92ES300Girl

I just wanted to make sure that I jotted my notes down correctly (im off of work tomorrow and plan to get started on a day-long adventure... Waxing and detailing my car! :D ) 1). Correct me if im wrong, but your are supposed to Clay the car (if needed) BEFORE you apply any cleaners, polishes or waxes right? And if so, the body panel that you're claying should be soapy while you clay it, or lubed with the lubricant that comes with the clay (ive read both ways in other posts)??? After the part of the clay bar that your using gets full of dirt, should you cut that piece off with a knife since ive read a few posts saying it sticks to the bar and could scratch the paint??? Or do you just continually flip the bar over to the clean side??? 2). The proper order to correctly detail your car should be (judging by other posts, but just making sure), Clay (if needed), Paint Cleaner, Paint Polish, Paint Sealant & wax??? 3). I was told by SW03ES that it is extremely difficult to remove swirls by hand... But would doing a COMPLETE exterior detail (with alot of elbow grease) have ANY effect on minimizing the appearance of swirls what-so-ever??? I really want my paint (which is black) to look deep and have that "wet look", but I also want to hide as many of the many swirls that I have :D . Sorry about all the questions guys, I just want to be completely sure before I get started. Ive never had a car that I actually made me want to get on the ground and have an all-day affair detailing it :P .

I just want to do a comparison of other owners who have 94-96 (or 92-96 for the exception of the different engine designs that ive recently found out about in 92 and 93) just to see if anybody else that has a 1st Gen. ES300 has any of the same quirks as mine (a 96 ES300) does. 1). Firm leather front seats. I think the Coach Editions might have cushier leather/seats, but are all 1st Gen. ES300 seats a little on the firm side (especially on the seat bottoms)??? 2). Weak Seat Heaters. Ive read a few posts on this topic... Mine doesnt seem to warm the seat bottoms, but do fine "while driving" on the seat backs, but are fairly weak while the car is idling with the seat warmers activated. I assume this is normal for 1st Gen. ES300's(except my apparantly non-working heated seat bottoms :D )??? 2). Wander-ish steering. I know 1st Gen. ES300's steering is pretty light... But does anybody elses kind of drift to one side when your driving on a sloped road (if the road is tilted slightly to the left per-say, and your in the far left lane and you let go of the steering wheel, the car drifts slightly to the left)??? Mine does, not sure if its the lightness of the steering or just that I may need a Balance & Alignment :P 3). Dirty Headlight Lenses. Is this from the car being neglected or is this a normal issue because of age??? Ive written a post about this and have seen many 1st Gen. ES300's with this problem. But taking them off and putting them in the oven to get them open and cleaning them sure does beat paying $500+ per new headlight housing at the dealer either way :) . 4). Is the engine supposed to be SUPER silky while in Park at idle to the point where you cant feel it running??? Mine is pretty smooth (although a little more course on cold mornings until it gets warm), but even when its warm and is started up, I can feel it running just slightly through the seats (not so much that it feels like I need Motor Mounts or anything, just a very slight feel of the engine running through the seats). Ive read alot of posts and reviews saying how smooth these engines are, and they are indeed, but are they supposed to be THAT smooth??? 4). A slight thud when placed in Reverse. Anybody elses do this? Mine does it even when warm... Not so much that it feels like there is a problem, but it doesnt do this when Drive is engaged. 5). "Float like a Boat". Mine rides very well, but not mid-80's "Cadillac-ish" like some posts seem to portray. I (and my passengers) do "acknowledge" the bumps in the road... Its not jarring or anything like the struts/shocks are worn out, but you do know when you hit a patch of road impurities. Are these 1st Gens supposed to float like Lincolns on the road like some posts lead to believe??? 6). Dash Lighting. If you dim the lighting, will this preserve the dash bulbs so that they last longer??? Mine still works well for the most part (I have a very small section on the Tachometer that is a little dimmer than the rest), but I turn the lighting down hoping that this will prevent the dash lighting from burning out like I hear many 1st Gen. Owners complaining about. 7). Does that button above the Gear Shifter REALLY make the car go faster??? :D I know some of these questions are a little tedious... But since it is a fairly old car (although very pleasing to the eye), I just wanted to see if these issues that ive notcied are normal. Thanks guys.

Hey everybody (again, lol). I know ive been posting topics like crazy, and I hope im not posting one that someone else has already been over (even though ive read through plenty of topics and havent seen any that relate directly to what I want to ask), but my question is, WHERE can you find some of the waxes that are mentioned in the detail portion of this Forum???? A member who seems very knowledgeable about detailing (and Lexus cars in general), SW03ES, typed this in a different topic... -Some sort of paint cleaner like Meguiars #9, #82 Swirl Free Polish, 1Z Paint Polishes (which work very well by hand) -Some sort of polish like Meguiars #7, P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser, #81 Hand Polish from Meguiars. -Some sort of wax. We're following a carnuaba/hybrid system here as thats whats best to use if you're only working by hand. So something like Meguiars #26 Tech Wax paste, P21S, or Meguiars NXT, Poorboys EX or EX-P, Blackfire woul\d work well. Im having a hard time understanding what the #'s stand for (as in, if I walk into an AutoZone and ask if they have some Meguires #9, would they know what im talking about)??? And also, could I find some of those waxes/polishes in Automotive stores (AutoZone, Pep Boys, Murrays, etc)??? I dont have an electronic buffer... So im really looking for something effective that can be used by hand that will make BLACK Lexus paint glossy and also take away swirls (which I have, and are pretty bad :cries: ), and since these products seem highly recommended, I would like to know how to obtain them (or if they MUST be ordered, could anybody tell me some of the BEST waxes/polishes to use if detailing your car by hand that can be purchased in a store) . If SW03ES or anybody knows how I can get a hold of any of these products & which would be the best to use in the the 3 step exterior detailing process (which im assuming is Paint Cleaner, Polish and wax), please let me know. I'd rather attempt to do it myself than have a Detail Shop that im unfamiliar with do it... Plus it would be nice to show my husband up while he's detailing his car in the driveway every weekend :P . THANKS! :D

Hey everybody. I just wanted to know if anybody knows some good deatailing treatments that can hide or take away tiny rock-chips on the front of my 96 ES300 (prefferably a hand-buffing/waxing method... Ive heard about wet-sanding or something like that in one of the other posts about removing rock-chips, which I would be horrified to do, on top of me not wanting to ruin my $40 manicure B) )???? I read a few posts telling how to properly detail your car to get back paint luster and eliminate paint swirls (which my car has, and its pretty noticable since it's black :cries: ), but I do want to try and hide the paint chips on the hood and grille mainly (and to try and blend in some of the touch-up paint that the previous owner applied if possible). Help!

Hey everybody. I just purchased my 96 ES300. I just wanted to know if anybody could tell me if its possible to open the headlight housing and clean the inside part of them????? Mine are a little gritty on the inside, and I was hoping that you dont have to buy NEW headlights just for them to be clear again. Also, does ANYBODY know how much some PIAA Ultra White headlight bulbs might cost??? I was looking for some that looked as close to stock as I could find for around $50 or less. :D

I just found out today that it only has ONE key :cries: and the key does not have the keyless entry (the dealer wants $260 for a remote keyless entry). Does anybody know if the 1996 ES300's (or older) have the keyless entry system BUILT INTO the key, or a seperat keyfob????? And no, I didnt get any service records with the car (just a free CarFax report), but im going to the Toyota Dealer to get the Oil Changed, Transmission Serviced & Timing Belt replaced right after I get it to be safe. Altogether with my down-payment, the car comes up to $7,931.28 after 6% MI sales tax, plate transfer and title fee. 48 month payment term & $213 per month... Does that sound like a good deal to you guys????

I may have it over-looked by my mechanic since its local. The car is on AutoTrader.com. Just type the year, make, model & "ANY DISTANCE" to search & $8,000 for the price. It's being sold by Factory Executive Motor Cars Ltd. I havent learned how to up-load pictures on here yet :( Let me know what you think...

Hey everybody. I made a post about 2 weeks ago about seriously considering a 92 ES300 with a smoking problem under the hood. I took everybody's advice and steered clear instead of going through the madness of getting the engine checked out and having a potential MAJOR problem. I came accross a 1996 Lexus ES300 the other day at a Non-Lexus dealer... Excellent condition in/out, very few chips/scratches, less than normal for the year IMO w/no signs of a re-paint. Leather interior is pristine and everything is fully funtional and the car drives like its new... Very tight. Black w/tan leather, fully loaded except phone and Gold Pkg (has factory chrome 15" wheels, heated seats & factory 6 disk CD changer also) with 83,000 miles & a clean CarFax, although I would be the 3rd owner in 8 years. I plan on financing the car, and just wanted to know if $8,000 was "high" for a 1996 ES300 with those particular miles??? (i'll be putting $500 down, so it should be in the high $7,000's after taxes and everything). I looked it up on Kelly Blue Book and it stated about $9,600 in "Excellent" condition for Private Seller value in my area. But as far as resale value... Do you guys think it will depreciate ALOT after a certain amount of time (a year or when it gets to 100,000 miles)??? I really hate to finance, but I guess my little $3,000 wasnt enough to buy a Lexus :cries: Ive seen some 96's as low as $5,500 (although the miles were pretty well above 100,000, not sure of the condition). Please Help!

What kind of "Gasket?" And INEXPENSIVE Gasket or an EXPENSIVE Gasket? :D

Yes DCfish. I checked under the cap to see if it had any "gunk" from Oil Sludge that ive been hearing about and didnt see any. The car is like 80 miles away from me though so I cant get it to my mechanic (who gives me deals on repairs) without buying it first, so I kind of have to make a decision on whether the car is potentially good or bad. The exhaust seems fine, the car isnt loud or anything if thats what you guys were talking about with the "Exhaust Manifold". Do you guuys think its a "high probability" that the engine could be bad or need ALOT of work to fix? The smoke IS pretty heavy under the hood once the car warms up by the way, it doesnt seem to over-heat though (judging by the Temp. Needle).

I didnt notice any oil underneath the car. But it might have not been in the same spot that it usually sits in when I saw the car (it was sitting at the edge of the drieway). I dont think he has any Maint. Records. I asked him about it and he said "no", and then he said "maybe in the glove box or something", but I didnt check. I dont know if its been maintained at all or not. It was smoker-owned, has a few fairly small scrub marks on the front bumper and pass. side rear door, non-factory alloys (ugly too, but I can manage), and the driver pwr window doesnt work. The engine smoke got fairly heavy after it ran for about 20 minutes and the engine compartment is a little dirty. Ive read a few bad things about 92-93 ES300's, im hoping that this might not be a MAJOR problem, because all I have is $3,000, and I can barely get a 92-93 Camry w/leather & a sunroof for that (and the ES250's are ugly).

Hey everybody. Im new to this site. Ive been browsing through it for the last couple of days and it seems real informative. I wanted to ask you guys if you know what might be causing ALOT of smoke from under the hood??? Im considering purchasing a black 1992 ES300 (for $1,400) w/192,000 miles, but the catch is that it is SMOKING from under the hood (supposedly from oil leaking onto something hot and burning). Im kind of scared that it might be a MAJOR and EXPENSIVE repair, but im hoping that it might be fixable without having caused major damage because I want a Lexus Sooooo bad. Ive read about Valve Cover Gaskets, Head Gaskets and O-Rings being causes of oil leaks, but if anybody can give me an educated guess (or just to tell me that its probably a heap and not to buy it) then I would really appreciate it! The engine seems to run good and I didnt see any smoke coming from the tail-pipe. Thanks!