eatingupblacktop

Ditto. Easiest, cheapest most reliable fix. Good luck finding a 3UZFE FOR $2k!

Hey Billy, why don't you upload photos of the fine collection of cars you've owned in the past along with your current LS's to the Gallery section of your profile. I think you'd be approaching Leno's collection, although he still owns his.

Lunchtime cycle?

I hear ya on the mounts and getting that second opinion, but lets do some math on the TB; If it took you 8 years to get to 80K, it'll take you another 4 years to get to 120K. That's 120K and 12 years in total before doing the TB? Slightly over in both mileage and duration for doing a TB service don't you think? Always good to be skeptical of any "additional repair" items a shop suggests, above what you brought the car in for, especially if you know the condition of your car, but be wary of advice that doesn't "add" up!

Did you get that "special" support at the Lexus dealer...OEM? Did not know they came in green For $61 each, I would have been more tempted to stay with Toyota. The interesting thing is that the StrongArms have a "lifetime" warranty. Dont they know how long Lex owners keep their vehicles? I must say (as someone else also noted), I do not think I could ever own another primary vehicle besides a Lexus. Dang, stuck with quiet, smooth, durable, reliable luxury! The sacrifices I must make. ;) Those special supports are very usefull for the interm. Mine was disguised as an umbrella that I kept in the car just in case I needed to open the hood on the road. Gotta say, as much as I love my LS, I'm getting a little restless driving it. I'm always staying as far away from traffic as possible because I don't know when some idiot in his banged up pos is going to slam into me. You can see me coming from a mile away, I'm always at the end of the line of traffic in the slow lane several car lengths behind the car in front. As someone who has spent time on the track, it's really painfull to drive like this. If someone smacks into me, my mint LS would be a write off and I could never find a replacement in the same condition. Almost makes me want to park it. What I need is something I can let loose in without worrying about who's on the road. Something that can take on anyone wanting to play chicken or cutting me off trying to grab an exit off the freeway from the passing lane.:chairshot: Like an old rusted beat up ford 350 dually. Ok you hammerheads, com'n git some! For now I just go to the gym, put on some gloves and beat the !Removed! out of the heavy bag until my knuckles tell me to stop. There, that feels better ... alrighty, now I can drive home like a little old lady.

Definitely can be repaired. Repairability will depend on condition of the board. Any decent electronics shop should be able to effect repairs. Just make sure the caps aren't noname generic from china. If the board is damaged it will have to be replaced. Obviously can't rec for cal.

Hindsight is always a difficult way to learn! Considerations I can offer. On any major repairs/service, use only oem. If you're using an indie, make sure they understand this is what you want and for them not to use aftermarket parts. Search the forums for all the information you can find on the repair before going ahead. Make sure the shop doing the work has done it more than once before and on your particular model. Don't just accept their assurance that they are familiar with your car. They must have done specifically the work you are requesting. Discuss the repair with the shop using the info you've researched. If you have any doubts/questions, post them on the forum for some advice/insight etc. Good luck with your pursuit. You might have some leverage in that you have a history with this shop. If you decide to do the repairs, make sure everything that should be replaced gets replaced.

Thanks. I guess I will just have to find a mechanic that knows more about it. THIS IS FROM: 914lps . Your power steering system has two screens in the system. one in the resivor tank and one on the selonod valve on the rack by the drivers side. Years ago i did a very extensive post on how to take care of those screens. Do a search if you can for posts by me. You should then see it. cheers. Thanks. I found it. Its post #10 on this thread... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=16383&hl= Seems like thats easy enough and I am gonna try to work on this tomorrow and see if that helps, but confused on cleaning the screen in the ps pump. Someone had replied, but the link was so old, it would not show the info he posted. Well, the pump is not whining, so I am wondering since its not, if its OK and dont need to be cleaned. Listenup! Everything needs to be cleaned sooner or later. Don't forget, Murphy's got your number! Just when you think things are fine ...... :chairshot: Whap! This ain't no time to whimp out. Ya got the info ya need, so just DO IT! Whadaya need ... a personal invitation? Time to man up! Don't forget to give us a report when you're done. Go brave!

If a water pump can seize that severely I wonder why they wouldn't have designed the serpentine belt weaker or put a sacrificial key in the WP pulley so that would fail instead of TB. The newer cars are interference engines. A seized water pump can create $4000 engine repair? As well engineered as these car are there are a few "head scratchers" that just don't pass the common sense test. They must have heard you B, the 460 now has a timing chain!

I agree with stevie - winter/snow tires depending where you're planning to drive. Michelin X-Ice is an excellent tire. Check out this thread for more info: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...st&p=377979

At least it's your military that's getting the vaccine. Our Canadian gov't is giving the vaccine to Taliban prisoners the military's holding in Afghanistan, ahead of our own citizens at home! For that matter, hospital boards are getting it ahead of the frontline workers! NHL hockey players ahead of pregnant women who have to stand in line for hours! Priorities???? In the toilet!

Excellent point VB. You will often find prices for parts to be actually lower at the Lexus shop because they know that owners are going to Toyota for the typically lower costs. Some of these jointly owned Toyota dealerships will even send you to the Lexus division for service and decline to work on your car. As for your a/c prob, since the mechanic didn't repair it, and if he didn't list anything else in his original estimate, ask for your money back. Never pay for repairs anywhere if they don't fix the prob! If necessary, have them return the replaced part and go elsewhere. Guesswork should never be rewarded. At the very least, a qualified tech will advise you when he has to do some diagnostic work and roughly how much it may cost. Then it's up to you to determine how much you want to spend. Some probs can be difficult to assess and determining the solution can take a lot of time. Never leave the shop with an open ended budget for diagnostics, they can wind up costing more than the repair is worth, especially with either an inexperienced or inept tech!

Sounds a little suspicious. A 1 year old water pump bearing seizing? Maybe truth is they never changed the old water pump? Did the timing belt actually snap? Not sure why a water pump seizing would destroy a timing belt. Also can't picture how the water pump would just seize. They typically fail by making noise (bearing gone) and leaking coolant. The water pump is powered by the serpentine belt. Even still if timing belt isn't broken then there is no reason to take off heads… I think I'd get a second opinion. Sounds like someone is on a fishing expedition and seeing how far they can push you. As long as you don't blink they keep pumping up the balloon. Yes WP's can certainly sieze and are a common reason for TB failures. When they sieze, the belt's teeth get shredded or else it breaks. Even though it's for a gen1 LS, the following link will give you an idea of what's involved in doing the TB/WP service: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/engine/timingbelt.html The pump should not have failed after just 12 mths. As B suggests, the WP may not have been replaced at your last TB service. You should always ask for replaced parts to be returned to you. Also look at your bill to see if it's listed along with the part number. Did they use new coolant? Did they replace pulleys/tensioner? Was this done at a dealer or indy shop? This sounds very suspicious. If this was done by an indy, I would not go back there. Since you have an interference engine, there is the possibility of damage. Get a second opinion from a qualified shop that has experience with Lexus. Get a report in writing, then approach the first shop to cover the resultant costs. If the work was done by a dealer, you should have no probs getting repairs done under warranty even if you're over by a few weeks.

If you haven't been doing quarter miles for that 5k then I would say it's abnormal cunsumption. Put a tracer in your oil and see where it comes out. You can also pull a plug.

Laney, you won't believe it, I found my mats! Wife had rolled them up with some area rugs and never told me about it. Cleaning out the garage one day this summer and tada, mats! Of course I not only get my mats but now she owes me! :D Thanks vroom8. Thanks Brett. I figure if it's worth buying, then it's worth taking care of. Yeah pretty much everything I have is in good shape except for maybe my old sneakers. Funny how they disappear once they get nicely broken in ... gotta ask the wife if she knows anything about that. :D Same mint condition as before. Check out some recent pics down below. Not that hard to do. No snow and no salt sure helps. Even the volvo looks good, will have to post some pics. Your collection looks to be not too shabby. I do like some of the vintage American Iron ... just dig up some of the LeadSled posts I made last year. Oh yeah, and chelsea just wanted to say hello!

DC, I know exactly what you're sayin', except with me it's the LS! And right now I'm lovin' every minute even more because she's being put away for the winter soon, so I'm soaking up the last bit of sunny cruisin' left before the snow flies. Then it's into my snowcats & the beater.

Cold start injector stuck in open loop mode?

How to identify a female post: How to identify a male post:

Tell them how you drive so they can dial in for your type of driving. Makes a world of difference!

Sounds like they wanted to see how you use the clutch. See another dealer or get a qualified indy shop to look at it (you will have to eat this expense). If they disagree with the dealer, get them to write up a report you can send to Lexus (hence qualified). Btw, why are you creating a new thread for the same prob? Stick to one thread or you will lose members' interest/response!

Checking your motor mounts is a good idea. If they check out ok, then some bending might have happened. Check for a flush fit. If not, you can try a good muffler shop that can fit you with a stretch of flex pipe to connect your pipes to the cats. Of course you'd have to cut a section out of the catback pipes. Cheaper than going the header route. Also, I would never double up on gaskets. If there's any distortion at the joints, no gasket can provide an adequate seal with the kind of vibration/flexing that happens. The tow two years ago sounds a bit too coincidental not to be suspect. Those operators can easily rip out a chin spoiler on a high ramp, push back/scrape your exhaust, misalign the suspension, dent rims on potholes, scratch the paint, and on and on. Check for telltale marks. If you can find where the prob started, it migtht help with a solution.

Good advice! Another tip: never fuel up when the tanker is in the station. In the process of filling the station's tanks, they stir up any crap sitting at the bottom of the tanks. If you fuel up while they're there, you're putting some of that crap into your tank. It literally takes hours for that !Removed! to settle to the bottom of the station's tanks again. Though in theory, this is good advice, in reality it's hard to know if a tanker has just left the station. A good bet would be to fill up when the stations are busy with some line ups. Tankers are unlikely to visit the stations during peak periods because they would have to wait too long to position their trucks if there's a lot of traffic and it would disrupt business for the station. One last addition, stay with newer stations (newer tanks) that do a lot of business (fresh gas).

All season tires run out of grip on dry roads at 7 degrees C or lower. They have virtually no traction in heavy snow or even light snow. I agree with Michelin X-Ice as a good choice for cold temps, snow and ice.

As VB mentions, have a toyota dealer check them (don't know if Lexus would give you a freebee on this one). If you're going to check it yourself, look for soft spots, especially at elbows. Also look for small cracks at the ends of the hose, in the clamped areas.

NC is absolutely right about frozen gas lines, not so much about which is heavier. FWIW: Water is heavier with a density of 1 g/mL. Gasoline has a density of 0.737 g/mL ...or in other words: At a temperature of 20 degrees C or 68 degrees Fahrenheit, a (U.S.) gallon of pure water weighs about 8.34 pounds, whereas a gallon of vehicular gasoline weighs about 6.15 pounds at that temperature.