045spdIS300

FYI had the same fuse blowing problem for my tail lights. as previous posters had mentioned the sheathing had melted on the wires and it would short when the wires hit the muffler. It was very hard to see, so if you have this problem have a good flashlight ready. the wires are tucked in under the rear bumper. i suspect that when the bumper is repaired the body shop does not to a good job of tacking the wires back to where they should go. the wires were just resting on the muffler. $5 for a pack of fuses and some electrical tape and everything is working fine. the fuse box is to the left of the pedals. there is a diagram on the back which shows which fuse controls the taillights. oddly, my brake lights never stopped working.

the inside pistons on both rear calipers were "frozen". They would compress, but not retract. the car only has 80K on it, but it has gone through 7 salty new england winters, so there you go. thanks for the posts, I hope this helps someone else.

I don't know how far you got with this. Sounds like a seized caliper. If you remove it you can overhaul it or just get a re-built. did not get very far. the pads are pretty worn on both sides and the rotors are shot. actually I ordered new rotors and pads and will put them on tomorrow and rebleed the system with blue brake fluid to make sure I get a good flush. the problem is on both sides so I suspect it is something to do the booster or master cylinder or fluid. if the problem persists I will go to the dealer. she is due for her 90K. i figure a good overhaul at the dealer every 5-6 years is a good thing. will let you know how it turns out.

Thanks Smooth1. Anyway to test which at home, or do I need shop equipment? So each caliper has a valve on it? That would make sense. It does not look like either rear caliper is grabbing great. Thanks again.

Just noticed that the rear rotors do not have a wide band of shiny metal where the brake pads make contact. On the passenger side in particular there is just a thin strip where it looks like the brake pad is taking off the rust. The rest of caliper is rusted and maybe glazed. I have not pulled the rotors off yet to look at the other side. I did note that the inside brake pad is wearing at least twice as fast as the outside. Which leads me to believe the inside side of the rotor is well worn and grabbing when I hit the brakes. I have 75000 on the car and I have already changed out the rear pads once due to uneven wear. Maybe a bad caliper? I did a quick bleed at the caliper and the fluid did not appear to have any air in it. There is enough fluid in the brake fluid reservoir. About 10000 miles ago I changed out the brake fluid myself. Maybe that has something to do with it? Any ideas would be appreciated before I get ripped off at my favorite brake place. Thanks

should the pads slide out once the caliper is up? or do the shims come out first (not the anti squeal on the back of the pads)? this is the third time I have done brake pads. never had this much of a problem trying to get the pads out. any advice would be appreciated.

well, they did not replace the hood. the body shop cut out the rust and welded new metal in then sanded it down and painted it. the guy at the body shop said the rust is like cancer. maybe they got it all, maybe it will recur. I can see it now, it rusts again in a year and the corrosion warranty is gone and lexus balks at the repair. i will hope for the best. i did spray silicone in the drains holes to try and keep moisture out. i will of course post any updates.

plenty of wear left on my front pads at 55K! I think anyways. Looking at the new pads, they taper so that the older the pads get, the more surface contacts the rotor. on my old pads, there is about 1/4 inch of pad left, but no taper left. anyways I was having a hard time getting the pad off, in fact i gave up on it. once the caliper is rotated up, should the pad slide out? or do you take the clips off first? i could get it to slide almost out before it got stuck. i just did not want to break anything. any advice?

update: lexus is gonig to cover the repair. as the hood actually rusted through on the inside, I will be curious as to whether they attempt repair or replace it. I will post with the results.

hey all, has anyone had any corrossion problems with the hood? attached are some pictures. looks like my hood started to rust from the inside out. if you look closely you will see the inside lip is perforated. I think this is covered under the anti corrosion warranty. I am sure the dealer will baulk. on that note. i have done a little research on carbon fiber as it is probably cheaper than buying a new/used stock hood and having it painted. anyone have recommendations to the effect? looks like seibon is nice. I want as close a look as possible to the stock (no vents etc.) with the best finish. how much weight does a cf hood shed over stock? any advice as to either of the subjects above would be appreciated. thanks

20+ mile commute from 80 to stop and go. I keep the tires around 40 PSI. a/c on occasion. I get around 23 overall. and i am always looking to perfect the stoplight launch. it is a great car

I put litium grease on the plunger rod going through the fire wall. no help. the sqeak is coming from under the car. hosed under the car with it with silicone, still squeaks. if i get ambituous i will jack it and see if i can get to that cable any where. thanks

Hi all, When I push on the clutch I get a sqeaking sound. It looks like the cable is covered by rubber boots. IAre there any instruction manuals or easy ways to get some lubrication on that cable. Thanks for any advice.

I agree with not turning rotors unless warped or scored. I've replaced pads many times without turning the rotors. Sticky caliper pistons.... Sometimes by just "exercising" the pistons in and out while you have the caliper off can cure as sticky piston. Make sure you watch the fluid level in the reservoir!! You could end up with fluid all over the master cylinder and brake fluid is corrosive to paint. Uneven pad wear in not unusual. Make sure you bleed the heck of the calipers and the entire hydraulic system, and if the brake fluid isn't completely clear, you might consider and complete flush and refresh. thanks to all for the feedback.

I just replaced my rear pads at 50K. The fronts have, and this is a guestimate, 30% of the life left on them. The drivers side rear had about 50% of its life left. The passenger side was just about at the metal warning clip. Although one pad was a little more worn than the other, both sides were just about shot. My best guess is a sticky caliper. Anyone have a description of where, and what i would use to lube it? Could it be the trac control? I usually shut that off unless it is raining/snowing. Parking brake? Also, unless they are warped I really have no plans to take off the rotors and have them resurfaced. Just do not see the need and it turns a 1 hour job into a half a day. I will probably just throw on new rotors when they get to thin. Any downside to that? Thanks for any input

i use 91+ and get about 21 overall with highway and city driving. hard acceleration always. I would not use 87 in my IS. The engine has anti-knock sensors to protect it from damage. but you lose power. I thought anti-knock retards the timing, and therefore you should get better milage, but I could be wrong.

To answer the questions which started this post: I have a 2004 Is 300 manual. Things that have broken: the CPU. No kidding. 80 mph on the interstate and the dashboard lit up like a xmas tree. Dealer fixed that under warranty. Autoleveling broke on one of my headlights. Dealer fixed that as well. Other than that, the usual gripes about crappy paint. Well worth the money I paid. I will have a hard time giving this car up. Interested in mods to improve performance, hp and torque gains more than anything. The SRT intake looks intriguing, but their claimed numbers look bogus.

I bring my own oil, not my own filter. I pick it up the week I'm dropping the car off while I'm at the grocery store, costs me no more time than just letting the dealer use their oil. The dealer has a crazy markup on synthetic oil, mine wants $20 a quart. Costs me $5. As for since I have it why don't I just do it, that makes no sense. Thats like saying since you already have the wood, why not just build the house? I don't have the time or the desire to crawl around outside my townhouse and drain oil and refill it, get all dirty than schlep the oil around looking for someplace to dispose of it. My time is best spent doing more enjoyable or profitable things. I use Mobil 1 because I prefer synthetic oil, its well regarded and easy to obtain. Why do you want to use synthetic oil? If the dealer uses your oil and does not charge you for oil, that makes sense. I also share your aversion to crawling under the car and doing my own oil change. It is a pain in the !Removed! and you will get oil somewhere it i will not be. However, it is more efficient from an economic standpoint to change your oil than go to the dealer and do it. Unless your dealer is close, fast and the do-it-yourselfer is extremely slow. Or if you can work while they are changing your oil. I dont use synthetic, have not seen a reason too. Changing the oil every 5000 should keep the car running perfectly until I sell it or it dies of natural causes.

Also remember that all dealers pricing is not created equal. I did not pay nearly $750 for the 30k service, I paid about $500, and about $600 for the 60k. Here in DC, prices vary a lot depending on the dealership, as does service quality. yeah, nothing is cheap in the Boston area. I think the real price they quoted me was $785. I asked the clueless service desk woman what that included. I think she mumbled a few things including "alot". Still $500 is a lot more than $250, and the work was done by a mechanic. if I had to guess the airfilter is aftermarket. the dealership does has free coffee and danishes, but....I am happy to save the $500. 50/50 here, most owners of luxury cars just use the dealership out of ease while the car is still new. Bring your own, seriously. Mine has been changed with synthetic since 5k miles, I always bring my own Mobil 1. They won't care. If you are bringing your own oil and filter, why not just do the oil change? It would probably be shorter than the time spent going to the dealer and back. Why do you use Mobil One? Is there a HP/mileage gain?

long time reader, first time poster. I brought the car in for the 30K service, they want $750. I went to my local mechanic, not jiffylube, a real garage. Handed him the Lexus checklist for 30K. Paid $250. You can save a lot of money without sacrificing your baby on the quiklube lift.