mburnickas

I agree but they are selling them for the same price as of last year and there cost is very close to what it was last year. $88 per tire (Falken Zeix) is not that bad, but then it goes back my rule on prices. No tire is worth $88 just for a tire. Maybe when I had my Nitto's on my stang with a retail price of over $225 each. Then again I am sure the region etc plays a big role. From what I have seen in general, example here; if tires is like $130 retail, there price is always below to show you “a deal”. So in this case it would be around $100 to $105 per tire (for any Joe Blow walking in). 100 to 1 the tire cost between $55 to $70 for them to sell to others dealers, car shops etc. Their real price based on what limited info I have seen is that they are make $10 to $15 per tire to dealers. Even then most shops will install the tire etc to dealers for free. So a $130 is marked up 2.2 to 3X just for you. Oh, but you get a free aligment..WHOA! I did not get nor have the Falken Zeix and I hope they are better then my toyos in the snow. The thread does look the same. Next time, I think I am going to get the goodyear TT but then again yoko's have always done well with me.

Nobody around here will even get close to that price. Wish it was easier but tirerack has great prices and discounttires has free shipping which worked out great for me . ← I know. I was going to buy my wifes tires at DTD.com and then I forget all about my tire guy. He will beat online prices. I know my toyo's were normally about 100, his price last year was $72 out the door. Now I can get them cheaper by about $50. I think DTD is cheapest I have seen online. Free shipping is great. The only bad side is the mounting, balance, valve stem will be like $10 to 12 each unless you know someone. Even at wholesale prices, they are making money.

ZINFANDEL- unless i am getting vette tires for my es, the prices are not higher then $79 out the door on 99% of tires. The markup is a joke. Discounttiredirect is good if you do not know anyone. My guy will beat there price and give free install etc.

been using amsoil for years and it works. I am doing longer drains also. But do a search since I have posted on this product may many times. I know many people that are doing well over 20K drains and the oil tests fine! But as of 11-1-2005. The new oil filters (eA) are good for 25K miles or 1-years. The old SDF filters were 6 months or 12K miles; but many go longer on the SDF and they are fine. The SDF oil filters will not be around much longer since they stopped making them. All new filters will be the 25K ones once the sdf oil filters run out.

yes, but then Amsoil will not even sell the sdf's anymore. I bet in 6 months they are out.

Didno' have them. I was getting some prices and the guy (personal friend) was giving me prices that were really good. It is like my toyo proxies tpt. I got them for like $300 installed etc. I could get them cheaper now then before if I wanted them. But these will be my last set of toyo's. He said if I do not like my toyo in the winters you will not like the Falken's. Next time I am going to try Michelin's Pilot or Goodyear Assurance TripleTred. I can get them installed cheaper then online prices. They would be about what I paid for my toyo.s ← Have to respectfully disagree with your tire guy about the Falken's in the winter mburn......I drive both in the winter......granted on 2 different vehicles, but the Falkens bite better in the slushy stuff & on icy roads better than the Toyo's. heavy rain was about the same....but the Falken definately has the advantage in winter conditions. Having said that, if it's down to the Falken & the Triple Tread......I'd go with the TT bud.....it will be more expensive (not sure how much.....depends how much price shopping you have done! ;) ) but longevity wise, it will last longer & it has a better warranty. Depending on how long you will be keeping your 98 ES, it just might be the last set of tires you purchase. B) Keep us posted & good luck! ;) ← Ok, I am just going by the guy who sells the tires at the tire place in my city. The prices are all 60 to 75 per tire installed (blanced, new stems, road hazard etc). My mom was down getting tires and she got the triple threads..So far, they seem to be noisy like the toyo;s. I need to re-check air. Sister got weather handlers and there were quiet. He gave us a real good deal on them. Felt bad buying them so loooooow.

I agree. The SDF I feel could go up to 15K miles. I think the extended drains are pushing the filters to last as long as the oil. Watch, in 3 to 5 years, you will see other manufactures doing the same thing (pushing longer intervals on filters). The days of short drains (even with turbo's) are coming to an end. But there new filters are not made by baldwin (like the SDF's). Also the filters are better in eff. and cap. It is like GM is even having oil (OEM) that last 20K and 30K miles. For the $12 for the new filter....not a bad deal. Fill and that is about it. Maybe re-check oil level in 7 to 8K intervals :D :D :D :D

Are you saying the new Amsoil oil filters are inferior mburn? I hear ya based on what I have read in regards to the engine gelling that heat is the killer....sounds like if you change the oil twice a year then one should be fine? Please do explain. B) ← No, I am saying in my Lexus (sludge engine) the oil will turn bad (oxidize, low TBN etc) long before the nano filters even go bad. There filters are really good & blow most filters out of the water. If I could drive 17K miles per year, the new filters still have 8K miles left on it. The price is pretty cheap; around $12 each. The problem is after one year I still have miles on the oil filter left. I am going to run only 7.5K miles on this SDF and amsoil asl. Then going to run amsoil and toyota filter just for monarch. After that I am going to try there new filters. The old-school SDF filters were nice for two reasons; 1) new filter and 2) add more top off to the add pkg.

Are you talking about the rear differential of your LS400? If so, the frequency of oil changes depends on your ownership plans and durability expections for the car. If you plan on selling or trading your LS400 before the 200,000 mile mark then you really don't need to change the oil because nothing in the differential mechanism is likely to badly wear or fail before then. If you plan on selling or trading your LS400 at between 200,000 - 300,000 miles then it would be desirable to change the diff. oil about every 100,000 miles. If you plan on keeping your LS400 for over 300,000 miles, then diff. oil changes every 75,000 miles would keep wear down to such low levels that you would likely be able to drive 500,000 miles or more without any rear end trouble. I've been changing the differential oil in my troublefree 467,000 mile Toyota pickup about every 75,000 miles. ← Based on your numbers if you plain I keeping the car forever and driving it to a million miles I would be changing the diff fluid every 250 miles.... :D LOL Hence, your “formula” is lucky at best. Then again, you do not even talk about oil quality nor the oil type used. Then again you have not data to support you claim. But I will ask a loaded question since you talk about “ownership plans and durability expections” and “keep wear down to such low levels”. What do these mean. Then you state “keep wear down to such low levels. What levels are high and what am I looking for? What good levels am I looking for? ow about TAN, etc. You do not even touch on these.

Didno' have them. I was getting some prices and the guy (personal friend) was giving me prices that were really good. It is like my toyo proxies tpt. I got them for like $300 installed etc. I could get them cheaper now then before if I wanted them. But these will be my last set of toyo's. He said if I do not like my toyo in the winters you will not like the Falken's. Next time I am going to try Michelin's Pilot or Goodyear Assurance TripleTred. I can get them installed cheaper then online prices. They would be about what I paid for my toyo.s

no big deal. There gear and ATF are really good. I but there gear fluid in my tractor (4x4) over 3 years ago. Works,smells and looks like new. Now the next one is there new oil filters. It is not the price I am worried about. it is the oil. In my year lexus the oil will "die" sooner then the new oil filters based on the oil tests. So I would be buying a filter that can go 25K but the oil is around 17K (based on the few tests I have done). The heat is the killer with this car.

do a search on this forum /section. There are many places.

my Es has ATF or uses the same ATF as tranny. If using a synthetic diff it would go a long time. All the apps I use Amsoil diff in are "fill and forget"!

www.discounttiredirect.com like $80 a piece, Falken Zeix ZE-512. Hands down the BEST high performance/general use tire IMO. ← I was looking at those so I called my tire guy. $53 each installed! Helps to know people I guess.

sure......you get the best gear fluid out there! :D

Agreed. Should fall in between 300 & 500usd depending on if you're changing the pump (you should be), seals & the two accessory belts ($15-35 each depending on what kind you get). Lexus overchareges labor & grossly overcharges on both parts. Either find a Toyota dealer to do it, or go to an indy mechanic. This is one of those times where paying for Lexus has no point to me. It's a fairly quick job to do, so there's not much reason to give you a new Lexus to ride around in. (less they're just slow & want to run up labor charges) ← I agree but even Toyota around here is within 10% of Lexus (not worth my time). My inlaws own garages and there price is cheaper but based on this type of service, thanks but no thanks. My last TB, WP, seals and belt were like (stated above) out the door. To me, that is a drop in the bucket. Hell, my daycare for my kid is more, mortgage is more, etc. For have a 1998 car and a $700+ service, that is cheap. I do the rest myself. Only paid for service twice on this car at any dealer. The rest is me. (and I must say thanks to you for some! :)) If someone can find it cheaper great. For me, having Lexus stand behind there work is a lot better then using a mom and pop shop that will not stand behind there work. All I need is a high school kid working on my car and something happens like 2 months down the road. the local shop will not have a warenty like Lexus. Find me a Lexus or Toyota dealer within 1.25 hours from my hours for that price, not gonna do it. Hell, I have tried and that is impossible. I have been luck with the lottery. Most dealers [Toyota or Lexus] would laugh at you for that price. I know, I tried. Go out by Boston or on the Cape, it will be worse.

how can you say that? Each region is different, each dealer is different. I checked within a 100 miles radius of my home and I got prices that went from what I paid to over $1,000. The prices you stated would never happen around here. So there is no "should be price" since they are way to many things to condsider. Stating a benchmark price for this service is about as bad as stating the weather.

That is about inline with a private garage. Based on past dealings, I try to stay away from these ones unless I have too.

I got a TB, water pump, cam seals, crank seals, new coolant and new drive belts at my local Lexus dealer for around $720 (out the door).

so you want to use a 75-140 gear fluid in a car diff! LOL There goes some MPG... You can use 5w30, 10w-40 or 0w30 and be fine. Most time the CAFE standards drive the oil, not the manufacture of the car. And monarch is right, "NONE have ever reported a case of heavy engine wear or engine failure when they followed the owners manual instructions to use 5W-30 conventional oil and to change it at the prescribed intervals." But then again I have better things then change oil every 5K too. Last time I compared oils, another owner with 5K miles and mine (12+K) compared oils. Lets say mine was WAY ahead of the game. Not bad for benefits all around. If monarch would spend the few dollars and test his oil, 100 to 1 the oil I use with 2x the miles will out perform is Lexus/Toyota/Mobil oil. You get what you pay for. Then again I will not even talk about the new 25K or 1 year oil filters manufactured from Donaldson. To much to handle. :D

monarch, Why do you always display a tone of negativity? People do what they want to there cars and always will regardless of someone elses Blah Blah. I don't want to come across as picking on you [ which I am not ] but you always chime in with the same old tone. No offense and to each his/her own. There are better products on the market for automobiles than what mfg's tell you to use and there is nothing wrong with using them. Have a nice day! ← I agree with you. I had a K&N on my bike since new (1994) and have tests the oil several times. No Si (aka dirt) or other high wear. I think when people state the holes etc, that are full of "you know what". Now...... On the other hand my old Ford diesel (powerstroke) had sensor issues with oil glazzed filters. If you know diesels, they use about 3 to 4 times the volume of air that a car does. Hence it pulls more air. So in a diesel I would say no but I would test the oil and check the sensors.

I bought my ES about 120 miles from me (near Boston mass) to save $7K. I have my local dealer do things like TB, water pump and a select few other things. Rest is all me! I just dis-like the attitudes of most when I walk in. If you do not "fit the image" (figure that out) you will need a loud speaker to get any clown to come over. I only had one issue under CPO. It was the EGR and they fixed it ($150). I had to FIGHT with the lady since she could not find me in there sys. She said I brought the car in for service in 2000. I said lady I did not even oven the car in 2000! No big deal. $$$$ is $$$ to them.

I for one like the ES and not the IS. If I had to pick from the 2 or leave Lexus..bye bye. RWD has its place in many cars etc; but for me with winters etc, I will take FWD over RWD anyday. I had 5.0, z28 growing up and I hate RWD in winters.

So now you want me to take that to the bank on “The recommended engine oil change intervals for 1997 and newer vehicles can be found on our Service and Maintenance page.” Ya right. ..I know what my 98 does with a synthtic and how the oil performs. Throw in a dino, 7,500 miles (per the manual) would be a sludge factory. But ha, that is me since I own one. Even there political letter states I do not need to do this. I have seen oils (dino) perform worse then mine (with over 2x as long). Too bad those other oils will sludge before mine. All this from the same company that: 1) “recommends” anything in the world to make them money 2) states, synthetic can’t last longer (oil change intervals) 3) these certain years do not have a sludge problem (but they sent letters out quick and stated on the website in realtime; added a sludge warranty too. But they still say it is not there fault. :chairshot: 4) states, “Once synthetic oil is used, it is best not to switch back to petroleum-based oil.” Little behind the times here in the "Ito" university 5) Or the EGR and TB carbon up easy and they state do not clean it with cleaner in the manual; then they sell a cleaner to clean it. LOL 6) Charge and arm and a leg on there Lexus oil when it is Mobil. As like I tell everyone at work with out design guidelines/manual, they are a guide that is it. Now THAT is a classic. Lexus (or Toyota) prints something and you want me to ask a dealer something and get a " more frequent service". Gee, who is driving the ship here???

still the pix does not mean anything nor was anything done. And I argee with steve and Toysrme. Also if someone drives over 5K miles and has sludge, it is a poor engine design, you are using the cheapest oil out there or both. The oil used, temps oil sees, etc all play a role and the little "clown/stupid light" does not know or care in Toyota's. I think the best designed one is GM's OLM and it is head over heels over Totoya. It use more variables then Toyota to see when to change the oil. Even that is not 100% The way I see it, if you want play it safe, do not want to think at all and just do what a light says, then this "little light" will be your next best friend! LOL I have seen OLM stating to change the oil and I tested the oil, it was fine. Then again I do not use dino oil either. I love the rest buttons on cars! :D