I have a long history of dealer experience and whenever we had a vehicle come in with the a/c smelling like dirty socks...we simply sprayed lysol or a like product in the a/c recirculate air intake with the blower running. That made it smell sweet again!

 

I trust BGW. They wouldn't make a fluid spec if it didn't work. So if the non toyota product meets the fluid spec, then it should be ok to use.

I usually buy my fluids from the Toyota dealer. I was surprised how affordable they were. I bought a case of Toyota Transmission fluid for $5 a bottle. Which is cheaper than Walmart's price of $5.88 for aftermarket fluid https://www.walmart.com/ip/Castrol-T...d-1Qt/17253554.

But if you buy it in gallon jugs, it is another story.

 

 

The case was 12 quarts, so it came to a total of $60. I wasn't going to buy that much, but I asked the counter guy if he would give me a discount if I bought a case. I didn't really have a target price in mind; I just wanted to see what would happen if I asked him for a discount. From past experience, I know that dealer counter people have all kinds of discount ranges they can give independent shops, so I figure it never hurts to ask.

 

 

Don't forget to spend an extra $60 for spark plugs, PVC vale & Grommet, then clean the throttle body while you are there. You wont regret.

 

 

 

 

Discount Tire can replace your TPS but they cannot program them into your system. You will have to take it to a dealer or an indie who has the proper equipment to get that done. However, if you own or buy a Techstream, you can program them yourself. Just be sure to have the Techstream in hand and up and running before you change the TPS out, otherwise, you will get 5 loud beeps every 2 1/2 minutes until you do, and yes, it is very annoying!

 

I bought my car almost 2 years ago as well. It had close to 150k miles then, now it has 162k. It was in rough shape when we bought it (we knew that before we purchased it). Spent close to $4k.

Engine mounts
Battery
Starter
Valve Cover Gasket
Timing Belt and Water Pump
Stop Lamp Switch (would not shift out of park)

Now, it's back to tip top shape - just had it in for an oil change and inspection.

This week - ditching the run flats on the car and purchasing Michelin's Pilot Sport All Season 3 plus tires - can't wait to see how it drives now! Tire pressure sensors haven't worked since I purchased the car. I will go with aftermarket sensors and do a wireless system. Wasn't crazy about the light that doesn't tell you the readings like cars do today.
Would like to upgrade the sound system at some point. My antenna broke so now I need to get a replacement and researching the forum.

Love my car. It's an 03 with now 162k and drives great. I also found a Lexus mechanic to work on my car - LexTech in Atlanta. It's a fun car and my other car is a mini van!

 

got my 06 with 96k on 12/26/18. it now has 108k. it came with a limited 3 year warranty from the dealer. radiator top blew up so the warranty covered the radiator and new hoses, and i got my ball joints replaced as well for free while i was there.

had a leak from the thermostat housing so re did the gasket.

front rotors were warped (they looked machined so i think they may have been the original rotors) so i did new rotors and pads.

I have intermittent spiral cable issues (steering wheel controls dont work sometimes) but that doesnt bother me that much.

HID would short out so i replaced both bulbs.

the rear diff bushings are shot, it clunks sometimes when i downshift with the manual mode.

that is all i can think of at the moment.

otherwise its been an amazing daily driver (30 miles round trip to work)

 

 

I hate to tell you this but the OEM bulb is nothing more than a Philips D4S and can be had on Amazon for about $45.00 each. Also, any one can install the TPMS. You will have to pair them with your car and none of the tire places are able to do this. Many of us have TechStream and have done it ourselves. Other than that you will have to take it to a Lexus or Toyota dealer to pair the sensors.