blake918

My ES looked like hell when I first got it. The driver's seat had holes in it as well as the steering wheel. Very nasty looking! The paint was ok, but I(with Steve's help) made it near perfect. However, $1500 down the road I'd say that my ES is just about as mint as 10y/o can get B) . I can't seem to make the pic any larger, but you can still make out the very large hole accompanied by many smaller ones!(look at my car...see link in signature, and you'll see the 'new' seats!) Yep, you have to take care of these cars just like any other car from a Kia to all the way up to a Ferrari ;) . CHANGE YOUR OIL every 4k-5k miles, or our friend, engine gel, will get the last laugh .

I just got a new '95 LS400. The carpets are an absolute nightmare. It looks like the previous owner spilled a few Cokes on the carpets a few times. The problem is it looks like this happened several years ago, and now the carpet has turned brown and hard. I've tried several different cleaners with very little results. You guys have any secrets for 5-9 year old Coke stains?? Please help......

Why doesn't the online owners manual every work? Is it just me? I have 2 Lexus cars, and the online owners manual doesn't work for either cars. What gives?

No modifications whatsoever. I found a used one on ebay for $20, took the old one out, and put the new used Camry antenna in. Very easy swap ;)

Ahh, another 17 y/o whose b-day is in August...kinda weird! I'd rather walk than drive one of those stupid ricer cars(to each his own I guess; they'd probably tell me how boring my 100% stock configuration is!). I agree these cars are very sleeper-like. I love catching some iddiot at a stop light reving his engine; then, I quietly leave him behind without a sweat. You'd never suspect such a stately car to be so quick(for its size of course!) B).

Nope! And I'm glad because then I'd probably want one ;) .

It will fit....I have one in my '94 as we speak ;) .

To double check his claims that the car wasn't in a wreck, look on every body panel for a sticker with the car's vin. Carfax is not a 100% deal because I believe it has reports of what is fixed under insurance. Ex. my cousin backed into my mom's car; we had it repaired privately and w/o the insurance companies, so there is a really good chance that CarFax has no idea of the little accident. Believe it or not these cars have very quick engines for the bit of performance that you are looking for B) . Good luck!!

It's even 45 degrees down here in the "Big Easy." BTW, Get Smart is some of the greatest tv ever!!! B) Roy, I'll be sure to document and photograph everything I do. I just won brand new repair manuals for $160...ouch!! I need them badly though.

Steve I just ran outside and felt the hood...lol. I can feel the residue or whatever it is. The Clay Magic bar didn't even phase the white specks. I think I'll bring it to a professional and let him buff it if I can't get it some kind of way. Thanks Pluto! I don't mind fixing a few things up to move into a much nicer, bigger car. Have anymore info on that colored wax you were talking about?? I think I'm just going to let my upholstry guy take care of the seat and console cover since he did such an awesome job on the ES! Thanks, Denny....it's a very sweet car! I hate to bash the ES because it's a great car too, but this one is much, much better-I guess that's why the msrp is 2x!! I'd like to turn off the steering wheel like you, but I think they did away with that little button you are talking about, right? I don't see it! I'm still waiting for the owner's manual to come in from Lexus. I don't think the gears are broken; I think it's a dirty switch or something like this because I have to wiggle the switch to make the wheel move, and when I take the key out, the wheel goes to random positions . When my repair manuals come in, we'll crack it(steering housing) open and take a look. Annoying probs...I finally figured out where I have a burnt bulb!!! One of the bulbs in the 3rd brake light is out, so I'll have to replace it. I can't wait to get rid of that dam burnt bulb light; it's been staring me in the face for a week, and I can't take it any more...lol Does anyone know what that corner lense is for on the front of my '95? I played with all of the different lights, and I couldn't make them light up. Any thoughts???

Lexol and leatherique are also good options. The leatherique is for severly dried leather. Lexol is around $5 @ Pepboys and Leatherique is around $70 only at leatherique.com

1994 ES, Premium Shell gasoline only, I get in the 18.5-19 mpg range 90% city driving. I typically fill up when I hit 240-250 miles just to be safe .

17 y/o, 1994 ES3, perfect driving record, good student discount, drivers ed discount, $2100 a year with Prudential. That's coverage for everything but collision.

Here are some pics....what do yall think?? What does the little lense next to the foglight/headlight housing do??

I hope that will work. I'll take some close ups tomorrow(put the sony camera to test!). The car has a few little scuffs of all corners. I felt them, and they all feel like the damage hasn't gone into the paint. Steve what did you use when that jerk hit your car?? thanks

Thanks everyone!!! I'll let yall know when I'm happily crusing with more than 550k on the clock; war has been declared b/n me and the guy from Utah !

I didn't buy the Porter Cable, but that's an excellent idea! I'll get some pics tomorrow morning...it's dark and rainy here!

Never a doubt B) ! The LS is a far superior car in my opinion. The seats are better, the powertrain is much better than an already excellent setup in the ES, and the interior room...their is no comparison! I also like the much heavier feel of the LS because I found the ES to be very light. You're right Steve! The LS still drives like brand new! However, I do get a soft clunking noise when I go over a bump. I suspect some kind of bushing or mount in the suspension. Not to big on my priority list because the clunk is really soft. Lexus needs to work on this; the ES does the exact same thing. The timing belt is very high on my list of priorities at this point in time. I was kind of disappointed to find that the paint on the hood(probably 1k's of rock chips...it looks like white bugs are smeared on the hood and roof, but it doesn't come off even with clay), roof, and trunk(there is actually a very little spot where the paint cracked, and there is a itty bitty speck of rust. ) is in very poor condition. I find it so bad that I'll probably have it repainted at some point. The funny part is the sides of the car sparkle perfectly!

I did use the eraser after using a very, very strong solution of Woolite and Water, and the eraser was a dark grey color after I was done cleaning my tan leather! I don't think the temperature affectes them. All you do is dip the eraser in water and ring it out just like you would with a sponge, and clean everything in sight.

I paid $6,500 for the LS. I actually had to pay more because a lot of people wanted the car which shocked me. This car is just what I wanted-a roomier car, and at a price that a teen could afford! I think it was a pretty decent buy; this is a rare find, so who knows if it is actually a deal?!?! I looked at autotrader and ebay , and '95's with b/n 110k-150k are at the $10k range. Mechanically the car is great, but it needs another timing belt very soon! The driver's seat is the only real eyesore on the car and the carpet needs cleaning badly. If a '91 can have 550k, this '95 should be able to exceed that drastically...no one believes me when I say it has 225k! They say more like 22k :whistles: .

These erasers are awesome :D . I just used them in my new LS with many, many miles, and the erasers were great! I highly recommend. Thanks for the suggestion bandit!

Thanks Steve :D ! You're right it's a '95; I can't believe I left this part out! I'm pretty sure the steering wheel is acting weird! The steering wheel has a mind of its own! I like the wheel telescoped all the way out and tilted mid range; I'm the only one that drives the car, so the wheel never changes position other than when the key comes out/in. When I take the key out, the telescope does something different everytime...the tilt is pretty consistant though. I'd bet that something is dirty or corroded in the housing. I'll fix this after I get my factory repair manuals. Steve, you remember those Mr Clean erasers someone was talking about in the detail forum? I tried them today on the seats and trim pieces, and they did an amazing job with the grime!

Well...I finally found a LS for myself :) ! It's Black Onyx with tan interior. It's got a lot of the options like memory seats, cd changer, moonroof, etc. The car has 225k miles on the clock, and she just purrrs like a kitten. This car drives much, much better than my ES. I love the smooth, semi-floaty ride and racey V8! But, most of all I love the ammount of room up front which is why I decided to get rid of the ES in the first place. Everything is great about the car except for the messy interior and the drivers seat needs some leather work. The stereo is excellent for a stock setup, and the interior is sooo quiet even with part of the weatherstripping missing on the drivers door! The car has a few little quirks(most annoying is the power steering wheel adjustment that goes to a different position everytime I insert/remove the key) here and there, but it'll be fun fixing her back into showroom shape. It's time for "another" timing belt soon too!...that should be an interesting project! Thanks for all of the advice you guys have given me over the course of my search for a LS :) . Here are a few pics. I snaped early one morning(...and an afternoon shot with the ES!):

Anyone ever had the problem that the the burnt light is on, but their are no lights actually burnt. Any ideas as to what might be causing this??

It's so baffling becasue the problem is a slippery one! One minute it's fine, and the next minute the car is ready to die. It takes just the right combination of accessorys to make the car die. The alternator is new, so hopefully it's a wire like you said. Good point about keeping the post together; it completely slipped my mind! I'll see what Lexus says!