Quot

Lexus just wants me to bring my car back in for service as a "checkup", so the maintenance light is on. My car has no problems. How can I turn this light off?

I believe there was a method involving turning the key to accessory and start and off in some pattern to re-set the computer?

Please help! Thank you!
To be honest, it’s my grandmother’s car, and I’m not certain what year it is. It’s an RX though. Most likely an ‘07 or ‘08. It is quite new. Thanks!

if you give the year and model i can tell you. they are all almost the same i just need those things and i can tell you

Ok, RX you have a switch to the left of the steering wheel it says trip/odo this changes your odometer trip there is a trip A and a trip B. With the key in the acc position push the button until u see trip a, then trip b then just the milage on the instrument cluster. then turn the key off, press and hold the trip/odo button and turn the key to the acc position. u should see a dash countdown where the mileage normally is and the maintenance light should blink. when the countdown is over the odometer will turn all 0’s 000000 let go of the trip/odo button. start the car and the light should be off. if the car has a nav sys it may also be programed w/ a maintenance reminder if the car has nav let me know and i’ll tell you how to reset that. hope this helps.

I have a 2001 Lexus RX300 which is in great condition and I have maintained it diligently all these years. I would like to keep it for another four if possible.

I called the dealer regarding the 90K service it needs now, and they recommend I also get an additional service (very expensive) which includes the following…

-change timing belt
-change water pump
-do something to the "tensioner" and the "idler" – sorry I didn’t quite understand what they will do.

I want to maintain this vehicle to extend it’s life and performance, but I’d like to know:
1) Are these are reasonable items for a car with 90K miles.
2) Chould this type of service prevent more costly repairs if the parts would fail in the future (if I don’t do the maintenance now).

Thank you so much for your answers.
I get regular maintenance every 5K because neither my husband nor myself are "car repair handy." I want to avoid wasting money, but I also don’t want to skip the extra work just to take the cheapest route.

At 90k miles it is recommended to replace the Timing Belt. This I highly recommend as good preventive maintenance. Your engine is a "freewheeling" design which means that a broken belt is unlikely to cause major engine damage, but its still not much fun.

Replacing a Timing Belt involves a significant amount of labor as some of the accessories, the accessory drive belts and the front cover on the engine have to be removed just to get at it.

Because there is so much work (and expense) involved in just getting at the T-belt many dealers and service centers will recommend replacing other components as long as you are in there, again as preventive maintenance. There may be nothing wrong with any of them now but if one were to fail you’d have to pay all that same labor over again.

On the RX300 this list of bits includes the Water Pump, which is driven by the Timing Belt, the Timing Belt Tensioner which maintains consistent tension on the T-belt and the idler pulley, which is basically a wheel that helps guide the belt.

You don’t have to replace these bits when doing a Timing Belt replacement, it is preventive maintenance. And they may never go bad, but if they do, you will regret not having done it while you had the chance. Replacing any of them entails the cost,time and effort just like replacing the timing belt. Its almost like paying twice for the same job.

If you’re talking about amp and subs…

Look for this when buying an amp… http://www.crutchfield.com/S-OSAZiuYKz12/popups/cacomp.html
CEA-2006 Compliant

On May 28, 2003, the Consumer Electronics Association published standard CEA-2006, "Testing & Measurement Methods for Mobile Audio Amplifiers." This "voluntary" standard advocates a uniform method for determining an amplifier’s RMS power and signal-to-noise ratio. Using 14.4 volts, RMS watts are measured into a 4-ohm impedance load at 1 percent Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) plus noise, at a frequency range (for general purpose amplifiers) of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Signal-to-Noise ratio is measured in weighted absolute decibels (dBA) at a reference of 1 watt into 4 ohms. This applies to both external amplifiers and the amplifiers within in-dash receivers

If an amp doesn’t have this rating, it’s doesn’t produce the watts it says it does.

http://spkrbox1.spaces.msn.com/ for real "sound" advice.

Your system won’t mean squat without a well designed box to put your subs in. Some manufacturers have recommendations as to dimensions of various types of boxes. It is best to find someone who builds boxes if you go with something other than a sealed box.

You should always match up RMS (Root Mean Square) watts of Subs and amp per channel as well as impedance’s(resistances). When a sub has rating of 600 Watts MAX it really has an RMS rating of about 200 Watts RMS. RMS is the nominal wattage your most likely going to get out of it. Remember, a 200 Watts RMS amplifier has more power output than a 200 Watt MAX.

If your amp is rated at 4? don’t subject it to 2?, it will fry.

Here is the formula for subs in parallel:

Z = 1 / (1/sub1 + 1/sub2 + 1/sub3 + ….)

For series, just add them up (sub1 + sub2 + …).

You can mix and match these equations to get the right impedance required by your amp.

Example 1: Amp is 2 channel and rated at 4?, 4 subs @ 4? each. If I connect two in parallel and the other two in parallel and connect the two pairs in series, I would have a total impedance(resistance) of 4?. So to the amp, it’s just one sub.

Example 2: Amp is rated 1? mono, 2 subs @ 4? each dual voice coil. If I connect two voice coils in parallel and the other two voice coils in series and connect the two subs in parallel, I would have a total impedance of 1.6?. Which would be perfect for a 1? stable mono amp.

You should use a capacitor as well.

Recommend for every 500 watts MAX you use a .5 Farad cap
Example: 1000 watts MAX – 1 Farad cap

You will also need what’s called a "line level converter" if your stock head unit doesn’t have RCA outputs or your amp doesn’t have high-level inputs.

Try http://www.soundomain.com/shop you can find some really good deals, and this site is manufacturer certified. VERY IMPORTANT WHEN SHOPPING ON-LINE!!!

If you like I can send you some plans for reference. My plans are for a 4-th order band-pass bass box (A.K.A. bass-reflex) that holds two 12’s.

Also included are java calculators you can use to figure parallel and series values given ? values, tips on box building and types, calculating port diameter and length(if used), calculating box dimensions for types of boxes (sealed, wedge, cylindrical, etc.), materials needed and even how to make a jig for cutting perfect holes for your subs.

Just e-mail me sparky3489@yahoo.com

My system

Blaupunkt TSw1200 subs with a Sony Xpl?d XM2200GTX.
My amp is 1200 watts (200 Watts RMS X 2), subs are 600 watts (200 Watts RMS) each, cap is 1.5 Farad w/digital readout

SPL is about 112 db each sub

Total cost(so far) = $410
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To the other people ranting about my answers.

Some people have made pot-shots at my post because my answers are "one size fits all" as one person put it. I have gotten at least 25 best answers (and growing) with e-mails requesting more information from this same post since I posted it.

I’m just trying to be as informative as I can be. There might be something the poster didn’t think of, forgot about or doesn’t know.

These peolpe may not like my style of response, but then, no one asked them.

It’s a Lexus ES350 2008 Model
9600 Mileage – Asking Price is $24,900. but willing to give it for 23K
Test-Drived it, looks pretty smooth. Looks new too.. the body looks brand new too. All the parts were replaced with original Lexus parts not aftermarket.
Seller showed me a certificate from a DMV as Title Rebuilt/Total Loss.
Will I run into any trouble registering it and also getting an insurance?
TAF187: I went to KBB.com but they don’t do an appraisal for Salvage, total Loss titles. this is what the website says: "Kelley Blue Book does not attempt to report a value on a "poor" vehicle because the value of these vehicles varies greatly. A vehicle in poor condition may require an independent appraisal to determine its value." can you please guide me on checking this myself? My loan is about to be approve today and we might close on this sale.. and I wanted to make sure I’m making the right decision here.

You should also consider that such a car may be expensive to insure. Check your insurance rates before buying one, for example here – carquotes.sinfree.net