nc211

Ooops, I meant 5w30 oil, not 5w10, that wouldn't be good. Coffee hasn't set in yet this morning.

Well, got the car back from the dealer, all fixed. I finally had it aligned and balanced properly after my control arm and suspension replacement a few weeks back..WOW, what smooth machine. I was driving an 05 IS300 as a loaner "fun little gadget" and had a good time whipping around corners and so forth. But, man when I got back into my car, my 10 year old car, it just drives soooo much nicer than that new Lexus IS300. Truely an amazing feat of engineering. I can honestly say that I have never driven a nicer car than an LS400. It just fits you like a warm, perfectly worn in soft baseball glove. She just floats along effortlessly with hardly zero rattles. I am always amazed by this car after driving anything else for a day, even other Lexus models.

By the way, the dealer replaced the oil with kendal 5W10. Of course that's coming out today and mobile one is going back in..again. This time they better not strip the damn threads or I'm gonna head over to the hunting section, and bag me a dipstick mechanic.

Oh that is horrible, just freakin' horrible.

Update: Just got off the phone with walmart, they're paying half the bill! I am impressed! The oil pan costs $160 at the dealership, and with labor, it's $500 +/-. So I think I'm getting a pretty good deal for a new oem oil pan installed by lexus techs for $250. Especially since the car is 10 years old and I'm sure the tech guy isn't the sole person responsible for all the stripped threads. You'd really have to crank that bolt to strip all of them at once. I'm impressed. Walmart just got bumped up a notch in my book.

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the reason why i suggested is b/c about 2 years ago when i still had my 91ls i needed a lower oil pan and the lexus dealer quoted me $300 but i guess they made a mistake by the way nc i used to live near st. au college in th early 90's

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You wouldn't like the traffic around here these days, that's for sure! The beltline is like a social event every day at 5:00. People just sitting in their cars, staring at eachother. This town couldn't repave a driveway inside of 18 months. But they sure can build a shopping mall inside of 12.

I'm hoping the dealership doesn't tell me something else is wrong. I'll crap gernades if they do! This car is turning into a constant repair bill. You can see all the things in my signature I've had to replace already. Only had the car 14 months too. It's got to cool down at somepoint.

SRK, I agree completely! But I'm in a real pinch at the moment with time. I'm taking my fiance' on a 10 day road trip down to the keys this friday and can't get the car into my indi shop until monday. And just don't have the time to do it myself. Damn stealership....hourly rates of an attorney. I do feel better though that this repair is being done at the dealership though. The oil pan is something that, in my opinion, needs to be done right the first time. If it's done wrong, then I've got the dealership on the hook for a blow engine.

I agree about different walmarts too. I was just suprised they stepped up w/o an ugly argument and did right by me. From now on, I'm going to watch the tech like a hawk when my oil is changed. My next house will not have a 45 degree hill for a driveway, and I can do this myself.

I'm shifting over to mobile 1 synthetic now too, with 101k miles on a 95. What's this I hear that you can't go back to dino oil after running synthetic or it will make your piston's go bad? Mine only ran on synthetic for like 15 miles, and it's at the dealership right now having the oil pan replaced "stipped out thread on oil pan, walmart paying for fix". But the dealership will replace the oil with their regular stuff. I'm gonna have that dumped tomorrow for mobile 1 again. Am I gonna wreck the engine with this stuff and in this scenario?

Update: Just got off the phone with walmart, they're paying half the bill! I am impressed! The oil pan costs $160 at the dealership, and with labor, it's $500 +/-. So I think I'm getting a pretty good deal for a new oem oil pan installed by lexus techs for $250. Especially since the car is 10 years old and I'm sure the tech guy isn't the sole person responsible for all the stripped threads. You'd really have to crank that bolt to strip all of them at once. I'm impressed. Walmart just got bumped up a notch in my book.

Well, I thought about that, and made a call to my indi mechanic. They said they can try if I wanted them to. However, it was WalMart that did it, and can you believe they're going to step in and help me float the bill from the dealer! It's $500 to change the pan, labor included, which in all honesty doesn't sound too bad for a lexus service. I'm just a little nervous about a quick fix on something so critical to the car's engine. I would hate for a metal shaving or two to find it's way into the oil from retapping. I've also been told doing a retap is a temp fix, and it'll leak eventually. I'm starting on the Mobile 1 Synthetic now too, so I think I'll just eat this one from the dealership and have walmart half the bill with me, if not all of it. I'm an honest man, and it is 10 years old with 101k miles. I don't think walmart should float the whole bill, but half would be fair. I've got to say, so far in the process, I'm very impressed with Walmart's response to this. If they do come through, I'll be a life long oil changin' customer of theirs. $31 for a mobile 1 synthetic oil change is an awsome price! Hell, Jiffylube wanted $70, and only with Penzoil synthetic, no mobile 1.

Guys, just got back from gettng oil changed and the threads on the oil pan "not the plug" are just about completely stripped. Will the dealer retap the pan and put in a bigger plug, or am I looking at a new lower oil pan? It's going to the dealer in the morning for alignment and balance anyway. Should I let them fix it or take it indi and have it retapped?

yeah, PK sent me there a few months ago. I took down a freakin' forest inside of 8 hours of printing, and two toner cartridges as well. Of course, all on company machines! Hahahaha :whistles:

It just says to replace the ecu unit, like mentioned above.

It's really your call my friend. You can do just one now, and know you'll probably have to do the other soon. Or you can just hit them both and be done with it. It can be very frustrating to fix one, only to find out it reveals another problem somewhere else. I did this for a couple parts, then became frustrated and just hit all suspension parts at once. Now, I have no worries "with the suspension". This is the major "rehab" project on the LS models. We all face them. After this project, it's just little things here and there.

I like buttons, lots and lots of buttons. They look cool at night too when they're lit up. You have to pay me to learn a computer system, not the other way around. One spill of coffee on that I-drive looking thing looks like you've lost control of everything in the car. That I don't like. I bet that sucker costs thousands to replace too, since it's so important to the car's functionality.

Personally, I like the 4 speed tranny in my 95 more so than these new 5 and 6 speed trannies for one simple reason; when i need to speed up from 50 to 80, it's not hunting down for a lower gear, it stays in it's gear and smoothly revs up to speed. I can't stand a shift-happy transmission anymore. Only if I put my foot down will the car down shift, and look out betsy, 'cause here i come! I have no experience with the newer 5 speed tranny LS models so I don't know if that's the case with them, but every other 5 speed tranny I've driven has been that way. You want to gain speed smoothly = downshifting a gear or two.

Wow...hold the phone captain BB-Q..back the truck up! Did someone say something about a free computer? I have not heard this interesting tid-bit of information before. I'm curious!

very good point Oohryry!

Baby Alex, do...not...pay...dealership...rates! As long as you can avoid them. The only thing I pay dealer rates for is alignemnt and balance, as they seem to know how to do it to an exact science. It sounds like money might be a little tight at the moment, as with me too. I highly suggest becoming a shade tree mechanic and spend your money on tools you'll have for life and doing it yourself. It's a mother, but it'll save you a few grand in labor. Just keep on reading this site, do searches and you'll see the manual attachemtns for your car. There are also websites to get the manuals, but make sure you've got highspeed connection and about 5 hours to burn downloading all the pages. That's for about $15. I can't remember the website, maybe someone will post it later or I'll find it for you.

I agree with Kewl. That shock didn't just decide to completely deflate that quickly. I bet you'll find some sort of temp patch work done to keep it inflated just long enough. I bet he was out there an hour before you arrived filling it up to max capacity. I would call that guy asap and tell him what happened. Of course, it's buyer beware here, so I would be nice about it and play to his sympathic side. He has every legal right to say "you should have gotten it inspected before you paid for it." Of course, if you wrote a check, and today is monday, you might have some time to stop payment and return the car and get ready for a fight.

Did you get a warranty with the car? Even a 30 day warranty?

It's an expensive fix. Dearler route, probably $1,200+.

I was cruising through Lexls's site the other day and saw the posting about cleaning the egr filter. This info was for the 1st gen model. I do not recall seeing that part of the engine on my 95 LS400? Is there one for the 95+ model years? I might have just over-looked it "quite possible". But wanted to ask first before I go back in.

Thanks gang

I had a very similar problem with my 95 recently. I had new pads put on the front and had the rotors turned. That reduced the problem by about 90%. The rear pads are close to needed replacement soon.

Ed, did you check the heat shields on the cat's? That is a common problem on a lot of cars.

Congrats amigo, and welcome to the club! Sounds like you've got a sweet machine. These cars, backed by the mechanics and fueled by the manufactor are designed to run just as good at 100,000 miles as they did with 1 mile. They're increadible cars. You'll love yours!

Just for giggles. The car has 2 owners. The current owner purchased it last June. He's had it for only a year. What was his motive for selling it? I bet there is a big ticket repair item he's aware of and doesn't want to fix it. The air suspension has been serviced a few times already, right around the 115k mile mark from the first owner. Looks like the 1st owner did the 90k service as well "timing belt, water pump, etc...". It does not look like the current owner has serviced it much, or at least not at the dealer. No wrecks reported, no lease registration either, just straight personal use. Always been in Colorado. Here's the down and dirty:

LS 400 (JT8UF11E6L0027948).

Date:

Mileage Reading:

Source:

General Comments:

05/24/1990 NICB

Vehicle manufactured and shipped to original

dealer

08/27/1993 37,725 Colorado

Motor Vehicle Dept.

Denver, CO

Title #01T450669

Title or registration issued

08/27/1993 Colorado

Motor Vehicle Dept.

Denver, CO

Title #01T450669

Title or registration issued

Loan or lien reported

09/11/1996 62,418 Colorado

Inspection Station

Passed emissions inspection

08/13/1998 78,186 Colorado

Inspection Station

Passed emissions inspection

07/28/1999 86,612 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

Miscellaneous service performed

09/16/1999 88,402 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

12/23/1999 91,099 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

05/04/2000 94,217 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

Miscellaneous service performed

08/09/2000 Colorado

Inspection Station

Passed emissions inspection

09/11/2000 98,902 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

11/09/2000 99,900 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

03/27/2001 102,998 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

Engine serviced

Miscellaneous service performed

05/09/2001 103,954 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

08/02/2001 105,671 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

11/21/2001 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

05/07/2002 112,492 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

08/03/2002 114,243 Colorado

Inspection Station

Passed emissions inspection

11/06/2002 115,739 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

Suspension system serviced

Engine serviced

Lubed oil and filter changed

03/25/2003 119,248 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

Suspension system serviced

05/30/2003 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

09/02/2003 Colorado

Motor Vehicle Dept.

Denver, CO

Title #210069

Title issued or updated

11/14/2003 120,225 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

05/21/2004 122,110 Service Facility

Vehicle serviced

07/02/2004 Colorado

Motor Vehicle Dept.

Denver, CO

Title #642825

Title issued or updated

New owner reported

07/13/2004 123,244 Colorado

Inspection Station

Passed emissions inspection

07/13/2004 Colorado

Motor Vehicle Dept.

Denver, CO

Title #642825

Registration issued or renewed

I thought that's what we were for? An extended warranty with hook-ups on cheap prices! LOL

It's a crap-shoot if you ask me. These cars are so dang reliable that the likelihood you'll need the warranty, or should I say, you'll have a warrantable issue, is slim. However, there has not been enough time to tell if the ls430 and those changes made to it from the traditional ls400 will be as good. I'm betting they are, if not better. I do know a friend with a 98 and has that 100k extended warranty which saved his butt on a ecm "engine computer" problem. So, it's really up to you.

If you turn your wheel all the way to the right, then look from the back of the tire and follow the inner tie rod, you'll see the upside down U shaped metal bracket that goes over the rubber gromment. It's a little like the stabalizer bar bushings. It's two bolts for each one. I would figure if you put the car up on ramps, you could get to them easily! The part is #2 in the attachment. It's listed as an "insulator". You'll see the #3 part when looking through the wheel well.