amf1932

I thought that the ASL feature changed the radio volume dependent on the speed of your car and had nothing to do with the amount of wind or road noise. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

The AM band of frequencies is prone to picking up all kinds of electrical interference. You probably wouldn't hear this clicking sound when tuned into the FM band. There is the possibility that your antenna maybe partially grounded and giving you a weak signal into the radio. This is the first area that I would check.

Hey Stevie........I agree with you 100%. That's why I don't use one anymore...especially with the instant on feature they're using today. I also use the cruise, 'cause it's very easy to start speeding up, inadvertently, with a car as smooth and quiet as the ES. As radar detectors go, I still feel the Valentine One unit is the best around.....and also the most expensive.($399.00)

In my estimation this is the best unit around: Valentine One

Any particular year?

Brian: Is this what you wanted? ;)

My Lexus salesman told me that none of the cars delivered to his dealership had the adjustable pedal option(NYC Area). It seems that certain accessory packages are only available in certain parts of the USA and to get a car so equipped it would have to be trans shipped to your area. BTW: Where do you live? You left NO information in your profile.

Sorry........I don't believe that answer. Anything is possible. ;)

To tell you why I consider it dangerous.....I was driving on a parkway in stop & go traffic.......the car in front of me started to accelerate a bit, so I was still rolling a bit and then tried to accelerate. My car was not in a gear at this point, but when it finally found a gear the car would lurch forward. I had to brake immediately to avoid rear ending the car in front of me. I pride myself in being a smooth driver but to overcome this obstacle makes this difficult to do. Therefore I consider this transmission or the electronic controls sadly lacking in refinement. There should be NO need for the driver of an automatic transmission to have to concentrate so fully to drive in a smooth manner. If this is a "characteristic" of a Lexus transmission I think it stinks.

NO WAY! Try this and let me know if this happens. Drive normally and then slow down till the car is almost stopped. Then gently press the accelerator. Tell me, does the car go into a lower gear or does it hesitate while it tries to figure out what gear to go into? This quirk is very annoying and dangerous especially when you're in stop & go traffic on the highway. Everyone of the '02's thru '04's I've driven has this same idiosyncrasy!

It's normal for the cruise to lose memory when you slow down below a certain speed. This also happens with other manufacturers car, namely Acura's or Honda's.

Well regardless whether it's a new fix or an old fix, it worked on my car. ;)

I fail to understand why Lexus never corrected this problem in manufacturing when they knew it started with the '02 model ES. Do you?

I once had a pull to the left in a different car that I owned, so to test it out I put the left tire on the right and the right tire on the left. It actually stopped pulling after this little experiment. Sometimes this pull is caused by the tread wear pattern and has nothing to do with the front end alignment.

I think it would behoove you to look at all 6 pages of threads to get your answer. It wouldn't take you very long. ;)

Could this problem be caused by a bad tank of gas or water in the gas? I would try putting in a can of dry gas before I would consider changing the 02 sensor. ;)

Here ya go, Mr. Lexusfreak:

I can understand spending large amounts of money restoring a classic car, but I don't consider any Lexus's classics.....not yet anyway. B)

Steve, when you have some time, do this little experiment for me and let me know if you consider this normal. Drive the car and then slow down to almost being stopped(about 2mph). Then try to accelerate normally. Does your car go right into a lower gear at this point or does it hesitate slightly until it figres what gear to go into.

I think that 5-speed transmissions started in the '02ES model year.

I feel the same way Steve, but did you see the nitrous boost switch on the dashboard and the voice activated radio controls?.....No?......... look harder. hee hee

It sounds like the exhaust system rusted out. Put the car up on a lift and see where the noise is coming from. ;)

New information about the Sport Design ES330 on the Lexus website: Sport Design

Yes, the ES330 as well as older ES's CAN use regular grade of fuel. I have used both regular & premium fuel on my '03 as well as on my previously owned '94ES and I NEVER noticed any difference in performance or gas mileage! I suppose that high mileage cars that have carbon buildup in the engine would possibly have to use higher octane fuel to prevent pre-ignition(pinging). I know that some of the members will disagree with my findings, but all I can say is, it works for me. This illustration is taken right out of my 2003 Owners Manual:

No brake problems either, but my car has less than 7K miles. I hope it's not things to come. In your case it's probably warped rotors.