ArmyofOne

SW, look here: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151561

Too much fuel, not enough air.

Air suspension replacement struts can run as high as $900 USD a piece. I would leave them alone. WHen it does fail, i would invest in regular suspension, the difference is not much. except a $3,000 USD repair bill difference.

not bad. go for it.

I dont see anywhere a radiator core support would have to be repaired... TAPE OFF THAT LIGHT WITH SOME KIND OF ANYTHING you dont want to blow than xenon bulb...expensive. cover it. the first time water hits it while it on it could mean bulb death!

probably old valve stem seals. means a head rebuild usually. I would wait to do it until you have to. he may have just ben blowing smoke up your !Removed! too. it coudl also be something as simple as spark plug seals, fouled plugs, thinsg fo this nature. but not likely since you just got then replaced. ← May be running rich. the car is burning oil if he saw smoke...thats IF he saw smoke.

The brown stains are probably just oil varnish. thats normal. most engines that dont have synthetic oil (DONT START) have this, there isnt much that can be done about it. if you are really THAT concerned about your engine, then do a search. :D i dont know enough about the sludging as it wasnt an issue on my model. Wish i could be of more help.

probably old valve stem seals. means a head rebuild usually. I would wait to do it until you have to. he may have just ben blowing smoke up your !Removed! too. it coudl also be something as simple as spark plug seals, fouled plugs, thinsg fo this nature. but not likely since you just got then replaced.

could be a power steering belt slipping. check them.

NO!!!! no alloy polish! LOL. remove your Center caps. They are plastic. Use eagle one wheel cleaner (or similar) follow up with a toothbrush and more wheel cleaner, then rinse, let dry, wax with a cleaner wax, then apply Zoop seal or similar sealant. (google Zoop seal to find kits for sale) my wheels look that ggood after every wash, and i only wax them once a year. DO NOT USE th wheel cleaner on the center caps. here are better pics of a clean wheel (mine): before you ask they are wrapped in Dunlop SP2 Sports now, on wih the thread,,,no more hijacking LOL.

well, remember, even with LED's it isnt plug in play (you always do your research, so im sure you already know this), Cold cathode just takes it a step further and makes it irreversible (well not totally, but its not easy). you wont regret going cold cathode if thast what you decide. it is brighter light, and its cool, so you dont have to worry about it melting anything. also they are super long life. they are at if not over the LED's lifespan. trust me. if you take apart your instrument cluster and do LED's, you wont want to do it again any time soon. 1 cold cathode bulb in your cluster will suffice. the lighting is even, not spotty like standard bulbs. and it wont melt your overlays (the sheet the speedo numbers are printed on) because it doesnt get hot. if you try to get brighter light out of a standard bulb this can happen. not sure abotu LED's but i would imagine these would get warm too. 2 cold cathode bulbs behidn your cluster would be more than sufficient. the cold cathode bulbs in my contour were in there for 4 years, and never did i have to replace one. One of the guys that did the install said they woudl last well over 1,000,000 hours. not sure fi this is true or not, but it seemed to be. oh, my liscense plate lamps were cold cathode too. ;) ← really? i had no idea. learn something new every day. in the contours (again my domestic experience ringing in here) they required mods to fit. but these arent contours LOL. anywasy, as for the gauges being cold cathode, i dont know....incandescent bulbs will still get hot...cold cathode gives off "cool light" its soft, yet bright at the same time. hard to explain. and as i said before, you can leave the bulb on for 5 hours and then touch it. it will feel room temp. But this is your desicison SW, and personally i think if LED's can achieve the same effect, be cheaper and easier, i say go for it!

yeah i am waiting for those, i still need to get a utting pad before i can use them though.

I have found with dealers, that if they arent trying to rip you off on the price, then you probably have had the truth given to you...how mcuh are they charging labor for thsi repair?

you mean strut rods? (curious as i have never heard this term used before)

i wish you were near me. i hate diagnosing vehichles over the net LOL. the funny thing is, i could probably take one ride in it (or drive) and tell you exactly what it is. trust me. If you want to do the struts, do them yourself. they arent difficult at all. a mankey with one arm tied behind him and only a set of socket wrenches could do it in 8 hrs. ok maybe not...but you dont need many tools to do the job. Maybe a strut compressor if you cant get thecar high enough off the ground, but you can get that at autozone (put depiosit, take home, use bring back get $$$ back).

well, remember, even with LED's it isnt plug in play (you always do your research, so im sure you already know this), Cold cathode just takes it a step further and makes it irreversible (well not totally, but its not easy). you wont regret going cold cathode if thast what you decide. it is brighter light, and its cool, so you dont have to worry about it melting anything. also they are super long life. they are at if not over the LED's lifespan. trust me. if you take apart your instrument cluster and do LED's, you wont want to do it again any time soon. 1 cold cathode bulb in your cluster will suffice. the lighting is even, not spotty like standard bulbs. and it wont melt your overlays (the sheet the speedo numbers are printed on) because it doesnt get hot. if you try to get brighter light out of a standard bulb this can happen. not sure abotu LED's but i would imagine these would get warm too. 2 cold cathode bulbs behidn your cluster would be more than sufficient. the cold cathode bulbs in my contour were in there for 4 years, and never did i have to replace one. One of the guys that did the install said they woudl last well over 1,000,000 hours. not sure fi this is true or not, but it seemed to be. oh, my liscense plate lamps were cold cathode too. ;)

well it was actually very good. all the lights had the same light output. so when the door was open, and the cortesy and dome lamps came on, it was extremely bright inside. like having a florescent light in the car. i was planning to redo the gauges with cold cathode white light, but then i wrecked. The thing about this, all the connections have to be changed. this is custom work. a cold cathode bulb will not fit in a standard socket. your dome light will have to have wires cut etc. basically, once it starts, there is no going back ;) but you wont regret it. I got the hook up with mine. and it was easy, cause it was a cheap car, everything kind of came apart without tools. the wires have to be soldered. very similar to an LED instlal, except the bulbs are bigger. but you can touch the bulb and while its on, its room temp. no melting of the circutry or anything. i would guess the light output was similar to that of a standard florescent tube light in your kitchen light.

heh, i didnt actually do them...i had them done at a car audio shop. so to behonest, i really dont know what was involved. but it couldnt have been much, they only charged me $20 per light plus bulb cost. so $100 bucks for all 4 courtesy lights, my map lights and trunk lights. Sorry i said that LOL. my fault.

FOrgive my ignorance LOL. i was completely wrong. See in the world of the GEN I ES (mine) and most other cars, the rack has to be removed to do this repair as there is just NO ROOM to do it any other way. My fault guys. :D

true, and a lexus's tranny wont fall out on the test drive (long story!) LOL. I wish i coudl get 26 MPG. i get about 13.5 city. Sponginess is no good either. I would go ahead and replace them. Struts are not very labor intensive, but you may need an alignment afterwards. if you dont want to do it yourself, a garage with a lift and basic toosl can do it in 3-4 hrs.

man SW, you suck! :P What swilrs are you talkig about, its flawless! mine looks pretty good too: not bad for 15 years old eh? its actually better in person, my cam sucks too LOL. your car is perfect. but it could use a tint. and a drop (it not your car, its all the ES300s/330's since the last major redesign in 02 i think, they ALL look like they ride WAYYY to high.) i like subtle luxury, as long as you dont bling it ou, you will have the most beautiful ES this side of the LOC.

it might not be normal, btuif it isnt affecting drivability it is harmless. sounds liek it may be a header/flex pipe/cat heatshiled. take it to a MUFFLER shop and ask them to look at it.

upon looking at the components fo the rack i have found that if you remvoe the tie rod end, the new boot may slide right over...not a bad job...

straightforward, pop the old one out and the new one in! glad people red my sig. you will be glad you change dit, better idle, slightly better fuel economy and a leak free engine will be your rewards. do you know what a PCV valve does? if not, i will be delighted to educate :) PCV=Positive Crankcase Ventilation An internal combustion engine ceates excess pressure when running, that can buld up, causing massive leaks by blowing seals, and if you let it go long enough, it can even do thinsg like blow your valve seals in your head, or a head gasket. THe PCV valve prevents this by taking that excess air/oil/gasoline mix and putting it into the intake to be burned. Without this ventilation, oil pressure will build up, causing things like cam seals and valve cover gaskets to leak, because the pressure has pushed itself out of the seals. Usually the cam seals go first, then the valve cover gaskets. Next to go are the main seals (front and rear main seal) the oil pump seal and then finally the heads, in the worst case scenario. My engine had the original PCV valve at 138,000 miles. It broke off of the valve cover when it was tapped lightly with a small screwdriver. my engine leaks from every seal it has except the heads. my vvalves are ok, but had i not gotten to it when i did, it would have been a blue smokey startup every morning.

An alignment may not solve your problem either. Does the direction the wheel is off centered depend on the last direction turned? What i mean is, when you turn right, is it off center to the right until you turn left? This is Hystorosis, and it is a tell tale sign of a bad rack and pinion. But get a proper alignment done first so you know for sure. This will be cheaper than a R&P repair/replacement. and SK: an alignment involves alot more than just setting the wheel to be straight when the front wheels are, there is also camber angle, toe in and out, caster angle. but you are correct in how they make sure the wheel ends up straight. they are supposed to lock the wheel in place with a special tool. i was simply stating there is more to an alignment that what is in your post. for good reference. :)