GuyTelefunken

Have you noticed that the cupholder in your GS is worthless? I haven't had a chance to look yet, but I'm wondering of the cupholder in the newer cars is different than the one in the '98 GS300 that I have. Basically, it is a shallow void in the console which almost any can or cup will launch out of when your right foot gets a little heavy. Have they changed on the newer models? Has anyone come up with a better cup-holding solution?

Hey Paul C., just a note on your post. That "ticking" sound that you mention is called brake-shift-interlock. Its' function is to prevent you from putting the car into gear without your foot on the brake. When you press the brake, a switch activates an electromagnet that releases the shifter so you can put the car into gear. Absolutely 100% normal. You can really hear in click loudly in most cars. Until you mentioned it here, I never heard it in the GS.

From what I understand, the actual temperature set and the temperature displayed are adjustable by the dealer either +2/-2 deg C. (+3.6/-3.6 deg F.) This change is available under the "Lexus Customization Chart" but is, as I said, a dealer only operation. Why this option exists is elusive to me. If you were not the original owner, it is possible that this setting was changed before you purchased the car. If this is the case, and it was changed at a Lexus dealer, it should be noted in the Lexus national registry associated with your VIN. A simple call to your dealer to check this out may give you your answer. This could be the cause of your issue, or something more serious such as a faulty temp. sensor or the like.

Anybody ever notice that the air temperature of the outermost vents on the dash (not the door vents to defrost the side windows) is colder than the center vents after a few minutes with the heater on? This puzzles me. It's gotten to the point where I feel like I need to wear my coat to keep my left arm warm. Besides shutting the vent and freezing even more from the cold coming from the side window glass, is there anything I can do? Shouldn't all the dash vents blow the same temperature?

I'd love to see the system design diagram for the climate control in a '98. Can any good man point me to a website?

I agree with Rush48. This car does not have a vacuum assisted brake booster, but rather an electrical pump to create hydraulic brake pressure. Owing to the system design, I would assume that it is normal, yet bothersome. Why would Lexus, the king of the smooth and silent, utilize such a noisy, obtrusive system in their vehicles? Beats me!

On the other hand, here is where I too have a problem. When this pumps kicks in, usually after using the brakes every 5th. or 6th. time, it can make the car lurch forward a little. For instance, if you're moving along going say, 65MPH, and you touch the brakes....if the pump kicks in at that particular moment, the car will lurch forward slightly and then smoothly brake afterwards.

Can anyone else verify this operation? On a side note, if your pump happens to be quiet enough that you don't actually hear it, you can verify that it is kicking in when you hit the brakes. The pump draws 27 amps of battery current and will cause the headlights to dim noticibly when driving at night. You can also see this happen when you are stopped if you repetedly depress and release the brake a couple of times to cause the pump to kick in.

So, the question is...is the lurch normal? Good god, I hope not. It sure is annoying.. But on second thought, I don't even want to think about what it will take to fix it if it isn't. My dealer cost is about $1600.00 for the ABS pump assembly. Yet they offer me no assistance to verify if there is actually a problem.