blake918

Welcome! :D I don't think there is a recall. I think that you could probably argue that the ECU is a major mechanical problem. Tell them there is a major safety issue at hand. Bring it back to the dealer and make them change the computer out. The LS doesn't have coils. ;)

A metal on metal sounding bang over pot holes is most likely your strut rod bushings. I just had them replaced on my car. Here's the story: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=16861

That single tone '98 LS makes me nauseous(many seem to like the LS sans the grey cladding though) although it seems like a very good deal considering the mileage. :cries: I really like the 98 LS with 80k, but I wouldn't pay that much for it. If you don't want to spend that much on the GS, don't drive it because it only takes one drive to fall head over heels for the GS's!! The ride, performance, cabin, exterior, it's all excellent!! B) $28k for a two year old ES is a total rip!! You can get a new one for just a few k's more.

lol...not so much a party...just a tour of his house! ;) He said he wants to host the next meeting. We should have a Mardi Gras meet in New Orleans...that would be a lot of fun!! :D

Can you elaborate on the sound it makes and when it makes it?? My '95 used to make this horrid bang when I'd fly over a pot-hole or slam hard on the brakes. Turns out the strut rod bushings were worn to hell, and it was easily cured at an indie Lexus specialist for about $450.

I agree with everything Josh said about JP Importz! I'm 150% satisfied with my repair experience. Overall, I got a great deal. Jason was extremely polite and respectful, the repairs were done very well, my car was washed and vacuumed when I came back for it, and I was given a late model GS300 loaner car! B) I drove a little distance to JPI(a little more than 550 miles round trip), but it was all worth it. He even called yesterday to follow-up that everything is holding up fine, and I was still satisfied. I'll certainly be back when it's time for more repairs. $650 for the an installed rack isn't bad. If you have the means, definantly go for it! ;) $300 could buy a few parts; I don't know what they cost on the ES, but ball joints are about $100 a piece on the LS. After the rack, she'll drive like a dream!! B)

What a shock, Lexus offers just a plain old bushing!! Good luck with the repairs. Jason said he marked some componet(I think the ball joint) so that they knew where to reset it after the strut rod was in--saving my alignment. ;)

I'm having an error 14-I have to turn the power off to get the cartridge out too. I can hear it unloading the disc, but then, it displays error 14, and no sound comes out. Can someone with a repair manual/the knowledge tell me what it means. It sucks living in the boondocks with only like 2 radio stations and no cd player. I've already run one of those cd laser cleaners, but that didn't work.

Silver is right on! I replaced my timing belt at 233k(at 246.6 now). I was approaching 120k on the belt, so we replaced it and the water pump, pulleys, and tensioner. I was quite disappointed to see the belt when we took it out. It looked wonderful. It could have gone atleast 30-50k more. A good, independant Lexus specialist can do the job for about $800, but the $1500 from the dealer is what they told me also. Also, have them replace the cam and crank seals while they are in there. It's a good preventative measure since you will probably develop a leak there at some point. The mechanic/dealer has to tear down the front of the engine to get to those cam can crank seals, so you may as well have them do it while they are in there.

Here are the old rods. Jason said I should keep them as souvenirs! lol....

The LS is a great choice!! The body repair situation is a long story(which I told you about), but I will eventually get it done right. Everyone should have a JPI in their town!! Check back in a little bit when I have the old rods posted; you'll be amazed!! I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but it seems as though the car drives even better than before. It doesn't make the same sounds as before, but it seems more controlled and smooth. I knew I was forgetting something while I was there! lol I wonder if he'd come to LA? :whistles: lol They can be pushed out.......but dealers don't do it - they sell the entire rod. ← Yep, Agent's right. I had to do the whole rod; it's a shame that a $5 bushing goes out, but you have to replace the entire componet for almost $115.

lmao I bet she's a lot of fun!! B)

They don't know how it makes that much hp though...still a bit of a secret!! Yep...the pool was definantly kick !Removed! with all of the rocks and jacuzzi!! B)

I made my first visit to JP Importz today, and it was a great experience! :D ....the '00 GS300 loaner car had something to do with it--what a machine--not to mention the great service I recieved too!!! B) I went in for new strut rods and a new seatbelt. My car would let out a loud bang when I'd go over a pot hole or slam hard on the brakes. I was thinking the control arms were bad, but after a little research on here(posts by 95ls4Bob, Agent99, et. al.), I found out that there is a really good possibility that the strut rods are the culprit. After Jason lifted my car, he pointed out that the strut rod bushings were in horrible shape and were most likely causing the problem. $225 parts and $215 labor, and my car is silent. It's remarkable!! I've been hearing this signature Lexus suspenion clunk for over 2 years, and now, I don't know what to do with myself and this newfound silence!! B) My seatbelt did not retract itself any more. This seems like a pretty common problem(there is a post somewhere about this.). $150 part and $85 labor, and the seatbelt is replaced. I had really been wanting to get this done since it was a serious safety hazzard should I hit someone or get hit. It's weird not having to shove the belt back into the retractor and having it snug againt myself while driving. Jason did find a few little things that will need to be fixed: valve cover gaskets, lower ball joints, rear knuckle bushings, valve adjustment, and cam and crank seals. Next will probably be the ball joints and rear knuckle bushings so that I can be done with the suspension. I'm not so concerned with the oil leaks since they are very, very minimal-I don't add any oil, and it stays full. As those seals progressively get worse(when I have to start adding oil), I'll get them repaired. I think my LS is doing great for 246.6k miles!! :D Jason's shop is better than a Lexus dealer. I was treated with the utmost respect, given a sweet, sweet loaner car(not your typical loaner RX or ES!! lol), my car was washed and vacuumed when I got it back, Jason took a final ride with me to make sure I was happy, and his pricing is very, very fair. The only downside is the drive -about 4-4.5 hours...it's just the time since my gas usage is very minimal(I got 27.5 mpg. I made it from LA to Dallas to Ft. Worth back to LA on one tank...grant it the fuel light was shining brightly by the time I got back). $720.23 later, I feel like I got a new car! After I left JP Importz, I paid Josh(ArmyOfOne) a quick visit-always a good time. I drove his ES250, and I was really quite impressed with the way it rode and functioned for all of the problems it has, truely a remarkable car for 16 years and 145k miles. I'll have pics of the old strut rods tomorrow...

If you decide to keep the air ride, you can get both of the rear air shocks for about $950 at Park Place Lexus-plano; you'll probably get robbed on the installation though. The fronts, however, run about $900 a piece.

Please point away(or should I pm?), sir! I'm not far from Dallas-less than 300 miles. That Explorer looks like what my car has, but the quantity is times 20 as mine goes from the front all the way to the trunk. I'm hopeful now!! :D

I love and will replace my current Michelin MXV4 Energys(H rated with the same tires. The LS loves them-they are always balanced, aligned, and never wear unevenly. I know this is really bad(or is it? I think my LS drives better without my hands on the wheel, and they are wearing evenly.), but I haven't done any tire roataing, balancing, or alinging in over 20,000 miles. I'm getting my strut rods replaced either this weekend or next(whenever JPI can take me), so after that I'll go in for a balance, rotation and alignment(how nice would it be if he did tire work too! I'll have to ask.). Brief pro and con list for the Energys' Pros: always a perfect balance, wear, and alignment, excellent tread life upwards of 60k miles Cons: expensive-approx. $130 per tire, and because of the great tread life, they are occasionally loud on some really rough roads...not bad unless you really listen for it.

Yeah...it's really not hard so long as you have the puller; we had one laying around the garage, so it was a breeze! I'll cover about 25k miles this year in my LS; my highest mileage month was December--5k miles! :o The ES is just never driven! I'll drive it occasionally when I go home(we have a Cobra too, so I favor that as a weekend car because well, it's a Cobra! lol), and my dad will take it to an occasional meeting; I think it's been on maybe 1 or 2 hwy trips. lol 11 years and only 125k=10.5k miles a year. :o

You are very optimistic!! :D I've shown my car to 3 detailers and 1 body shop, and they all tell me the samething(repaint), but they probably don't know that it's single stage paint. You are the only one so far that would consider cleaning the car...I'm going to have to come see you one day. Great info on the clearcoat and no clearcoat info-never knew that it was just as durable(sounds like the same song as coated and uncoated leather. lol)! ;)

They didn't replace the door skin. That's why I chose this shop(the other Lexus cars in there and a friend's recommendation also influenced my decision). However, never in a million years did I think they were going to put bondo on the car because of the inseverity of the damage and the repair price. The damage was so minimal that I would have brought the car to a pdr guy had the paint not been scuffed. My ES had one of its door skins replaced, and the inside seam's paint is chipping away(I think you showed me the same thing on your car too. A common thread with the skins??); it really turned me off. Luckily, there is a lifetime warranty on the work. I hope I don't need to use it ever again...

Removing the wheel is really quite simple-2 hex screws hold the air bag, un clip the connector for the airbag, undo the nut that holds the wheel on, and the wheel pops right off with a steering wheel puller. However, mine is a little trickier because of the Lexus phone control on the wheel. :( Lexus interiors are pretty easy to disassemble! The ES will probably be gone by the summer as it is primarily a driveway orniment at the moment since we have more cars than drivers at the house. Who knows though...I was supposed to sell it when I got the LS last March, so it might hang around a little longer, and if so, I'll get AS to redo the wheel if they agree! lol

I don't know! Chances are that I probably won't. I just want the assurance from American Stitches that they aren't hanging me out to dry if I do decide to ship it back to them. The ES is driven about 500 miles a month, so it's not that big of a deal right now, and it will probably be sold before too long. I just wanted to warn you guys of AS....

No clearcoat+245k worth of rock chips=a disaster that can only be fixed by a repaint with 2 rust spots and this car has never lived in a snowy climate. If you buy a black car new or relatively new, you should be ok if you keep it sealed and waxed, but in my case, the previous owner neglected the paint, so now, I have this mess of a paint job. I would have prefered something light like beige or white to begin with.

Very true!! My LS has 245,500 miles, and I love this car to death! This year(I still have 2 more months in the 'LS year.' Probably 247k-250k by that time.) alone I've put 21,000 100% trouble free miles. I've done several cosmetic and maintinance things along the way but nothing that would leave me beside the highway. Just skip the snazzy, Black Onyx paint job if you plan to keep the car for a while. This is a car that you buy and enjoy so much so that nothing else out there truely interest you because you are driving one of the best autos. B)

Saying I tried everything is a bit of an exageration. I used a very, very mild woolite solution and lexol leather cleaner. I believe both products are very mild and safe which is why I went with them. The white specs are on the lower portion of the wheel which is holding up fine in comparison to the top.