AZ Mike

I got my hood struts on ebay for about $40/pair. You can also find them at local parts stores. Lexus wants over $100 each, which is ridiculous for something that holds up the hood.

That is for a pair of brake pads. At least it was when I purchased Lexus brake pads from irontoad in May. I'm not aware of brake pads being sold individually; I have always seen them sold in pairs.

I agree that squeal juice is not necessary. I replaced my rear pads in May (fronts a couple years ago) with OEM pads, and I have no problem with squeals, brake dust, stopping power, etc. Everything works great. I highly recommend OEM pads.

I purchased OEM brake pads from www.irontoad.com for $45. OEM pads for a reasonable price; no reason to look further, in my opinion.

I have been purchasing OEM Lexus parts from www.irontoad.com. OEM brake pads are $45 a pair. OEM rear rotors are $136. Good service, fast response, no complaints.

Do a search on cleaning throttle body; I have seen a good DIY write-up on this in the past including photos.

Feel free to use whatever gasoline you like. You obviously are smarter than the Lexus engineers. As for my car, I am sticking with the owner's manual, which states verbatim: "Select premium unleaded gasoline with an Octane Rating of 91 or higher for optimum engine performance. However, if such premium type cannot be obtained, you may temporarily use unleaded gasoline with an octane rating as low as 87." My expectation for using lower octane fuel in an engine designed for higher octane fuel is lower fuel economy and lower power at wide open throttle. There are many studies that demonstrate this. In fact, many on this board have tested the fuel economy theory and have proven it in their situations. Running premium fuel in an engine designed for regular fuel is a proven waste of money. At times, it may mask other problems, but it is much more economical to repair the underlying problem.

I am confused as to what point you are attempting to make regarding compression ratios. I have never tried to make any debate about compression ratios on various year models of the 400. The only point I made about compression ratios is that premium fuel is either required or recommended (depending on car and manufacturer) for engines that run higher than normal compression ratios. Are you attempting to debate this fact? Or if not, what point are you attempting to make, and to what statement of mine is it in relation to? You stated that octane relates to energy. I merely pointed out that in fact, it does not. It is not "lower energy" of regular fuel that causes decreased fuel efficiency. It is due to the fact that the computer adjusts the timing to avoid predetonation, which causes the engine to run at a lower efficiency and lower power. I also stated that I have never seen any evidence that running a higher octane than required for a particular engine results in any increase fuel economy. Of course, this would refer to a stock engine. A modified engine (especially supercharged) that has different characteristics than stock, may well benefit from a higher octane fuel. I am not suggesting that I am the world expert on the topic; if you have any analyses that demonstrate that an engine designed to use regular fuel experiences increased fuel economy by the use of premium fuel, I am very interested in seeing it. In your response/sarcasm/challenge/whatever that was supposed to be, you ignored this topic entirely, and this is the only point I have attempted to make. Likewise, if you have any information that says that octane relates to energy, I would be interested in seeing that as well.

"The octane rating of a spark ignition engine fuel is the detonation resistance (anti-knock rating) compared to a mixture of iso-octane (2,2,4-trimethylpentane, an isomer of octane) and n-heptane. By definition, iso-octane is assigned an octane rating of 100 and heptane is assigned an octane rating of zero. An 87-octane gasoline, for example, possesses the same anti-knock rating of a mixture of 87% (by volume) iso-octane and 13% (by volume) n-heptane. This does not mean, however, that the gasoline actually contains these hydrocarbons in these proportions. It simply means that it has the same detonation resistance as the described mixture. Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel (see heating value). It is only a measure of the fuel's tendency to burn rather than explode." Octane has nothing to do with energy. The reason you get less fuel economy with a lower than called for octane is that your computer has to slow down your timing to avoid predetonation, causing it to operate less efficiently. In most cases with modern cars, they can run fine on regular grade fuel, albeit with less fuel economy and a decrease in horsepower at WOT. If you decide to do this, you should watch specifically for pinging, since if you experience prolonged predetonation, you will damage your engine. My owners manual states with regard to fuel that 91 should be used for optimum engine performance. It further states that if premium is not available, that 87 may be used temporarily. Using your argument on octane and energy, an engine designed to run on "regular" would have improved fuel efficiency when running "premium". I have never seen anything to support this theory.

If the engine is designed for premium fuel, it is because it runs at a higher compression, and the higher octane will prevent predetonation. Yes, sensors in the emissions system can detect pinging, and will attempt to prevent it by adjusting the timing. However, even if it is successful in ping prevention, the engine will operate less efficiently due to the adjustment in timing. So, at worst, you have predetonation, which will cause engine damage over time. At best, you will force your engine to run in a less efficient mode. Is that worth savings of 20 cents per gallon?

Water pumps are designed with a "weep hole" that act as an indicator when your water pump is wearing out and is in need of replacement. As mentioned, you will get a few drops where you park your vehicle.

I think your logic is reversed on octane and fuel economy. A high performance engine that runs at higher than typical compression requires the use of higher octane fuel to avoid predetonation (i.e., pinging). It has absolutely nothing to do with fuel economy. That being said, if pinging IS detected, the car's emissions system will trigger an adjustment in timing in an attempt to avoid the pinging, but in so doing, the engine will be less efficient. If your car is designed to run on "regular", there is no benefit to using "mid-grade" or "premium". If your car is designed to run on "premium" and a lesser grade is used, the risk is pinging, or at a minimum, lower efficiency and therefore fuel economy as it adjusts its timing to avoid the pinging. Given that prolonged predetonation can cause serious damage to an engine, why risk it?

Or, stay at home, do it yourself, KNOWING that it is done correctly, and save $400. ;)

I concur with the majority that replacing the timing belt is good preventive maintenance. Sure, the belt may make it to 150,000 miles or more.............but what if it doesn't? You don't get a warning light before the belt goes and significant engine damage occurs. On the issue with the grade of gasoline used, I would be much more concerned about pre-detonation (pinging) than trying to compare fuel economy on different grades. Premium fuel is required by engines that run at higher compressions to avoid pre-detonation. Pinging over time will damage your engine internals. I have never experimented using lower grade fuel in my Lexus......so maybe you can get away with it without pinging. My thought is with such a small difference in price, why risk it? Lexus does not have anything to gain based on what grade of gas that you use, so why not follow their recommendation?

I do not know about the Lexus specifically, but most water pumps have a "weep hole" that lets a little bit of coolant escape when it is on its last legs; i.e., is the water pump's way of saying "replace me". Can you tell if the leaking coolant is coming from the water pump?

If your O2 sensor is bad, your car will throw a code and you know it needs to be replaced. That being said, I have heard from some who seem to be "in the know" that O2 sensors do degrade over time before they actually fail. If this is true, it could impact fuel mixture and therefore mileage. I have heard that 100,000 miles is a reasonable interval for swapping O2 sensors if you do not want to wait until failure. The above is "heresay" from reputable sources; in other words, I can not prove nor disprove it. However, even if your O2 sensors were on the way out, I would speculate that they alone would not cause mileage to drop to 8-10 mpg, and that you may have other issues.

Okie doke, If you don't want feedback and opinions based on your maintenance practices then don't post them on a public forum. The entire point of a discussion forum is to discuss things. If you are going to be nasty when someone posts feedback on what you're doing, I don't think a discussion forum is where you want to be. If you post here, you will be respectful of the posts your fellow members post in response to your statements or you won't post here any longer. Apologies if you thought that my response was "disrespectful". I tried to respond with an honest answer to someone's request. What I got in return was what appears to me as a condescending reply to my submission; from a moderator, no less. I am happy to receive anyone's beneficial suggestions, but I fail to see what was beneficial from your reply. If I state that I run an extended oil change interval, does that not already imply that I know that it is in excess of the manufacturer recommendation? (which, as it turns out, isn't extended after all as explained in my edit). At worst, I responded with sarcasm to what I felt was a disrespectful comment.

YES, I can read the owner's manual, and NO, I was not asking for opinions on my decision; I was merely expressing what I do as someone else was asking for opinions on oil. I am perfectly comfortable with how I maintain my vehicles based on experience, and with regard to oil, with UOA. That is by far a better barometer of when to change oil then any manufacturer recommendation; bear in mind that any manufacturer recommendation will be extremely conservative so as to avoid any future liability. I am well out of warranty, so that is a non-issue. EDIT: I lied. I do not run an extended oil change interval. After checking, I run the 7,500 mile oil change interval as specified in my owner's manual supplement. A 5,000 mile oil change interval is recommended when you primarily drive under "special operating conditions", which consist of 1) towing a trailer or using a camper or cartop carrier; 2) repeated short trips of less than 5 miles in temperatures below freezing; 3) extensive idling or low speed driving for long distances as in heavy commercial use such as delivery, taxi, or patrol car; 4) operating on rough, muddy, or salt covered roads; 5) operating on unpaved or dusty roads. Personally, based on experience and UOA, I would not go beyond a 5,000 mile oil change interval with dino oil. Also, based on experience and UOA, I am very comfortable using a 7,500 mile oil change interval with synthetic oil......I know I could easily have a longer oil change interval, but that is beyond my comfort zone. And hey....a 7,500 mile oil change interval is even blessed by the manufacturer. Given the number of people who use synthetic oil on a short oil change interval, I would be interested in seeing a test with essentially the same vehicles with essentially the same usage, using a 3,000 mile oil change interval, one using synthetic oil and one using dino oil. My expectation is that over long usage, there would be virtually no wear difference between the two engines.

My personal opinion is that you should only pay up for synthetic oil if you are going to run extended oil intervals. The only real proven benefit of synthetic oil that I am aware of is that it does not break down as fast as dino oil. Obviously, if you plan to do this, you should send oil to a lab for a UOA to verify what is a reasonable interval for your specific application. IMO, if you are going to go with manufacturer recommended oil intervals, synthetic oil is a complete waste of money. Any dino oil will fine for 3-5k oil changes. Personally, I run synthetic oil with an extended oil interval. Regarding synthetic oil and leaks......if you already have any oil leaks with dino oil, and switch to synthetic, it is almost guaranteed the leaks will be greater with synthetic. It isn't that the oil is bad, but sometimes on an older motor, you may have sludge packed around a seal keeping it from leaking. The better cleaning of the synthetic and the fact that it is a bit slicker may allow it to clean up the sludge and seep out the seals. In that case, the seals probably needed to be replaced anyhow.

Is it just me, or does anyone else want to ride shotgun with IS400 merely as an observer?

I use the OEM oil filter, as I can get it at half the cost of PureOne, K&N, Mobil1 and the like, and I have not experienced, nor seen anything written about them to make me think they will not do an adequate job. The oil change interval in the owner's manual supplement is 5,000 miles, but I go 7,500 with synthetic. I have not sent in my used oil to a lab for a UOA, but am highly confident in the synthetic oil's ability to go at least that long (probably more). Plus, it satisfies my need to justify the more expensive synthetic oil. :)

Passenger side ejection seat for bad dates or obnoxious passengers.

I understand the wisdom of using OEM mechanical parts, filters, etc. Buy why would it be beneficial to use OEM hood lifters at something crazy like $200 plus for the pair when you can get aftermarket struts that seemingly work as well for under $50? They take 5 minutes to install, and I can go through at LEAST four sets of the aftermarket struts for the same cost as one set of OEM struts. I don't know about longevity yet, but I have used aftermarket struts for the liftgate on my Grand Cherokee that have lasted for years.

Better yet, keep the Lexus, and pick up a used S2000 as a second vehicle. I don't know that I would ever own one as my only vehicle.....small, limited cargo space, no back seat, i.e., not very practical. Yet, driving it on twisty roads is better than any rollercoaster and will leave a smile on your face, making you completely forget how impractical they are. :) When I say "not a lot of torque", I mean there is no way you are going to beat a V-8 muscle car in a straigh line 1/4 mile. But, it is balanced so well that it handles like a dream in turns. If you know how to drive it, there isn't much out there that can keep up with it on the twisties.

Mobil 1 is a fully synthetic oil; perhaps Anwisok is referring to whether they are Group 3 or 4 oils? Personally, I use the cheapest brand name synthetic I can find, which is currently Pennzoil Platinum at WalMart. As mentioned, if any of your seals are not in the best of shape, use of synthetic oil may cause leaks at such seals, or speed up any existing leaks. The primary benefit of synthetic oil is you can utilize a longer oil change interval than with dino oil. There me some wear benefits when syn oil is used from the beginning, but I'm not sure how much benefit an older high mileage car would get in that regard. In your shoes, with an older high mileage vehicle that has always run on dino oil, I would be inclined to keep using that and change the oil at regular intervals. I just replaced my hood struts with a pair I purchased off of ebay. They were $40 for the pair, instead of something insane like $170 each from the dealer. They installed easily and work fine.