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For the odor, would a steam cleaning of the engine and compartment by a detailer help? Paul

The only comment I would make is your 2004 is still a good car and is very popular on the used car market depending on mileage. Given the profile of the average Lexus customer, they would be looking for a install as close to factory as possible. Replace the nav,if you put in a diffrent unit, make it look as close as OEM as possible. The ML speakers may have custom tuned crossovers that would have to be matched to any built in crossover in a new amp or head unit. Ultimately, replace with all factory equipment. Protect your invesment. Paul

S.W., Do you use the average mpg or the immediate/real time reading. Thanks

Great advice from both of you. I did learn to hit the talk button twice to skip past the menu tree and the twenty questions. I 'll try the tips and see how it goes. Thanks for your help!

I know the voice recognition feature has a reputation for being less than perfected. Today, I said to "select channel number" She replied, "say channel number". Good so far. I said "6" She said "246". I tried to back up and I tried "06". She said "Raise temperature". Immediately the temperature went from 70' to 74'. I gave up. Got any tips on how to speak so she under stands, i.e., tone, inflection, enunciation? Any tricks you've learned? Thanks, Paul

Are you sure you weren't pedaling while going down hill on some of these results? .....Seriously, why do you think you were able to get such great mileage such as 33,34,32 mpg.I have never gotten anything close to 30 with a six cylinder Lexus. I am impressed. Paul

Like wow man!...peace, love and flowers. I don't remember the 70's......oops,.aah..that was the 60's. Sorry!

I have a 2010 ES350 and I put a separate sub in its own enclosure with its own amp in the trunk. I left the OEM sub-woofer in place and active, and took the signal from it to the new subs amp. The result is perfect for me. It fills out the deep bottom and adds depth to the mixture of the tonal range. I did not have this configured to vibrate the hood of the car next to me at a stop light. It's only an 8" speaker. The problem and benefit of ML systems is that each speaker is tuned through a network of amplifiers and crossovers such that when you try to tinker with one you throw off the balance of the whole. However, with the sub-woofer addition your merely taking one low range of frequencies and boosting the signal. Paul

Not that I know of. Since it is connected to the ignition cycle I doubt it would be "easy". Then again, ask your dealer. Any things possible! Let us know what you find out and welcome to the club. Paul

Just a couple of quick notes; A cell phone should not drain that quickly unless she is on it constantly. Have you had the battery checked for it's ability to hold a charge? Also, having something constantly draining the cars battery may not be a good thing, even though it's just a little cell phone. Something like a dome light can and has brought down my car battery in 24 hours. Paul

I'd go with the dealer.

This is a long shot but it has worked twice for me. My dealer reps. both Lexus and Volvo, along with Jaguar, Infinity, and Land Rover. When we bought my wife's S80 Volvo, they gave us a $200 credit for the tires that were on the car and I bought a new set of Cont. from the dealer to replace them. As you know I did a swap on the ES as well and they gave me another allowance. They apparently use these tires on pre-owned Certified cars. This dealer has a price match program for tires. This applies to advertisements on-line or printed. Maybe your dealer will work something with you. Given the amount of exposure and influence potential your writings have, I would think that the dealer, (read that Lexus Corp.) would bend over back wards to further your goodwill. The question is if it's worth the money to make the swap. If I drove as much as you do I think the comfort and the cabin environment experience would win out for me.

Fair enough. My experience with this company over 25 years of driving and taking cars there starting when I was 16 with my parents' cars has been nothing but good, spanning franchises in three states and multiple cars. Additionally, unlike at most places, I stand directly next to my car and watch as they drain oil, replace the filter and fill it. That way, as you might imagine, I ensure quality control. On the other hand, the number of times I've been screwed (and found out about it) at small shops...whew. You have valid points, certainly, but my personal experience is what I rely on. Google ANY company and you will find horror stories, as you all know. Ironically, a couple days after I had the oil changed I got a reminder card from the dealership saying my first oil change on my CPO car was on them! For my 65,000 service I WILL be taking it to the dealership. But an oil change, we'll just have to agree to disagree. As you recall from school, "to thine own self be true..". Your right. You have all the facts, I and others have all of your facts and we can agree to disagree on something that will not disturb world peace or the outcome of the World Series,(thank god). I admire your level headiness and reasoned response. I hope you have a great experience at your dealer. Paul

I would call your local auto stereo/alarm installer and inquire. I'll bet that they can install one in your vehicle. If the car is still under warranty, would it be advisable to check with your dealer first sense the average alarm installer may not have much experience with a Hy-bred. My experience with a Volvo S80 was a nightmare and that was installed by THE dealer. Paul

Your Lexus dealer has everything to gain by making you happy and fixing the problem correctly the first time. They have a lot to loose in not fixing your problem to your satisfaction. There is an axiom in sales that says: A satisfied customer will tell six people about there experience. An unsastisfied customer will tell EVERYONE! According to your post the car should still be under warranty. Paul

I don't have an answer to your question regarding sidewall height; but here is an article that mar be of help when trying to compare sidewall aspect ratios to wheel well openings. Then again you may already know all this. Some of us use Michelin Primacy's for their smooth ride and super quiet operation. Don't know if they come in 18" size. http://www.autobytel.com/content/shared/articles/templates/index.cfm/article_id_int/8764 Paul

If you have'nt already, you'll need to input your radio presets, seat memory settings, gararge door link, etc. Some of these dpend on how long the battery was disconnected. Welcome to the club! Paul

Even though it last happened last Monday, I haven't been able to duplicate it. I even held a key a few inches from the handle with no results. I am going in for my 25K maintenance next week (yes I put a lot of miles on my car) and will ask about it. I am sure the dealer will say nothing is wrong with it and it is the way I walk, but it is worth a try. BTW, I am not sure how you reset the lock with the manual key, can't find anything about it in the owner's manual. Is it just unlocking the door with the manual key? I can only imagine how frustrating this is for you. It's like calling the TV repair man for a fuzzy picture and of course, when he gets there it is working fine! Page 477 in the Owners Manual list the steps for use of the manual key when the electronic key service has been interrupted. This is just a wild GUESS. But it can't hurt. This type of manual reset is used by late model Volvo's such as my S80 which also has keyless start. I'm more inclined each time I think about your dilemma to believe it's in the sensor/antennae. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Paul

Regardless of the uniform, male or female, I'd be happy if they would just smile at you like they used to. Now when you ask for something they snarl. I know flights are crowded but geezz! Paul

Looks like they're alive and well. http://airlines.ws/hooters-airline/ Paul

I also have IE and have not noticed it... I solved the problem. I tried bypassing AOL and logged directly into Internet Explorer. I can scan and scroll through any and all post with no problem. Even though AOL uses IE, it must add some sort of code to it that affects it's function. Must be FM... (f...ing magic). Paul

I haven't noticed it. I use Explorer as my browser. I have AOL as my access and it uses Explorer as its web browser. I hope others will jump in here with there experiences. Maybe I should put up a general post.

A couple of things. It sounds as if the tuner is stuck in the Scan mode and repeating a loop. Does this happen in all modes; i.e. A.M., SAT, F.M.,? Does it do it even after you power down the radio and turn it back on? If it does it in all modes and if it does it every time you turn it on, you could try the following: This sounds drastic, but is is a trick that is used by late model Volvo's to reset systems/reboot. Unhook the negative battery cable from the battery of your car and wait for about 5 minutes or so. This should be enough time to allow the power to drain from the ML unit. Make sure the ML is turned off before you do this or reconnect the negative battery cable. Put the cable on quickly and firmly to avoid as few sparks as possible. Yes you will lose presets, clock settings, seat memory settings, etc. This may help, it may not. Unless your handy and have knowledge of cars and electronics I would not try this on your own. Also you didn't mention the model or year of your Lexus. Is it still in warranty? If out of warranty, my best advice would be to first take it to a reputable car audio shop. Paul