coolwater

My local auto shop charges only $12.99+tax (with coupon) for an oil change with Valvoline motor oil and they even include free tire rotation! That's a really good deal. However, I asked the guy there if I could bring my own oil and he said no. I didn't know Carmax lets you bring your own oil. But, $21 seems a bit much when you can get a regular oil change around $20 at most places. (Jiffy Lube costs over $30 even WITH coupon--obviously, I don't use them anymore) Maybe, I will just have to learn to do it myself.

monarch, what a great (and smart) idea! As the matter of fact, there is one 'pull your own part' yard close to my home and I've been wanting to check the place out for a long time now because I see their bill board ad on my way to work everyday. Thank you for the great tip!

Only 'mechanical' job I do on cars is changing the air filter. (Oh, I do change wipers as well. :) ) But, I don't believe changing the air filter or wipers qualifies to be called a 'mechanical' work. B) I'd really like to learn 2 more auto-shop skills and they are: 1. Oil Change 2. Brake Job As for oil change, I guess it's just a matter of doing it for the first time and getting used to it. Perhaps, I will try it with my Honda first when it reaches another 3K. However, as for the brake job, I really want to learn how to do it myself so that--as you've said--I can just go out and buy genuine parts and save the labor cost. Since I'm not going to take any auto-shop classes offered at the community college, I wonder how one can learn to do it....books? (I'd hate to think maybe I'll end up calling the tow service because I mess up the brake. :P )

I know I can do it myself (if I learn to do it), but the only reason I haven't done it is that I wouldn't know what to do with the old oil. What's the best way of discarding the old oil? I heard that some Jiffy Lube shops take them at no cost as their service to the community. But, carrying one or two plastic 1-gallon milk bottles full of black motor oil around store to store and see if they'd take them just sounds inconvenient. Also, I don't drink milk so where would I get those bottles? :chairshot:

If you bring your own oil, how much do they charge?

Do Toyota or Lexus dealers provide the synthetic oil change service? (I think not... but, if yes, how much?)

From time to time, I see Midas 'Lifetime Guarantee' ads on TV and wonder.... 'Lifetime brake pads or shoes' means Midas will replace those parts everytime you need brake pads or shoes for free as long as you own your car? Can I ask for any recommendations or warnings from Lexus owners? (I believe Meineke has the same lifetime guarantee deal with mufflers. Is that a good deal? How long does an OEM muffler last on average?)

Thanks guys! So, the air comes in from the bottom and goes up through the air filter and into the duck, right? Then, dirt, sand, and leaves remaining bottom of the housing under the filter wouldn't cause any problem, right? I know it would be better to clean them out at every air filter change, but I wonder even Lexus dealers ever do that when they change the air filter.

Well, people can get away with anything these days and I'm sure there are ways to get away even if you're caught. ;) I'm not interested in in-dash DVD nor TV. I'm only interested in cool looking in-dash navigator. The 7" widescreen LCD would look really cool, but $2,000+installation easily makes it not worth the money, at least for me.

Bestbuy.com now has this <Kenwood Navigation with GPS> for $1,500 and you also need to buy Kenwood Touch Screen which is not listed. I assume the screen will cost another $500 and that will make the total price around $2,000 just for Navigation. In Japan, this kind of in-dash Navigation/DVD/TV system is very popular--don't know if in-dash DVD and TV are legal or not. I don't know if you want to watch TV, a TV tuner needs to be installed and the cost will be that much higher, I think. I have seen some great looking pictures of Kenwood, Pioneer, Clarion in-dash DVD/TV/NAV systems on Japanese Lexus sites Anyway, does anyone have seen them installed in US? In-dash DVD or TV is still illegal, right?

I changed the air filter today--replaced it with Denso air filter. However, I could only open the cover slightly enough to take the old air filter out and place the new filter in. After I took the old one out, I looked inside of the housing (black box) and found some dirt and debries. I wanted to clean them out with vacuum, but my portable vacuum is no good. I will go to a gas station--where there is a vacuum machine--tomorrow and suck every dirt out of the air filter housing. My Lexus is clean and I do not need to vacuum anything else so I will spend 75 cents to use the vacuum machine just for a 10-second cleaning. <_< Anyways, does the cover open wide? I don't want to force it to do so.

Okay, one more question. I bought this spray wax called 'Wax As-U-Dry' by Eagle One on an impulse a while ago and haven't used it yet. What's the verdict on them? I've lost the receipt so I can't even return it even if I end up not using it.:chairshot:

What if you do your own oil change (say.. every 5K), and if somehow it gelled anyway, then how would you prove to Lexus your proper oil change history? Just wondering. :)

Then, how about one of those gas station car washes?? I washed my Lexus at a Shell gas station the other day because the car wash sign said 'Soft Car Wash', but it didn't seem 'soft' at all--it felt very rough. I remember seeing 'Touchless Car Wash' at some gas stations but couldn't find one at that time.

Teens driving Lexus? Oh my Lord! I drove Honda Civic (USED) when I was your age. :chairshot:

mbpqawest, at least you have nice dry air! :) Living in Atlanta, I use A/C for about 5~6 months a year. And, the sun in the south just never sets or goes away during summer--usually around 8pm. The high temperature is reached around 5 or 6pm, hense, the heat stays throughout the entire evening and through the night.

That sounds like a good tip. Thanks! (but, if it doesn't cause any harm, I could care less about the water drip)

Synthetic oil cleaning out the build-up? I want to know if that is really true.

Can I just go to any self car wash and use their brush? Or, what kind of brush should I buy if I want to wash my car at home?

I know the excessive use of A/C is not good for your health, but I need to stay cool nonetheless. The use of A/C makes water and it drips from the underside of the car--like a bad oil leak. I wonder how much water is normal and how much is too much. My ES drips way more water comparing to my Honda. Should I be concerned at all?

I believe an extreme hot climate is as bad as an extreme cold climate (well, extreme cold is probably worse). And, since ES is--although, it's not prevalent--known to have oil gelling problem, synthetic engine oil at least gives you a peace of mind. As for me, I won't take a risk of oil leaks and stick with genuine Toyota motor oil and change it religiously.

Well, I think it's too late to find out why it had no oil--I'm sure the dealer doesn't know why either because they just bought the car at an auction only a couple of days earlier and they were yet to do their own inspection on the car. If they had done the inspection prior to my test drive, they probably just did the oil change and no-one else could have known if the car once had no engine oil. And, the oil light was not on for sure. Now, what's a compression test and where can I get the test done? Do I need to go to the Lexus dealer only?

Well, I just bought a 2000 ES300 with 52.5K miles from a local Suzuki dealer a month ago. I was looking to buy a 2001 Acura TL since the beginning of the year, but I couldn't find the color I wanted (white) at the price I wanted (low). I didn't even consider buying a Lexus at all. Then, I couldn't pass up a good deal on this 2000 ES300 Platinum Series and I decided to buy it. However, after my second test driving, I decided to pop the hood and at least wanted to check the engine oil. Man, I was shocked to see that there was no engine oil visible on the dipstick, instead, I saw some dried brown (what seemed to be) engine oil particles. I wiped the dipstick clean and checked again and no engine oil on the dipstick again. But, I didn't notice any sign or smell while I was test driving. So, I pointed it out to the sales person and he had his service department do the oil change and some other inspections which got me free new front brakes. I was concerned about what I saw (or didn't see) on the dipstick, but I really liked the car and the price was very reasonable so I ended up purchasing it. Actually, I read about oil gelling problem on ES and Camry the day before on internet and wondered if this car is one of those gellers. :P According to the owner's manual supplement, the previous owner had the car checked by Lexus dealer religiously--every 5,000 mile maintenance until 50K miles--which makes the fact that there was no (well, probably significantly less) oil in the engine only 2,500 miles after the last oil change very strange. The Suzuki dealer bought the car at an auction--if that means anything. Nonetheless, I have driven the car over 1,000 miles since the purchase and do not notice any wrong sign or smell from the engine. But, the image of dry dipstick still lingers in my mind and that still makes me concerned.

That means the stuff really does work! I will keep that in mind. Thanks!

2XLexV8, good evening to you, too! :) It's really great to hear from an actual dealer employee and thank you for your insider's tip! I'm sure we can all benefit from your information.