nc211

Probably due to peer pressure from his buddies: Jim Beam, Johnny Walker, and of course the evil Jack! I know they're the only ones capable of influencing me to do such a stupid thing, which is why I stopped hanging out with them some 12 years ago! :)

Without a snorkle kit? Probably sucks in a ton of muddy water through the air intake, stalls, and gets trashed.

So, reading one of my numerous research publications today, and came across one of the most insightful quotes yet. Somebody please give the guy who said the following, their sign. “April was worse than March, and March was worse than February. There’s cause for concern that each month is getting worse.” Whew, thank God. For a minute there, we were all confused! :o This guy probably makes more than I do, which ticks me off.

I'm about 99% sure the trans mount in my GS is shot, but I have not had the time to look at it lately. Wanted to see if you guys think the same with the following symptoms I'm having. 1) Car shakes when at warm idle and in gear "stop light situation" - shake goes away if put into neutral or park, or a/c or cold idle is at play "higher rpms". 2) When cold, backing up out of the driveway and put it in neutral to coast, it gives a hard kick out of reverse into neutral. 3) audible vibration noise at speeds above 80mph. Could be tires, but I think it's mount. Tires are Goodyear GT4's, with 80% tread left. So, think it's the mount? Transmission fluid is flawless, as the previous owner had the 60k service done prior to trading it in at 56k miles, this included the trans fluid "flushed" by lexus dealer, of which I did a drain n' fill after purchasing the car myself with oem fluid "did this before verifying 60k service at dealership".

Rick, I applaud your efforts! I see your point of view, but i see theirs too in the stance of legal loopholes of any sort of liabilty tie back to them. Do i think they're overdoing it? Absolutely, especially since a person can just as easily buy a Garmin Nuvi for $100 and mess with it while driving as well. I certainly hope you are able to achieve the conclusion you seek. Now, go hit Saltworks in the morning "the locals only one at bradley creek, not the tourist one on wrightsville", Docksides in the afternoon, and kick back on the porch in the evening for a guy who lived in Wilm for nearly 10 years, and miss it badly "as I sit in Chicago". I'd give just about anything to reclaim those days of running the "s" cut in the boat on the backside of Northern Figure 8 to the ICW. And, don't even get me going about that sweet flounder hole I use to hit on the back side of the southern edge of Figure 8/Shell Island new cut "although I hear it's filled back in again". The next time you're up my way, bring the MB, because I don't ride well in the trunk of an SC, especially for the 970 miles it takes to get back to Wonderfulton! PS: Lexus did this lockout for the idiots driving around Chicago. Think about driving down Oleander on the 4th of July weekend, at 90mph....that's here everyday. damn, i'm jealous of where you live! PS: I'd take down your phone number from the posts though...you never know who trolls these sites sometimes...

Because it's Auto Zone. There job is to move product, not give advice. If you don't believe us, just call any Toyota or Lexus dealership's service area and tell them what you've got going on and what type of transmission fluid you've got in the system. I'd be willing to bet $20 that they'll tell you exactly the same thing we're telling you, and they would be correct. Transmission fluids aren't as "generic" as motor oils. They're very specific, designed very specifically to operate in a very specific manner in a very specific environment. Think about all the switches, pressure plates, pressure points, rolling gears, solenoids, and gyro thingy mobops in an automatic transmission. They're more complicated than the engine itself.

Mud. ;)

Not really. The clunk, in essence, is simply the slider sleeve of the driveshaft sticking in a forward postion from it's seat against the rear differential. The "clunk" you feel, is when that slider sleeve releases and hits against it's seat. That is the core of the clunk. Now, lexus has also added updated rear cushion bushings in some of the rear suspension components to help as well. But at the end of the day, it's a sticky driveshaft slider yolk. The 4runner guys, me included, simply go buy a $20 grease gun and a tube of Mobile One Synthetic grease, and "inject" it into the greasing points of the driveshaft every so-often "usually around 5-10k miles, depending on how bad it is". This temporarily fixes the slider sleeve from sticking, and it seats correctly, but it's only temporary. Think of the drive shaft as an accordian, which expands and contracts with the travel of the rear suspension. The lower the suspension, then the short the distance from the rear differential to the center differential "the two connecting points of the driveshaft". In that, there are parts that are supposed to slide back and forth in concert with the movement. Sometimes some of those parts get stuck, and "clunk" when they release. This driveshaft is the same setup that has been used for years across the Tacoma, 4runner, GX470, and quite possibly the other rear wheel drive truck-based vehicles of Toyota. But to answer your question, you can see where the variable height setting could be considered a problem, as it will adjust that distance bewteen the center diff and the rear diff, causing the drive shaft to expand/contract. But if you asking the advice to replace variable height sensor to fix it is correct, then I would have to disagree.

read the other posts further up for that answer.

First time I test drove a GS, which was a 98' GS300 prior to buying my former 95' LS, I pulled out into the road, went about 500 feet, and the car died just as you described. It was very frightening as I was in heavy traffic with very little momentum to coast to the shoulder. I restarted the car, and it ran fine while I was going back to the dealerhsip. I didn't have any other keys on my chain. There's something funky about that.

I have yet to see any mechanic actually set the proper torque for lug nuts, period. Not from a dedicated tire shop, not from the Lexus dealership. It's tire off, tire on, that's it. It's well worth the $40 to buy a torque wrench and make sure all lug nuts are set at the proper levels. I do this, and haven't had a warped rotor in a very long time. Also, if you're standing on your brakes at a stop light, kick the car into neutral and take your foot off the brakes for a second or two, to release the pressure of the pads against the rotor and let some cool air to get inbetween them, or inch forward to circulate the rotor/pad contact point. It's not necessarily the hard braking that warps them, it's the fact that when you come to a stop, you keep the pads firmly pressed against the rotor, which is injected that heat directly to the surface of the rotor. If you don't need the rotors right this second, then you can order oem's from somewhere like www.parts.com for about the same amount, if not less, then the aftermarkets, and you won't be dealing with any potential funky noises or issues.

Your screen name is insulting. You should change it.

So, I was at the Lexus Dealership last Friday to pull the service history on my GS. I had a nice conversation with the service writer and asked about the clunk issue. I asked "are you still seeing a lot of driveshaft problems with the GX series?" He knew what I was talking about, when he replied "you mean the clunking/tap from behind feeling?" He said since Toyota finally reengineered the driveshaft, they're not seeing any return after this repair. He made comment about the other methods issued to fix it in the past, as "lipstick". I found his comment regarding the motivation for Toyota to finally fix the problem quite interesting, with "when Consumer Reports and media start downgrading their products, they listen and get moving to fix it". If you recall, CR recently cited the Tacoma as having a vibration and driveability problems "the clunk". So, maybe it's finally fixed for good, as it has affected practially all of their truck based vehicles, including my 4runner.

detrex = determined to wrex your transmission. ;)

Interesting thread, as my new-to-me 01 GS430 has this buzzing/humming noise too from the master cylinder area, especially when I start the car, and when I press the brakes for like the first or second time. It's a "buzzzzz" followed by a "click". I can tell my brakes are worn out, and I'm pretty sure they're aftermarket parts "bought it used with 56k miles recently". I know the car was recently serviced at the Lexus dealer for the 60k service, before the previous owner traded it in. On that receipt shows the brake fluid being replaced, and it certainly appears to be new. I'm wondering if there is some air in the system from a rushed or botched bleeding procedure? Or, the caliper piston is damaged, here is why I think that: I have an 05' 4runner, and right before we moved to Chicago, I replaced all the rotors and pads with new OEM. The 4runner now also makes that buzzing noise. When I was doing that proceedure, I noticed one of the caliper pistons "front driver's side" was actually starting to rust and flake "thanks to the Chicago road salt". This car, altough bought in NC, was a single owner car, from Illinois as well "go figure". Bought it too with about 56k miles "now has 72k". When I was doing that proceedure, I accidentally bled the caliper a bit on the driver's front caliper. I caught the problem, reattached the line to the caliper, but forgot to bleed out the caliper "I simply added some new fluid in the reserve to make up for the lost fluid". So, I'm wondering if there is some air in that caliper housing now too. I'm willing to bet there is. Or, the piston is so damaged that it's hitting the back of the pad at an uneven angle, causing it to twist a little, and creating a pocket of uneven pressure? I have no leaks in either car, but I find it odd that both have had their brake fluilds altered, and now both buzz. Both stop fine, peddle fell is good. The GS wanders a bit "wornout pads", but when asked, it'll stop hard. The 4runner stops like it's a new truck.

That's your problem. This is one time where the $130 at the dealership to have the system "flushed" with the proper fluild is well worth the money. If you don't have a Lexus dealership nearby, then find a Toyota dealership, as they too can flush the system. You want to FLUSH it, not "drain n' fill" it, as this will only address 2 quarts of the entire 9+ quart system. Flushing it will get all of the old out, and clean the screen, and replace it with the proper. I would do this pronto, before you do anymore potential damage to the transmission. There are two types of transmission fluid that appear to work in these cars (judging from all the posts on here that I've been a part of), 1) Aimsoil 2)Genuine Toyota OEM Type IV. All others seem to create problems. You've got some cheap, wrong, and potentially damaging fluid in there now that isn't working. The longer you drive with it in there, the closer you're going to come to a significant transmission failure, which will make that $130 look like candy money to repair. No question about it; you've got the wrong fluid. In this regard, it DOESN'T all taste like chicken, if you get my point.

The late in the day approach from the Bush administration misread the playing field when they enacted tarp. They thought this was a "liquidity" crisis, when in fact it is a "balance sheet" crisis. They thought the flow of money through the system was being cut by the lack of money in the system. It was classic play they did after 9/11 to divert the nation's attention, and make us feel better about things, by distracting us to "go out buy stuff", which we did A LOT of. They took this same approach on this one, but were wrong. I agree, they did not read the laws, and didn't realize the difference between the two elements of economic crisis. One, is a restriction of cash flowing through the economy due to lowering wages, job cuts, inflationary price conditions "which we witnessed last summer in the commodities market". They looked at the playing field and saw "everything costs more, so lets give them more". But, that was masking and fueling the real problem, which was deflationary elements to value, caused by an over-built housing market, and a manipulated oil market. Remember when I said in the gas prices thread when oil was heading to $150, that if we don't find another pocket for all of this money to run to before the election and the bubble bursting, we're going to have a complete meltdown? Well, that's exactly what happened. Those who were trying to cushion thier losses in the residential real estate market by manipulating the oil market for profit, ended up double-downing their losses when the bubble broke. Commercial real estate did the same thing in the late 80's-90's that triggered the 91-94 recessionary period. We simply overbuilt, over extended our capital commitments, and ran out of money. THAT was a "liquidity" crisis. It is/was addressed by the introduction of Wall Street into the real estate markets, via tradable security instruments through a process called "securitization". We solved the "liquidity" crisis. If the portfolio lenders "life companies & banks" ran out of money to lend, then the borrowing community could turn to Wall Street for capital. Unfortunately, that model was so successful, that it escaped the confines of commercial real estate "and the professional execution requirements" and ran into the residential markets, and everything else, including the financing of Hollywood movies, cars, taxi cab licenses, etc. It went haywire. The model works, brilliantly, if properly administers. But when it's abused, it creates an over inflated sense of values, and causes a "balance sheet" crisis, which is what we have today. And, it won't get solved until two elements occur (1) more transparency in the assets held by financial institutions, resulting in a "bad bank" structure that holds nothing but the bad assets for bidders to buy, (2) Valuation techniques put into place after the Great Depression of the 30's are brought up to modern day speed, like mark-to-market accounting. Until then, we're just going to throw good money after bad and run further down the rabbit hole of a national deficit, as evidenced by the bailout money given to GM a few months ago, as they now prepare to go BK anyway. If we think government is the solution, than we forget that they are the problem.... Ah, the great one, Ronald Reagan. "Government is not the solution to the problem, Government is the problem." Happens time and time again, and is the base argument for a free market approach to things. Let it run it's course and it'll find it's center, or interfere and delay, with the real possiblity of enhancing, the problem.

Oh, I certainly agree the banks aren't exactly "victims" in all of this either. It still amazes me that when things began to turn sour in the residential mortgage business, that the banks simply pointed their finger at the mortgage brokerage community, and put the blame squarely on them 100%. Granted, some mortgage brokers weren't exactly straight and narrow on the path, but what happened to the bank's underwriters too? Where were they when that package came in from the broker to make sure the information was correct and verified? I also find it quite discomforting that the FDIC internal auditing community was no where to be seen from 2003-2007, in which they were supposed to visit the banks and audit their books to make sure they were in compliance. The credit union side was doing this "NCUA", and you don't hear nearly the cry baby stories from them these days "although they're starting to hurt too". Our mortgages (2) were both done by First Horizon. The primary note was sold to MetLife recently, and the closed end equity was retained. This month when we got the bill, a $25 "fee" was tacked on, with no explination as to why. No late payment has ever been issued by me in my entire life, since getting my first credit card at the age of 19. So, I certainly see where you're coming from SWO, and agree. But the old-boys network does exist, and no matter if you change the players around or not, it will always exist. Beyond the news reports, the main reason why the banks aren't lending out a lot of that money is because they simply can't, as long as mark-to-market accounting remains in it's current form. Under law, they have to reserve something like 10x's the anticipated loss with cash. So if your charter requires a max loan to value ceiling of 80%, and all of the sudden "today's" value of that asset falls 20% with no regard for tomorrow's value, then you've got a 100% loan to value, and the bank not only has to assign that 20% gap in cash, but ad an additional 90% cash on top of that, for that one specific loan. So if you wrote an $80k mortgage on a $100k house, that falls in "today" value to $80k, they're not facing a $20k balance to make up, but a $200k balance. The real world "applied" purpose of the TARP money is resting on the asset side of the balance sheet for those losses, instead of it's intended purposes to pump out into the hands of the economic engine. This is also why the banks won't release the info on where they're using that money, which I don't understand. If I were a bank being killed by these ridiculous "reserves" rules, I would be in front of every news camera on the planet saying "if you want me to put this money out, then tell congress to ease the reserves limit which completely ignore the financial backbone element of our economy....the "time value" of money." So when you hear this bank and that bank have theses HUGE losses that need to be bailed out, know that the majority of those "losses" are really "phantom" losses, or accounting losses. Not actual losses of cash revenue. I would also caution against the comfort of Mr. Obama's high approval ratings, with the reminder of what President who holds the record for the highest approval ratings of all time, Bush, after 9/11. I believe he serves as an example of how quickly the worm can turn.

Actually, I've been on this board for a long time, and I don't think I've ever seen a problem where the required gas would trip the cel, but the lower grade would not and produce better results. I'm interested in what the codes might be? I assume you've got the gas cap on tightly though, as that will trip the cel sometimes. Don't mind these guys. I'm willing to bet that if I looked hard enough, they've probably asked questions that warrant their responses too. You get "freebies" for the first 20-30 posts before us old guys start asking if your shoe laces are too tight.

But he's right! You mean the titans that greenlighted the irresponsible banking practices that started this mess and needed billions in bailout money to keep their banks afloat? Come on. I like it, we don't need to woo these folks. IMHO these banks need to start wooing us a little. The attitude in the banking industry needs a correction, I'm happy none of my taxpayer money went to provide them refreshments and they can sit on the private jets I paid for on the way home. I hear ya', and can easily see where you're coming from. My take on all of this is: The Titans he had lined up like little school children in his office, in all honesty, weren't exactly "the" titans that greenlighted this mess. They were going with the system, which in a good argument, can been seen as just the same, I get that. But, it wasn't the CEO of BofA that told Fannie & Freddie to move towards a more private sector playing field and open the doors to buy subprime loans at a feverish pitch. It wasn't the CEO of Wells Fargo that created the Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO) security agreement that roiled Wall Street, and it wasn't the CEO of PNC that enforced the Mark to Market accounting rules. Nor were it either of them running up oil last summer that really put the nail in the coffins. These guys were doing as instructed by the machine, which was "get the money out the door, and give the notes to Fannie and Freddie". They were propositioned from Investment Banks to do these toxic commercial instruments (CDO's), scratched their heads in confusion, then went to the SEC to get their take on it, and they simply said "we like CDO's, you should do them", so they did. Those who should be on that pitchfork are the ones running the SEC for failing to understand, what the majority of us knew to avoid, the rating agencies for being wooed' by the Investment Banks "Lehman, Merrill, etc". And the SEC should be pitchforked for allowing the credit default swaps market to run like it did, which is the core underlining reason why so many institutions are in trouble and needed that "bailout" money. The credit default swaps market was in no way shape or form different than if you, me, DCfish, and SRK all went to Vegas. You went to the 21 table, and I told you that I would cover your losses for a fee. And then I turn to DCFish and say "I'll sell you that fee for a fee", and he turns to SRK and says the same thing. You paid me $100 to cover your losses. You lose $10,000, and I'm screwed because I don't have $9,900 right now, and have to turn to DCfish to call that contract, and he turns to SRK and calls that contract, all the while, you're getting your butt beat by the bouncer while we're in the corner digging in our pockets for money we don't have. At which point, you tell the bouncer "those guys have your money", and now we're getting our butts kicked too. The main players sitting at the table, were Bears Stern, and Lehman Brothers. The folks responsible for this, is the SEC, of which Obama nor Bush will/would approach in such a public fashion as Obama did to the banks. He's forcing banking and investment institutions that did not get wrapped up in the CDO mess, Credit Default Swaps mess, and Subprime mess to take the TARP money "which is the backdoor for the government to control the boardroom", and now they're starting to say "hey, we didn't ask for it, we didn't want it, and now you won't take it back because you want to use it as leverage to run our business". THAT, is certain to backfire. You know where I work, and the only reason why we're not in that mess is because (1) we're not public (2) we do our homework and saw what the CDO market and credit default swap market was really about. BUT, even though we're fine, the Treasury department right now, is trying to enact legistlation to expand their "controlling" powers beyond the banking sector into the other playing fields of the financial world "us". Even though, we're a private company, in good shape. THAT too, will certainly backfire if allowed to happen. It wasn't the bank that made the Alt-A mortgage .25% cheaper with no paperwork then the traditional mortgage, that we took in 06' in NC. It was Fannie and Freddie Mac that did that. And, I for one, thank them for it, because it saved me personally several hundred dollars a year, and got us the mortgage in 30 minutes..... That, was the problem.

I certainly agree on how quickly people's opinions turn as well. That's part of our fast-food society mind set. I think he's doing a good job too, but my gut honestly has this growing feeling that a backlash is coming. Some of it is starting to show in some of the press articles from foreign leaders, and certain political groups that were once praising him prior to the election. I like the fact that we're talking to people that we haven't talked to in decades, like Cuba, and Venzuela, and the like. To simply ignore these countries just seems childish and counter productive. I like the "fresh" approach he's taking in certain regards. But, and it's too soon to judge the results, but I think the arrogant and bullied approach he's taking towards the economy can create some pretty nasty backlash. If he is successful in that regard, in both the cover page, and back stage players, he's golden for a second term. But, if he goes too far with the "Presidential Powers" to control the business sector, I think he'll make some very nasty and very wealthy enemies. That is what I'm seeing the most in terms of negative articles about him now. Banks wanting to give the TARP money back, but being told no, which results in the government controls still in play for that bank "which makes the bank angry". The comment to the CEO's of the big banks a few weeks ago about "I'm the only thing between you and the pitchforks", set the wrong tone. Plus, and I know this for a fact, I don't care who you are, if you call the Titans of business to your office for a meeting, you offer them a place to sit, and you offer them refreshments. Obama made those Titans stand the whole time, no water offered, and when one asked for a glass of water, it was warm tap water. Now, I understand the public perception against the banking community right now, infact, my mortgage bill this past month had an additional $25 fee tacked on, just because "which can't be done", but none the less, they tried "but it just got paid off with the sale of the home". But, as the President, you have to see beyond today's feeling, and realize that things will get better, and you will need these Titans of Industry on your side in three years. That sort of stuff is what concerns me about Obama right now. We had one President too quick to write the checks, and it appears we have one now that seems to quick to act out of personal emotion. He's got to balance that. Furthermore, I think there is one thing that Bush and his team can be credited with. There was only one 9/11. He and his team were able to prevent other "not all" terrorist attacks around the world, and he was able to calm the country. Some of those tactics, in my opinion, we don't want to reverse, because they've worked, and continue to work. Also, Iraq sure is looking a lot better, and I firmly believe is on the path to self sustaining ability as one of our allies. I hope they are anyway, as we have just completed the world's largest embassy in history over there for us. We're there, for decades to come. I have yet to read a post on any of the other forums I cruise that says anything negative about waterboarding a terrorist. In fact, every single post I've read, seems to agree with the tactic. Here is a guy who wants to kill all of us, and all we're doing is pouring a bucket of water on his head to get him to talk. That's a far cry from what they do to our captured. I want to be a kinder, and gentler nation too. But, I don't want to revert back to the Clinton days of breaking down our military to the point of nearly being unable to respond to an attack, other than launching a missle. Jindal has no chance in my opinion. But, Mitt Romney does. Especially if the economy is still in bad shape, which will play right into the hands of his business executive leadership background. We'll see what happens. I'm not saying I think Obama is doing a bad job, I think it's still too early to tell. There's been a LOT of talking going on, but the results aren't showing yet. That'll take some time. Hopefully he can pull it off! You've got to admit, it's an interesting time to be an American right now. I must say, in a selfish kind of way, I really like this "return to basics" feeling that is creeping over the country right now. It's almost a relief to slow down, kind of like that rainy Sunday every once in a while where you can just sit on the sofa and watch a Clint Eastwood filmathon on A&E, instead of having to mow the yard, clean the gutters, wash the car, do this, do that... We're starting to save again, instead of this frantic spend spend spend mind set over the past 8 years. Granted, it's killing the economy these days, which isn't good. But I think you see where I'm coming from. I, and I think the under current of the country, is finally starting to feel like 9/11 and those raw "kill 'em all" emotions are starting to take their places in the history books of our nation and world.

It's official, IS400 is the hotest member of LOC, period! ;)

What kind of transmission fluid are you using?

I KNEW you'd be the first to react to that! You're getting slow old timer, at 40 minutes! I was about to call the NC GOP office and give them your name as a possible "softening" democrat!

Take a plastic bag, put your hand in it, and run it over the car's surface. You'll feel the actual grime stuck in the paint. In my opinion, spending the time to wax a car, is a waste of time if you haven't clay barred it. How I do it is: hand wash the car thouroughly first, rinse, then refill the bucket with a new batch of clean soapy water. Use that as the lubricant to clay the car. Sponge on some soapy water to the surface "go one section at a time", then rub the clay over the paint "gently". Don't "grind" the clay, just rub it across the paint. Once you do a section like the hood, roll the clay in your hand, and move on to the next. It's great for cleaning glass, rims, and espeicially headlights. You'll have two initial reactions when you're done. One: Oh crap, what did I just do to my car = hazey layer of paint. Or two: Oh crap, why did I just waste my time doing that = clean surface. Either way, your third reaction will follow after you've put a layer of polish and a layer of wax on the car, and you're standing there, watching that little fly that's been buzzing your head all day struggle to get traction on your hood. That reaction is: OH CRAP! That's simply amazing! That is usually followed by a 6 pack of beer and a snail trail of your own drool back and forth from the car to your seat in the driveway, after hours of going "Oh Crap, that's amazing". Even though the best results can be had with the Portor Cable orbital buffer, which are quite expensive, I have had increadible results with my generic $50 random orbital GNC 10' buffer. It makes the job a zillion times easier on your back, arms, and legs. I highly suggest the use of a random orbital buffer, especially on the Lexus black, with I believe is still a "soft" paint...aka, no clearcoat. SWO can confirm that though, as I think I recall a post somewhere saying they went to a clearcoat for the black paint at somepoint??? Here is what the black can look like after a clay/polish/wax. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=27799&st=0