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Q. i own a 1998 Lexus GS 400 V8, i have a couple of questions that i need your help on:

1. i went through a dip too hard and hit the bottom of car, and now i hear a clicking sound whene ever the car is turning or going through a bump. my left muffler tail pipe is a little higher than my right pipe. not sure if i have bottomed out my struts or ...

2. i went through some big puddles in a bad rainy day and now the front of my car rattles:
a. the first few second when i start the car.
b. when i accelerate from 10 to 20 mph.
c. and when i make a turn..
3. my steering wheels is vibrating quite intensely, the tire pressure is ok...however, i am aware that the tires need to be changed.
4. the vibration coming from idling is quite intense, can you suggest what i should do?...i have changed my spark plugs..would a tune up help?

sorry, these are alot of questions....but hopefully you can shed some light on me...deeply appreciate your help.


A. I am no motor mechanic and, having hit the underside of your vehicle, there could be many things wrong such as damage to the exhaust or catalytic converter (if you have one). Obviously vibration with steering is serious and should be looked at. The first thing I would check is the balance of the wheels as this could have been damaged (or wheel weights lost) after your mishap. You may find the following sites useful -

http://www.lexus.com/elevated_index.html

http://www.alldata.com/TSB/31/98310710.html

http://www.navcon.com/CaseStudy_1.htm

http://www.allexperts.com - here they ahve experts available to answer questions.

Other causes of vibration/rattle could be the exhaust flange (the joint between the manifold and exhaust pipe) a loose heatshield, the steering or a number of other things

I think all the problems you list could be due to something being loose under the car such as the exhaust system.

As you know you had a bit of a bump it may be a good idea to take it to an exhaust supplier and get them to check it out on their ramps.