PK_3

In my Porsche, if you fiddle with the seatbelt wiring or look at it wrong, you will throw the light. Also, there maybe other sensors on the seat that once denied power will also throw the light. Unforntunatly, clearing it requires a trip to the dealer (or some indie with the official computer stuff). Regard, PK

White smoke is usually a sign that you're burning water... head gasket, cracked head or block. There are probably some less ominous explanations. Look for water in the oil or vice versa. Usually streaks of gray on the dipstick and also on the inside of your the oil filler cap. Once it's cool. you can look in the rad filler tank. You might see oil floating in the water, smell exhaust and the cap might pop off a bitt. Use all brecaution when you remove the cap. Regards, PK

Don't drive it. Your catalytic converters are burning (I do mean burning as in fire) unburnt fuel inside it. Your car is most likely running to way to rich. A catalytic converter is supposed to clean up a very small amount of residual fue.l You should have had a CEL quite awhile ago. The cause is probably a sensor or more, maybe o2. Unless you would drive it with a bond-fire in the back, don't drive it till it's fixed. Regards, PK

Well, if the neg, terminal is all that has changed since the car stoped starting, and the current to light up the idiot lights is negligible and could be carried through string of a wire, and your starter needs more like a rope of a wire, I'd say your ground is properly attached right (check both ends). THis hypothesis say, when you turn the key to tart, the battery sucks every bit of power it can (not much)...leaving none for the lights. Window, Who knows, start with fuses, is locked somehow...PK

I can say it not to hard to get in there. The door being closed complicates it a little .From inside the car you need to reomve the lower carpeted panel on the hatch. Its basicaly held on by being slipped under the panel above it. The bottom and sides are held on by the standard Door panel (ball in socket snap out thing..about 8). Even if you can get only partially released, you probaly can reach in, feel your way and find a cable you yank on. Once realeased you can get the whole panel out easily and, and figure it out. Regards, PK

Paul Cl, Sorry I have take issue. I've always understood it to be, white is water, but black is a car running to rich (you'd have a cel to) blueish in-fact is oil. I probably should know, I had owned, rebuilt and maintained some 25 cars by the time I was...25. I can think of many examples of all 3 symptoms ...I think I may have had a car that suffered all 3. Fai54, If your transmission is making a racket it could be tearing itself apart. get it into a shop. These transmissions are prone to all sorts ofproblems. Mine wint at 70k and now at 80 it' acting weird. Regards, pk

Very good sleuthing Micky00. I'd assumed the light was a 2wd vs. 4wd issue. It sure would seem then that the car would be logging those issues that cause the light for later ofloading by someone with right equipment (like a dealer or indi. Regards, PK

Is your warrenty exspiresd? even so, if that was the reason for the rebuild and it's not solved... Im' surprised know ones piped in. maybe you have a unique one. Did you do a search here or elsewhere? I unfortunately don't know this car as intimately as my others, so I'm speaking in generalities but, given I'ts electrical but also temp. sensitive, I'm going to put my money on something electromechanical on the outside off the box, a servo of some sort. (Given the warning light. Lexus should have a proprietary reader that can dump some trouble codes just like like BMW and Porsche do with CEL's). Just to get more ammo for your mechanic, try this, in our car, when stuck in 3rd on the freeway I can sometimes get it in to 4th by taking it out of gear and reving it a little (chanting ...whatever), put back in drive and it will drop int forth. No permanent fix , just a diagnostic tool. Good luck, PK

I have a similar problem, 2wd, where it likes to stick thinrd. mainly on upshift but occasionally on down.I think my problem is a 3rd a sensor of some sort. Has nothing to do with temp. (your ten mins. warm though)Yours may be the same and/or your trans fluid is to to heavy. Heavy fluid can make things sluggish, especially when cold. If they put the wrong weight in when on rebuild that could aggravate something or cause it. Regards, PK

Ditto, 100%. Above Because you need pad's by no mans, means you need rotors. Rotors were never meant to be replaced with the pads every time. Think about it. Rotors are a high-temp steel alloy, pads (whatever flavor) are just they are just what they sound like, pads, relatively soft. Which wears out first. Unless you rode the pads to there metal backing plate and ground up the rotors or, stood on the brakes all the way down a mountain and warped them, there probably O.K. They can be measured anyway with a micrometer and compared to the specked tolerances, but, if you don't feel throbbing in your pedal, hear grinding when you hit the bake, you have the above mentioned mileage , and your not racing, stick with just pads. Are there any good indi Lexus or Toyota shops in your area? Check (check list Angie's list? If you don't do it yourself you can save 50% at least. Just one mans opinion but $800 to make you break light go away...not out of this stable. Regards, PK

I'd use glue. 3M trim and weatherstrip contact cement (somthing like that) sticks like 'ell but its sort of messy, you have to be carfull ,read the directions. Crazy glue, believe it or not, also will do it. Get a relatively large bottle at a hobby shop just because it's much easier to handle an control. It won't be branded crazy glue but there all the same stuff. 3M is probably your best bet, but it is messy. Either way, it will be up to you how good it comes out. Regards, PK

Do you have a book? Haynes, I think, has a cheap one that covers a couple of vehicles and it should cover that. That motor is in several cars. You should be able to get the book at any chain store. You might do also search here, on google and YouTube, I'd bet theres more than one DIY out there. Regards, PK

Condensation if it is rust, especially if you live in a cold climate. I'm not clear on the exact physics but when you turn your car off, you have get cold damp air in a hot pipe. After a little while you've got water beading up like a cold glass of beer. So then you get rust. Unless its stainless steel, it eventually rot from the inside out. If it is a very soft smooth brown and your in a cold climate it's probably normal. Regards, PK

Thanks, Who'd thunk. Jeff sent me a page from the the manual and there it was, in all it's little glory. . Regards, PK

Jeff Great, no problem, check your pm. Thanks much, PK

I don't have your problem but a few of my own. Your doing all the right stuff in my opinion. Swirling little eddys can cause all sorts weird resonances. Wittness opening your sunroof open all the way. If you are indeed reasonably confident it's on the roof you might try just start taking stuff off. The rear spoiler comes off really easily, and I don't think the racks are any big trick. I seem to recall taking one off once. A long shot, again if you think its on the roof, is the tracks that the racks fit into, are they snug? Another odd thing that may be happening is your back hatch is rattling as a result of the spoiler redirecting (or not ) air flow over it or sunroof being open (with the sunroof open, ours trips the little bell and "door open" light ad nauseam. Regards, PK

Could be a million things. You undoubtedly have a yellow check engine light (cel) .Get it read at with an obcII reader Autozone, where ever and they will give you some idea what it is. PK

Pathetic question but apparently the spring mechanism that allows the gas cap door to pop ajar when the lever is pulled and make it snap shut with a little push is not working. The cable works fine you just need 2 people, one to pull the lever and one to pull the door open. I looked in the door an see what must be a spring mechanism near the hinge. there nothing obviously amiss but I can't figure how it's supposed to work so I wouldn't know. Is this a common problem? simple fix? Ideas?? Thanks PK

Code 58 is right and theirs know reason to get to excited but,as if you care, most cars are a peek efficiency and performance runing an air fuel ratio of 14:1. Your O2 sensor should keep it there.If it's bad, & that ratio bumps up to say 17:1, you run the risk of overheating your combustion chamber ...burning important things like pistons (really). If it slips to say 10:1 it will run rich and economy will suffer, you'll foul things up. Doubtful you'll go to those extremes. Thats got to be a real help. Don't know much as to its location but I can decribe one. It's about the size an shape of a of a spark plug. Has a plug with a wiring harness of 2 to 6 wires and Chilton has a mediocre manual that would probably cover this for $14 . Regards, PK

Unless you have snows tires or something weird on it,(You might try this, rotate the tires). I'd go with the bearings. My experience with CV joints is cracking & clunking. Usually if a trans-axel or differential is howling, it's to late, a lube change wont help (good thought though). To find out where your noise is coming from, simply take to a tire shop or some one with a lift. Put it up, fire it up, put it in gear and set the cruise. Then stroll around (and under) or have the "tech" do it. Sometimes Kentucky stethoscope (a length...48" of fuel line) from your ear to suspicious areas will bring it home. You might also try this, rotate the tires. Regards, PK

Expatriate, I beleive yo need to contact the (a) country youuj plan to call your base,possibly start at the consolate, to accertain what modifcations will be necessary. Omce yor registeresd in one country you can travel where you want. Plan on spending a couple k. In general different countries will have some sort of expensive but different conversion or taxes. You might want to contact a broker. Regards, PK Deepaki, Only England and Japan are right hand drive in the western world (that I know of). PK

Suraj, A reputable shop should sort out the CEL problem they creates. Unfortunately if this was the lube shop they will sell you another $500 in make believe repairs. Go somewhere else. A lesson for all, If you go to a chain lube shop...well...there not exactly reputable. At least half of them are under and state (and I think federal) investigation for unnecessary and incompetent work (forget to put oil back into the engine?). Here in CA the largest is under indictment and ready to go into receivership unless they get it together. A recent visit to one in my porsch says not. Fortunately they didn't know which end was up and couldn't sell me even the minimum, obligatory air-filter (singled out by L.A.Times). I could go on all day but suffice to say there was huge expose in the LA Times a while ago. Anyway Suraj, I hope you didn't get an unscrupulousness one if you went too one. Beware, PK

Amen! PK

God, Look, I belong to 10 or more forums. Most relating to vehicles but not necessarily in direct ways. I get subscription and synopsis of most every morning.. I try to whip through them, pipe in where I think I can contribute or give a laugh. I try to pick my syntax with care. Some times I don’t. I get numb with the volume. LOL! Ask a dyslexic if he has “read between the lines”?. Got any other handicap gags? But actually I did. A slightly effusive pat on the back for the previous posters partial recompense for my rudeness.; I agree, with you, it was very well written and researched. Between the lines? what I read was sort of“this is how Johnny ties his shoes, why can’t you. I’m O.K with that.. Never got a chance to respond,. D.B pops in right away and isn’t quite so polite spewing his bilious, vulgarities and insulting my skills and capabilities, calling me a poser etc. I try to explain my skills and experience in contrast to DB’s blind assessment…and you call me an “arrogant” egomaniac. What does that have to do with your brief post? The I say it may have of that way, in fact I suck at this that and the other thing (and that was the short list.. So back to my question, did I have no right and reason to rebut DB’s statements? (Cause there obviously not true) For trying to set thing straight, do I really have to be called and arrogant egotistical? When I make amends for any arrogance do I not deserve a reply?

Ebay has them with no guts for about $20 (or used to). Weather it's worth it by the time you cut it and clone it I don't know. Good luck PK