amcdonal86

Sewell, Park Place, Carson, Irontoad (aka Thompson Lexus in PA), Lexus Parts Mall, etc. shop each of them and buy from whoever is the cheapest. Unbolt the shock mount (some unbolt the shock too; I find that unnecessary), mark the alignment washers on the strut rod, and then unbolt the strut rod's nuts and bolts. It's a very easy job. Where is the shock mount? Is it accessed in the engine bay?

Okay! The sway bar bushings were NOT the problem. I replaced them and put an abundant amount of grease on them and the creaking noise still occurs. That's pretty disappointing, but I still have some more ammunition! My strut rods arrive on Monday. They will probably go on by the next weekend!

Well, today is the big day! I will let you guys know in a couple of hours whether the sway bar bushings were the culprit!

You can only hijack my thread if you give me those curtain photos you promised! :):)

Sounds like brake pad wear indicators if you ask me. If I remember correctly, it looks like this: ((!))

Blast! The Rock Auto website didn't say that each order was actually a kit. Now I have four front sway bar bushings. :(

As an update, last weekend I drove the car on a 260 mile highway trip and I ended up with 25.5mpg on 100% highway driving. And that was at 75mph! (Not too shabby, huh?)

Was it an easy install? Glad you got it fixed.

Every road!Highways are typically sloped 2% to the left or right into drainage ditches or curb and gutter. This will cause almost any car to pull to the right (or left depending on the direction of the side slope) when you let go of the wheel (but just slightly). I'm not suggesting that there is an alignment spec that counteracts these tendencies-- I'm saying it's a characteristic of the road that will affect any road vehicle! Not sure where you got the idea that I was saying anything more...

Are you sure it's not just the crowning of the road? Highways look very flat, but they are indeed very much crowned to provide adequate drainage.

This could mean that there is a partial blockage in your cooling system somewhere.

Well, last night it stopped working again. Then a few hours later I started it and it worked fine. What the heck is going on? Where do I begin to diagnose this?

I'm not sure if it's that I like driving the car itself or the idea of driving it. When I sit behind the wheel of that thing, I feel big an important peering out over that long hood covering that powerful V8 engine, and being bathed in high quality interior materials (and a good stereo to boot)!

The XJ8 and the LS430 should not be in the same paragraph! The Lexus LS (pretty much all years) is easily the most reliable car in the world. Build quality is excellent. Your steering wheel retraction will probably not break, but if it does, it's an easy fix that you can do yourself for not much money (if any). You should consider it because it is truly a world class car. Nothing comes close in terms of refinement. And the post-facelift 430s look pretty darn good, too!

That might be a good place to start.

Does the car ever stall out? This description may be somewhat helpful: http://ezinearticles.com/?Torque-Converter...p&id=113485

Why don't you see what your parents want to do about it?

jchrome04, I can't seem to find any of the parts you mentioned on that website. Where are the curtains?

Haha, thanks for the info guys! I probably won't add curtains or a fold down table, but I was just curious what other people do!

Well, just to make sure the problem is going to get solved, I went ahead and also ordered front swaybar bushings. They are MOOG brand--I hope they don't suck!

I know! Where do you think I got that link from? :cheers:

If you're only 15, unfortunately I think you will have to take thomas.ahart's advice. :(

Anyone have any idea if this fixed the problem?

Well?? Is bling taboo on Lexusownersclub.com? :)

This may be a stupid question, but do all LS400 have drive-by-wire throttles?