eatingupblacktop

First of all, welcome to the club! Replacing the rad & water pump should resolve your overheating prob, but I would replace the stat as well - cheap insurance. Shouldn't be driving with only water in the cooling system! Once water boils, it becomes an insulator, leading to a sudden loss of cooling where steam bubbles form. So an engine temperature gauge can indicate an acceptable temperature even though local temperatures are high enough that damage is being done. Also, even though you're not running water for very long, hard water deposits a scale much like the mineral scales that clog your coffeemaker, humidifier or kettle. These mineral scale deposits reduce heat transfer in your radiator. So you're now polluting your brand new rad. Tap water may contain minerals, silica, chlorine and fluoride, all of which can add problems to the system. Not only does coolant protect your engine from overheating/freezing it also lubricates the water pump and prevents any silicates that may be in ordinary tap water from eating gaskets etc. This is why only distilled water should be used. Pre-mixed coolants are already blended with distilled water. I suggest Toyota long life coolant and as KJ mentions, check for air pockets as well.

Since you're new to this forum and it seems, to forums in general, I suggest some browsing and if you have a particular question, some searching. Common questions that are posted ad nauseum and have been answered are often ignored for that reason. The information is readily available. Certainly visit the other forums where you'll find virtually the same response. Whether about cars or blowing bubbles, this is basically how most forums work.

I attribute your comment to the fact that you're only 16. Nevertheless, who's been giving you the gears for you to make an asinine statement like that? This forum is here to offer help from those who can to those that need it. With your attitude, you might find members less inclined to respond to your future posts! Time to grow up! Thank You Sir, eatingupblacktop, As always, Your understanding and timely response is greatly appreciated. ;) i liked the m3 forums cause people weren't like this ^^^^ they understood/realized alot better. i posted this exact same thing on the e46fanatic forums like last year and all the comments i got were like " its what snobby rich people do when they're bored" im sorry if what i said offended anyone but if it isnt obviouse i was thanking the guy for saying what he said in a nice manner, alot of people on this forum slam down on eachother alot for not knowing something or for the way something was said.. do the searching and see for yourself cause im not gunna search and send you everylink. example, see my first post and see what was said to me and maybe that will answer your question to why my 'gears' were going according to you. And thats fine, if people like you think i have a bad attitude, then good. dont reply in the future. cause the people that do understand me will. what i said wasn't even directed to you, and your telling me to grow up?? you honestly need some alone time. just to think, kinda like a time out. cause age is just a number. im pretty sure i wouldn't even be on this forum if i havent grown up. id be having my broke mom fix these problems on my car and just leave everything up to her. Ok, I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Now that I know you've got some difficulties, I can see you'll be growing up maybe sooner than most. Listen, my suggestion was meant to help you with this forum, but let me tell you, controlling what now seems more like a knee jerk reaction on your part will get you further in life than making comments in an anger/peeved frame of mind. If you calm down and wait an hour or two to respond to something that has p1ssed you off, you'll likely find a better/more mature response that will get you results. I'm sure your doing your best for Mom and she appreciates it. It's a lot to take on big responsibilities at 16. There's aways a gratifying feeling when you help out your parents. Keep it up! Back to the forum, believe me, not everyone here is an !Removed! - just a few! (ignore them) :P Waddya say we start over again ... there are a lot of advantages in being a member of the LOC!

Reminded me of this old time mechanic at a VW Dealer alternate service shop with about 6 mechanics - all very German, some who came from VW, some who came from Audi. His name was Hans and he had an old Rabbit diesel that was about 10 years old at the time with maybe 500K Kilometers (a lot for a Rabbit) and no rust anywhere. He loaned it to me a couple of times when I had the Scirocco in for the common windshield problem that leaked from the driver's side corner right down to the fuse box below where VW so cleverly located it in all their vehicles. It wasn't the cleanest interior I've see, what with all the parts he had in there at any given time and of course the pervasive smell of grease and oil common to the trade. The 4 speed stick however, was the slickest, "smooth as butter" tranny I've ever driven in any car. Just the most effortless and barely audible snick, snick, snick. Together with the smoothest and quietest deisel, this car was almost as impressive in it's way as my modded Scirocco. Some of these oldtimers really know how to tune/maximize the performance of their beaters to the point where your saying to yourself, How come this thing's smoother than my car?

I attribute your comment to the fact that you're only 16. Nevertheless, who's been giving you the gears for you to make an asinine statement like that? This forum is here to offer help from those who can to those that need it. With your attitude, you might find members less inclined to respond to your future posts! Time to grow up!

Steve I hear ya but, if you have the discipline (like my sister does when she buys next year's Christmas gifts on boxing day - unlike me, I rather like to rush around like a mad fool trying not to forget anyone's gifts all at the very last moment when there's nothing worthwhile left in the stores - keeps my weight in check over the holidays :whistles: ), now's the time to buy and spring is the time to sell. Of course there's not much more frustrating than having a new set of wheels in the garage waiting for the snow to melt! :(

If her driving habits/requirements haven't changed, then I think you've answered your own question! But if keeping the wife happy means getting new wheels, I'm with HRP, let her make the pick. She can't come back at you later for making a bad choice. If later she realizes that she's made a mistake and that "you should have stopped me from buying it", your response would be; since she didn't believe you that keeping the 430 was the best option, you wanted her to be happy by getting exactly her choice. Of course if she asks you for advice, I'd say stick with the 430!

Check that all cables from your batt to the starter are tight and in good condition. If wires are ok, test your starter relay. Of course, worse case scenario is the starter.

The OEM is so dirt cheap, why would you go aftermarket on something as basic as this?

Easy quick test you can do yourself - trade the suspect rim for your spare (get it off the road), then see what if any difference. You could also trade tires (remount) with the suspect rim and another to see where the noise goes. Most likely you have a tire that has gone out of round, has a broken belt, or a tread that is no longer true.

Just when you thought we've seen the last of the moonies .... theyyyyy're baaaaack! :chairshot:

Definitely not feeling the new grill ... looks a lot like the genesis'

Hey Randy, personally, I would not do a power flush on an older tranny. Here's how to change and flush the fluid safely: http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/transmission/transchange.html http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/transmission/transflush.html And here's more than enough reading for you to make up your own mind: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=40463&st=0 http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=45104&st=0

Welcome to the club! Met two Lexus owners on 2 separate occaisions while picking up parts at a dealer. One drove a '92 SC with over 400K (saw the odo) in mint condition - never did anything with engine/tranny other than routine maintenance as per schedule. Always OEM parts - no additives, no mods, etc. The other owner drove a '90 LS with over 700K in the same condition as the SC. Again, all service by the book, and everything was OEM. Both these guys had other cars, the one with the LS also had an SLK55 AMG Convertible and an ML suv (his wife wasn't happy with any of the cars and was on his case for getting the Bentley GTC and dumping the AMG - nice step up I must say), the other was trading in his 3 year old RX for an M5 (mid life crisis?). So they weren't hurting at all! :whistles: Another thing they both had in common was that neither of them was a diy, all service was done at the dealers from day one! Can you imagine how much that amounts to! I just don't understand that kind of expediture. It's a different lifestyle for sure! You've got a lot of info on this site for keeping your SC in reliable condition. My advice: until you can get back on your feet, stay with OEM, no mods and keep up with the maintenance Change the tranny fluid w no power flushes - http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/transmission/ Use only distilled water when mixing coolant. Avoid heat soak under the hood (proper cooldown) or you'll be shortening the lifespan of your wires, sensors, and relays. Replace wear items as needed and don't cheap out by extending the service schedule - you'll pay for it later As for the rest of your questions, as I mentioned, there's a wealth of information here, readup! Good luck w your job, but remember, accepting advice from a VW tech for a Lexus vehicle is like accepting Monopoly money for your pay then going out and trying to spend it!

Here's the info you need: owners manual - http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...st&p=167930 service manual - http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...st&p=389508

For sure, check with your local Lexus dealer and Lexus Canada before you do this to be clear on warranty coverage on a new U.S. spec Lexus and on parts supply to repair options not available on Canadian spec cars. Don't think Lexus Canada nor Canadian dealers will honour warranty on new U.S. cars purchased by Canadians from U.S dealers. Not sure how they deal with U.S. cars that have been resold here by U.S owners.

Waddaya think? Does it work for anyone?

Another example of the power of hype and how a lot of us eat it up! Sorry to hear of your disappointment, but I gotta agree with the smooth one. Here's suggestion. Take away the hype and media coverage, get in the car as if for the first time, take her out on your favorite roads and give'r! Then cruise back. Before getting out of the car, sit there for a few minutes for the cool down, check out the interior, all the features on the car, and reflect on the experience. Now, what price would you pay for a car like this? Remember - no hype or ads allowed during this process! Time to get down to what really matters!

Welcome to the club K! Congrats on owning two fine automobiles! Relaxed response to your post is likely due to belonging to a smaller/more exclusive driving segment of the Lexus group of mechanical excellence, most of whom are cruising rather than browsing. :whistles: Curious, since you have both models at the ready for continous comparison, which car do you prefer/enjoy driving more? Granted they are differently purposed vehicles, nevertherless, most of us experience various driving modes and are capable on more than one type of machine. You've joined the right club if your intention is to retain that satisfaction of driving a superior conveyance. All kinds of info for keeping your SC in peak condition. One suggestion I would make: every so often when you know there are no oustanding service issues to be addressed, take her out for a series of WOT'S with a proper subsequent cool down. Keeps the carbs from building up. Enjoy!

Forty ain't so bad, unless that's how many drinks you have celebrating! From here on in it only gets smoother! Congrats btw on the ML. Happy B day!

Happy B day SK!

Well loookee here ... 3 major B days in a row! DC, we all raise a glass to your always entertaining posts! Have a good one, or two, or ... ?

You can reduce the difference between new and used as follows: new - you pay up front used - you pay as you go Keep up with the service on your car and you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of owning the most reliable vehicle on the market. IMO, if you're diligent with your maintenance, the only reason to trade for a newer model would be for a change of scenery.

GX - talk about fugly ML - $$ SRX - nice pkg ...... but ... even though it's not in your top 5 list, I think it might be an LS!

I wasn't aware you could disable the mirror dip feature. How is it done...? I'd also disable the auto steering tilt while you're at it!