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when i bought my LS it had a bad front sway bar. i don't know how long it was bad before i purchased it. i'm wondering if lack of repair of the sway bar has damaged or caused early failure of the front air struts. as a preemptive measure, i got new tires and had them balanced and all that. still exhibits those symptons above. i just don't want to fork out those bucks unless it's a definite air strut failure. dealer says struts are fine but the car does have 90k on it which is what most people are telling me is the average time for failure.
my only other concern is that maybe the strut tops/mounts are rusted out. i'm wondering if i replace only the tops/mounts if that will correct the problems mentioned above. anybody got any ideas?
One time when at the dealer I found they were actually running specials on certain scheduled maintenance items, less 30% from regular cost. It is also a opportunity to check your auto's history in the computer.
Poliwhirlguy: Have you checked your yellow pages for a local shop that specializes in Toyota / Lexus? Most major cities have such shops with former Lexus dealer mechanic's and / or top quality shops that specialize in certain brands. For the Air Sus. at $3000+ this is where I would shop around. You could purchase the parts from irontoad.com, you could also purchase a shop manual and have a local shop with a experienced mechanic do the job.
I am not a mechanic, however I love my car. I purchase my own parts and bring to my local mechanic. He is delighted to not have to call around for parts, more time for him, less bills and paper work., He is impressed that I took the time and expense to purchase a factory shop manual. I tip him generously and he allows me to practically stand beside as he works on my car, something impossible at a Lexus dealer. He has begun to really like working on the Lexus, it is a well engineered car, and who can appreciate that more?, Good luck.
1998 - 2000 is pretty much the same car. The 1997 and earlier is different with a 4 speed (Versus 5 speed) transmission and "Sans" variable valve timing on the the engine. The look is also almost the same with the major difference the head lights on 1998 being the newer style high intensity (Almost fluorescent light) and earlier using the halogens. There is also a major price increase as you cross the 97 and newer line, approximately $5000 more. Purchase from reputable dealer only, run a carfax report, spend as much time inspecting and driving the car on a clear sunny day prior to signing any deal. Although you will find the cleanest units at a Lexus dealer do not rule out saving 2 to 5000 dollars buying from private person or used dealer. Use edmunds.com for a real market value price, good luck
Sheldon
I have 92 LS 400 with 90 K miles on it now.
I called the Lexus dealer and got a quote for following :
Timing belt change : $550
90 K miles servicing : $320
Can anybody tell me If there is anything to be done more than above 2 things at 90 K miles ?
Is it a good idea to get these things done from dealer or can they be done by a good Lexus Mechanic that my friend suggested locally ?
Are the rates reasonable or higher ?
Any help will be appreciated
on the 90K service make SURE that your dealer flushes ALL fluids in the car.
1/Power steering fluid (notorious problems with pumps and racks)
2/Brake fluid (most people never do it but brake fluid tends to absorb moisture over the years and needs to be replaced at regular intervals)
3/ Transmission fluid(If you can leave the transmission drain overnight you will get more out of the torque converter but you can only get 1/2 of it out)
4/Coolant (very important)
5/Plugs (change em')
6/Filters air and FUEL. They will tell you that they are tough to get off. They are but it CAN be done. let them soak the ends with lots of WD-40 before they pry the fuel filter off. NO filter can last the life of a car
7/ Change your oil and I recommend you go with synthetic oil.
8/Brake service, lubricate the sliders and make sure calipers are free of dirt and move well.
and all the other regular stuff.
Best of luck. Hope this helps . Claude
Mine is also a 92 with 190,000kms on it. Runs like a clock.
actually, funny you should mention all that stuff...i actually already have done everything you mentioned. lol. i have the service manual, i have a quote from irontoad, and i have looked for specialty shops around where i live. not a whole lot of shops. i am going to ask my mechanic if he feels up to the task of replacing the air suspension. irontoad gave me a quote of somewhere around 750 per front strut and somewhere around 500 for the backs. i'll have to ask again to see if it's changed. i was going to do only the fronts and then do the backs a few weeks from now.
the main reason i use the dealer is because of technical know-how. my mechanic isn't a real expert on lexus vehicles. and, i know that if the service is serious i can always get a nice loaner. in those rare instances when the lexus fails, it's worth the extra few bucks for the convenience. i hate borrowing cars from family and then enduring the experience. returning to my LS400 is like sitting on a cloud bound for heaven. later.
I have 92 LS 400.
The driver side door lock seems to be not working because of that even keyless entry function seems to be not working.
Even When I try to lock the car with keys... I have to turn the key 2 times to lock driver side lock and other doors.
Does anybody have a similar problem like this ?
Anybody has any idea, How much would it cost me ?
Any help will be appreciated.
Thank you
Thanks.
ATF fluid before I get the car to the dealer later this week?
Last time car was serviced by Lexus, they reported that the differential bushes were split and should be replaced. I opted not to replace them.
A few months down the line, and the handling has got really sloppy, especially from the rear. A lot of the time, changing lanes at higher speeds (40+ mph), you get kickback which I have never felt before on the car.
Any ideas? Does anyone know what a differential bush does?
Thanks in advance,
P.S Lexus were ranked No.1 in UK dealer survey and No.1 in reliability survey last week.
Generally the shocks [dampers in UK] are worn by 100k or sooner also the rubber bushings in the upper/ lower suspension arms require replacement around your mileage as do the front tension arms.
Hopefully you've had the power steering pump cleaned of wear debris....fluid flush to protect against hose failure taking out the pump, alternator, and steering rack.
Now, I've got a new problem. The car starts strangely from cold (it's probably a misfire on ignition), but after 2 or 3 minutes the car runs normally. The dealer has checked it all out and says that nothing appears to be wrong.
He says the only way to test it is to try new plugs, new HT leads etc.
Has anyone come across this before?
Thanks,
Cleaning of the throttle body and plate, EGR, just the normal maintenance of any engine you want to behave like new!
Good Luck!
Most dealers won't install your parts since they are losing money on the techs time plus there are the warranty issues.
As an independent shop [which pays the dealer for parts....we get 30% off of LIST due to our volume]. We add $22 per hour for lost revenue to our $68/hr [$90/hr] when customer supplies parts and provide no warranty.
This is probably a win win if the customer can find the part used or rebuilt on the INET....except if the part fails the customer must pay to remove, ship it back, deal with where they bought it from, and then pay to have the replacement reinstalled!
Obviously the more the labor time the more the risk......think carefully when the replacement takes 3 hours or over on an externally acquired part supplied by you.
If you are going to do any self repair you need to purchase the shop manuals from the dealers.
#688 from "q45man" .I think the idea of this town hall is to transfer experiences between lexus owner, not to make us become a professional mecanician,no need to buy repair manuals and updated softwares every year.My goal is just for fun and also a hobby to "Do it your self" by repairing these small things and never have any idea to compete against professional.Lexus LS 400 owners who spend 20, 30000 bucks to get a used LS are not so cheap as you thought and I do'nt think that professionals want to make money from these small works.Please advise to professionals about ordering repair manuals,updated diagnostic softwares and training weeks only, not to lexus owner, please.
It'nt the ad for them, but because I already ordered some parts from them and the price very good comparing w/ lexus dealer.Actually I had 2 lexus ,the Es 300 still under warranty and the Ls 96 is not.
Easy as pie since inexpensive software can be pluged into a laptop/desktop and cable plugs into car] that reads all the diagnostic codes after 95 models.
I would think that the second most expensive [maybe third since Americans are so over weight]item in your budget [a car] deserves some self education since you will probably have one till the nursing home calls!
Great hobby but if you can afford a LS not a good way to make a living to pay for it!
http://www.obd2.com/
We get dozens per year where the owner tried to fix something minor [without any documentation] and ended up doing damage to inside trim/connectors or worse.
Most bulbs require the manuals to change much less something associated with drivability or emissions.
Owners time would be better served keeping the engine compartment clean so the techs assume that they care about their car and not expose it to exporation or worse. Think I'm kidding!
Nothing makes their day like a filthy engine compartment.
The data table stored inside the car's computer is calibrated to match with O2 and other sensors for a given condition. You may get away with using aftermarket sensors, but as for me I don't think the benefits of lower cost aftermarket O2 sensors outweights the their risks which may include driveability, emission, and efficiency problems and catalytic converter failures.
If you decided to use aftermarket O2 sensors, let us know the results would you?
There is no need for fancy computer/software to read diagnostic codes. A simple jumper(eg. paper clip) on the diagnostic port will do the trick.