Firewalker

Thanks for the advice, I assumed too much. I had planned on new rotors and pads, I will change the brake fluid as well. Most of the issues I have with my Lexus are very minor, example the right rear window not going down, I am not sure if I have ever even wanted that window down. I understand the brakes are a wear issue. I will take my lexus to the dealer to see if they will at least do the latest update for the transmission which again, doesn't bother me much, but it has yet to be done. The TSB and other information I purchased was from alldata, I was pleased with the amount of information I received for a $24 fee/for a years of use. Again thanks for the advice, I will make some calls and see what I can find. I am not trying to get something for nothing, mostly I would like to know what "has" been done so that I can plan accordingly.

update I purchased a subscription that allows me to view all TSBs for the 2002 Lexus ES300, lots of detailed information there, I did find out the following. Applicable Warranty*: This repair is covered under the Lexus Comprehensive Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 48 months or 50,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the vehicle's in-service date. * Warranty application is limited to correction of a problem based upon a customer's specific complaint. So I guess I still wonder what happens when a TSB is issued after 48 months have passed from the vehicles in service date? I will do some checking. If anyone has any specific TSB questions about this year and model, let me know and I will look it up for u. Jeff

I did search...didn't find an answer. Questions: Can I take my Lexus to any lexus dealer to find what TSBs have been performed on my car? How long will they honor TSB issues? I bought my car used, with virtually no records, while I love the car, there are a few issues that are addressed by TSB's and I didn't want to look retarded going into a lexus dealer thinking they would fix them, only to be laughed out of the place. My issues are rear window not working TSB EL010, and pulsating rotors, but I am going to turn my rotors anyway, so... what do you think? Take it there and hope they run it through the garden of TSB's or am I S.O.L because I bought it used and I am on my own dime? I don't expect them to go down the TSB list and address each item but I would like them to fix the issues I am having. Oh and lastly, when I had a benz, some dealers could pull up all the work that was done on my benz anywhere in the country, as long as it was done at a Benz dealer, does Lexus have that capability? Again, sorry for all the questions, but u guys are omnipotent! Thanks in advance. Jeff

yes, congrats with your lexus, just last week I had my 2002 ES300 for sale, lots of calls, thought I would sell it and buy a corvette. I took my lexus out for a long drive and you know, there is no way....so I canceled my sales ad, and I have been telling everyone that I sold it! Lexus vehicles are fantastic, I don't want to part with mine just yet, I may just drive her until she finally dies on me....about 400,000 miles from now!

with my firebird, which acted the same way, it was the window motor. Cheap enough to buy, a pain in the butt to install. It goes down easy, the motor heats up because the bushings are worn, and it overheats, stopping the window rise. Wait a few minutes and try to raise and it raises a bit more, then again, overheats and stops. Look on ebay for a replacement motor, but again, on my firebird, it was a pita install.

that I dont but I have seen a lexus es300 deploy airbags at stupid low speeds. It is not only volvos..

if your getting any pulsating during braking have them replace your rotors. There was a TSB issued for that problem.

Side airbags are great, in theory, but as a professional Firefighter and Paramedic I have seen side airbags in a different light. Make no mistake, if you are T-boned at speed then you will be glad that you had side airbags, certainly, that is what they were intended to do, to spare you from life threatening trauma. The down side is that during low speed impacts the bags can and do deploy with sufficient force to inflict serious injuries to passengers that may have otherwise been unharmed. I have been on countless runs in which the side bags deployed with a minor accident, pushing passengers heads into each other with quite a force. Cervical sprain being the norm, broken necks being a possibility. They do protect your head and torso to some extent, designed primarily for head vs window and door frame impacts. So long answer, for a short question, yes they will protect your head and torso but may also deploy at incredibly low speed impacts.

Me too, same year, right rear passenger window will not go down, I have learned to live with it but it would be nice to fix. I replaced a window motor on my firebird. They are inexpensive to buy but honestly it was a pain in the butt. I had to remove the door panel (interior) drill out the pop rivets holding in the existing window motor, reconnect this scissor type of apparatus that mounted to the glass and the motor and install the new motor. Total cost was like $20, again, for a firebird, who knows how much for a Lexus, the dealer would charge a mint because it took so much time and they charge by the hour. Lastly, one area of concern, how often are these windows really used? I mean, with my firebird (1992) it was used alot and gave me ample warning before failure, the motor would lower the window but the bushings were shot and would not raise it. I doubt the rear window of a Lexus is "over used" and warn out, I would agree it is probably a loose connector or something benign, however, it is still alot of work to get into and diagnose.

I had that problem as well, not in a Lexus but it ended up being a radial belt in one of my front tires was broken or something to that effect, no matter how many times the tires were aligned or balanced, it could not help the broken radial. Outwardly, the tire looked fine, but I could tell when I drove. Finally, I got new tires and sweet relief from that constant road feel. I don't know how one checks for something like that, but thats what it was for me. Good Luck. Jeff

You know, I have a 2002 Lexus ES300, I can make my car do the hesitation thing, but it simply does not happen on a regular basis, enough to complain? No. I know its very late in the posting, my 2 cents is, this is a great car, with a much better than average resale value, exceptional longevity records etc. It is not difficult to go to any car forum and find a problem that is unaddressed by the automaker or reported by a few hundred owners, I am not making light of this issue, rather I am asserting that this is a great car, I love driving it and feel confident that she and I will have many years together. So for any potential Lexus buyers out there reading these forums to base a buying decision on, buy it, drive it.....enjoy it.

That polisher he is using is a porter cable 7424 dual polisher with what appears to be a 5" all purpose pad. It is a very popular random orbiting sander/polisher. I have one, with a series of pads and polishes you can remove swirl marks, scratches (not down to metal of course) and bring out an amazing shine. They are relatively inexpensive, for under $300 I was able to buy the polisher, 6 pads, and a series of polishes from abrasive to less abrasive to accomplish removal of swirls in my Black 2002 Lexus es300. If it warms up I will shoot some pics. by the way, the car looks great! What did he charge for the detail and did it include the inside?

I have a Mr Clean Carwash and actually get many, many washes out of the spot free filter before having to be replaced. The unit is convenient and works extremely well. I have 4 cars, I can wash them all and save hours by using this product. Be careful, as the soap goes a long way, I do not soap the entire car, just part of it, and the wash mitt, then was as normal. Well, that was until I bought a soft painted, black lexus. Now I am in the process of removing all the swirls from the previous owner. I would still recommend the Mr Clean Autodry Carwash. In the end, it does a better job than the carwashes and pays for itself very quickly.

I AGREE !Dont cut back now you got everything else use good mf's There are alot of good deals on the Porter Cable 7424. They can be found on Ebay, New, with shipping included from $102-150. If you buy them online at a tool shop they tend to run anywhere from $150-199. I just purchased one for $102 delivered from Ebay. Brand new, not a refurb. Pretty hard deal to beat and trust me, I looked everywhere!

Thanks for the info!

I bought my Lexus used, I was painting the brake calipers the other day (I cannot stand seeing the unsightly rust that forms on the rotor hat and brake calipers) anyway, I noticed that my front rotors were not slotted or drilled, and I thought I read somewhere that 2002 ES300's came with slotted rotors. Does anyone know if that is true? At 65,000 miles I would think that would be premature changing of rotors if the previous owner already installed solid rotors. Thanks in advance also, if anyone is interested, I can post pics of the calipers and rotors painted, it is such an easy job and looks 100 % better. Jeff

Just bought my 2002 ES 300 for $15,500 with 66k miles. It is amazing, I have had a few mercedes (300E and 560 SEL) and there simply is no comparison, the Lexus blows them away. I think even the NADA book for this car was over $20,000. The dealer (and owner) is a friend of mine so he gave me a sweet deal.