GKLCPA

An update on the rack issue on my car.

I took the car to Lexus and had them check out. They came up with the same diagnosis as Toyota, so it looks like the rack is in fact leaking. I had a sidebar conversation with the actual mechanic who looked at the car, and he said that the leak is not that bad and that "fluid is cheaper, so if you only have to fill it up every couple of months or so, that ain't too bad". Looks like I'll be checking and refilling the fluid periodically until the leak gets worst. They quoted $ 1,100 to put in a remanufactured rack. I figure that's about double what it should cost

I've been getting some serious knocking up front when I go over bumps and Lexus is telling me that I also need new ball joints and wants $ 550.00 to replace them. That price includes the front end alignment. What do you guys think about that price?

Also, the dealer was very empty today. I spoke to the receptionist and inquired how business was and she said the sales and service have been extremely slow. Again, the place was almost empty and I noticed that they had primarily used cars in the showroom and only one new one. This is the only Lexus dealer in my area and they just built a huge showroom this past year. These guys are hurting for sure.

I sat in a Gensis about a week ago and it's a nice car. i'd like to drive one to see what the deal is. I wouldn't discount the fact the Hyundai might get pretty competative with Lexus, but they'll need to create a separate division. They've come a long way in upping their quality

I can't imagine what it must have been like suffering with that Caddy. Nothing but the LS for me from here on out. You really can't beat them

Blake! There is a tear in my beer! I guess I'll have to cancel the strippers for the 500k party :( .

Actually, congrats man! Although I must admit, I'm a bit suprised you bought another LS though, considering the interior space and such. I was thinking you'd be cruisin' in a caddy! But, nonetheless, you made an excellent decision! And now just think of all the stuff you learned on your old 95', can now be used on the new 99'. I bet you're really enjoying the additional HP and 5th gear!

:D I sold my '95 ES300 for $4900 several months ago with 177k miles. It took me awhile as it had a check engine light that wouldn't go off. Lexus dealer told me it was a burned out bulb or something in the computer system, but would cost $1000 to replace...., I loved the way it handled and was sad to see it go, but we had gotten a 2001 Cadillac DTS. MISTAKE!!! I grieved over my Lexus every time I saw a Lexus. I have hated driving the Cadi DTS, although it is cream colored & gorgeous. But TOO BIG & GOUDY. And things kept going wrong on it. WELL, yesterday, I had all I could take & gave the Lexus people a call after researching on line, etc... They had only one Lexus in my price range - up to $10k, and it was a 2001 LS430. Sea Opal in color with 181k miles. They told me they had their worst month ever last month, so had just shipped some off to auction to recover $$. We went over to the auction and they pulled it for me 2 hours before auction. (dealer auction only) And me & my husband drove it & loved the way it handled. So tight and so much power when needed.

I'm happy again. I have a Lexus Did I mention I traded in the Cadi DTS. They gave quite a long speech telling me how ornery Cadi's were (which I agree), but still gave me a half decent price on trade & came down from $12,900 on LS430 to $9800. I had bought with them before on my '95, so they knew I was a good customer. Not often though, ha. (I always buy used ones) I love the Lexus dealership & have always been treated great when I have them worked on. They give a almost brand new loaner car without even having to ask- if it's going to take a while to fix. The Cadillac people were not pleasant, and acted like we were in their way.... As Scarlet said in Gone with the Wind. " I'll never go Lexus- less again!!!" (or something like that) :P

Rebuilt they are 399$ online I believe, shouldn't be more then 2hrs labor at any normal shop to change it.

Blake, you note that this is easy to do. Is there a tutorial around on how to do this?

I don't believe there is. It's a 10 minute job at the most, and the gist of it is you unscrew the old one and put the new one in (kind of like changing a spark plug). The part number: 17630-16040 (it's $80 online). I noticed the white smoke mostly when I had it at WOT merging or passing.

Yeah. I did a similar price check and saw that pricing. The guy I talked to wanted about $ 500 but would refund a couple of hundred once they got the core from the one I took out. For sure, $300 is better than $1600 for the part. Before I do anything, I'm gonna take the car to Lexus and have them check out the steering situation including looking at the items that a couple of people mentioned here. I really appreciate everyone's advice here and I'll check back in once I have more details.

just ask them to do an analysis on the system ...dont tell them u took it anywhere previously

yep. I'll report back here once I do that.

take it to another shop and get a second oppinion

Yeah. I'm going to do that. I may just take it to Lexus and pay them to check it out and tell me the deal. I won't have the work done there though

I've not noticed any white smoke, but the more I think about this, changing out the rack makes no sense. I think I'm going to talk directly with the Toyota mechanic who came to that conclusion to see how he arrived there.

Would you just recommend changing the valve and just see how it goes? Blake, you note that this is easy to do. Is there a tutorial around on how to do this?

I would check the IAC valve which attaches to the PS pump. Have you noticed any white smoke? When this goes bad, the PS fluid gets sucked into the intake and burned. That would account for fluid going "somewhere" but not show as a leak.

Very common problem and I'll bet it could be yours. I agree, the mileage is too low for needing a rack.

Bob

Blake,

Their labor quote included the alignment.

I also thought the mileage was kinda low as I bought the car with only 37.5 miles on it about two years ago. Basically, I was getting a high pitched noise when I was turning the wheels in a tight circle and the feel of the steering did not feel quite right. Anyway, when I took the car in, the service guy checked the PS fluid and found that it was low and asked me if I had seen any leaking, which I hadn't. His comment was that the "fluid had to be going somewhere" and had one of his guys check it out and they came back with the diagnosis that the rack needed to be replaced. I've had these guys do work on my car before (a local Toyota dealer), so I generally trust them to tell me the real deal, but it does seem like the miles are just too low for the rack to be a problem. What do you think?

I changed the rack in my '95 LS because the steering feel was getting too loose (@ 300k+ miles). I was able to buy a rack from a '96 LS w/ 60k off of ebay for $150 (shipping is going to be high since the rack weighs something like 40lbs, and it is pretty big.). I think they were honest about the mileage since the rack looked like it was brand new. I remember reading mixed reviews about remans, so a low mile OEM unit was the simple choice for me. I changed the tie rod ends and rack bushings too; I think that added another $140 ($100 for the tie rods, and $40 for the two grommets). I should have changed the boots too since they had some minor tears, but it completely slipped my mind when I bought everything else. If you get the rack from Lexus, they are quite expensive. $1600 for a new OEM rack sounds a little high, but not too bad for not having ordered it yourself from an online Lexus parts department.

We changed the rack in about 2 hours taking our time (there's nothing difficult or time consuming about it. All you're doing is disconnecting the tie rod ends, power steering lines, solenoid, steering knuckle, brackets, and out it comes.). The most difficult part (which is not difficult at all) is getting the rack to come out since you have to find that sweet spot for it to slide out. Is an alignment included in that 500 of labor (my Lexus dealer charges $125 for an alignment which seems to be the going rate around here)? What is his hourly rate? Well, whatever it is, I'd give him no more than 2.5 hours + an alignment. Why do you need to replace the rack (114k seems like low mileage for this repair)?

I have 114K on my 96 LS and need a new rack & pinion system installed. I took the car to my mechanic (Toyota) and he gives me a quote of $ 1600 for the part and another $ 500 to install. That's too much and I'm looking to economize here. Help me out by answering these questions please:

1) Where's the best place I can order this part myself at a savings?

2) What do you guys think about installing a remanufactured part rather than a new one? I got a quote on a remanufactured rack & pinion system from mylexparts.com of $ 400. Are they reputable?

3) Is $ 500 of labor to do this reasonable?

Thanks guys.

How fast were you going? 75-80?

Yes. I was averaging in that range

Just got back from a roundtrip to florida of about 1200 miles. I averaged about 25 mpg overall. The best I got was on one leg of the trip when I hit 26 mpg. I've got a 96, so I don't have the 5th gear.

This is one hell of a car.

Got 104K miles on my 96. Still a baby. I plan on driving until 300+

Basically, you'll love this car on the highway. I look forward to periodic long highway drives in this car. There is no body fatigue with the car after long drives. It's incomparable on the highway.

My 98 is at 117,000 and I wouldn't think twice about going across the country in it. Great cars.

I have to agree..I will need to go from around Benton,Ky. to Houston,Tx. for a Captains meeting sometime around December. In all reality I am looking forward to the drive. We will see how it does at that time. Like you I have no hesitation about driving it anywhere. Very impressive vehicle..Best of wishes on yours being a trouble free relationship,friendship,ownership however your feelings lean toward your ride... lol...Thanks for the post

I have a sort of plain jane 96 LS. The 98+ and the LS 430 are far more luxurious. I'd like more wood accents, but that ain't enough for me to think about trading a perfectly good car. I'll look at that the next time though.

Hey Flanker, I remember you as a fellow resident of the Lehigh Valley. Sorry to hear about the LS. It had to be heart breaking to wreck your car. No question about it, the RL is a decent car, but not quite on par with the LS.

Hi GKLCPA, its nice to hear from you again. Yes I wrecked my LS on a cold February night while driving home from NYC. You know how the weather was like in Lehigh Valley back in February ;)

As with the RL, I just wanted to try something different this time. Its definitely not on par with the LS, but the price is much more attractive and you get a lot of a car for the money. I just wanted something newer with fewer mileage and more modern safey options. The RL will serve as a "bridge car" until I'm financially sound enough to go back to being a Lexus owner

Yeah, I hear you. It's important to watch those dollars particularly if you're in school and especially at Lehigh. Best of luck with your new ride.

Recently just bought a Certified '02 Acura 3.5 RL, after I crashed my '92 LS400, that is. The RL is pretty darn close to an LS in terms of build quality and luxury features, but it's not a LS :( . The most significant difference is noise. The RL is whisper quiet, but my old LS is almost dead silent. At 75mph, my LS rpms at 2,300 RPM, but the RL rpms at a whooping 3,000 RPM, getting a MPG of roughly 22 on a V6, while my LS gets an MPG of 25 on a V8. The 1uz-fe is truely a world class engine indeed.

Hey Flanker, I remember you as a fellow resident of the Lehigh Valley. Sorry to hear about the LS. It had to be heart breaking to wreck your car. No question about it, the RL is a decent car, but not quite on par with the LS.

I heard someone on a radio program making these claims, however once you search on the web, there are many references to this being a scam.

I've been burning regular ever since gas prices started getting near $ 4 per gallon. Other than a very slight loss of power, I've not noticed any other difference. My mpg is the same. I agree the savings over premium is small, but it might as well be in my pocket versus the oil company's.

There's nothing like these cars on the road. I look forward to each and every road trip. I just got back from the Atlanta area around memorial day. It was a beautiful drive down from PA. The car averaged 25mpg and was smooth as glass. LS 400 for life, but fill ups are getting painful. I paid $ 75 to fill up last week.

Recent 400 activity

Well folks, I cleaned and waxed my truck, changed the oil and parked it in the garage. Then I rolled out my LS400 which I hadn't been driving much in the last few months. Not that there was anything wrong but I just like keeping it clean. The oil was new Mobil 1 with a fresh K&N HP102 filter. I cleaned the K&N air filter and since the tank was full with $3.75 premium and I was all waxed I figured I better put this beast on the road. Man oh man, I just love driving this car. I rolled up to New Jersey then back down south and then out to western Virginia and back to the coast. Just amazing how nice this car drives considering it is almost 20 years old. On my last trip my fuel milage was slightly over 22mpg which I consider pretty good since my average speed for the trip was 80.2mph. Yeah, I took it up to around a buck a couple times and it still wanted to go, but using what little common sense I could muster, I bled off 15 or 20 for crusing. Yeah it cost a lot but what the heck? In the next week I think I'll head up to the finger lakes in New York and cruise around there. By the way, I video all this stuff for later enertainment, even the fill-ups. Ouch! $70.60 yesterday.

Anyone else out there cruising around still?

I get around 25 on the highway and around 20 in city. Tank average is about 22. I recently started running regular gas only and have not noticed any difference in preformance or gas mileage. I try to put a tank of 93 in about every 4th time I fill up and use 87 for the other three. Is anyone else running unleaded instead of premium gas on a regular basis :-?

I've been running regular over the last 3 months and my mpg numbers are similar to yours. The only difference I've noticed is a very slight decrease in power. Of course, with gas prices being as they are, I don't have my foot in it, so that doesn't really matter. I was doing as you're doing with rotating premium, but I run regular exclusively now.

I got a plug change coming up as well. Does it make sense to change the wires as well?

I replaced my tires last year with H rated tires. They were cheaper than the V rated tires and I don't plan on going over 100 mph in the car. Ironically, the previous owner has S rated tires on the car. I paid about $ 500 for a set of 4

just got a 2004 LS 430 with 70k miles from a lexus dealership for $22k. added the platinum warranty which will cover me to 100k total vehicle miles. drove the car 350 miles home and got over 29mpg with AC running. unbelievable car- coming from a 1996 with 170k miles (still runs brand new), i'm very impressed with every aspect. i love the cooled seats, rear lighted vanity mirrors, xenon headlights, etc. hope this one serves me as well as the 96 has.

Congrats. I have a 96 which I'll likely be driving for the next few years. It only has about 98K on the clock and I just feel I'd be throwing away money to upgrade it right now, although every 430 I see tempts me, particulary since the prices are within my striking range. The biggest difference between the 430 and the gen 2 LS is all the luxury appointments. From what I can tell, the ride is pretty much the same. BTW, that's excellent fuel mileage...how the Lexus engineers pull this off is absolutely amazing.

I just finished a 2000 mile round trip visit to family in GA. I averaged nearly 25 mpg the entire trip. There were stretches on the trip where I got in excess of 27mpg. The extra gear in the 430 should result in even better gas mileage. That's the really great thing about these cars. They've got power but are miserly on the fuel. I love my LS!

I guess I'm lucky because I've not spent $ 80 to fill up yet. I've reached $70 however and I'm definitely not dancing on the table.

i ended up not getting the car. my next car is gonna be a nice clean 5-speed civic ex. i just need to find a 96+ for a good price. $80 fillups are scaring me a bit.

Getting so $80 fillups are not filling it up anymore.