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Steve, the founder of the LOC, is the brains behind the new look. He lives in the UK and does a super job of keeping the site up and running. I was kind of suprised this morning when I tried to sign on. Each time I tried the web address it said no such address. That went on for about fifteen minutes. Finally, I connected and voila!...there was the new look!! pretty cool.

I'm going to work on it tonight...I'll report back tommorow. (I left you a reply at the Mod. forum) Thanks

Do you mean convert the mp3 files into another format? As far as I can tell, Itunes will only upload and download to a Ipod type unit, i.e. Nano. It sure dosen't work with the mp3 player. Understand, this particular issue is not my strong suit.

Thanks Briar for posting the "FIX". Good to know.

I really think that all things being equal, it is not just selling cars, but almost every type of business is competitive to the point where margins are stretched like a piano wire. I have to think hard about the last purchase of any substance,(say over even $100 bucks,) that I did not check first on the Internet and ended up buying. How can my locals compete against that! But hey, I was in my recliner, it was below 30' outside, I found several vendors at the right price, and free shipping...yes, the thing would come right to my front door! No wear and tear on my Lexus. I am truly thankful I am not in a sole proprietor set-up today, trying to compete with Wallmart, Costco, Macy's ...etc. Even my Lexus dealer has over a 1/2 dozen people in their Internet sales dept. They do a tremendous amount of volume. Competition isn't everything, but it's way ahead of what's ever in first place.

I have a nephew in Virgina that contracts with six dealers to buy cars at auction for their dealerships. It is nothing for him to have all of his 16 acre storage lot full of hundreds of cars going back and forth from the auction house to the dealers. He told me some time ago that he lost his love for cars a long time ago. Now, it's just another "unit" to move and sell. I'd rather own one and love it like my ES.

Hi Olya and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club. Check out the RX forum for information and discussions about the RX line. Paul

I can share with you my experience with my wife's 2011 RX450h. Last winter here in the New England area, we recorded the 3rd snowest winter on record I believe. The RXh on Michelin latitute all season tires perform like a champ. It actually drove better in the snow than my wife's old Audi Q5 with full time quattro dive. The extra weight with the batteries in the back helped and the snow mode in the RXh really keeps things in check before things get out of control. Thanks for the information. It all sounds good.

Paul, are you a Mercedes sales manager or salesman? I never did understand the R class, its one of the ugliest car ever made and yet Mercedes just give up on it. This is pretty embarrasing....I always proof read my post before I hit the button, but this time I really screwed up!! The first sentence should have read, "Glad I'm NOT selling for Mercedes....." I have never sold cars nor had a business interest in a dealership. Before I retired, I was involved in marketing and sales of large telecommunications equipment. Never had a problem with a ugly hatch-back hub..LOL

Yeah, but times are tough here out on the farm.....why an acre of prime farm land sold for only a little over $20,000 the other day.(no bull) Times are tough indeed!

See previous thread.....$$$ (actually, I have a Nano which I hate, so I will need to move into the 21st century sometime. But there has to be an answer to this question among the 134,000 members out there.)

Hi Richard and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club. I'm going to give you a link to "Car Parts.com". This is a searchable used parts site that has access to literlly millions of parts all over the world. I have not used it, but others in the club swear by it. http://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&p=car-part.com Also, I don't know what country your in so I don't know if you have access to a Lexus dealer, but if you do, I would suggest (if you already haven't) talking to their parts dept. manager and seeing if they can't help you verify you part number problem, or order the part. Additionaly, you could try asking a Toyota dealer. I believe at that point in time there was some sharing of parts, more so than today. Let us know how you come out please, and where you live! Paul

I know. I've had that burden all my life.

Hi Folks, I'd would like to ask all of you what, if any, your experience has been with your RX's both light and deep snow. Here in the Midwest, we get a good share of snow, and we also have under layers of ice as well. With the light back end of the RX, without AWD, is it easy to spin-out or get stuck. Just looking for your general opinion/experience, nothing scientific....lol Thanks, Paul

Hi David and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club. I'm not sure how quickly you'll get a response with the exact information you want. Since it is so specific to one particular aftermarket problem, it might take a little bit. In the mean time, I would suggest you do a search of our data base. It has all the postings going back to approx. 2002. Paul

I think this is very true. As for the A7...how can someone not like this car? I got to tell you, I agree with you, (and that scares the hell out of me). It is a VERY good looking car. It has that classic "moving while it's standing still" look that all manufacturers try for. I'd give it a "10".

Some very good information and suggestions. Thanks for taking the time. I truly am in love with my Lexus but.n the future.......?

Hi John and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club. Join in and have some fun. Paul

Glad I'm selling for Mercedes.....just read that the "R Class" made "Auto Blog's" top ten worst sellers for 2011. The "R class" at a MSRP of $52,690, sold a whoping 2,385 units. And thats after the refresh of the whole suv's appearance for 2011.

Just a sort blurp on a forecast for some used car price movements in 2012. http://autos.aol.com/photos/kbb-5-best-resale/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-nb%7Cdl10%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D125437

As Tom Cruise once said....."SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!" LOL

To begin; I have a 2010 ES350 with Navigation. I have a Sansa Fuze mp3 player. I have the usual USB port that is standard with the ES package. I have used two types of media for input to the cars audio system. The mp3 and the basic Thumb drive. The Thumb drives work beautifully. They show the title, folder, and artist. When I turn the car off, and then turn it back on, the audio starts right where it left off and all is right with the world. When I use the mp3 player, things get weird. First, it does show all the track information, and the sound quality is excellent. But, when you turn the car off and then turn it back on, the radio/audio unit is turned off(powered downed). You have to hit the Volume/Power On knob, and then only the radio comes on. It does not start playing from the USB port,i.e.the mp3 player where you left off. You have to press the USB tab in order to start the mp3 player aagain. It does start playing from where it left off. I can not figure out how the mp3 player can control the head unit like this. I have tried two things. There are two USB settings on the mp3 player. They are MTP. and MSC. In the MTP setting the car unit does not recognize the player. It is only in the MSC setting that it recognizes the player. That is the mode I use it in, and the mode in which all of these problems happen. I haven't got a clue as to what is the problem. I know that Lexus designed the audio system in these later models to interface with the Ipod. And that may be the problem. There simply may not be enough compatibility to accommodate mere mortal players. LOL Any ideas???? Thanks Ya'll Paul

Hi Briar and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club. I did a search of the forum and found some references to your situation. These go back a couple of years. It appears that there was a TSB issued for the same problem at one point, but I don't know how long those are in force. Obviously, the best step to take is to go to your Lexus dealer with the TSB number which is on the thread towards the end of the posting, and tell them what you found. Please get back to us with your results so we can let the other members know. Thanks, Paul http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46647&st=30

Hi Mike and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club. I'll try to answer your concerns in order or anything that "gbhrps" didn't already cover. First, I can highly recommend the 2005 ES330. It was my first Lexus, and when it came time to trade, they had to pry me out of the car. I loved that car. So, rest assured, the year and model are reliable, easy to maintain, and hold their value well. Depreciation is a difficult thing to be absolute about. What holds true here in Des Moines will not be true for your market. However, over the 2 1/2 years I owned it, the car depreciated approx. 3% . In my research that is far better that Ford or Chevy. The biggest factor that always drops car value more than any other is mileage. A CPO cost the dealer about $1000. So within the &18,000 price their showing, a thousand of that is for the CPO. DO NOT buy the car with out the CPO. If your the type of person who feels the need to squeeze the blood out of every dealer, this probably is not the time to do it. For the price their asking, they make look at $600-750 off the price. That is based on my experience with the dealers here in Iowa. In Conn., there is probably a lot more competition and a hotter market. Do you have a trade in? gbhrps covered the maintenance question pretty well. Many members on the board use independent mechanics for routine stuff; Oil change/tires/brakes,etc. In the USA, some Toyota dealers will service basic Lexus work but not all Toyota parts fit Lexus. Frankly, Lexus parts are expensive. You drive an expensive car, you pay to maintain it. But as the previous poster said, there are many sources for parts that are less expensive, and as a member now of this club, we have arrangements with a Dallas TX. Lexus dealer that provides a hefty discount to club members for parts. Is there anything you should know about the ES330? Yes. Yours has the same exterior color that mine had. I got many compliments on that color. I've never seen any other car with that color. The cooled seats IMO, don't cool very well. Make sure you get a full sized spare. Good luck. It looks like a good car at a good price. Paul