, free freight, and no sales tax, so I always come back! LOL Here ya go!

....that's a one word summation of the North American news media. Personally, I despise it, so if I watch 5 minutes of it a month, that's a lot. In a poli sci class, we compared a news segment from cnn to one from the BBC, and the findings were simple, the BBC reports the news in a dull, straightforward manner and not just the depressing things, neither of which can be said for any of the media giants in NA. At least Dan Rather has been off the air for some time!

Sapper, I circled what I think are the cam and crank seals in the exploded view (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Here are some pictures from WandaW: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...topic=19816&hl=

Oooops, Lex, I appologize for the confusion, my fault.:chairshot: My new baby is a k9. With us dogs are more like little members of the family than anything else. The adoption process was a pita (I got her from a rescue group.), but without a doubt, she was well worth the stacks of paper work, phone calls, and everything else. I can understand all of the "hoops" they make you go through since they want to make sure the dogs go to good homes. Here's Maddie (short for Madison), she's a purebred Australian Cattle Dog @ 10 weeks old. She loves riding in the Lexus too! B) Anyone who ride with us has to fight her for the front seat! LOL It was blind luck that I picked a stuffed cow for my Cattle Dog; I didn't realize it until I got home!

PC 7424+a good cutting pad+SSR3. It won't make them go away, but they will be greatly minimized. ;) I love Collinite IW. I like the look it gives, it glows but not anything that's going to blind you. Here is a before and after: eeeek: Lookin much. much better: It looks even better when you are a just a foot or two away:

That metallic blue that the STS is painted is unreal! I've seen it in person, and WOW! B) I've always been partial to Caddy's white diamond, but that blue is tough to beat!

Those look like the right parts, but I don't know...they aren't that much cheaper than the OEM parts (Park Place offers free shipping and no sales tax too!). "Cheap" doesn't do me justice, but I'd splurge on the real Lexus parts for the timing belt componets. Having changed the timing belt in my 95, I'd be uncomfortable using generic brands especially since it takes such a long time to do (6-8 hours probably).

It sounds like you have a good game plan; I'd just add the cam and crank seals to the list (not a question of if they leak but when! lol). ;) The two idlers are different... http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...=19&catalogid=1 I would be suprised if you could find just the bearing; Lexus still makes evey nut and bolt that goes on your car! ;;)

No one will rank you poorly! ;) But, the point of this thread is still being misconstrued as a Lexus v. Lincoln brawl. No one is comparing the 4.0 to the 4.6; we all know the 4.0 is a more refined, better built engine. That said, it does not mean the 4.6 is an oil burning piece of $hit that won't make it past 80,000 miles when there are thousands and thousands of them going past 500k miles and still running great.

Just get a lawyer to handle it. Most lawyers around here only charge like $75-$100 for speeding cases. My brother was caught speeding in the same situation as you, paid his lawyer $75, and the ticket was dismissed. The fine itself would have been like $150 plus whatever the insurance co. rate hike would be. Good luck!

No one is saying that they don't like their Lexus or anything of the sort. No doubt that the Lexus V8 is better built than the Ford 4.6, the huge price differences account for the different build qualities. However, to immediately dismiss the Ford motor that can undoubtedly go hundreds and hundreds of thousands of trouble free miles is more than questionable. This equivocal remark is what sparked this thread: Where would one start with that? It's fantastic to see how grounded in reality we are when hundreds and hundreds of thousands of miles on the odometers of real life cars mean nothing. LOL There's nothing like a little irony! You're talking trash about the 4.6, and the trash can't be backed up. That's what I call substance and knowledge!

Looks great!! B) Your bumpers look fine from the pics (is it just the pic angles, or did you get it fixed already?)?

It seems dangerous to me to have a motorhome powered by a tiny 4cyl gas engine. It seems like there would be a regulation on something like that...how are you going to merge that thing in to traffic? I suppose you could go WOT about 20 minutes before hand.

I can't add anything as far as the procedure is concerned, but my local Lexus dealer quoted me $402 for parts and labor to replace the egr pipe in my '95. The Service Manager's email said "approximately $402," so I guess that gives them some room to add to the price once they get a hold of the car. I've been reading a lot about this since my cracked pipe is driving me crazy, and it sounds like if you have access to a lift, then, you are looking at roughly an hours work, but no lift, don't make any plans for the weekend.

Here's how I have the mute setup in my '95:

Christmas was wonderful (it was a shame that it was 70deg...it just doesn't make it seem like Christmas.). I gave myself the best gift; I adopted an Australian baby (girl)! :D She'll be even more awesome when she can sleep the entire night and doesn't wake up before 6am! lol I got some great odds and ends from the family-ipod (quite an improvement over my old 1g), all 6 seasons of Seinfled, Craftsman tools, and some other stuff that will end up in the attic before too long!

That's exactly what Lexus is afraid of, and since we live in a sue happy society, it is a legitimate fear. It would drive me crazy if I owned a car that did that, but I can understand that Lexus is only trying to protect themselves from some freeloader trying to win the next Darwin or Stella Award.

The first bullet is true, but not so much the second and third. Every Lincoln dealer I've seen advertises discounts of $10k-$12k off the sticker for the Town Car which brings the true price to about $30k. If they take $12k off the sticker without any hassel, I'm sure there is more $$ that can come off too. After you realize all of the discounts that the original buyer gets, they don't depreciate any quicker than most cars. The image of a premium brand sounds like a personal problem for the buyer. The fact that Town Cars are used as limos and upscale airport transportation makes no difference to me and will not dissuade me from buying one. The same could be said about Lexus. I personally don't think that Lexus would be as successful as it is in the US had it been marketed under the Toyota name as it is in other countries. Who would pay $75k for a fully loaded Toyota Celsior in the US?? It's just like the VW Phaeton; I read it's a wonderful car, but who is going to pay $75k+ for a Volkswagon? Very few people.

Vito, I used a throttle body gasket supplied by Park Place Lexus for about $4. I have no idea what he is talking about in needing 4 small gaskets; there is only 1 gasket where the tb meets the intake manifold. My tb gasket was not compromised when we removed the tb, but we opted to replace it as a "while you are in there" precaution. ;) http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/EFI/throttlebody.html

Bob did a great write up on the job.... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=13030&hl=mount

The LS isn't a car that is going to invoke a serious passion-Lexus isn't known for cars that have "soul;" I think it's a good thing because you'll never get tired of it. They have a very middle of the road personallity, so driving them 10+ years isn't a chore. Once you see how well the LS excels in your everyday driving, you'll love it. I do long to drive mine on the interstate; there's nothing like an iPod full of music, a full tank of gas, and the wide open interstates! Congrats on your new car! I would love to have your option package...fully loaded minus the sunroof!

There is no point to prove as we all know that Lexus makes an excellent V8. You don't have to explain it to me-my 95 LS400 has 268,000 miles and runs/drives/looks excellent. However, to immediately lable any V8 as subpar that doesn't have "1UZ-FE" stamped on it, is wrong and very, very close minded. Rent a DeVille/DTS or Town Car for a weekend, they are not nearly as bad as you think! ;)

Thanks guys! Yall are awesome! I scrubbed the valve cover gaskets with some choke/carb cleaner and that was it! We reassembled everything in a tad over an hour, and now, she runs great!! B) My TB was filthy, but she cleaned up nicely...what a job (my fingers were numb after I finished!)! As it turns out, the source of my spongy brake pedal was right under my nose. Suprisingly, Lexus makes a rebuild kit for the master cylinder!

As they shouldn't be since the Fords with the 4.6l are nowhere near as expensive as any Lexus with a V8, not even close!!!!!!! Let's see, $20k compared to $65k. My point is the Ford may not be as well put together, but that means nothing when there are so many of them still on the road with original mechanicals that have 300k+ on the odo. Here's to Lexus supremacy! Not. Your experience is based on the repairs that you performed on cars that are on a used car lot? LOL Used car lot=we sell cheap, previously wrecked, unmaintained crap that any reputable person or dealer can't sell with good conscience. A used car lot is undoubtedly a great place to collect data!!