Brett in AK

I believe that the title of this post regarding the rules of the board covers this topic pretty well... Forum Terms And Conditions / Nav Dvd Copies = Ban Boards and software that encourages or facilitates the theft of intellectual property have been sued in the past (Napster ring a bell?) and I am pretty sure that the management of LOC do not want to answer questions from "The Man" on why they thought it would be ok to buy a single copy of something and allow their members to copy it. Thank you for your input. I researched your link and could not find anything regarding sharing a DVD unless you're alluding to the last paragraph regarding copyright? I did however contact a Lexus dealership and posed the question to them who in turn contacted Toyota and the company that build the GPS. I won't go into any detail, but you might gain a little better insight if you were to call them and inquire for yourself. No encouragement or facilitation offered here, but it was refreshing to hear it from the horses mouth! Question asked / now answered. Thanks again.

Well I'd have to disagree with that. A magnet does a great job attracting most of the steel, but what about brass, and aluminum and other debri? Also although the filter does a fantastic job of filtering it begins to be less effective and more restrictive as the crud builds up on the filter surface. Lastly, transmission fluid does break down after awhile. If you want a quick check of yours, it should be clean, and light red. If it's dark and smells like it has been scorched, then it probably has, and you're well on the way to a major expense. A filter and fluid are very cheap insurance when you compare the cost of replacing a transmission at the dealership or one of the advertised transmission shops. For those that are even marginally mechanically inclined, dropping the pan and changing the fluid and filter are pretty much a no brainer. You don't need a lift and you don't need any special tools. You can do the same thing by jacking the car up and placing it on jack stands. Don't crawl underneath the car if it is only supported by a jack. Make sure you place the car in park, set the emergency brake and block or chock the rear wheels. And while you're there it'll give you a good chance to check for anything that might be loose, or leaking. Better to be proactive than reactive.

Many vehicles no longer have a drain plug in the transmission pan. What you will need to do is simply remove the pan. You'll have to do that anyhow if you plan on changing the transmission filter. Caveat - That's assuming they have a transmission filter. Anyhow pretty straight forward, though a little messy. It's a good idea to leave at least two bolts on one side loose so that when you lower the pan you can direct the flow of oil rather than having it splash all over the place. Motor oil is best drained while hot, but I'd let the transmission cool off a bit before you start. It also gives you a good idea of the condition of the transmission by the color and smell of the fluid and checking to see if there is any metal filings or other crud in the bottom of the pan. Good luck!

I've set mine on manual. At sub zero temperatures up here you don't want the additional strain. From what I've read and seen the failure rate in the lower forty eight is pretty high, so see no reason to tempt fate any further.

2006 LS 430 Ultra Black/Black - 29,400 miles

Hello Ryan, Glad to see you're taking auto shop. Like yourself I am also a "newbie" albeit a few generations older. I am not offering any answers to your dilemma, but instead a few observations. I remember when I took Auto Shop in high school back in (cough, cough) 1964 and my project was rebuilding a Ford flathead V8. Ask your teacher if you don't know what that is, if he's old enough he can explain! If you really want the Lexus, maybe you can offer your Mustang in trade. :P Just kidding, settle down a little! You are so fortunate to own a vehicle like that. Most of us my age started out in cars one step away from the salvage yard. The nice thing about that however is virtually everything we needed was available there. You're going to pick up some valuable lifetime skills and will save a bundle of money as you'll wind up doing most of your own maintenance. You'll be surprised at how many folks are willing to pay you for things they cannot handle themselves. Anyhow, welcome and good luck to you. Brett

Hello folks, I'm brand new here and just bought a 2006 LS 430 Ultra. :) I was wondering if the 8.1 update could be shared amongst Forum members? Or is it something that is unique to one vehicle? If it could be shared, seems to me we could save a $ or two. Or is that heresy? Would appreciate your input. Brett