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Glad you got what you needed.

Today, Leon Panetta, nominee for Secretary of Defense to replace Gates, told congress they needed to prepare themselves for several billion dollars in defense department budget cuts if there is a hope in bringing the budget in line. John McCain responded that, that was not going to happen and no cuts would be made in the defense budget. This is a Republican Senator talking to a Democratic nominee. Talk about things backward in Washington. One suggestion I will make to reduce the budget/tax load is to eliminate the subsidies to all oil companies both refiners and producers. Talk about obscene, If we could get the Social Security trust fund to generate the kind of profits the oil companies do using our tax subsidies, we could all retire at birth!

Do you have a picture? The mouldings I ordered from carid.com should arrive this week. Will post a picture once I have time to install them. Here is a picture of my painted moulding on my '08 ES 350 i think it looks great Hi Art, I think you have a typo in your model type at left. It reads ES359? Should it be 350. Paul

This is what worries me about you Lexir....You always hold back your true feelings. You never let out your real emotions so you can get in touch with that little Lexir inside LOL..LOL!!!!!

Is there such a thing as legislation that creates a new tax, which when put in place voids an existing tax in the same category and code. If it were "another" tax, there would be two taxes and two streams of revenue. That is not how I read the article. More importantly, you wrote a while back that you thought you had a good chance to get out of Chicago and back to the east coast. Is that still working out for you and your family? Paul

A tax per mile to replace the sky high per gallon gas tax? An idea quietly being tossed around by the White House and some state governments. An interesting article. I imagine you will definitely have an opinion. http://autos.aol.com/article/tax-per-mile/

Well I for one haven't seen any interesting articles from aol on here in awhile? :whistles: I guess Ive been slipping. LOL!!

As you know, lens yellowing has always been a problem not only with Lexus, but almost all car makes. I have not heard of a source for glass lenses but they may be out there somewhere. In the mean time, I did a search and found the following post on how to clean and polish your OEM lens in such a way as to remove the yellow and cloudy look. A much cheaper approach than replacing. Paul Posted 08 May 2007 - 05:08 AM The lens has a silicone-based coating applied to its outer surface, some manufacturers apply two different types of coatings to the outer surface of the lens, these coatings are mainly for UVR protection, but are also for impact and abrasion resistance, once the coating (s) fail the lens surface will occlude (clouding or yellowing) While most of the cloudiness is on the surface, severely discoloured lens cannot be brought back to optical clarity. If you live in a southern state, this discoloration can become noticeable in as little as two-years. Application Methodology: •Use a solvent type cleaner (Klasse or Zaino All-In-One) if this does not remove the oxidation use a plastic polish •Meguiar’s PlastX contains a microscopic diminishing abrasive, which requires a little pressure when applying it to enable these abrasives to remove the discoloured plastic and expose new plastic. Or Renovo Plastic Cleaner •Plastic Cleaners can be used to clean and condition Perspex as well as flexible plastic but is not suitable for use on glass. •Prior to application of a plastic polish ensure that the window is clean and free from dust particles by washing with a soft cloth and warm water. •It is not advisable to use cleaning detergents on plastic. •Shake the bottle thoroughly. Plastic polish can be hand or machine applied •Using a random orbital buffer with a 3.5-inch backing plate and a 4-inch (LC White) polishing pad or a terry cloth applicator •Place a small dab (about ½-inch diameter) of plastic polish on the foam pad or applicator. •Place the pad on the lens surface and turn on the machine (speed #4) •Polish the lens repeatedly in a left-to-right and an up and down pattern. •Continue polishing until all the polish is gone •Wipe the lens with a damp Microfiber towel •Inspect the lens, repeat the polishing process 2-3 times as necessary •Plastic polish will not remove clarity defects that are within the plastic but it will remove external/surface scratching and oxidation (yellowing) Alternative products- a) Novus 1 - gently cleans all plastics without scratching, leaves a lustrous shine that resists fogging, repels dust, and eliminates static. Novus 2 - removes fine scratches, haziness, and abrasions from most plastics (exceptional for removing scratches from Plexiglas). Use repeatedly and restore faded and discoloured plastics. Novus 3 -removes heavy scratches and abrasions from most acrylic surfaces. Contains abrasives, not for use on eyeglasses, polycarbonate, or coated plastics, final finishing also requires the use of Novus 2 http://www.modernplastics.com. This simple, easy to use product cleans, brightens and protects even the dullest headlights, also works great on taillights, the plastic windows in convertible tops, instrument panels, and motorcycle windscreens.DA2030 Shine Restorer Protector- http://www.rightlook.com/index.asp?PageAct...&ProdID=167 c) Lensrenew - http://www.lensrenew...restoration.htm Wet-sanding- some OEM headlights have a coating applied this coating does not respond well to sanding test a small inconspicuous area. If the plastic starts to turn white, do not sand the lenses. Use a plastic polish (see Plastic Polishing) When sanding the lens ensure that you sand in one direction only. It's important to keep the lines as straight and uniform as possible as they are often still slightly visible even after polishing. Providing the lines are in one direction you’ll never notice them once the acrylic coating is evenly applied. Otherwise random sanding lines will distort the light beam and become a distraction Product specific - Rightlook.com makes dull, yellowed headlights look like new with Clear Lights Headlight Restoration Kit. This simple, easy to use system cleans, brightens and protects even the dullest headlights. The Clear Lights Kit also works well on taillights, the plastic windows in convertible tops, instrument panels, emergency vehicle light bars, and motorcycle windscreens. (This is a professional product for multi-use, retail approx. $200) Combining; Detailing Knowledge, Experience, Applicable Chemistry / Science as well as Aesthetics

Is the car out of warranty?

A real gold plated bummer!! Seems like people don't want to take responsibility for their actions anymore. Hope you can work something out on the replacement cost. Paul

Thank you for posting something semi-controversial! The forum has really been dead over this last month or so with very little traffic. Nice to have somebody kick up the dust once and awhile. If you want election doo-do up to your butt, come to Iowa. As the state with the first in the nation caucus vote, we get ALL the candidates you can imagine. And with that comes all of the finger pointing, eating their own young, doom and gloom for the future if their not elected, and on it goes. If you learn to believe only one fourth of what they say, and then be suspicious of that you'll be alright. Paul

Hope you enjoy your new ride, and welcome to the LOC! Paul

Welcome to the LOC! Be sure to let everyone hear more from you. Paul

I did a quick search of the forum and found your answer. The bulb for the climate control section is a solder-on style. You may get it from lexuspartsnow.com. Part no. 90010-03001. This is from a post by "ml30306" dated 4/24/2011. Paul

I'm not sure this is any help, but the full mechanical manualss and wiring diagrams and owners manuals are available for purchase at the Lexus Material Distribution Center, 800-622-2033. This is for any model. Paul

Welcome Matt to the Lexus community and a great car. And welcome as well to you Steve! We are glad your both here. Paul

Not an expert on the 08' model but I did a search a found that over the years many models from GX to LS and ES have all offered leather steering wheels. The 2008 ES350 may have offered it as an option but as 2010 I'm pretty sure that option is no longer offered. Paul

Sounds like a great car. The price is certainly fair. If it was my decision I'd go for it.

Have you looked at Kelley Blue Book for a current market price. That is about the best benchmark unless you can find a regional used car value resource. I usually shop several dealers on line to get a feel of the current value. What are doing with your present car. Keeping, selling, or trading?

Thank you for posting your experience and instructions. I bet it will come in handy to someone in the future. Paul

Hello, and welcome to the LOC!

On your 2011, the dealer will normally do all the custom programing options for you free of charge on your 1,000 mile check. The service department usually likes to do the programing things at the 1k and 5k checks because if they do them otherwise, there is no work code/labor code to bill the work to and Lexus won't reimburse them for the shop labor. In your manual you will find this under Customizable Features. In the 2010 ES350 manual this section begins on page 513. I would imagine the 2011 and 2010 books are he same .? Paul

A new clear coat can be applied after removing the old. A body shop/auto paint shop can do this. But there may be some underlying damage/oxidation to the paint that just normally occurs over time from sun and UV rays. Find a good auto shop and also talk to a detailer before you make a decision.

This week I was in the dealers showroom, and I sat in an ES with ML, and played around with the controls. After messing around for a while and trying different combinations, I came to the same conclusion that you have. Something has to be wrong with your system. The balance and fade controls are so easy it would be pretty hard to set them wrong. Let us know what you find out.

Your the man dc!!