Lacebug Sydney

Rosie Lighten up. See, this is the differnce between Australians and Canadians. You guys take yourselves too seriously (and yes that's a stereotype, but most stereotypes are based on fact). Australians have that rare ability to make fun of themselves. You should try it. Love Stephen

I finally found an original sales brochure for my 2000 Es300 and it says that the 6-stack (in the glovebox) is an option. Stephen

Can none of my american mates assist? S

Well guys, it's almost here. My beautiful 2000 model ES300's 80,000 kilometre, (50,000 miles) birthday is rapidly approaching. I just had a look in my service book and it's a biggie! I phoned my Lexus dealer and that quoted around $800 for labour and parts (that's about $600 US Dollars). What suggestions do you have to keep the service costs down, while still having the service done at Lexus? For instance can I buy all the service parts online and if so, which ones do you recommend? Any advice greatly appreciated by myself and my wallet. Cheers Stephen Sydney Ozland

Down here in Australia, an odour from the engine bay usualy means a marsupial such as a kangaroo or wallaby has become lodged behind the fan.

Hi Matt welcome to the forum. I'm the token Australian member and journalist, so there's 2 reasons to hate me. Just out of curiousity...why would you want to switch the alarm off? Cheers Stephen

I am hardly insulted and certainly not obese. I'm not overweight, either. Try western Canada. Eastern Canada is a different universe. rosie Yes, I thought Eastern Canada was a little dismal, especially in Winter! Although there is some beautiful architecture in Montreal and the comedy clubs are terrific. Glad to hear you are not obese, despite living in the land of bloated life. Stephen

Amanda Just make sure the mechanics actually put the Mobil 1 in YOUR Lexus and NOT in the boot of their own car!

John Nice hearing from a new member. First. coffee. I'm sure you can get a proper espresso in pockets of America - San Fran, Santa Barbara, perhaps even some east coast spots. But generally, the quality of food and beverages in the States is pretty damn dismal, and definitely more about quantity that quality. I'll make an exception though for the pan pizzas at Gino's in Chicago. Secondly. Euro cars. You should check the JD Power surveys. You'll find that Mercedes ranks right down the bottom below Hyundai. And so does, Audi, and VW and Saab for that matter. Euro cars are beautifully styled but heck, you need to be best friends with a mechanic to own one. Even Mercedes head honchos have acknowledged that there's a lot of work to be done to get the marque back to where it was in the late 1980s. Dear Blk on Blk. When I was in Roswell I interviewed the nutter who runs the UFO Museum. He claims he was one of the first on the scene when the aliens crashed and helped transport the bodies to the Roswell Mortuary for the top secret autopsy. I also drove up to Boulder Colorado and interviewed the world authority on UFO abductions. He was an even bigger nutter. I also drove out to Area 51 and stayed at the little Alien-In. Everyone out there is completely bonkers. Yes, the New Beetle wasn't a good choice, but heck, if VW USA want to give me a car for 6 weeks, who can complain? Have you ever seen the size of the dashboard in one of those things? You could hold a party up there!

Steroids always work for me. Unfortunately my own 'nuts' are now the size of almonds. Stephen

I went through Albuquerque on my route 66 sojourn. It was there that my wife and I enjoyed the best nachos we've ever had. The place was called something like the 'Sanitary Cornchip Factory'. It was a few years ago, so hard to remember. But if you ever get down that way, I highly recommend it. As a journalist, VW USA, gave me the New Beetle to drive across the States. What a great steaming heap of #%$@! I put it flat to the floor heading down to Roswell (to write a story on American's obsession with UFOs) and all I could wring out of it was a lousy 105 mph. Plus, like most European cars, it had shocking build quality and dubious reliability. Wish I'd been in my Lexus ES300 instead. Now that would have been a comfortable ride (plus a descent boot). Anyway, I managed to steal a genuine Route 66 roadsign along the way. Cheers Stephen

You must have stopped reading at Starbucks and not noticed that I.personally, love Stumptown. Guiilty as charged re: percolated vs espresso. Last concert attended: UB40 At Waikiki Bowl. Eat your heart out LOL Rosie What is Stumptown? I bought a groovy new coffee machine for my kitchen recently. It makes real espressos. Delicious. I only drink decaff because the caffeine makes me really hyper. Last concert: Robbie Williams at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Best concert ever: Prince at the Sydney Entertainment Centre). Americans sure have strange taste in breakfast. I once drove Route 66 for a magazine article (I'm a journalist). I stayed in motels along the way and they often included breakfast - this meant a tray full of sweet pastries and donuts and a bad coffee. No wonder you lot are so obese! Anyway. Got my car washed FOR FREE today at my local Lexus service centre. They'll wash your car once a month for life. Love it. Cheers Stephen : PS: Sorry about the insult (calling you American). I went to Canada once and almost got mugged near the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls.

Just wondering. Has a Lexus ES300 ever appeared in a movie or TV show? Also. Does anybody know of any celebrities/stars/etc that drive Lexus? I know Mel Gibson drives a silver lexus (probably an LS). Stephen

Rosie, my rainy state friend I mention good coffee (ie real coffee, ie, espresso) and you come back at me with Starbucks! Come on girl. You been spendin' too much time up in Seattle drifting out to those Nirvana tunes. Tomorrow I am off to Sydney (I live one hour north) to visit the Italian district of Haberfield. Now THAT's where you get coffee. I've watched enough American sitcoms to know that all you guys drink is percolator stuff. By the way. I will look into that CEM goo for you. Cheers Stephen

Hey guys, remember I wrote last week about cutting the hands free phone from my Lexus ES300 (2000) with a rusty pair of garden clippers? and then I told you (surprise, surprise) that the sound system no longer worked. Well I took my car to lexus Chatswood (a northern suburb of Sydney) and they fixed it in ten minutes. Apparently when I cut the wire I'd forced some together which caused a short. The result a blown fuse. Lexus replaced the fuse at no cost and I got to drink nice coffee for free in their swanky service centre. There ain't many places where you get service like that (my father's mechanic would have told him the entire the wiring needed replacing, and he would have paid a fortune and only got a cup of Nescafe instant rubbish). Good coffee is important to us Aussies (although I realise you yanks haven't discovered the pleasure as yet). Anyway. Just wanted to tell you what happened. Cheers Stephen Sydney.

Hey guys. I cut the old hands free kit out of my 2000 Es300 because it didn't work with my new phone. I just snipped away at the visible wires and removed the cradle. Oops. Now the Lexus radio/CD player has absolutely no power to it, so I am having a music free new year. Any ideas on a fix, or should I take it to an auto-electrician? Cheers Stephen

No I'm actually as sober as a Morman picnic. It's just that my car understands me better than my wife. And it NEVER says no. That is, except the time I cut my hands free phone out of the car and now the !Removed! radio/Cd player doesn't work. Christmas cheers Stephen

Hey there my yanky mates. Hope you all have a very merry Xmas and happy Lexus new year. Recently I've become so attached to my ES300 that I have started having impure thoughts about it. My wife even caught me sitting in it naked, listening to Neil Diamond, and stroking the dashboard. Ahh...what do the rest of you do when your auto-obsession becomes this serious? Is it possible to marry your Lexus in Vegas? Love and lust Stephen Sydney Australia.

1) Lexus LS430 2) Claire Danes 3) Alicia Silverstone

Any advice on how you actually restore the finish of the woodgrain? Stephen

Hey guys, just a quick question. The ashtray in my 2000 ES300 is still rattling and driving me nuts. I removed the actual ashtray insert and lighter but the woodgrain body of the ashtray unit keep right on rattlin'. Any advice on how I can remove the unit so I can get a proper look at what's making it loose? Incidentally, Australian roads really suck, which might be half the reason for the rattle. Cheers Stephen Sydney

Hey there my American mates! Does anybody out there know whether paintless dent removal actually works? I have a few carpark dings that I want to get rid of. Cheers Stephen Lacey Sydney. Australia

Hey guys I've asked all my state lexus dealerships and none of them has any sales brochures for my 2000 model Es300. Would any of you happen to have a spare brochure kicking around that you would like to sell? Cheers Stephen

Hey guys, well I finally got the windows of my gorgeous charcoal grey ES300 tinted. I went to the best tinter in Australia to get it done. It looks great...not too dark, so nice and classy. BUT... The tinter's blade broke and he accidentally scratched my rear window. It's not very noticeable, but he insists on doing the right thing and replacing the window for me. (I'm a journalist and he wants to impress me). My questions are: 1) How can I ensure he gets the same high quality lexus glass? I've heard that my model (2000) had special UV and IR resistance glass. 2) Is it a risk that the new windscreen would never ever fit as well as the original? 3) Would you ensure that Lexus fitted the new screen? 4) Would you bother. The scracth is about 8 inches long and off to the left hand side near the dark surrounds. Your advice would sure be appreciated. Cheers Stephen Sydney...Australia.

Camlex Well what is it then? It's located about 4 inches along from the automatic headlight light sensor. Stephen