nc211

Yep, and it's well worth the tiny little paint chip on the edge of my door to let them have a nice little door ding to remember me by.

The OuterBanks of NC in the spring, from Virginia to Wilmington, is great! Ferry rides, wild horses, tons of flowers, great trip.

Murphy's Law rules this situation, at least for me. Every single freakin' car I've ever owned has always had a door ding, every one! New car, door ding within a month. Used car that's had them fixed, door ding within a month. No matter if I park in the middle of a field, door ding. I've actually watched one of my window shutters fly off the house, turn the corner of the carport and smack into the driver's door "hurricane Bertha 96'". I've had solid green pine cones fall from a tree, hit the gutter, bounce off the trash can and ding the passenger side door. My 4runner, had it a week, went to a buddy's wedding, he needed to back it out of his own driveway to let some other folks leave, and right into his neighbor's mailbox he went. BUT, I have learned a very valuable lesson from all of this. If you fix the one, Karma is gonna' replace it. Fix it again, and she'll give you two. If you leave it alone, you won't get another one. Strange I know, but in the 18 years I've been driving, it's always been true. The first car I had, a 87 GTI, got hit on the driver's side by a freakin' suicidle bird, and put a tiny little ding, with it's beak.

Haha!!! That is EXCELLENT!!!! They forgot one thing though....tossing the damn BlackBerry out the window at 80 mph on I-40, which I'm guilty of once. Thing was half broken anyway and due for a new one. But God did it feel GREAT!

Ohhh TexasLexus... I could so easily make a little humor out of this statement! Hahaha... J/K Thanks amigo, always nice to feel welcomed, even if I don't have keys to the front door anymore. I figured posting "I sold my LS" would grant me less shame than "the automatic head rest is stuck due to my boy's dirty diaper, among other things?", and "how do you get pees and carrots out of the cracks of the center consol?" or "crayon marks on the headliner..I hate Barney the Dinasor". And my favorite "how do I get that Lexus leather smell back?"

Hats off to the boys at Chevy for winning the car of the year award on the new Malibu! I'm smelling a comeback in the works.......

Hope your neighbors are cool, because if your drop those cats and rev that engine during a seafoam treatment, you're going to rattle every window within a 1000 feet! I haven't heard that it's bad on the cats, but it would make sense. Seafoam burns off residue in the engine, but I'm sure some of it doesn't burn off and goes into the cats in chunks. I ran it in mine twice with zero problems, and fantastic results. Do a search for "seafoam" to see the proceedure process. It takes about a cup, pulled in through the brake booster line. Since you're aiming to get it in tip-top shape, I'd have some new plugs ready too, but don't put them in before the seafoam, as the stuff has been known to foul a plug or two... Use the ones in there now...seafoam it...then change the plugs. I also recommend searching for "throttle body cleaning" too, so you can see how to clean the butterfly opening and intake housing. If it were me, I'd do that first, then seafoam, then new plugs...and you should be quite happy with the results. I know in my 95', after I did this stuff for the first time "summer time", the fall came, the air cooled, and that thing was faster than grease lightening, especially on the highway. I noticed a nice change right after I did it, but really noticed a few weeks later when the air cooled down.

On Friday, I probably would of disagreed with VMF.. But after working the rear brakes of my 4runner yesterday "Saturday," thinking they were warped because I had bad pulsation in them, now, I'm in agreement with VMF. Bought my 4runner with 52k on the clock. Now it has 57k. Everything about the car is stock, everything. Whoever owned it prior, drove it in a straight line, for a long time. Tires have plenty of tread left, pads "at least the rears" have 7mm left. And upon thinking the rotors were ready to be replaced, I checked the size of them...a perfect 18mm, not worn down. But, upon taking them off, I easily noticed, especially on the back side, a bunch of "pad marks" all over them. I ran my hand on it, and I could feel the bumps from the pads. Took them up to the shop, they machined them, and all is like new again. They took off a hair's width. Said they were "filthy", which is the first time I've ever heard some describe a rotor to me. Filthy? I asked.. I did clean them before taking them up. He said "no, not dirty, the surfaces were coated with grime." That quote, matched by them still being at 18mm after 57k miles...makes me lean towards VMF's diagnoises. Learned something new yesterday....

Can you not borrow a friend's or family member's credit card, use it to subscribe for a day, and pay them back the $10 bucks with cash? Seriously, find a card, spend about 4 or 5 hours downloading all the Pdf files from the site "make sure you organize them accordingly, like brakes, transmission, engine, etc..", and then you'll have info on every single nut, bolt, clip, torque setting, how-to, on your car from front to back, top to bottom. It's a lot of information, for which I seriously doubt someone is going to publish for free. In addition, you have a very specific problem, that sometimes takes time for someone who has had your problem, to see your thread. I understand your frustration, but realize we're not mechanics, just owners. Most of us have shared problems across the model line, but every now and then, a unique one pops up, like yours, which might take a little time for somebody to have knowledge about. However, if you pull down that manual, you'll have the mechanics manual. Or call the dealership, and politely ask them if they'll tell you what the code is. You'll catch a lot more flies with honey, if you know what I mean. And service guys respond very well to a cool headed, funny, laid back approach, because they're usually bitched at all day. PS: I highly recommend you include the year of your LS in your profile, which is very helpful in decoding this stuff. Different codes were used for different series ie..89-94 / 95-97/98-00, etc... Somebody might know, but doesn't know what year you have and doesn't feel like typing it out if it's for the wrong year..

#2 :chairshot: :chairshot: .....almost... got a warning, since the speedlimit kept jumping around, and there wasn't a posted sign for miles "got knocked down".... But, had me at 63 in a 35! Hahaha... But the speed limit went from 55, to 45, to 55, to 45, to 35..blah blah blah... Nice guy, just told me to keep it safe. Said he was basically issuing warnings only for a few days, seeing as how everyone speeds like crazy on that road. Wife finds out...i'm bannished! God, I love that car.. got 16,000 s-miles on it now, not a single problem, still smells new. In fact, we don't even touch the 4runner on the weekends, it's all Mazda time.

I don't know man, sure sounds like the Tornado fuel air funnel thing to me. It says they cost about $8 per gained horsepower that they'll generate. Doing the math against their price on their website "$24.95 each", on an 8 banger engine, shows a gain of 25 horsepower alone. That just doesn't seem possible to me on plugs alone.

Well that's not sexist......geez man. She's not pregnant, has shoes on, and not in the kitchen, so what else is she going to do with her time? I bet you're a real hoot at parties..

Hey...water is water...and getting on it, is top priority! Being a coastal carolina guy for 8+ years, with a 22' Century, I can asure you, the only ones complaining about the brand name of a boat, are the ones sitting on land! And, if you can avoid the "open hole in the water sucking cash out of your wallet" feature of boating, then all the better! I can't tell you how many times I've seen a John boat with a 30 hp outboard, packed with dudes, about 3 miles out in the ocean at the nearest fishing marker! I have no idea, absolutly no freakin' idea how they don't sink and drown out there....just baffles the mind, and puts Jeff Foxworthy's voice in your head. You've got quite a nice collection of toys! And sounds like you've been smart in your buying practices! I can only image the tortue you and your friends put on that poor dude where you keep your boat.

NOT FAIR!!! :cries: I'M TELLIN' MOM! Joking aside.... Sweet ride RF! Need me to drive the MB and we'll drag race? B)

One of three things is off balance, air, fuel, spark. Since you've had a significant problem with the fuel system already, I'd advise to revisit it again, as this does sound like too little fuel being delivered to the combustion chambers. The filter is a good idea, especially considering the regulator was leaking and there is no telling what might of found it's way into that leak. I assume you've thouroughly cleaned out the flooded vacuum line from the fuel? The connector on the line is tight, not leaking in air to affect it's ability? To me, it just seems too coincidental that you've had fuel delivery problems in the past, and your symptoms now could clearly be pointed to fuel supply levels delivered to the engine... Just makes the most sense to me... Keep us posted! This is a new one one here! And good luck!

Yeah, I'd say you might have a flat spot.. I'd possibly up the psi on the tires to the max setting on the tire's sidewall and go for a 30 minute highway run to see if they'll round out, then set back down to normal. My folks spend 6 months in Oklahoma, and 6 months in S. florida. Everytime they return to one of the houses, the cars are flatspotted badly. Pops ups the psi to max setting on the tires and hits the highway for about 45 minutes...fixes them every time....

I can't...your points for keeping the GMC are exactly why I no longer have my LS, and instead have a 4Runner. With a baby on the way "our 1st", I can't image the frustration with having to haul all of that stuff in the LS. Best decision...keep both! But, practical decision, considering your family situation, if forced, I'd have to say keep the GMC, and return to the LS series later on when it fits better. But, not exactly what you were looking for in your question. LS is extremely safe, and certainly can take one honker of a hit and everyone will still walk away. Mileage is much better in the LS, no roll-over possiblity like in the GMC, and probably less likely to leave you stranded.

90, how many miles do you have on your car again? Know how long it sat before you bought it? You might just have a flat spot from it sitting too long. If that's the case, filling it up close to max psi per the tire's rating and taking a highway run might round it out. I know on my wife's mazda, with those low profile 18' soft rubber tires, it flatspots over night! but smoothes out after about 5 miles. Normal psi should be set to the car's recommendation, with I think is on the inside of the glove box, or armrest, or driver's door jamb. Tires do make a huge difference on these cars, so much so it's almost rediculous. I tried a pair of continentals once, for 1 day, and returned them for Michelins. Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

Hahaha... One too many trips on the 5, Jibby? I'd figure with that monster honker of an SC you've got, you'd be airborne by now!

He wasn't staring at you Lexirx300, he was checking out your fine taste in women, and trying to get your wife's attention! Take it as a compliment, you stud muffin'! I had a redneck hill-jack moran in a Joe Dirt rust-bucket sitting behind me, while trying to pull out onto a major road from the bank. He was revving his engine at me, trying to get me to just go flying out into traffic. I put the car in park, but slowly, so my reverse lights were lit up for a second while on my way to park. Just sat there for about 10 seconds while watching him go nuts behind me, revving that utter piece of crap! A few seconds later, he's laying on the horn, even though traffic is not allowing me to pull out.... a few seconds later he backs up about 5 feet, cranks the wheel to the right, throws it into drive & hops the curb onto the bank's front lawn, tosses his drink at my car, and hauls into traffic...... only to be pulled over by the COP sitting across the street at the gas station taking radar and was watching the whole thing, that he couldn't see because I was in front of him.. HAHAHA!!!! Cop flagged me over too, only to ask if I wanted to press charges. I said "nah, I can't do anything worse to someone like that, than he does to himself". Got the car washed, went home to play frisbee and drink beer with my buddies.

Take a look at my attachment.... see where I've circled and arrowed? That is the 3rd mount to the differential, which attaches directly to the underside of the car. It has rubber rings to insulate it from the car. I was going to replace these on mine, as they were dry-roted pretty badly. I'm thinking that when these begin to go, the rear differential will vibrate up against the underside of the car very quickly, creating a hum/drone noise. I replaced the rear diff mounts on mine, and made a nice, tight difference in things, but never got to these little rubber rings. I was going to take this exact same drawing to the dealer and buy new rings, as they can't be that expensive "they're not all that big". It's very easy to do, just one bolt holds it up...undo the bolt, pull the old ring(s) out, put in new one(s), and reinstall the bolt.

Turn the phone off, if it's not used... Sounds like the little dial paddle on the steering wheel controls is stuck, which will mute your stereo in an attempt to dial the phone and use the speakerphone setup that over takes your stereo.

I wouldn't buy that car, period! It's not that the air suspension is problematic, it's that as with all things, they do wear out after time, and need replacing. When the air suspension goes, the car is nearly sitting on the ground, making it practically undriveable. SK has the knowledge, tools, experience and contacts to make his air suspension affordable. It takes all four of those skills to do so. Arnott Industries has an aftermarket product for the LS air suspension, but there have been some mixed reviews on here about them. Quite frankely, the normal suspension is nice, soft yet responsive, and requires much much much less parts/connectors/money to replace. I hear the air suspension is increadible to ride on, but it's not like a night and day difference, just an even softer ride, on a car that is already worldly known for it's soft ride to begin with. You buy that car, and you'll be spending a few extra thousand on those shocks within 18 months, guaranteed. Remember, there is a reason it's sitting on a used car lot, and not in the owners garage. Most folks who get rid of their LS's either need a different type of vehicle altogether "SUV, Minivan, Truck", or know of some pending problem that they're wanting to avoid. The original owner of my 95' traded it in for a new 2004 LS430 just to avoid the 90k service charge "and he wanted navigation". That's it, that's the only reason. He knew, at 84k miles, that at some point in the next year he was going to face the $1,800 90k service, so he decided to just trade it in for a new one instead. THAT'S the kind of stuff you have to watch out for, and is usually why you either see used LS for sale between the 80k-100k mile mark. The car doesn't drive any different than at 40k miles, but it needs service. THAT LS there, I'm willing to bet, the original owner woke up one day, saw the tail pipes sitting on his driveway, went to the dealership, and was given the repair quote, and once he regained consciousness, traded it in somewhere for something else. I'd also be willing to bet that the air suspension switch inside is set to HIGH, which is keeping the rear end up.

Both are very similar in terms of mechanical, however do they both have 4 speed gear boxes, or 5 speed, or the 98' on a 4 speed and 2000 is a 5 speed? If the 00' is a 5 speed and the 98' is a 4, then go for the 2000. But if they're identical in every way "assume no air suspension? don't buy one with it", then I'd go for the lowest price. I say that because each will ding you at some point for an expensive repair, either suspension components, timing belt service, starter, whatever...They're great cars, identical in nature, so it comes down to initial price and history of care. If the 98' is being sold by a Lexus dealership, then make your offer contingent upon the 90k service! That's what I did with my 95' when I bought it at 84k miles. I told them to throw in the full serviced 90k maintenance.

I'd start with new plugs, then possibly wires, dist. cap. Sounds like a "dead spot" in the spark. Going oem, plugs are probably $60ish? Not sure on wires and caps though. I'm not familiar with the part SK references, not sure how much they cost and labor required to change one out? But, my advice is to start at the easiest point. Since you're doing that, I'd do that throttle body cleaning as well.