nc211

Per wwest's post. I believe it is #6 in the attachment.

Haven't seen any postings on here about that, but in all honesty, I can see where this could be a constant problem in the winters. I little bit of ice in there preventing the hinge to operate smoothly, and it sounds just like the power motors on power antennas in the same fashion. Got your antenna up while driving in sleet, it freezes on the antenna, turn the car off and then antenna gets stuck due to it freezing in place...resulting in a burnt out motor. Has happened to my family out in Kansas several times, and I see you're in Il?

Can I get an Amen! Well said! ;)

"There sure are a lot of keyboards banging on this one. Having owned most of the cars in this thread and not interested in stoking an engine, but reliability itself. I will leave it for the enthusiast of speed to carry on, although rampantly. This is an LS forum and we like the Nakamichi or Levinson ride down the road in a quite ride like rathert than the roar and heart pounding 150 MPH thrill. Vettes and Camaros are great for that....but that is not what, we as a rule, are all about. We are trying to keep our lives simple and calm, as in the cabin of an "LS", after a hard day or cruising the interstate. Safety, comfort, reliability and heartfelt security are what I enjoy these days. Nothing and I mean "NOTHING" like an LS. (IMHO) Great thread for the enthusiast of speed but if you know your engines, it is all a mute point. God Speed and be careful."

????What is this??? Do all dealership's do this? I could save some money on shipping if this is the case.

I forgot that the dealership honored competitor’s online prices.

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Update: Dealership called, one thing they found wrong was the rear passenger strut was twisted at the base on the control arm by 20 degrees, causing a binding that was preventing the strut from compressing normally that will accelerate the rear control arm bushing wearing out. Tires are dead on center with balancing...but did detect some runout on the tires themselves. When asked if he honestly felt that this was the cause of the wobble matched by the car's age, he said "no way, what you've got going on is not normal at all." This guy is goooooood!! :D He's circling in to the driveshaft area. I told him to take his time, I'm in no rush to get the car back w/o his full diagnosis being run first.

more updates to come.

Notify the insurance company that you plan to consult with your attorney before making any decisions and or accepting ANY of their polocies! No, the insurance does not set the hourly rate on these vehicles to a degree. Now if the going rate on a Lexus repair is $150 an hour, and your guy charges $200, then they might have a solid argument. But if the going rate is $75 for a chevy and they're using that as the basis for their payment obligations, well, then you've got a solid argument against them. Insurance companies start at ridiculous low levels and will feed you bit by bit until you bite and waive their true obligation. By telling them that you're not going to accept any offer from them without your attorney's approval first, you're indicating to them that you know what you're doing, and expect them to know and acknowledge this fact, via your attorney.

If the accident caused $12,000 worth of damage, are you sure the frame wasn't bent? Sure does sound like a lot for just cosmetic damage, but could be wrong.

Well I think my signature grants the right to say this. I would much rather pay extra for the gas on my LS, than pay extra for all the nickle and dime repairs that come with a GM product in general. Dad's "former" 2002 envoy was recalled 6 times! Infact, he just traded it in on a Japaneese car, and just got the 7th recall notice. Guy next to my office here at work purchased a new caddy ctx not 4 months ago...that ownership has turned into a complaint filed with the state attorney general. It has always been true that american engines spin lower on the highway than the jap cars. It's the nature of our country "great wide open spaces" to go and roam. My older Maxima, Outback, Sentra-SER and now my Lexus have never punched through 28 mpg on the highway, but outside of this LS "and the oldest car I've ever own....repairs..." Those cars never needed to see the dealership after purchase. Now that 94' Jimmy SLT was a different story. It's really 6 in one, half a dozen in the other if you think about it. True it costs more to run a Jap car in fuel terms than americans, but it cost less to maintain and in my opinion hold together 10X better. But, the seats of an american car are tough to beat! I've never had a more comfortable car than that Jimmy.

Bump.....geoff get use to that word.

Widow, sorry to hear that man, but in all honesty I'm not that suprised. The motor mounts are soft rubber, which make the engine soooo quiet inside the cabin, but they get mushed down over time. I can easily see where you're upset to find an additional cost tacked on, I also recommend you tell the dealer to not replace the mounts "buy them online and take to an indi". But either way.....you're mad about it now, but when you turn the key that first time with the new ones in.....well....you'll look like this: :o :D

No you're right Az, it is at the dealer for the wobble problem. I was just posting this one up becuase of the first freeze this year, and the first time the steering was mushy like that. The steering fluid has about 24k miles on it, so I figure I'm getting close to replacing it soon anyway. I only bring in the dealer if I can't figure something out as a last resort...aka...the voodoo wobble. I'll probably flush the fluids after christmas at my buddy's house one weekend myself. General maintance junk.

nc211, I'm confused, isn't your 95 ls400 at the dealer's for the wobble problem (following other thread)?

I don't know you like the others so maybe you have another lexus I'm not aware of.

Anyways, just curious.

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Thanks guys. Well they've still got it, haven't heard a peep from them all day long. So they must be taking their time, which is what I wanted them to do to make sure it's properly diagnoised and not "patched". So we'll see. I actually hope the car is sitting in the guys driveway and he's getting used to it, but probably at the dealership. They gave me an es330 instead of the is300....must have been that comment about going back to an infiniti i35. :whistles: . Anyway, he said he's in the shop tomorrow too, so probably will hear something tomorrow. Probably during the one football game I watch with sheer religion.... Alabama v. Auburn...Roll Tide!!

For $20 I'll say yes...oh wait, I have morals...damn morals, always getting in the way of my wallet. Actually I took those photos a couple weekends ago when I was trying to figure out what that stain was on my driveway. Turned out to be the leaking seal around my thermostat housing, running cooland down the front of the engine, to the engine cover, and off of the back lip of the cover.

Crazy, do you have a digital camera? If so, lay on the ground next to it, stick your camera under the car and snap away! Here are a couple snaps of my drain plug. It looks wet, but that's because I just did a drain and fill recently and wiped the area with a tranny fluid soaked rag.

You would mean did they do a power flush or drain n' fill. There is no real way to do a complete "drain" on the fluid. If it says "drain" on the ticket, then it was probably the drain and fill routine. They can flush the system for you though too, I think it's like $75 or so. That would get all of the old fluid out. But to just drain it, you'll only get those two quarts.

For you leak, have you looked under the car at the plug on the tranny pan? It's center right under your transmission shifter. It might be dripping from the plug itself, might need a new little seal on the plug itself.

Wipe it off on a white paper towel, then you'll see the true color. It should be red, but remember, the drain and fill "which is the common practice" only drains out 2 quarts. The tranny actually holds a lot more than that. So you'll have some old mixed in with the new. It turns brown after a while. I can't stress enough the importance of learning how to do the drain and fill yourself. This way, you can do it like every 5,000 miles yourself and eventually have the freshness back in place. That's what I do. I've done it now 3 times. First time the fluid was dark brown. Second, light brown with shades of red. 3 time, more red. Car is smoooth in the transmission too.

ok now I'm going nuts, had the car warm and running checked the fluid and its I think right at the top of the hot section.  I say I think because I have to actually wipe the dip stick to see the oil it looks sorta red but its hard to see on the dip stick.  Shouldn't it be a little more visibile?

thanks again guys.

tr

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Hahaha. Now that's what I call 4 wheelin' when you bust the differential.

Well the car is in the right hands now. We took it out for a spin this morning, however I was concerned because we're below freezing this morning and it stiffened up the car, it wasn't doing it as bad. But this guy knows everything about these cars. He told me he personally owns a 96'. The car "faintly" did the wobble right at 40mph, and he spotted it right from the get go. So, what he says is the problem, I will believe 100%. Also, Blake, he was about your height, and I can easily see why you need more room now. He looked like a grownup crawling into a kid's go cart. He did not look comfortable at all. They're going to start with putting on new tires and rims and see if that fixes it. They're going to do it right, by the process of elimination.

The technician brought with him my entire printed out history. :o The thing was over an inch thick! I was shocked myself. He said "you're right, you do have an extensive history with us". I looked at the stack and thought to myself "you're holding what should be my plasma tv in your hands".

He also mentioned that they've had a huge problem with the 95 ECU units, and some early 96's that had the same unit. He thinks it might be in the driveshaft area due to that severe off throttle shock the car suffered from for so long. Thinks the reverse torque might have stressed out some "soft" parts in the line. So, we'll see! I don't care what he comes back with, don't care how much it costs either...I just want to know so I can get back to enjoying this beast and drive it for once without listening for this, sensing for that.

Had our 1st hard freeze last night "I blame SK and his canadian air he keeps sending me" :whistles: . My steering this morning is like molasses. Time for a steering fluid change? Mobile 1 ATF full synthetic? I know synthetics are better protectors in the cold temps. Any suggestions?

Agreeeeeddd!!! 1000%

10,12 and 17 seem to be the main ones i've needed the most. but it's that one wierd one that you must have to get to that part you need to replace that will send you to the store. Alsalih is absolutly right! Heck, don't think about buying the tool set for just your car either. Think about the rest of your life, especially with Craftsmen! I love those tools. It's like a father - son thing. My dad passed down his Craftsmen to me, I added to them, and one day I'll pass down mine to my kids.

Wasn't that back in 98'? Hahahaha. Oh I remember when I would splurge on premium at $1.15 a gallon. Hell, I'd vote to invade Saudi if we could get that back.

I told you so....and good choice in tools too my friend

This is the meat & potatos of what I have, and seems to work very well.

Standard issue wratchet set, ranging from tiny, to about 22mm in size. Normal depth of sockets.

Standard issue screw driver set + screw bits for drill.

You want: A DEEP socket set, starting at 8mm and going up. I got a set for about $60. This has been very crucial to my tool set. Especially in dealing with control arms.

You want: A breaker bar, probably 36in in length.

You want: A good torque wrench that can handle up to 100lb's

You must have: plenty of adapters for different socket sizes

You want: Jack stands

You need: Craftsman rolling floor jack

You want: A set of ramps

You'll love: A drill with plenty of different attachment adapters for sockets. Great for after you use your breaker bar, and realize you've got miles of thread to go before the bolt comes off.

YOU MUST: learn what parts you can borrow from autozone when they're needed. You put down a deposit, borrow the tool, use it, take it back, and get your deposit back.

You want: a set of stripped screw head bits to back out those screws that you accidently stripped when you get lazy with that power drill. Case in point, the tiny little screws on the rotors that are soft in nature. Trust me, the dealership charges $2 per screw, and they strip faster than a former Ms. Myrtle Beach during biker week.

You must: have patience, a sense of humor and the abilty to run to the auto store when your LS is on stands for that funky metric size that you don't have.

cardona, if you like creativity and motivating others to become critical thinkers, then don't become a lawyer. Being an attorney is interpreting others' creative thoughts "law" and making sure those thoughts are followed to the T. People pay you bucks for your understanding and ability to defend your understanding of those thoughts from others under the same guidelines that you say you know. Does that make sense?? Very little creativity in law. Lots of creative interpretations of the law, but the end result usually refrences the first few sentences of the law in question.

I am a student.  English, and work security for a living until finishing the BA.  I was also a Jet Mechanic in the US Navy for about 10 years.  Worked on the J-52 Jet Engine, J-60, J-85, T-58 and in the planes A-4  and H-3 the same helicopter that picked up the first man from the moon.

I hope to become either a lawyer or a Ph.D. in English Literature to teach at college.  I like to make people come up with their own ideas or become critical thinkers.  Even as this is in some sense contrarian to the military life, to me as  for any young men, the best he can do is go and serve his or her country, like I did, and serve it with pride and honor.

C. PR  Love My LEX, I just changed Tranny Fluid and differential fluid.

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I don't think it was the battery that made the radio do this, as I have disconnected my battery a few times in the past and haven't had that problem at all. But, I'm also in the US, might be a little different. Sorry man, I'm of no help on this one. What year is your car though? I've got the 1995 manuals at home and can take a look under the electronics part.

I must have missed something. I fail to see where all ebay sellers were ever sited by SK as bad, just the one he stated based upon his personal experience(s) with him. I think that's fair to warn us about. I would have too. Ebay sure does by posting up member ratings "feedback".

Anyway, SK...quit sending me your cold canadian air! :( I'm freezing my tail off down here! Or I'm gonna come find you and reprogram all of your keys to aircraft radio frequencies! I can see it now...you try to open your doors with the button, and you hear a "Beep Beep" coming from that 737 flying over. By the way...it's 50 degrees today.....Brrrrrr! Hahahaha

PS: Yes, I was dropped on my head as a child.

Ohhh, OK. sorry Kewl, I missed that part of information. It might help if I read the thread a little closer .