lexluxury

one more thing, and i want to make this clear in case anyone has a thin wallet and is ffretting about buying one strut v. two (both fronts or both rears). the mechanic did say it wasn't 'critical' that you do both sides at once, but he did say it was 'best'. so i'm doing both. got the report that both rear struts are fine...no grooves showing yet. whee. as to that ebay deal, if he can get them for not much (i'm tracking them, haven't checked to see where they are quotewise), and if he isa DIY, then god yes, put 'em on. they could last another 2, 3, 4 years, you never know. if labor is free, it's a chance he could take, a cheap chance. if he has to pay someone 3 or 4 hrs labor to install at 75 per hr, then it's not as good a deal, but sure could be worse (like what we're paying), or, positively catastrophic, like having to buy new at 1,040 per!! ←

on an inspection some time ago, was told sway bar bushings need to be replaced (mechanic said they were sagging and oval shaped). took car to another mechanic to do some other work (he's lexus trained too) and he said the bushings did not need to be replaced, that they are supported by a bracket of some type [not positive, but he may also have said that there is some type of band around htat???] and that basically it isn't possible for them to sag. wtf? i was all prepared to have them replaced, and now he says it doesn't need it. confused. will be speaking with him again shortly...trying to get more info...if they are in need of being replaced, i want them replaced! i have heard others on this board talk of sagging sway bar bushings and/or oval shaped bushings, meaning they are 'worn' and need replacing. can anyone get back in the next few hours with info?

obviously, i know next to nothing about cars. you have to start somewhere. thanks for the info.

HEllo...On some of my service receipts I see 'add fuel injection cleaner'. Is this something I can do myself? How often need to be done?

prefer west hollywood, but will take any names within 20 miles. who do you use? dealer kills me.

nice arrangement...

Entire PS system is going to be replaced with new in a few weeks. Incredibly, I asked someone in the department at Lexus about this and he told me what I was using was fine. When I asked about the Dextron...he said "oh that's for the transmission". Geezus.

Def not the wheels. The engine, I would guess, unless there's another part that could slip that I don't know about. I was on a residential street moving fairly slowly (20-25) and after turning onto a higher traffic street, I accelerated (mildly, to pick up speed to 35 or so) and that's when I felt it. I have no idea what the RPMs were, unfortunately, but I would think they would have been quite low. It lasted 1/2 second maybe, but I made a mental note at the time that this was 'new'. Hasn't happened since, but I'm also not driving it a lot for other reasons right now. Not much to go on, I realize...

thanks nc211 and srk -- good advice.

obviously, i am not a diy... ←

yes, please list site for rebuilt rack where you got yours. anotehr question: is it just me, or does everyone feel like a cheapskate calling up mechanics and asking them to do an install only. the thing is, i know i am cutting them out of the profit loop by getting my own parts. i actually feel kind of badly about that. should i??

read in my llexus owners manual that plugs alone are NOT a safe repair. the tire guy was right. they say on radials to use the patch and plug type of fix. if there is any damage on sidewall or outer side of tire, forget it. replace the tire. if you are traveling long distances at high speed, you would not want to be relying on a plugged tire for obvious safety reasons. around town at low speeds should be okay though. again, do a full repair, not just a plug type repair, or replace the tire. ←

looks like i am close to anwering my own question. maval as it turns out, is the company that SUPPLIES lexus dealers with their remanufactured rack and pinions (PS pumps too, if i am not mistaken), the same rebuilt rack you would get if you walked into a dealer and had them to that repair for you. that's what one wholesaler told me, so if anyone knows any differently let me know... ←

Very helpful. Thank you to everyone.

btw, sometimes people in the parts department at lexus dealerships will refer you to indie mechanics. that's how i found my lexus trained indie guy. ← ←

to my knowledge, i did not insert a smiley in my post. why is there a frickin' smiley smirking in my post? what, is there a smiley spirit living in this forum? a smiley spirit that 'departed' this world in some traumatic event, without resolving his 'issues', so that he has nothing better to do than hang around, causing smiley trouble for the rest of us? ←

if you went to a dealership, then their quote is going to be mile high. i goggled the terms 'ls400 and catalytic converters' (something like that anyway) and came up with a web site www.partstrain.com. they sells cat. converters for this car for not v. much. I think they were $300-400. the o2 sensors sold for around 155. do your homework before spending 3 grand on this fix (if indeed that's what needs to be done). you can save a lot by a) finding a lexus-trained indie mechanic who doesn't charge you 100 an hour for labor, as most dealer will, and B) getting your parts at deep discounts. also, the dealers do a 'shotgun' approach to repairs issues, in part to prevent customer complaints.

I am looking at a $650 rebuilt OEM rack and pinion, or a rebuilt rack by Maval or other brands for half that. What would you do? The mechanic says the OEM rebuild is the best...that the others sometimes don't fit quite right and they develop leaks after a time...not sure what to think. Ideas anyone?

I have a very minor leak in the Power Steering Pump. Have been topping it off with regular power steering fluid from the drugstore once every few weeks. I read somewhere that I should be using ATF instead (with Dextron). I may have read this on one of these boards, not sure. Is this true? If so, have I done any damage by using regular Power Steering Fluid? Tx.

go to lexls.com to see if there are pics on how to DIY. recently got a quote for 2 hours labor to install one strut. if you can get them cheap, would be a quick fix for not much money, especially if you DIY. you would need to be careful not to cut the air line (at the top of the strut) and to hook it back up properly to get the air back in the strut and working properly. if you are not a DIY on a regular basis, i'd advise taking it to someone experienced with air suspension (NOT your neighborhood mechanic who's never worked on air suspension). that said, any strut that old is at the end of its life. the life of air struts is between seven years or 80 to 100K. the elements alone will cause the rubber to develop vertical grooves, which will turn into cracks, etc. even if you cannot see fluids leaking, if you see the vertical grooves in the rubber, that strut is leaking air. you can buy a OEM air strut rebuilt (like new, to specs) for around 400 from arnottindustries.com. these struts come with a lifetime warranty. if you plan on keeping your car, this would be the longer term solution, and you won't have to be redoing your struts (who knows when). but, what you are looking at (on the web) would be a cheap fix. btw, i noticed that arnott is bidding on those struts. (they're trying to get them to use the core for rebuild). it's a small world.

do you know if the sway bar bushings have ever been replaced? might want to get a second opinion from another mechanic...

I went with all OEM parts, on the assumption you get what you pay for. I don' know of any sites that offer an 'overview' or how to determine which aftermarket parts are 'quality', but one of the posters here (thanks!) told me of a company that sold him a rebuilt power steering pump that was going strong after two years, and this same company also sellls brake pads discs and rotors for the Lexus. See www. ariparts.com. Good luck.

SRK -- when you say you've "cheaped out" yourself on other cars, do you include rebuilt parts in that description? i need a few expensive parts (PS Pump, RAck n Pinion, Strut) and would like to buy rebuilt to save money. have you had any experience with this? i agree, wld. be better to buy all new...thanks in advance...

I'm not coming up with ARI when I google that name/initials. Do you have any more specifics by any chance? Thank you...

I am not a DIY, so don't think that would matter in my case. But if anyone knows how to locate someone who could rebuild it...now I would be interested in that. Ideas? The Autozone one sounds cheap. I have also seen one my Malvo(spelling?) for $199 and was going to check out the above recommendation ARI.