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No, brand/make of battery does not matter. Just as long as it fits the battery compartment, 12V, has the same posts, cranking capacity is about the same, you are golden. I got my new battery at Sam's club AND installed for $70. Lexus wanted $120 for a "Lexus" battery and $50 to install. Ripoff.

Joe...do not put any confidence in the color indicator. You need to get the battery checked at a dealer or auto store if you can not do it yourself. It could turn out to be the alternator but chances are it is just the battery, especially if it is more than a few years old. It might also be as simple as a bad battery cable connection, since you mention that it is fine after being driven. Begin by inspecting and cleaning(if needed) the battery posts and cables.

You can probably do it if you have an OBDII reader. Or you can take it to Autozone, Advance Auto or such and have them reset it. If you dont know what OBDII means, read up on it at this site ---> http://www.obdii.com/

Its very frustrating. Nobody seems to have a decent 16" aftermarket wheel. I ordered a set that I liked from my local tire shop only to find that they would not fit due to the large front caliper. The tire salesman was frustrated too. They were direct from American Racing as he had called them for a recommendation. We are coming up dry in about all brands for 16". So, looks like I may have to go with 17" wheels. More variety. Its just that I would like to keep it pretty close to stock. Also going with Michelin Primacy MXV4's as soon as I can find the wheels. Any suggestions? I am wearing out the winter tires!

My initial thought is that there might be some sort of chip resistor in the factory key but it probably would not have started at all. You could call the Lexus dealer and perhaps get some info. And here is a link that might provide some ideas --> http://www.lextreme.com/dx-starter.html

NC, I am raising an old post but did you ever resolve this issue? I have the same rattle. If I rest my elbow on the upper door panel, I can squelch the rattling. I thought about wedging something in between. I am not sure it is worth trying to take the panel off. I did start to take the panel off but quickly saw that I might bugger up some of the trim and it might not buy me anything. Update?

Ok, I think that makes some sense. Certainly, the first 2 liters are 100% old fluid with either drain method. However, the second drain would be a mix with the drain plug method but pretty much pure old with the radiator line drain method. Thereafter, there will be some mixing with both methods. But getting about half of the old stuff out right off the bat is a huge advantage. Now, does the new fluid really float(set) on top of the old? (BTW, good post chilkoot. Gave me lots to think about).

Sounds plausible but can anyone explain to me why this method of flushing would be better than just removing the drain plug and taking out 2 liters at a time? Seems like both would mix the old with the new to some extent which would require a little more new fluid to do a complete flush. I guess removing the radiator transmission line would be a bit faster because all you would have to do is stop the engine to stop the flow. The drain plug method puts more wear-n-tear on the plug and would take more time.

Most top tier suppliers already mix additives into their prem fuel, so you really don't need any if you're using their fuel. Next time you fill up, check the pump for stickers describing what if any additives are in the fuel. If yours doesn't have any, change to one that does. As pointed out, just use a good grade of gasoline from one of these top tier suppliers ---> http://www.toptiergas.com/

If you have not yet done your own oil change, I would suggest that you learn that skill and start changing it yourself. It is really fairly easy. The hardest part is removing the under-engine cover. I have heard that the Jiffy lubes of the world can easily strip your oil pan by cross-threading the drain plug. Remember who is working there and the turnover rate. When I bought my 98 LS with 60k miles, I immediately switched to Mobil 1. Why? Well, it was mostly a matter of convenience. I live in N. Indiana where the winters can be 5-6 months long and I really dont relish crawling under the car in a cold garage. With synthetic, I dont sweat the mileage nearly as much as I would with dino. The synthetic gives you more room to play with mileage before getting changed. You can plan the changes more freely with synthetic.

...just curious, have you gone thru a good mid-life crisis yet? Sounds like you are due.

irmichel, Although the charging issue is an immediate concern, if you are indeed not driving enough to keep the battery charged, you may have more serious problems to contend with in the future. Driving short distances can be hard on the engine and exhaust system especially in colder climates. As concerns connecting directly to the battery... the technically correct way is to connect to the chassis away from the battery. But as others have pointed out and denounced as overkill, is most likely just that. With the hood open and plenty of air circulating the probability of igniting the hydrogen gas is close to nil. Nevertheless, the danger does exist. Your choice.

Couple of questions... The headlights are off, right? Your foot is not inadvertently resting on the brake pedal? How many miles do you typically drive the car per week and do you frequently take short trips (<10 miles). The charger is the answer if you simply are not driving enough to keep her charged via the alt. I would also test your charge voltage when running. Should be around 14.5 vdc As for where to connect the neg. clamp...any where on the chassis is fine but I definitely see your dilemma. With so much plastic around its hard to find where to connect. It looks like the power steering pump has some nice aluminum showing. But if this is going to be a frequent occurrence, personally, I would go to a hardware store and get a chunk of metal braid or a metal clip and affix it under a bolt on the chassis(maybe near the horns). That way you have a good solid connection and you wont be buggering up your nice car parts with the clamp. If it is truly just a trickle charge that you need, the cigarette lighter plug is probably your cleanest solution(as Budhah pointed out). And finally, the reason they dont want you to connect the neg. clamp to the battery is for sparking reasons. If there is enough concentration of hydrogen gas (byproduct of charging) then a spark could make the battery explode and that is more excitement than you probably need. Therefore, the order of connection is very important. Positive on battery first, then neg. clamp on chassis to keep that spark as far away from the battery as possible. Removal is the reverse.. take the neg. clamp off first. Sorry for the length of this response. You may already know this stuff.

Pumpkin patch ;)

Hmmm, I would have thought a little lubricant spray to those areas would also do the trick. No?

Oh ok. And current going thru the Dome light circuit indicates the door switch(in the latch) is not opening the circuit when the door is fully closed? I like eatingups suggestion of locking the system while inside and then pushing out on the doors to see if the alarm will trip. I would think that would clear or indict a bad door switch.

SK, English is my native language, but I am having some trouble with this sentence. Can you interpret for me?

You have an outlet in the glovebox? I have a 98 and there are two in the back(each door), one near the ash tray and one in the armrest compartment. But nothing in the glovebox. Concerning your maintenance before a trip...I look it as what you should NOT do. Don't do any major stuff, (like timing belts, water pump or engine rebuild ;) ) And even seemingly simple stuff can get screwed up and should not be done more than a few days before launch. Give yourself a few days of test driving. Lastly, relax and have fun!

Yep, Billy, you shoulda 'knowed' better. Seriously, thanks for sharing. While many are shooting holes in the idea, its interesting and another option if one is so inclined to experiment. Just out of curiosity, where did you ever come up with that magical incantation?

jcrome, I have this same issue with my 98 Chrysler Town and Country van...the alarm trips intermittently. It has done it for years but I just live with it. How? Well, I go thru a little ritual every time I lock it. First, I lock all the doors with either the fob or by depressing the drivers door electric lock switch. Now all the doors are locked and the alarm is set. Next, I unlock just the drivers door by pressing the fob unlock once. The drivers door is now unlocked and the alarm is deactivated. Finally, I press down the MANUAL lock on the drivers door and close it. The net effect is that all doors are locked without the alarm being set. True, the alarm will not go off if someone tampers with the vehicle but neither will it false trigger. Its not all that inconvenient and I have learned to live with it. And its cheaper than a new Ford Fusion! :D

Bingo, the truth comes out. You probably broke a half-shaft as ArmyofOne mentioned. There is one for each side of the differential that drives each wheel. You gave it a bunch of gas trying to get unstuck and when a tire finally grabbed dry pavement, the shaft was severely stressed. With the car in gear, the drive shaft spinning, do you see one of the smaller half-shafts hanging limp or seemingly unconnected, or maybe spinning w/o turning the wheel? If you jack up the back of the car w/o the engine running and tranny in neutral, can you spin one of the wheels freely by hand? Try each wheel this way and see if the drive shaft turns at all. Or if turning one of the wheels causes the other to turn.

Ok, I tripped the alarm with the OBDII reader connected and checked for any clues...notta one. I found myself a little stumped trying to set off the alarm at first. I rolled the drivers window down, then locked the car with the key fob and waited for the alarm to arm. Then I reached in and pulled on the door handle...nuttin. Ok, I pressed the unlock button...nuttin. Ok, I tried pulling the trunk release...nuttin. Ok, hood release...it did unlatch the hood but again, no alarm. Then I went to the front of the car and started opening the hood...bingo! Good thing because breaking all the windows was next on the list I put the key into the ignition and turned it to silence the horns, performed a scan but got no codes. I would have thought the engineers would have made provision to store some sort of anti-theft code like "Alarm: hood latch" but apparently not. :(

While I am not sure if you would get a meaningful code(s), I would hook up an OBDII reader to the port and have it ready when the false alarm occurs. It might give clues to the perceived source for the alarm trip. Tell you what (what?), I will hook my OBDII reader to my 98 and purposely trip the alarm and see if I get any codes. Will report back later...after I take my wife out for Valentines dinner (I dont think it would be a wise idea to postpone the dinner whilst I checked the alarm!) :P

The dealer can ask whatever they want. And I always feel free to offer a lower price. Take it or leave it. In these times, if you find the car you want at the dealer, be reasonable but give them YOUR bottom-line price and be prepared to walk away. Bet you won't get out the door w/o the keys.

Cowboy...you sound alot like me. I absolutely hate rust and I live in the "rust" belt. Go figure. In my earlier years, I would fly to LA and buy a car just because I knew it would be rust-free. Now to me, having no visible rust is not good enough. I want to crawl underneath the car and not see any significant rusting. Ok, the rotors and a few bolts may have some minor surface rust but thats it. My current 98 LS400 came from Phoenix and has been driven on the salty roads in N. Indiana (and boy, do they salt 'em). However, the factory protection, fit and finish is so good on a Lexus, that I have not noticed any problems. Now, I do try to spray the salt off as soon as possible but on days when the temp does not get above 10 F, its a little hard to do. I crawl underneath each spring and fall and with a can of either primer or rust inhibitor, I hit any metal which might be starting to rust. I dont find much to spray however. It is just pretty solid. Still, I keep vigilance. BTW, I removed that little plastic strip along the rear quarter fenders(four screws) and expected rust to have started. Notta. Dirty(which I cleaned) but not a speck of rust.