WTF is wrong here?

[gaylord]

something's up with my car... everytime i take the car above 40+ mph, like on a highway, this weird noise seems to be coming from the front of the car.... when i accelerate, it goes away, but as soon as i begin to coast, or even brake, the faster im going, the higher the frquency of the thumping... i looked underneath the car... nothing hanging or seems to be stuck.... car switches gears fine, acceleration doesnt seem to be different.... and it seems to be coming just from the front.. almost on the driver's side.... all tires are inflated properly... or.. not flat... but that was my initial though, that i had a flat, but these are new tires... a month old maybe..

anyone know wtf's up?

 

[Duke]

Rubbing brake pad maybe?

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

I mentioned in the other thread that I thought it might be the CV boot.

 

[gaylord]

problem solved.... close the thread or something

 

[PuffnScruff]

the problem is you are a cubs fan

 

[SiGh]

the problem is you are a cubs fan

lmao, now thats just comedy.

 

[gaylord]

they were just loose lug nuts.... looked around, under, but not at the wheel itself for the problem...

also, what's the normal size for the brakes on a sedan like that? i took into the dealership, and they had given me a list of problems that they found, but my mom, being the cunt she is, told them no to fix them... the total for the repairs was 2200, but..... here, i'll tell you what the diagnostic sheet said..

"tech found valve cover gaskets leaking. est. 650
cam and crank seals leaking, replace with t-belt 750
transpan gasket leaking, 230
front and rear brakes have less than 3mm remaining 660"

are these serious?? sorry if it's a ridiculously easy question, but leaking gaskets just sounds bad... after bringing it back from the dealership i noticed taht there was a tar-like smell coming when i parked my car in the garage... im assuming that's the oil shit... lemme know

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

$660 for a brake job? I know it's a Lexus, but damn. It really depends on what they're doing. If all they're doing is replacing the pads, then you might as well learn how to do it yourself, since a set of four pads will probably run you $75 or so. Are they also resurfacing the rotors at that price too?

 

[gaylord]

fuck, i dunno.... i had just taken the car in for servicing so... im assuming they were gonna do the whole thing...

also, they did change the oil, but i was wondering if going to synthetic was something i should do... dunno why i want to, but is it gonna help prevent problems in the future?? or maybe it better suits the way i drive the car, which is stressing the engine as i may be taking the revs a little too high?

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

also, they did change the oil, but i was wondering if going to synthetic was something i should do... dunno why i want to, but is it gonna help prevent problems in the future?? or maybe it better suits the way i drive the car, which is stressing the engine as i may be taking the revs a little too high?

You don't have to switch to synthetic, but it never hurts. It can help with high-mileage cars (which I'm assuming yours might be), but there is also a synthetic oil made for high-mileage cars, and Mobil 1 makes a product like that (with a green cap instead of blue, if I remember correctly). And seeing how your car is an automatic, more than likely you don't take the revs high enough on a frequent enough basis to worry. Firstly, automatics (especially the older ones) rarely shift at redline and keep you in the safe zone. Secondly, unless you like to play around with the shift knob and throw it from "D" to 3, 2 or L, then chances are your revs are in the safer zone.

 

[gaylord]

.....actually... i do what you mentioned last... especially in the snow i found that switching to L actually helped my car get up my inclined driveway... but i never drove around with it like that.... but can i? i thought 3 and 2 were for "engine braking" which i have no idea what it means anyways, so i dont fuck with it...

and you dont switch while you're driving right?? from d to 3 or 2? cuz i found that i can actually switch from D-N, which is normal, but i can go to P and back down to L while im hitting the accelerator...its really weird and had no idea you could do that... prolly not supposed to, but....

and the rev meter goes up to 8, and usually when i floor it in 1st it hits between 5 and 6.... so... i dunno... im thinking about switching.. i just wiki'd synthetic oil, so it seems that its advantages far outway the disadvantages.... thing is, can i do something like this myself? cuz im not sure the dealership will do it...

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

Dropping an automatic to a lower gear isn't necessarily a bad thing, but do it for a purpose. The most common reason why people do that is for engine braking, which is when you lower the car a gear to help the car slow down and lessen the load on the brake pads. Sometimes people also drop a gear to get more acceleration, like when driving uphill at steeper inclines (but more recent cars have programming that can sense a car going uphill and automatically downshift) or sometimes when you're hauling a trailer or something. Plus it helps an automatic in more spirited driving, like when going through corners, so that way by throwing the car down a gear it will hold the gear rather than automatically shifting when unnecessary, since programming in automatic transmissions doesn't know what you're thinking or what you want to do.

Regarding synthetic oil, of course the advantages are more numerous than the disadvantages, which is just price. There aren't really any other drawbacks. You can do it yourself, or the dealership can do it, just specify synthetic oil, but be prepared to pay a lot extra. But when it comes down to it, it's better to just do it yourself. That way, you can choose exactly what oil you want since most dealerships usually just car one kind of synthetic in the event that they carry synthetic at all.

.....actually... i do what you mentioned last... especially in the snow i found that switching to L actually helped my car get up my inclined driveway... but i never drove around with it like that.... but can i? i thought 3 and 2 were for "engine braking" which i have no idea what it means anyways, so i dont fuck with it...

and you dont switch while you're driving right?? from d to 3 or 2? cuz i found that i can actually switch from D-N, which is normal, but i can go to P and back down to L while im hitting the accelerator...its really weird and had no idea you could do that... prolly not supposed to, but....

and the rev meter goes up to 8, and usually when i floor it in 1st it hits between 5 and 6.... so... i dunno... im thinking about switching.. i just wiki'd synthetic oil, so it seems that its advantages far outway the disadvantages.... thing is, can i do something like this myself? cuz im not sure the dealership will do it...

 

[gaylord]

but driving to school doesnt require 3 2 or L, does it? i do drive on a mini highway on the way there.... and it's a straight highway with curves of any kind.... im just talking about while you're allready driving, is it ok to shit from D to 3 or 2

 

[DeeezNuuuts83]

but driving to school doesnt require 3 2 or L, does it? i do drive on a mini highway on the way there.... and it's a straight highway with curves of any kind.... im just talking about while you're allready driving, is it ok to shit from D to 3 or 2

In regular driving, you never really need to even shift out of "D," and unless you know what you're doing you're probably just wasting gas.

 

[gaylord]

ah ok... good... i dont do that, but i was just wondering...

is a leaking gasket dangerous?? meaning will the car blow up at some point cuz the oils going to the wrong place?

 

[Duke]

Hundreds of bucks for replacing the odd gasket here and there?

Damn! I knew garages are run by crooks, but that's ridiculous.

 

[gaylord]

i think once i go off to college, which is a couple of months, i'll either be leaving this car behind, or my dad might buy me a new one.... im not getting my hopes up on the last one since it's pure speculation, but the question is, should i spend about 2200 and get this thing fixed, or should i take a chance and hope my dad gets me the cl 65?? (im kidding)