mbpgawest

sk, any pics of the wheel centers? Is it possible to measure them? Thanks

steviej, how is the quality of the OEM filter compaired to Mobil or K&N. I'm considering changing to synthetic in my '97 LS w/ 78,000 miles and my wifes new '04 Toy. Sienna. In your opinion, should the LS w/78k use the high milage oil?

My thoughts exactly "Ghetto" It's sad to see what some people will do to a beautiful car. I could never imagine being caught driving in something that looked like that. Unless I was shot by them and dragged into it.

jnicoli, You will have to check and see if you have the self-leveling system or not. If you do it will be more$$ to change them. Yes you can use KYB's, I'm going to be replacing my shocks and springs sometime this summer. You can buy the OEM shocks for less, found that out after buying my KYB's . I have not heard anyone talk about a convertion kit before, that might be for the ones that have the self-leveling type. As for how much, the KYB's are around $300-350 for a set of 4 plus labor if your going to have someone else do it for you. I talked with the dealer about 3 months ago and it was going to be around $800 for all 4. I also plan on replacing my springs at the same time and you might want to do the same if you still have original shocks you must have the original springs. I'm getting those from the dealer. I heard that there is an after market springs that is stiffer and it lowwers the car about 1 inch, and I don't want that. I'm sure that Sear's can do it, but I would not trust them my self (Only my opinion). Let us know what you do.

Thanks Blake, I'll do it this weekend and let you know how it turns out for me.

skperformance, not sure what you meen by confirming that the ones above will be the same size. Above what? Thanks

skperformance, I have a '97 LS 400 that I'm looking for the whole thing! Including chrome wheel centers. All in gold.

TexusLexus, your as bad as my wife TEASE. Sounds like you got a great experiance and I hope that everyone else will also benefit from this. I'll be sending him my wheel covers ASAP. I feel like I've been taken to the cleaners by the dealer, since I paid over $200 for a kit that does not include the wheel cover emblems.

We never heard back from Blake on how his leather came out. :( Steve, is the Woolight and water a 5-1 ratio? What technique or process do you use? Thanks.

I'm almost sold on synthetic oil. Never used it before, always thoght it was over priced. I'm looking for some input on how often to change your synthetic oil and comments why I should pay $4 per quart. Thank you in advance for your comments

I have a question, What is the proper way to flush the p/s system? I have a '97 w/78,000 miles and I'm sure that it has never been flushed. I understand that after flushing I should clean the screen at the solenoid, just want to know the proper way to flush. Is it recommended to use OEM fluid after flush? Thank you for your help! :D

99lsguy, do you come out to PGA WEST often? Next time your in town, let me know and we can play one of the private courses. ;) 90Lexus, :( I bought the shocks before I could read your reply. I'm going to get the OEM springs from my brother-in-law sometime this week. Won't have time to do the job for a while, sometime this summer. On a cool day when it's only 105 or so.

Hope they come out good! I have ordered the gold kit from a relitive who works at a dealer. Just can't get the wheel cover ones from them. If this referbish works I'll send them out.

I'm not to far off from having to replace my brakes and keep hearing about ceramic pads. Anyone have comments about OEM vs. ceramic? I repalced the fronts about 30,000 miles ago and they squeal sometimes. Will ceramics make a differance? Thanks for your comments and help!

I'm going to replace my springs and struts at the same time. By the picture you have it does not look like you will need to change yours. I would suggest replacing the bushings, that should take care of the clunking noise. Well, I bought the KYB's and I'm getting OEM springs. I plan on do the work in about 2-3 weeks. It's going to be hot as heck, it was 108 here today! B)

I spoke with my brother-in-law, who is a "Master Mechanic" for a Lexus dealer. I told him about the telescopic problem. He said that it is most likely the motor. With out looking it up, he said that this year had the sensor and the motor as one piece. Better off living with it until it goes out totally. :cries:

Blake, thanks for the reply. At $400 I would live with it also. It just started happening with no warning or prior symptom. I hope someone else will be able to help us.

I did a search on "Tilt Wheel" and came up empty. I have a '97 LS400 and "Normal" opperation when the key is put back in the ignition the steering wheel goes back to where it was. Just in the last couple weeks my titl wheel has been only going part way. So I take the key out and put it back in and sometimes it goes where it should. Has anyone else has or heard of this problem before? :(

next thing I would do is clean all of that stuff you sprayed on. Take the belt off and clean each pully. I would use brake clean or "Gunk Engine Cleaner" and use a brush . Then put a new belt on. Sorry it will be your 4th. See what other people say, you will probably get other replies later today.

douglas, I don't think that they will give you any discount for bringing in your own oil, but it does not hurt to ask. At least that way you know what is going into your Lexus.

ma'snastylexus, congradulations on your 21st birthday. Nice gift to your self! As for the noise, have changed the belt?

Here is what I know of the "brake pad wear limit warning light." If you let your brake pads where down to low, the sensor will make contact with the rotor and turn the light on. At a cost of $90 each, it's best to change your brake pads before they get worn down to close to the sensor.

Has anyone replaced thier struts on your own? I'm about to buy KYB GR-2's and OEM springs. From what I can tell by other posts, the OEM struts are about half the price of the KYB's. What I really want to know is, do I need any special tools (Pullers or presses)? Also want to know what else I should be replacing while I'm in that deep? Such as bushings or ball joints. I plan on doing the job sometime this summer. Any Comments would help.

Hey Lola, I did some reading on this and one comment that kept coming up is to have in it the "fresh air" mode most of the time. This allows for the condensations from the evaporator to drain. If you keep it in the "recirculation" mode the evaporator does not get a chance to dry out, allowing bacteria or mold to grow on the fins of the evap. There are products that you can spray into the vents near your wiper blades that will help with this condition. These products usually have alcohol in them. Hope this helps. Mark

equalizir, it looks clean. I just looked up Kelly Blue book on it and it says that the dealer should be asking just over $9,000 for it. Listen to everyones comments about what to do on the test drive. It will help you asses the cars condition. Chances are that it will go for another 100,000 miles. These cars last for ever. May need a few things along the way to keep it in perfect condition, nothing major. Let us know your thoughts after you take it for a test drive (then buy it).