steviej

the abnormal wear is a common complaint on the GS430, as far as I have read it is an alignment issue that sounds like it is hard to resolve on the 430. Check you tire sizes again, the OEM runflat size was 245/40-18. Secondly, I don't think 240 is a valid width for a tire. They usually come in increments of 10 starting at 185 (195, 205, 215, 215, 225, 234, 245, etc.) Lastly you most definately can use non-runflats. I dumped mine this past year. steviej

glad I could be of help. steviej

my advice would be not not get one. These leather or leatherlike bras will actually do more damage to the paint in the long run than the immediate protection from rocks and pebbles. They rub against the paint and cause micro scratches as well as start to dull the paint. Moister gets trapped under the bra and will help facilitate the damage. If you are looking for paint protection, then consider the clear 3M film product. steviej

the newer models also have turn signals in the side view mirror cases, the 2006 did not. steviej

That explanation is well described in the owners manual. steviej

this used to happen occasionally on my 02 ES as well. It was only on one particular station. I had a friend tune to the same station in his car while parked next to me. My lost signal and his didn't. I wanted to make sure it was not the radio station. The simple solution I found when this would happen would be to manually tune away from that station using the dial. Then tune back to that station using the dial again. Then press and hold your preset button to reprogram that station in again. This seemed to reset the preset and the intermittant signal loss stopped. For some reason just reprogramming the preset didn't do the trick. You have to manually tune away from and go back to the station. Go figure. Give it a try. steviej

don't apply any aftermarket product to stop belt squeal. Did you have OEM belts put on or aftermarket? Just take the car in (to a Toyota or Lexus dealership) and explain the situation. Have them tighten the belts. They may even do it on good faith to gain you as a new customer. steviej

You condem a car let alone an entire make due to warped rotors? I think that is crazier than you not allowing your Lexus dealership to help you. Odd that you praise Toyota but blame Lexus. My 02 ES had some rotor issues because there was a material mismatch by Toyota between pads and rotors that made the rotors very susecptable to warping. Lexus issued a TSB and took care of it. Brake rotor warping is not uncommon for any make and model car. It is very easy to do. Go out and heat up your brakes with very aggressive braking then immediately run you car through a deep puddle. The instant cooling of the very hot metal will warp a rotor. Now consider how some people brake aggressively while it is raining, again hot rotors and cool water. Rotor resurfacing is a very common practice as well. Why replace a part when the problem can be corrected with a simple and less expensive way. If, after resurfacing the rotor, it is still within safety specifications for thickness then the practice is totally acceptable. steviej

take it to AutoZone, get the CEL codes read for free. Copy the codes down, post them up here. I am curious to see what code is causing you mechanic to perscribe a computer recalibration. Then I would like to know what he means by recalibration. Does he mean a reflash of the ECU?

most often times it comes down to the brand and grade of gas you are using. Try various brands and see if the smell lessens with others. If you search on "sulfur" or "rotten eggs" you will find many a thread. If you look on www.alldata.com at most any year and model of Lexus, you will see a TSB announcement usually entitled "Exhaust System - Excessive Sulfur Odors". steviej

Randy, I hear what you are saying. I agree, abnormal wheel alignment can manifest itself before symptoms such as abnormal tire wear show up. A car out of alignment may pull slightly to the left or right (as you also stated), or you might feel a slight vibration not caused by out of balance wheels or a recently damaged rim (ie potholes damage). Personally, when I buy a new set of tires a wheel alignment "check" comes with the purchase. If the alignment is off, after the new set is put on, then they will ask me if I want a complete alignment done. If out of spec, then I will get it done. Keep in mind, in a case like this, the last alignment was done the last time the tires were replaced (which may have been three years prior, barring incidents). In addition, I may opt to have an alighment done when I swap my 17" winter tires for the 18" summer tread. If after I swap them, the car does not track well or the steering wheel is no longer level, then I will take it in. If the car tracks perfectly and the L on my steering wheel is level with the current set up then that is my benchmark. If the second set does not change the track or the position of the L, then I don't do an alignment. I don't wait for abnormal tire wear to have it checked or done. In 20 years, 4 cars with 4 wheel independent suspensions and at least 11 sets of various tires (all season, winter set, summer set, etc) I have never had a case of abnormal tire wear by following this simple practice. In support of my orginal post, whenever I have a wheel alignment done on my car, I always have a 4 wheel alignment done by my local tire shop, not my dealership. It's a sound $70 investment, at least to me. steviej

Does an AWD vehicle require a 4 wheel alignment?? This is from TireRack's webiste and can explain better than I can. The different types of alignments offered today are front-end, thrust angle, and four-wheel. During a front-end alignment, only the front axle's angles are measured and adjusted. Front-end alignments are fine for some vehicles featuring a solid rear axle, but confirming that the front tires are positioned directly in front of the rear tires is also important. On a solid rear axle vehicle, this requires a thrust angle alignment that allows the technician to confirm that all four wheels are "square" with each other. Thrust angle alignments also identify vehicles that would "dog track" going down the road with the rear end offset from the front. If the thrust angle isn't zero on many solid rear axle vehicles, a trip to a frame straightening shop is required to return the rear axle to its original location. On all vehicles with four-wheel independent suspensions, or front-wheel drive vehicles with adjustable rear suspensions, the appropriate alignment is a four-wheel alignment. This procedure "squares" the vehicle like a thrust angle alignment, and also includes measuring and adjusting the rear axle angles as well as the front. not surprised. you won't find it in the IS 350 manual, the GS manual, the Ford manual, the Chevy manual, etc. steviej

I stated 205/65-15 is the OEM tire size of the 98 ES. I did not state that this is the size he should use for a snow tire size if he was going to put them on a newer model ES. I have no idea what tire size his snow tires are (see the first line of my post). All that aside, you are correct. If one were to buy new snow tires and mount them on 15 rims and then mount that set on a newer model (2002-2009) ES then the better choice of tire size would be the 205/70-15 tire. Hence the reason why I posted a link to a very nice wheel / tire size calculator. steviej

Have you seen the fluid. Is it dark red or black. Tranny fluid is usually a deep cherry red color, somewhat sweet smelling and should be very viscous and smooth. Also keep in mind that the fluid color may vary depending on manufacturer and type. If it was done by the dealership then I would assume they used Toyota T-IV which is a nice deep red color. Look on your invoice and see if it is listed as to what they used for fluid. Also see what was done for the fluid change. If it was a total flush then all the fluid was replaced with new. If they did a simple drain and fill, then only about 1/4 to 1/3 of the existing fluid is drained out and then that volume is replaced with new. This means that 3/4 to 2/3 of the old fluid remains. This fluid may be darker than new fluid just do to age and use. 3 quarts of new fluid is not going to bring 11 quarts of old fluid back to a fresh red color. Do you follow me so far? Most dealerships just do the drain and fill method for tranny fluid unless a specific power flush is requested. If a powerflush or total replacement was done then you would have been billed for 12 to 14 quarts of tranny fluid. Check your invoice and see how many quarts of tranny fluid you paid for. If the fluid is gritty, has a burnt smell to it and dark black then I would worry. You can easily tell by pulling out the tranny dipstick and check these. Don't pull out the oil dipstick and check that by mistake. Unfortuneately there is no warranty on services in the sense you are talking about. Most dealerships will warranty parts and any mishaps that occur during the maintenance but usually not fluids themselves. If the car is burning tranny fluid in 10k miles then something is wrong, but you should have some other signs as well. You may have a loud or grinding tranny, you may smell a burning odor, you may experience less smooth shifting and maybe even some gear slippage. You could have all of this and still not have any trouble codes. What does the car "feel" like to you, does it shift smooth between gears and not slip? I hope this helps. steviej

you have an RX with AWD, get the 4 wheel alignment. In all honesty, you can't do a true front wheel alignment unless the rear wheels are in proper alignment. So it just makes sense to do all four corners. steviej

it takes less than 30 minutes to change this sensor out. Just do it when the engine is cold. It's a tight squeeze on your arm and it gets wicked hot back there. steviej

$1800 is pretty steep. I had the timing belt, water pump and accessory belts done at 90k and it cost me $1000. The rest of the 90k shouldn't add up to $800. Call a toyota dealership and see what they would charge you. steviej

P1135 = Air/Fuel Ratio Sensor Heater Circuit Malfunction (Bank 1 Sensor 1) I am surprised they said they did not know. How did you phrase your question, or on the other hand, what exactly was their response? steviej

The OEM part is made by Denso. You can get these online for about $120. here Correct, Bank 1 Sensor 1 is the sensor between the exhaust manifold and the catalytic converter (hardest one to get at) on the side of the engine closest to the firewall/windshield. steviej

When I needed to replace my windshield, I asked my lexus dealer who they use and took my car to them. They replaced it with a Pinkerton (aftermarket) windshield and you would not have known the difference. The rain sensor worked fine. I wonder if they company that did your replacement remembered to reuse the gel adhesive pad. That part is vital to the sensing mechanism. Sounds like your only recourse is to sue. Have it redone by a reputable shop and have that shop document all the problems with your current replacement. Remember, if you bring the law suit to someone else, the burden of proof lies with you. steviej

this exact situation happened to me with my motorcycle. I bought the extended service contract/warranty through the dealership and not Kawasaki's extended service plan. 6 months later the dealership closed it doors due to "loss of lease". I found out that they actually went bankrupt but wanted to save face incase the owner decides to open a new business somewhere. I was in the process of taking the dealership to small claims for the $750 I spent on a service contract that would not be honored when I got a letter saying that all extended warranties were going to be honored by another dealership. Problem is the dealership is twice the distance from me as the now defunct one. Had I gone with the Kawasaki EW, then I could take it to the dealership of my choice. If you must have an extended warranty, I would say you would be better served by the Lexus one. steviej

most service centers provide alternate power to the ECU when the battery is disconnected. This way the customer does not lose radio presets, seat memory positions, etc. This alternative power source I believe allows ECU programming to not be reset to defaults. steviej

best thing to do is call you dealership and have them run you VIN to confirm. steviej

I remember my 02 ES and I had to move the steering wheel like a half inch and then turn the key. Did you try that? I also remember some members in the IS forum posting similar problems in the early model IS300's. steviej

Currently I am holding steady at 22.5 mpg, just as it was before my GS's surgery. steviej