LexusTech117

It's a little late now but you might be able to request that your new car not have a front license plate installed. The new Lexus cars come off the delivery truck with the front license plate bracket in the trunk or sometimes the glove box. There are two little dimples in the front bumper to line up where the screws go into the urethane. I used to feel weird driving a screw into the front bumper of a brand new car during a Pre Delivery Service but it doesn't both me so much anymore. It's the law around here to have a front plate and I've been pulled over before for not having one. I can see the service writer/manager rolling their eyes for you wanting to get the bumper fixed when the damage is not visible, but it would bother me too. Perfectionist's are sometimes hard to deal with, but that's the kind of customer Lexus is trying to attract in the first place. -Dave

Push the center pin down inside the clip then lift on the outer edges. The center will not fall out of the clip so dont worry. To reset the clip push out and up on the two lower tangs. The center will then be sticking out above the top of the clip. Insert the clip back into the panel you want it to hold down, then press the center back to "flush" with the top. What were you planning to do below the panel anyway? Hope you don't break anything under the covers. The part number for the broken clips is 53259-0E010 -Dave

With the above quote in mind... There is a way to trick the navigation system into thinking you're not moving anywhere (thus enabling you to use the locked out functions) but it disables the "dead reckoning" part of the nav system which runs off the wheel speed sensors. The GPS side of the nav system will still peg your car on the right part of the map, unless you go into a tunnel where the signals can not be received. The use of such a modification would certainly be moving the responsibilty of safe driving from Lexus shoulder's to the owner of the modified vehicle. The lawyers of the family you ran into might also go after the shop that tricked the navigation system.

It is not a pry the lens out type of marker light. It has two studs coming out the back of the lens assembly with nuts on the back side to hold it in place. If you pop the trunk and remove the main tail light assembly on either the right or left side (depending on which marker light bulb you're going for) there will be a small space you can reach into to get at the back of the marker light. Wish I had a picture to show you guys but I think you get the idea. -Dave

Matador Red mica is my favorite color besides the gloss black :D Glad you got the 350 over the 250 B) Oh, and don't let people try and sell you a tire rotation... as I'm sure you already know the rears are much wider than the fronts on the IS 350's Would love to see some pictures! -Dave

92 (premium) is the recomended octane rating for all Lexus vehicles :) When they come off the truck right from the factory they have 92 in them (only a couple gallons for transportation safety reasons though) During the Pre Delivery Inspection the Lexus is taken to the nearest (Non-Arcco) gas station and filled with 92 octane. Yeah it's expensive, but it's the best for your engine, they were designed to run on 92. When you put in 87 or 89 octane it will still run great and get you down the road but it's cheaper because it's not as good. Oh, and gas stations only have 2 underground storage tanks for the unleaded 87, 89 and 92. They make the 89 by mixing the low grade and the high grade fuels together in the lines on the way to your gas tank. -Dave

Control arms and the power steering rack are in the same area but you don't have to touch any part of the hydraulic power steering system to do the arms. I'd guess you have a leak in the power steering system that was already there before the control arm replacement. Keep an eye on the power steering fluid, the damage done to the pump depends on how long you ran it with low fluid level and how low the fluid level got. If the bearings inside the pump were still lubricated but there was just not enough fluid to pressurize the system then you're probably fine. -Dave

You can't get in touch with the last owner to see if it has been done? Try checking the "Owners Manual Supplement". In the back of this little book should be a bunch of service logs hopefully filled out every 5,000 miles. Look around the 60k and onward to see if the timing belt was marked as being done. If it's all blank in the back with no stamps or mileage / dates filled out then the tech may have been in too much of a hurry to fill it out and you'll have to rely on what the service history on the dealership's computer says. Timing belts can go for many thousands of miles past 60k if the conditions are right... If no oil or water got on it, car was used and driven on a daily basis, no defects in the belt to begin with... It's just one of those things you don't want to risk... if that timing belt breaks, or the teeth get worn off, the valves will be opened at the wrong time and get crushed by the pistons. In short, a 1995 SC in perfect condition for $7,800 with no timing belt job done on history is not a bad deal. Maybe try and talk them down a few hundred. -Dave

Well, it could be a couple different things... could be a cold start injector problem, could be a fuel pump problem... Something wrong with the fuel injection system I would guess... Since your problem goes away after start up you might not have any diagnostic codes but it doesn't hurt to check anyway. Let me know if you can't find the check connector. It should be right on top of / in front of the intake manifold. Just use a piece of copper wire to connect the terminals TE1 and E1... No need for an SST. When you get the code numbers let me know, I'll tell you what they mean. Codes 12 and 31 together are normal. A code 12 means there is no RPM signal (duh, the motor isn't turning over during the test) A code 31 means there is no air flow meter signal (the engine is also not taking in any air during the test because it is off) And yes, I did a copy paste from my other post for the check engine light. :P -Dave

Hope this helps... Let me know if you can't find the check connector. It should be right on top of / in front of the intake manifold. Just use a piece of copper wire to connect the terminals TE1 and E1... No need for an SST. When you get the code numbers let me know, I'll tell you what they mean. Codes 12 and 31 together are normal. A code 12 means there is no RPM signal (duh, the motor isn't turning over during the test) A code 31 means there is no air flow meter signal (the engine is also not taking in any air during the test because it is off) -Dave

Does it run well when you do get it to start without dying? -Dave

Well, considering the timing belt could have been replaced 3 times by your current mileage (every 60,000 recomended) I'd say it's a good idea to do it again if it hasn't been done within the last 70,000 or so. There's nothing worse than having your timing belt break or your water pump seize up. If the belt breaks or skips a few teeth the valves will get smashed by the pistons and then you're looking at an engine rebuild or possibly a low mileage motor to replace it. I have seen timing belts go a lot farther than 60,000 miles but it's not worth it to risk it. Also, keep up on those oil changes, we had an LS400 come in last week for a new motor because the cam shaft seized on the freeway. It seized because the oil passageways were clogged with thick dirty oil. -Dave

The solenoid was the thing making the tick / click noise if it was a fairly loud metalic smack. The solenoid pushes the starter motor's gear against the flexplate on the back of the engine. So, solenoid could be working fine doing it's job but then the starter motor contacts (or brushes) were not making good connections and would not turn the engine over intermitently. -Dave

Do a compression test just to be sure. It sounds like you have most of the symptoms of a Blown Head Gasket... It's possible your thermostat could be acting up also. However, that would not explain the loss of coolant when you're not losing it through the overflow tank. Keep an eye on the level of the fluid in your coolant reservoir. -Dave

Are there any check engine codes? I don't have access to a repair manual at the moment... I'll borrow one tomorrow if you're still having this problem. -Dave

Get a can of silicone spray and lightly mist the belt with the engine running. If the squeak goes away it's your belt that should be replaced. If the squeaking continues then it probably is the AC clutch assembly, or some other pully that the belt drives. As for your timing belt, what's the mileage on your car? -David