Hey everybody!
Last month I picked up a southern owned, 2005 LX with 243k on the dash in Galactic Grey. My dream car. I've wanted a 100 series since high school, and always loved the funky LX headlights plus the subtle blue specs in the (considering the years she's roamed the earth, pretty beautiful) paint. I am the fourth owner, although the previous 3 took immaculate care of her. Metal heater T's, timing belts replaced on schedule, regular fluid changes, etc. Her only fault is that during regular service for the 2nd owner, the dealership accidentally replaced the AHC hydraulic fluid with brake fluid, killing the whole system. So now she rides on LC100 shocks.
I've spent the past month baselining. Differential and transmission fluid changed, along with the oil. Timing belt and heater T's were already good to go. The only "true" mechanical issue (the other issues being worn door lock actuators and mirror controls, which I can live with) is a leak from the rear main seal, but I'm going to put that off for now!
In summary– She has no rust. She has no faults (that I'm not willing to accept). She is perfect, except that the devil lives inside of her.
Whenever the A/C is on, more specifically whenever the fan/blower is running, there is a satanic screech that comes from the passenger side of the dashboard. However on further inspection (removing the glovebox, searching with a stethoscope), the sound actually comes from closer to the center of the dashboard, almost behind the nav. It sounds like a busted DVD player struggling to read a scratched disk, crossed with a dentist's drill. The noise, and whether it is DVD player or drill or both or none, is never constant and was actually gone for a week or two. It has since returned. The dealership (a last resort, but should tell you how tortuous this noise is) diagnosed it as the non-OEM blower motor having fits. A new OEM motor and a thousand dollars to the stealership later, the noise has not changed at all.
The previous owner had a BT45-TOY installed by Troll Holes in SC (a reputable shop by all accounts). When I asked him about the noise during the test drive, he told me it was only the Bluetooth searching out my phone to connect and once my phone connected it would go away. So that's not true (I shoulda checked, lesson learned), but it can be stopped/started on a dime by whether the A/C blower is on (and living in Austin, I want it on). My guess is somehow the BT45 has been possessed by the devil and/or is wired into power from the A/C blower. Or it's something else entirely.
Video attached below. From 0:22 - 0:52 it's just the dentist's drill from hell.
Screech Video
Besides that, I love my LX. No finer vehicle did God put on this earth!
Last month I picked up a southern owned, 2005 LX with 243k on the dash in Galactic Grey. My dream car. I've wanted a 100 series since high school, and always loved the funky LX headlights plus the subtle blue specs in the (considering the years she's roamed the earth, pretty beautiful) paint. I am the fourth owner, although the previous 3 took immaculate care of her. Metal heater T's, timing belts replaced on schedule, regular fluid changes, etc. Her only fault is that during regular service for the 2nd owner, the dealership accidentally replaced the AHC hydraulic fluid with brake fluid, killing the whole system. So now she rides on LC100 shocks.
I've spent the past month baselining. Differential and transmission fluid changed, along with the oil. Timing belt and heater T's were already good to go. The only "true" mechanical issue (the other issues being worn door lock actuators and mirror controls, which I can live with) is a leak from the rear main seal, but I'm going to put that off for now!
In summary– She has no rust. She has no faults (that I'm not willing to accept). She is perfect, except that the devil lives inside of her.
Whenever the A/C is on, more specifically whenever the fan/blower is running, there is a satanic screech that comes from the passenger side of the dashboard. However on further inspection (removing the glovebox, searching with a stethoscope), the sound actually comes from closer to the center of the dashboard, almost behind the nav. It sounds like a busted DVD player struggling to read a scratched disk, crossed with a dentist's drill. The noise, and whether it is DVD player or drill or both or none, is never constant and was actually gone for a week or two. It has since returned. The dealership (a last resort, but should tell you how tortuous this noise is) diagnosed it as the non-OEM blower motor having fits. A new OEM motor and a thousand dollars to the stealership later, the noise has not changed at all.
The previous owner had a BT45-TOY installed by Troll Holes in SC (a reputable shop by all accounts). When I asked him about the noise during the test drive, he told me it was only the Bluetooth searching out my phone to connect and once my phone connected it would go away. So that's not true (I shoulda checked, lesson learned), but it can be stopped/started on a dime by whether the A/C blower is on (and living in Austin, I want it on). My guess is somehow the BT45 has been possessed by the devil and/or is wired into power from the A/C blower. Or it's something else entirely.
Video attached below. From 0:22 - 0:52 it's just the dentist's drill from hell.
Screech Video
Besides that, I love my LX. No finer vehicle did God put on this earth!
