54406

The tendency to lose traction in the wet is a function of the wide tires and light weight. If you have a large foot print on the ground and low weight the pounds per square inch is pretty low so the tire has no "bite" on the pavement. I have had BMW's and Mercedes which did the same thing. More rubber on the ground is great when the road is dry, but not wet. If you have gotten wider tires for the visual effects, etc that makes it worse. Low air pressure also exacerbates the problem.

I called Plano Lexus and they were $101.21 each. They were only about $83 at the dealer here in Annapolis. Who would have after market items to fit? The pipes seem larger than normal. Are the same tips used on other Lexus models? Maybe the LS. There would be more LS's out in the junque yards than SC's.

I backed into a rock and bunged up one of my exhaust tips. The local Lexus jewelry store wants $83 each and I need two to match. So the question is who has cheaper or after market tips that fit? Also I am told that the approved technique for replacing them is just to knock the old ones off with a rubber hammer and bang the new ones back on with the same rubber hammer. Is this it, or is there something more subtle I'm missing? This is for a 1999 Sc400.

In my '98 400 if I drive the transmission in 4th (as opposed to D) and the ect in "Power" it really drinks the gas. I couldn't believe the difference.

I have found that replacing the battery helps get it back to its former youthful strength. (the service guys walk out the door and hit the panic button and wait for the lights and horn to find the cars for service. I have seen them work 50 yards or so on a new car. Drives the neighbors crazy.) Nothing could be easier than changing the battery. I think it is a CR1616 available at any drug store, Radio Shack, etc. You just need a really small phillips head screwdriver. Buy a set of these screwdrivers at Sears (about $6) and take out the single screw on the key. Inside there is a squarish cartridge which pops out and has two more screws to remove. Open gently and don't disturb the o-ring. Flip out the battery and replace keeping the polarity correct. Reassemble, etc. While you have it apart you will notice that there is a lot of assorted dirt, mung, flug, etc in the key. I always clean it out just for good practice. I have been quoted $30 to $50 for this service at the dealers although some will do it for free while you have a cup of their capuccino. Ther are a lot of urban myths regarding how to hold the key for greatest range. As you can see, the actual active part is not connected to the key blade at all. In fact the cartridge will function fine outside the key.

My recently purchased '99 SC400 with 51k is doing something a little like the surging the recent BMW motorcycles were doing. When I am maneuvering at a slow speed, slowing down to stop for instance, the engine seems to give a little surge which feels like the brakes failing, which you reflexly counter by pressing down harder on the brakes, then you are over braking , etc. I have also noticed that when running along at highway speeds if you take your foot off the gas quickly the tach needle bounces up about 200-300 revs before it starts to drop down. Anybody seen this before? Whass hoppnin?

Thanks AWJ, thats the info I was looking for.

Every time there is a flood anywhere in the country there is a spate of flood totaled cars which spread out all over the country. They are subject to very bad electrical problems, bad odors, rust, and mold growth. Most of these effects take a pretty long time to appear, months to years, but when they start they are nearly impossible to defeat completely. There are a bunch of Lexus/Bimmer/Benz's coming on the salvage market now from the floods last Sept. from hurricane Isabel in the Baltimore and Annapolis, MD area. You damn sure don't want one of them.

Well yeah....thats what I intend to do if somebody will tell me how they come out.

When I say the seat pad I mean the leather covered part you sit on, not the seat back. Yeah, it ought to be an easy fix if the seats can be swapped.

A lot of 'vetts, etc. seem to get away with no front plates here in Maryland. I will carry the front plate in the trunk and whine if anybody complains. I may just try putting bolts in the holes and painting them with touch up paint. On the seats I would like to just swap the seat pads, not the whole seat. In some cars the pads just lift up or have only one or two bolts holding them in. They seem identical and not different right and left. This is a great list. Ain't the web great!

After a couple of weeks with my new to me '99 SC400 I have a couple of things I would like to change. There was a front license plate installed but the car just looks so good without it that I took it off. Now I have the two screw holes showing and two mars where too long bolts were used to attach the plate to the frame. Is there a common answer to this repair? I have seen something called a skin referred to. Is this a new plastic skin for the bumper and how much are they? Maybe an after market nose job? Who makes a good one? The driver's seat seems pounded down some and the seating position is a little odd; turned to the left some. Are the seat pads interchangable? How do you get them loose to swap them if it is possible? (A related item, the left foot dead pedal seems too far forward. It is not co-planar with the accelerator and doesn't do its job. Is there a common answer to this?)

Go quickly to a really good detailer for a clay bar job. It really works. The detailer will know the various compatibilities between cleaners and paints/materials.

I expect to pick up today my new-to-me white '99 SC400 (trading my '00 RX300.) Where can I go on the web or elsewhere to find the specs for that car? All the sites I have found only have new/current models.