RickC5

And if you like what you see in those spy photos, you will be in the minority. My hope is that either the photographers made mistakes, or that North America will get something different that what's in those photos. Fugly.

When the engine if off, radio/aux power can be turned on by simply pushing the start button WITHOUT stepping on the brake pedal. Personally, I like this set-up MUCH better than leaving the power on until the door is opened, but that's just my preference.

After hearing the ticking noise several times on our newly acquired '08 ES (bought in Dec 2011), I read all I could on the topic online. Concensus is that it's the fuel injection system and there appears to be on known fix/cure. However, I have never heard the clicking noise again after adding ONE bottle of cheap fuel injector cleaner (bought @ Big Lots) to a full tank of gas in January and switching to synthetic oil.

You can't expect much better from those retired burger flippers that work at quicky oil change places. Rocket scientists they are not. I change my own oil & filters & have been doing so forever. On the ES, I bought the filter wrench from the local Toyota dealer for $25 as compared to Lexus @ $60. While this oil filter set-up is distinctly odd, it isn't terribly complicated--just time comsuming. I can do an oil & oil filter change for under $40 and that's using Mobil 1 synthetic oil too.

The little drain plug at the bottom of the filter housing is supposed to be tightened at about 1/2 the amount of torque as the housing when re-installed. This should allow the drain plug to come loose before the housing when you are changing the filter. There are several videos on You Tube showing the "proper technique" for changing the oil filter (some are for the Camry-same engine), including one that mentions the torque specs for re-inatallation. Too bad the shop mechanics aren't forced to watch these.

FWIW, we just got home from our first long highway trip in our "new" 2008 ES. Over 1000 miles RT from home to Las Vegas. Burned regular gas the whole way. Wow! Regular in Las Vegas was 50 cents more per gallon than in Utah or here in Colorado. Average gas mileage for the entire trip was 28-29. Highway speed averaged 75+ for most of the trip and there was lots of uphill & downhill. We're quite pleased with the car. MUCH more comfortable and less tiring to drive than our 2010 Honda Accord EX-L V6 we traded for the ES.

Re: Chrome! Three weeks ago we bought a 2008 ES in Moon Sheel Mica and it came with factory chrome wheels. I can't say as I love them. The look is almost over-the-top for me. However, MORE chromes does seem to be the trend, especially among the "Hot Wheels" crowd--you know, those guys who add hugely oversized, chrome wheels to whatever vehicle they drive. Anyway, I digress. I think our ES has just about the right amount of chrome, except for the wheels. I doubt I would add any more, but who knows?

12/28/11 Update: We had the VAIS unit installed by a local stereo store, cost was $100. They located the satellite antenna in the middle of the leading edge of the trunk and put everything back together nicely. I then called XM and activated the radio. It works as advertised and is fully integrated into the head unit & display. If the display is left in "Text" mode, song names and artists are displayed when the song is playing. No problems and well worth the investment as far as we are concerned.

GOOD! At least we will have something to look forward to! Have you tried the new one yet? If so, how's it different?

True, our NAV systems use a DVD for upgrades--but only to the maps and perhaps some minor upgradeable software. A new DVD will NOT upgrade any of the hardware and I seriously doubt that the VR system is an upgradeable piece of software or someone would have figured out a way to change it already. AFAIK, that hasn't been done. If we want an improved/upgraded NAV and/or VR system, we will have to wait until Toyota upgrades the hardware. BTW- Toyota has never been known to do a major system change/upgrade in-between major model changes (a new generation). Simply too expensive. Toyota does major model changes on a 6-year cycle, so the 2013 ES is due for one. Whether we will get a new & improved NAV system for 2013 remains to be seen.

Let's not forget that the current ES was originally designed before 2007--6 or more years ago. That's when the decisions were made at Toyota as to which systems would be included in the vehicle. I'm not at all surprised that your 2011 NAV system works the same as the one in your old 2008 Camry, as they are likely identical. Since the 2012 Camry is a redesigned version (a new generation?), I wonder if Toyota bothered to upgrade the NAV system with some new technology? Anyone seen the NAV in the new Camry, as that's likely to be the system that is in the next gen ES. Also, with the world's economy still in the tank, car manufacturers will do virtually anything to save money (improve profit), and keeping some technology bits around longer than they should is surely saving them money. Both Honda & Toyota have made a science of "de-contenting" their vehicles, which can help explain why some systems/parts are kept in production waaaaay longer than we owners think they should be.

IMHO, those "recommendations" are pure hogwash! If you feel the need to clean your injectors, Big Lots have bottles of STP Injector Cleaner for $1.50. Agree that the PS flush makes no sense at all. If you don't wish to change dealers, at least let those guys know that they can keep their recommendations to themselves--you don't want to hear them.

I haven't even bothered trying to set up the VR in our ES. We had the Honda version of VR in our Accord, and it worked as well as the other posters here have stated--pretty much not at all. Some things are worth doing--others not so much. This is one of the "others".

Only a phone call to the nearest Lexus dealer will get you the answers you seek. However, given that 1) the engine falls under the extended drivetrain warranty, and 2) there's a TSB on this type of failure, you may be in luck! Let us know how this adventure turns out.

Those steering wheel covers must be laced on, using a thick lacing thread/cord and a special lacing needle. It's not that difficult, but it takes a bit of time and you must be very careful how much you tighten the thread/cord as it's real easy to overtighten and cause some puckering at the seam. With a bit of care, they look good and don't slip. I've done several. I forgot to mention that you need to be aware that most of the after-market, lace-on wheel covers are NOT padded. They are just a thin leather cover. I've never seen a padded one, but I'm sure they must be available somewhere. What this means is that your steering wheel will still be hard to the touch as leather doesn't have much give to it. You may be better off with the factory all-leather wheel cduluk recommended, but I hope you have deep pockets. Good luck!

Has anyone out there installed (or had installed) one of the VAIS XM/Sirius radio receivers in their ES? If so, how difficult was the installation, and if you had it done, how much did that cost? VAIS systems are available on eBay for about $250, + or -. Anyone found them cheaper? It seems Lexus discontinued the OEM/factory XM radios & installation kits more than a year ago and all the old stock is gone, so that's not an option for those of us who want to have XM in an '07-'09 ES. Has anyone tried any other type of XM receiver? I know Best Buy has one of those little add-on receivers, but I would like one that is fully integrated with my existing head unit, using the OEM radio displays. Any/all opinions/observations/experiences welcome!

FWIW, I will likely use Mobil 1 0-20w oil in our newly acquired 2008 ES when the oil needs changing. The previous owner had the Lexus dealer use synthetic oil, which I personally believe is goodness for our engines. I just can't see how switching from 5-20w to 0-20w can be harmful.