smooth1

i don't mind eating in my car myself cuz i'm careful but i won't let anyone else eat in it lol...

After I thought about it, yeah, I'm the same way. I don't eat it in it at all when other people are in the car cause they think it's ok then. So eveeryone knows no eating or drinking in the Lex. But when no one is around.......Hey, it's my car. I do what I want. LOL!

Except the wifey ?

Even the wife......

i don't mind eating in my car myself cuz i'm careful but i won't let anyone else eat in it lol...

After I thought about it, yeah, I'm the same way. I don't eat it in it at all when other people are in the car cause they think it's ok then. So eveeryone knows no eating or drinking in the Lex. But when no one is around.......Hey, it's my car. I do what I want. LOL!

I keep 4 black towels in the car at all times. So, when I have to eat in the car, I lay the towel down on my lap and eat over that. Then wash the towel when I get home. I also use them for incidental rain intrusions when you open and close the door. There is somewhat of a design issue with the IS model regarding this. When it's raining out, when you open the door, your almost garanteed a nice long drip of water on your driver seat.

Nice! Welcome to the LOC.

Like the title says, one night i woke up with something hard in my shorts, it was an urge to ghostride my whip!!!

http://www.youtube.c...player_embedded

That's just retarded! Let's put our cars in drive and get out and walk, or dance around the car. You should wear your underwaer outside your pants instead also, and hey, how about using hats for shoes instead too. That could be really cool! I think this whole idea is really catching on for the new generation, heck they go to school and learn to become pro Guitar Heros, and Rock Band stars, so why not?

Hello. Welcome to the LOC.

Welcome to the Lexus Owners Club. The RX forums here are very helpful.

Welcome to the LOC.

All the best NC211. Believe and be strong.

Oh yea I didnt know about the sensors when I changed my wheels until they light went on and now I have to take the old one out of my old rims and have them installed in the new ones ..thats gonna be a pain in the butt unless someone knows how to just shut that warning light off...any suggestions?

If you don't want to go thru all that hassle, then your going to have to get a $30.00 trailor tire from Walmart. (It's a tiny tubeless tire.) Deflate it, and toss in all 4 sensors, then reinflate the tire to 38-40 psi and keep that in your trunk until the next time you replace the tires. They are going to charge you a couple hundred bucks to install those sensors now. You can't turn the TPMS off.

I've recently been looking at purchasing a 2006-2007 Lexus IS 250 with around 50,000 miles.

1.

1. I know the 60,000 mile scheduled maintenance inspection is one of the first largest costs the IS comes to, and am wondering if anyone thinks it may be feasible to work a deal with an authorized dealer to include the 60,000 mile inspection free with the purchase of the car (depending on how close the car is to 60,000 miles). Has anyone ever attempted this or have any thoughts?
   If they would not do it, do you feel it may be worthwhile to just purchase the car with 60,000 miles to where the 60,000 Mile Scheduled Maintenance Inspection has already been completed?

I really don't want to buy a ~55,000 mile car just to turn around and pay $1,000 - $1,500 in maintenance costs.

Most of the cars I have found that are certified come with an additional 3 year/100,000 mile warranty from Lexus.

2.

• Do you feel it is worth paying the additional cost (~1,500 - 2,000) to buy a certified car from a Lexus dealer, versus a private seller or non-Lexus dealer, to have this warranty on the car?

3.

• If buying the Lexus from a Private Seller or non-Lexus dealer, has anyone ever had the seller take the car to a Lexus/Toyota dealer of their choice and have them do a thorough inspection of the car; to be able to review the results and actual condition of the car before purchasing it? Anyone have any idea what a Lexus/Toyota dealer would charge to do the inspection?

Thanks for all your help!

Greg

I would definately negotiate in the cost of doing the 60k service. I would just have them do the service as a condition of purchase. And yes, I would spend the few extra bucks on a certified preowned car unless your buying from a private owner. In that case, talk to the owner and find out where they had the car serviced. If it's a dealer serviced car, you can have the current owner call the dealer and have them pull a maintenance history on the car for you to see for yourself. If they take it outside for service, then you'll have to have the car inspected by someone who knows what they are doing, pull a carfax, and so on.

A bad igntion switch huh? (shakes head.) Little things can happen to any car, I wouldn't rush to any judgements on it. You've had the BMW now what almost 2 years?

Red soda stains huh?,,,,,,,,,on the carpet on the floor boards.........use turpentine. Then use warm dish soap water to get the turpentine out. It's going to smell like Pine Sol for a bit afterwards, but it works.

Those peice of sh*t European cars, BMW = Bring Money With ya!! Your lucky it lasted this long........... LOL!

So have they said what the issue is yet? I have heard alot about the BMW alternator issues though. So your probably right.

I thought about that Smooth, and heard verizon might be getting the iphone too. But, i simply decided that if they do get it, there will probably be something else associated with it that wouldn't make enough of a difference to me to wait. At the end of the day, they'll get you one way or another. The main reason we've had our cell service with AT&T for so long (years, even when it was cingular) is the rollover minutes. Last time I had a surprise phone bill was in 2004, when I was with Altel in Raleigh. I got scammed during a freak ice storm that had me stuck on a road for nearly 12 hours "whole town was stuck". Everytime I tried to make a call, even though the circuits were all busy, they charged me for it. Scammed me out of $200. Been with AT&T ever since. They lose that rollover plan though, and they'll probably lose a big chunk of their business.

Yeah, I admit that I have a personal issue with AT&T as well. If I can talk one person who was about to go with AT&T and switched them to any other phone company, I get a real sense of satisfaction from that. LOL!! Yeah, I really had some BIG issues with AT&T! I've already told them that every blog, board, email, website, or conversation that I ever have regarding AT&T will become my sole mission to talk them out of signing up with AT&T, and making sure wveryone hears and reads about the very bad service, and treatment I expereinced with them. SO, I'm just doing my job here NC. LOL!!!

I've been with Sprint now for about 11 years. I haven't had any problems. But I also love the iphone, but I hate AT&T even more! I just switched my business phones from AT&T to Bright House Networks, (A cable TV company here). AT&T's max. internet speed is 6 mbs for 79.99 a month. By switching to BHN, I went to 15 mbs for 59.99 a month! After I "bundled" 4 telephone lines, Cable TV, and 15 mbs internet service, my total bill went down $239.00 a month, and I have cable TV in my office now on top of it, whereas before cable tv wasn't an option. Go figure!

So Verizon is supposed to be getting the iphone in a couple of months. And they have the same $70/month plan that Sprint has. I was going to wait and see. Heck the way I see it is, without the iphone, AT&T doesn't have anything really! All those years of "If you want an iphone, you have to make AT&T rich" is just about over!

Hello everyone! I recently purchased a 1998 GS300 pearl white (not sure what the actual color name is). It is completely stock for the time being but I'm sure I will add to it eventually. "It's the wife's car"

I am in a Toyota, Scion, Lexus car club here in Phoenix called Team Aftermath. I also own an '06 Scion xb.

I figured I needed a good family car and went with the Lexus.

I don't have any pics yet because I am lazy but I will post some up soon.

Sounds nice. Welcome to the LOC. Did you get a good deal?

On IE8 I was having some issues also. So here are a few suggestions that finally worked for me.

1) On the IE8 browser, top right side, look for the tools tab. Click on it and go to compatability settings first. A new window will come up, in that window, at the very bottom, start with making sure there is NOT a check mark in "veiw all internet websites in compatability mode." - To be clear, you don't want that setting.

2) Next make sure the website is not listed in the box above also. If it is, delete it.

Sign off, and then come back to the website. If your still having crashes and freezes, then you may be having an add on conflict. I just did a browser reset as I don't really have anything in my add ons that I really need or even put there. So you can either do a full reset, or go back to tools and click on "manage add ons".

After I reset my browser and clicked off the compatability mode, I haven't had any problems since.

well...actually....BMW is in the hunt again. I've got my heart set on a 06-07 5 series wagon "530 xi" instead. You know, funny things about BMW - you read all of these horrible things about them. But, when you actually talk to an owner about their's, they have nothing but love and positive comments about them, much like Lexus fans. In fact, I was at the repair shop yesterday having my busted e-brake fixed, and a guy with a 06 530xi wagon with 70k on the clock was having new pads put on. I asked him about it, said it was the best car he has ever owned, has 2 in his house "X5 too", and loves them both. Said he hasn't had a single problem with his, and his kids beat the snot out of it. He let me sit in it....oh brother, are those some super sexy and nice interiors! I love the dash with the idrive screens. So, I think we'll keep the 4runner, and replace the GS with a 5 series wagon "with the certified 100k warranty just in case".

New problem in my car....when in reverse, if I don't have my foot on the brakes when i disengage into neutral, I get a horrible slamming noise underneath with a strong buckling through the system. Only in reverse though. Don't care enough to spend the money to fix it. Already has new trans mount and motor mounts. Not going to touch the differential on this car. I get the feeling someone did a few neutral drops back in the day.

I don't think BMW has had a bad rap for quality, although they do seem to get the electrical boogers alot. The problem with BMW is gettting parts, and when you do, they cost alot. Granted, most service parts are about the same, but you'll see. I have a Volvo that needs a $700.00 windshield wiper motor......700!!!!!!bucks!!! It's just dumb. But it doesn't happen all the time, and I would still get another Volvo. Overall it's a great car. So is the Mercedes Benz ML I got last year. And actually, I would venture to say, that the ML has become my favorite all around everyday vehicle. Yeah, surprised me too! LOL!! SO if your liking a BMW, then I would just get one. Have you looked at a Mercedes of the same category yet?

Welcome to the LOC...

Welcome to the Lexus Owners Club.

It's your valves, but if you think it may be the rings, then you'll need to do a leak down test to find out for sure. Rings usually have other symptoms to go along with the smoke though.

Hi Smoothie,

Tire differences...?

I assume by the tread life ratings, that the Contis are a slightly different compound and have a better wear factor. Also, there is a difference in the tread pattern. But, so far, there is a distinct difference.

This was just a genuine question.

"Actually, this is better advice in a round about way. Most dealers don't have a road force balancer. They aren't in the tire business, and these are expensive machines. But even the most expensive machine can only fix the correctly diagnosed problem. If it's cupping, that's a suspension component issue, and the dealer should be attending to this, but if its feathering then the tire pros should be able to dial that in as well as any dealer, provided they are good also. Keep in mind that the IS models don't even have any camber adjustments available stock. Although I think the AWD does for some reason. "

I am not a tire expert by any stretch, but I have had lots experience with tires (40+ years). I have had tires "road force balanced" and the balancer will not cure an out of round tire. In fact, it's usually been a tire tech or store manager, trying to convince me that somehow their fancy tire balancer is going to magically balance my tire. Road force balancing will NOT cure a problem with a tire or wheel that is defective or its dimensions are outside of the physical requirements for simply balancing the tire on the wheel. It certainly doesn't take an MIT graduate to look at the tire and the wheel while it's spinning on a typical balancer to see if the tire and wheel are out of round or abnormal movement that would cause a problem.

You can balance a square tire while its' spinning. So even if you put an oval tire on a balancer, I can spin balance that thing well back into spec. The spin balancer has no clue nor does it care what shape the tire is. You would have a ridiculuos amount of weights on the rim, but the spin balancer would read it's good.

In my experience, cupping is NOT just a suspension component issue. I've had multiple sets of front tires on my trucks start to cup after 7K or 10K miles. In that case, the cupping is caused by the tread lugs. The spacing between the lugs allows them to "squirm". That condition of tread wear apears to be fairly normal for larger lug truck type tires. And yes, the suspension system and wheel alignment were fine and the tires were religiously rotated and rebalanced every 7K miles. I am anal about vibrations.

We are talking about vehicle geometry here. I really don't want to get all technical and start importing diagrams and charts, but trucks that expereince tire cupping are being overloaded or thier suspension is designed for heavy loads and they aren't carrying any. So the suspension system isn't loaded enouph and causing the cupping. You can't have both worlds. Ford for years used the twin I-beam suspension that was notoriuos for cupping tires, and didn't have a very good turning radius, but it was a very strong suspension set up. The "squirming" on the tread blocks that your referring to is a result , not a cause. They squirm because the suspension is flexing in and out of spec or under and overload.

If the IS250 does not have a camber adjustment, then perhaps the design is bad. Does that mean that the Toyota engineers figured out that there wont' be a problem with wheel alignment, and that camber adjustments to their genuis suspension design won't be necessary? No camber adjust is fairly common on newer front wheel drive cars, but I find it interesting that the rear wheel drive IS250 does not.

I don't really understand this desicion much either to be honest. My only guess here is in the persuit of trying to be more and more maintenance free, they decided most people don't adjust thier camber anyway, so why make it adjustable? It's just one more thing to maintain then.

Please explain what you mean by "but if its feathering then the tire pros should be able to dial that in as well as any dealer, provided they are good also". How does a tire pro shop "dial in" a feathered tire?

Tire feathering is from a bad toe in/out setting. easily adjusted on the rack when they are doing the alignment.

There a millions and millions of tires put on vehicles that work perfectly normal that never see a "road force balancer".

Because those larger sidewalls hide this issue much better. Lower the profile like we have, and you have to be alot more exact.

What does rotating a tire on its wheel 180 degrees do?

Road force balancing measures the roundness of the tire, by measuring the amount of pressure where the contact patch actually is. Most all rims are not perfectly round to begin with, and have some movement in them straight from the factory. So in essence and for the sake of keeping this relatively short, it measures the amount of movement in the rim, then tells the tech to rotate the heavier portion of the tire to the opposite side of where the rim is out of round the most to create a rounder, more even contact patch.

"For most consumers, it's not a big deal to them, so alot of tire shops get away with this. Frequently. I only do business with tire shops that do road force balancing. It's more work for them, as they have to mount the tire, spin it up and measure it, then in some cases, stop, dismount the tire and rotate it on the rim 180 degrees, then remount it, and balance it from there. But I'm much more involved than most I would venture to guess. "

Most consumers.... What's "not a big deal to them"??

The laws of physics are fairly straight forward when it comes to balancing a tire. Although the dynamics are different when the tire is rotating down the road with a load, it's obvious that if a quality, non-defective tire is balanced properly on a typical spin balancer, then 99.99% of the time it's going to work fine on the road. However, I can balance a tire the shape of a football on a spin balancer, but obviously it's not going to be smooth on the road. Bent or out concentric wheels/rims and out of round tires can induce a vibration and cause tire tread to cup, regardless of how tight and perfect the suspension components are. That's MY experience.

I have a gut feeling that the multiple post regarding abnormal tire wear issues that have surfaced here, and with my own experience with my wife's IS250, that 1) The choice of factory tires by Lexus was stupid. 2) The suspension system on the car is way too loose or a *BLEEP* poor design.

Again, the IS250 as a top brand luxury 4-door sedan at $38,000 US dollars, should NOT have tires that wear out in 10,000 miles!!... camber adjustment or no camber adjustment!!

Sometimes you surprise me Randy. I would think you should be more familiar with suspension geometry's as you have racing in your background. Every car manufacturer has the exact same desicions they have to make, and no matter what that desicion is, there are a bunch of haters complaining and sniveling over it. The facts are, a suspension system that places the tire in a more vertical postion, ie, gets great even tread wear, corners crappy and is unstable at higher speeds. That's a law of nature that science can't overcome. A tire that is more cambered, has alot more stability at high speed, and offers alot more traction in cornering, but at the expense of localized tread wear. Every car ever built faces these same issues. so when they decide tread wear is more important, then you would be complaining that the car doesn't corner very well, understeers all over the place, and won't track, or want to stay on the line you pick with the sterring wheel. You know how some cars feel like they "wander" going down the road all the time? And your forced to constantly correct the steering? they probably get great tire wear. Just look at all those 1980's-1990's cars that get great tire wear, but all performed very poorly. Now we are starting to see some real performance for a change. And when they decide performance is the higher priority, then they have to decide how much tire and suspension wear they are willing to sacfrice to achieve the level of performance they are looking for. 15-20k miles on performance tires is common across the board. Maybe you should be driving a Volvo?

That's just my worthless opinion.

Is it replace this relay will fix my Lexus AC light blinking. My Lexus have no cold or hot air and the AC light blinking then it shut off. Do I need to disconnect the battery first before replace this relay?

I honestly can't even figure out what your saying here.

How can anyone clear answer this read to understand when the posts to grammatical type is even when it's so hard to read?

Wasn't aware that rust was covered under the warranty. Is this only for the duration of the bumper to bumper warranty? Or does it only apply if you had the car rust proofed by the dealer?

Yeah, the corrosion warranty is a seperate warranty, but comes with the basic warranty. It's for 72 months no matter the mileage I believe. I'm sure if you go the the Lexus website they would have this info listed. In fact, here I just did it for ya, click on this http://www.lexus.com/models/ES/warranty/index.html