TA in KC

I think it is normal. I have seen the material you are talking about in the trunk of many different cars. I'm guessing it is put on at the factory as an extra measure to help keep water from entering the luggage compartment.

The increase in your insurance rates will likely cost more than if you just bought the parts and fixed the car yourself without getting the insurance company involved. Filing a claim will also make it extremely difficult and expensive for you to get insured if you have another accident before you turn 23 years old. If you are still going to file a claim, get the highest estimate possible. Eveland Bros. Body Shop in Merriam is probably a great place to do that. They do some of the best body work in Kansas City and their prices are very high. Keep in mind that your insurance company may not pay based on estimates you obtain. They might just send an adjuster out to look at your car instead. But like I stated earlier, I don't think that filing a claim is a good idea. The name of the salvage yard is Rich Industries, www.rich-industries.com. They have a gray fender for $175. Avenue Auto Salvage located nearby may have a door. If the other person who is parting out the tan-colored car responds to my e-mail message, I'll give you his information. If you don't end up getting parts that are the right color, K.C. Colors Body Shop at 103rd and State Line Rd would probably be a good place to have them painted. A friend has used them several times for his 1994 LS and has been pleased with their work and reasonable prices.

Consumer Reports doesn't have very much data for the Q45, but what they do have looks relatively good for a vehicle you will only own for a couple years. I just talked to a service advisior at an Infiniti dealership who informed me that both the 1999 and 2003 Q45 have timing chains, not belts. He said the chain never needs to be changed as long as the car's oil was changed regularly, as the engine oil is what lubricates the chain.

killerfatty, if you are 15 years old, I would strongly advise you not to file a claim. For now, just fix what is necessary to make the car driveable again and pay out-of-pocket for that expense. Worry about cosmetics later. You'll have another opportunity to get those fixed up. There are lots of Lexus LS cars in Kansas City and I'm sure you'll get yours fixed one way or another. I just e-mailed someone I know who is parting out a tan 1993 LS 400. If he has the parts you need, I'll let you know. While not the correct color, a local salvage yard has a front fender for $175, and I believe another one close by has a door that shouldn't cost much more. Just to give you an idea.

After looking at Consumer Reports, while not anywhere close to any Toyota/Lexus products, the Q45 still appears to be a reasonably reliable car. It is much bigger, has a V8 engine, and looks like it would be a lot more comfortable than a GS 300. It will probably not age quite as gracefully, but if you are only going to keep it for a couple years, that doesn't matter. I'd pick the Q45.

Correct.

If the original poster is less than 23 years of age, like I am expecting, he is paying much more than $400-500 every 6 months for insurance. Insurance rates are much higher for younger individuals under 23 than they are for adults. A friend of mine passed his 1995 LS400 onto his son when he turned 17 years old. He has never been involved in any accidents and his parents are paying $1300 every 6 months for comprehensive, collision, and liability coverage. They live in the same city where the original poster and I both live. And if the original poster goes ahead and files the claim, what if he has another accident before he turns 23? Another claim before that and his insurance company will most likely either drop him or require him to purchase expensive "high-risk" insurance. There are several insurance professionals on this board and the consequences of young drivers filing too many claims have been covered several times in the past. killerfatty, assuming you are a younger driver, I think you should find a way to repair your car on your own, or continue driving it in it's current condition if you are able to do so. Wait to take advantage of your collision coverage until you are driving a newer vehicle that is worth more money. Otherwise, your rates will increase with your current company and you will have a much more difficult (and expensive) time getting insured should you switch companies. Like I said in my previous post...not worth it for a 15 year old car.

It started with the original 1990 LS400.

The ECU defect is hardly a good reason to stay away from the 95 and 96 LS! If there are problems with the ECU, you'll know when you drive the car. For $4-6000 those will likely be the only years you will be able to afford and get an LS that is still in good condition.

Have you already filed a claim with your insurance company? If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I'm guessing you are probably of the younger generation since you say this is the first accident you've been in. If you are in fact a younger individual, the increased insurance rates may not be worth fixing this relatively minor damage on a 15-16 year old vehicle. Filing a claim after an at-fault accident can raise your premium costs around 27%, or even more than that if you are under 21 years of age. They will stay that way for three years afterwards. IMO, regardless of your age, the increase in your insurance costs would not worth it for this vehicle. At least it is still driveable (or appears to be). There is a person on the Kansas City Craigslist who has been parting out 2 LS400s, one the same color as yours, for several months. If the parts are still available, and you would want to do the work yourself, that might be a good opportunity for you to get your car fixed without any paint work and without increasing your insurance costs.

Patty, $400 does not sound all that bad for the replacement parts, but if you feel like that is too much, you could try asking your mechanic if he can find any used ones from a salvage yard. They will probably be much cheaper. Rich Industries is a good place if you do not have a salvage yard with Lexus cars locally. Their web address is www.rich-industries.com

I don't think so. Hybrid cars were popular and many people were buying them even before this economic downturn. The demand for them is still great now, even with gas prices the way they are currently. Have you been to your local Toyota dealership lately and seen how much the used Priuses are going for? When the cost of gas goes back up, I think hybrid and plug-in vehicles will become even more popular than they are now. Of course, there will always be some people who will not be affected by the eventual return to high gas prices and the current economic crisis. Those people may not "give two craps" about hybrid vehicles. As a self-employed individual, I am most certainly feeling the pain. Times like this make me glad I have plenty of savings and don't owe anyone money.

That's exactly what I thought they would say. Repairs done with body filler like Bondo almost never look the same as they did before. The main use of body filler at many shops is rust repair on older vehicles. The best body shops here in Kansas City don't even do rust repair, they just replace rusted panels. The shops that do rust repairs don't even give a warranty on the work because repairs done with body filler do not always age well. Go for the place that is going to replace instead of repair. If the gap between the rear hatch and the quarter panel is no longer uniform, they will probably have to replace the entire quarter panel, not just cut out the dented section and replace.

I think this vehicle is actually based on the Toyota Prius. Toyota has stated that every model will have a hybrid variant by the year 2020. I assume that also applies to Lexus vehicles since many of them share engines with Toyota vehicles. I have heard rumors of an ES hybrid and am guessing that, if the rumors are true, it will be here before 2020.

I think it looks great other than the Ford Taurus-style front grille. Hopefully that is only for the concept model and they choose a more traditional design like the other current models for the production car. That and those blue emblems! I do not care for those.

Do you think your results are typical Blake? Has anyone else had starter failures that early? My '92 LS with 150,000 miles still has it's original starter, as does a friend's '94 with over 300K, and a family member's 98 with 120K. Maybe we are all just lucky! That, or the starter design/supplier have been different from year to year.

Quarter panel replacement does not seem extreme at all to me. I doubt you would be happy with the results of just a repair. If it was me, I'd go with the shop that is going to replace the quarter panel. Don't worry about the structural integrity of the car. As long as it is repaired properly, it will be just fine.

Just remember that Lexus dealerships are independent businesses and do not necessarily operate in accordance with "The Lexus Covenant". Lexus corporate really has little control over the way they choose to treat their customers. Some dealerships, like ours in Kansas City (#1 CSI out of all 212 Lexus stores), are excellent, while others are terrible. There is also an independent shop here that is staffed with former Lexus dealership employees. I have had good experiences at both places. I generally go to the independent shop more often. They are much further away from my house, but the cheaper prices make up for it and they still have loaner cars like the dealership does. If you didn't like the service you got at Pohanka Lexus, I suggest you try another dealership or see if you have a similar independent mechanic in your area that specializes in Lexus cars.

amcdonal86, I didn't mean to make it sound like the Daizen bushings are the only good ones out there. The OEM ones will do just as good, if not a better job. They are just more expensive. If there are no Daizen bushings available for your car, I would just stick with the OEM ones and stay away from "universal" aftermarket parts. A Lexus dealership service writer once told me that they never replace the bushings alone, only the entire stabilizer bar assembly. I would purchase the OEM bushings from the parts department yourself and bring them to a mechanic of your choice. They should be no problem for any competent mechanic and much cheaper than a Lexus dealership.

generally in the US you have to show proof of ownership for a vehicle in order for most lexus dealerships to give you the detailed service sercords. But, the lexus dealerships will likely have a detailed description of what work was done on your car. also keep in mind, carfax only sees what was reported to the insurance companies, if accident damage was repaired without going through insurance then it's kinda hit or miss. I've called and asked my local Lexus dealership to fax me service information for various Lexus vehicles several times. They have never asked for proof of ownership. The service records do not contain any of the previous owner's information so I don't think there is any reason to.

amcdonal86, I think you should start by replacing the stabilizer bar bushings (some call them sway bar bushings). I had what sounds like the same problem you are having, and replacing them fixed it completely. IMO, they are a good place to start because they are much cheaper than replacing the strut bars. I replaced the stabilizer bar bushings with Daizen polyurethane bushings purchased from Sewell Lexus. Before purchasing them, I was skeptical about using aftermarket parts and asked the opinion of the parts manager at my local Lexus dealership. She assured me that "if Sewell sells them, they are a great product". The Daizen bushings turned out to be excellent and much cheaper than Lexus OEM bushings. The OEM rubber ones are $20 each, the Daizen bushings were $30+shipping for the set of four. They are very easy to install.

Sometimes it is better to use an independent body shop instead of one that is part of a dealership. Unlike dealership body shops, most independent shops have to do good-quality work if they want to stay in business.

Cold temperatures cause the seals to shrivel up and become brittle so more fluid leaks out of them. I'm not sure what you mean by "external" and "internal" leaks, but you can bypass the speed-sensitive steering by removing the flow control valve, installing a bolt where it used to be, removing the small hoses connected to the intake manifold, and installing vacuum caps where they were connected. If you replace the pump you should do this unless you want to pay an additional $175 for a replacement flow control valve. Yours is surely shot at your car's age and mileage. PS fluid leaks come from many different places, the flow control valve is one of them. PM or e-mail me if you want a detailed description.

Tony, Does your car leak any oil from the valve cover area?

Yours is beautiful too. :)