uakicker

I'm telling ya, these Lexus cars are made to take a beating! My daughter and I were hit at an intersection here in Tucson by an 02 Dodge Quad-Cab 4X4 doing almost 60 mph. Hit in the same place, right front when he blew through the intersection without stopping. Her car was an ES300, much smaller than an LS, but it saved our lives. The one thing your friend will need to be careful of is this thing called "comparative negligence" insurance companies are floating out there now. The other guy was cited for excessive speed and failure to yield the intersection, yet his insurance company wants us to take 20% responsibility because "we should've known, by the rate of speed the other driver was travelling, he was not going to stop at the intersection." Nice logic, huh!? Tell your buddy to be ready to get a good lawyer....... I'll try to post some pics. Mike

I'm selling my 97 LS with 119k on the odometer. All service done at the Lexus dealer w/ print-outs. It's pearl white with chrome wheels and new Michelins. I'd sell it for $10900.00 if interested. Mike

We work with wholesale numbers on all of our purchases. I hit them at $8000 on the car and they declined. Everything we sell is priced at wholesale or under, therefore we have to purchase as far back of book as possible. Sometimes Lexus of Tucson cooperates, sometimes they don't! Is it too personal to ask what they got for the car? If so, I understand. Either way, congrats on your purchase. Mike

Sure is. Is that a good thing or bad? I just drove it last week and tried to buy it from them! Just ironic how small a world this is! Don't worry at all.......it's a very nice car. Hopefully you got a good deal. Mike

It wouldn't happen to be Gold and from Lexus of Tucson, would it? Mike

Sweet95, I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here, but my wife and I have been in the car business for almost 19 years now and I'd be happy to try and find you an Arizona Lexus out here in Tucson or Phoenix. If this is abusing my privileges in this forum, please disregard this response. I have great respect for this forum and it has saved us literally hundreds if not thousands of dollars with it's informative posts. Mike

SK That's correct.......I'm talking about the bumper stops that go over the strut rod. Sorry about the confusion. Mike

I'm certainly no expert on LS's, but my wife and I own one and we buy as many of them as possible for our dealership. The vibration you're talking about sure seems related to the rear motor mount (tranny mount). Under acceleration, it's under a lot of stress and if the rubber on the mount has broken down, then you can certainly feel a vibration. I'd check that for an inexpensive place to start. Mike

Hello everybody! Just wanted to share a nightmare I ran into this past week working on my wife's 97 LS. I planned on replacing the front struts and strut mounts to get rid of a clunk in the front end. I ordered the strut mounts online (Moog) trying to save some money over the dealer. I got the struts locally. Well, to make a long story short, I recommend to NEVER, EVER use non-oem parts for the front end. The factory insulators (rubber part that shields the strut rod from dirt) did not fit properly on the non-oem strut mounts and one of them ended up tearing. Both the "bumpers" were cracked or broken therefore needing to be replaced. To say the least, I have to do the job all over again, this time with factory parts so that it's done right. Sorry about the long-winded post........I just don't want anyone else to experience this!!!!!!! What a pain in the BUTT!! Mike

We had this issue with my wife's LS. It was simply low brake fluid level. As your pads wear down, your fluid level will drop per the caliper movement. I topped off the fluid and haven't had the light come on since. Good luck!

I'm not too sure if I'm replying to the right post, but here goes. I'm in the car business as a broker and the customer is definately NOT "always right." I actually wish more dealers would stand up to pushy, obnoxious, uneducated customers who think that just because they're dropping a few green backs here and there can demand the world! I always try my best to do what's right, but I'm telling you, people are getting more and more ridiculous to work with. If an individual decides to use the service dept. at a Lexus dealer, they dang well better be prepared to pay top dollar for that service. These are not "non-profit" organizations and no one holds a gun to your head forcing you into their service bays! Mike

I just had this issue with a 1990 LS. Started out just as you described, but graduated to much more. The dash lit up like a Christmas tree, with multiple warning lights. That lasted a little while and then eventually the car shut down. Ended up being the alternator and once replaced, everything's fine. There does appear to be an issue with power steering fluid shorting out LS alternators. Check for leaks! Best of luck to you. Mike

Getting a pretty serious clunk on my wife's 97 LS400 from the front right. I think it's probably the upper strut mount, but am going to replace both mounts and both struts. Anyone know of a website that sells both parts? Trying to find quality parts at a reasonable price! Thanks for your help. Mike

First, I'd like to thank all those previous posters that have saved me so much time and money over the last several months! We just purchased a 1997 LS with just over 100k miles. It's in great shape, but the front end "clunks" pretty good over rough roads or pot-holes, etc. I've dealt with several Camry's in the past and found a problem with their strut mounts or strut towers, (whatever you want to call it). Is this an issue with the LS or do I need to be looking somewhere else? Please advise. Also, it has the Nakamichi sound system. At low volume it sounds fine, but when turned up it begins to sound like an old record with a scratch in it! Speakers cut out and it sounds awful. I've noticed that it seems related with the level of bass chosen on the stereo. Are we talking an amplifier or head unit issue? Thanks for your replies and take care. Mike