Wicked_Lex

I think you can buy the OEM manuals on Ebay for less money and they usually ship in a few days. I'd contact Lexus and tell them if they can't ship them in a week you'll cancel your order and get them elsewhere.

I've heard some bold claims about Amsoil increasing performance, gas mileage etc. Have any of you guys, besides the Amsoil dealors, used this product and compared mileage before and after? I have heard that you only have to change it in the crankcase every 24,000 miles or so. Wouldn't the oil still get dirty and need replacing before then even if it didn't break down? If you respond and you are an Amsoil dealer please indicate.

Don't burn the cheap s**t, you'll be defeating your purpose. Even if it doesn't pre- detonate your mileage and performance will suffer noticeably. When I burned 89 octane I lost a couple of MPG and probably added a few tenths to 0-60 time.

I just read the guy's article and I'm pretty skeptical. However, I'm going to try to prove or disprove his argument by putting an ounce or two of acetone in my next full tank. I can’t believe that a small amount, as diluted as it will be, will hurt that much to try it one time. What if he’s onto something? As expensive as gasoline is getting I’m willing to give it a shot.

Thanks for the info, I live in Sac Town, home of Arnie the Governator. What I want with differential mods is a ratio that is more performance oriented. So the 3.76 Supra would be great for me. Since the GS has a five speed overdrive tranny it’s kind of overkill for the OEM differential to be 3.23. At 75 MPH (the maximum legal speed - LOL!) the V-8 only tacks at 2400 RPMs. The 3.76 would probably raise the RPMs to 2800-2900 at cruising speed. That still isn’t halfway to redline. Do you know what kind of mods the Supra rear end needs to fit the GS? As you probably know, the stock GS doesn’t launch too quickly. I’ve ordered the SRT intake and piggyback and I thought the next best investment to improve 0-60 time was a differential with a higher number. Do you know if the ring gear or other gears can be replaced in the OEM differential to change the ratio or does the whole pumpkin need to be swapped out? It seems like it would cost less to use OEM and replace some of the gears, if possible.

I had Jiffy Lube do both for me for about $90 out the door.

You have a car with HID lamps, and the assembly has a motor that automatically levels the light in relationship to the level of the car. The lights undergo a "self-test" when the key is first turned on and the headlights are on. The lights "motor down" and then UP for a few seconds, and center themselves according to how level the car is. They keep from blinding oncoming traffic when there is a heavy load in the rear of the car, and it tries to compensate. Enjoy your HIDS...MANY folks would LOVE to have that feature. Thanks, but it isn't when I first start the engine that I notice this, its after I have been driving for awhile. Do they do this periodically? Do changes in the terrain or oncoming taffic triger it? I thought there was something wrong because the automatic headlight leveling system warning light warning periodically goes on and off.

Thanks. But do you know what kind of work will be performed by Lexus if I buy the 02 sensor from somewhere. If it's really a hassle, I'll just take it to Lexus and let them do all the work there is need. By the way how much did you pay for your SRT intake? Thanks. I'm not sure, but I don't think Lexus is going to be too cool about buying somebody else’s part and then asking them to install it. Especially if it is NOT an OEM part. The first thing that you need to do before buying any parts is find out what the problem is. See if you can talk to one of the Lexus technicians after explaining that you bought THEIR car. Tell the tech what the problem is and ask him if it sounds like the O2 sensor might be the problem. Most likely he’ll say ‘bring it in and we’ll take a look at it’. If he says ‘Yep sounds like the O2 sensor is fried’ ask him what it will cost and compare that to other shops. But I would still have it diagnosed FIRST. Lexus gives great service but they are very expensive. When I had my ES I called and asked what the price would be to replace the struts since the car had about 100K miles and OEM struts. Lexus said it would be about $1200 + $100 for an alignment. I shopped around and found a shop that used better parts and got it out the door for about $750, more than $500 less than Lexus. However, since the O2 sensor is part of the ECU other shops might not want to touch that. As for your question about the SRT intake, I bought mine at www.Lextasy.com for $445, which is $50 less than buying directly from Swift!

When does Lexus recommend the Timing belt be changed? When should I flush my transmission? ... change my brake line fluid? ... change my power steering fluid (is that even necessary)? What needs to be done at 90K miles? Thanks to all the regulars and everyone else who provide fellow Lexus drivers with your knowledge! It is recommended that the timing belt be changed at 90K miles but I have also heard from a guy at Lexus that you can wait until 120K. From what I understand, you don't 'flush' the transmission, just drain it and replace fluid. The tranny fluid, differential fluid, and antifreeze should be replaced at 30K, 60K, 90K etc. Do you have the owners manual for your GS? Part of it addresses scheduled maintenance and tells you what needs to be down at various mileage intervals.

Do you want to pull out the comlete dash??? Or just the cluster? The guage trim pulls off and there are 4 screws that hold the guage cluster. The topic title suggests that you want to remove the complete dash. No, I don't need to remove the complete dash just the instrument cluster so that I can clean it up on the inside. Thanks guys. So I guess its DIY job then?

So none of you guys have modified the OEM differential?

These numbers mean very little to me, but I thought I would include them. MPH RPM %CO2 %O2 15 1660 15.0 0.1 25 1591 15.1 0.1 HC(PPM) MPH MAX AVE RESULT 15 49 4 5 25 33 4 0 CO(%) MPH MAX AVE RESULT 15 .47 .01 .01 25 .44 .01 .00 NO(PPM) MPH MAX AVE RESULT 15 409 16 0 25 696 18 181 As long as you passed I wouldn't worry about it. Your NO looks kind of strange though. At 15 MPH the result is 0 but at 25 its's 181, but even so you are less than 30% of the allowable amount of emissions at 25MPH.

[ I haven't check my tire pressure in 2 weeks, So I'm not sure yet. I haven't got Intake or exhaust yet. I had a civic before and it made tooooo much noise for me to handle, That's why I lefted it stock. But they do say SRT intake will save some gas mileage and it will still be quite as the stock air filter?? If that is true I'll think about getting it. I was actually on lextasy.com and thinking about this item SRT intake. Please guys what do you think. I really don't need more horse power because I drive local everyday 7 days a week. maybe a GS 300 would have been better? But the GS 400 sounds better. Thanks Call auto parts stores to find cost of O2 sensor and repair shops for installation estimate. Lexus dealership will most likely be the most expensive but there is some work that will only be done by them. I’ve just ordered my SRT intake so I can't tell you how it sounds. If you have stock exhaust it probably won't be real loud. I have heard that it marginally boosts MPG, but I bought it because it give the most HP bang for the buck. As far as the buying the GS300 instead: a properly running GS400 isn’t going to burn much more gas and will give you the power when you need it. Once you get your mileage problem solved you won’t be happy with the milder performing 300.

I don't know if I'd add acetone or moth balls to fuel. If you want the most out of your fuel try to find 93-94 octane gas. I've heard that, depending on where you live, Sunoco has a 94 octane and Amoco has a 93 grade gasoline. If you fill up with one of these and add an octane booster you’ll notice an increase in performance. I bought an octane booster from Auto-zone for about ten bucks, added it to a full tank, and I thought I was burning racing fuel. The engine had a more deep-throated roar to it and launched faster with no hesitation in any power range. I can’t remember the name of the product but it came in a tall yellow can.

I’ve noticed some condensation building up inside the plastic coverings of the speedometer, tack, and gauges. Anyone have this happen or knows what causes it? How difficult is it to remove the dash so I can clean it up?

I have noticed the headlight indicator is sometimes on but most of the time off. Sometimes the headlights wobble a bit, focusing closer to the car for a couple of seconds and then re-focusing out where they normally are. It seems to be independent of the indicator light. It’s more of an annoyance then a problem for now. Have any of you experienced this or know what causes it?

it says 30hp but would it really add this much? how noticable of a difference is this? How much would this improve gas mileage? How hard is this to install? Does it really modify the ecu? Will this mess up the ect pwr and ext snow buttons? Will pwr mode still be faster and snow mode still better in snow? apparently it does 0-60 in 8.2 which seems really slow compared to my 95 mercedes e420 (its a v8 with 275hp but its also heavier and older) how much do you all think this intake would take off my 0-60 time? i need to do a lot of research becuase being 17 450$ is a lot of money are there better intakes out there? I’ll try to answer a few of your questions. First of all, you aren’t going to get an additional 30 HP with the SRT intake on a GS300. The dyno charts for the GS400 showed a 25 HP increase. In reality it might not be that much. Swift probably posted the very best test results out of who knows how many tests. If you get 15-20 extra HP on the 300 consider yourself lucky. Will it improve gas mileage? From what I have heard it may marginally increase mileage but don’t expect more than 1 or 2 extra MPG. How hard is it to install? A lot of the guys say it is a DIY (Do it yourself) job. There are two tasks: Installing the cold air intake, this is probably DIY, and soldering the piggyback SRT chip to the ECU. That is not something that should be attempted by anyone who doesn’t know what he is doing. If you screw up your ECU you can kiss about three grand goodbye. This chip should have no effect on your tranny mode or VCS, it only effects the fuel mixture. 0-60 time 8.2 seconds. If you want performance than the GS400 is the way to go. 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, 150 MPH top end and it doesn’t burn much more gas than the 300. The SRT intake and piggyback might get your 0-60 time down to 7.7 or 7.8 but don’t expect much more. You’re right, $450 is a lot of money. However, it is probably the most cost effective way to boost HP. A cat back exhaust might cost six or seven hundred and give you five extra HP. Do the math, I did and that is why I ordered the SRT intake and chip for my 400. The only way to really get the GS300 to perform much better is to put a turbo charger on it. But to have that installed is going to cost you at least five thousand dollars. My advice – sell your 300 and buy a 400.

One more thing – hope that you don’t need a new ECU. I was reading one of the threads and some guy, not sure what model, said it costs - $3000!!!!! Actually it blows clear smoke so I figure the car is still good. I went to New Jersey to fill up before the New Orleans accident happen and got a good 70HWmiles coming back to New York. That only used up 2/10 of gas, but then after another 100miles of so, GAS ALL GONE.. I'll take it to Lexus on monday morning. $3000. Damn that's alot of money.. I'll let you guys know how everything is after I get back for Lexus, Anyways thanks for the advice. Before you panic about the $3000, there is something I forgot to mention. From what I've heard about ECUs, which isn't very much, some of them are modular in design. What I mean by this is that they are composed of multiple subsystems that control various functionalities and act independently, meaning if one part of the ECU is bad you just replace that part of it. I don’t know if the Lexus ECU is like that or not. If it is, then you may get lucky and only have to replace the defective part if that is what's causing the problem. In that case the cost may be closer to $300 than $3000. There are probably a lot of members who know something about ECUs and might respond if you started a new thread.

Chris, I have a 2000 GS400 with 100K miles and I get great mileage on the highway. I consistently get about 25 MPG and even got 27 once. The GS is basically stock except for the Magnaflow mufflers and I always use synthetic oil. There may be some marginal advantage on the highway for the GS300 but not much since the 400 cruises at 75 MPH at only 2400 RPMs. Its amazing that a five year old car with 100K can still do 0-60s in under 6 seconds, 150 MPH top end, and l gets 25 MPG. If you have the money for the initial investment go for the 400/430 and you’ll have that balls-to-the walls performance when entering a freeway, passing someone, or any time you want to feel it. The only maintenance that I have done other than Tranny/differential fluid replacement and cooling system are oil/filter and air filter changes.

Because I need to stop the car for the gate to open and there are a couple speedbumps in my complex - sometimes I didn't put the seatbelt on until I exited the complex After you park the Lexus at the complex, buckle the belt on the empty seat leaving it that way until you leave. Before you get into traffic and after your speed bumps, gate etc. buckle it in front of you. You're still driving safe and you don't have to listen to that irritating sound.

Forgot your other questions 21 mile. How does the GS drive in snow? The short answer is good, I've driven in snow in the Lake Tahoe area. The long answer is: There are two settings that you, as the driver, have control over. The Variable Skid Control - Make sure this is ‘ON’ if you are driving in snow or on wet pavement. It defaults to ‘ON’ after the engine is shut off. It works by sending a signal to the engine when the wheels start to spin and the engine feels kind of jerky like its cutting out. In less than a second you won’t have any wheel spin and the car moves forward as fast as it can without breaking traction. The transmission control has 3 modes ‘Snow’, ‘Power’ and for lack of a better term ‘Normal’. In the ‘Snow’ mode the tranny shifts up quicker so the engine is running less RPMs and less likely to put you into a skid. If you are driving in snow VSC = ON, tranny mode = SNOW Trying to shut down some punk in a street race VSC = OFF, tranny mode = POWER What kind of maintenance is there for the GS? There’s the usual 30K, 60K, etc. maintenance that involves replacing tranny/differential fluid, and coolant I got all three done at Jiffy Lube for abou $150. At 90K it is recommended that a timing belt be replaced but a guy at the dealership said it could wait until 120K. Other than that practically nothing except oil/filter and air filter changes. The guy at Lexus said that the engine for the 400 is built so well that engines with 200K don’t even need a valve job. I had an ES300 before getting the GS and all I had to do was replace the factory battery after about 100K. The GS is a well engineered machine and Lexus has the highest consumer confidence rating of all automobiles. Buy one and have fun.

If you have the money, 21 mile, go for the 400. You'll have an EXTRA 75 horsepower and fuel mileage is damned good for a V-8. I get 25+ on the freeway when cruise contol is set at 75 MPH and it wouldn't do bad around town if I didn't lead foot it so much listening to the growl coming out of the Magnaflow mufflers.

Having driven two GS300s (a '98 & a '00) and a 400 ('99) I am more than satisfied with the car as a benchmark in comfortability as well as being extremely fun to drive. I have decided on the 300 over the 400/430 not because of the initial savings but because of those that will be garnered in the long term (75 gallons of gas per week vs. 85.) Not sure about the difference in MPG for the 300 vs the 400 Sandlot. I have a 400 and it’s pretty efficient. I consistently get about 25 MPG on the highway and even got 27 once. Its basically stock except for the Magnaflow mufflers and I always use synthetic oil. There may be some marginal advantage on the highway for the 300 but not much since the 400 cruises at 75 MPH at only 2400 RPMs. Around town the smaller engine has to work harder (burn more gas) to get up to speed, offsetting some of the gain. If you have the money for the initial investment go for the 400 and you’ll have that balls-to-the walls performance when entering a freeway, passing someone, or any time you want to feel it.