nc211

I respectively disagree... $235 up front, and then a few thousand over the next two years in insurance increases. I'd give a lawyer a shot and have a $300 "parking ticket" fine instead. Not sure if your state as "prayer for judgement" which gives you a warning, no fine an no reporting to your insurance company, with a catch... you can't get another in two years, or else both go on at the same time "this one, and the new one". But, even that can be argued down, and some define that probation period to focus on not getting the "exact same" ticket...aka...same speed at the same place.

Get....A.....LAWYER!!!! Sure as the sun comes up, this is the perfect situation that you'll be so thankful you GOT A LAWYER!! Don't do this on your own, as you will most likely get the full brunt of the penalty, and be paying for it on your insurance for years to come, no matter what your age is, or how clean your driving record might be. To save thousands of dollars in increased insurance rates, you might have to spend a few nights watching 'Blood Runs Red on the Highway" with the other local Duke boys. But, at least you'll have a clean record by Friday of the same week. Trust me, you want a lawyer on this one. My dad, at 50 something years old, not a ticket in 30 years, got popped years ago in a speed trap, twice in one month, at the same speed trap. Now granted, you would think he would of learned his lesson, but noooo, Mr. Former Nuke Bomber Pilot wasn't paying attention to his speed, he was too busy singing that damn theme song from Titanic from that anal-haggle-snaggled-toothed Magnum PI Mustache havin', carrot stick lookin' devil dirt !Removed!! And, got BUSTED... He didn't think much of it, and paid the fines. Ask him now what he would of done, if he had only known? Lawyer baby...lawyer.... He paid out the tail pipe in increased rates....and was ticked off for two years straight! I told him "you're lucky that's all you got. You keep listening to that satanic gutter !Removed! and your manhood will fall off!" Guess what he wants for Christmas this year? Her new CD! ARGHHH

http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=WOBBLE&st= Read the 1st post, then proceed to the last two pages, othrwise you'll be reading for a bit. At the end of the day, my driveshaft U joints were binding up. The new shaft made a very noticable difference.....smooth as silk!

There is a diagnostic trick you can do with the a/c unit that will give you a readout on how the system is working. I can't recall what it is though. I think DCFish knows it though. Search under my name, and look towards the very beginning when I first came around... or better yet, let me see if I can find it.... Edit: well I can't find it. Searches only go back 1,000 posts by name. I'll PM DCFish and see if he knows what it is, and see if he will join the conversation. He knows these sort of tricks!

I've got the driveshaft clunk at times, the oh so dreaded driveshaft clunk... actually, it's not that bad, just gotta grease the zerks every now and then. I've got the V8 AWD model "why I bought it in a $3.25 a gallon world is beyond me?" :chairshot: Except it's faster than blazin' hell! Which, might be my problem with $3.25 a gallon..... Anyway, I've got a feeling in the back that it's a little loose, beyond what an SUV is. I know the stabalizer bar bushings are a little tired, from it's previous owner in Illinios. I can the effects of 6 months of winter under there. But that carrier arm, or I guess on the 4runner is the lower control arm, is sooo long, and with so much torque in the car, I think those two medium to small size bushings are getting a little loose. The GX I believe has the same long arms in the back as well...

when you're turning the a/c on, is the "auto" light coming on? If the auto light comes on, then what is happening that the car knows the temp inside, and is adjusting the fan speed, and sometimes the vent directions "floor, person, etc.." to keep it at the designated temp. If it's not on auto, and you're increasing the fan speed manually but nothing is happening, then I think the recir/fresh air door is getting stuck. Have you noticed any small pieces of dark grey foam coming from the vents, or on the floor? Like insulation tape type insulation. If so, a piece might be jamming the door. My 95 would spit that foam stuff every now and then at me, usually in cm pieces, but on a couple of occasions they were about an inch in length. I have no clue what it's from, but it didn't harm the operation of the system, just annoying sometimes. the next time you hit the a/c, adjust the temp settings and see if the airflow increases.

$1,000-$2,000 in damage? That's just for parts, because if this really did happen, your suspension is probably all torn to hell and back. I'm having a tough time believing this story though, as you say you've swapped rims from oem to aftermarket, but oem are 5 studded, and if you have 6, then how in the world did you get the oem's on there? But if true, I smell Darwin Award... <_< There is no way, no way whatsoever that your insurance company is going to pony up for this. There are soooo many loop holes in this story, they probably won't even return your phone call once they read the report. They'll blame you for weakening the studs with those wheels, Lexus will say those custom wheels were not oem, as all 07' ES350's are designed with/for 5 stud operation. If you truly do have 6 studs, then whoever made that modification, might have some liability, if indeed it was stud related. But amigo, if you didn't even tighten the bolts, then all I can say is...damn

Thanks Blake! I'm not sure what happened, but I kept getting an authorization error...

For some reason I can't start a new topic in the GX subforum? So, I'll post here and hope it gets moved over... Since the 4runner and GX470 share a good bit of mechanicals, and I can't get answers from the 4runner site, I thought I'd ask here.... I'm curious what the typical mileage points are for the GX470 for such items as the rear carrier bushings, stabalizer bar bushings, shocks, etc.... You know, the LS treatment type stuff. If one thing I learned from the LS, is not to just start swapping out parts for the heck of it! Man, did I ever spend a ton of money on that 95' LS400. The 4runner has the ability to swap out just the bushings "thank god", which I think is different from the GX, which requires the entire arm assembly. But, I think the bushings are pretty close in design, not exactly, but pretty close... I ask, because at 55k on the 4runner, I'm feeling a little bit of a disconnect between the rear and the front, and a very very faint clunk in the rear when I accelerate and hit a dip in the road. Which makes me think the rear carrier bushings are probably wearing a bit.

I think there are a few different drones with this set-up. The 4runners with the same V8 engine can develop a drone noise too, sounding like an exhaust problem, and goes away when you let up on the gas to coast. It was explained to me on another forum, that the 4.7 V8 does not have the EGR "Exhaust Gas Return" system. It's a straight V8 exhaust. This creates a rumble in the exhaust, like the engine is showing its "balls". My 05 V8 4runner has this drone, which in colder temps, is more pronounced. I've accepted it as part of the V8's growl, but was able to quiet it down a little with new plugs and seafoaming the crankcase during the past two oil changes, and using fully synthetic Mobile 1 5w30 oil. I'm betting a seafoam treatment of the intake will help to clean the exhaust valves in the engine and quiet it down a little more.

as expensive as these cars are to service, and taking into consideration how long a well maintained LS can go "see Blake918", the recently serviced 91' is a no-brainer in my opinion.

rwallican, I'm assuming you had the car aligned, and rechecked by the dealership a few times during your search to find the problem. If not, you need to start there first. If so, my guess is that your tie rods are showing their age in comparison to your new rack. It's much like the suspension parts; they all wear together from day one, and seat themselves in concert as they age. When you replace a part with a brand new one, the old parts show their problems. Kind of like replacing the drummer in a band with a new one; you quickly realize just how tired the others are when the new guy constantly is a beat ahead. Your outter tie rods, if original, are certainly getting tired at that mileage. Over the years, the slack in the tie rods have probably been masked by the wear and tear of the rack, and the slack in the two played in concert, which led you to have the rack replaced. The tie rod ends are easy to replace as a DIY process. it just takes a pitman to pop them out of the control arm, unscrew them, screw new one on, and take it to the shop for an alignment. I recommend marking where the thread is on the old one, and screw the new one on to that mark. My wife's old Honda Civic had wornout tie rod ends that were causing a vibration at those speeds, and would clunk a bit when going over bumps. I've replaced my outter tie rods myself, it's not hard. Total cost for both left side and right side tie rod ends are probably $100. Although I don't disagree with aarman4's suggestion, I would think though that you would of noticed the balljoints going out before the rack was replaced. But, he could be right, as everything ages together. If you already have new tie rod ends, then I would definetly follow his advice, as the slack in the ball joints is the only other spot slack could come from in your steering. You basically want to work from the newest part, out. So follow the rack to the balljoints. Any clunks on small bumps felt in the steering? And one more thing....be cautious of the dealership at this point, and insist the senior technician take over with your service. You're now in a spot where they can basically tell you whatever they want, with no recourse if they're wrong. I've had this happen to me, until I barked and insisted the #1 guy be the mechanic. From there, it was all gravy. Some of these "kids" don't know the difference between a rear carrier bushing and a turbine blade. A good mechanic will listen to you first, realize it started with the new rack, and start from there. How in the world a rear carrier bushing has anything to do with a steering rack is beyond me, and I've taken apart my 95' from bow to stern. Your front strut rods would normally only show the need for repair with a very noticable clunk throughout the car from gently going over bumps or potholes.

at the dealer actually, for about $50 bucks. A lot of dealerships have implemented the "rear carrier bushing repair kit", which is just the bushings, instead of the entire arm. I can't remember off hand, but I think they're the ASUS 530 or 503 or 505, or somthing like that...they'll know.

PM DCfish, he might help. One thing you'll run into with the sub, is that there are not a lot of aftermarket options if all you want to do is drop one in and hook it up. measurements and depth are unique to the car's oem setup.

Hubba Hubba

Are you talking about in Canada? If so, one word....Taxes. Canada is an expensive place to live, especially the Toronto area. Ever wonder how they have that healthcare system up there? Taxes Bubba, taxes, on everything. I was at the Canadian Open last July in Toronto, sponsored by BMW, and out front were two BMW's, a 6 series and a z4. The 6 series was $40k higher than the ones here "I was at the local BMW shop three days earlier looking at a used 5 series". I was stunned, and was informed by a local accountant standing next to me, that it's all in taxes. And, Canada in general is implementing steps to prevent Canadians from coming across the boarder to buy their cars now. If you live in Canada, and try to bring in a new car from the states, they'll block it at customs, or hit you with a difference tax.

Word to your motha!! Ohhhh, those were the days! Here's a fun mullet presentation so we never forget (and never go back!)!! http://www.johndavidhead.com/jhead/johnhea...e/TheMullet.ppt What about Arsenio... woof woof woof!! With the arm circle thing... Beats me.... but you might want to check out the stores policies. I bet you there are tons of in-store videos on the net these days. As for it being actually illegal - I doubt it. It just might be against store policy. I think you're ok leaving them up. Hahaha... Arsenio... I had forgotten about him. "Kinda' makes a brother go...Hmmmm" Oddly enough, I have a lot songs on my Ipod from those days, including Vanilla Ice and Hammer Time, and they still make me smile. Fun stuff.. India, you got a freakin' 1900!?!?! If I recall, that's a "go straight to Park Place, do not pass go"! That's impressive man! Back when I took it, and I think the max was like 1400, I scored a beautiful 970!. But, living in Kansas at the time, KU had a policy for all in state high school graduates of open door admission, so I didn't really take them seriously. However, I'm not a very good student in general, just determined, which has counter-balanced my grades to get me to a comfortable spot on the career ladder. There are several genious idiots out there that lack the social skills to use their eduction, and street smarts to avoid being taken advantage of. I think it's safe to say that those who know you on here, know you do not lack either one of those traits, and will probably be calling you "boss" someday.... Anyway.... If there isn't a posting on the door of the store saying it's illegal to video tape inside, then you have nothing to worry about. They have to post that sort of stuff in any operation that caters to the general public....like how it's illegal to shoplift "for which you see signs of".

Cheetos & Beer.... sorry, it's been a few HUNDRED posts since I've chimed in...couldn't help myself...

Sheriff Steve sent him up the river....with good cause.

You don't happen to have a cousin named Monarch do you? India....that is some FUNNY stuff!!!! Brings back memories of my highschool days when we would play pranks. Like ambushing a cheerleader prep show before Friday night's game with water cannons. I've got a video of it somewhere buried in the attic. Those were the days. "Yo', kick it Vanilla......ice ice baby....mullets rule!"

Volvos have a bad habit of burning out light bulbs, lots and lots of light bulbs!

$20 says it's that tiny screen in the power steering solenoid. And another $50 bucks says you're gonna be really ticked off when you find out how easy it is to clean it and it fixes your issue and you realize how much money and effort you spent trying to fix this, only to realize it's a stupid tiny dirty screen that is easily serviced. Welcome to the club amigo...i did the same thing with my suspension issues. search "solenoid", and you'll see the threads.

You are, in this country! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the first one, thought "man, that bratwurst for lunch is messing with me", so I took that picture. Still couldn't believe it, and my wife didn't understand why in the hell I was laughing & in tears, while everyone else was sleeping while on our way to Heidleberg. So, I took another one too!

It's normal, it's warming up. The LS400's will hold gears a little higher in the RPM range too until it's warmed up. It's normal on most cars actually, but especially Toyotas. My 05' 4Runner will hold first up to about 2,400 rpm, and considering it's a V8 that spins about 1700 rpm at 60-65mph, it gets your attention a little on those cold mornings. I usually just let the car sit at idle for a minute or two before driving, to let the juices get flowing.

I took this on the Autobahn last month. I think it speaks for itself! Mods, might need to resize it...