Matty

Enjoy! I can't believe that price. Well done.

um the OP said wheel is beyond repairable.... First, if I had a dime for every time I was told something couldn't be done and then did it, I'd have at least a dollar. What's the worst that can happen? They'd confirm that it cannot be repaired and that's where he is now. Besides, if he's having a hard time finding a replacement isn't it at least worth a second opinion? BTW, um I found out about this place because I had a wheel that couldn't be repaired... I bet you can imagine the rest of the story. ;) P.S. They also specialize in finding 'hard to find' wheels.

Check out the Wheel Collision Center. I know for you it's way across the country but I've seen some amazing work come out of this place on rims I thought were shot. Their repairs are a lot cheaper than buying a replacement rim and unlike with used rims, they are guaranteed to be structurally sound and true round. Good luck. Wheel Collision Center Matty

Well, maybe I win with the Carson thing but you may have been right about there being a matching kit. On the thread you attached it looks like Speedaddic and BlackoutGS have true matching kits. The rest are like the one Carson sells. I notice that both of them have Eclipse head units; maybe that's the difference. I think I'll try to contact BlackoutGS to see where he got his kit and then see if they make one for Pioneer double-dins. Thanks for keeping me honest. I'm always more impressed by what I don't know than with what I do know.

I spoke with Carson Toyota. The piece that you gave a link to does not have the Lexus factory finish; it is the same one I have. I know this because the guy at the parts counter said that there is only one manufacturer for that part. It is Japanese and it is designed to fit perfectly into the 2GS but it is not the factory finish. For that, you'd need to smooth it and then paint it to match the standard dash material. On the other hand, once again, if Carson and I are wrong and somebody out there makes this kit with the actual Lexus/Toyota factory finish, I'd love to know about it.

The shop lied to you... a perfect match is made... you can order it from carson toyota.. it is an OEM double din dash kit.... the only thing is it cost a bit more than the metra/scosche ones but the color and texture match is exact. http://l-tunedparts.com/product/?id=1726 I looked at the part from Carson and I'm pretty sure that's the part that I have. Looking closely it appears to be a black textured plastic as opposed to the smooth, gray-flecked finish of the Lexus dash plastic. But you learn something every day so when they open up today, I'll give Carson a call and my stereo shop as well and I'll post what I find out. If I'm wrong, I'll order that part and have it installed.

OK, I don't have the same head unit you're looking at; I have the Pioneer AVIC-D3 in my '03 GS300. I've included two photos. I'm very particular and while the kit does not blend perfectly with the existing panel material, it is much better than what the bright flash on my camera makes it look like. You can tell that the kit material surrounding the head unit is different in color and texture than the original, which surrounds the climate control readout. The shop who installed it said that a perfect match simply isn't made and that they could actually take it into their body shop and match both paint and texture but I wasn't willing to put in the extra money because under normal conditions, it just isn't that noticeable. Ask to see the kit before they install it and you'll see what I mean. Then you decide. Good luck, Matty

That was my thinking as well. Furthermore, I'm not lowering the vehicle below original. Thanks very much for the feedback. Do you have any experience with TTE? It seems kind of like the European equivalent of TRD but I don't know. I'm trying to get a more aggressive look but I do not want to look 'pimped out.'

I checked all of the other forums but found nothing on this. I'm thinking of getting the TTE Front Grille and Bumper Skirt for my '03 GS 300. I would love to hear from anybody who has experience with either of these parts. How is the quality and was installation difficult? Also, any problems with the lowered bumper skirt on steep driveways, etc.? Here's what they look like. TTE Grille and Bumper Skirt Thanks, Matty

Yeah I tried a search but I ended up looking through dozens of streams that contained the words "hood" and "release" and "cable" but the closest I got was people who had the same problem as I've had; there were no specific discussions about the procedure or difficulty of changing the cable. I may check clublexus. BTW, I got the part # from Sewell but I left it at work so I don't have it right now.

yeah i forgot the hood cable is a common problem on ours too....i had to fix mine when i got it. yes i know u talked about the hood latch but for most of us, its actually our cable and its a cheap fix, lube will only work for so long (part from sewell is like 30 i think) oh fyi change your filter more than every 6 months. How often do you change the cabin AC filter? Also, let me make sure I git this straight. You bought the cable for the hood release from Sewell for about $30 and replaced it yourself? You're right about the lube being a temporary solution. How complicated was the install? Are there any links that you're aware of with pics? Thanks.

I can't speak for the GS 400 or 430 but I have no problems with my GS 300 in the snow. I live in Rochester, NY. We got over 46 inches of snow in December; need I say more? I bought inexpensive but decent looking alloy wheels and put on Nokian Hakkapeliitta unstudded tires ($165/per). They are awesome! I did my research before buying the GS 3 because I hadn't driven a RWD car in 20 years. Everybody I spoke with locally said pretty much the same thing - invest in top quality snow tires and drive with some intelligence. In four years I've seen every winter condition imaginable, ice, slush, hard packed, powder, you name it. I've had no problems. In fact, it handles better than my wife's Sienna and my neighbor's Odyssey, both FWD models. Of course you also have to consider where you're driving. My experience is pretty much all suburban, city, and highway. I haven't ever had it on any back country roads but being from NJ, I doubt you will either. Good luck.

I also have an 03 GS300. Remember that on a forum you have people from all over the country pitching in so it can sometimes seem like a car is nothing but problems. Knock on wood, I have had no major issues. I did find a lot of dead leaves in my cabin AC filter but it was cheap ($18) and easy to replace myself. Now I just clean it out every June and December. The only other problem I've had is that the cable for my hood release latch froze up on me. My local Toyota garage where I get the oil changed fixed it for free. They just needed to lube it up. BTW, the local Lexus dealer charges $75 for an oil change and the local Toyota garage charges $26. It's actually in the same family of dealerships. They use the same oil but my filters, which I'm told are the same, say Toyota instead of Lexus. It may be the same in your area. Of course the Toyota waiting room doesn't have leather loungers and a pool table but I'm OK with that. Also, a good friend of mine has an 04 BMW 5 series. I think the 535. Anyway, he loves to drive it but is trading it in for a Lexus GS350 because he's stuck in the garage wayyy too often while I'm out driving my Lexus. Hope you have a great experience!

Synthetic doesn't break down nearly as quickly as natural oil. Because of that it can withstand the normal collection of particles that all oil picks up as the engine runs. The problem with regular oil is that as it breaks down, not only do its lubrication properties diminish, it lacks the ability to protect engine parts from the particulates. Here's the thing though, if you change your oil and filter every 3,000 miles faithfully, then even regular oil will not have the chance to break down. There's certainly no harm in using synthetic, but under those circumstances, some consider it overkill. As for waste oil, any local gas station/garage should take it for free. Don't put it in a dumpster. Good luck with the oil changes and finding a new job. Matty

I didn't do mine myself so I can't speak to that but here's the deal with the factory amps, speakers, etc. Obviously, you'll get the best sound by going with a new amp for your speakers and another one for your subwoofer. If you do that, you really need to get new speakers and a sub all the way around. In my younger days I used to compete nationally (no major awards but I was out there) so I know a bit about car audio. That's not really my scene anymore so here's what the guy at my audio shop suggested. First, you can get a very good aftermarket head unit with a very good built-in amp. Look for something with somewhere like 50W/channel MAX (probably around 20-25W RMS). In my case, I went with the Pioneer. Most of these will be strictly pre-amp for the subwoofer, however, and therefore won't power it. The best case scenario is that you may be able to wire it so that the head unit can still send a signal to the factory subwoofer amp. It's more likely, however, that you won't be able to use the factory subwoofer amp with your new head unit. So, get an amp for the subwoofer only. This way, you're using the built-in head unit amp for all of your speakers, and an aftermarket amp to drive your sub. You may, at this point, decide to replace the factory sub because while the factory sub isn't bad at all, a decent aftermarket will really take advantage of the new sub amp. But see what you think. This doesn't have to be outrageously expensive. There are reputable companies that build excellent gear for the consumer who wants a nice quality, balanced sound. It's not always about shaking your gaskets loose. Don't get me wrong, I love to check out all of the mods that people do to their cars, but my interest is in keeping my Lexus looking as original as I can and making every bit of it flawless. That's why I took this route. These are modest improvements that add a lot to the sound experience but you still know you're driving a Lexus, and there's nothing wrong with that! ;) Matty