branshew

It will in some newer cars. I'm w/ VMF on this one. My wife tried this in her VW and it threw a CEL on her as well. Also - definitely not a good idea from a safety point.

Thanks to all that participated. There were many good entries which made it all the more difficult to pick a winner so I asked my brother to help out in the judging. And the Winners are...... Second Place goes to: pearlwhite97ES for his entry below - Please PM me with your addres so I can ship your LOC static decal out next week. First Place goes to: 94LexusES for the following entry - We found that even though it was a limerick, this one had a haiku type feel to it which fit well with the Lexus theme. Please PM me with your address so I can get your hat shipped out next week.

I found a set of rims, but thanks anyway.

I think you mis-interpreted what I was saying If you look at what I said in my post - I told him to tell the body shop that he had already settled the claim with his insurance company. My sister in law works as an adjustor for GEICO, and I have unfortunately been the recipient of several new bumpers in my time so I've been through the process enough to know how it works. Many insurance companies often have adjustors stationed at local body shops in the area where you can take your car to have it looked at, but you don't have to get it fixed there. These days many insurance companies will send out an adjustor to review the damage and they will cut a check straight to the individual. At that point it's up to you to find a body shop and get the repair done. This is what has happened to me the last 3 times someone has hit me. Insurance companies use pre-determined costs for all parts and labor that are considered standard across the industry (insurance & collision repair). Labor may be adjusted depending on the market. Allstate, State Farm, GEICO, USAA, etc will all pay the same amount for a bumper replacement and repaint job in the same city. If you indicate that you have settled it with the insurance company then the body shop knows that you have a good idea what the repair should cost you. I'm not saying that they are going to give you or the insurance company a discount, but that they are less likely to try and tack on that extra percentage that they may try to hit you with otherwise. I'm not saying they'll give you a break on the price, but that you are less likely to be the recipient of an inflated price if they think that you know what the cost should be in advance.

This site isn't as busy as some of the others, but there is plenty of good advice without the pretense & juvenility (is that even a word) of the others. (Although I would have suspected that this thread may have brought out some of the last one.)

Check all of your wires to make sure nothing is broken or cracked anywhere and that all of the connections are solid. Have your relay tested. Check your alternator.

You'll probably have to take the interior panel off to see what's going on in there. I worked with a guy once that took liquid nails to the inside door jam on the car of the guy his wife was cheating on him with. The door never opened again.

Rusty, All of your other problems are minor compared to the oil light. I would start searching for threads about the infamous "sludge" problem that your engine is notorious for. If it is just your sensor you may be OK, but if you have sludge buildup then start saving your money for a complete engine rebuild. It may not hurt to try AutoRX or Seafoam at this point, but I wouldn't drive it too much without a proper diagnosis.

The first question any shop will ask you is if your insurance is paying for the repair. Tell them yes (even if its a boldfaced lie) and that your insurance company has already settled with you for the damages. What many people don't know is that body shops can have a different rate structure for insurance claims that is less expensive than than it would be if you just came off the street. Sort of like your health care insurance does w/ the doctors and pharmacies, auto insurance companies have pre-determined rates for parts and labor that can be from 10%-20% less than what you might pay othewise. Do the same thing for the other guy's car that your paying for. Also - I would have him/her sign a waiver agreeing that he/she will not seek any additional damages from you in reference to this accident or how the repair is handled. Make your payment contingent on his/her signing the waiver.

I'll add another one: "The luxury market - we'll take a slice" Said Toyota "The engineering must be precise" Ther Germans Succumbed Lexus became number one And never has a car been so nice SK, Blake, NC, SW03ES - where are you guys ???

You're not losing your mind. I read that in the Dec. 8th issue of Autoweek as well. Due to the cost of the system and the cost of the recall it has been incredibly expensive for MB to push forward with the technology. They will discontinue on the E-Class in mid 2006 when the car gets it's mid-life makeover. It will continue on the Maybach, SLK, and McLaren SLR. It cost MB $175 million to develop the system in conjunction w/ Bosch and the recall cost them $173 million. Hmm...$350 Mil for nothing - seems like yet another great idea from the falling star. In the last 3 years MB has recalled over 1.3 million vehicles - that's gotta hurt.

I usually find myself with a different car every 2-3 years. I've got a nephew who will be driving age in a couple of years. Assuming the car is still running OK, I'll probably hand it down to him (perhaps in trade for some weekend yardwork).

That wouldn't suprise me. They recalled over 680,000 cars with the sensotronic brakes. I went to a MB "On Track" event a couple of years ago and got to drive some of their cars on a closed race track. As expected, part of the event was a sales pitch for their newest model which happened to be the latest E-class. The person giving the pitch made it sound like it was a "brake-by-wire" type of system where there is no physical contact between the brakes and the pedal. I haven't researched exactly how the electrohydraulic system works, but that seems extremely risky to me. What happens if you lose power, have a defective sensor measuring pedal depression, etc?

black

Are you saying that you can't figure that out on your own? It seems pretty obvious, but here's a thought - It's to cover their asses! Let's face it - some additives are pure crap. Not all, but many are nothing but smoke and mirrors and a false panacea from snakeoil salesmen. (Slick 50 comes to mind as a recent one) There's probably a new additive out every month that is supposed to do something wonderful for your engine. It's pretty obvious that Toyota (nor any other car manufacturer) doesn't have the time to test or verify all of the claims made by these additive producers. If they recommended one or didn't specifically say not to use them then some idiot somewhere would come crying back to Toyota when his engine fouled up after not following directions or using some snake oil. "You didn't say not to do it so it's your fault I need a new engine - I'm calling my lawyer." and in order to end this debate..... We'd all like to see some internal shots of your pristine, carbon-less 400K mile Toyota engine!

I read in the Wall Street Journal that MB was panning an ad blitz for the new S Class. Something like 250 different print ads compared to their usual 20. Most of these ads are targeted at their new technology and safety features. Funny - as it is the new technology that is getting them into trouble w/ the reliability. I think SK's comments above hit the nail on the head. Prestige is the only thing selling that car. Let's face it - heads of state, high powered business execs, celebs, and diplomats everywhere are still getting shuttled around in the S class. Why - who knows? Personally I'd rather be driving an A8. Interesting though as I also read in the Journal that MB declared 2006 as the year of the E Class. This once world leader in total luxury market sales has really slipped - primarily due to recall problems w/ the new electronic brake systems. I think that they are trying to get the E back to the top. So which is it MB - the E or S?

Hey guys - If you haven't made it over to the LS forum you may want to check out the contest that's going on through Friday. It's open to everyone. Here's the link: Lexus Limerick Challenge Please post your Limericks in the thread on the LS forum and not on this one!

Yes it does. I had that problem w/ my center control lights. No lights at all, then flickering, then fully lit. I had my speedo cluster worked on by Jim Walker and it fixed the issue.

No PMs for this one. Post it right here in the thread. I think that everyone should enjoy them. Kewl - I'm not corporate Lexus (I'd be driving a new LS 430 if that was the case!!). I just had some leftover decals and a few other items that I'm doing some early spring cleaning with. Army- Good ones, but your last line needs to rhyme with the first two lines (AABBA pattern.) Keep em coming - Brandon

e-mail sent.

Interesting topic, but I like it. Aside from NC's troubles most people tal about how they love their cars here so It's a nice to have a perspective from the other side on occasion. I don't know what light you're referring to above, but if it's the brake light then one of your back high center lights (right behind the sub) may be out.

Since the last giveaway was a bomb we'll see how this one goes. This one should be more fun for everyone. Maybe a better prize will get you motivated,....... so to the winner of this contest goes the following: One (1) Lexus Baseball Hat this is a brand new Flexfit (one size fits all) black hat embroidered w/ the Lexus logo in silver ... and to the runner up: The LOC static window decal (leftover from the last contest that bombed). Here's the contest: Come up with a Lexus Limerick. For those of you who don't know what a limerick is it's a basic 5 line poem with an AABBA rhyme structure. The only rule is that you have to use the word Lexus in the limerick somewhere. The funnier the better. Here's my go at it: With quality problems reaching critical mass Mercedes said: "This too shall Pass." While German faces were red Lexus turned to them and said: "Reliability? Yeah - we kicked your A$$" You have a couple of days to work on it. Try to get them posted by Friday evening and the winners will be announced on Saturday. Feel free to enter as many times as you want.

What's your e-mail address? Your PM is still not working

You mean like Lexus 411 did? Straight from the Lexus Website OK so there wasn't that much interest in this one I'll roll the prize over and ad it to the next contest.

I'm with Threadcutter. Get some brackets made. I was thinking if you could get them made right, then they could bolt to the frame inthe same position that your seat does, and then bolt the seat to the brackets. That way everything would be removable when you sold it.