But ya did anyways

I get this stupid bug to buy a car every once in a while, it's like a disease.

When I worked for a dealer, I got a new demo every 1-2 weeks so it's really hard to keep a car for a long time.

 

You know what car I like but is way out of my league since I am not for making car payments.

The LS. I like the Lacrosse too since its basicly a copy of it. lol

 

Hey Dennis, it's back! It was done Friday but I couldn't pick it up until Monday.

I somehow used half a tank of gas in less than a day.... Guess I really did miss it lots!!

 

*drools. That looks fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. More pics, please.

 

lol

looking good eric.

 

I love the LS, but I want the 04+. Big fan of the face lift.

I'm waiting for them to drop more, they're starting to get into the 15-17K range..more than I want to spend on a car.


Hot! MOAR pics!

 

Glad to hear you kept the RL...surprised but glad. Now that I got my sway bar links replaced, new tires and alignment, I am blown away with how smooth the car rides. I've never ridden in a smoother car...except for an 01 LS I test drove with air suspension but that car was $15k. The RL is the best bang for the buck by far.

 

My Lexus tech friend said to get a 2005 or 2006LS. 04 is a bit iffy for some reason. Didn't get into the convo much though. I agree with you guys here, my mom actually really likes it still.

By the way, i'm not really surprised with the turning down of the ES. My friend had an ES350 loaner when we dropped his IS350 off for servicing. Holy crap that car felt so cheap... It was funny to mess with though, quite a bit of wheelspin in first gear. Didn't like the interior, felt cheap and flimsy. I have to say though the windnoise on the freeway wasn't bad at all.

The next stepup I would honestly consider from Lexus would be the 06LS.... but new model wise if I had the money, it would be a used LS460L or a GS Hybrid. If you ever get to test drive the GS Hybrid, boy are you going to be impressed, it hauls! It's more sport oriented, using electric power to give you instant torque rather than running on electric power. Too bad they're hard to come by and damn expensive.


Thanks! Don't have many pics because I quit photography but here's one my friend took.

 

Looking good Onebad! you need to get the roof and rear spoiler lid man.
Is that the stock muffler with the tips or is it aftermarket muffler? Did you lower with the Tein SS coilover and how many inches? Thx.

 

Click on my garage under my username on the left or read my sig... lol

 

Lol. Omg I must be blind. Anyway how is the muffler, is it loud or drone? I have a magnaflow but it is pretty loud.

 

This is actually my second exhaust setup. My first setup was ridiculous! It was drone drone drone everywhere and ridiculously loud. It didn't suit the RL and set off car alarms everywhere. It'd scare me because I'd be cruising and alarms would randomly go off scaring me. Decided I didn't need to give the police an extra reason to pull me over so I switched it up.

My current exhaust setup doesn't rasp at all and only very slightly drones with the windows down from roughly 2300-2500rpm. I somehow blew off some of the welds on part of my exhaust and currently have a quarter sized hole in it lol so it's a bit louder now. Gotta re-weld it up.

Heres a quick clip. I should make another one soon. Sounds a lot quieter outside than inside is what i've been told.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiYFBTh3ueo

 

Sound a lot quiter compare to my 14" magnaflow. The magnaflow is my third exhaust lol, I'm thinking to put on a 30" magnflow. From what I've been told, the 30" is quite, guess I need to try that one. Your car look good man, I'm saving money for the tein basic coilover, I'm a little broke rite now

 

Did a lot of work to the RL these past 3 weeks.

• Finally got 35% tint all around now that the weather warmed up(looks really dark with black interior- glad I didn't go any darker).

• Sanded and painted my stock '01 rims metallic silver- 12 light coats + clear (were scratched and corroded really badly (previous owner was an old lady LOL!). Used spray cans, but its all about technique and prep work! Really happy with the way they turned out, taped off the center caps, of course.

• Did the 3M headlight restoration kit on my head + fog lights. Came out amazing. I recommend this product! Worth every penny, and I have enough of the kit left over to do 3 more cars!

• Pictures to come soon!

 

Pictures of the wheels, so I need to test my skill on my OEM wheels lol. Anyways, yes the 3M shit is the bomb man, it really works. I used that to clear out my headlight to retofit of course

 

wow Onebad, your rl looks sexy. Me likey

 

There is a set of 02 RL wheels on Chicago Craigslist if anyone needs some. They have mismatched tires on them but it's only $200.

 

i replaced my air, oil, fuel and cabin filters yesterday. The cabin and fuel took a little longer than i thought.

 

Removed my rubber winter floor mats, and replaced them with the oem carpeted ones for the summer This was after I shampooed and scotch-guarded all 4 of 'em. They smell nice

 

That cabin filter is different design than the other Acura ones I've changed. The way it folds had me stuck for a little bit until I figured it out.

 

What kind of paint did you use? Duplicolor?

 

lol, me too. I was wondering how the hell i was going to remove the second one. Once i saw the u shaped bracket i knew what i need to do. There was a bit of debris in there.

The fuel filter i always double check the tightness for leaks once it's running and i almost forgot to. After i shut the car of i saw the top bolt needed to be tightened down a little more.

 

Hmm, I still haven't replaced my cabin filter yet.... I think I should get to that.

 

Lol, I got the paint and clear for free from a local recycling depot. I'm cheap!

It was metallic silver paint, not sure of the brand, but it was high heat, rust paint.

The clear coat was duplicolor

 

LOL I cleaned my filters with a k&n kit but i think its time for some new ones.

 

I need to do my cabin filter, engine air filter and do a trans fluid change.

 

me too. i need to do the tranny/strainer, diff fluids.

all the others are good for a year or two. the tranny diff been 2 years already!

 

old hatch, have you ever replaced the brake fluid and power steering fluid?

 

yes I have. easy diy.

power steering you just disconnect the return hose from the reservoir and turn wheel lock to lock with the engine running until all the fluid comes out. its going to make noises. reconnect hose then fill reservoir and turn wheels lock to lock until it stops making noise and fluid stays full.

brake you need either 2 people or a vacuum pump or both. same as bleeding and keep pulling until fresh clean fluid comes out.

 

what about me? I never changed the tranny fluid, brake fluid etc... for the past 7 years of ownership. Keep in mind I have only 23,350 granny california miles....what do you think? Oh I change my oil, rotate tires, eye ball inspect, change engine air filter, AC dash board filters......except those mentioned.....I know the brake fluid and tranny fluid probably should be changed.....what do you gear heads think? I only drive her once a week if that......

 

change it man. You know oils thin out over time.

 

specifically tranny fluid and brake fluid or you mean MOTOR oil.....? I change my oil every 5-7k miles (100% Syn) or depending on driving.....she sits mostly in the garage in California DRY climate.....

 

Fab, get the tranny fluid done for sure as a bare minimum.

Remember, I'm still waiting in line to buy your RL. The Equus is nice

 

New shoes finally came in...

 

I know you took more pics than that. Post em or yer banned! LOL

Looking good though. Tire n rim specs please.

 

What color are your brake calipers? Go out and take a look if you're not sure LOL.

Mine were brown and rusted. Painted them gloss black yesterday with some high heat paint I found at home.

Looks soo much more than before. It's the details that make the difference

 

LOL. Actually... no I didn't. that was just a quick "I wanna post a shot" picture. She's filthy and I need to bathe her before I take more pictures.

 

I'm doing home renovations this weekend and the issue of the non-folding rear seat comes up yet again!!!

Why can't the RL be equipped with such a basic feature that even my 97 Accord had?!

My accord had a ski pass thru and a folding rear seat. Sheesh, I can't carry more 2x4's in what should be a larger, more versatile vehicle.

:endrant

 

Remove the rear seats and you'll see why

Lots of metal back there reinforcing the body, giving it more rigidity and allowing more precise suspension tuning

Thats why I bought a TSX wagon, for the versatility.

 

Keep in mind this vehicle was SOLD/Targeted towards folks in their 50-70 age range and they didn't intend on hauling lumber around nor did they care about gas mileage etc.....this was a Luxo car not a Honda Accord.....

The 05 plus RL was targeted toward "Yuppies" and it failed.......HMC should have kept our body style RL alive and offered that 05 plus to those younger folks who didn't buy it.....and continued to enhance ours.....