blake918

I find my LS's ride is quite taut-definantly not as soft as some find. I'm very happy that it is though; it allowed me to aviod hazzardous things on the road. I've done some(2 occasions) extreme accident aviodance at 70mph, and the LS swallowed it like it was nothing. The tightness of the suspension is also quite evident when the car is going 120mph; it's so stable you can say, "look mom no hands!" I get the white smoke when it's cold also. I would also like for my LS to be a bit more quiet, but you must note that my LS is 10 years old with 251,000 miles. Water under the bridge!

The airbags are actually a lot cheaper than what I thought.... Driver's bag: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...996&catalogid=2 Passenger: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...t=2&catalogid=2 Headlight: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...996&catalogid=2 Bumper cover: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...996&catalogid=2 Energy absorber: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...=12&catalogid=2 Reinforcement beam: http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/ind...996&catalogid=2 $645 + $800 + $300 + $325 + $40 + $250 = $2360 just for OEM body parts and air bags. Figure another $500 to get the bumper painted...add even more if you want somone to install all of these parts. I included all of the inner bumper componets since they are likely needed since it was slammed into a pole. Then, you still need to address the drivetrain vibrations. Engine and tranny mounts are probably $300-$500 plus installation. Add another $120 to the tab to get your local dealer to turn off the airbag malfunction light; it should be on if both airbags blew. By the time it's all set and done, you are looking at atleast $3k-$4k of damages unless you diy. She is definantly not worth $8k as is. You can get a '95 or '96 with about 100k for under $10k that needs nothing other than maintinance.

Help me out, which one did you take; I'm not near a window at the moment?:whistles: Those were the good ole days back at Chino-I think we had the nicest cell in the block (That's the last time we run shine in my car. )...who would have thought we would meet again in LOC? <_< Atleast you got a decent PO, mine was worthless, and don't you think [that] I'm joking either(he was that bad), a real knucklehead...that's why I'm in tech support. ;)

$2.15 for Shell V-Power(93) in New Orleans and in Ruston.

yeah, but the state government holds their hand out when the oil co. pays you, they need that money to finance thier public schools. :D oh BTW this is an official LOC threadjack...in case you didnt notice. blake and i are extremely bored and corresponding via the forums while on the telephone but dont worry, the minutes are free. thanks to VZW and their goofball CDMA network that drops numerous calls for the price of one... GSM is better! :P The whole world will be there in a few years anyways! and synthetic oil is better too! im sorry where were we?? ← I'm afraid all of the oil in the swamp wouldn't help our public school system! lol That's why I went to private schools all my life! lol Denny, you should have put Lojack on this thread...this puppy is gone! lmao (excuse the lame joke; it's getting late.) VZW, 9 dropped calls in one day "most reliable network" my a$$. :chairshot: I do need to switch to GSM...the worst part about it will be buying a Motorola phone. :o :o Who buys these things, really? lol Even better, who would work at a place like that? j/k

Yeah, you know the best part about living in Bum F&cking Egypt...I can pump oil out of the swamp in my back yard!

Touche! I think by the time I got home we were up to dropped call #7 or 8.

You really want me to comment on that(I threw you enough slow balls yesterday; my turn now!!!)??? j/k When I changed my 3rd brake light bulbs, all I did was lift the plastic housing up, pull toward the front of the car, and it's out...replace bulbs!

Are you changing the bulbs or the entire assembly?

I was thinking the same thing, but the two filters cost the same amount at this particular dealer-both are $6.25. The manual stated that either can be put on the car, so I'm hopeful! He said next time they will be more than happy to put the D3 in; I'm not so sure there will be a next time though!

It's just a typeo. Its got all of the same specs as the V8. That price is a rediculous, atleast in my area. $14k can almost get you into a '98. All '95's should be in the $10k range by now unless you come across something rare with 40k miles. The link didn't work, but I think I found the car anyways. Was it tan? and located in Baltimore?

I just went back to the dealer. The service manager came out and showed me a Lexus manual that stated that either the D1 or D3 could be used, and he assured me that the car would be fine. They said next time I can specify which filter I want since they both cost the same amount. He said generally they only put the D3 on the big trucks and suvs.

This morning I had my oil changed at the local Toyota dealer(the nearest Lexus dealer is 80 miles away, and I've heard enough horror stories about Jiffy Lube to never to set foot there.); I usually do the oil changes myself, but I don't have the space and tools to do it here. I dropped the car, and it was ready shortly after. When I returned, I looked at the recipt, and it shows that they put a Toyota 90915-YZZD1 filter on my car. Lexls's(I know he has a '91, but it has a 1uzfe) site and Irontoad's site both show a 90915-YZZD3 for the LS. Is the D1 the worng filter, and if so, do I need to go back and yell at them and have them put the correct filter on as to avoid any damages? I put about 150 miles on the car this morning, and all seemed well. What do yall think?

Chevron has 93 octane in Louisiana(and other southeastern states too I'm sure.). I would use Chevron in my car if I wasn't so sure the one station in town wasn't around during the Depression. Where are you headed to in Florida?

Ahh, ok...now it makes sense as to why they have 91 octane(not 93) in the manual! lol thanks. ;)

Thanks! You'll be at 250k before you know it! True, true! ;) I was just suprised to see the price jump like that! BTW, what octane ratings do yall have? We have 87,89, and 93...no 91. hmmm...

Whew, I'm going to have to get busy if I need 255k by the time of the meet! lol I just drove past my usual Shell station, and the price of 93 jumped 16 cents overnight(last fill up was $1.99/gallon). Brenden, she still drives and perfroms like a new car! 20/26 fuel econ and she still accelerates like a bat outta bell(a few guys have seen the mpeg, so they can back me up. lol)! B) Not a single non maintinance mechanical repair this year!...the only bad thing that happened was my cd changer croaked, and I'm having a really hard time stomaching the $1,000 price tag. I think Sirius radio would be a good option at this point. No mechanical repairs in 26,000 miles, what a car!!! B) NC, your car is just a small child with under 100k. You are right-it's hard to see those repair bills, but it all pays off in the long run! RFelds, are you comming to the DFW meet in April? We need more delegates from Louisiana. :) Thanks for all the nice words everyone!

Thanks guys!

I just had the driver's side lower control arm replaced on my ES for $245-$170 for the OE part and $75 for labor at an indie shop. The car drives like new and the tires wear properly now! Your ES certainly isn't falling apart; torn bushings and an oil leak is par for the course on an aging Lexus. ;)

Here's my boat cruising effortlessly down I20 as she slips 250k miles under her belt(this was sometime last week. I think Tues. I'm at 250,2xx now.). I look foward to 250k more! B) I'll post up some stats(expenses, fuel econ, etc.) from my past 25.5k miles this week. I took this after seeing an ES with 123,456 miles. I missed the 234,567 mile mark, so I took one with even numbers. lol

I'd say $800-$1k is a good deal on the tb, water pump, tensioner, and idlers. The dealer will request $1,200-$1,500. This V8 is a completely different animal from the 1UZFE in your '300. The front half of the V8 has to be torn off in order to get to the belt(a lot of labor!!!!), and the parts are pretty high: ~$100 for the pump, $70 for the tensioner, $50 for the belt, and I believe about $80 for the 2 idlers(l&r cost different $$)...and a few jugs of Toyota coolant @ $20 a jug. While you have her apart, it's a good time for a new ignition, but be prepared for big $$ on iridium plugs(unless you can get lucky on ebay). You can probably do better on the parts prices, but I sure as hell wouldn't roll the dice with no name parts for such an involved job. ;) My ES300 had excessive egr flow a while back. The car was basically a slug...it accelerated poorly, the tranny shifted erratically, took forever to warm up, and idled rough. Fortunately, my ES is OBDII, so the ECU pointed the finger to about 4-5 problem areas to check. I'm not familiar with the egr problems on the first gen LS's, but I'm sure the symptoms are similar to what happened in my ES. You will not regret getting a LS. The LS rides worlds of better than the ES's we drive, and the V8 is a real hoot! The best part about the LS is the way it ages; my '95 has 250, 1xx miles(26k of which were put on last year), and she asks for nothing more than regular fluid changes...my ES has been drastically less reliable(a lot of electronic issues). My LS had not a single manditory repair last year while my ES was a different story. Good Luck and keep us posted!

I had the bottom cushon on my driver's seat completely remade plus one square on the passenger's seat and one square in the lumbar region on my driver's seat for $600. I called my local Lexus dealer to have them do it; they said they don't do upholstry work, so I asked them for a recommendation. The guy they recommended has been nothing but excellent. You'd be suprised at what a good upholsterer can do.

Nice job Steve! ;) What did you think of the driver's comfort in regards to the LS430? I was suprised to see that a large car like the Avalon only offers 41.3" of legroom (the LS430 is at 44"...the SC430 has 43". lol). Does the Avalon have an electronic throttle? If so, how do you think it perfromed and was there any noticeable lag? I think I'd probably opt for the Avalon over the ES. I think the ES has a stellar exterior, and the interior is also great, but I do not like the 3 pod instrument cluster and 3 spoke steering wheel...not cool on such a classy car that so closely mimicks the LS430, IMO. Plus, I would really like the extra float in the ride(I think my LS could use some also...not that it is harsh in any way) not to mention the extra gadgets that the Avalon has that the ES doesn't. I'm glad that Toyota is not jamming all of the controls into the navi-I think it's a great safety componet. I think the Avalon is a great alternative to those who want a big, American car with Japanese engineering and build quality. My interest in this car would be through the roof if it had more than 41" of legroom...what a shame. I don't know if I could bear the thought of the $39,685 Avalon(that's everything but the dvd entertainment in the headrests--way to bling for me, "special color"...whatever that is, and vehicle shield package) I just built.lol

ES, LS, general discussion, and from time to time detailing, meets, and modifications. So, regularly, 3 boards. Like the others said, nothing against GS, SC, LX, GX, RX, and IS, I don't own any of those cars, so there is no need for me to go there. :)

She looks phenominal Steve! B)