nc211

Thanks guys. I'm ready for this to come to an end, that's for sure. I'm in agreement that it's probably in the driveshaft area too, especially since:

1) Car suffered from off throttle shock syndrome for god only knows how long before I bought it. For those of you who don't know what that is; it's a bad engine computer that sends faulty code to engine around 40 mph to cut back on fuel delivery to the engine too quickly when you take your foot off the gas. This created extensive reverse torque in the driveshaft, causing the car to buckle back and forth extensively.

2) Differential mounting cushions were ripped apart.

3) I suffer from that awful lurch when putting it into gear when engine is cold...just like Blake. I'm going to ask about this problem too.

This makes me think there is damage to something in there that can't be seen by the untrained eye. The earlier models never suffered from the throttle shock problem, and they seem to not have this wobble thing. Nor do the later models from 98 on when they went to drive-by-wire in the throttle setup. Just seems to be the 95-97 years.

I'll let you know what they find out.

Maxed, if they can't fix this, the only pool we'll need is the one I'm going to jump in!

Why would you go to the dealership, pay them $100.00 + to do the exact same thing you can do yourself in no time? It's just one bolt, with 13 lb's of torque. You don't have to jack the car up or anything, just slide a container under the bolt, loosen it, let it drain itself back down to proper level "when it stops draining, you're at proper level", put the bolt back in, put the funnel in the tranny dipstick slot in the engine bay and pour in two quarts of oem fluid....done. It's like the easiest thing you can do on the car, next to the pcv pipe. If you don't want to do it yourself, then take it to your local gas station shop around the corner with your 2 quarts and pay them $20 to do it for you. But I've got to disagree on the dealership. This isn't something that would require their involvement and especially their service bill. Now if you've got other symptoms or hear noises from your tranny, then I might take it to the dealer for a power flush. But to just level out the fluid to proper spec???

Well I've got to hand it to the dealership. Their top brass tech is meeting me here at my office tomorrow morning for a spin around the block, and bringing me a free loaner car....the IS They're gonna take a look and tell me what's wrong for free. Now you can't beat that! Especially when my car is 10 years old, and cost 1/6th of what the new ones cost.

If I replace the Flux Capacitor, and get my 1.21 gigawatts "what the hell is a gigawatt?" Will I get my rockstar hair back from the early 90's?

Josh, thanks man! I've got a growing list of questions to ask Lexus about, especially Blake's lurching question that we all seem to suffer from. Your suggestion sounds like the EXACT problem. Thanks bubba!

Man, I'm gonna call you soon, trust me! But please understand that I hate the phone. I'm on it all day long with lawyers, bankers and idiots. It's tough for me to pick up the phone at the end of the day and have any sort of energy to have a real conversation. My office has me strapped to a blackberry, pager and one of those Trio' things. I keep telling them that all I need is the Trio', but it falls on deaf ears. These people still think the dot-matrix printer is the coolest thing since the TV remote control. I actually apologize to those standing behind me when I go through the airport security screen. Takes me twice as long than most. I wouldn't doubt that wearing all that crap has altered my genetic code and messed with my Duke boys in some fashion or another. But, it pays the bills.

RF...that cat kills me!! Hahahaha!

How's the town doing?

Wanna trade? Hahhaa

It can blow the seals and bands in your tranny. The more fluid you have, matched by the heat generated "expands", the more pressure generated. You want to get the fluid back to normal, trust me. This isn't just for a Lexus either, it's for 99% of all cars. Do this:

Crawl under the car, find the tranny pan. See the plug? Get a drain catcher "bucket from autozone". Buy 2 quarts of tranny fluid from your dealer "$10-$15". Back out that plug and let it drain into your container. When it's done, put back the plug and fill the tranny with those two quarts. You should be good at that point. Many people complain about the fact that the "drain and fill" only takes care of 2 quarts when the actual tranny holds 5 times that +. But, it's a great way to make sure you're at the right level. Too much fluid can do more damage than too little. Stuff is like liquid foam when it heats up.....expands. Total process should take maby 45 minutes. Oh...you'll want one of those long nosed, skinny funnels too so you can refill the 2 quarts.

SK, as you know, I live in the south. We don't get that much road salt down here, but we get enough. When there is a 20% chance of snow in general, the town shuts down and becomes a Nascar icerink..sponsored by Budweiser might I ad. You think a hurricane party is fun? Give a southerner a snow ball, and watch the delight shine! I checked my trunk seal about 3 months ago and found no rust. However, I do have a rock chip on my hood "very tiny, maybe the side of the end of a ballpoint pen" that has rust showing. I sympathize with you, and all others who live in northern areas where road salt is needed. That stuff is like driving a SUV through the surf. I'll double check my seal this weekend and let you know if I find anything.

Had a 94' GMC Jimmy SLT many years ago from upstate NY that rusted out at 50k miles. I bought it with only 36k miles, no rust signs. 14k miles later, and a dozen trips to the dealership, I traded it in back in KC for a Subaru Outback "1999".

VB, I know that site too, and they're not interested in someone posting up another link to answers. I tried to make a suggestion to the lexus questions to head over here....and all i got were error messages. I don't know what's up with that site?

My story....had no real reason to replace my pads and rotors other than finding the vibration. But, I can tell you with sheer honesty....I replaced my rotors and pads with cheapo's from autozone "was in a serious pinch". The pads and rotors are loud, rough and not graceful at all "but not warped". However, in the process of changing these parts, I swamped the caliper, pads and such with brake cleaner spray. I especially paid attention to the piston, and it's seal. Man, a freakin' pizza of crud came off of the piston seal. When I had the rotors off the car, I put my foot on the brake pedal to extend the pistons. Swamped the seal again with cleaner......want mushrooms with your pizzza? Ever since then, my car's brakes will stop that sucker on a dime. Might sound like a bus, but she'll stop like hell in heaven's culdisac. My brake pedal has a lot more force too, and seems to be very touchy. I did not touch the brake fluid. Go to the auto store, blow $20 on 8 cans of brake cleaner spray, jack up the car, take off the wheels and spray away. You'll be shocked. BUT if she squeeks later, you'll want to put some grease on the back of the pads.

New guy. stuck in traffic school.

have lots of s*x in the back of my IS350.

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WTF?

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Matt, were we seperated at birth or something? You're coming from a Maxima, that your new wife hated because of the ride.......exact same reason why I got rid of my Maxima. You're a newly-wed "congrats by the way ;) " I'm about to be one myself. And, to top it all off, I spent my childhood in Lafayette, In, and have nearly drowned several times in Crystal Lake back in the 80's. Let me ask you this...brother....you got a big head on a skinny frame? I do. Infact I'd compare myself to a tomato on a toothpick.

Man, welcome to the club. yeah the outside mirrors are wired into the defrost, and the light sensor...great feature, especially the passenger side. You'll never think about that visor above the mirror until around 7:30 am, facing east...and you'll say to yourself "this car is the sh*t!" when you remember you've got that little thing. My CD changer that is 10 years old actually plays my burned CDs better than my 2002 home CD player. Truly amazing cars. By all means, and to ANYONE who reads this; please don't let my car and my threads influence you on your impression of these cars. Mine is that one in a hundred. But, do learn from me too....if it was "corporate"...don't buy it. 'course that's 101 stuff.

I've got to say this, and I hope you don't stomp on me here. There are few comparisions between a BMW and a Lexus. Infact, there are few comparisions between a BMW and any car. Same said for Lexus and any car. Both have DNA characteristics that nobody can compare with...period. A BMW is one hell of a fine driving machine. I believe they have the best braking system ever designed, and the ability to communicate the road to the driver like nobody else, except for maybe Porsche, but completely different cars. However, nobody can touch a Lexus of sheer glide ability. Lexus is like warm butter on the road, and BMW is like PhD on the road, with an undergrad degree from 1982 Fiat. But that might be a little harsh. But like they say about Bose "no highs, no lows...it must be bose"....BMW = Better Maintain Weekly. Of course who am I to complain? I think I've got Bo Duke's old LS400 sitting in my driveway.

chrisnisbet, I'm heading your way next May for my honeymoon! I'll be in Christchurch for a couple days before heading to Sydney then Fiji and back home. Any good recommendations for tourists in Christchurch?

PS, looks like I need to pack my own fuel too! Hahaha

PPS, sorry, I didn't mean to hijack this thread. I sent chris a pm.

Congrats amigo! You're gonna love this car!

I am a commercial real estate lender and a small business lender for a large credit union. You guys here who have your own business, and got a start-up loan, you're probably familiar with my kind...and probably hate the SBA. ;) I also lend on commercial properties ranging from $150k to $20 million +. I'm looking to get out of the credit union side of the game and move into a more traditional lending spot, maybe life insurance side. "credit unions = non-profit = when you don't work for profit, don't expect to get any." Plus, the banking community would like to hang guys like me for having the ability to clip them on rate and loan structuring due to our tax-exempt status. Gets a little dicey for me sometimes. I don't do politics, but find myself surrounded by politicians at times. That costs extra. I'm a second generation to this industry, my dad just retired. I've been doing it for 5 years, learning it for 8 years and living with it for 32 years. It's all I know....well...many moons ago I use to be a camera loader for major motion pictures. I know a Panavision, moviecam and arri like the back of my hand....wait, is that a wart? what the? ;)

PS: Katie Holmes, if you're on here...your bar tab at Dock Sides is still outstanding, and I want my Flintstone boxers back. :whistles:

I sent this to the service email account. I'll let you know what they say.

To whom it may concern:

My name is xxxx, I should be in your system, with a relatively extensive record. I am writing to express my history and hopefully request the help of your most senior technician. I hope whoever reads this understands that I am not a complainer, and I completely acknowledge the age of my car, problems do happen. I believe I spoke with Sandy Johnson before? Heck, Sandy, Dennis, Tom, Rik, Mark, Josh. I’ve met people there that aren’t there anymore it seems like.

18 months ago I purchased a 1995 LS400 from your dealership with 84k miles. Rik Wall was the salesman that I worked with and was wonderful in every aspect. I purchased the car based upon his comments that the car would have been a CPO if it had not been for the age. He had also mentioned that on the mechanical records jacket it actually said “perfect”. Shortly after I purchased the car the ECU unit showed it’s flaws with the “Off-Throttle Shock” syndrome. The dealership fixed this under the TSB EG00396 procedure. I am sure Mark Striebel probably remembers my name on this problem. In fact, I would bet he probably doesn’t care for me too much. Mark stepped up and did a perfect job in fixing the ECU under warranty and I am happy to say that I have not had that throttle shock problem since. Shortly there after I came in to try and diagnose a vibration / wobble problem. I was told the car needed a balancing / alignment. This eventually turned into “rear carrier bushings need to be replaced, and a good balance and alignment.” To make a long story short, as I am sure your records on me tell the tale already, in the 18 + months and 24k miles that I have owned this car, I have had to replace:

· Upper control arms front and rear

· Lower control arms front and rear

· Strut rods front and rear “fronts installed by Johnson Lexus”

· Motor mounts

· Transmission mount

· Rear differential mounting cushions

· All struts “front passenger side installed by Johnson Lexus”

· Outer tie rods

· Ball joints

· Lower oil pan and seal “installed by Johnson Lexus”

· Oil dipstick seal “installed by Johnson Lexus”

· Engine control computer “installed by Johnson Lexus”

· All brake pads and rotors

· Steering rack cushions

· Rear carrier bushings “installed by Johnson Lexus”

· All stabilizer bar bushings

· 90k service done including timing belt and water pump “condition of original purchase agreement with Johnson Lexus”

After all of these repairs, countless alignments and balance jobs “some done there, some done on other Hunter systems elsewhere,” and several thousand dollars later, I still have that infamous control arm “clunk” in the front. I have a leaking thermostat housing seal that is staining up my driveway, a spastic motorized steering wheel, front seats that are loose and shift from side to side, a passenger side seat belt that barely retracts and that same VIBRATION / WOBBLE in the car’s operation.

All of these parts are Lexus OEM that I have purchased through online discounts given to me from other Lexus Dealerships for my membership in the Lexus Owners Club of America. Except for the brake pads and rotors, they are aftermarket. The tires and wheels have been checked countless times for problems, none reported. Everyone who has looked at this car says the same thing “start with replacing xxxx and keep going until it stops” or I get charged $500+ and told “it’s fixed” but it’s not “case in point; rear carrier bushings”. I’m simply out of money for fixing this 10 year old car. I’ve heard such wonderful things about how reliable and smooth Lexus cars are, especially the LS400. I have also been told by owners, dealers and mechanics that 108,000 miles is nothing for these cars. So why is mine such a lemon? I can fix the leaking thermostat housing seal myself, along with the loose seats and spastic steering wheel motor “I have all the repair manuals and TSB’s on file”. These problems I associate with the car being 10 years old. But I’m out of ideas on the wobble. All I want is someone who knows exactly what to look for to tell me what it is. You should see a track record in your computer that I’ve been up there several times for alignments and balancings. None of which have fixed this problem. This is my first Toyota product, and I can easily see why people love these cars. In fact this car motivated my own father to recently purchase a new Toyota Solara convertible, and a Sienna. However I do not think I’m too far out of line when I say that $3,000+ and 16 months of trying to fix this problem has made me feel a bit like a sucker. I am honestly about out of patience and seriously considering throwing in the towel on a Lexus and head back to an Infiniti I35. They’re not as quiet, nor as nice in my opinion, but they don’t breakdown like this LS400 does. The sole reason why I wanted an LS400 in the first place was for a smooth, quiet and reliable ride. Got the quiet part taken care of, but can’t seem to get the other two, that Lexus is so famous for.

I know this is a tall request, but is it possible for Johnson Lexus to grant me the time and knowledge of their senior technician, on good faith based upon the fact that I’ve spent this much money on trying to fix this problem already? Can they come by my office, take a short ride around the block with me so I can let him/her witness this problem? I would like to show them the dip in the road that makes that “clunk” noise. You can really feel the wobble on the road in front of my office. They can take the car back to the shop and keep it for however long they want it to try and pinpoint the problem. They can drive it home, use it for their personal use to get acquainted with the car if they like. I don’t care; I just want to know what has been wrong for so long? My office is on xxxx Drive, behind the xxxx Hilton on xxxxx Ave. It is the HQ for xxxxxxxx.

I would like to fix the problem and keep the car, but I’m just not willing to throw another couple hundred dollars at it without knowing exactly what is wrong. It is clear that an alignment and/or tire balancing has not and will not fix the problem. If this cannot be done, I clearly understand. I don’t work for free either. I just thought I would give it one last try before I decide to throw in the towel.

yep, several times. Checked them myself not too long ago when I was changing out the rotors, looked fine. Don't hear any noise in the bearings, no feel of wobble.

Have you put the car in the air and spun the wheels yet?

Bad tires can be unbelivable.

I just took off my 20's for the winter and because the vibration was driving me nuts.

Mine was a bad tire

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yeah i think johnson lexus owes me a solid answer to this problem. I bought this car from them back in May 04' at 84k miles. Was told it would be a CPO if it weren't for it's age. Guy even said the mantaince records jacket had "perfect" written on it. All parts are OEM except for brake rotors and pads. Everything else is genuine Lexus issue. If I could just get this one nagging problem fixed, I know she'll be like new. You're right Marty, I've dumped one $ after another into this car, hoping it would fix this and she'd be awesome. But this "replace everything to fix one thing" philosophy has come to an end with me....what else is there to replace???It actually feels like the subframe is loose sometimes, is about the best way I can describe this wobble. I know it's not, and there are no signs of an accident from the past, other than a small fender rub up front. But it could be worse. I could have a 98 MB E320 with a bad wiring harness that costs thousands to fix. I guess I'll pony up the $100 diagnostics fee to the dealership and see what they say. I am going to require the senior tech to come to my office and go for a spin with me. Our road is new and super smooth, and is where you can easily feel the problem.

Have had the tires checked twice. Funny, the inspection doesn't reveal anything wrong with the tires, but the mechanics are stumped to the point of saying it's the tires because they can't pinpoint a specific part. Actually had one mechanic say "start with replacing the tires and go from there, eventually you'll find the problem." Gee guy, thanks, hope I didn't disturb your afternoon nap. Obviously he did not listen to me when I told him all the new parts on the car already. I could care less about a leak here, a leak there, that is to be expected with anything mechanical that is 10 years old. I think it might be time to call in the dealership on this one and see what they say, because the more I think about it, the more I look at it, the less convinced it's tires. It's either in the driveshaft, control arm bushing or steering components. Rims are fine, not bent. Tires are mounted correctly too. Rotors aren't warped and the alignment has been checked more times than I care to admit, with the Hunter system too. Or, I got jipped on my new parts and actually have refurbed stuff on there, which I doubt. And I'm not going with a Camry. I'd rather go back to Nissan and get a used 2002 Infiniti I35. You can't beat that 3.5 engine they've got, but that's a discussion for a different thread ;)

I'm sorry, but I just can't accept the diagnosis that my wobble is being caused by the tires. I've driven many cars with bad tires, bald tires, belt wire sticking out of them, flat spots, out of round and so forth, and never had this kind of problem at this level. I think it's a bad bushing in one of the control arms. Some say they feel it in the rear, as I agree. I do think the inner tie rods are wearing out, the car wanders a little. When I turn a corner, I can feel the steering wheel twitching a little, it's not very smooth. But the wobble feels like the car itself is shifting around on the road, like the wheels are loose in general. So, I went back through my records and found that one of the rear suspension parts was not replaced, and it appears to have a ball joint attached to it. It is #10 in the picture. I replaced #7,#11 and #14, but #10 was over looked. What do you guys think?

I was also wondering if the parts were not put on correctly??? I did the fronts, and made sure they were torqued correctly. But still have that clunk noise from the front, even after I greased the stabalizer bushings. I did not however do the labor on replacing the strut rods. I bought them from Hoy Fox online and had the dealership put them on. They were not too happy that I brought in my own part and did not pay their massive retail premium. They also replaced the rear carrier bushings with one of those ASUS repair kits.

I'm really stumped on this problem and can't seem to figure it out, nor can the mechanics. I'm wondering if it's those two missed parts in the rear suspension? I got to tell ya', if I can't figure this out, I'm about at the point of just selling it and buying another one. Seems like my car has the most problems on here, and it's that damn wobble. The other stuff like a leak here, rattle there, doesn't bother me or suprise me at it's age. But the loose feeling of the car really does.

North Carolina is either the 3rd or 4th highest in the country, thanks to our crooked politicians. Premium is still around $2.50, normal around $2.30 +/- a penny or two.:chairshot:

I was out in KC 10 days ago, it was down around $1.95 in many stations. In the middle of the country, and it's cheaper than here; A state that has state ports for importation of fuel and oil. Go figure

Bartkat, I'm a 'Bama man myself and I agree with your tag... That's messed up about Natalie. I'm actually a former "Brookie" from the late 80's early 90's.

Aruba :chairshot:

Isn't there some sort of master on/off switch in the trunk for the air suspension?

personal opinion here, RUN LIKE GUMP FROM THAT CAR!!! Buying a used LS is fine, but buying one that's been tweeked out like that, and is broken in the most expensive area = big trouble$$$$

.....you got mail ......