Dr. Jay

Hi! I have a 1998 LS400 that came with HID headlights from the factory. Now the driver's side bulb is blown and the dealer wants $300 for a replacement (!). Could I use the Kensun bulbs you mention in you post - will they fit? If yes, do you receommend I replace both sides? Sincerely, Jay D

Hi! I have a 1998 LS400 (105K miles). The car keeps "bouncing" after traveling over dips in the road. Could the shocks be worn out? I did the classic test of pushing the (standing) car down by hand and seeing how many times it keeps bouncing - I see a two or three oscillations. If I need new shocks, what kind should I buy? I am also thinking of replacing the springs to lower the car a bit. Eibach does not offer any for my model/year, so I guess it has to be H&R. Any experience with this make; will lowering the car make it harsher riding? Can I still use shocks that have the original damping levels with these springs? Thank you in advance. Sincerely, Jay D.

Hi Jeff, I just had my 1998 LS 400 transmission oil "exchanged" via the filler hole. It cost me $150. After a lot of research and conversations with repair shops, I chose this method because it seemed the most effective and least "harmful" (no pressure). The shop that did the repair did a good job in running the engine(transmission) every few minutes, and thus making sure the old fluid in the torque converter was back in the pan and thus could be drained. As I understand it, the LS400 has magnets in the transmission pan. These are supposed to trap any metal fillings. I would have liked to have the transmission pan to be removed and the magnets cleaned up, but it was too expensive. Plus, the dealer explained that these magnets hold a lot of metal and a cleaning was not really necessary. I was also told that the LS400 does not really have filter, just a sieve that catches large parts. Again, they told me that a filter change was not really needed. Hope this helps. Good luck. Jay

Good question - I have been trying to find out the same for my 1998 LS400 (104K miles) and have the following information: 1. Our Lexus dealer's service advisor informed me that the transmission filter for my car is just a metal sieve and does not need replacement; there are magnets in the pan that will catch any metal shards. Thus the "drain and refill" recommendation in the owners' manual will require just draining the pan and refilling with 2 quarts of the ATF. She did, however, recommend a flush (using their BG machine) since the fluid is "dark". 3. I then spoke with a master technician at the dealership. He said that if I change the oil regularly, then I can keep going with the drain and fill as indicated in #1 above. 4. My research on the internet, and from reading books, show sharply divided opinions regarding transmission flushes causing problems since the machines could dislodge debris. 5. A local expert mechanic told me that he has a flushing machine that will do a fluid exchange without putting pressure. It works via tubes that go into the transmission filler opening - alternate cycles of sucking fluid out and then putting new fluid in, until the color turns "Toyota red". He said it takes him about 13 quarts to achieve this. 6. I found a really nice tutorial on this site, that seems to make sense for flusing - letting the transmission pump work in it's normal manner and put dirty fluid out through the cooler pipe, while the mechanic/owner replaces the fluid via the filler hole. I am inclined to use this option. Hope this helps. Please let me know what you find out. Sincerely, Jay