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Hi guys, I bought 04 LS Ultra in July to replace my aging 99 LS, unfortunately soon after I discovered I’ve actually always needed two cars. So now I need to get another car to replace the 99. I really like my 04 but buying another seems a bit silly. Both cars cost about the same. A friend of mine is a dealer who has been supplying me with my cars says I should just buy another LS, since according to him; GX is overpriced compared to LS. Apparently there is high demand for GX and LX in Eastern Europe and US dealers have been shipping them there for the last five years. Nonetheless, he had 04 GX in his lot which I test drove and kind of liked. The interior fit and finish is lacking compared to the LS and the seats seems like they were taken straight out of my 99 LS, but all in all it’s a nice SUV. I've never owned an SUV before and with the winter around the corner I just think it would be interesting to have one. Any thoughts. Am I just fooling myself, should I just get another 04 LS? Maybe there is another car I can get for $30,000 that can match the LS (no German cars please)?

Johnhoward, Many thanks for the suggestions. Spraying a hose on radiator this morning didn't improve the situation. Same overheating issue with A/C on. At least there was little need for A/C during commute, so the temp gauge stayed within normal range. Tought part will be finding a decent mechanic. LS spoiled me over the years as i never had to keep good relations with any mechanics. I'll keep you posted on the findings and fixes. Again thanks for your help.

I drive a 99 LS400 with 160k miles on it. Minimal problems to date, but lately the car has been overheating with A/C on. There is plenty of coolant in the reservoir and it only overheats whenever the A/C is on. Yesterday i wasn't paying attention to the gauge and it actually reached the red line. I turned the A/C off and the gauge began to drop rapidly, until it reached the normal middle level. Any suggestions?

In case someone comes across this thread and needs an answer. I've managed to fix the problem by cleaning the throttle body and the fuel system. It took approximately 40 minutes for a kit to perform the necessary fuel-injector clearing. This was definitely a long over due maintenance for my car with 140k miles.

Thanks for the suggestions Blake, I'll do the checks then i get home tonight. I think my car has a mind of its own. After driving about 10 miles this morning both engine check and VSC lights flickered and disapeared. Very strange. Even before the lights went away i didn't feel any change in throttle response or drop/increase in RPM.

Both engine check light and VSC off lights similtaniously went off. I looked up the code and there was a suggestion to replace the fuel filter; can someone please confirm if that really works. And why did the VSC light went off too? Please help.

The steering wheel doesn't move forward when the key is inserted in the ignition. Also the up and down function isn't working either. However, the column retracts when the key is removed from the key ignition. Any ideas what may by the problem the column? Any feedback is appreciated.

:whistles: Alright, so you guys were right, low on coolant. Topped it off with Toyota Red and everything is back to normal. I asked the service guy at the dealership if it was necessary to add distilled water since it was so little that i needed to add and he said it wasn't necessary.

I think i may have my first problem at 135,000 miles. The heater is blowing cold air even when the car is completely warmed up. Before this problem, i would set the climate control at 72 degrees at start up and the hot air would start coming out the vents in small increments at first and then the fan would gradually increase as the car warmed up. The strangest thing is that on occasion i can get it to blow hot air by waiting until the car is completely warmed up and setting the temperature at Max Hot. Just want to get some opinions before taking it to the shop. Hoping its something i can fix myself.

I probably have the highest mileage for a 1999 LS400 with 120,400.

Took a few pictures to give you an idea of how it will look if you decide to get yourself an Ipod with FM modulator. Very simple set up.

Monster's FM modulator looks great at night with its little lights on. I bought it at RadioShack for $70, but you can find it for around $40 on the internet. Monster's FM modulator is considered the best but it cost about twice as much as any other modulator. Also, I have the smallest Ipod, the Mini, with a capacity of 4 gigs, that's enough for 1,000 songs, (more than enough for me). There are other Ipods with capacities of up to 40 gigs, I don't know who needs these but they are out there. The Mini costs $250 and its the most popular. Ipods are the most popular mp3 players because they are very user friendly. I don't know if you realize but there are other mp3 players in the market, for instance Sony has some nice players as well. Before you buy an Ipod, shop around, see what else is out there, maybe you'll like what other manufacturers are offering. With regards to Flanker's question, I have the modulator plugged into the power source in the center upper console. I've never tried positioning my modulator to neither the radio unit nor the antenna in the back, it just sits in the middle of the car. I will post some pictures of my set up when I get home tonight.

I'm using Monster's FM modulator for my Ipod Mini. Solid reception and good sound quality (no interference from local radio waves whatsoever). From personal experience, I found the sound quality is better with the FM Modulator than with the tape adapter.

ECUPirate, You sound as if you have discovered Aladdin's cave with your first trip to Manheim. 10% commission is outrageous. I have been purchasing cars from Manheim for the past 5 years for myself and my friends and the most I have every paid a dealer for this service was $200. Before you start your career as a used car dealer, I strongly suggest you do a search on Craigslist.com and view your competition. Congratulations with your purchase, A8L is a great car.

Lexus doesn't want anyone changing HID bulbs in the 99-00 LS models. It seems the bulbs contain some chemical gas, which can be harmful. Lexus charges around $300 dollars in New York to replace the bulb ( ). The catch is you will not find this special bulb in any AutoZone or Pep Boys stores and the dealerships will not sell you the bulb if you're planning to change it on your own. It isn't very difficult to get the bulb out, however you should be very careful, wear rubber gloves and eye protection. Once you get it out, it will have a part number on it. Using the part number you should be able to find the bulb on the internet. The bulb costs around $50.

I'm very happy with my seat. Nice and soft, perfect for all pothole riddled street throughout NY. On a typical day, i spend roughly 3 hours on the road and I'm 6'2" / 150 pounds. I've adjusted the seat to resemble my lazyboy. The front tip of the cushion is completely up, while the back part of the cushion is completely down. Everyone who has ever driven or rode in my Lexus commented on how comfortable the seats are. Maybe there is something wrong with what pants you're wearing while your driving. I've noticed that I'm always uncomfortable driving in a business suit.

I've had the same problem. The only way to remove a painted pinstripe is to sand it out. I think you should touch up the pinstripes instead of removing them. Yesterday took the car to a bodyshop in Brooklyn and they've repainted my pinstripes for $100.

911

I don't recall seeing any L stamped on the bolt. I've also tried using the crankshaft pulley harmonic balancer from Autozone. I think it was designed to be used primarily for GMC vehicles; didn't work on my car. Anyone had any luck using the harmonic balancer?

It was a breeze for the mechanic to loosen the bolt; he's got an enormous compressor (at least 10 feet high). Also, the bolt has reverse threads. The mechanic also mentioned that I should have tried cranking the car with wrench leaning against the ground. This seems like the only easy way out.

Looks very nice with 20%. I think you would have attracted every cop in the state if you went with 10%. Nice job.

Just want to get some opinions from the club. I've been planning to change my timing belt and the other necessities for over three months now. Finally this weekend the inevitable happened. Like many others i planned on challenging the timing belt myself. I bought all the necessary parts and liquids from the dealer on Friday and on Saturday i got up early in the morning to start the operation. One aspect of the operation haunted for months that being of course the crankshaft pulley bolt and how i was going to loosen it. I've looked all over for possible solutions on how I'd be able to loosen the sucker myself and came to realization that the only practical way was to use a compressor and an air wrench. I went to Home Depo and bought a moderately powerful set for $210. The preliminary deconstruction in the engine compartment went very smoothly until i came face to face with the bolt itself. The air wrench didn't fit in the compartment with the radiator still in it, hence i had to take it out, eventhough i didn't have to if i had a smaller wrench. The air wrench and the compressor FAILED miserably, I couldn't believe my eyes. I've tried multiple times, still it led me nowhere. At this point, i recruited my father and my younger brother to build a home made device to hold the wheel in place while i try to loosen the bolt with a wrench myself. Three devices where build, all destroyed. Last suggestion was made to crank the car while a wrench is held firmly against the ground. The idea sounded very desperate to me and extreme dangerous, since it might break the bolt. In the end after four hours, the bold got the best of me. I kind of anticipated this might happen so i arranged with my mechanic that he would finish the job for me, which he did for $350 bucks. He did an excellent job and the car is quieter than it was before. My question now is what else could have i done to loosen the crankshaft bolt without a more powerful compressor? Any special tools?

Personally, I don't think its worth the money. For $90K+, Mercedes could have used better leather and moldings in the cockpit. I've had a chance to sit and get a feel of the interior at NYC autoshow in April. The molding pieces felt like plastic; the car didn't have the wood package (which seemed very strange to me given that its a Mercedes). In my opinion, my 99LS has better leather and trim pieces than 03-04 SL500. On the other hand, CL class blew me away. What an awesome machine. Beautiful exterior and very luxurious interior (far better than the SL500). CL500 has been on my wish list for a while now.

The function button works when you have a warning message. For instance, if you ever see "Low Washer Fluid" message, you will have to use the function button to return to your computer readings.

There's nothing wrong with your computer readings. My car reaches 99.99 mpg at cruising speeds down a hill.