steviej

I am almost at 40k and the only rattles I hear are the typical rough road induced ones you would hear in any vehicle. Maybe I should just shup up and not jinx myself. steviej

Life is good! :D

What year is the GS, I could not find the year in your profile? This was moved to the 06-09 GS forum so I have to assume it is a 3rd generation GS. If so, is it not still under warranty? If it is pre 2006, then I will move this to the proper forum. You problem is most likely the park/brake switch or the park pin. Probably not something you want to get into in your driveway. Take it in, but don't tell them you have been parking on a steep driveway.....just avoid any potential haggles. Just a hint when parking, especially on a hill. Don't use the tranny to hold the car in place. Pull up to where you are going to park, keep your foot on the regular brake, then engage the parking brake, then put the car in Park. This puts the blunt of the force on the parking brake and not on the park pin in the tranny. steviej

no to both of those complaints. My GS is smooth and very quiet. steviej

so you are saying that when you picked up your car after Newport Beach Lexus diagnosed it, they gave you no paperwork, you signed nothing? If it were me, I would have gotten something from them in writing. No way would I have walked out without some kind of report. Anywyay, you should ask the "specialist to meet with you and the general manager of Newport Beach Lexus in the office of the service manager. That way the pompous service manager can explain to his "higher ups" why he failed to document a service call that is bringing Newport Beach Lexus into bad light on the internet. Then have the specialist recommend a dealership that will be notificed by her to do the work and do it right. If you have a friend that is a lawyer, just flash one of his cards. It wouldn't hurt. steviej

how many miles on the car? Has the car been in for the 15K mile service? If so, who is to say the dealership didn't bust the door when they changed out the filter during that service. Threaten them with small claims. In small claims it all comes down to burden of proof. You have a contract with Lexus.....the warranty. They are denying you what is rightly yours through the contract...service. They will have to prove that you did in fact break the door, which will be hard for them. The charcol filter would in no way void the warranty. You simply replaced a Toyota part with an old style Toyota part. No wrong doing there. If it is an electric motor, then who is to say that it didn't break on its own. It is just a small electrical part that does break down. User error is not the only way these motors break. Lexus of Newport beach is failing to realize a key element in this case. Over a person's lifetime, they may spend close to $300,000 in sales in service at car dealerships (just read that in my local automotive newspaper section). To lose a customer, which is what Lexus of Newport Beach is about to do, would mean a potential loss of revenue for them. Mention small claims to Lexus Customer Service and see where it goes from there. Keep us posted. steviej

Speedometer Assuming that the 245 tire is OEM tire and speedometer readings are correct When speedometer reads 60mph (96.6km/h) actual speed will be 60.7mph (97.7km/h): 1.2% faster with the 255 tire. Tire shops don't like to mount anything that yields greater than a 2% change. Suspension Clearence Assuming that the 245 tire is OEM tire and there is no problems with clearance on both sides, then the clearence on the 255 tire will be the same. Fenders The 255 tire will stick out 10 mm (0.4'') farther which is acceptable for most cars. Wheelwells The 255 tire will fill out the wheelwell by extra 4 mm. Almost no difference steviej

Plan E: Put the old filter back in and take it to a different dealer and have it covered under warranty. steviej

If it is not a totally redesign model year, then they usually don't hit the showrooms until late October. If it is a new model year, then they send them out usually in mid August. Most regional autoshows occur about this time of year and that is when the start showing. steviej

I think the lower limit is 28 psi. Now I can't remember if the 28 is the actual point or I am thinking 28 because the lower limit is 4 psi below what the initialization point is. Since my set point was 32 psi, 4 psi below that is 28. Winter reminder: Tires lose 1 lb of pressure for every 10 degree drop in outside air temperature. You will have to add air or reset your sensors as the air temps get cold. If you live in a place like souther Florida, then :P steviej

I did it that way and it still got in. I may also have been putting on too heavy a coat of wax. steviej

I bought it all for looks. However, I have actually found that the roof spoiler on this generation of the GS actually helps shed the water off the rear window. Without the spoiler, the wind flow would not clear the rain off the window well. For some reason, with the spoiler, it the redirected windflow helps clear the rain off the rear window little better now. steviej

I had my detailer do it. He actually subs this out and they did an awesome job. It included: The Auto Sharp Pen and touch up existing chips. Body prep for the film (all wax has to be removed) The 3M film for the front 1' of the hood, the mirrors, the front bumper (3 sections), and the front quater panels. the package listed for $700 but he charged me $500 and bundled it up into a full detail. steviej

Had mine done a couple of months ago. It is nice, but there is one draw back. If you use a paste or cream wax, it will build up along the edge of the film and is hard to get out. Took me a day using a thin cloth and my finger nail to get the wax out. The wax build up will attract dust/dirt and become dark in color thus accentuating the edge of the film. Just use a spray wax close to the film edge and you get no build up. The other thing that had to be done before the film was applied was all imperfections or current rock chips had to be touched up. The guys who applied my film did this and they were great. They used one of those Auto Sharp Pens. steviej

yeah, the spoiler comes bare black ABS plastic. Take it to a good body shop and give them your paint code (on driver's door jam). Shouldn't be more than $100. steviej

Thank you. yep. That's where they put it in 2006 and that is what it looked like. My aunt owned it previously, I don't know if they gave here a choice when it was installed. I think they went to shark fin in 2007 or 2008. Mostly would be too much of a bother to move it now. It doesn't phase me. ahhh look close at the first picture my friend. That was the first mod I did. I don't like rusty dusty calipers. I went with black and silver LOC Lexus logos. Lookl close at the first picture of the front wheel. I'm gonna leave the suspension alone. I don't know if it will alter the AWD performance in the winter and that, to me, is more important. It is always a thought though. thanks again. Fabulous Eyelines are the next mod. steviej

I don't think they will charge you. That is what the warrantly is all about. Call them and ask if they will take a look. If there is a problem, it is covered. Looking for it is covered. When out of warrantly, that's a different story. steviej

disconnect the negative cable to your battery for about 10 minutes. This will reset your ECU to the default factory settings. All "learned" attributes will be lost as well as your radio presets and memory seat positions. steviej

I think it is most definately possible. It all depends on what he wants inside, for example if he can do without ML and Navi it is very do-able. There is only one way to find out......go to your local Lexus dealer and start asking. steviej

yes I have experienced this, but not in my GS...............yet. unfortunately, no car is 100% air tight. steviej

Consult TireRack.com. For the price range you desire, they can set you up with a set of winter tires, rims and the exact senors (Pacific brand) that Lexus uses. You will have to get a Lexus or Toyota dealership to program in the second set of sensors to your car's computer. TireRack will provide you with the needed code for each sensor on paper. (Since the sensor will be inside your tire, it will be hard for the tech to get the code off of each sensor.) You will be able to get a very good price. a little piece of black electrical tape works well to hide the TPMS sensor warning light if your wheels do not have sensors installed. steviej

this is a normal sound if the pads are semi-metallic. steviej

I don't think his dilemna is locating the filter in the cabin, I think the issue is that he cannot find the old style filters that used activated charcol as the odor eliminating agent. All the filters now are just a foam or cloth mesh to trap particles. steviej

Have your checked your navigation system manual, it may be mentioned in there? steviej

sounds like they did some body work (sand blasting) without properly covering the windshield. However, you said you are not sure it was or was not there before you purchased. Simple, bring it back and tell them you noticed after you got it back. See what they say. If they won't replace it, then look at your insurance policy. Do you have glass coverage? Most windshields are covered under comprehensive. In MA we are allowed 1 free windshield per year if we have the proper coverage. If it deemed a safety hazard, then I don't even have to pay a deductable. See how you are covered. steviej