backwoods lex

Ohhhhh....

Toys, by flush do you mean hook it up to a machine or can you replace the old fluid with a suction gun? Would that work just as well? Is it ok to replace the factory fluid with valvoline max life dexron III atf, or would you reccomend lexus brand fluid?

NVWSSV. Nobody rides for free.

•Optimising light refraction - apply product in ‘direction of airflow’, paint horizontal surfaces hood to trunk, vertical surfaces front to back. This application technique affects the paints optical properties by optimising the surface light refraction as paint is applied in a side-to-side motion not circular, it also highlights the reflectivity of the bodylines and contours of the vehicle Ohhhhhh. Thanks TOGWT. So on the sides (doors and fenders) I should polish from hood to trunk also?

Many people make the mistake of buying and loving a car just because it is new and still has the new car smell. They don't think about down the road when their cars styling becomes outdated and begins to have mechanical trouble. In my opinion, American vehicles have a problem with that. Engineers design cars that have cheap and less thought out designs, and it becomes much more noticeable over time. It's a shame that the U.S. companies don't design their cars better. They expect Americans to buy American, but offer much less refinement and quality. They do this to their own people. Not trying to ruffle any feathers, but I hate that.

I'm planning on detailing the car since it is now spring. I read the write up by SW03ES and it was really helpful (thanks man!). Just a general question though. Why do everything in straight lines instead of the circular motion? Just curious why this affects the paint. Thanks!

That is exactly the reason why I try to do all of my car's maintenance myself. That is the only person you can truly trust with your vehicle.

A shimmy in the wheels most likely means that they need to be balanced. I try to get mine balanced every 6K.

Wouldn't you hear it if the idle were at 2500rpm? On my ES, anything near 3K would be growling. It should be quiet at idle.

Find out the right way to fix it before prying or ripping it out. I used a screwdriver and other tools on mine and was a little rough on it. Now the tape player makes a lot of noise and the sound is funny. Take your time to find out. Good luck.

Keep in mind that if you change your own oil and do not have any proof or documentation, you probably will not be able to get Lexus to pay for any repairs under warranty. I take a few photos when I change mine (odometer, draining process, filling process, and new filter next to old filter). I have never seen an oil filter like this. What kind is it?

Here is a link that I found on the web at yahoo motors and weatherly transmissions. This motivates me to change my fluid frequently (drain and fill approx every 6k). It takes all of 15 minute to do. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on the maintenance, but I know that I will ALWAYS have clean fluid in my car. Plus I don't know who drove my car for the first 50k. One point that should be made is that if you screw up your own transmission fluid replacement, you will probably end up spending a ton of dough and would have been better off leaving it alone or doing it right. Don't overfill, don't underfill, and use the correct type. Here is the link: http://www.weatherlytransmission.com/faq.htm.

When I replaced my transmission pan gasket a few months ago, I went to a toyota dealer who had two gaskets for the same job. I had to buy both, put the right size one on, and return the other one a week later. They are shaped differently. So if you want to save some time, make a sketch of the pan shape before going in. If you do remove the pan and clean it, let us know how much "sludge" there is in the pan. I'm just curious because I had a lot when I did it.

On my vehicle which has a subwoofer in the same assembly, I just pull back on it toward the rear seat (not up or down). It took me a few minutes to figure out, but I finally got it. If you have the same setup as me, replace the bulb first before reconnecting the wiring. It is much easier that way. Now if I could just get that cover to stop rattling when the bass hits...

Often times extended car warranties require a deductable to be paid first. Mine was $75.00 before my policy expired. I would try cleaning before spending cash. On the other hand, if your deductable is cheap, you could get a new part for less than what it would normally cost. Think about it. If you do clean, be sure to clean the wires that connect the sensor (very gently) and be sure to get inside the tube. Good luck.

You may have replaced your mass airflow sensor 2 years ago, but it is good to periodically clean it. It has made a big difference for me in the past. Try searching for the proper way to clean it. Good luck.

I unhook my negative battery cable every 5-10k for up to an hour (in order to restore factory settings for the transmission) and have never had any problems. I read in the owners maunual that you may need a code if you disconnect the battery, but I've never needed one.

You can remove the negative battery cable in order to turn off the light (but you wont know what is wrong). Be prepared because when you get both the trac off and check engine light, the vehicle may go into a limp mode and your car will not go into overdrive. Autozone checks it out for free.

Just wondering if any of you guys have actually had you valves checked or adjusted. Has anyone seen any problems from not doing so? Let everyone know if even if you have not in order to get an idea how often this is done. I have 95K on mine and I've never had it done. Thanks.

If you are looking for a cheap and quick fix, there is an upholstery cleaner called "tuff stuff" that works well. It's about $3 a can. I spray it on, then vacuam, and then spray it on lightly again. Then, just wipe with a dry towell (I use microfiber). After sitting a few minutes, it smells freshly shampooed (not that chemical smell that you get with some upholstery cleaners). Just remember to get the windows and leather with a cleaner. It also gets out the black stuff on the headliner.

Bobo, a car dealer in Syracuse, NY claiming to have only 3-4 cars that need new transmissions per year? That alone sounds very strange to me, especially with all of the other complaints and failures with this transmission. Push the dealer to help with the costs, and call Lexus Corporate for the same.

I have an 2000 ES which has a timing belt cover that you can remove with a socket easily. You may want to check to see if the LS has the same thing. I recently had my timing belt changed at 90,300 miles along with the water pump and drive belts. I got the used parts back and the belt was in great shape. Check the cover. I think its an easy do-it-your-selfer. Good luck.

Yes, I bought the car used with 50K on it. I checked all of the fluids before buying and everything appeared to be in good condition, including the transmission fluid. I do have one concern though. When draining the transmission, I noticed the bolt had been slightly stripped like someone had tried to use a different tool other than the allen wrenchto remove it. I take great care of it, but I hope that the guy before me didn't take it to jiffy lube or some place like that where they replaced the fluid with Dexron (as they offered me-no thanks) and also replaced his flux capacitor for $79.99. On a side note, now I know why toyota wants $130.00 for the job. It is easy to do, but a lot of elbow grease to remove the 17-18 bolts in 30 degree weather on ramps. After I had all of the bolts off and realized that they also had to go back on, I went inside my house and put a pistol in my mouth. Then my girlfriend reminded me that life insurance does not pay if I commit suicide, so I went back out and finished the job. I do plan to clean the pan more often though. Replacing fluid so often probably is a waste, but it is also cheap insurance. $16.00 at the toyota dealer, or $5000.00 at the lexus dealer. I know that there will always be fresh fluid in my car with frequent drains.

How come you need a new engine? What happened?

My 2000 ES has 91K, and I usually do a drain and fill on the transmission every 3-6K. I know that that is overkill for preventive maintenance, but the transmission failures on the ES scare me so much. I dropped the pan for the first time last night, and there was sludge in the bottom of the pan (about 1/16 of an inch) and the magnets were saturated. I've regularly changed the fluids, but never pulled the pan off before this. What kind of condition do you guys think that the transmission is in? Should I have any worries? Also, just had the timing belt changed. I kept the old belt and looked at it and noticed that it was in very good condition. But I also noticed it said Toyota on it. Does the original belt say Toyota on it, or has it been previously replaced. It seems like a lot of parts say Toyota (windows, sunroof, parts under hood). Thanks for any help guys.