wandawoods

my 96 SC4 use 4-button fob. 95 should be the same!? 95/96 does not use transponder embedded in master key, so u can just go to ur local locksmith who offers high-security key for foreign cars. it should be about $25~$30 per key. then, buy a fob (must match FCC ID#) cheap on eBay (I got one for my 97LS4 for $18), and program it youself. so, u can get a spare key w/4-button fob for under $50 vs about $200 at dealer.

did that on my wrecked 94 LS4. the ride was 'stiffer' than air sus. strutmaster's are direct replacement of air struts without modification. however, rear pair are much tougher to do than front pair because u must remove the entire rear seats. for DIY: http://www.lextreme.com/ascon.htm if by mechanic, expect to pay 3~4 hours labor

stand corrected! for CA lemon law, 18 months from delivery to the buyer or 18,000 miles on the odometer of the vehicle: http://www.yourlemonlawrights.com/state_la....htm#Lemon-Laws

well, glad to see my old post did help someone ! however, that's for my old 94 which was wrecked in late April as u know... we are a big happy family....

blueish smoke can mean engine oil buring! do u have to add engine oil often? if yes, it can be worn piston rings which is indeed a major cost ($3K+) to make good.

it still seems tragical to me that a 98 LS4 with 56k miles required a new tranny! I hope it was nothing to do with Taipei's notorious stop-no-go traffic!? well, at least labor is still cheap over there! lex dealer here charges at least US$90 per hour here!

do u mind telling us how much they charge u?

pamela, this is definetly abnormal! http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-...G=Google+Search google search for florida lemon law florida lemon law itself (good for 24-month after purchase): http://www.yourlemonlawrights.com/state_laws/Florida.htm

perhaps this is only unique to SC430!? I also heard like some late model MB S-class has the similar problem. my 96 SC400 also is driven little (3k miles in last 10-month, and that's just about true for all 7 cars I have), and we always park with stock alarm on. this condition never happens to us. anyway, don't let it sit there longer than 10-days may be a good ideal.

thanks for the responses, guys! I think I will bring her to dealer for a complete flush. dealer wants $250 for the job vs. $100 at firestone. at least, if seal blown, dealer would be responsible to fix it, but firestone says they can't be liable for it. incremental drain-n-refill is not doable for me because we drive SC4 so little despite nothing really wrong with the car. since we got it in Aug/03, we only put on 3k miles! thanks for the overfill warning!

how long does the lemon law statue apply in FL? u may want to consider it.... a brand new car shouldn't act like that! all the battery replacements done by dealer are part of the permanent record follows the car, and it can hurt ur resale value later on.

correct me if wrong, did Lex opt for remote fob and got rid of remote button on master key for the 2nd gen LS (95~97)? if yes, u still can order a cheap fob on eBay, and program it yourself....

I asked the question in LS forum, but no response so far... is it safe to do the complete 16qt tranny oil flush on my 96 SC4 with 169K miles? some mechanics suggest that it can blow the seal on high-milleage car! any truth to that at all?

I heard this from my mechanic: if u are at remote location, and has no equipment to test atlernator, start the car, then disconnect battery terminals, if engine stays running, then alternator is OK. however, u still have to test the the voltage output from alternator once u have a chance to do so. it should be 14v or higher.

that's not true! it's just that you need to be extra careful when remove and re-attach the sensor wire. it's very easy to get damaged according to my mech.

don't know about audi, BMW, VW, porche, but the 2 MB S-class I once owned (88 420SEL) and still own (93 400SEL) are indeed trash! they spent more time in the shop than in my drive way or on the road. can't begin to describe the long nightmares I've been through.

so, did u get the lite issue resolved? what was the cause in ur case to keep it lited constantly after brake works was done?

VB, any comment about whole tranny oil flush business on high-miles cars? I've already heard from a few differrent mechanics tell me the same thing: don't do it if mileage is too high! I won't worry about my LS (97K), but I do worry about my SC (168K)....

it seems that nowadays folks are trashing German cars big time (me included for MB). any1 konw what happened to Germany auto industry?

well, greeting from Atlanta, GA! 90000KM is still a young kid for a LS, but I do recall u rarely see cars in Taiwan can last over 120000KM due to the salty, high-moisture climate which is tough on the metal. maybe, lexus quality can make your car last longer. anyway, 5-seconds does seem longer than normal even at cold-start. my 97 is about half a second. it has been said many, many times in this forum that 10-second wait is good enough for LS to drive away at low speed which is a preferred way to 'warm-up' the car than let it idle to normal temp.

me and my wife were from Taiwan almost 20-years ago. maybe it's time for a complete tranny fluid flush?! what's mileage (or KM)? I recall Lexus calls for tranny flush (the whole 16qt) at 10,500miles, and it costs US $250 at dealer, or about $100 at regular shop (Firestone or Jeffy Lube), what's the cost to do so in Taiwan? is a new LS still selling close to $US120K in Taiwan? is the gas price still close to $4/gal (or $2.5/l)? VFM, have u ever determimed it's a good idea or not to flush tranny oil? some suggest that it may blow the seals for some high-milleage cars?! my 97 is at 97K, need to decide whether to do it fairly soon...

I took a chance and bought a Remote Keyless Fob for my 97 LS4. according to some info upon searching the web, I successfully got it programmed tonight! grand eBay total is $18 vs dealer price at $125, what a saving! any1 interested in getting a spare or a 2nd one, can save this post for later use. also be sure the FCC ID on the remote u are getting matches the one you already have. the FCC ID is also listed in owner’s manual. they are more than likely is either HYQWDT-C or HYQ1512P local lex dealer charges $45+ (0.5-hr labor) to program the fob! there are a few versions of programming procedure floating arount the web, here is the one works for me (id: HYQWDT-C): 1. sitting in driver seat, with driver's door OPEN, press lock/unlock button ON THE DRIVERS DOOR to lock all doors, then manually unlock driver door only. 2. Insert YOUR key in ignition, DO NOT TURN, then remove key. 3. Using the same lock/unlock button ON THE DRIVERS DOOR, slowly press lock-unlock in 5 cycles 4. Shut door. 5. Open door. 6. Using the same lock/unlock button ON THE DRIVERS DOOR, again slowly press lock-unlock in 5 cycles 7. With the door open insert your key into the ignition, turn to 'on' position (DON'T START), wait 5 seconds. Turn off and remove key. 8. Locks should cycle once (Car will lock and then unlock once by herself). If they don't cycle or they cycle more than once, do steps 1-7 over. 9. Now using the remote, push lock button, hold for one second, then release the button. The locks should cycle once. If not, start over and go slower. 10. Close the door. 11. Open the door. 12. Press the lock button on the remote. The locks should do a lock-unlock cycle. 13. Close the door 14. Press the lock button on the remote, the doors should lock. 15. Press unlock button and the doors should unlock. before it get successfully programmed, you will hear a 10-seconds long beep which did take me by surprise! I though I was in big trouble....

UCF3, thanks for the input! I am leaning toward set of 4 Brembo with cross-drilled only since I don't really race, and I do care about potentially excessive pad-wear caused by slotted rotors since Atlanta's traffic can be as bad as DC....

http://www.buybrakes.com/brembo/am-lexus.html according to the page above, the stock size of Brembo front rotors for LS400: 89-90: 275mm (10.83") 91-92: 274.955mm (10.83") 93-09/94: 296mm (11.65") 09/94-2000: 315mm (12.4") rear rotors: 89-92: ??? 93-2000: 306.8mm (12.08") some state that slotted rotors cause excessive pad wear! any truth to that?

VFM, there are lots of eBay sellers selling cross drilled/slotted Brembo at OEM stock size for GenI or Gen II. no modification required, and they work with existing pads and calipers. I'm about to buy a set of 4, and will let u know how good or bad they are, performance and fitting wise. I won't be 'brave' enough to try it myself, but for those of u interested in DIY project of Supra TT brake upgrade: http://www.lextreme.com/lsbrake.html Supra Turbo Front Brake Conversion Kit for Lexus LS400: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2478987753