amf1932

I have the rear sunshade option and it works very well. There's a button on the center console that operates it either up or down. When you put the shift lever into reverse it automatically goes down so you can see out the rear window better. It really cuts the heat for the rear seat passengers if the sun is coming through the rear window. ;)

I agree with SW03ES post above. The black leather interior doesn't get that hot. In fact I had my '94 ES300 for 9 years and the interior looked as good as the day I bought it, and I did very little maintenance to keep it looking great. That's why the dealer scooped it right up for a terrific trade-in price.

How do you delete a post completely? I saw that somebody already tried to troubleshoot my idea in a previous post.

Here's how BMW feels about steam cleaning engines:

Like I said in my previous post, changing the coolant without taking out the block plugs is the easiest way of doing it, but not necessarily the best way. That's the way most all people do it. The block plugs look similar to the engine oil drain plug. Here is the way I would do it if you don't want to remove the block plugs. 1- Remove radiator cap. 2- Open the radiator drain. 3- Refill the radiator with water and a cooling system cleaner like Dupont Cooling System Cleaner. 4- Run engine until the engine reaches operating temperature. 5- Flush this out and fill with clear water once again. 6- Run engine until the engine reaches operating temperature. 7- Drain out the water and than fill system with the proper coolant.

The 1MZ-FE engine block drain plugs are located on both bottom sides of the block. You still have to open the radiator drain fitting if you're changing the coolant. Even though Lexus/Toyota recommends opening the block plugs I find that a lot of dealers don't do it. Instead they just open the radiator drain and after it's drained and flushed with clear water they once again fill it with the proper coolant. Than fill the overflow bottle to the top with a 50-50 mixture of the coolant. It makes it simpler and quicker for them. The level in the overflow bottle will drop to close to the proper level after all the air bleeds out of the system. edit: The best way to do it is the way that Lexus/Toyota recommends, in my opinion. ;)

Too late for most of the things you suggested. I already put in a formal complaint with the Lexus Corporation about their shoddy service and also spoke to the dealers service manager. He told me that the company computer system has to be updated to print out in the invoice, 5W-30 instead of 10W-40 and in actuality they put in the oil that they get from Lexus which is supposed to be 5W-30. Do you know whether Lexus uses 10W-40 oil in any of their cars in the Northeast part of the country? I already cleaned up their mess...so I don't want them to steam an engine in a new car........I hate when they have to steam an engine....... besides it takes out the anti rust protection that is applied at the factory to certain underhood parts. This reminds me of a similar situation that happened with my previous '94 ES. I brought this car into a Lexus dealer in Minnesota to change my anti-freeze. After picking up the car I drove it a few miles and started to smell burning anti-freeze inside my car. It seems they didn't follow the proper procedure for changing the anti-freeze as Lexus recommends in their shop manual. The anti-freeze was all over the engine 'cause they filled the overflow bottle up to the top instead of opening the petcocks in the block to bleed out the air. They expected the air in the system to be expelled after the engine reached operating temperature, but it wasn't! Naturally when I called the dealer they told me their procedure and I had to tell them they weren't doing this job properly. Again, I could have done this job myself and saved a bundle of money if I wanted to take the same shortcut that they used on my car. They offered to detail my engine but I already did it myself. In the past I did most of the repairs on my cars myself to insure that they were done right. I don't have the time or inclination to do this anymore but when I take it to a Lexus dealer I sure as hell expect a top notch repair especially when they're getting top money to do it.

Well I'm sad to say that I'm very disappointed with my 1st. (5000mile) service appointment on my '03 ES at my Lexus dealer. Here's why: 1- They changed my oil. The dealer invoice said they put in 10W-40 grade. This car calls for 5W-30!! 2- When I came home I popped the hood open to check the fluid levels. I found oil splattered on the engine cover and other places. 3- They never refilled my windshield washer bottle. 4- They never brought the radiator overflow bottle up to the proper level. 5- My trunk was opened so they could get the key to remove the lug nuts and rotate the tires. When they put this key back they didn't put the tools into the proper place....It looked like they just threw everything back in. What a mess!! I didn't realize that they needed to get into my trunk to get my key.....They're supposed to have a master key to take off the locking lug. 6- They never checked the tire inflation. All in all I could have brought this car to Jiffy Lube if I wanted a half assed job. This was my free service and you can rest assured that they won't get my normal maintenance anymore. I serviced my previous '04 ES myself for just these reasons. I knew what kind of oil, filters, etc. I was putting into the engine. I did it carefully and correctly 'cause it's my car. Naturally I had to call the Lexus Corporation and tell them of my dissatisfaction with this dealers service. They always get a premium price for their work, therefore I expect premium type service.

From your description it sounds like an amp or pre-amp problem. Since this distortion happens with more than one loudspeaker it points away from defective speakers as being the culprit. ;)

Sometimes you have to put in the abbreviation rather than the full name of the street that you're looking for. I tried putting in, "Kings Highway" which the road is called but the NAV system didn't recognize it until I changed it to, "Kings Hwy". I also noticed the word "Road". This had to be abbreviated to, "Rd". There are probably other instances where this happens, but I'm still learning how to use this thing. :D

NR4P, My transmission is perfectly smooth also! What the complaints are is the hesitation when downshifting at certain speeds, such as passing another vehicle or slowing down to about 2mph and than trying to speed up. There is a lurch which is very annoying. I have driven over 12 '02-'03 ES's and they ALL exhibited this behavior! This aptly put quote is taken from an Edmunds Road Test of the '02 ES:

Hey SW03ES, Do you have any info on the '04 ES, such as accessories offered, changes in mechanical stuff, etc? If you do, where can I read about it. ;)

There's the possibility that some dirt is blocking the laser lens from reading the information on the CD. I would try a CD Lens Cleaner to see if it clears up this problem. The spark plugs have platinum tipped electrodes and that's why they cost so much. You probably could have saved a few bucks by getting the exact same plugs from an automotive supply store. ;)

lexdriver I was hysterical reading your post about how the transmission brain works. You should send it to the tech people in Japan.....maybe they could understand the problem better. hehehe

Adam7 Did you check in your trunk where the lug nut wrench is located? Earlier model Lexus cars have the the lug nut key affixed to this wrench so it doesn't get lost. ;)

Glad to hear about your success......now that's what I call a nice company(McGard)!!! :D

sush1a Call McGard and ask if you could send them either your key or your lock or both so they can get the code and manufacture a new one for you. The telephone number is on a previous post in this thread.

Why are some members of this board soooo afraid of mentioning where they live and putting it in their profile. :chairshot:

nicecar, Why'd he charge you 10 bucks for just hammering the key? His prices sound like Lexus Service Dept. prices!! :D Besides, you could have bought a brand new key from McGard for 10 bucks.

lexdriver, Yeah, you got that right.....it's as if the transmission developed a case of Alzheimers disease and doesn't know what gear to go into for about ½ to 1 second!! As far as my gas mileage: I got the 29.5mpg when I did ALL turnpike driving averaging about 70mph with either regular or premium fuel. The mpg would drop off a lot if I went thru city traffic or increased my top speed to over 75mph. I think if I drove your car the same as mine I would average the same mpg. I doubt whether there is anything wrong with your car.......just driver habits. I bet if you drove a constant 60mph you'd get about 40mpg. :) My odometer was also 1500 miles when I started this trip.

SW03ES: This is why I didn't feel too bad about this option not included in my car. Also, since I'm the only driver I really didn't care about readjusting the pedal heights. Doesn't it sound like sour grapes since I didn't get them on my car?hehehe

A couple of months ago I flew out to Long Beach, CA and rented a Nissan Maxima. I was really impressed with the performance of that car, transmission, et al. Of course it wasn't as quiet or refined as my car but nevertheless it did what I wanted it to do properly when driving on the freeways. BTW: The newer GS series also has this transmission hesitation from what I have been told by Lexus mechanics.

I just spoke to Lexus about this hesitation that plagues ALL '02-'03 ES models and they are definitely aware of it. He told me the fix is forthcoming this Fall or definitely by the end of this year. Here is a paragraph from the Edmunds website exactly describing this problem: "The V6 has been mated to a new transmission, upgraded from a four-speed to a closer-ratio five-gear unit. Upshifts are crisp enough, but downshifts are sludgy and come only after the car thinks about it for a while. Under most normal driving circumstances, it's perfectly acceptable, but trying to wring some spirit out of the ES 300 is more of an exercise in futility; it's as if some goblin had poured butterscotch sauce into the fluid reservoir. This could be attributed to our test car's status as a prototype vehicle; future production units could be in for more fine-tuning." I have driven more than 12 '02-'03 ES's and everyone of them exhibited this glitch. I guess you feel that this is normal shifting.....but it isn't, and I'm sure if I drove your car I could show you exactly what I mean. ;)

OEM= Original Equipment Manufacturer :)

One other question chillaxin: Do you have the transmission problem that have been plaguing owners of '02-'03 ES's?