SpeedRacer959

Bob, I'm interested in your GX and e-mailed you, but never got a response. I'm looking to buy within the next week or two. e-mail me @ jrm@escservices.com or reply to this post if you are seeing this. Thanks.

Instead of taking out the perpendicular cross bars (if that's the source of the noise), you could try putting them close together at the rear and that should reduce the possibility of harmonic resonance. That way you don't have to worry about loosing them, getting damaged, or not having them installed when you need them. I would be curious to hear the success stories people have about reducing/eliminating the sound as I'm sure it would drive me nuts if/when it happens to me.

Well I went and test drove a 2006 w/ KDSS and a 2007 w/out KDSS and I must say I wish I had never compared the two. Now I feel like I will be unhappy unless I find a model w/ KDSS. From my direct comparison experience, the KDSS makes the SUV seem smaller, lighter, and more agile. I noticed it most when I was accelerating and turning a the same time...For instance when you just pull out from an intersection and and floor it. The '07 w/out KDSS seemed to roll to one side and made me feel like I was coming out of my seat, but the '06 w/ KDSS seemed to have a tendency to kick the rear end out and maintain a level body under cornering acceleration....similar to how a rear wheel drive sedan would react to the same circumstance. Coming from an ES300, I really notice the extra weight and roll of the vehicle. The KDSS makes it feel like a much more manageable SUV. I just wish Lexus made it easy and put some sort of badging on the vehicle...typical Lexus though....so understated. Both vehicles are sweet SUVs thought and I may end up w/ one w/out KDSS. I'm sure I'll be happy with either one; after I get used to it. I'll let you know when I'm seated in the new GX. (hopefully Bob's...it sounds sweet)

Hello, I'm in the market to buy a 2004 GX w/ KDSS and I'm curious how you can tell if it has it just by looking. I know that on the 2006 models they have sport colored panels and molding inside, however that isn't the case on the 2004 model. From what I know so far, the sport package on the 2006 model comes with the KDSS and includes the smoked out wheels, front fog lights, and roof rack. Is this true for the 2004 as well? I have a picture of the one I'm looking to buy (see attached pic)....maybe one of you LOC GX experts can decypher it to tell me if it has it or not. Thanks for any help you can give me! Also, if you have a 2004+ GX w/ KDSS I would love to hear your thoughts about it.

Update....bought 2 new switches from a salvage yard off of a 1998 lexus for $80 shipped from www.car-parts.com Solved problem completely. Highly recommend going used when you can. The switches cost about $300 from lexus. Saves me money to give to red cross. -J

Thanks for the reply. I'll try it and let ya know what solves the issue. Regards, Jimi

I did a search, (just in case some of you are wondering) and didn't come up w/ any answers to THIS probelm. I have a 1997 ES300 w/ ~140k miles. She's been very reliable so far, but just recently the power door locks quit working intermittenly. At first I thought it was the remote, so I replaced the battery. Same issues still happened. I remember SK saying somethign about the terminals getting all cludged up w/ debri over time from arcing, so I decided to take the drivers side switch out to inspect it. I found that it was fairly dirty, so I cleaned it w/ WD-40, and di-electric grease where appropriate. I reassembled hastily because I had to get to class. After working on the switch on the drivers door, it now decides to unlock itself randomly. I have since not driven the car for fear it will just leave itself unlocked when it's on the street when I'm in class. My question is this: For anyone who is familiar with the electronics of this car, would the symptoms that I'm having now be solved if I order a new switch from lexus for the drivers door? Or does the problem stem deeper than this? The switch was $200 last time I checked so I don't want to start the expensive guessing game w/out first checking the LOC experts! Any advice may help. Thanks in advance. Cheers!

If the problem started after you had some specific work done, then I think you may have found your problem.

Well you could pull your dash apart and remove the bulb until you get it fixed. That would not be my recommnedation though. The car is trying to tell you something.

My manual also says 91 octane. I drove it w/ 87 octane for awhile, and it doesn't idle/run as good. I put 93 octane in and it runs much better, has greater fuel economy by 1-2mpg on a long trip, and has a noticabl amount of more power. I think it is car dependent. The 1997+ es300's have differently designed engines than pre97. They could be designed to take advantage of the higher octane.

Replacing your rotors/pads is extremely simple. I would highly recommend doing it yourself. Pick yourself up a hanes manual for $13.95 or go to your library and borrow one. The whole job will take you about 2 hours and cost you about $200 if you do it right. Check ebay, they have lots of cheap parts there for your car. Here's a start: Front rotors: $50 shipped http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=33564 Rear rotors: $50 shipped http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...&category=33564 Then you can buy stock brake pads from www.iroantoad.com or whereever for ~$100. Beyond that, just make sure you read the manual first and you have everything all set such as two cans of brake cleaner etc. They are no special tools required, just a socket/wrench and a floor jack. I just replaced the rotors/pads on my wifes Sienna XLE which is strickingly similar to the ES300. It only took me about 2 hours front and rear. Even if you decide to not do it yourself, you can buy all the parts and take it somewhere to have them put on. Good luck.

Hammer, Just posted the pics/instructions of the strut removal. Hope it helps. Jimi

I hate to rain on a parade, but Brembo does not drill & slot rotors. One or the other. You can buy drilled/slotte Brembo rotors on ebay for around $140, but what they did was buy solid Brembo rotors, slotted them, drilled them w/ a CNC or something, and sprayed them with gold paint (zinc coating) I did a lot of research on that before and realized that it would probably be better to just stick with something that came from the factory. Brembo does not warranty them when they are modified like that, and depending on who did them, they could be very dangerous. Be careful...

Someone e-mailed me about the strut documention. Here it is: http://michalscheck.com/lexus/struts/struts.html Good luck. -Jimi

Just an update: I took SK's advice and cleaned the IACV with throttle body cleaner. I didn't even have to remove it to clean it. I just took off the air filter hose, and was careful with a new cloth rag. I bought some cleaner that's made to spray inside as well. After cleaning, the car runs absolutely perfect. Cleaning the IACV took about 20 min for an immaculate job and $3 in cleaner. It's so worth it, I would do it on any higher mileage car that showed the simptoms of hesitating when starting, or even slow, irregular, or rough idle. GREATE ADVICE SK! Thanks for the tip. -Jimi

Oh yah, I think all that is normal. The falling apart sound just lets you know that everything is is working a-okay. Serioulsy though, I would check your struts or have your dealer do it. I remember a member awhile back had his front left strut replaced on his new ES early in it's ownership. It was creaking and making a popping noise when going over bumps. Let us know what you find out when you fix it.

Hmmm, now I'm back to guessing again. I just called Lexus to order a fuel filter for my car because apparently, the are not the same as a V6 Toyota Camry Fuel filter that my local Toyota dealer stocks. Lexus said they do not stock fuel filters because Toyota issued a statement that the fuel filters on all the ES300's of this model year and up have fuel filters that are built to last for the life of the car. Seems fishy to me, but I do believe now that the problem must lie somewhere else. Meanwhile, typical Lexus, the car fixed itself and will not repeat the problem. It's nearly impossible to diagnose a problem that will not happen repeatedly. I'm sure it'll repeat itself in the next rain/snow/ice storm at night when I'm 50 miles+ from home. I'll take SK's advice and look into the IACV (Intake Air Control Valve) to see if maybe cleaning will do the trick. That is, if the car acts up again. :o) Take care.

Thanks for the advice. Because it's idle is normal when it's running, I'm suspecting it's just an initial flow thing. It runs fine once it starts. I did put a new battery in and then it started doing this. I'm suspecting it's a combination of bad gas (from a gas station that I've gotten bad gas from before) and a dirty fuel filter. I'm going to replace the fuel filter today for good measure to see if that helps. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks! :D

Have you driven other Lexus ES300's to determine if yours is in fact different from normal? Lexus has a "Plush ride" to it's name from it's top-of-the-line cars like the LS400. I've never thought the ES300 has a "plush" ride, but instead a good balance between performance and comfort. In other words, I believe plushness = less control.

Help please. I started my car today and it dies right away. If I start it again pushing on the gas a little, it starts right up. I figured it was just a glitch, but then it happened again, and now it does it every time. The only thing I've done differently lately was fill up at a different gas station. I always use 93 octane and never have had this problem before. Has anyone experienced this problem before? I'm thinking it's a fuel filter. Hopefully it's not the injectors or something expensive like that. The Lexus has 135k miles and has given no issues upt to date. Thanks!

More for a personal message, but doing ok. Business has been sporatic lately...Really really busy, then really really slow. I think when the Lexus poses no maintenance problems, it's easy to drift from the board. The thing just hummmms. I'm still looking at the LS someday. Cheers!

I've had that problem with a different car and there is somethign called dielectric grease (also called "bulb grease") that you can use to increase conductivity. It maybe connecting enought to work, but not fully. If you dont' have bulb grease, then WD-40 is great for electrical circuits, just use it sparingly. Let us know if that works.

With ES's, it's all about the wheels/tires that you're running. I got fed up w/ my ES squeeling and pushing on even the slightest corners so I upgraded to 17" wheels and tires w/ 45 profile (not quite the harshness of 40) I love the handling now. It turns the car into a completely different car. I don't really horse around in it, but when it needs to buckle down, it does. It actually helped me avoid an accident the other day. My wife and I were heading home from out of town. It was getting dark and it was starting to rain. Some jackass (I think he was old and stupid, drunk, or both) pulled off his lane, came around the concrete median facing the wrong way and headed right for me. I had very little time to react as I just slammed the horn, mashed the brakes and steered around him missing him by inches. All this was done at ~ 50MPH and I'm confident w/out the increased handling from the wheels and tires, we would have plowed straight into him. My wife has since not questioned the upgraded wheels and tires. Performance can equal safety too. drive safe.

Was it working before? What were you doing when it started going bad? More info will improve the amount of replys. I would guess the errors are to due with the traction control not functioning, but that may sound obvious. Remember the Toyota Dealer is cheaper than a Lexus dealer if you have to take it in...The ES300 is 90% toyota Camry with respects to running gear. Post your results if you find out the problem. Good luck.

Prison is just "grown-up detention". I've spent some time in after school detention...it kept me out of prison. Lessons learned. Let's just all be friends.