cardona6569

In which store you can get Toluene very cheap or under what brand? I saw a gallon of the stuff for about 30.00 which I thought was too expensive. CPR

I feel your battery is on its way out and the cold is really killing it. I believe that is what's happening, since there is not enough voltage to go around the computer shuts down non-essential systems and lets you run the engine until it has the power to run them. Cold weather is death on car batteries and if yours is more than 3 years old that is the culprit, it seems you need a better battery for cold weather, and the one you have is about to go. Also check your battery terminals for corrosion etc. they go hand in hand with a bad battery. CPR CPR

If you are not able to exchange it, use it on your gas as prescribed, there should be no problem with it. I have a cousin that has used the stuff for decades with no problems. I just would not used it on the oil. If you want a good additive for nothing, use a quart of valvoline in every oil change, it is pretty detergent on your motor, or you can do an oil change with it, it will clean the inside of your engine. I would not recommend it to be used all the time this is because of the same reason. It will keep it too clean and give way to wear sooner than expected. CPR

Greetings: I would get a Toyota Supra 86-91, or the new generation of Supras that they did. If not that, a Mercury cougar XR-7, 87-88. Both cars were pretty trouble free. The other choice would be a Benz CLS 550, with the new 8, 100,000 warranty they are pretty good deal/looking. If not a BMW 745-760 the newer and with the least mileage the better. CPR

Hello: I read in the UK LS 400 Forum that they sell the brake sensors cheap for the Lex cars. http://www.mtcparts.com/ This is the site, I have not used it yet. Just trying to help. CPR

Hello: Check your car battery, I believe the Seafom had nothing to do with those lights coming on I feel your battery is on its way out. Have it checked, and be ready for it to be replaced soon, if it has water caps have them check maybe is low on water for now. But is going downhill and that is the way it is reflected on the Lex. Clean your terminals while you at it. CPR Pardon my ignorance....what is the ECT fuse...I do not see it listed by that name in my owners manual. Is that the OBDII fuse for diagnostics...Is it in the box under the hood or on drives side compartment. What does ECT stand for? Thanks The car is running great, will it hurt it to drive it very far? He meant the EFI fuse. However, as dcfish suggested, pulling the battery terminal works just fine too. Those suggestions did the trick! Thanks everyone. Before Seafoam car was getting right at 25mpg at hiway speed (70-75 mph). First tank after seafoam it got 22.6mpg ( with CEL on). First tank after ECT reset it got 26.3mpg...All of this on one long highway trip. Don't know what caused the fluctuations, seafoam, brand of gas, or CEL.. Anyway! Thanks

Hello: I would try to avoid a 2001 since it had some minor problems also a first year of that generation, but in your case I would had bought it just like you did since it passed the inspection and the car looks just so nice. I imagine the TSB's for the year model had been already complied with. Congrats CPR

Hello: I would tint your side windows and buy a front windshield sun protector the ones that are made of materials that reflect the sun. Leave a paper thin gap in the windows when placing under that super hot sun. CPR

Hello: Blessed! This is all I can say, all for free, you really got lucky with the car and repairs. Enjoy one of the best cars on the planet! Read your maintenance manual for the services required from factory, do not pay too much attention to the dealers, they usually want to do thngs before its due, make sure you do change all the fluids in it, just in case the other owner did not, and you should have many more miles ahead of you, free of repairs. CPR

Hello: I totally agree with VMF unless they been machined too many times and became too thin to be done again. But definately all you need is to have them machined and maybe the pads grind a little or changed and you should be ok. Try to roll a little when stopping at a light so the head can disipate better. CPR

Hello: The reapairs you made are normal, in these cars. After you get the suspension done, if needed, you should not have to bother with too many other items but regular maintenance change of fluids etc. I would recommend to use the no leak tranny brand leak stopper (follow the instructions on how to use or use with a pro) on your PS so it will last longer this is because they are prone to leak and damage your alternator, which I would have checked and cleaned from PS liquid if you had a leak in the area. You can also buy a rebuild alternator fairly cheap in case you needed. Read the old posts for other tips and your car could last you many more years. CPR

Hi Start saving up now. CPR Thanks for the info, I hope the shocks last a long time.

I would recommend to replace the battery is failing, if your battery is more than 3 years old it is gone, after you check all the other options and are told they are withing specs. My LS used to turn the VSC light by itself then it would reset itself this until I replaced the battery, problem solved! See it as warning that your battery may be going to RIP. CPR

When you VSC light goes on and it is nothing wrong in the car, you as a owner must interpret it as a battery warning, that is how my battery started to decay. As soon as it was replaced had not seen or heard of a VSC light anymore than two seconds when it is started. This is as long as you do not have any failures withing the system. In some GM models this is reflected by the ABS light staying on, with nothing wrong with the ABS. CPR

"I do give Lexus credit it is a great car, and they are nice about if you loose the only key you have for the car, and have to replace the computer with a new key".... Remark made by 914lps I have a 1998 and had that issue but if before you key breaks you go by the dealer they can male you copies, not cheap, expect to shell about 500 but you will not have to change the computer if your key breaks. The system is made to prevent theft, if the car got stolen it probably would cost a lot more than replacing the key. CPR

I have a 1998 with over a 100,000 and after the replacement of the suspension and nitrogen in the tires it is a dream on earth. The 98 it is just as bullet proof as the 2000 is, because both are of the same generation. It is a close call I agree. Both, if you base it upon the price on the 98 if feel it is the best deal, corollary to the 90k service not being done. Remember in the 98 you will save 1400 and the car has 25000 thousand miles less. The starter is new, another good point. But I would verify how much they charge you for the 120 months inspection of the airbag on the 1998 and go from there, this will not have to be done on the 2000 for another two years, because it is a time inspection regardless of miles. If the inspection is something of a 100, 200 USD I still will go with the 98 if it something more than 400 + I would get the 2000. CPR

When I first bought my Lexus I called them about the miliage to change the fuel filter, their reply was that the did not have a specific time to be changed. I have over 100,000 miles already. I will change it anytime. The car does not pull like other when the fuel filter is dirty. Changing the filter every 30 to 45 miles is too early. CPR

Hi: You just made the purchase of your lifetime! The car is great, you will find out soon enough, that once you get into a Lexus you just do not want to get off. It will not be your wish to drive any other car. It is addictive in my opinion. CPR

I was planning to buy a 1998 LS 400 and started looking info about how bad or good the cars were and found this site and the UK one which is very good also. I started reading everything and joined. I will never regret it! CPR

Hello: The codes reveal that the second Maf unit is as bad as the first. I would suggest to take the old one and clean it really good, change your air filter if it is old or oily, if not give it a good cleaning with compress air. Remember if you are not able to see sunlight while looking at the inside of the filter is bad. Second you should look in the UK Lex forum on a tutorial on how to clean and test the Maf sensor. You may have to buy a new one or a new, remanufactured, one but you should clean the old one-first see if it works when properly cleaned. Also look in the www.lexls.com Web site for further info. The air intake senior its a little probe in the Maf sensor itself on model years 90-95. You also want to search this forum in the old postings for other references to the Mafia, since there has been other with similar problems. Make sure you clean the car's plug also, maybe corrosion in the connectors could account for the bad readings. Third clean the Throttle Body and Idle valve IACV. Good Luck C. PR

Hello: I believe the problem is either related to sensors, or batteries gone bad. Had the dealer replace the battery. A friend of mine had a car that the check engine light would come up and stalled, the dealer went on to change almost every sensor and even the computer, when they changed the battery all problems were solved. Do change the battery but buy one outside the dealer, their lot might be a bad one, remember they buy them in lots and mass quatities, it is not uncommon to have a batch of bad parts in industries. In the sensor arena I would look at the mass/airflow sensor, the one near the air filter, have them clean it up, it usually does not give you codes but when they go bad they stall or loose power. You as the owner can disconnect it from the plug, try to start the car without it connected, then if a code comes up even better have it towed to the dealer, and yes reconnedt the plug back to the sensor. Please make sure the brake fluid is in the maximum of the level. After ruling out the VSC the problem should be one electrical as in a bad battery, the one from dealers or factories are usually of inferior quality, they usually go bad within the firsts years of the car. I had one gone bad at a year and one month, exactly 30 days after its warranty expired, a weak battery will cause all sort of light to come up, so can a bad alternator. CPR

Greetings to all members and nonmembers My speedometer stoped working. I went to have it diagnosed by the dealer they gave me a sad story of about 2 to 3 days for troubleshooting, because corrosion and lack of a check engine light. I went to my other mechanic, he checks the resistance as the manual explains when checking the speedometer, they were good. He proceeded to take out the speedometer gauge off the cluster and found the needle stuck. It was cleaned and freed/repositioned and it is working. The only symptom it had was that the gauge was not reading the miles, the odometer and the calculator for average speed were working. So in case the gauge stops working again the fix is a simple one, buying a new gauge. The same happened one day to the RPM gauge but it came back up on its own. He told me all connectors and other related gear looked great. CPR

Hello: It looks like your battery and alternator are bad, I would replace both, but first before spending money I would recharge the battery then, take it to a place where they check the system and see if the alternator is gone, which I am pretty sure it is. The Maf Sensor thing... if you look in the forums of the UK they're ways of cleaning the Maf and there are other ways to electrically test the part. I would clean it first, and put a nww air filter. See what happens if not effect open that engine and chase all of those vacum lines, clean all connectors you can get to with electronic parts cleaner, if no avail, clean the Thortle body also the Idle Control Valve, if none of these DIY do not fix the problem, then you will need a professional, because is beyond the normal maintenance done by the non-auto mechanics. Let us know what you find and what it took to get it fixed. CPR CPR

Hello: It sounds to me like two things. A Heat Shield that is loose, or that the lubrication to the valves is not good enough when it is cold. I would do an engine flush to make sure there is no gunk on the engine oil system or you can use Havoline oil in your next oil change since it has a lot of cleaning agents. If your engine is gelling or creating oil deposits the oil flow will be disrupted thus causing problems along the line. Toyota Lexus engines had this problem. You could also use seafoam before the next oil change and will probably do the same effect, follow can instructions if not sure have a mechanic do it, but the Havoline is the easiest thing to do to see if it has an effect. Make sure you have a 10-w30 oil or 5 w 30 oil for the cold temperatures. First I would have the muffler system check, then the Havoline, if none has any effect then the flush at the dealer or a good mechanic. Do not use the Havoline oil for more than one oil change per year. CPR

I envy you, in a good way. I hope you enjoy the car for many years to come. Follow the maintenance in the booklet, not the one from the dealer, they just want to make money. Follow any maintenance specified in the warranty or dealer that could render your warranty void, the other stuff is to get to your pockets if it is an extra not liste anywhere. Mine has a 100k and it is still going strong. At a 100k you probably will have to change the steering rack or have it rebuild, which is what I did. If I were you I would flush the Power Steering Fluid and replace it with synthetic fluid, it will make your system last longer, than the regular stuff. Change the in cabin air filter, they usually are negleted by many people, it takes about 2 minutes to change. www.irontoad.com for parts etc. Keep reading the owners guide that is in this site and you will have so much info. Your brakes should be also checked for wear, they tend to go about this time also. Other than that it will be oil change, tranny fluid change, and gas for a long time! CPR