SW03ES

Honestly you'll get a much better deal on a leftover '08. Unless you're leasing, i'd buy an '08. The '09s should be out...

I really think they're wrong. 5W30 could still be synthetic obviously...

If the dealer will do it for free, have at it! Any rattles would be covered under the 1 year 12k mile warranty that Lexus has for their work.

Before you make any agreements in terms of compensation, be sure to check the difference in the cost of living between Raleigh and Chicago. I don't know what it is, but you should insist on an increase in your quality of living. I have a calculator somewhere that takes what your income is in one area and translates it into the income you'd need to have the same buying power somewhere else. I'll post it. Other than that I agree with you, thats what I'd do too... Keep us posted

There are also some commercially available glass polishes too, but I've not had a lot of success with them...

You should send RJT a PM as opposed to taking a discussion off track...

The knobs are a parts bin item that were used on a lot of vehicles between 2001 and now. Now they're using the wheels like in the ES350 and the new RX will use them too I bet...

Do you click the lock button twice?

I didn't feel screwed by the dealer because of the $20 a quart synthetic oil...I simply opted to bring my own oil from then on. It takes extra time, I could save that time and have the dealer do it if I wanted to spend the extra money but I don't. I'm sure other people do. Again, Lexus is a luxury car company and their dealers charge similar prices to BMW dealers, Audi dealers, Mercedes dealers. You wanna see insance service costs? Buy a Volkswagen. Volkswagen/Audi deliberately designed a prepriatary diagnostic system so people would HAVE to use the dealer, and then resold those diagnostic systems to independent shops at a price none could afford. Thats why an independent VW or Audi shop is so rare. At least the Lexus you can service anywhere. But they don't, the quality of the customer service at Toyota and Lexus are totally different. I know, I have both. Lexus dealers have leather/marble/wood surrounded waiting areas with Plasma TVs, complementary coffee & tea. Mine has an entire grill and cafe. Complementary loaner cars for everything, wash & vaccum with every service. Everyone in there wears business attire and addresses you with tons of respect. Its a very affluent experience and things purchased there cost more than things purchased at Toyota, which is a more typical car dealership experience, guys in jean shirts, waiting rooms full of screaming kids and hard chairs, vending machines. Just like Kohls vs Nordstrom. Why do you think Starbucks costs more than Dunkin Donuts? Don't want to pay for that experience? Then don't, but don't fault them for charging more for it. Its not for people who care about value, its for people who care more about having a enjoyable and convienient experience than it being the best value in town. Its a luxury car, if you were concerned about the best value you should have bought a Toyota. You feel your Lexus is a good value because you see value in its design, features, and the experience of owning it. To someone who don't see that value, they would say your Lexus was overpriced and not worth what you paid...and many people do feel that way. It doesn't mean you were foolish to buy your Lexus, it just means you find value in different things. Its the same way with the dealer.

i used to have a 2000 LS400...black on black, titanium edition i think. it didn't have the squeaks but i was too young for the car then...(30)...so i got rid of it after a couple of years but you're right, it didn't have the squeaks but only INITIALLY. After a couple of years, the car felt a lot less solid. I think you might be a little hard on cars. My dad had a 98 LS400 for 160k miles and I've driven them with 400,000 miles on them and they are just as tight and smooth as when new. If they're maintained properly, the LS takes miles like no other car I've ever driven, including BMWs and Mercedes Benzes. The only reason an LS would feel less solid after a couple years was if it had a hard life of potholes and being driven really hard. I'm shopping for '06 LS430s right now with 20-40k miles and every one I have driven has driven absolutely like new even if they haven't been that well maintained.

Its like anything else, it all depends on how its been treated and maintained until now. They are very easy cars to work on, but they will be more expensive to maintain than a Maxima, its a much more expensive car than a Maxima. As for the suspension, my dad had a 98 that he had until 160k miles. He did have the ball joints replaced at about 140k, but that was all he ever had done to the suspension and his rode as quiet and smooth when he traded it on a new one as it did when it was new. The LS400 is probably the most reliable car on the road, they age like no other car I've ever experienced either. The starter is a common issue, but even when it starts to go it doesn't have to be done right away. If you treat these cars right they can run well over 300,000 miles. You just need to have this one looked at really well to make sure its been maintained properly in the past.

They hired all these people and started all these shows to report on the election. If you watch MSNBC, Rachel Maddow is one. She's on right after Countdown with Keith Olbermann and its basically the same show as Olbermann, same topics, etc. Olbermann and Chris Matthews are safe because they've been on forever, but all these new "pundits" are gonna get creamed lol.

Its built on the Camry platform. The wiper stalk broke? That might fit from any number of Toyotas or Lexuses...

I'm fascinated to see how many of these talking heads get fired now lol

Thats why its the "pursuit" of perfection ;)

Lexus only specifies synthetic oil in the LS460, the rest of them get changed with dino oil unless you ask for Synthetic. DO NOT buy synthetic oil from the dealer. Buy your own oil and take it with you and have them use that. I had a dealer charge me $20 a quart for Mobil-1 I could have bought in a store for $5. Lexus also specifies that the oil change interval (every 5k miles) not be extended when using synthetic.

Well thats life. Its not a business' responsibility to educate their customers about their cost vs their competitors. Thats how the world works. At some point people have to take the responsibility upon themselves to do a little research before they commit their resources to something. I have no sympathy for people who don't. How is your dealer sleazy for selling customers on the value of their services? Thats what businesses and salespeople do. As long as they aren't lying to the customer, of course they are going to suggest to the customer they should use them.

I bet disconnecting the battery won't work... Keep trying the sequence...it can be tricky. Try setting the ODO to TRIP A to start out instead...

You should drive an LS...

You might not be able to do much...

I did feel bad for John McCain last night, they handled him and ran his campaign so poorly...ruined his last chance to be President.

Again...if you don't want to pay the dealer prices don't have the car serviced at the dealer! They don't force you to. Servicing at the dealer is like shopping at Nordstroms instead of Sears. You can't expect to pay the same price at Nordstrom for a similar product as you would at Sears. You pay for the quality of the experience too. Don't assume people who pay the dealer "don't know any better". Everything has a different value to different people. I had my car serviced at the dealer for many years. I knew I was paying a lot more than if I had it done somewhere else, but I enjoyed the experience, I liked the way they treated me, I liked my service guy, I liked the loaner cars, etc. I have since started using an independent mechanic and am enjoying the savings but that doesn't mean I fault the dealer for not charging what they charge...my new guy has a little shop and its him and another mechanic. No niceties, not even a waiting area. Its just a totally different thing. I can buy a suit at Nordstrom or buy the same suit the next season at Nordstrom rack and its dramatically cheaper, but I still enjoy shopping at Nordstrom. Some people don't see the value, but that doesn't mean that others don't. Lexus doesn't charge any more for service or parts than other luxury car brands. Toyota dealer is cheaper...Toyotas are cheaper too, why did you buy a Lexus and not a Toyota? Because you valued the better experience in the Lexus. The dealer is no different. Really the only reason I stopped using the dealer is my service guy left, if he were still there I'd still go there. MOST Lexus owners have more money than they have time or desire for hassle, and the dealer is a pleasant, affluent, and painless experience so they happily pay.

Tough decision. The LS430 is more car, its bigger, the interior has a lot more features and refinement. Personally I like the styling of the 98-00 LS400 better than the 01-03 LS430. Reliabilitywise I think you're fine either way. The LS430 has more electronic doodads to go bad if you get higher packages, radar cruise, power and massaging rear seats, etc.

The knob that resets the odo.

Being CPO doesn't make up for cars that have not been properly maintained. Thats why you need to look for service records. But thats beside the point. You don't have to pay the dealer for the maintenance...but cars DO need to be maintained. If you look at the maintenance schedule its pretty light, and with the independent mechanic I use now the costs are DRAMATICALLY lower. An oil change/tire rotation with synthetic oil used to cost me about $220 at Lexus...now its $90 (the oil alone is $30 BTW, so a normal change would be $70). A 15k mile service would cost me $450 at Lexus...now its $130. The dealer being expensive and the fact that you have run cars in the past with no maintenance and they've run doesn't mean you shouldn't maintain the car. If you look in your lease agreement you'll see that you did agree to maintain the vehicle as per the manufacturer's reccomendations...