SpeedRacer959

Different sizes cost different prices of course. $108 for good 17" tires is a bargin. At least from what I was seeing. what size is the $80 tires?

Trade her in on an ES300

There was a discussion before about these tires...promping me to get them. I just purchased continental extreme contact tires for the front of my car and they handle awesome. Great handling all season tire for the lexus. I've got summer tires on the back still. I'm running 235/45R17 on the car...will post pics soon (they look good) They are quiet, grip almost like a summer tire....w/ predicable break-away, and has a suprisingly soft ride. From the reviews it's supposed to kick you-know-what in the snow...we'll see. I highly recommend this tire though, great for the money too. They were only 108 ea. and my local tire store matched the price! GOTTA LIKE THAT! Let me know how they handle in the different sizes.

Love the interior. Looks like something out of the future. Well it is for me...I'll wait until 2010 before I can afford it Oh, and it'll have to have around 100k miles. Take care of it for me! :D

The K&N filter will probably make the biggest difference....helps the engine breath better. W/ dirty air filters, you get poorer mileage so it makes sense that w/ a clean air filter that is designed to give more air flow you'll get even better mileage. Make sure you have good PSI in the tires at all times. Maximum PSI for maximum gas mileage. Ever ride a bike w/ low PSI in the tires? It makes a huge difference. I don't see the pay off (ROI) w/ gearing, plus you might hose up your tranny. I would think just keep it in optimal running condition...new spark plugs, K&N filter (clean), and you sould get optimal MPG. Oh, you may want to get a professional fuel system cleaning. (~$80-$100) and it's reported to a MPG improvement on higher mileage cars...like mine and yours. Blake918 (on the LOC board) is having his car fuel system cleaned and you could ask him if it makes a difference. Let us know what you come up w/. I also ordered the K&N filter and will check the difference it makes. It's been reported to make around a 3 MPG improvment.

Not sure how much Lexus charged for the window adjustment. It was done RIGHT before I bought it, so luckily I missed out on that expense. I'de like to know though. Also, it can't be that hard to do yourself. I recently took the door panel off, and I think once you get it to that stage, it would just be a bolt or something. -Jimi

To make it clearer, it's the LCD panel that's bad. If you get a new unit, you can take the LCD panel out of the new unit and swap them, but it's just as easy to swap the whole head unit. Also, taking the head unit out is tricky, but easy when you know how. There's detailed instructions (with pictures) on the LOC board somewhere for removing it. Good luck, Jimi

Had the same problem. You need a new head unit. I bought one on ebay, but you can easily find them at www.car-part.com for cheap too. You're probably looking at a $75-$100 fix for that. -Jimi

Nope, that's normal. I believe it's the metal on the exhaust cooling unevenly and making ticking sounds like that. Nothing to be concerned about. You seem very attentive to what your car is doing though. :) That's a good thing. Just note mainly when things start to change from where they are now...(ie.idle becomes rougher, noises become louder, etc. before you have to worry.) Your car sounds find to me from what you're saying. -Jimi

try www.car-part.com It's a website that links together hundreds of salvage yards. You can find pretty much anything you want, and select the lowest price. :) I took the honors of looking for you so you can see what can come of a good search on the website: ( I should get money for all the plugs I do for their website ) 1998 Radio Lexus ES300 B8872 $400 Barger Mattson - Boise USA-ID(Boise) E-mail 1-208-853-2002 1998 Radio Lexus ES300 86270-33060,WITH FINISH 200784 $400 Miami Parts USA-FL(Opa-Locka) E-mail 1-800-644-4788 1998 Radio Lexus ES300 FOR ALL 3 PIECES 2 PLUG 992931 $300 Natchez Salvage USA-MS(Natchez) E-mail 1-800-759-0631 1998 Radio Lexus ES300 -CD CHANGER USE W/NAKAMICHI RDO IN TRUNK 3292 $250 Pipes Foreign Car Parts USA-LA(Shreveport) E-mail 1-800-551-8155 1998 Radio Lexus ES300 CD changer, use w/ Nakamichi rdo- U A4057 $200 A1 Auto Wreckers USA-CA(San-Jose) E-mail Truck# 1-800-825-0064, Car# 1-800-997-3254 1999 Radio Lexus ES300 F0303060 $200 All Foreign Auto and Truck Parts USA-NE(Omaha) E-mail 1-800-323-2947 GOOD LUCK

I doubt it. It'll probably turn off the Air Bag light, then turn on the Check Engine light.

I would try the battery first...couldn't hurt. ;) *knock on wood.

Amanda, The vibrations or wind noise doesn't sound normal. I've got a 97 that's purrrrrrrfect. I put silicone tire dressing on the window seals to help them seal better. Also, Lexus recently adjusted my windows to make them fit tighter against the car. There are no vibrations what-so-ever when I'm stopped w/ the brakes on. My car has 120k miles, so maybe yours just has to break in more :) I would try the easy things first. Have the transmission fluid checked for cleanliness, and changed if necessary. Also, a tune up couldn't hurt, check the air filter yourself (that's easy) and have a professional check the spark plugs. How many miles does your car have? Let us know what you find out when you do, so we can treat it (or prevent it) on our cars. Thanks, Jimi

I've heard little bits and pieces of what people do for a living, but here's your spot to spill it w/out being pretentious. :D I'm sure we would all really like to know. B) Plus it can't hurt for our networking. :P I'll go first: I'm a safety consultant for large fortune 500 and 100 manufacturing companies. I've done work at Honda, Square D, SC Johnson, and many other companies for specifically OSHA's regulation 1910.147 (Lockout-Tagout compliance). We have a website ESC Services , but most (99%) of our referrals come through word of mouth, so the website doesn't have to be too flashy. (if anyone has any ideas I'm all ears <_< ) I'm 24 and the VP of the company and 50% owner. I've been doing this line of work for almost 5 years now. I recently bought a Lexus because we travel a ton and I needed a nice car that's reliable and not too flashy to give clients rides in. The ES fit the description perfectly. :D

Blake, that looks like it was well worth the money. It's nice grabbing onto a nice steering wheel...makes the car feel newer. B) what was the final price to have that done?

I just think we all need a hug Oh, by the way H8R Proof this thing: :snoooorrrtttt: is a smiley face sorting a "line" of cocaine I assume. :) SW03ES, Are you telling me that the STAT that I got off of the LOC (from you) IS WRONG?!?!? http://www.imakenews.com/autospies/e_artic...le000175132.cfm ES 330 (Preliminary) * New 3.3L V6 E/G (3MZ-FE) * 225hp @ 5600rpm * 240lb-ft @ 3600rpm * ULEV-II classification * 10.8:1 compression ratio * 7.2sec 0-60mph * 15.5sec 1/4 mile * est. 20/29 city/hwy mpg rating I don't know what to believe anymore!!! Oh, this is all in humor btw :) No need to tear me a new one. :)

sell it on ebay...

Sounds like struts to me. I would check the upper strut bolts in the front to make sure they are tight. The could go out at 60k depending on the conditions the car has subject too (ie. bumpy roads, pot holes, etc.) Most service centers would do a free assessment to tell you if it's the struts too. Lexus won't. They'll tell you they need to hook it up to their computer....$100 minimum, or your right eye.

I feel the same way. If Lexus (toyota) is so set w/ focus groups, then who was on that panel? I would have said they were smokin' crack and go back to the drawing board. :snoooorrrtttt: But serioulsy, I think it's nice, but just leaves a lot to be desired. I'll probably end up buying one anyway. Maybe a 330 if they go 0-60 in 7.2 like they say.

seems real bright! B) Can they be dimmed or are they always like that? <_< Otherwise looks good! Props to you. :magic:

post some pics when you get it done...curious to see the drop w/ the 16" rims. :) -Jimi

I just got the struts in! YEEAAAAAAAAAAAAH! :magic: They work awesome. The electronic control is more noticable (ie. softer in the comfort setting and stiffer in the sport setting) , and also no clunking noise while driving. The car is also level now. It was saging in the rear before. I suspect it was the old springs or something wearing out. Well all is good now thanks to the amf1932 and a little elbow grease. I took lots of pictures, and I'll create some documentation of how to do it in case anyone else decides to tackle this project. Cheers!

Not sure about the amp question, but I recently bought a kit from customwooddashes.com and you really get what you pay for. If by "dash kit" you're talking about a wood dash kit, then the kit I ordered costs $125 and it's supposed to fit like a glove. I put it up and it was off in some areas, so they are sending me a replacment. I would be suspicious of a kit for only $25. my .02

H8R Proof, ah-hhhem, you mean "ivory" interior. :P Mine has it too and I don't tell people it's P.B. Just looses its aura of luxury when you call it that. Unless you call your black interior "tar" colored. :) Then by all means…proceed. HA! j/k

I just hope that they are better, or I'm throwing in the towel. They supposedly came off a 1998 w/ 30k or so miles on it so I hope that they are in better condition. If mine are original (which I think they are) then they should give me 70k more miles before they go out. *crossing my fingers.