dianelouise

Keep us posted on the reliability of the MB - I love the looks, but have too many friends that need a ride to the repair shop for their MB. Hope your 16 yr old appreciates the Lexus - I waited tables to pay for my first car - a used red dodge dart sport!

So sorry to hear about your accident. I had a similar case. I was rear ended in my 2003 Lexus es300 (15K miles) - I did not hit the driver ahead of me and there were no other vehicles involved. I drove immediately to the best repair shop in town (the one where all the high end vehicles go) and left my car there for the damage estimate. I drove home in a mid sized rental. the driver's insurance company did not bicker at all about the $12K in repairs nor the 2 month rental. I am having to work hard at getting the diminished value however. In my case, the vehicle had 10 hours of frame work - the trunk had been hit square and was nearly flat - the rear view window was not broken. After the car was fixed, I brought the vehicle into my Lexus dealer and asked for a written estimate of how much they would have paid me on trade in before the accident and how much they would give me after the accident. Even the dealer was reluctant to give me anything in writing. Other dealers (mercedes, acura, etc.) would tell me verbally what the difference was but would not put it in writing citing "legal issues". At one point I went in and actually went through the process of purchasing a new car in order to get a written trade in value. I have sent that information to their insurance company and intend to follow up every week until I get my money. In my case it was 30-40% of kbb-trade in value. it's worth it to fight for it. good luck - diane p.s. you can google on "diminished value appraisals" to get people that will write up appraisals for you - it will cost you $300 or more - they guarantee you'll get your 300 back, but not the entire diminished value. I'll try doing it myself first - and use them if I don't get satisfaction.

all I know is I needed to stop at the ATM in order to fill 'er up!

congratulations! new bride, new house, and a lexus in the driveway. I'm green with envy...We were married 20 years before we got our first lexus! May your marriage be as smooth as the ride in your lexus. Blessings!

Seattle - just filled it up with premium at $2.53. I've asked for an increase in my credit card limit just to fill up the tank!

Since owning a Lexus, shopping for cars is difficult - the reliability and comfort make it a hands down choice - we don't even consider anything but Lexus. The problem is coming up with the $$$$ when it is finally time to trade up!

I looked at the GY triple treds at sears and theirs were only a "T" speed rating. GY triple treds at tirerack.com were "H" rated. What would be the consequences of putting an "H" rated tire on my LS400 which recommends a "V" rating?

wow! your car looks amazing! Since the forecast is for rain, guess I'll get out and scrub a little bit more instead of hitting golf balls! thanks - diane

my 1994 ls400 driver's seat gets slightly warm and the passenger side is pretty good. does this mean it is the heating unit? how hard to replace? how hard is it to get that leather skin off the seat? what about the after market heaters - check corporation makes some (cost 360 installed). any suggestions welcomed.

while waiting for my shipment from ebay, I bought some at the store (4/5.00) and tried it. it didn't really take out the grime in the leather "skin lines". how much elbow grease does it take? I was thinking it would just wipe right off - you know, wipe on...wipe off! I don't want to rub so hard the leather itself is damaged. I applied a liberal coat of lexol afterwards. any suggestions appreciated.

well, I just tried my magic eraser on my 94 ls400 ivory interior. it was amazing on the steering wheel. it was ok on the plastic seat bottom - where there were black shoe kick marks. it wasn't quite what I hoped for on the deep grooves on the driver's seat - near the door. I had a couple of areas where the "skin lines" were dark and I was hoping they would magically turn ivory again. maybe I need to put a little more elbow grease into it! it is better, but not quite like new. coated it well with lexol afterwards. will keep after it though!

I got one too! can't wait to have spottlessly clean leather again. what is best conditioner to use on 1994 ls400 leather (I guess it's coated leather). diane

I can't use the PM feature - email me at dianerutherford@msn.com

what internet site is best for selling my Lexus? craigslist? ebay? cars.com? there are so many! which one gets the most hits?

We've got a 1994 ls400 with 96K miles on it. It needs its 90K service, new tires, brakes, and timing belt to be replaced. Used car retail pricing in our area looks like about $9K. How much of of a discount should I offer because of the service it needs?

well, it wasn't before the accident. I'm not sure how that gets reported, but I would disclose the accident no matter what. How much off of KBB PP would you expect to pay?

My silver 2003 ES 300 was rear ended on the freeway. :cries: I was not injured, and I did not hit the car in front of me, but the trunk was flattened. 10 hours of framework and $10K in repairs later, I am trying to collect "diminished value" from their insurance company. No dealer in the area will give me a written value siting "liability issues". No dealers will keep the car on their lot - it goes directly to the auction. Insurance company says car is fixed to factory specs - that should be enough. They want me to show them "acutal sales invoices" of similar cars. There are no such comparable sales! I am the original owner, 15K miles on it, 6 cd changer, heated front seats, wood steering wheel, perfect condition (originally). Any suggestions on how to persuade the insurance company to pay up? would you buy a car with that history? thanks for the advise, diane

We've decided to keep our 1994 LS400 for a few more years. I've been reading the recommendations here and at tirerack and my head is spinning! I average about 8K city miles a year - and would like a nice quiet ride with good wet traction. (Speed isn't really an issue as the posted road speeds are 35mph max!) Longevity is a bonus (my dunlop sport 5000s lasted only 23K miles). Do I need to get V rated tires or would H be ok? What will be the difference to me between High Performance All Season and Grand Touring All Season tires? So far, my short list is: Yoko avid V4s; goodyear assurance tripletread; and now perhaps Falken Ziex ZE 512. Bridgestone Turanza LSV sounded good, but they are very $$$. Michelin MXV4s were on the list, but they didn't seem to get good wet traction reviews. We also have to replace the brakes on this baby, so I can't afford to make the wrong decision with these tires! Help! Thanks in advance for any advise. diane