anthonyiez

when my wife and i started considering a suv, because of having 3 large dogs, we looked at both. we ended up with the highlander because it was slightly bigger, which made a difference to us. our highlander has every available option and accessory and short of no memory seats we find it very nice.

evap cannister and more than likely the evap vsv valve as well. but 1st i would check to see if anyone knocked off the vacuum line near the air cleaner that goes to the evap vsv valve.

working from memory here so forgive me a bit... 1st... i agree with the above chances are they screwed something up, but its the dealer and they're the best and never screw up...LOL 2nd...in 1999 toyota had a problem with cali emission 3.0 v6 engines concerning the fuel injectors. they have updated injectors. my guess is they screwed something up, but just wanted to throw that other info out there.

what's your year, model and the exact codes?

i've seen people put the clip-on squealer backwards and it will rub against the rotor. also check to make sure the backing plate isn't rubbing the rotor.

i'm a big fan of akebono and brembo.

it always amazes me what people are willing to pay the lexus dealers for this major service. considering the actual cost of the parts for this service these dealers are really making out.

are all 4 windows moving slower or just the front ones? motor failure is common. you can try lubing the channels to alleviate the strain on the motor a bit.

what kind of car do you have? what bushings in the rear did you change? if you replaced the stabilizer bar bushings already, than i'd be looking at the lateral links.

i guess the 40 or 50 of these i've changed so far, on all toyota v6 engines, were just put in extra tight. stripped, imo, is a different deal. stripped to me, means that someone cross-threaded the part in. this isn't the case here. this is a case of a part being threaded in for a long time, in a hot environment, causing the 2 parts to slightly "bond" together. when this happens its inevitable that it will pull some threads out with it. another piece of advice... since its bad and you're changing it anyway, just cut the wire and put a regular 1/2 inch drive impact socket on it. make sure to use an impact socket because a regular "chrome" socket might crack and that would really hurt. as for rethreading it, you can buy a re-threader from Lisle (sp?) tools. i've also had very good luck using a pipe threader, just make sure you get the right size. most do take part of the threads out with them. i should add that i've successfully replaced many of these after the local toyota and lexus dealers gave up. they want to replace the entire exhaust manifold, which is very expensive. i've yet to have to replace a manifold. good luck.

in my most honest opinion, you don't sound like you should be tackling this. the o2 near the firewall is pretty darn hard to get out and even then 9 out of 10 times it will need to be re threaded to reinstall it. i don't want to sound rude, just honest. good luck and keep a 1st aid kit around for your knuckles.

yes i've been removed. the dealer didn't send it out because the service writer knew what i was going to write.

Warped rotors are a problem on every vehicle made, not just the GX. Thats what happens when they use cheap iron from China. yes easily warped rotors are a problem on all cars, but i have to disagree with the china part. 1st...all manufactures are under pressure to increase the CAFE numbers. one of the easiest ways to do this is to cut weight. one the 1st places they always go to, is that heavy piece of iron called a rotor. the rotors are thinner to begin with. 2nd...cars these days are more powerful than before and people tend to use that power then they have to nail the brakes more often. 3rd...cars are made with sealed wheel bearings. these bearing do not absorb any rotor run out variation and transmit it right up to the driver. 4th...the average person has no idea that the wheels need to be torqued on to a certain spec. you have no idea how many vehicles i get in with lug nuts so damn tight its hard to believe. usually these cars have nice new fresh tires from sears, sams, walmart or costco on them. people love to go to these places to buy tires then can't figure out why they now need brake rotors. when they get warped this way, cutting them is impossible, because its the mounting surface that is warped. oh and i agree, cutting rotors is a complete waste of time.

yes under the intake. their a bit expensive, but imo the labor is the hard part. therefore i would replace both of them while you're in there.

yes, you have to remove the struts to replace the mounts. sorry, i assumed it was the rear because that's the most common. chances are though that the front sway bar bushings are going bad. the RF one usually goes 1st because pretty much every toyota 6cyl fwd car develops a P/S leak at some point in time and the P/S fluid leaks right down on the rf sway bar bushing. this ruins the bushing over time.

common on all toyota 6cyls...replace the MAF, cleaning it is a waste of time.

if the noise is coming from the rear then its the sway bar bushings. a lot of places replace the links. the bushings are about $12 each and i charge about $35 to replace them. one thing to watch out for though, is the bolts that hold the brackets on, can break. if that happens be prepared to spend a few more bucks to have the bolt holes drilled and re-threaded. oh, yeah they reamed you a new one. when will people realize that these mass markerters are clueless and charge way too much. i wouldn't let one of them change the oil in my lawnmower.

low flow egr problems... replace valve transducer egr switching valve also make sure to clean out all the passages going to and from the egr valve very good.

evap cannisters are very common on every vehicle toyota makes where the cannister is mounted below the fuel tank. people love to overfill their fuel tanks and this is the main reason for cannister failure. typically if just p0441 comes up you might be able to replace vsv valve near the air cleaner box. if p0441 & p0446 come up, then its cannister replacement time and even then it might also need a vsv valve depending on how long it was driven with the cannister bad. getting these parts at a salvage yard is a risky idea.

yes it can easily be shut off via the lexus approved diagnostic tool. all lexus dealers have them, obviously, but not many independents do. in fact i don't know anyone who has one except for me. yes, i have one at my shop and while it might be quick, the tool and software wasn't cheap :whistles:

2 things, while i really like the use of oem pads and rotors, there is a brand you can use with no problems. brembo makes a great rotor and you can buy pads made by a company called akebono. they make the pads for lexus/toyota so they are quality stuff. second thing...what are you using for a lubricant on the caliper slide pins? the only thing that will work is a high temp silicone. do not, and i repeat do not, ever use a metallic based antisieze on the caliper slide pins. metallic as should never touch metal to rubber, if it does it will turn into a hard paste. this will keep the calipers from "floating" and then the rotors will surely warp. other than that make sure the rears are working as well. if not the fronts will warp quickly. as for turning a rotor, its a waste of time. all you do is make the rotor thinner and now it can't dissapate the heat as well. if a rotor is bad enough to be turned replace it. in fact i sold my brake lathe many years ago, just a waste of time if you want to produce quality repairs.

i would say if you can't find the fuel line on your own you have no business messing with it :P

only dealers and shops with the factory scan tool can program a new master key if you do not already have another one. i'm the only one in my area, except for the dealer, with a factory scan tool. takes about 30 minutes to do. i've done a bunch of them.

the shims are not there to make up the space difference, they are there to absorb the slight vibrations that cause brake squeal. this is true on all cars, especially asian vehicles. you have no idea how many vehicles i service on a daily basis that other garages have thrown away the shims. its amazing to me how many "professionals" have no idea what these shims do. you can usually get 2 uses out of a set of shims then throw them away. i personally always use new shims on my personal vehicles.

just replace the battery. its too darn cheap in the great scheme of things to screw around with. also the i'd say the battery was losing juice because it started shuting down non important items first.