frogs9497

Unfortunately, I have this terrible mental condition whereby all things must be squared and aligned. On my '08 IS250, I have a driver side exhaust pipe that hangs .25-.50" lower than the passenger side pipe. The dealership said they tightened the bracket and said they're both now 1.5" from the top, but it still looks too low.

Is this easy to try myself? I'd like to raise the driver side pipe .25-.50". I'd like not to have to go back to the dealership again for this.

Thanks!

I feel for ya... I have a mild form of that affliction myself. It can make day to day life difficult at best in a world that is FAR from perfect or symmetrical.

Just a thought... have you tried to pull the high side down, rather than trying to cinch the low side upward?

I'd certainly try that too... any suggestions?

Unfortunately, I have this terrible mental condition whereby all things must be squared and aligned. On my '08 IS250, I have a driver side exhaust pipe that hangs .25-.50" lower than the passenger side pipe. The dealership said they tightened the bracket and said they're both now 1.5" from the top, but it still looks too low.

Is this easy to try myself? I'd like to raise the driver side pipe .25-.50". I'd like not to have to go back to the dealership again for this.

Thanks!

Well if they know how to answer the question wouldn't it make since if they answer it for that person cause that person is asking a LITTLE HELP? Key word (HELP)???? I'm just throwing that out there...

It's called sarcasm.

My point is simply this: you're mad because people viewed your post without replying, because you assume that they knew the answer in the first place.

Well let me start on just by saying thank you to the people that have given there little help, so thank you again. And as for the attitude I did that on purpose and the reason for that is because I posted the same question and all the people would do is just view it and leave no post and I have asked nicely. That's what made me post this post with an attitude cause I know I'll cath someones attention.

Because everyone who viewed your post must have known how to answer it. Geez.

I ran across this and wondered if they're available for the IS. Also wondering if anyone knows how they're installed.

http://www.coopersport.com/usa/MINI-Bumper...on-p-16246.html

Thanks!

I'm unclear how the auto windshield wipers have anything to do with rock chips...

The rain sensor is in the windshield somehow, thus creating the high price for a new windshield. At least, that's my understanding.

You are correct. We had the previous owner replace my wife's ES 350 windshield to the tune of $1,500, of which he paid $250 for his deductible.

I was told that the sensor is actually under the rear view mirror mount - not in the windshield... So I looked in the owners manual which has an arrow pointing to the Mirror mount. The sensor measure refraction of infrared light to determine the presence of rain. So is the stealership overcharging for a windshield replacement or does the sensor get damaged when the mirror is removed? Anyone know... Anyone replace their windshield with after market glass and still have the rain sensor work? If so, how much. I only have 1600 miles on my new 350 but I have always had bad luck with windshields so sooner or later the information will help. Thanks.

Not certain about the IS, but the RX sensor is not in the windshield. We replaced my wife's windshield in her RX330 last year, which was done aftermarket by Safelite. There is nothing particularly special about the glass other than it's much cheaper than going through the dealership and comes with a lifetime warranty. The windshield, so far as I can tell, looks exactly like the original in every detail.

Interesting... here in FW, customers will wait up to 60 minutes for a carwash at the dealership. Of course, the cars look great afterwards. The dealership here recently invested quite a bit for a new high-speed carwash, though with 60 minute waits, it doesn't seem high-speed.

As for the DRL, some insurers offer discounts for cars that have them. I'd be curious to know how many who have them turned off actually report doing so to their insurer.

My passenger door is rattling, and I thought it was coming from the storage compartment door that you can open and close, but it now does not appear to be coming from there. It's somewhere in this door, and I can't find it! When I drive on a certain freeway, it's the worst! Maybe it could be the speaker, up higher, since if I have my bass at a 2 level, it can start it going, as well? Any ideas, so when I take the car in, I can explain it? Or do you think some tech will actually drive with me on the freeway to try and diagnose it? I don't know how far they'll actually go with me.....

Oh, and I replaced my rearview mirror, and it's worse. lol.

My experience in dealing with Sewell Lexus for rattles with my wife's RX has been excellent. They've always provided a tech who rides with me until the rattle location is pinpointed. And they seem to go above and beyond with padding under the dash, etc.

I've not yet had any rattle issues with my IS.

It is VERY VERY VERY easy to install the OEM sat radio stuff yourself... it's all done in the trunk and should maybe take an hour tops...all plug and play if the car is an 07 or newer.

The only reason I'd suggest possibly ordering it with a new car (which'll cost about $150-200 more than doing it yourself after the fact) would be that it'd be covered by the vehicle warranty... up to you if that's worth the cost difference.

The dealer doesn't do anything to set up your account, you get the radio ID off your display and call XM (or sirius) yourself and do it. (well, I suppose they might make the call for you if you give em all the info they need, but no reason for them to)

It's pretty easy to the service for $77/yr even if you're only doing a year at a time

Thanks... would the "how to" be found in the DIY section? I thought I read that the equipment bought aftermarket would not include instructions.

So basically whatever equipment is being installed to run it thru the NAV can't be purchased and installed by say Best Buy or Circuit City?

Frogs I believe toyotas/Lexus's need two different pieces to make it work with the indash nav unit. My dealer said they had one of the parts but the other was back ordered. I believe these are the two pieces they are talking about. http://www.tss-radio.com/toyota-lexus-and-...age-p-5709.html

I am not sure if best buy/circuit city would carry the parts as they are specific to different types of cars, but im sure you could get them off their sites. I dont know if they would do the install either.

k... thanks for that info.

I'm picking up my new 2008 IS250 on Monday with NAV (2nd one in 2 weeks- long story :)). I'm curious to know what people on here think about paying the dealer to install the satellite radio equipment for the NAV. I think they want $500. It seems better to use the NAV as opposed to buying an aftermarket unit that would require mounting, even though it costs less and is obviously portable.

Also, any thoughts on how the XM/Sirius merger might come into play? I'm sure this has been covered elsewhere on this forum.

The key is to have something go wrong with the original car you were SUPPOSE to buy then have them install Sirius for free for you. :P Anyways that is how it worked for me, i personally love Sirius and with the amount of driving i do i cant stand regular radio. All i keep hearing is commercials, i cant wait for the dealer to get the sirius unit so they can get it installed.

The merger shouldnt really effect anything, as they will be offering packages that work on both. For example in my case i have Sirius but when they merge i would like to add the MLB package which currently is only available on XM i could do that. That is what i have heard we'll see how they decide to price and divide the content.

Quick side question and i dont want to hijack your thread frogs but for anyone that currently has it installed on their cars, does the dealer need your account info before they can set it up or how does it get added to your account? I have my stiletto100 but i want to add the lexus unit as a 2nd radio so i only pay 6 bux or whatever it is extra. Thanks

So basically whatever equipment is being installed to run it thru the NAV can't be purchased and installed by say Best Buy or Circuit City?

I'm picking up my new 2008 IS250 on Monday with NAV (2nd one in 2 weeks- long story :)). I'm curious to know what people on here think about paying the dealer to install the satellite radio equipment for the NAV. I think they want $500. It seems better to use the NAV as opposed to buying an aftermarket unit that would require mounting, even though it costs less and is obviously portable.

Also, any thoughts on how the XM/Sirius merger might come into play? I'm sure this has been covered elsewhere on this forum.

The key is to have something go wrong with the original car you were SUPPOSE to buy then have them install Sirius for free for you. :P Anyways that is how it worked for me, i personally love Sirius and with the amount of driving i do i cant stand regular radio. All i keep hearing is commercials, i cant wait for the dealer to get the sirius unit so they can get it installed.

The merger shouldnt really effect anything, as they will be offering packages that work on both. For example in my case i have Sirius but when they merge i would like to add the MLB package which currently is only available on XM i could do that. That is what i have heard we'll see how they decide to price and divide the content.

Quick side question and i dont want to hijack your thread frogs but for anyone that currently has it installed on their cars, does the dealer need your account info before they can set it up or how does it get added to your account? I have my stiletto100 but i want to add the lexus unit as a 2nd radio so i only pay 6 bux or whatever it is extra. Thanks

I can't cope with standard radio either!!!!

I had XM in TL and loved it...particularly for the news, sports and talk stuff when I was tired of music. I will be putting XM into my car soon. I use and iPod for music too. But the choices I can get from satellite.

If you get it, suggest you negotiate a single multi year payment...you can sometimes get them to a 50% discount.

Thanks... now that you mention it, seems like I do recall the discount for paying in full.

I'm picking up my new 2008 IS250 on Monday with NAV (2nd one in 2 weeks- long story :)). I'm curious to know what people on here think about paying the dealer to install the satellite radio equipment for the NAV. I think they want $500. It seems better to use the NAV as opposed to buying an aftermarket unit that would require mounting, even though it costs less and is obviously portable.

Also, any thoughts on how the XM/Sirius merger might come into play? I'm sure this has been covered elsewhere on this forum.

The unit is called Calibre, has anyone heard of this? It sounds too good to be true, I would love to kick "the mans !Removed!" with this unit ists hidden. They guarantee if you get a ticket they will pay it?

Hard to imagine a Lexus dealer endorsing this and then guaranteeing it. Or are you saying it's a manufacturer's guarantee?

Interesting question. I agree with the previous posts. The "justification" for me talking my wife into buying a $38,000 luxury car for her was several things. One, I wanted a high rated crashworthy vehicle for her to drive. Two, she has always really liked the looks of the Lexus cars (not the SUVs). And three, since she is a conservative person (doesn't really spend much on herself) I told her we can afford to "splurge" on ourselves a little.

Besides, she looks really good driving it!

It's funny how we DO seem to go through a "justification" process to make a purchase like that.

I never thought for one minute about justification.

My guess is that most do consider whether it is justified. And most are probably able to justify it- I evidently did. :)

Further to my original question, let's assume one could achieve comparable reliability with a Camry or Accord, etc. Perhaps we could even assume the same resale % of original purchase price. Are these fair assumptions?

So, since we're assuming, :D can I assume that you are thinking of taking the car back??

I mean no disrespect, but if not, I think that you're just spitting in the wind here. Lamenting over what you might consider to be a bad choice tells me that you bought the car for the wrong reason.

It is not too difficult to spend $37k on a car with far less amenities and quality. This is far from the flagship of the Lexus line.

Actually, the "queezy" feeling has gone. I took forever to decide if I wanted to spend that much on a car, so I did my due diligence (the "need moral support" in title was really in jest). No regrets- just curious as to how others come to the conclusion to spend on a car. And perhaps partly playing the "devil's advocate." I doubt that I've made anyone else question their decision, which was not my intent. Human behavior, to me, is very interesting.

And I agree, btw, that $37k isn't anywhere near the top. It's all relative, needless to say, and I think most have a price point in the decision process- whether they're buying a $60k or $35k car. Anyone who can afford $75k and up- well, maybe they have the luxury of not caring.

Further to my original question, let's assume one could achieve comparable reliability with a Camry or Accord, etc. Perhaps we could even assume the same resale % of original purchase price. Are these fair assumptions?

I'm rather unconventional - where I keep cars for about 8-10 years before trading them out.

This is the fiscal discipline I need, to be sure!

Alright, I'd like to know what everyone's rationale is for spending so many $$ on a really nice car versus a new car priced in the mid $20k's. How does one justify it? I've always felt OK spending top dollar on vehicles for my wife (why, I do not know). However, I just dropped +$36k on an 08 IS250 for myself and feel a little queezy. Don't get me wrong- love the car. I just don't think I NEED the car.

Just curious as to your thought processes when spending so much.

Thanks.

One other question- is it safe to assume that it would take an extremely severe scrape to damage the IS frame? At what speed would you have to hit a speed bump to be worried about it?

I just returned from the dealership and the tech called the scrape "cosmetic." I'm not sure how closely he inspected the undercarriage and I know he didn't drive the car. Granted there is no vibration and the ride is as smooth as it's always been. I know I'm being hypersensitive about the whole thing- guess it's expected when I've had the car only a week!

Welcome to the LOC!

Sounds to me as if you should be fine, nothing to worry about.

Would you be concerned about the scrape on the black rubbery material next to the downpipe (the black underside of the car)? I would presume that sealing the scrape wouldn't be necessary, but then again, I really don't have a clue about this sort of thing.

Thanks...

This may be a dumb question, but I had my tires replaced (2005 LS430) from a "non-dealer" source and I'm wondering: did they reinstall the tire pressure sensors? My understanding is that the sensors are actually a part of the air valve...should I be concerned and am I even considering this correctly?

Many thanks...

LVB

The sensors stay in the wheels. If you don't have an alarm then they are ok.

Bartkat - thanks for the information; I was worried that I lost my sensor capability. No alarms, but I will go check the air after work...

Thanks

LVB

I had 4 tires put on with no sensor problems. Then I adjusted the PSI in the tires to what I wanted and everything is just fine.

Lexus told me the tire pressure changes with the weather winter/summer (cold/hot)

I would second that... here in Texas, we occasionally have wild swings in temperature (from HOT to COLD) in a day. I've had tire pressures drop 6-8 psi in a matter of hours, causing the sensor to light up.

Greetings...

Looking for advice. I've had my new IS250 for 1 week and encountered a nasty speed hump. Upon inspection, I noticed what would seem to be a minor ding/scrape on the exhaust right below the front passenger seat. Is this something to be concerned about?

Thanks!

Hello fellow newb!

IMO, as long as it is only a minor ding, it shouldn't be a problem. Back in the day, when I had my '67 Camaro, I had to purposely ding the exhaust for clearance around the 'A' arm, and it had no adverse effect... however, I think that I would be inclined to check the nearby connections, make sure that the bolts are still tight. Any change in the way the exhaust sounds?

Thanks.... I've not noticed anything unusual. It drives just as it did when I pulled out of the dealer lot and I haven't heard any strange noises. When I try to move the exhaust pipe at the scrape location, it won't budge (a good sign I presume).

Greetings...

Looking for advice. I've had my new IS250 for 1 week and encountered a nasty speed hump. Upon inspection, I noticed what would seem to be a minor ding/scrape on the exhaust right below the front passenger seat. Is this something to be concerned about?

Thanks!