jbarhorst2

Clutches in transmissions are sacrificial. (Yes, I know that the clutch is not "in" a manual transmission) It is their nature to wear. The fluid helps to slow this process and the better the fluid, the slower the process.

Fluid that is no longer beneficial (burnt, dirty) accelerates the wear on any transmission, not just this one. Keeping fresh fluid in the tranny will surely slow the deterioration of the clutch packs. The fresher the fluid, the better protected the transmission will be. I don't believe anyone can say that changing the fluid more often causes any failure issues. That is, of course, barring any moronic moves on our part.

I change my fluid (pan drain and refill) every 10,000 miles. I think it's cheap insurance. I know they say you can go longer (15,000 to 30,000 miles), but it's easy to change. Tom

Sounds like your headlights or parking lights were on. Once you put it back in Auto, the lights went off because it was the daytime and your screen changed back to day mode.

Sounds like you have the Valet key. That will start the car and open the doors, but will not open the glove box or the trunk (I think). Tom

Sounds like it was very dirty. Did they say if it was burnt, or that it was just dark? Have you ever had the fluid changed?

OK. Let's try round two. Have you checked all your fuses? Tom

Have you tried turning the adjustment up all the way? Tom

I assume you are trying to program the door lock function on the new remote. If that is the case, then you should be able to use another key.

Don't forget your differential. I change that at the same time when I change the tranny fluid. I'm a little anal about fluids. I do a pan drain and fill every 10,000 miles on my tranny. Every other oil change. It's cheap insurance. Tom

The only other thing I would add is use a new gasket on the drain plug. It's only a couple of bucks and it will keep you from getting a possible leak. Change it yourself, but do be sure to use the proper fluid. Don't cut corners. Tom

I'm glad you found it. You're welcome. Good luck on your power steering. Tom

I believe there is a "dark" wood color also available on the Ultras. I am not sure what the name of the color is, but it is a darker redish wood color. I believe you can only get it with the black interior. Tom

If your key won't turn, that's not the security system. It sounds like your steering column is putting pressure on the locking cylinder. Try this: While trying to turn your key, wiggle your steering wheel back and forth. You may find that it is difficult to move. You may have to turn it with a lot of pressure. You will know when you have hit the locking mechanism because it will feel like a hard stop. You will probably only be able to turn it one way (to release the pressure). Hopefully that will help. Tom

As you look down into your engine compartment, you can easily see the 1st belt. Now, look lower, closer to the engine, and closer to the firewall. You will see the second belt. You're right, they are not truly serpentine belts, but they are multi-rib belts similar in construction to the serpentine belts. I have not changed this second belt, but I would assume it would be much easier to change from below. It may be required to change from below. I just have not looked. Tom

There is an aftermarket product that will transmit the POWER ON signal once you start the car. It's like using the remote control, but you don't have to touch it. I spoke with XM and they sent me the link. Let me know if you want it. They also said there is no way to modify their units to do it automatically, but I'll bet they come out with that in the future. Tom

Here's a longshot. Do you know for a fact that the battery is good?? Does the LED light up on the remote when you press the buttons. Like I said it's a longshot, but it's worth checking. Tom

Perfectly normal, although quite disconcerting until you are familiar with it. Lexus is warming up the engine and catalytic converters faster by holding the engine RPMs higher. This gives them the ability to control emissions sooner than a normal warmup and the car gets a better environmental rating. Tom

The engine must be running. You must shift through all the gears and then back up to park. While the car is in park and the engine is running, only then can you get an accurate reading. Pull the stick out, wipe with a clean towel, replace, and remove once again to take your reading. Toyota is very specific about fluid requirements. You'll notice in your manual that they specify just over 4 quarts for a pan drain and refill. Every time I have done mine, it has been right on the mark. I believe the bend in the end of the dipstick is so that you can more easily navigate the bend in the fill tube. Mine always seems to turn the right direction no matter what direction I start inserting it. Tom

The fear is that if you run at the same speed for a period of time you can unevenly seat the piston rings against the cylinder walls. If you are constantly changing speeds (and therefore the load on the engine) then you will evenly "break in" the pistons, rings, and cylinders. The piston is pushing on different sides of the cylinder wall at different loads is the theory behind this. I'm sure it goes back to the old days, rather than today's new tight tolerance engines. Was your mechanic of the older generation? Tom

That is definitely a scratch, not a scuff. The scuff can generally be buffed out as it only minimally scrapes the clearcoat. This must be painted to be repaired properly. I agree, get a good shop to repaint the entire bumper. I would not be satisfied with a minor repair job of the scratch only. When I had my bumper cover repainted I had the dealer remove the bumper and the body shop painted the bumper while it was off of the vehicle. This way you do not get tape lines where they mask off the rest of the car. You also don't have the danger of getting your car oversprayed from a poor mask job. Tom

I will probably not buy another car without Navi. I find it indispensible, but my friends also say I get lost coming out of the shower, so maybe I am biased. ha ha Tom

Is it a scratch or a scuff? The severity will determine the course of action and the price. Tom

Get under your cars and give the exhaust system some good "bangs" with the side of your fist. I had a similar problem with my SC300 and it was driving me crazy. I was able to find the exact place that the heat shield was rattling and bend it out myself. It does not take much movement to get a big fix. Once I did this I drove the car and the noise was better, but not fixed. I found that I actually had 2 contact points. Once I found the second one, all was fixed. I did not bend mine much and have found that periodically I need to "readjust" the heat shield. I would rather do this than bend it a lot in the beginning. Tom

They are trying to speed up the warming of the engine and catalytic converters for emission control. When it is cold outside, the tranny will hold the shift points until later to accomplish this quicker warm-up. It was disconcerting to me as well the first winter we had ours. Tom