MNJack

Is this too obvious? At 120,000 you need a major service that costs around $1500 at the dealer. My 97 for example might have a market value of $7k, it is in GREAT shape, but in addition to the full 120k mile service (including timing belt) plus recommended valve cover gaskets and p/s pump would be an additional $2,500 at the dealer. Caveat emptor!

Thank you all! :) I found it, I changed it. Didn't change the grommet. The old one looks as good as the new one.. blows fine. It sure is tucked way back there. Reminds me of the first time I changed my own oil Took me 30 minutes to find the oil filter!! I almost gave up after scouring the underside of the car over and over again. I have only worked on old American cars. Oil filters, PCV valves, and ...... FUEL FILTERS, are a bit easier to get to on the older american cars!!

After reading about "Express Lube" service on the Toyota website I thought it would be a good way for me to get an oil change with Toyota parts on my 1997 ES300 (120,000 miles). So I drive to the dealer and pull into the service garage. A service guy directs me to a service writer at one of several windows. The service writer asks, "Is that a Lexus?" Me: "Yes, it's an ES300" Service Writer: "We don't work on Lexus".. Me: "I just need an oil change" Service Writer: "We don't work on Lexus"... Me: "Express Lube" Service Writer: "We don't work on Lexus", Me: "It's the same car...." flustered, flabergasted... Service Writer: "We don't work on Lexus" So, I guess they don't work on Lexus. I just wish I had known that before wasting my time driving over there! It didn't occur to me to ask. I did call and ask if I needed an appointment (no) and how much it cost. ($26.95) .

Snagalia !! I don't know about the other guys (their year and model) but I am fairly certain that your 97 ES300 is covered under an extended emissions warranty. I have a 97 ES300 with 120K miles. If you already paid for the repair you may be able to get reimbursed by Lexus. I started a thread with the same title (Charcoal canister) in the ES300 forum a while back. There are links to the relevant info. It was a very pleasant surprise for me to find out the warranty had been extended to 150,000 miles or 10 years!! I had $900 dollars of repairs all paid for by Lexus!!

thanks for the directions! If I still can't find it maybe I will post a pic. I would be too embarassed to ask my "friendly local mechanic" plus I wouldn't trust him anyway! :)

Do I HAVE a PCV valve?? 1997 ES300. I bought a PCV valve and gasket, the valve is L-shaped, ie has a 90 degree angle. I can't find anything like it coming out of the valve cover.

When I replace my headlight bulbs (H-7) I am always careful not to touch the bulb with my fingers!! I do leave my headlights on all the time dayor night, but they only seem to last about 3 months. Pain in the butt!! How long do yours last? (97 ES300). They seemed to last much longer (of course) when car was under warranty!!

my dealer quoted me $640 (SIX HUNDRED AND FORTY DOLLARS US CURRENCY) to change valve cover gaskets. That is $50 parts and 6.5 hours labor. When I expressed shock the service advisor explained how the engine had to be disassembled to change the valve cover gaskets. I have been cleaning up the engine and deferring that item for the time being. P/S pump was quoted at $560 ($326 + 2. hours labor) but my p/s still works fine so I am deferring that one also. I own a 97 with 120k miles..........

My 97 es300 just turned 120k miles. I am pretty sure the timing belt was changed at the 60k mile service and I thought it was due again now at 120k. Is the timing belt good for more than 60k miles? I will be shopping around as my dealer wants about $1300 for the 60k mile service plus wants to change the valve cover gaskets and the p/s pump even tho I see no oil leaks of any kind and p/s works fine.

I never considered their prices "reasonable" but I think they provide great service. I bought my 97 ES there new and have been taking it back to the dealer for service every 5000 miles since. I am actually looking for an alternative to the dealer for the 120,000 mile service and a few other things because the dealer estimate for these items will be a significant percentage of the value of the car.

I got the final word from the dealer today. They will get reimbursed for the almost $900 charge from Lexus HQ, and I will pay nothing. :) I have discovered that there are other posts on this topic on this board, but I would rather risk repeating the information and perhaps save someone a lot of money! The warranty enhancement covers some fairly high mileage/old cars, so owners may not expect their cars to be covered, especially if you are not the original owner. Your Lexus DEALER may not know about it, so unless you ask and/or insist, you can easily pay for some expensive repairs unnecessarily. The notice from Lexus uses slightly different terminology which can be confusing. The dealer refers to the "charcoal canister", while the notice from lexus calls it the "evaporative canister". (Same thing!) Other parts are also refered to by different names. This may be obvious to some, but for many non-experts, if you are told that the enhanced warranty does not cover the "charcoal canister" what are you going to say? This actually happened to me, and fortunately I told the rep that I believe the charcoal canister is the same thing as the evaporative canister. This is a bit troubling, because if you go to your dealer as I did to have a "check engine light" diagnosed, and you are told that a "doohicky" needs to be replaced, even if you have the foresight to check your enhanced warranty notice, if the "doohicky" is given a different name on your notice from lexus you will not know the item is covered. Although I am sure Lexus genuinely cares about their customers and the environment, keep in mind that the enhanced emissions warranty was an agreement between Lexus, the EPA, and the Justice Department for settlement of the government's lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation for Clean Air Act violations. Here are some helpful documents: This is the notice I received from Lexus advising me of the enhanced warranty. As instructed, I filed the notice in my owners manual in my glovebox.... and promptly forgot about it! http://home.comcast.net/~mnjack/lexemiss.JPG This is the EPA press release that describes the settlement. You get a slightly different perspective from the government's point of view: http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/headline_030703.htm This is also from the EPA - It is a list of car models that are covered by the enhanced emissions warranty: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/ca...ota_aff_veh.pdf

I just went through this today. Unfortunately, I did not find your post until after I went through a bit of hassle with the dealer. Fortunately I did learn about the enhanced warranty because my dealer sure as heck wasn't going to tell me!... so I will bring your old old post up to the top! :)

I will scan the document and maybe even start a new post.... full of "keywords" :) so perhaps other owners can be made aware of this. I am an original owner who still lives at the same address, and I did receive the notice from Lexus and I almost paid for the repair myself! I would guess there are many owners out there who are paying unnecessarily for these repairs. list of eligible vehicles here: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/ca...ota_aff_veh.pdf

I have had the same thing! Is it one of the little side marker bulbs or the actual tail light? Are you unable to remove the bulbs or have you not yet even gotten access to the bulbs by removing the section of plastic cover in the trunk?

story is almost over... but I have to admit I made this harder than it had to be. I just checked in my glove box and I have an undated notice from Lexus that describes exactly what is covered under the "Enhancement to your Federal Emissions Control Warranty" Not sure exactly when I received that notice... but here is what happened. Monday morning I called Lexus customer service and with my vin they confirmed that the charcoal canister replacement was covered under the enhanced warranty. I called the dealer, and they told me my car was ready, but I could not reach the service manager to discuss the warranty issue, so I just went over to the dealer. The service rep presented me with a bill for $900, and I told him that Lexus customer service told me the charcoal canister was covered under warranty. He checked his current warranty book, complained that Lexus changes this stuff several times a month, and told me it was NOT covered. He discussed it briefly with the service manager who confirmed it was not covered. I said, "How come Lexus customer service just told me it WAS covered??" and I proceeded to call Lexus customer service 800 number on my cell phone. Had to wait a while, cust service rep put me on hold for a while longer while he checked again, and came back and confirmed once again that charcoal canister and certain other components were covered (they also replaced vsv valve). So I am at the service desk with my cell phone in speaker mode, and the cust service rep is asking me for the name of the sales manager at the dealer and getting my contact number. At this point the service rep at the dealer tears off the top copy of my paperwork and hands it to me and tells me they will work it out. I got another call from Lexus cust service and due to the timing, ie dealer did work before warranty coverage was approved, I may have to pay for work and apply to Lexus HQ for reimbursement. I asked them to try to work it out with the dealer if possible. So, it looks good. I think the entire process would have been much easier if I had given the dealer the notice up front! But remember, I dropped the car off to diagnose the "check engine light" and they called me to tell me what repairs were needed. I didn't remember actually receiving the notice, but I did have it stored in the glove box with the owner's manual. (which is exactly what they tell you to do! "Simply insert this letter in your vehicle's Owner's Manual Supplement............." ) BUT, another lesson here is that owners of these cars need to know about the warranty enhancement!!!!! You don't normally expect a 7 yr old car with 119k miles to have ANY kind of warranty coverage. But this is 14 years/ 150,000 miles!! And if the owner doesn't know it is covered it looks like the dealer won't know (or tell you) either. I may scan and post the notice. :)

I did a search on relevant topics and couldn't find anything on this... I am the original owner of a 97 es300. 118,000 trouble free miles. Car is currently at the dealer because "check engine" came on. Dealer calls me and tells me charcoal canister needs to be replaced - $699.... I am a bit shocked at the cost, but since they already had the car I told them to go ahead with the repair. Meanwhile I did some internet research (which took me to this website) and I learned that maybe there was an EPA settlement with Toyota that might include replacement of my charcoal canister under an extended warranty. See this EPA press release --------->>> http://www.epa.gov/newsroom/headline_030703.htm I will certainly call lexus customer service Monday morning, but I was wondering if anyone on this website has had a problem with their charcoal canister (or other emissions components) and know if they are covered under the extended 14 years or 150,000 mile warranty. Thanks! :)