mburnickas

There is no “one tire pressure” good for all cars. Can’t speed in Hartford either.

So far most of the service items at 45 60 and 90K are a ripoff and you can do yourself. I know my dealers wanted around $1,100 for the 90K service and I laughed. I can do everything they can for 1/4 the price. I only have them do the timing belt, water pump and drive belts. The rest is easy stuff. In fact the other day they sent me a "sale" letter stating the $179 for the following is a good deal: - Change oil and filter - CHECK and fill fluids. - Clean and check battery fluid - Install new wipers ***What a deal*** Also had a coolant flush for $150 and 4 tire for $699.95 Boy where do I sign up! JOKE

I would like to top my radiator fluid reservoir. What fluid should I add? Just mix any antifreeze + tap water (50% + 50%) and add it to the reservoir tank?? ← I have a non car tip. Do not travel on 84 or 91 throught Hartford from 3:30 to 5:30..unless you like grid lock and morons. God, I hate that area.... Just check all the items everone has stated and maybe bring a car phone and some food for the drive....

Every auto I own with rotors has some rust after rain. It is only surface rust maybe 0.0005 to 0.001 deep Now if it was pitted from rust, I would turn and then re-chk thickness & go from there. Just seeing rust is not a sign to spend $$$$$$ from the start. I know in the spring in the northeast, on humid days with snow, the rotors look like they are 50 years old...unreal.

I thought as steve psoted it was the same as my 98 but was not sure. It is there you need to pull carpet back and there is a door (white) with 3 tabs on it. I have some pix I think from someone on this board. Let me look on my server? ← These help? http://home.comcast.net/~94gsxr1100/es_filter.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~94gsxr1100/es_filter2.jpg

I thought as steve psoted it was the same as my 98 but was not sure. It is there you need to pull carpet back and there is a door (white) with 3 tabs on it. I have some pix I think from someone on this board. Let me look on my server?

baudib--Welcome to LOC :D The warranty is up to you. If something goes wrong, would you want to try and fix it? When I got my car (1998 CPO) it had a 3 year or 100K mile warranty. It got used twice in three years; once for an EGR valve and the other was for a stuck MAF sensor (due to a mouse). Other then that, nothing. I would look to see what the warranty really covers. Maybe worth it maybe not. Also what does the warranty cost? If it is a high amount I personally would say no, it is not worth it. Based on the low miles, did they do the timing belt yet? The car will need on at 90K so I would ask now and say some $$$$. Also is it CPO? What maintance was done in the past? Brakes, oil, tranny fluid, brake fluid, PS fluid, coolant, etc? So far I am very happy with my car. Keeps going and going. The way I look at warranties is this, “Is the car that bad that I NEED it?” Then when a sales person asks me, I say the same thing.

says 96 in the thread title. :chairshot: ← Sorry. Was not paying attention since my heli batteries were, well, melting, smoking. Sorry about that....

kyle0k Really that was the cheapest price around and I trust Lexus and their own dealers better then I do mom/pop shops (or people during side jobs). Lexus will stand behind their dealers, other shops, nope. Also I am far from being rich but I am not cheap on the same boat. Really. In the past every local shop I try to get either screws something up, do things quick, make a mess out of the car, scratches the car, if they even get to it that day, and put non-oem parts on it. I do not trust little shops or people doing side jobs since most do not stand behind there work and Lexus will not be on your side if something happens. Also I could do it, but why? I can go spend the time doing it, parts needed etc etc. I did not go to engineering school to spend 5 hours under a hood getting all messy, hot etc. I will take my job at work over messing with coolant, timing belt etc. I did not buy a Lexus to put $0.99 spark plugs in it, fram oils filters, or some weird named parts on it. I do not have carbon problems on my car, never have either. If you can’t afford $740 for all the parts I had done, for example in my timeline 7-years, you better not own a Lexus. Again that is $740 over 7 years or $0.29 a day….It is like people buying a $50K SUV and then whine and complain and the gas or parts. Hell, my r/c heli cost 6X the service...Again, $740 to put into a car, is a drop in the bucket. Also, next time I would read LOC rules and not call someone "ignorant". Bad thing to do....

You could have had new acid in the battery when maybe they serviced it? I like the Optima (Red top) since it was $129 shipping to my house, more CCA and looks cool....

What year Lexus.

OEM battery in a 1998? Wow, that last longer then mine. I thought mine was doing great with it started to die in 2004. If you hear a clicking that is good, means your battery is dead. Could be bad plates, bad cells, etc or bad alt. I would buy a new battery (since you need one after 7 years) and call it a day. I baught an Optima....Lexus starts like on crack! :) To test charge it up and see if the car starts or put another battery in (from another car) and see what happens. I would guess (99%) sure, it is a bad battery. I would do that since you again need one and it is cheaper then buying an alt from the start. The clicking is the solenoid clicking and the starter does not have the power to turn engine/flywheel over.

I have to correct a few things here. The warranty per Lexus gives (in writing for IMZ V-6 engines) is not a lifetime one as posted above, it is 8-years from purchase date and un-limited miles. From the letter I have per Lexus. “Toyota and Lexus owners manuals stipulate oil changes every 7,500 miles or six months, whichever comes first, under normal driving conditions, and 5,000 miles or four months under severe driving conditions. Toyota's new policy is a dramatic change from a so-called Special Policy Adjustment begun in February 2002. Amid increasing criticism for refusing to deal with the problem, Toyota notified 3.3 million owners of the affected engines that sludge-related repairs would be covered. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. says it will pay repair costs for sludge damage in cases where customers can provide proof of "reasonable efforts" to maintain the vehicle.” Again all this is per Lexus. I do not know about belts, but 99% of people that have had TB put on at a Lexus dealer have had zero problems. After have trying some non-OEM parts (brakes, rotors, pads, hoses, plugs, belts, wires, rads, etc) in the past on various auto’s I have owned (thoughout the years); in some areas non OEM are not up to snuff with things. When the price is ½ or cheaper, think about it. You get what you pay for. Again this is my experience on it take it for what you wish. I paid $740 (all OEM) for TB, Waterpump, seals etc when I had mine done at lexus. Yes, it cost a little more put I do not trust little mom-pops garages to do this work on my car either; and my inlaws own garages and so do friends. My car is 1998 and had the work done in 2005. That is $100 per year and that is cheap. You mess up the pump you are back to square 1 again. Again, you purchesed a $35K car (when new), a little jingle to keep it runing as new it a drop in the bucket.

I have 6K on my car (ES) and love them. Not too white and not to purple. And the output lumens is still pretty good.

I also have not gone that long on breaks or rotors ever. I have a hard time believing a picture of some odometer and some break rotor correlates to anything; but that is me here. We need to document tractability here. I drive on a highway and travel long distances from my house so keeping it slow in today major cities is not gonna happen. . I am going on 50K miles on my last set and they will last till about 60K miles. My last 1-ton pickup lasted till about 100K miles on pads and rotors but on the flip side the pads are over $100 for the front and the rotors are more (each). But my new lexus pair of front OEM pads cost about $35 (shipped free). That is a drop in the bucket since it cost more then the vodka for the drinks to help me install them! Yes, manuals help stop the car but on the flip side put more stress on the trans etc. For me the brakes are much cheaper then a transmission (clutch etc). If you do not use the breaks that much, the K.E. needs to go to something if not the breaks. Nothing just goes away for free and something absorbs the K.E (aka wearing something). Some thing with my breaks on my bike. For me the $120 for pads (for both wheels) is much cheaper then the wear on the gears, sprockets / chain & tires; chain and sprocket are over $500. Take your pick. Pads only live about 8K miles and that is the norm. Again breaks are the weakest link. Also since the thickness has dropped 0.019 inches, how about what is parallelism? Also there is a HUGE weight delta between a little 1992 Toyota pickup and the heavy SUV’s of today. Where you drive (dirt, sandy roads) also comes into play. I know BMW use very soft pads to help with braking. Always notice the very black front wheels on BMW’s? They do not last as very long but stop much better/quicker (which is better for you).

All I am saying is that if you think bolting on an air funnel to an auto is not going to effect the performance, handling, functionality & reliability of the car, well you are a better engineer then me. Yes, the basic design is not rocket science as you called it, but you have no idea on what other things are effected from it. You stated other cars. I do not know what that is. I stated top speeds since the original poster did and that is foolish in todays legal issue happy world. It was Camry, sorry. I am not one to spell very well since engineers can't spell. If they did, they are not engineers. PS. The CAFE standards are a joke. They state that light trucks (manufactured in the 2005-2007 model years (Mys) to be: The standards for all light trucks manufactured is set at 21.0 mpg for MY 2005, 21.6 mpg for MY 2006, and 22.2 mpg for MY 2007. This rule is effective May 5, 2003. Give me a break. Fords, Dodge and chevy light trucks are lucky to get 13 to 15 maybe right now….

I agree but there is much more design put into it then "just mounting" a funnel to your car. Nothing is that simple in the engineering world, ever. Also was this topic on ES or Camary not an IS.

I have to agree with SK here. The Lexus is not a sport car let alone make a “funnel” for it. I thought, and I think most do, that Lexus stands for high levels of comfort, convenience and refinement. I do not think speed is top 5 for Lexus on their ES series. I personally have a Suzuki GSX-R1100 for speed/sport, not a Lexus. Again, the 4 mph increase at 75-80 might be nice but if you drive in the city you can get lets say 2 mpg and have a nice homemade piece on my car (looks nice going to all the management meetings or weddings. Maybe we can make a Wal-nut colored one too??? :D My old 1998 ES get almost 30 mpg on the highway and 25 in city/work and that is fine with me. Also who drives the Lexus at top speeds? There is not enough room in most states and I do not condone driving at illegal and dangerous speeds. It is plan stupid and immature. If you are comparing a Ferrari to a Lexus we are in for a great time of reading. Beside the HUGE delta in thousands and thousand of dollars, the ES stands Executive Sedan not a race car. Now this and all the other articles looks really/great nice and I am sure some race people will try it, but the vast majory might not. Now I am not saying remove the posts but is there a forum for all the DIY/homemade projects here on LOC?

Why not use Denso Iridium plug's as most on this forum like and work very well? To me putting in a cheap plug in a $35K car is well, crazy. Buy the best you can since it is a Lexus, not a ford! :) I am not by anymeans disrespecting ANYONE here, but you want a novice to take apart a throttlebody here? Little more complex then a fuel filter my friend. Hell, I most likey would not even try that unless I HAD to. Lets try the simple and less complex things first. "Must start out small grasshopper" .:)

I was thinking about buying a pair of these for the bike and trying them. http://www.speedbleeder.com/ If they work, on the Lexus.

As SK stated they are most time lifetime filters. I changed mine since it was like $25 for an OEM filter. I will not be doing it again I think. It was only two 10mm bolts and two fuel lines. Very very simple; installed from underneath. Also I must agree that if someone thinks it is hard to change it, we gonna have problems. It is as simple as rotating tires. The spark plugs are original??? wow, you should change them every 60K miles and with wires. I know I did my wires in about 30 minutes and that was with some Corona time....:) So far all simple things and prices online are very good.

I know when I did my 98 es, the fuel filter took about 25 minutes....very easy

Question here. Where were you told/read that Syntec was higher when compared to Mobil and Amsoil? Again, not starting a war but the oil tests I have seen (un-used) say the complete opposite. I even posted some below. -Castrol Syntec has approx 900ppm P and 950ppm Zn; along with Ca about 3,000ppm. - Castrol Start Up has even lower numbers - German Syntec (SLX) has about the same as normal CAstrol - Mobil 1 5W-30 Extended Performance (15K oil) Zinc 1056ppm, P 1058ppm, Ca 2038ppm TBN 11.0 - Normal Mobil 1 Zinc 778 ppm, P 656ppm, Ca 2038ppm TBN 8.0 - Amsoil 5w-30 (25K oil)(what I use) Zinc 1210, TBN 11.5, P 1280, Ca 2867 - Amsoil 5w-30 HDD (25K oil) Zinc 1265, TBN 12.2, P 1320 Ca 3324 HT/HS (shear stable here). Higher the # the better=HTHS, viscosity index, permanent shear stability index, and temporary shear stability index Amsoil goes from 3.5 to 4.9 Mobil: 2.61 to 3.17 (there diesel oil goes from 2.99 to is 5.11) Castrol only find 3.7 on there diesel oil (15w-40) VI (higher the better)= viscosity index and shear stability index Mobil -105 to 187 Amsoil -124 to 204 (most are 180+) Castrol - 106 to 175 So here is some data to help someone select and oil. Also higher numbers= higher the price.

Yes, most are a waste of money. If you buy a good oil it will have a the good additives in there; high CA, Zn, P, etc etc. Also the good oil will have a good degerent pkg in it. Some of the oil cleaners on the mark contain; kerosene, naphthalene, xylene, acetone and isopropanol. I remeber when Slick 50 came out and it was that "Teflon was great" blah blah. We tried Teflon on certain airframe engines (not naming them) and the surfaces with Teflon were the worst for gathering ice on them...Nice

In my owners manual, it says if the light is flashing, something is wrong with the compressor. ← I agree if it blinks all the time. If it blinks then shuts off, then it is fine. I know why mine blinks when there is no freon traveling to cool it, it is too hot. It does this after stopping the engine in hot weather. Then once I restart (ie 10 minutes later it blinks till the compressor has time to move the freon.