amf1932

I didn't want to take the chance of having someone with limited knowledge working on my new car. They have to drill holes in the trunk lid and if they're not positioned right it wouldn't look good. Also, I watched the Lexus mechanic do the job and he knew exactly what wires to attach the LED light from the spoiler, how to remove the inside paneling and in general he was experienced in doing this job efficiently. Actually, my Lexus dealer wanted $90 per hour and putting on a spoiler is considered a 2 hour job. I talked him down and he did the job for $120 plus tax. This is a fairly simple job to do though if the person doing it is careful. Remember though the old adage, "Don't be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish".

On an '03 I paid $386.96 for a painted spoiler from Spoilerdepot, plus $130.35 to get it installed from my Lexus dealer Grand Total: $517.31 The dealer wanted $863.53 for their aftermarket spoiler so I actually saved $346.22, besides I like the Spoilerdepot's spoiler much better! :)

They recommend that the plugs should be changed at 60,000 miles, and sure..... the wires also.

CHANGE THE SPARK PLUGS!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah.....I'm from the old school. I always used a car compass on my trips and I loved it. I guess since I now have the Navigation on my new car I'll use that.......but I always like to glance up at my rear view compass for old times sake. hehehe.

Here's the page from The Navigation Manual that shows you how to turn the SCREEN OFF.

In the Owners Manual on Page 104, they show you a map that tells you how to calibrate the compass. There is a map showing the different zones in North America. To get the compass to read accurately you have to recalibrate it.

Does anybody know whether it's OK to leave the Navigation LCD Display on for long periods of time, like driving for hours? There is a button on the touch display to turn it off even though you still get the voice prompts when the destination has been set. This is on an '03 ES300.

I'm going to take a trip from New York City to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Is it necessary to recalibrate the compass when I'm in Minneapolis so the display is accurate?

Does the car seem to float up and down excessively after you hit a bump? Also, does the car seem to bottom out on large bumps? If not, than the struts don't have to be changed immediately. You won't do any damage if you wait awhile before changing them.

On the '94 ES there's a Trunk Lockout switch in the glove compartment in the left hand upper part. I think it was the same in the '93's. If the ABS light comes on it could be caused by a bad wheel sensor.

Here is a previous thread dealing with the installation of the struts: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=ST&f=7&t=1564&

Hi lexdriver, When you tried to set up the Homelink to learn your garage remote did you hold the remote very close to the buttons on your car? I did it with the engine running although I don't know whether that was necessary. Also, make sure that the battery in your remote is in good shape. Press and hold the Homelink button that you want to program then press and hold the garage remote and it should change to a rapid flash after about 10 seconds. How old is the garage remote because some older types of remotes won't work with the Homelink system. Here's a link to the pictures of my spoiler that I put up on this board last week: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...=ST&f=7&t=1717&

The back plate probably got bent when the car fell off the jack and it's now rubbing the disc. I don't think that doing this repair is very expensive......the cost of a new tire w/balancing and a new back plate. :(

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I'm sure that somebody following you when you have your signal blinker on isn't going to get all that excited about a white light as opposed to the orange light. "Hey Mary, lookit the guys with white signal lights"!! It ain't worth the effort nor the expense and it would annoy the hell out of me following a car that was blinding me with his bright white blinkers. That's why it's illegal using them in some States. IMHO <_< Alan

Homelink is a system that learns most all remote control codes such as the garage door opener. On my '03 ES there are three buttons that you can program to do these actions or others. My Owners Manual tells you the sequence to have it learn the code.......I did this to replace my original garage door opener. ;)

A defective bulb will cause the exact problem you're having. Buy a new bulb of the correct type and exchange the right side bulbs one at a time and see if that corrects it. Electrically, the speed of the flashing is dependent upon the resistance in the circuit so the lower resistance on your right flasher causes it to flash faster. Naturally the indicator on the dash will click faster on the defective side. Alan

It's probably a burned out bulb. Check out the left turning signal lights to see how many bulbs are flashing then try the same thing with the right turning signal to see if the same amount of bulbs flash. ;) Alan

It's true that if you take the car to a Lexus dealership you're going to spend a lot more for this maintenance.....but you could have peace of mind that the car will be serviced properly, unless you know of a good mechanic that has the necessary qualifications to do this work. I would get an estimate from Lexus first and than take it from there. Alan

It would be great if you could get the cars history, and maybe find out who the previous owner was. If you could track him/her down and if he/she is a nice person you could find out more details of what was done in the past........you'd really be ahead of the game and possibly save you some $$$$ instead of doing all the suggested maintenance all over again. ;) Alan

Personally, I think it's an electrical problem and it doesn't have anything to do with programming the key remote. I say this because he said, "when i am driving down the road my door locks will lock and un-lock by themself", and that problem has nothing to do with the remote. Alan

My Thoughts: I traded in my(Bought new)'94ES with 53,000 miles and the dealer allowed me $8600 on a trade in on a '03ES. My car was absolutely perfect w/ new brakes & tires. He put it out in his used car area for $11,750. It was scooped up immediately. I think you did very well pricewise. In the 9 years I owned this car I had 1 problem that the dealer fixed under warranty and that was moisture getting into right rear tailight. He replaced the whole unit in about 45 minutes. All in all this was the best car I have ever owned to date and I hope my new one gives me as good service. Good luck, Alan Picture of car a week before trade in.

I was wondering about this. On my previous '94ES I did all the Oil and Filter changes myself. I didn't do this to be cheap but I did it properly and with care. Years ago I was an auto mechanic so it was a very simple procedure to do. Now the question: Did I void my Warranty by doing it myself because I never kept the receipts for the oil or filters? Alan

On a '94 ES that I had previously, the only thing that happened when I replaced the battery was the radio lost it's memory on the pre-set stations. Alan

I wouldn't change the signal lights to clear. I know it's illegal in New York State but I don't know about California. Alan