nc211

Air shocks with 120k miles on them, here in Chicago (the !Removed! of the world for roads)? You can consider them toast. Replacing them is anywhere between $700-$1,000 PER wheel. But, you can modify them to the normal set up for much cheaper. Call an indi lexus mechanic to discuss. If they say you can't modify them, have to use air shocks only, then hang up and call somewhere else. Even dealerships know how to do this. My guess, after it's all done and said for: You'll be around $7k for the car after the listed repairs. Not to mention the other ones probably lurking, like the ball joints, strut rod bushings, engine and transmission mounts, etc... I would be willing to bet the strut rod bushings are toast at those miles, most are even on smooth black top roads. But, up here man, with these roads, given my experience with the LS suspension, I'd be stunned if (1) some of the suspension components haven't been replaced arleady, or (2) a good chunk of them need to be if they haven't already. As an example: I'm having to replace the lower ball joints on my 01' GS430, a chicago car "Barrington" since day one, with only 58k miles on the car.

Yep, that one will definetly go down in the history books as a "good" moment in history!

Let me guess.... ZZTop CD stuck in the changer?

This is the exact reason why we got rid of the LS for the 4runner. After buying our house in NC, two trips like this with the LS, and the 4runner was just too difficult to ignore. I can't tell you how many times I've lowered the rear window with stuff like this sticking way out! I bet you were driving with your sunglasses on with you hat pulled down low on the way home, weren't cha' Steve!

Funny how nearly all of the most significant events of mankind that lead to peace, all share the same core element: Freedom! For you younger guys and gals, that would be the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 6th, 1989. The man whom I quote in my signature, can be considered the one who hit it with the heaviest hammer of all.

DC ya know...you could squeeze that quote in there too. :D Never cared too much for Billy thought that he was over the top...But that was his approach and it worked for him and a lot of the companies that he endorsed. RIP. If you insist.......................... How about a tried and true rule of the road I've learned along the way.... "Never flush a strange toilet, while you're still sitting on it" ;)

Thanks DC! I was surprised at how small the pads were, and thought they had made a mistake. I'm still surprised actually, that a GS would have such a small brake bad surface, especially one with the V8 engine. But, if it works, then I guess it works! I also noticed how small the rotor surface is too for the rear wheels. I figured if the LS had the big pads on both the front and rear, the GS, a car designed to be driven harder in general, would too. Hmmmm...something different...I like it! I also noticed how meater the lower ball joints are on these cars then the other two experiences I've had. They're about the size of the 4runner, which is a monsterously over build beast in that regard. The parts on that thing, are freakishly overly big and tough.

So, I just received my parts over the weekend to do some servicing on my car. Part of my list of new parts includes new rear rotors and rear pads. I opened up the box, and found the rear pads to be much smaller than I've seen on any other car (mainly my old LS and my 4runner). The pads I'm use to seeing are arched rectangular in shape (like the fronts). The ones they sent me are small squares. Is this correct? I haven't had time to look at the brakes themselves yet, and won't for another month or so. Also, are they're not supposed to be anti squeal shims on the back of the pads on the GS? I ask, because the back of these pads are divoted, not smooth and flat, like the others I've used for the other cars. On those, a black rubberized piece of metal clips on the back that prevents any noise from braking. I only use oem parts, and these came out of a Lexus dealership in Tampa, via parts.com. Thanks!

It's a Honda, which means it'll run for freakin' ever! But, aside from the obvious, the only issue I've ever heard about Honda cars in general, is the transmission. Some of the accords of that year-area, had significant problems with some electricals. Plus, as they age (honda in general), the transmissions seem to shift harder and harder and harder, and their ride quality gets harder and harder and harder too. Our family's only experience with Honda was an 86' Acura Legend, and a 03 Honda minivan. I recall as a teenager, my dad complaining about how the Acura seemed to harden up as it aged, with more road noise, and harder shiftings of the transmission. I also vividly recall the fact that if you ever used the rear cigerette lighter, it shorted out the car, no matter if you were driving it or not "a fact I know to be true as I got grounded for missing curfew because I was makin' out with my girlfriend in it one night and accidentially hit that lighter". The minivan was the same in terms of ride quality, road noise, and transmission shifting. It got replaced with the Nissan Quest, which they still have today and love. My wife's family though, love Hondas and only buy Hondas. Her mom has a 01' Accord V6 with 280k miles. It's had transmission problems. Her dad sold his 98' civic coupe last year with 300k+ miles, no problems other than a bad head gasket starting to leak a little, and he replaced it with a new civic like Armyofone's. I replaced my wife's 03' Civic with our former Mazda 3. Her Civic had 81k miles, and drove like a freakin' truck, it was so loud and shifted horribly. Honda's are great cars, and will go forever and ever. But in my opinion, they lack the ability to maintain that "new car" feel as they age as well as other car makers.

If you hear the motor spinning, but the wheel isn't moving, then that recommendation for a fix is correct. But, if you're having a sporatic steering wheel that sometimes goes up and down, and sometimes doesn't "acts like no power going to the wheel motor", then it's an easier fix. There is a TSB about it somewhere. But, what's wrong is the wires to the motor are taped too tightly, causing the wires to tug on the connector when the wheel is extended. Just open up the lower portion of the steering column and follow the wires. When you see a bundle of them wrapped in black tape, just unwind the top portion of the tape a few turns, and you should be good to go. What you're doing "which is exactly what they'll do at the dealership first, for $400" is simply giving the wires a bit more slack, so they don't tug the connection loose.

Man, you're not kidding about being a tough week in the entertainment biz! Thursday afternoon, while on my flight back from Toronto, I read an interview in the American Way airline magazine "that mag they put in the seat pocket" with Billy Mays. The interview detailed his life, his rise to current fame, and his plans going forward. And, on that same day, while on my way home in the car from the office, I was listening to a Michael Jackson song on the radio for the first time in I can't tell you how long, only to get home to turn on the news while changing my clothes to hear the breaking news of his death too. Two people who normally wouldn't spark an ounce of my interest, did in the same day, and now are both dead. Strange...

Kind of gives new meaning to "wax on, wax off", eh!

May history repeat itself from this point on..

I hear ya' DC, and certainly agree that there are more nice midwesterners, than not. I just seem to be running into the ones that aren't these days. But, that has a lot to do with me though too, and the aire I'm projecting at the moment, which isn't all that good. The past 4 months have caught up to me, and I'm simply exhausted, moreso than at any time in my life. But, that'll pass too in a few days when we get in the 4runner and head south. I've promised myself that if the blackberry gets in my way to relax, it'll become a fishing weight while I do some surf fishing. I've just got to get through the next 48 hours, as I have to wake up at 3:30 am tomorrow to head to Ohare, to go to Toronto for a business trip. I'll make sure to bite my tongue and not start spewing my ever-lasting hatred for Celine Dion!! O' Canada, here comes some southern 'twang! Anyway, sorry Alan for hijacking your thread. I'll get out of the way now ;)

Hahaha! Oh, this is my cool side these days! No fishing yet, just too busy to get down to the lake. Although we are getting ready to head back to the homefront along the coast of NC in a week, for a 10 day vacation! After a few months up here, my patience with the general public has become very short. In fact, just today, as I was walking into the building after lunch, some older guy in front of me opened the door for his buddy, and as I was walking up (maybe 3 feet behind them), he let the door slam just as I was coming to it. I said "thanks pal, real gentlemanly of you". I think I made him feel bad, but I don't care anymore. There are certain rules of the road southern living has taught me, and I'm going to project them to those up here who clearly don't have a clue to what "polite" means. Just the other day, as my wife and I were walking down the sidewalk with our boy Owen in his stroller, two, shall we say, "friendly" dudes were coming the other way. And, wouldn't you know it, as they were walking side by side, neither one of them stepped aside to let a mom and her stroller pass. They made her swerve into the grass. You know what I said to those two "friendly" fellas? I said "excuse me ladies, but where I come from, a gentleman steps aside to let a lady pass". You know what they said to me? I kid you not, they said "sorry cutie, but we're not ladies, we're !Removed!, and where we come from, you go around us". Which, just absolutely ticked me off to the point of my little warning voice in my head screaming at me "don't do it, it'll be deemed a hate crime", because I was ready to knock that punk out! But, instead, I simply said "last place on Earth I want to be, is around you, in all meaning of the word", and then simply told them to " off". And, just last Thursday, as I was driving into the office in the morning, on a single lane road that always has a speed trap on it, going 9 mph over the limit, a middle-aged jackass in a mercedes was tailgating the hell out of me. I mean, he was so close to me DC, I could barely see his windshield wipers in my rear view mirror. So, wanna know what I did? I took that Taco Bell cup of Pepsi still sitting in my cup holder from lunch two days prior, rolled back my sunroof, and tossed that sucker right out onto the hood of his car. Needless to say, he was P!SSED. For a second, I though "oh crap, I've done it now, went too far". At the stop light, he gets out, all 5 feet, 1 inch, maybe 120'lbs wet, of him comes screaming up to my window before I can get out of my car. And starts screaming at me. Wanna know what I said? Do ya, huh huh? Ok, I said "see that McDonalds cup sitting in the cup holder in the back seat armrest? That's for tomorrow morning, if you tailgate me like that again". Light turned green, and off I went. I'm still waiting for a cop to show up, as I'm certain he got my tag number. But, what I've found up here, is that when these people hear my southern accent "which really comes out when I'm mad as hell", it throws them off, and they tend to back down. But the whole Pepsi incident was a bit too much, lost my cool completely, and I'm starting to work on my ability to just ignore these types of people. I haven't lost my temper like that in over 12 years. But, after 4 months of it, I've got to admit, deep down inside, it felt great to toss that Pepsi out the window. The whole release of "f'it, you get what you deserve" felt great to finally get out of my system! I need beer, and some damn cheetos!

There are so many of these kinds of reports, it seems like every car maker is "top" of some sort of quality and satisfaction list these days. I'm confused

No arguments there about Mazda dealerships. They certainly don't rank very high in terms of service. But the way I buy cars, I usually don't care how I'm treated. If I'm at the point of buying something, I've researched it to a point where I know what I'm willing to pay. In fact, I kind of prefer a harder nosed, lousy type of service place. It makes me feel better about being a no-nonsense kind of buyer. I tend to take the route of "this is what I want, this is a fair offer for both of us, take it or leave it." I love USAA Bank and the way they do car loans. You go online, type in what you want, they approve you for up to a certain limit, send you the bank check, and you're now a cash buyer. I walk in with that bank check, say "somebody is going to get this from me today", take a test drive, and then make it their task to make sure that check doesn't walk out of the dealership. You give a car salesman a whiff of cash, and you pretty much own the place. Another car that I think get's overlooked unfairly is the Subaru Legacy GT sedan. Turbo, awd, just at bullet proof as a Toyota, and a ton of fun to drive. But from the sound of it, I think you've made up your mind on what brand you're focusing in on, which in my opinion are pretty cool cars as well!

The three BMW's that have been in my dad's garage were all fun to drive, but... 1978 BMW 530i = The manual transmission would always freeze in the winter, gas line always broke in the summer 92' 325ci "convert" = convert top mechanicals always broke, and took far too much effort to push the gas peddle down. Electric module after eletric module after electric module kept blowing. 94 318ti "little MG looking one" = fun, buzzy, rattle bucket. Chewed through brakes like SWO through a Lexus Dealership! However, that was back then. I learned from a Top Gear episode a while back that the 3 series was the best selling car in Europe, putting it in "Honda Civic" terms here in the US. When I was considering one for myself a couple years ago, I met several owners at gas stations and such who all seemed to love their. Some even with over 300k miles, on the xi "awd model"! But, there's just not enough elbow room in them for my liking. The thing I really love about a Lexus LS and GS, and now the new IS, is that big ole' fat center consol. I like the feeling of "this is my space, that is your space, and we have plenty of space in the middle to share". I haven't sat in the new designs, including your dad's designed 5 series though.

Uh, ok, this thread just took a useless and stupid turn for the worse.. Who cares about what you're saying?

I agree with you blake, the new ones seem to have a "notchy" and somewhat bloated look to them now. The models prior seemed to fit their "stance" a bit better.

I wouldn't say aftermarket and oem are no different other than color, but the differences between the two don't justify the cost difference. Us 4runner guys are replacing our windshields all the time due to the flex of the car, rock chips, etc. In fact, an aftermarket windshield was installed by the dealership who sold the car to me, and it needs to be replaced again due to a crack. Windnoise differences from aftermarket and oem can be addressed with a coat of rain-x, to smooth the glass out even further. Save the money, buy an aftermarket windshield. It's been my experience that Murphy, and his damn laws, always play in the realm of a windshields and door dings. Buy the oem glass, and a bird will drop a rock from about 100 feet up while you're driving down the road, and put a chip right in your eyeline. Fix the only door ding you've got on a car, and you get two more next week. Buy aftermarket windshield, and no problems. Leave the door ding alone, and no more dings. I hope that when I die someday, I get a chance to meet Mr. Murphy :chairshot: , he's a real chump!

It has been my experience that if a mechanic has to remove something, they'd rather charge you for a new one to be reinstalled. And to "clean" something, is nothing more than a bag of chemicals hooked into the fuel system and revved through the engine, much in the same manner as we use seafoam on here through the brake booster line. And as easy as it is to clean the throttle body, and your experience on here and the threads associated with the process, you already know what the proper proceedure is to do to clean up a throttle body. You can spend the $122 for the injector bag treatment at the dealership, and spend a couple of hours catching up on the ladies magazines in the waiting room, or you can spend $20 for a new throttle body gasket and spend your time making sure the throttle body is clean yourself. ;)

Good choice ;) True, the BMW is a fun car to drive, and that German engineering can't be duplicated by any other car maker. But over the long haul, I think you'll find more enjoyment with the LS430. The BMW really scratches that itch when you want to zoom zoom around, take corners like a teenager, be seen as "cool" by your buddies, etc. But after that all wears off (and you realize what fatherhood does to your soul), smooth, quiet, and comfortable is the key. Especially when you realize one of the only places your child doesn't scream, kick, and cry is when riding in a car. Put him/her in a sports car setup, and you'll be watching for every bump in the road to avoid. Trust me on that one! My son rode in our former Mazda 3GT but a handful of times, and every time, he was not a happy camper. Put him in the 4runner, and it's lights-out! Plus, even if you could have gotten the car seat, along with the anchor system, and the little mirror toy that sings hooked up to the head rest for him/her to look at and play with, the diaper bag, the extra pairs of socks, passies, elmo dolls, blankets, and such, in the BMW, you still have to get the kid in there! And let me be the first to tell you, the more room you've got to work with when doing that chore, the BETTER! After about the umpteenth hundredth time of doing that, you'll see the wisdom of the SUV world, and even moreso, the minivan world. Plus, the leather in the LS isn't that perferated stuff, which makes clean up a hell of a lot easier! You think your shop vac is the bomb of the neighborhood? Think again when trying to get little crumbs from those Cheesy Puffs out of the cracks of a perferated leather seat! PS: One other note of wisdom to pass along: Use a towel to set your car seat on in the back seat. This will prevent the edges of the car seat base from making permenant dents in the leather.

I would also check out the Mazda 3's, if you're in that category of the car segment. I can attest that we loved our 07' 3-GT, it was an absolute blast to drive, and was very comfortable for cruising and such. They're built on a Volvo frame, which really shows well in the ride. I would have kept it when we moved to Chicago if it had not been for the overly HORRIBLE roads here that were just too much for my 36 year old back to take. If you live in an area of decent roads, and get that itch to remind yourself how fun driving can be, then I'd certainly recommend the 3. But, I would not recommend it if you live in a northern part of the country that uses a lot of road salt. Several other owners on the mazda3 forum from areas like Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, etc, reported rust showing up on the fenders and taillight areas, quickly. If you don't have that problem, then they're great little cars! Back in Carolina, my old commute used to be a 20 mile stretch of back country road full of horse farms and family McMansions, on my way to and from Chapel Hill. I can't recall a day that I didn't wake up in the morning and looked forward to driving into the office in that car! Here in Chicago, 17' low profile wheels, ain't the ticket. As much of a Lexus fan as I am, and I know there are several folks on here with the series 1 LS that they simply love, with great reasons too, but one can't ignore the fact that they're at least 15 years old now. Cars today are made very differently in general then the way they were made back then. Granted, the LS is probably the best car made, but the new stuff from all manufacturers is pretty tough to ignore, when you're driving a 15 year old car. New bells and whistles, new technologies, new techniques. Not saying the 90-94 LS400's are bad, by any means, they're not. They're perfect, but, well you know what I'm trying to say. If you have the mean$, and the itch, then I'm all for the change. Especially now, with prices low, interest rates low, and massive incentives to get you to buy something in general. I'm telling you folks, this is a unique time to be a consumer, one that we'll probably not see again for at least a decade or two (hopefully).

$15,600 for a 7 year old car with 115k miles is too much, if you ask me. I bought a 01' GS430 with only 53k miles a couple months ago for in the mid $12k's. Granted, it's not the LS series, but it has over half the miles, is the top of the line GS model of that year, with the V8 and full wood package. I think you should be in the $12k's, if not a little lower, for that LS.