nc211

Hey Lexuses71 you'll be happy to hear this. Last weekend I was at two different part stores for some brake cleaner spray. In both stores, the counter guys said "a used Lexus LS400 was voted as the best car in America"

They both said practically the same thing w/o me fishing for comments. They asked what kind of car I had, and they responded with the same reaction. They said if you just do the normal maintance and repairs that all cars face, they'll go for a good 300k flawlessly.

Sam, I had this problem on my right side a few months ago, minus the thumping. Moving slowly, the car slowly pitches in a normal fashion and it would creak, especially over bumps at super slow speed. Mine turned out to be my shock. They replaced the shock and the creaking was gone. But, the strut rods can be the cause too. The thing with suspension replacements is that once you replace one part, the flaws in the other connecting parts begin to appear. It's like replacing an ailing drummer in a band. They all sounded great together, but put in a better drummer, and the weaknesses of the ailing guitar player shows that much more. That is why you'll see below in my signature that I just hit all the parts at once.

Well, replaced the rear rotors and pads this weekend...still got the wobble / hop. I'll do the front rotors this coming weekend and see if that fixes it. I'm starting to think either 1) drive-shaft or 2) tires. It's so strange...the hops the first drive of the morning as I come up to speed at 40mph. Then after a while, things get warmed up, and it turns into a wobble.

The rear brakes were in need of some attention, that's for sure. I could see where the e-brake shoes where dragging a little on the inside of the rotor hub. But, now I've got to get it adjusted because now it doesn't engage at all! And I live on a pretty steep hill. So, gotta do that....any suggestions? The e-brake pedal doesn't rebound like it should either...it's real mushy and I have to prop it back with my toe.

My question is why do you need to add a quart of oil every 2 months?

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Yeah, what gives with that?

Either you're running the snot out of that engine, burning up oil, or you've got a leak somewhere.

Oh yeah...opps, would help if I paid attention to detail! Hahaha. Blake, like the new picture...makes me want to go take a nap in mine. Man that is one clean car you got! Mine's not looking so good these days, needs a bath big time. Been sitting at the airport last weekend, covered in dirt and bird !Removed!. Looks like a freakin' Terradactile unloaded on my hood!

Primo, sorry amigo, i'm not familiar with the gen 1 codes.

Will do!  I am at the shop now to lazy to check brakes right now.  I am throwing a CEL #25.  You think i should just replace both o2 sensors before the cat?

Check your brakes on this one. I am going to replace my rear rotors and pads this weekend and inspect the e-brake setting. I've got a "wobble" in mine and the rear pads are very worn down. I also think my e-brake is draging a little bit. I've replaced all the rear suspension parts already, so I would look at your brakes first.

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From what I've seen on here, usually the O2's throw a 420 error code. I'm not sure what the 25 is . But I would figure if your cats are gone, the o2's are probably close as well.

I switched from normal oil to Mobile 1 5w30 full synthetic about 6k miles ago. Love the stuff! Does what your's does to the engine's performance as well. Great stuff. I change oil every 3,000 miles no matter what. Walmart has the BEST deals for oils changes. $34 for full on synthetic changes, with whatever oil you want off the shelf. Try that at any Jiffy Lube type shop. They charge $70 for synthetic, and only offer Penzoil brand.

Funny this post came back up as I was thinking about it this morning on my way in. I remember when my car was having it's ecu replaced at the dealer, they called me too requesting the master key to set the ecu unit. I was out of town at that moment and told them I can't get it to them. A couple days later, they called and said the car was ready to go. So, yeah, I think they get stumped on the model year and keys.

Hahaha! Blew his doors off huh! Yeah, when you turn these V8's loose, they will scream! I like how they just keep going faster and faster and faster, keep on pulling and winding up. I love this V8! Now that I know what the problem is, I can actually hear the brake dragging and feel it now too. I feels like I'm towing something behind me.

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I had a similar problem 3 weeks ago on my 95 LS. I was going 55 mph and suddenly the car started vibrating with sound. First I thought it could be a flat tire but it was not. Then I took the car to my mechanic. On lift they noticed left rear wheel locked up due to faulty e-brake cable. Once loosened the car drove normally. I did not engage the brake for a week and after replacing e-brake cable and pads it is back to normal again.

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That sounds exactly like mine. When you say rear left, are you saying the driver's side? Mine is at it's worst first thing in the morning, makes the car hop up and down from the rear "or so it feels like such". I'm fixing it this weekend, and putting on a new pair of pads on the back as well.

in addition, to help price out the parts with a discount, check out part.com and drill down to your make and model. get to know the site, you'll love it. You'll also find that you can get oem for aftermarket prices in general. Steve, hope i'm not advertising too badly.

umaa, no sweat amigo, it's all good.

To answer your question: They are aftermarket parts, not original. Therefore I would not expect the car to be as good as it once was before the accident. I have only used one type of aftermarket parts, and those are my front brake pads. They suck. Got dust flyin' off of those things like you can't believe. Will the car be ok with aftermarket parts? Probably so, I would think it would be. Will it be like it was? nope. It might be for a little while, but not for long, is my guess. The true beauty of these cars are the incrediable parts used when manufactored. The ability to withstand so many years of driving, bumps, and so forth all while maintianing their "day 1" composure is the true glory of a Lexus. Any Lexus, but especially the flag ship LS400. But, I understand where you're coming from as well. Putting more money into a sinking investment can be viewed as a lost cause. I struggle with this myself, and judging by my signature below, you can bet I've lost a few hairs on the ole' head with this dilema. I choose to look at the bigger picture of having a world class, judged by all others, super luxury cruiser machine for a total price "including new parts" of less than your typical Hyndia. So, it's really six in one, half a dozen in the other. Aftermarket will work, but not as well and for not as long. Expect rattles, squeeks and constant maintance after awhile with aftermarket.

I think we need some ritalin up in here too...

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HAHAHAHA!!

Sounds good to me man. I'm with USAA and pay about $80 a month for complete coverage, plus some jewlery and other personal items. I love USAA. Freakin' Mork could crash his spaceship into my car and I'd have a check in hand the next morning. Now taxes...well, that's a different story where I live. Wake County, NC sucks! But not as bad as Johnson County, KS! Those foo's want your first born for a freakin' moped.

Doom And Gloom!! Not a pretty picture guys. How many feet of fresh soil would be needed in the low lying areas to make it feasable? Say 20'.  I said "Low lying" because the French Quarter, their livelihood, for the most part, was not under water. The heartbeat, French Quarter, is still there and the limbs, "outlying areas" have been flooded and seriously polluted. We will all face a serious tragedy in the near future as it is far from over. This is definately a test of our national resolve to cure what ails us and stop the divide within our nation. Especially when they uncover the bodies and horrid pollution. The finger pointing and racial card will not play here. This is wake up call number two and we struck out again. Strike three and we are all out!!! Unless we come together and send a message to our local Governments and Washington. This was totally unacceptable on local, state and federal response. The days ahead will be a marker on the responsiblity and we will all figure it out, if we can read through the bipartisan/ racial /special interest politics. Remember, "We are One Nation Under God". I look forward and pray that the "Good Times Will Roll" once again in one of the most fun cities in the U.S.A. And some of the nicest people you will ever have met, If you have been there. Your Friggin Vote does count!!!Thanks America and the world for all your help.

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Well said my friend...well said!

This is just my opinion here guys, based upon my own experiences with hurricanes and contamination. I'm not sure how much soil it would take to be honest, or if it's really even needed since New Orleans sits below sea level. The city sits right on top of their water table, and I'm betting the soil is super damp. This might be of some help in the dilution of the chemicals. That close to the ocean, I'm betting the soil is of a brackish mix of fresh and salt water. Salt is your friend in this situation. It absorbs, it helps to break down the chemicals and it bonds...over time. I don't think you can dig up New Orleans due to it's elevation. Honestly, I think the only thing to do for long term success, and this will sound extremely cruel but not intended that way, is to get everyone out, drain the city, and burn down the 80% that was under water. Let the fires burn off the remaining surface chemicals. Then bulldoze the remains, aka, basically scrape the earth of everything. Then fill in the area with millons upon millons of tons of fresh soil and start over. I would also think a new levy system would be created. I've never understood why there is only ONE ring around the city...no second back up ring. I refuse to think that after 9/11 the idea of a terrorist attack on the existing levy wasn't put on the table in Washington? With a double ring, if the outer ring fails, the water flows in to fill the void between the outer and inner ring, and you pump it out. I'd have a 3 ring system after this disaster.

On a more up beat note: As I've stated before, I have been through several hurricanes. In fact, I've never owned a car that didn't have a "ding" from a hurricane, and I'm 32 years old. But nothing like this one though. I can say with proof, there is a positive after effect to hurricanes. I know that sound horrible to say in light of what is going on today, but it is true. Wilmington, NC has be smacked several times over the past 10 years from hurricanes ranging from 1 - strong 3's. The first one was Bertha in 96...a weak 1. It trashed the city, really just tore it to pieces. But what it did do was destroy the weak / old structures, the dead trees and so forth. Then Fran hit a few months later, a strong 3. It tore Topsail Island "15 miles up the coast" to pieces as well. During the off season, the town cleaned up the mess and began to rebuild. Since then Wilmington has been hit by Bonnie, Floyd, Dennis and a few other.....no major damage done, not even a single ocean front house lost. The town had rebuilt itself with modern structures on modern technology and the local economy is BOOMING now! You can't get into a home down there for under $200k these days. A 1,400 square foot town house that sold 3 years ago for $120k is now selling for $275k. Point of the story: New Orleans will become one of the greatest cities in the world in a couple years. Mother nature could throw a category 10 hurricane right in it's lap, and the beer down on Bourbon street wouldn't stop flowing, infact it wouldn't even foam up! Mark my words: New Orleans will become one AWESOME city after this.

I love my 95'! I bought it 18 months ago with 84k miles from the dealership. I've done quite a bit of suspension work, some needed, some not, but every dime spent, every hour spent, is all worth it on these cars. I've got 106k miles on it now, and really enjoy driving it.

Check your brakes on this one. I am going to replace my rear rotors and pads this weekend and inspect the e-brake setting. I've got a "wobble" in mine and the rear pads are very worn down. I also think my e-brake is draging a little bit. I've replaced all the rear suspension parts already, so I would look at your brakes first.

nc- I think you're right on the money too, I sell residential real estate and I agree with you.

The main issue with residential loans is going to be insuring the property in order to satisfy the lenders so that they will lend.

This is going to be an unprecedented issue for our country and I personally think New Orleans will be a very different city, and possibly even in a slightly different location, when it is rebuilt. Our country has never gone through what we're going to have to go through to get this repaired...

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yeah this is going to be huge. Even if everything is sold as a "quit claim" deed, the potential litigations between homeowner and gas station owner could be massive down the road. I would bet the government will issue "waivers" to lenders, releasing them from any sort of obligation to collateral value damage due to environmental contamination. Basically, a lender won't touch something that could put their "deep pockets" on the block to fix. If a borrower in 5 years buys a property, then finds out 2 years later that his ground is full of chemicals and his property isn't worth crap anymore, he will most likely walk away, defaulting the property to the lender. Then, the lender holds deed/title to a piece of property that is having a negative impact on the area....aka....open fly for lawsuit to clean up. Not to mention, how can an appraiser tell what the market is willing to pay for residential property now? All of the comparable sales prior to this horrible disaster will be skewed so badly that they'll not be valid. When I look at a deal, the first thing I do is ask about gas stations in the area. I order what is known as a "Phase 1" at $2,500-$3,000 a pop to determine ground soil conditions. I've had several borrowers spend $2,500 to only learn that I can't do anything for them. In some situations, a singe diesel tank has spilled 15-20 gallons of fuel under ground, contaminated the shopping center down gradiant to them, and destroyed the shopping center. Here in Raleigh, this was the exact case for an entire mall that was levelled, the ground soil dug up into a big pile of dirt to air out for 2 years, then rebuilt. All because of a few gallons of diesel fuel leak for 12 months from the neighboring gas station up the hill on the corner outparcel of the site. But, most likely the situation will be like the Montgomery Ward mall in Rocky Mount, NC. Rocky Mount was flooded big time back in 99 from Hurricane Floyd. The same situation where UST's failed, contaminated the site and caused massive damage to eastern North Carolina. This did have the "flushing effect" however, but the subject site was sitting in a bowl, like New Orleans. Montgomery Ward walked away from the site, closed doors, put wood on the windows and vanished from the site. The lender took the hit and elected to write off the loan and hire attorneys to defend themselves from legal claims. It is not until this year has progress been made on the site. The city basically gave the land and a massive tax incentive to Sam's Club to take the site as-is. They also waived all environmental liability to Sam's Club and waived all "zoning and compliance" regulations as well. The city basically paid Sam's Club to take the site and do what ever it wants to do with it. The city also agreed to pay for the environmental clean up phase of the project. 7 years later, the center will be torn down, ground dug up and replaced with new soil shipped in, and raised out of the "bowl" by 20 feet, for a Sam's Club anchored shopping center. Ground breaking in Jan. 2006. This is just one site, image 80% of a major city like this. It's just sad, very very sad. Blake, I feel for you and your family. You will have one heck of a story to tell to your grand kids some day.

I just got back from a trip to NE Oklahoma. I rented a car, a chevy malibu. When I got home last night, got in my LS, smelled that leather, the steering wheel falling into my lap and those needles lighting up....well....let's just say Spanish Fly' ain't got nothing on a LS400 after driving a Chevy Malibu. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If you want to remind yourself just how awesome your LS is "no matter what year, what mileage", go drive something else for a few miles.

lsrxlex, sorry for the delayed response, been away from my computer for a few days. Glad you got the windnoise fixed! The claybar is a detailing tool when you're waxing the car, or should I say "prepping" to wax the car. The clay bar is just that, a bar of clay. It is used to remove all the little contaminants in the paint itself. All the little dirt particles, bird !Removed!, and environmental junk that is too small and bonding for normal wash to get, or even a cleaner wax to get sometimes. You wash the car by hand first, get it nice and clean, then put a little clay in your hand, use fresh soapy water, put some soapy water on one section and then gently rub the clay on that section, in a circular motion. Rinse off that section with water and move on to a different section. It works wonders on the front of the car with bug guts and such. Don't freak out if after the rinsing dries and it looks like you screwed up the paint! It's normal! The paint is now super super duper super clean and ready to be polished, waxed, polished, waxed, polished. That's how I do mine anyway, once a year. It works great on glass too, especially the windshield before the rain-x is put on. I've found Rain-X really smoothes out the windnoise on the windshield, but you've got to use it every few months.

Oh my god, worlds have collided. For the first time in history, I have to disagree with Blake! :o I've found that my older 01' Maxima had awesome amounts of legroom, especially in the back. But I think it's the way the seats were angled, with more of your butt sitting lower into the seat. But then again, I'm only 5'10. I do think the LS needs a bit more leg room for it's size though. I don't know what my next car will be. I'd like to say an LS430, but my current 95' LS400 will have to break beyond normal repair to warrant it's replacement. So I know that'll be several more years. I'm planning on hitting at least 250k on mine. I'm thinking maybe an older Jeep Wrangler with the 4.0 engine. Maybe a 91 or so, or whatever the last year of production was before they went to the Minivan interior dashboard. I want a beater car rag top in addition to my LS. I've learned so much about automotive repair with this car that I don't fear getting my hands dirty anymore. Of course I wouldn't mind a mid 90's Toyota MR2 twin turbo, or a early 90's Nissan 300Z twin turbo either! But the "cruiser sedan" spot in my driveway has been filled, and will always be filled with an LS.

Congrats on the new car man! You got a world class, others are judged against, super automobile for less than a mid level mid size sedan. And it'll run longer, rattle free, and same gas mileage. On the mileage...let me toss in a couple quick pieces of advice that I've learned from my 18 months of ownership with my 95. First, get your shop vac out and clean your air filter! Keep it clean too, once a month or so. Now with fall coming, it'll get dirtier with the leaves and such. Second, and this is just my personal opinion, I use duralube fuel treatment every 5-6k miles in the tank. I've always used this stuff in all my cars, and I've never had any fuel related problems, ever. Slick50 has some too. You might want to run some bk44 cleaner for a tank first though, that stuff really gets the gunk out. I don't know about your dealership, but mine here in Raleigh uses the stuff, and infact incorporates it into their scheduled service intervals. Other than that, maybe some spark plugs later on down the line, or if you feel her missing or hesitating, but I doubt it. Just keep the air flow clean and clear, and the fuel supply smooth flowin' and you'll get great gas mileage. I hae 106k on mine, and I get 27 highway, 20-21 city. I don't put my foot in it too often though, no real need to with this V8, it's just so smooth!! And I've only got 4 gears, as where your's has 5!

No doubt they've had some erosion, but I'm not so sure that reporter was right. That calculation comes out to roughly 6.6 million acres of land. That's a lot of land.

Wow, with 80% of New Orleans under water I'd say you got lucky.

I wonder if the city will ever be the same again...

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As a commercial real estate lender, my experience with pollution exposure to property is a huge problem when attempting to secure funds to "rebuild, purchase, refinance, ect...". I fear with all of the flooding, there is no doubt all the UST "Underground storage tanks" in the area have failed to contain their chemicals "gasoline". When the flood waters drop, all of that fuel will settle where it falls, causing a huge environmental nightmare for decades to come. This does not include all the home based chemicals that were exposed with the flooding as well. The water table / foundations will no doubt be contaminated far beyond human tolerances for a long time. One of the many ugly truths of this is that government & the epa MUST relax some of it's requirements for New Orleans in the months & years to come before outside lenders will consider any piece of property as acceptable collateral. Or, the government must fund the rebuild entirely..aka...tax revenue. With the war going on, I don't think they can make that happen. This will most likely apply to residential lenders as well. Floods in the past have been associated with moving currents of water that will wash away the contamination down the river, out the mouth into the salt water of the ocean. This however, with New Orleans being -20 feet sea level creates a real problem for the "flushing" effect. The pumps will most likely pull from the bottom to drain the city, not from the top to skim the pollution out of the water. I hope the Army Corp of Engineers understand this when they fix the holes in the levee now, and start to drain the city. If they don't, or there is no other way to drain the city, it may never come back to it's full glory. Need to start a new career? Become an environmental engineer and move to New Orleans. Do I think it'll be the same? I pray so. But sadly, my gut instinct says no. I HOPE I'm wrong, I really do.

Geezzz man, that sounds nicer than the Presidential Suite at the Hilton around the corner!

I could be wrong here, but I think the braking system is different in the 93' v. the 90'. I think I read somewhere that the 93 has twin piston brakes.