Ska-man

Well, you need to file a diminished value claim if you are a claimant. If you are an insured, you may not be able to file a claim (at least that is how it works in Texas). And you definitely DO have frame damage: that is what the rails that are being replaced are, and why the engine had to be removed. That is the unibody frame, and the only way to access and replace the rails is to pull the motor. Are you comfortable with the repair shop? Diminshed value in a situation like that could be $5-$10K I would imagine. I'm no expert, but a friend had a $6500 repair, and the insurance was offering her $2700 diminished value on her 2004 ES330. I hope you are at a good repair shop, one that does this type of repair regularly. Good luck!!!

You know, I love the silver in the GS, especially the way the rear quarter panels look in silver...something about the shadows of the body lines. I have glacier frost with chrome wheels and am very satisfied. The dark colors are great...I was just worried about the keeping clean part, and swirl marks.

lex330, my choice would be GS350 now over the 430 just because of the extra money and the fuel economy. If I could wait I would go for the 460, but I couldn't wait for it myself. The VDIM is a really great feature: supposedly very sophisticated, but I don't know that I could say it would be worth getting the 430 basically just for that. What colors are you thinking about?

Glad I could help! Well, the advantage of the GS350 vs the GS430 that I own is that you have the Gen 5 Nav which is much cooler than the Gen 4 in my '06. I guess the '07 GS430 has gen 5 also, so that should be a moot point. GS430 has VDIM, which I don't believe is in the GS350 (you should research to be sure). Having said that, if I could have waited I would have gone for the fabled GS460, but I don't think that comes out until spring of 2007 (don't hold me to it b/c I haven't researched it). I'm a big fan of the V8's-sound is awesome. One other thing, depending on what you are doing about wheels if you get a GS, the 350 (and '06GS300) wheels are those multi-spoke wheels which absolutely can't compare to the 5 spoke GS430 wheels. I have seen a few GS300's that the owners upgraded to the GS430 5 spoke wheels, and it makes a giant difference in the appearance of the car. Anyway, good luck, and let me know if you think of any other questions. By the way, I drove an IS250 again yesterday, and all it did is make me glad I went with the GS. Granted, it wasn't a 350, but same platform.

Well, I was torn between the IS350 & the GS430, and eventually went with the GS because of the additional luxury and size. The IS has a very cramped back seat, and it feels a lot cheaper inside. Don't get me wrong, the IS is finished out in a really cool way, especially the instruments, and lots of little touches, but I feel the GS is classier. Also, the IS, although a great looking car, is increasingly common where I live. If you finish out your GS with nice tint, some cool wheels, I think it is great looking, and pretty flashy. Think the GS brings a little more distinction than the IS. Well, can't go wrong either way. Oh, as an aside, I also like the rumble of my V8...sounds great although it kills me at the pumps lol.

Yeah, my car has 1740 miles on it and this morning all of a sudden a major rattle developed in the center of the dash. Damn, that is frustrating. It is to the point where it is so loud that people will comment on it if they ride with me, I imagine, because it sounds like something loose is rattling around, not just a slight tap or anything. Well, can't take it in for another week and a half, so we'll see.

I've heard that you need the Mark Levinson to play DVD's. I know for a fact that is true on the new LS460, and I have heard the same about the 2006 GS.

Awesome! Glad it worked!!

Have you tried running the sunroof open all the way, and just keep holding the button in the open position. I think the roof will keep moving all the way through it's cycle of opening and closing and then tilting up. After it has completetly run through this cycle, I believe it should be operational again with the one touch opening. Try this a few times, and it usually will work.

Ugghh...sorry to hear about what happened. That is always my fear with my car whenever I take it in anywhere. I haven't had experience with any good mobile-paint repair companies (that one may be better than what I've seen), but there is another option which is having the bumper repaired and painted at the body shop that your dealership suggested (or even ask friends with nice cars if they have had good body shop experiences). If you have the bumper repaired and painted by a good shop, then NO ONE should be able to tell anything has been repaired for as long as you own the car. Some of us are pretty picky and can spot poorly done paint repairs due to trash in the paint, fish-eyes, blend lines that may be left behind (and usually are if your car isn't painted in a paint booth). Of course, you will pay a little more, but then again, you paid a little more for your car to have the beautiful paint and fit and finish that Lexus provides. Why mess that up to save a few hundred dollars when getting it fixed? You could always call all the luxury-car dealerships in your area and ask for their preferred body shops, because a high-end body shop can repair not just one brand but most brands, and will have experience in being careful with such nice cars. Good luck!

That is not Lexus paint, and is probably not anything covered by warranty. It sounds like the bumper was painted at some time and the body shop did it incorrectly. There are only a few issues that I have ever seen when it comes to warranty paint problems on a Lexus, and unless your car is an early or mid 90's SC black, or a white ES300 from maybe late 90's or a Smoky Topaz (Light purple) LX470, I have never really seen any other paint issues that were covered by warranty. If you are a great customer of your dealership and you bought the car new and you can argue like a trial lawyer, then you may get a service manager to participate somewhat in correcting the problem, but I would highly doubt they would do it. Bumper needs to be stripped and repainted at the very least to look brand new again.

I didn't get an IS350, but I would definitely get the package that includes the NAV. That gen 5 Nav is the biggest thing between my GS and the IS that bothers me. It is so much better.

That may be what happened now that I think about it. May have had the key pressed up against my cell phone on the drive and may have locked it out somehow. The dealer looked at it today but found no trouble codes, and obviously couldn't duplicate it. First time I've ever had it happen with a smart key, and that is despite driving IS250's for several thousand miles this year. Oh well.

I was sold on an IS350 because I like the look of the car and the speed vs the GS. I ultimately chose a GS430, at least in part, because of the extra leg room in the GS back seat for my six year old son. The IS is quite cramped in back, and also feels bumpier than the GS even though the suspension is almost exactly made up of same parts. Also, if you have a baby seat in your IS, you are going to have a pretty hard time with almost no room to spare (from what my friend who has a baby seat in there told me). IS has a better overall appearance and instruments compared to the GS, but the GS with black wood and gray interior looks extremely classy, more than the IS. Also, with right color, window tint, wheels on the GS, it definitely gets a lot of attention. Furthermore, GS430 is so much more rare that you almost never see one. Here in Dallas, I am noticing new IS's all day every day almost wherever I go, so if you want to be the only one with that car, you may not be for very long. IS certainly gets a heck of a lot better gas mileage than my GS430 has during my first tank of gas!

The daytime running lamps are definitely dim. Not as bright as a normal headlamp. The adaptive lamps do appear to move when you turn, but it is a little hard to recognize it until you have seen it because it is not major movement. Also, they move more in one direction than they do in the other, although I can't remember the exact degrees of difference and which side has more movement. I can drive down my street and turn the wheel side to side and notice the beams slightly moving out in front of the car.

Did I do something wrong? I have never had any problems with the smart key system after driving numerous IS250 loan cars but just got my 2006 GS430 in the last few days. Getting out of the car at a restaurant last night, I couldn't get the car to lock with the black button on the outside of door handle. Nor would it lock with the lock button on the smart key. I opened the door and manually turned off the headlights because I was concerned that they may not go off. Then, when I closed the door again, the black rubber lock button on the door handle worked this time. So, after dinner I walked up to the car and grabbed the door handle to get it to unlock, and, nothing. Wouldn't unlock. Tried unlock button on key. Nothing. Pulled on door handle. Nothing. Noticed strange triple blink of the led on the smart key, followed by a single blink, but it seemed to be kind of blinking not in a very systematic way from what I can remember. Tried tapping the smart key on the door glass in case the key battery was not seated properly, but nothing. I DID notice that the lights beneath the side mirrors DID illuminate after a while as if the car recognized the key, but still wouldn't unlock. Finally after about five minutes I decided to unlock car using the silver side key and the lock cylinder, but car said "Key not detected" and wouldn't start until I held the smart key right up to the start button. Then it started, and it worked fine for the rest of the evening. Still, major pain, and very worrisome. I will be taking it to the dealer today. Has anyone had a similar problem or know what may have caused the malfunction?

So, I was looking on the IS 250/350 forum and saw a reference to people who have had problems with their NAVS after performing the modification to watch DVD's in motion. I only saw second hand accounts of the problems, no real first hand experience. Is everyone still doing well with their NAVS?

I can't really comment about whether it will get worse or not-I don't know, but I did see the very same thing in a GS that was approx the same era as yours, and I know the dealer changed it out to fix the problem. Since your warranty so recently expired (mileage hasn't but I guess the 4 years has) then you may have even more leverage with the dealer. I would just call them and ask a service writer. They may have seen the same thing several times.

I've seen this on a GS before. Sometimes the dealership can "goodwill" the part and have you pay for the labor to replace it. I think this means that they get Lexus to cover the part under warranty somehow, and just charge you their technician's labor. You are just barely out of warranty by time I guess, so you should be able to argue this in a nice way with them. If this fails, and if you bought the car there, you could put a little more pressure on them by mentioning that you HAD been thinking of buying a new Lexus next year, but now this problem came up and you may go to M Benz.

I'm sorry to see the damage to your GS. :( It's a little hard to see the damage on my computer, but from what I see, the rear bumper looks folded over on its edge, and the rear quarter panel seems to be fairly creased. If the bumper is folded over, then it would need to be replaced along with the chrome insert moulding. The quarter panel: hopefully it could be straightened and repainted. Cost for everything could easily be $2000 depending upon what needs to happen with the quarter panel (repair vs replace). If it needs to be replaced then you may be looking at around $2500-$3000 depending on the body shop labor rates where you live. (Those prices are based on Dallas labor rates of $38/hr, but it can vary state to state for body work). Anyway, good luck with the repair! Make sure you get advice on where to go from your dealership, and/or friends who have had work done. The insurance company may want you to go somewhere that is better financially for them, but who may not necessarily do the best work.