SW03ES

Oh this is definately very true. Everyone has an angle, whether they're paid or not. We all have an angle when it comes to Lexus, if only to justify our pride and our purchase we are hardly impartial. As for the markup, yes there is a HUGE markup on tires. I was shopping around for tires and asked the Lexus dealer what they offered, they offered everything OEM and added "we don't make much money on tires, we do it for our customers for convenience" I almost laughed in the guy's face...

Welcome 1SICK! Glad to see you here!

Get the pitchforks and torches!

1SICK- Welcome to the LOC!

The reason Hyundai has started using the MXV4's on their cars is why all carmakers use them, they are cheap on the assembly line. What you fail to realize is that the MXV4's that come on cars OEM are built on different lines than the ones that are sold in retail stores and to lesser tolerances and are MUCH MUCH MUCH cheaper to the manufacturer than they are to the consumer. Those tires probably cost them 10% of what they cost us. Only problem with your experience at NTB is the relatively short list of suppliers they sell, no Toyos, no Falkens etc. The people that sold me my Toyos (also not on comission) said they used to feel the same way about the Michelins until they started selling the Toyo TPT's. Another problem with your story about transforming tires with all kinds of ride problems into like new with the Michelin tires. Sure, that makes sense you're replacing old worn out improperly maintained tires with brand new ones!

Sorry to hear about the car! Hope it can be repaired. Honestly though, this looks like the perfect time to repaint it ;) Paint it all one tone.

Probably. The newspaper is pretty abrasive, not a problem on glass which is very hard, but it is a problem on tint which is soft and easily scratched.

We finally get the headlamp washers in 04 ;) Its in great shape Craig!

Well what you have to understand is that the figures the magazines and carmakers publish are found on: Brand new cars In perfect weather On a drag strip Using brake revving to start No A/C, minimum amount of gas, no cargo Odds are you're not getting the most out of what the engine CAN do, your test is more of a test of real world acceleration. The Gen 1 LS is not particularly fast. You might get around 8.5 for a third gen LS in the real world...

Chrome trim, paint, plastic trim. I think the glass MFs are like $2 each. Another thing is you can use them on tint, you can't use newspaper on tint.

Again though, its also 15 years old with 250,000 miles.

I doubt it caused any problems, more likely you just noticed the misalignment now...

Newspaper works great but it has a few drawbacks, it can scratch trim around windows, its messy, the cloth gives the same results and its easier to work with.

RX is absolutely correct, you're just not going to be able to acheive the same depth with white, silver, beige etc as you can on dark colors. I had a white car before the Lexus and got the darker color for the look and it may be my last one. Sure it looks great when its clean but its only clean for about 10 miles. I wash it twice a week. What you want to do is try and maximize gloss. I'd reccomend a pure sealant for maximum reflectivity, Klasse, Zaino, Poorboys EX-P, IZ Glanz Wax etc.

Well no, it would not be safe for a car to be totally silent. As cars go though the LS is about as quiet as they get.

No problem ;) Chuck- Yeah they make tight weave MF towels for windows that have almost no nap to them, they're just cloths. They work much better on glass.

This is VERY true, and I've argued this time and time again on here. I'm not saying some people don't have problems, but some people keep on looking for problems too. No offense to RX in NC (and I mean that, please don't start another argument this is only an example) but his first posts on here were about his wife wanting an RX300 and him being so unhappy with it, well before his transmission problems started. He's also said several things about telling his wife regardless of how she likes the RX they will not get another one. He's hated that vehicle since day 1 making him hardly impartial. Keep in mind that you're coming from an Explorer, one of the most notorious vehicles for transmission failure on the road. 85% of the A4LD transmissions in the Explorer fail before 75,000 miles. I do agree with RX in NC about the FX however, although not because of engineering issues (Infiniti has had many problems with the FX, recalls about poor seat materials and interior parts, recalls about the steering rack and gear, drivability problems with the big 20in wheels) but simply because its a much cooler vehicle in a much sportier package. If you don't have a family to haul around, go for the FX.

I totally agree. One of the specifications of not only the normal Lexus warranty but the extended warranty on the transmission is that only the Toyota T-IV fluid be used. It really is a very advanced fluid that cannot really be duplicated aftermarket as it has several patents on its formulation. Even if it weren't, you might save a few bucks here but you'd think that was pretty foolish if your transmission fails and you've got a $5000 bill because you cheaped on fluid.

I also don't buy the whole bit about the RX330 being poor in the snow. For one we've seen no deaths reported to the NHTSA due to the RX330 being poor in the snow. My ES300 is ONLY FWD and its excellent in the snow. My parents have an FX35 with a similar AWD system and its great in the snow. In fact, I can't recall anyone but wwest complaining about the RX in the snow. I wouldn't be worried, for one thing the Cadillac SRX has the same kind of AWD system, as do all the luxury crossover SUVs. Its the same AWD found in a car, no its not the same AWD as in a truck but few people ever use that, and its plenty for the purpose the RX is designed for. As for a 380 or something no, the engine was upgraded in 2004 from 3.0 to 3.3 it will be several years before Lexus replaces it. Lexus isn't going to design anything that is vastly different from the RX330 in the AWD department because thats what people want. Basically just realize its not really an SUV, just a big car. An AWD car.

Yep.. my 05 330 has it. Just have to get a Bluetooth phone now! But one of the other posts says you can only dial when you're not moving, just like the nav. Not sure because I haven't tried it yet. ← You can dial from about 16 saved presets but you just can't dial freehand when the car is moving. I don't see the big deal but people always complain about this. Do you have more than 16 people you routinely call while moving?

The custom luxury package was delayed from the onset. If you have the nav system and not the door closers then you have the nav/lev package that is still sold beneath the custom luxury package. I believe in 04 its called the modern luxury package. You're also missing leather dash coverings, the analine leather, the special UL wood, and a few other things.

Banterer- $49,000 is way high for your LS430. Low 40s are possible but not 49k. You may see cars listed for that amount, and Lexus may sell CPO LS430's for that amount but your car will no longer be CPO when it is resold and list price is not what the deal is made at. Cars from dealers are CPOs and will command ~ $6,000 more than a privately sold car. Back in 2003 I was looking at UL 01 LS430s in the mid-40s. Plenty of people do, the wholesale value books aren't always completely accurate depending on your location. I've found that usually the values for "fair" condition are the going rates. "good" and "excellent" are way too high. Sorry...

First of all I don't really appreciate that, I do have hand eye coordination I just don't care for the product, thats my opinion and I'm entitled to it. Second of all I don't spray products onto the interior surfaces for two reasons. 1. it makes a mess. Glass cleaner gets on the dash, dash protectant gets on the glass. 2. Its an impercise way to do it, you waste too much product. To do windows I spray glass cleaner on a paper towel and spread it around, then wipe clean with a ultrafine glass MF. For other products I use terry applicators to apply and an MF to dry. As for protectant I think a shiny dash looks cheesey so I only apply a very matte dressing to protect once a month or so, so I couldn't use ArmorAll to hide overspray. Thats another reason invisible glass doesn't work for me, the foaming cleanser makes it difficult to apply by towel. You like it and thats fine, but the reason it doesn't work for me is not that I don't know how to use it, I don't think its a good product and thats my opinion. Also, ANY glass cleaner will damage interior components if left on them too long, ammonia or not. Glass cleaner contains a lot of chemical agents that will take the color out of interior trim peices. I really wouldn't let it overspray. That goes for the exterior too, glass cleaner will pitt the paint real quick not to mention if it oversprays and you wipe it off it will remove the wax coating from that area. Chuck- Yeah you can get the 20/20 at any car parts store. While you're there see if they have any glass microfibers they work the best at getting a streak free shine, aside from newspaper.

You can identify that it is a CPO car but the CPO warranty does not transfer like the bumper to bumper warranty does. Meaning when you resell it it will no longer be CPO. I wouldn't mention it because it brings attention to the fact that its a 2 owner vehicle which is not preferable in a car so young.

Thats pretty expensive when you figure in the value of the dollar back then. What cost $55,000 then would cost $89,675.20 now. That was a $90,000 car just like the S class is now. Now if you figure in what a 2004 LS430, even a UL would have comparitavely cost in 1986 you'd be looking at $42,932.72. The S class was always a very, very expensive car.