nsarin

Sorry to hear about your 96'...I have an 01' ES exhibiting similar problems...but with a different configuration that that of the 92-96'. It's quite loud upon acceleration...sounds like a deep growl (more like a pontiac grunt) than a quite lexus! Can anyone help here? i took it to my mechanic who seems to think that that 01'ES has a 'racier' design than the 96' version. The exhaust pipe is throatier with the new config than in the 96' version...in order to give better acceleration and torque. I'm skeptical of this opinion...has anyone else had this problem or had a 97-01' series emit a low hum/growl upon accerlating normally? Thanks!

Hi.. I have a 96' ES300 with 281,000 km on it...(180,000 miles) and it's driving impeccable! Infact any friends/family who happen to borrow it for a short while always comment afterwards that they just can't believe that it has that much mileage on it! I've done nothing on this car excepts regular maintenance (oil, fluids, brakes). And that's it!...well, I also make sure my tires are balanced well. Makes for a very smooth cabin ride. Most people ignore tire balancing as important in fine tuning a ride... Good luck!

Wondering if anyone knows of whether or not Lex purposely made the 01' ES slightly more 'noisy' than the 96' version? By noisy, I mean more of a throaty growl and hum during acceleration than the previous versions? Someone told me once that the 01' model was designed with a slightly more 'sporty' nature in mind which meant a bit more engine growl than with previous versions...is this true? If not, I suspect perhaps a slight leak somewhere beneath the exhaust near the flex pipe or closer to engine.. Thanks.

Once you have had a chance to put a few thousand clicks on your ES to see if it burns any oil or not (if it does, you might want to cinsider switching to a 10W30 grade since you have higher mileage). As for the gasoline, I use nothing but Sunoco Ultra 94 gasoline....I personally have tried the Sunoco regular 87....if you do the math on it, the mid-grade is a bad buy compared to the 94 so I never put the mid-grade in. Sunoco of all the big 4 gas companies (Shell, Esso, Petro-Canada & Sunoco) is by far the cleanest gasoline as they use Ethonol in their gas (which makes it a natural gas line anti-freeze) & has the lowest sulphur content PPM of all.....Esso is the absolute worst not matter which grade is used, followed by Petro Canada as the second worst. Any grade Sunoco is best for your car to burn & the environment. Not sure about the headlight issue you mention. You should however notice that when you leave the headlights on & shut the engine off, when you go to get out of the car, many other cars have an audible 'chime' or 'beep' that warns you that you left your lights on.......the ES does not & I believe after several minutes (not sure exactly how long) the car will shut the lights off automatically so not to run down the battery. B) Was the timing belt &/or water pump replaced yet do you know? ;) ← Right now, using a 5W30 for winter...considering also 0W40 as it's used extensively with german and japanese high performance cars..but will do more research as time goes on. As for oil burning, there is a slight bit of black inside the exhaust tailpipe...nothing major though...looks like regular longer term mileage caused it. For gas, yes I've always knows that Esso is the worst. Shell Gold isn't too though bad...94 Ultra is the best there is I know, however is it what this engine requires? I use Shell 'silver' in my 96' ES for god knows how long and had absolutely no issues whatsoever...but perhaps I should consider going back to Sunoco 94' eh? I used to have a 96'Prelude SR-V about 6 years ago (last of the true sporty model) and used sunoco 94' for that one as honda recommends it for high performance '4 bangers'. But for Lex? As for timing belt/water pump...no, not been replaced. That is the 1 service job that the previous owner did not do out of all of them! So I'm taking my car for service this or next week. I use a mechanic up in Markham...the owner used to be the head mechanic for Don Valley Lexus. Started his own shop many years ago and basically knows every single thing about Lex/Toyota. His rates are much cheaper than Lex or Toy anywhere. He fixes his cars based on finding the solution and fixing instead of just simply 'replacing' defective parts for new...as done at dealerships. Much cheaper overall and never seen another mechanic so meticulous with his work...he will not let your car leave unless he's fully satisfied that it's 100% fixed and never charges you for extra time even though he often spends way more on it than most would... ← nsarin, if you wouldn't mind (Brenden is my first name btw), could you give me the name, address & phone number of that shop in Markham & the owners name (I live on the Scarborough / Markham border at Mc Cowan & Steeles)? You can PM me or send all the info to my hotmail : Rivmaster91@hotmail.com Let me know how much an hour he charges for labour (I like to bring my own fluids when I have them changed as I get some of them wholesale). I'd appreciate it! B) sk, I have to check my owners manual about what you described.....thanks! B) ← No problem Brendan...I just sent you the info to your email address. Oh, forgot also have memory seating...interesting little thing which helps with my wife always forgetting to reposition after she leaves! Steviej, your prob right...I'll prob just stick to stock specs rather than messing around.

Once you have had a chance to put a few thousand clicks on your ES to see if it burns any oil or not (if it does, you might want to cinsider switching to a 10W30 grade since you have higher mileage). As for the gasoline, I use nothing but Sunoco Ultra 94 gasoline....I personally have tried the Sunoco regular 87....if you do the math on it, the mid-grade is a bad buy compared to the 94 so I never put the mid-grade in. Sunoco of all the big 4 gas companies (Shell, Esso, Petro-Canada & Sunoco) is by far the cleanest gasoline as they use Ethonol in their gas (which makes it a natural gas line anti-freeze) & has the lowest sulphur content PPM of all.....Esso is the absolute worst not matter which grade is used, followed by Petro Canada as the second worst. Any grade Sunoco is best for your car to burn & the environment. Not sure about the headlight issue you mention. You should however notice that when you leave the headlights on & shut the engine off, when you go to get out of the car, many other cars have an audible 'chime' or 'beep' that warns you that you left your lights on.......the ES does not & I believe after several minutes (not sure exactly how long) the car will shut the lights off automatically so not to run down the battery. B) Was the timing belt &/or water pump replaced yet do you know? ;) ← Right now, using a 5W30 for winter...considering also 0W40 as it's used extensively with german and japanese high performance cars..but will do more research as time goes on. As for oil burning, there is a slight bit of black inside the exhaust tailpipe...nothing major though...looks like regular longer term mileage caused it. For gas, yes I've always knows that Esso is the worst. Shell Gold isn't too though bad...94 Ultra is the best there is I know, however is it what this engine requires? I use Shell 'silver' in my 96' ES for god knows how long and had absolutely no issues whatsoever...but perhaps I should consider going back to Sunoco 94' eh? I used to have a 96'Prelude SR-V about 6 years ago (last of the true sporty model) and used sunoco 94' for that one as honda recommends it for high performance '4 bangers'. But for Lex? As for timing belt/water pump...no, not been replaced. That is the 1 service job that the previous owner did not do out of all of them! So I'm taking my car for service this or next week. I use a mechanic up in Markham...the owner used to be the head mechanic for Don Valley Lexus. Started his own shop many years ago and basically knows every single thing about Lex/Toyota. His rates are much cheaper than Lex or Toy anywhere. He fixes his cars based on finding the solution and fixing instead of just simply 'replacing' defective parts for new...as done at dealerships. Much cheaper overall and never seen another mechanic so meticulous with his work...he will not let your car leave unless he's fully satisfied that it's 100% fixed and never charges you for extra time even though he often spends way more on it than most would...

You did not waste anyone's time. This is what the site is here for, this is how we learn, and this is how you will be the one to help the next newcomer with the same question. Welcome aboard. steviej ← Well said Steve! B) Welcome Nav, it's really nice to see another fellow Torontonian join the club! :D How many Kilometers on your ES & where did you purchase the car from if you don't mind me asking? What equipment package did you get? ;) ← Thanks for the warm welcome! I purchased my ES from private dealer in Toronto. Kilometeres are 140K (nothing compared to my 96' w/273K)...yes it's high, but checked all service records and the car has been maintanied meticulously all the way through. Bought it for $16,500. Black on Black. Even rustproofing was done every year. The car was originally purhased in Ottawa and the 1 owner drove btw Ottawa and T.O constantly...justifying the higher mileage. Package includes adaptive variable suspension (AVS), HID's, VSC, leather trip package, heated front seats, in dash - 6 CD changer, psunroof and autostart. Came with brand new tires (Yoko's V rated) and brand new brakes all around (Lexus discs/pads). Tranny is so smooth I'm hardpressed to find the shift points! The one thing I did notice however is that my 96' ES has more of a Euro feel than the 01'. I think when Lexus decided to differtiate the IS and ES, they gave the ES a slightly more Camry'ish feel to it. The 96' is incredible for 'point and shoot' accuracy in steering, while the 01' is slightly tempered to the regular american roads style. When I put the AVS in Sport mode, it seems to respond a bit better to aggresive turning. The interior is so clean it's amazing. The previous owner had absolutely no one sit in the rear seats...virtually untouched. As is the trunk. The leather is still soft (no cracks) as if never sat in. The floor cloth is clean with no spots etc. Very well maintained. My father used to have a 90' Camry which we owned until 383,000km and was still working great. My 96' responds incredible and to date, I've been out of the shop for about 99% of my driving time. I sincerely hope the 2001 follows suit... Nav ← I'm just shy of 90,000 kms on my Cashmere beige ES. I have the AVS suspension & the HID's as well (HID's were standard equipment) but the AVS was an option. It's important as you know to make sure all maintenance records are up to date which is awesome! B) You might want to consider switching to synthetic oil at some point & if you ever need the BEST rustproof guy, I have just the person for ya! ;) B) Enjoy your new ES & this Lexus Club, it's awesome! :D ← Good advice...the dealer changed the oil just prior to me picking up the vehicle..but i brought my own synthtic oil and had him change it again...2 changes never hurt..helps flush it out! I always use synthetic for Lexus. For gas though, I'm varied on whether to use mid-grade or top gas...I never saw any improvement in gas mileage whatsoever btw the two... Also, when I turn the engine off I notice that I have to get out and hit the lock button 'twice' before the headlights turn off...I assume that's normal? Again, it will probably all be in the maintenance guide. Ciao!

You did not waste anyone's time. This is what the site is here for, this is how we learn, and this is how you will be the one to help the next newcomer with the same question. Welcome aboard. steviej ← Well said Steve! B) Welcome Nav, it's really nice to see another fellow Torontonian join the club! :D How many Kilometers on your ES & where did you purchase the car from if you don't mind me asking? What equipment package did you get? ;) ← Thanks for the warm welcome! I purchased my ES from private dealer in Toronto. Kilometeres are 140K (nothing compared to my 96' w/273K)...yes it's high, but checked all service records and the car has been maintanied meticulously all the way through. Bought it for $16,500. Black on Black. Even rustproofing was done every year. The car was originally purhased in Ottawa and the 1 owner drove btw Ottawa and T.O constantly...justifying the higher mileage. Package includes adaptive variable suspension (AVS), HID's, VSC, leather trip package, heated front seats, in dash - 6 CD changer, psunroof and autostart. Came with brand new tires (Yoko's V rated) and brand new brakes all around (Lexus discs/pads). Tranny is so smooth I'm hardpressed to find the shift points! The one thing I did notice however is that my 96' ES has more of a Euro feel than the 01'. I think when Lexus decided to differtiate the IS and ES, they gave the ES a slightly more Camry'ish feel to it. The 96' is incredible for 'point and shoot' accuracy in steering, while the 01' is slightly tempered to the regular american roads style. When I put the AVS in Sport mode, it seems to respond a bit better to aggresive turning. The interior is so clean it's amazing. The previous owner had absolutely no one sit in the rear seats...virtually untouched. As is the trunk. The leather is still soft (no cracks) as if never sat in. The floor cloth is clean with no spots etc. Very well maintained. My father used to have a 90' Camry which we owned until 383,000km and was still working great. My 96' responds incredible and to date, I've been out of the shop for about 99% of my driving time. I sincerely hope the 2001 follows suit... Nav

nsarin, an owner of a 2001 ES is telling you that the wiper arms are repositioned manually. I know on mine it does take a little more force than you would like to think, but it will move. I don't think you will find an electrical contact. I would seriously think about getting an owners manual......Look back at my initial post as to where to get them for free. steviej ← nsarin, Stevej is correct on both points....get an owners manual for your ES as for little things like this, it's worth it's weight in gold. Also it does take some 'force' to move them & it's best left to do on the passenger side which will move BOTH wipers to the desired setting. Having said that, I know what you mean about it just dosen't look right when it's in 'winter mode........however, there IS a reason Lexus designed it like that & it makes perfect sense considering were both in the Toronto, Ontario area & with a bad snow & / or ice storm, it make scraping the windshield that much more easy because the wiper will up & out of the way right off the windshield so you can clean everything properly including by the 'cowl' area so your defoster will not be blocked as well. I leave mine in winter mode during the cold months & the beginning of april I switch it back in november. B) ← Thanks to everyone for their help...I went out and 'manually' adjusted them downwards...it seemed almost to the point of breaking the arm, but then it just flipped down. I apolgize for wasting everyone's time with it...just a newly excited owner without a manual! I've called Lexus this morning to order one asap... Thanks again, Nav

Yes...but the opposite of that. Presently, they sit in 'winter mode' which does NOT retract back into the 'hood' as you put it! And it's quite annoying really as the passenger blade sits somewhat high up and actually limits some of the visibility (slightly)...retracted blades (under the hood) make for a much more visibile front pane and well...if I wanted blades to be seen, I'd have purchased a Camry..but it's a Lexus dammit! I checked my 1996 Owner's manual and it suggested an electical connector on the engine which changes the setting. I tried finding the similar plug in the 2001 and it has changed...not sure where to find it! Nav ← Just to clairify, you mean to change them from 'summer' mode to 'winter' mode which means instead of having the blades sit slightly 'under' the hood to over the hood to make it easier to clear snow & ice off correct? ←

And this is for the 2001 model? How to adjust wiper settings? Is it that easy? Could one of you explain basics? I'll contact Lexus anyway tomorrow.. Nav

Thanks both of you for your replies...yes I am new to this site and already quite impressed... So to reposition the electrical connector...I assume can be done by purchasing a mechanics guide to my 2001? I'm not sure if they would have it in the owners manual as I didn't get one with my purhcase unfortunately. Physically pushing the arms down looked like it would break my wiper arms...it did not budge. Does anyone know how to reposition the connector? Regards, Nav

just recently bought a 2001 ES300 ...beautiful car! I have a 1996 ES300 as well with 274,000km on it and to date, absolutely NOTHING has gone wrong with this car! The only time it's ever been in the shop was for oilchanges, brakes..regular maintenance. Anyway, the question I have is...my 1996 ES's wiper blades retract in under the visible pane of the front windshield to give a nice clear view...but in the 2001 model, they apparently no longer regtract? Also, my 96' has front spray nozzles for the headlights...very handy feature and again I noticed in the 2001, there are none. Does anyone know if/how the wiper blades retract? And does anyone else feel like Lexus slightly cheapened out on the newer model design? Thanks,

I just recently bought a 2001 ES300 ...beautiful car! I have a 1996 ES300 as well with 274,000km on it and to date, absolutely NOTHING has gone wrong with this car! The only time it's ever been in the shop was for oilchanges, brakes..regular maintenance. Anyway, the question I have is...my 1996 ES's wiper blades retract in under the visible pane of the front windshield to give a nice clear view...but in the 2001 model, they apparently no longer regtract? Also, my 96' has front spray nozzles for the headlights...very handy feature and again I noticed in the 2001, there are none. Does anyone know if/how the wiper blades retract? And does anyone else feel like Lexus slightly cheapened out on the newer model design? Thanks, Nav.