MidNightGS430

I would definitely have it checked! Thats very unsafe. Like SK said it could be anything, And possibly an electrical issue??

Well doing more research and getting your facts straight before you start flaming someone or something is a habit you need to adopt!! Nothing worse than someone arrogant who thinks they know it all, But doesnt know nothing!! Do your homework! "Go put more stickers on your car".............WOW what an ignorant comment!! LOL

You are partially right, Because as far as the SRT intake goes ive heard more people dissapointed with the results. And dyno numbers no where near the claimed 30 hp!! But theres dyno numbers proving the K&N FIPK will truly get 11-17 hp!!!! As far as the stock intake of course it works just fine, And there is nothing wrong with it unless you want more power!!! The stock intake can never compare to a quality aftermarket one!! Every factory built vehicle comes with plenty of restrictive parts due to emissions, and sound. Those are the two main reasons are cars dont come with air intakes and straight pipe exhaust etc. So what does that mean? That there is plenty of horsepower to be made when you remove the restrictive parts!! And upgrade to quality aftermarket performance parts. Also consider hours, days, weeks, months, of R&D to design such parts!

I hear mixed things about the SRT. I would say the best bang for the buck is definitely an air intake, But you can find one much cheaper with good results. I would suggest either the K&N FIPK system, Or the Injen air intake system!! You can grab either intake for $300 and less and have money to spare for other mods vs. just spending $500+ on an intake.

Thats funny!! I bet he felt like a complete fool!!!!!! You would think being a professional driver you could pull that off with ease?

WOW Im suprised it holds that much value!!

WoW Very skilled behind the wheel!! Cool stuff

How long was it shifting hard before it failed? it was shifting hart about 8 month Shifting hard and now its not moving isnt a good thing. Its bad that you kept driving the vehicle with these symptoms for such a long time!! You probably could have avoided costly repairs by checking it out right after it was shifting hard. My suggestion before you start rebuilding anything is to drop the pan clean it up really well including the magnets etc. Im sure theres plenty of metal shavings in there. Replace the transmission filter, and put some fresh Toyota Type T-IV fluid in it and this may solve the problem!! I had a 95' VW Passat and it was shifting hard and slipping badly, and the it wouldnt even move into park or drive. After I replaced the tranny filter cleaned the pan and put new fluid in there it was perfect!! So thats my suggestion you may be able to solve the problem for about $60-$75 vs. Automatically assuming a rebuild!! Good luck with it.

Well weve had the technology for years! And for years american automakers main focus has been on trucks and suv's!! They have barely released the hybrid line-up of tahoes and pick-ups etc. They've gotten better at the economical vehicles, But of course imports have always reigned supreme! The main issue here is the economy and the impact this may have on it. Its a catch 22 because we cant risk losing more jobs!! We need to keep jobs and create jobs to stimulate the economy. But the average hard working individual will have to pay for the bailout through taxes!! So its give and take. I think we need to take the necessary steps to avoid our economy getting in worse shape than it already is. Trillions of dollars spent on the war thanks to G.W. hasnt helped in the least were in a complete mess thanks to this fool!! And there goes inflation, gas and grocery prices soar, And the worst unemployment rate since the 80's!!!!!

Its hard to pinpoint without more details. It can be a number of things from: Fouled plugs to Bad fuel filter, Bad fuel, Injectors, Fuel Pump etc. ????????? A good way to check if its getting fuel is to relieve the fuel pressure out of the fuel rail, And then start it and turn it off and relieve the pressure again. And if its not getting fuel it wont relieve any fuel at all!! If its getting fuel it will squirt out of the rail. Make sure to wear safety goggles if your going to do this. And thats one way to tell if the pump is doing its job, The pump will make a loud whining noise when its ready to go as well.....

You hit most of it on the head! At 90k Miles the timing belt, and tranny service are recommended!! Doing the water pump, seals, belts are good to and thats what I am going to do as well!! Its better to knock all of that out well you got it apart. also I would do new radiator hoses with the new radiator fluid, as well as a new thermostat. New air filter, PCV valve. New spark plugs, And service the differential as well. With all this done you should be good for another 90k-100k more miles, Of course your routine oil changes at every 3k and your tranny service every 30k or less. And maybe brakes??

Both SKperformance and The G man have good points!! And comparing an Altima to a GS430 is Apples To oranges....NO comparison. Your best bet is to have a 4 wheel drive Truck or SUV for back up!! The snow buttons may help, But depending how good of a driver you are will determine how you can get through the snow. But just remember that kind of power laid to the rear wheels makes it pretty easy to break em loose and get you sideways if your not careful!!

What a worthless piece of ****!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully that poor innocent person in the supra survived!! :( Thats horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!

Basically the motors have a higher compression which is why they require premium octane. If you put less than premium it can result in detonation due to pinging from the pistons. All in all its not good for the motor or performance or efficiency as jcrome04 stated. And I dont know what others have experienced with putting regular unleaded vs. premium fuel in their Lexus, But I would never do it!! Its not recommended from the factory for a good reason!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its suggested at the 90k Mile mark. But thats a good question on how long it can actually go before it snaps (God Forbid it snaps!!) But its more for piece of mind and it is necessary at some point. Im gonna get mine done and it has 95k miles on it, But i'd rather be safe than sorry! Its really up to it is your vehicle, But it is a gamble on how long it can go without replacing it. And the cost to replace the timing belt and water pump is pennies compared to bending valves and having to rebuild the motor!! But to answer your question on the water pump.....If your gonna replace the timing belt do the water pump at the same time! Unless you want to pay twice for the labor of removing and replacing the timimg belt twice to get the water pump in. Its sort of like replacing the worn brake rotors but keeping the worned pads on their....Doesnt make much sense!!

Yeah exactly, Well its being handled by another shop. So we'll see how it goes, But again if there "Professionals" they can tell whats damaged by just looking at it! But im going to get two different opinions from reputable shops!! Again im very knowledgeble and from my experience shavings or not the tranny was just fine aside from the leak. I recently had serviced a 95' passat that wouldnt even go into drive or reverse and had erratic shifting, and it had plenty of shavings. After a new filter and fluid....Good as new!! The main thing is getting the shavings out of the pan and clean it out so the shavings dont recirculate through the transmission, Which is what causes the damage.

5 mpg isnt close though! what i wouldnt do for 5 more mpg. lol but i gotcha. see im coming from a es300 lexus and i actually got DECENT mileage outta that thing. some1 tell me y i sold it to my pops again? See lol when you go from 10-12mpg to the Lex its very noticeble. And as far as the ES300 I fell in love the first time I drove an 01' there nice cars, But damn nothing compares to the GS!! And ive always loved the look of the GS more than any other model. Beautiful car with plenty of features! And you get the best of both worlds = Luxury, and performance you really cant complain!! As far as gas mileage well thats the price you pay to drive a car like this......Cant forget about what insurance costs on these bad boys also :P

Thanks guys! Experience is the best teacher. And at least I can move on! The bright side is I can have the tranny and parts inspected since they're already out of the car without the labor costs of removal!! And your both right there are reputable shops around, I think I might have at least one in mind. All I can do is be very careful, and at least now I know what to look for and possibly avoid. I just cant wait to get her back on the pavement in good working order!! ;) I'll keep you guys updated on how she turns out!!

Just an update guys! I just got back from the trans shop that has my car..........And WOW what a bunch of untactful, unprofessional "so -called" Business owners the way these guys operate is unbelievable!!!! I called them out on there pricing of the rebuild, and the other parts quoted boy they were speachless!! The owner even came at me in a threatening way I was in utter disbelief and SHOCK!! How they can attempt to get over on there clients and then verbally threat them!! Long story short after a long face to face heated argument on their practices or lack there of, And threats of going to the Attorney General and BBB. They agreed to hand me my tranny in a box, and let me take the car for $250 vs. the $650 of original labor costs..........I know I know I shouldnt have to pay a dime, But they got me on the fine print!! I guess I had to learn never EVER to trust anyone EVER EVER EVER again and these guys will never get a referral from me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its sad cause I actually went to these guys before for regular servicing, and trusted them!! SHAME ON ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

um don't u think u should ATLEAST have it looked at by a competent mechanic...so you don't end up stuck somewhere someday? Yes of course! Again theres only so much you can see without dropping the transmission, But I can drop the pan and inspect it, And I will replace the filter and fluid again after there finished with it just to make sure. I would rather be safe than sorry!

yeah when i bought the car it had almost 72k on it....im closing in on a 100k soon (im at 98k right now) yes i drive alot, yes i travel, yes i love my car.....i knew it would take a depreciation but cause of the stupid gas shortage it took like a 13k price drop! BOO HOO um are you saying you get 20 mpg CITY on the gs430? so your claiming to get 2 mpg HIGHER than the factory 18 city they claim?i would say its possible but VERY unlikely,most the gs300's BARELY see 20 city so sorry brother on this one i'm gonna call shenanigans (you'll know where and what i ripped that off from, if ne1 besides me gets the joke)! i have NEVER seen better than 16 city although i have actually gotten the 23 highway they claim. Yep I know where!! But I did say "CLOSE" Give or take 5mpg! LOL Who knows???????????????????? But Honestly I dont know the exact number, And truthfully I dont care! All I know is the gas mileage is very good when compared to what im used to in my Yukon, a full tank in that beast will maybe last 4 days at best!!!! So I know the mileage isnt bad at all for what it is. Considering the Yukon gets 12MPG City and less!!! And 16MPG Highway (estimated)!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO realistically im closer to 10MPG in the Yukon. When you can drive across town and see the needle moving right before your eyes thats a hog!! So the Lexus is very economical to me!! :D

Yeah im really in a tough spot right now!! Either way I have to eat the labor costs, And I had to learn the hard way on this one. Well at this point all I can do is have them replace the front pump and torque converter and fluid and filter and request the old parts for proof that they didnt just slap it back together like you said. And i'll have to get it home and drop the pan myself to confirm they at least cleaned it and replaced the filter. I'll probably just replace the filter and correct toyota fluid just for piece of mind, cause they can throw whatever fluid in there knowing the problems it can cause or worse not clean the pan or replace the filter which will cause damage!!.........Damn what a slap in the face!

Make sure the oil level is topped off! Any oil leaks?? It could be that the oil settled from sitting? Also it you spun a bearing or threw a rod it would have happened while driving and its very obvious because the car will almost shut down from the engine retarding the timing, and or cutting off the fuel etc. to prevent further damage. If it went away it should be fine, But i would be cautious. Typically a rod knock only gets louder upon acceleration and will not quiet or go away whatsoever!! Once the rod is thrown or the rod bearing is spun its there, And its not going away at all.

Did you recently purchase the car? Do you know the history of the car? I would suggest taking it to Lexus! And as far as price im guessing the average cost of an inspection?? So in the ballpark of $65-$100 and change. And the manual should have suggested intervals on maintainence! But I believe "Preventive" is the best maintainence you can do! It'll save you alot of hassle and money in the future. My GS430 has 95k and I just replaced the air filter changed the oil, and im gonna replace the belt and hoses. It may also be due for a timing belt? But im gonna have Lexus handle that. Its hard to trust the quality of work done on your typical "Jack of trades" mechanic shops!! The dealer may cost more, But I think you might get a little more piece of mind. Take Care welcome to the club u 2. manual does have suggested intervals...try using the search too next time guys....it will help noobs and og's and people in between! who gave u those prices for a service? he probably wont get out on a 60k service FROM a dealer for less than 200. Have u EVER been outta the dealership for NETHING for less than a bill? try this post dc fish made... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=34718 look at page 18 on the pdf! midnight SOME of our service is diffrent than the gs's service....not much but if your at 95k your past due for a timing belt,idler pulley, tensioners,spark plugs, differential fluid change, a/c filter, check ball joints but i would replace them at 95k regardless, also in this service i would do acc belt, water pump, check cam seals, and change radiator fluid...some others but im kinda frazzled this morning so i cant think of the rest. as far as piece of mind, i actually dont like my stearlership in town....except a guy named kurt that works at the parts counter, he's great. i trust my personal mechanics (yes i have 2 they work in same shop) more than ne other dealer in town as i have been using them both for years....no complaints, FEW problems,helpful and cheap (get the long time friend + the brother in laws best friend is one of my mechanics so that helps too) Thanks for the heads up! Im a new Lexus owner so its all new to me. I just changed the oil, replaced air filter k&n, im gonna replace my serpentine belt and radiator hoses. Im also taking it in the next week or so to have the timing belt and water pump replaced......Plugs, and cabin filter i can handle on my own. But i'll keep everything else you mentioned in mind when she goes in to get the timing belt replaced!! rather have it all addressed before it all becomes an issue!!!!!!

Yep thats the way it goes unfortunately since we dont own lambos or ferraris values just depreciate!! Its also a combination of the mileage and year of the car when considering book value! Mileage takes the biggest hit also when new models get released and so fourth. As far as gas maybe a slight hit, But SUV's took the biggest hit. Ive been used to getting around 12MPG in my Yukon, So getting close to 20mpg is a nice change!! But anyway good luck with your purchase legend11 and always make sure you get book value on the car, and dont forget to take it to get a pre-purchase inspection!! Theres only so much you can see with the naked eye as far as the mechanics of the vehicle. Also a Carfax wouldnt hurt either!!!!!! Take Care.