Jim W

When I bought my 05 LS430 with 30K miles in March of 07, I took it to my local Lexus dealer & they did all the paper work on their computer to get it transfered to my name. There was also a form in the owners manual that I mailed in to change it over to me. The dealer also printed out all the service records for the car & gave it to me. I also had them do the 30K service.

Lately I've been noticing the my sunroof/moonroof opens more slowly than normal. It's also a little louder. This morning when I got in the car I tried to open it and it could here it trying to open but it wouldn't. after a couple tries it finally opened but stull moving slowly. has anyone ever had this issue. What are possible solutions?

When I travel down long steep grades, I shift the transmission to a lower gear, so that helps to keep the speed down & I don't have to use the brakes so much. I tow a travel trailer with my Suburban keep it in second gear going down steep mtn roads. When I do steep on the brakes, I step on it a little harder to slow faster & then keep my foot off the brake until I need to slow it more. Be sure you don't ride the brakes.

The smoke is the result of the front brakes overheating, and the increased pedal pressure you detected is called "brake fade" as the heated pads no longer produce the friction they did when cold. New brakes overheat just like old brake pads - and brake fluid can boil too. Brake rotors that have been turned or worn too thin will overheat more quickly (less of a heat sink) but brand new ones will overheat too.

The trick is to descend the hill more slowly and use the brakes less. As an old truck driver with mountain experience I've encountered overheated brakes before. The physics of braking is - double the speed and braking force must increase four times, double the weight and brake force must increase two times. Double both and brake force increases eight times. Weight is not the issue in a car unless you are towing a trailer, but speed definitely is.

One of the reasons Lexus demands that brake fluid be flushed every few years is that as brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air it's boiling point is reduced, and in a situation like you encountered it is possible to boil the fluid in the calipers. Then you would have almost no brakes at all.

By 1993 the LSes brakes had been upgraded twice as a result of the problems you just had.

If you often travel down that winding road then I would seriously consider upgrading the brake system, new rotors, calipers, to at least a late '92

A friend of mine has a 99 Honda Accord that her A/C stopped working. Her dealer told her it was too old for them to work on & they couldn't get parts. She took it to a independent shop & they fixed it. I guess it does take all kinds!