GM1995ES

135K on OEM belt...year I would change it.....ASAP Local Toyota would likely do that service for half what Lexus would charge - with the same parts and comparably-trained technicians. Note that 95% of the parts for the Lexus ES 300 and Camry models of that year were identical. My last 2 (yes, two) TB - water pump replacements were less than $550 each at Toyota.

BoaR - final settlement was $3,350, which I considered fair and reasonable in view of the mileage (+/- KBB and Edmunds). But the turkey who banged into it ruined a perfectly good means of commuter-style transportation. That was my main argument with the adjuster - no way would $2,012 provide a similarly reliable commute. I must admit the adjuster went to bat for the ol' machine, arguing with his supervisor that the Lexus was in better shape than his vehicle with less that a third of the miles. Another argument...got several internet "For Sale" prices for 1995 ES 300 in the surrounding 200-mile area. Demanded that the minimum would be the same as the second-lowest. Final offer from GEICO actually topped that by about $200. I'm not overly pleased, but resigned to it - the ol' Lexus gave me 12% (in real cash) of the price of a new vehicle - far better than any trade-in. Just so ya know, we bought a "baby Lexus" - a 2011 Camry XLE V6 with just about everything on it. Right now it shows 76 miles on the ODO, so time will tell whether it is as good a long-term investment as the dearly departed ES 300.

Wish I had known that before this morning, when we turned over title to his Ins. company (who declared it a total loss). Mine from the get-go just said "let them take care of it." I thought about keeping it, but looked at the damage and decided to move on. The kicker was that the rear sub-structure (what used to be the frame) is jammed in and it would take some doing to make it right. However, someone is going to get a lot of good parts for anything ahead of the trunk. On a positive note, the final settlement was more than 50% higher than their "independent" assessment.

Wife got rear-ended by some jerk in a pickup truck (on the phone) two weeks ago. Banged up trunk lid, bumper cover, smashed left taillight assembly and bent up some of the rear underpinnings. LOML is fine, but the estimated cost of repairs exceeds $3,700 and the insurance company (his - GEICO) is totaling it. I am currently challenging their estimate of value ($2,012), but for sure the "total loss" will stick. Ending statistics: mileage 339,418, MPG 27 mostly highway, uses no oil, original engine everything except for timing belt and water pump, original transmission and exhaust system, no rust, paint great except for small chips on the front. Great little car for my 600 mile per week commute. Still perfectly driveable except for that smashed rear end. Interesting that despite total loss of taillight lense and being moved left about 3 inches, every light still works. And trunk lid is caved in and humped up, but did not fly open and still opens and closes as easily as before.

Jim said: "Hmmm ... a cigarette package and a wine cork to provide a size reference ... working on your image?" Nah, just sedatives for the headache caused by this dent issue and a dead hard drive at the same time. No part number or any kind of marking on the little white box. I have googled all over the internet for a picture (or place to buy) the airbag sensor. No luck - closest was an ebay listing for an SC300 sensor, which showed a YELLOW cover with a big arrow on it, not even close to the same configuration. Did I mention that the white box was perfectly clean, meaning it is from somewhere that 14 years of road grime, etc., does not reach? I guess its time to bite the bullet, take off the fender liner (16 screws, if I read correctly), and poke my head up in there to see what is going on. Assuming it is nothing critical, I think that will wait until the garage is a bit above 40 degrees. The other option is to go to a Lexus or Toyota parts department, ask for a sensor or their catalog listing, and see if it matches.

Well, after looking at the plastic "box" (see attachment, with wine cork for scale), I'm not sure this is part of the airbag sensor. The Service Manual does not show a picture, only a drawing, but it shows the case has a big arrow on it, which this part does not. It looks more like the cover for a terminal or electrical part. What else besides the airbag sensor is underneath the right side fender, in the space ahead of the fender liner?

Jim - Bingo on the airbag sensor, I think. Looked it up in the Service Manual, and that is exactly where they are located. Guess that one (or both) definitely need to be replaced. If I remove the headlight assembly, is that sensor visible? Or do you need to remove the fender shroud (cowl, I think its called) to get to it?

My old 95 ES has been no more expensive to repair than any other of similar type. Shy away from Lexus dealers, though - if you want branded parts and service, take it to a Toyota dealer, and any decent local shop can fix 'er up. My take on the Avalon vs. ES - Sort of like Granny's car compared to one driven by a youngish Aunt Ruth. To me, the Avalon is a bit too much like a Buick - soft ride, not the greatest handling, largish size, uninspired styling. No expert here, but the only ES model year I have heard really bad things about is the '07. Look up reliability ratings and such on the Internet.

Ah well, after 14½ years and 330,000 miles, the 95 suffered its first ding. Just after dark, country 2-lane road with no shoulder, going about 45 mph. No indication until a thump and a flash of beige past the passenger side window. The thing jumped from a low embankment and smack into the right fender, just ahead of the wheel well and behind the headlight. Shallow dent right where the fender meets the plastic bumper surround, so the fender edge is inset from the end of the headlight by maybe ¼ inch. Only a small scratch on the paint, the damage is hardly noticeable except up close, and it doesn't affect driveability in the least. Not critical, but I would like to get the headlight-offset problem repaired. Estimate for repair: $2118, from the shop recommended by the insurance company. This is using new parts, of course, except for a used fender, and about half was for paint. I opted for the 2 grand (estimate less deductible), figuring I would have a "new" fender at half the value of the car while everything else is 15 years old. My question is, does anyone have experience with any of the so-called Paintless dent repair methods? A guy I know showed me the results of a similar case where the dent was removed using magnets, all for $75, and I would go there except he lives 800 miles away. Does anyone think this can be pulled out without costing an arm and a leg? This could have been worse - another foot higher and the thing would have been into the windshield, a little less bounce and it would have torn off the mirror, etc. I couldn't even stop until far beyond the scene (did see the traffic behind swerving, though) so I have no idea how the deer ended up, but I hope it at least had a bad headache. One other thing. When I was straightening out the plastic fender well cover/shroud which had been crumpled a bit, I noticed a loose small white plastic open-ended box about half the size of a cigarette pack behind the cover. Any idea what this might be? It is not part of the washer fluid reservoir or anything else I can see, and looks to be a snap-on cover of some sort. Is anything attached behind the front fender well shroud? One thought was perhaps the outdoor temperature sensor - I never have figured out where it is located.

It has been a couple weeks so don't know where you stand with this, but this past week my '95 with 325K miles just got a new radiator after loss of coolant and mild overheating (caught it in time). The problem was not a hose, not the water pump, etc., but a hairline crack in the radiator inlet nozzle (which is plastic). The shop said it was a "common problem" and no way it fix it reliably. Total cost was $496, half of which was for the parts. Runs great again. Through that tiny crack (not even visible except seeing the coolant ooze out when hot) came a lot of coolant, let me tell you.

You are referring to the wheel centre caps and not the lug nuts. Just take off the caps and apply slight outward pressure to each metalic tab and snap it back on. Right on of course with the description, and the fix! Turns out several of the tabs were bent way in - straightening them out fixed the problem.

95 ES300. For the last week or so I have been trying to find the source of a rattling sound which sometimes seemed to come from the front and sometimes from the rear. Noticeable only at low speeds, especially when next to a barrier or wall. Well, after checking just about everything else, the source turned out to be that 3 of the 4 little plastic covers over the lug nuts were loose enough to rattle around. Must have been a ham-handed technician who rotated the tires last time - less than a month ago, in fact. Anyone have an idea how to fix this? Blob of rubber cement or some such on the tabs?

I had the same problem with my 1995 key recently - new battery (only the third one needed in 13+ years) drained quickly. Turned out that guck had worked its way past the key button and was essentially shorting out the switch. Carefully cleaning the insides around the switch area using one of those little electric shaver brushes, dry at first and then dipped in alcohol, did the trick.

Sounds like the rotors need to be turned. Is the effect greater when braking while going downhill? I would demand that whoever did the brake job make it right.

Agree something is wrong. My '95 @ 245,000 miles gets 25-27 with mostly (65+ mph) highway driving. I check it at every fill up. Lower figure if more in-town driving. H-rated tires inflated to 34 psi front, 32 rear gives 2-3 mpg better economy and no appreciable handling difference at ordinary speeds, over the original V-rated ones at 26 psi.

I had the same quizzle last January - couldn't spot the oil leak at all. Turned out to be the Power Steering pump - about $500 at Toyota when all was said and done. I didn't have this problem, but previous posts have said that the PS fluid can do bad things to an alternator.

Thanks for the replies. I'm gonna see what Toyota says next time I take the van in (A/C needs to be looked at anyway). As for the Lexus, I think I will wait til the next oil change to decide what to do. It might be time to start thinking about a new(er) one, although I for one like the looks of the '95 better than any of the more recent, humped-up-rear-end iterations.

Well...I did do a search (back past 2003, in fact, although I missed the recent referenced one on What Flushing Stuff To Use, and none of which answered any of my questions). I was hoping SK or Toys or someone else who has seen the oil-cap deposits and then investigated further would respond. I really would like opinions on whether this problem, as described, needs to be addressed. Many dollars, or much time, is at risk. TIA.

1995 ES, 224,000 miles, runs and sounds great, oil changes every 4-5K miles by Lexus/Toyota since new, uses less than a pint between changes, gas mileage better now than when young. After recently reading several places (2003 topic here) about checking under the oil filler cap, last night I did and...there was this brown, loose and gritty feeling deposit on the baffle beneath the cap. Couldn't see beyond the baffle but the stuff seemed to thin out where the oil runs off it. I then moved over to the 2000 Sienna and peered down the filler opening. Deposits! Nearly black, baked hard onto the baffle surface, about 1/16" thick. I could scratch it off with a fingernail, but it was not loose like in the Lexus. 98,000 miles, Toyota-maintained throughout, including an oil change just 2 weeks ago, uses almost no oil between changes, gas mileage same as always. Questions...First, are these solid deposits what is referred to as sludge (Toyota uses the term "gelling")? Second, is this under-the-cap inspection a reliable indicator of sludging or deposits in the engine itself? That baffle I mentioned is a near-horizontal surface and I'm pretty sure not in the oil circulation pathway, so any oil there would tend to stay there. Also, this part gets very hot, so could the deposit just be baked-on oil that never made it into the crankcase? Third, what should I do? Does the problem sound serious enough to require immediate attention? The Lexus is way beyond the recall period and wouldn't be worth much fixing. The Sienna is still under the extended warranty, but do you think I can get Toyota to inspect/fix when it really hasn't failed yet?

Can you pull up the mast by hand? After gaining access to the motor assembly by pulling back the trunk lining, can you see/hear the motor run when someone pushes the radio on/off button? Is the wiring and plugs intact? If so, then the cogged plastic pigtail that drives the mast may be broken. Only option then is to replace the mast as someone suggested. If the motor is shot then a complete assembly is needed, about $150 if I recall correctly. If the pigtail is broken, you will need to take the housing apart to get the old one out, not difficult but probably messy. On my 95, the housing halves were put together with a black, gooey mastic that gets on EVERYTHING, including the internal cogs. I took it all apart, cleaned everything with mineral spirits, and reassembled, packing the cogs with white lithium grease and running a bead of silicone around the perimeter. The replacement mast came with very easy to follow instructions (you rewind the new pigtail after reinstalling the motor unit by feeding it in as someone turns the radio off). On mine, the old mast had been bent so would not extend fully. Ordered the OEM replacement (NOTE: this is similar but not exactly the same as the original) from that eBay source. The new pigtail was about a foot longer that the old one and the instructions said that means the housing could contain pieces that need to be removed, which is why I took the thing apart. As it turned out, there were no pieces in it - the new one was just longer. I called the supplier and he said it would be O.K. to cut off 6 inches or so, which I did before installation. It works perfectly.

...or is this thing finally getting broken in? 95ES with 220K miles (90+% highway). Toyota service throughout its life. For 10 years the mileage was 25-26 mpg, dropping about 1 mpg in the winter. Starting last November, it is now up to 27-28 under the same conditions, and it seems to be climbing slowly. Timing belt (second one), PS pump and O2 sensor in January did not affect the change. Oh, and the same tires (H rating at 32 psi) have been on for over a year, rotated every 5K miles.

A trunk-mounted changer was an add-on option when I bought a 95 without one. The harness is in the trunk as said before, maybe on the passenger side. At least I ran into an extra cable/plug back there while fiddling with the antenna motor.

Yeah, I did mine last week and it definitely is strange that what seemed to be slight wear in a piece of rubber could make so much difference! I couldn't for the life of me get the lug nuts off, so managed to do the job by crawling under the car. Major pain (tight quarters) but it worked.

1995 ES at 218,000, mostly highway miles. Just had some major work done but engine, tran, etc. still hum and burns less than a qt. of oil per 5,000 miles. Maintained every 4,000-6,000 miles, first 3 years at Lexus and since at Toyota, regular "Toyota" fluids. Major repairs/problems include timing belt at 60K, A/C replace (essentially the whole guts) at about 100K, brakes twice, right CV joint last summer, and (last week) PS pump, timing belt, and firewall O2 sensor. Has gone through 2 batteries and several sets of tires (35-40K per set until I wised up and put H-series feet on it). I plan to keep it until it dies or repairs cost more than 5% of a new one, whichever comes first. Biggest complaint I have is the weak low beams , and THANKS TO THIS FORUM, I now know how to fix that.