jragosta

Hello guys, i have been checking all over the place to see if I could find a model car of the Lexus ES any year. Wondering if anyone has seen any.  Thanks in advance.

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I found an IS:

http://www.lextasy.com/product_747_detailed.htm

After a while of searching Google, I didn't find any ES toy cars. That's rather odd.

Personal leases remain a personal financial disaster.  Leases that can be written off as a business expense are not all that much better.  Corporations in sound financial condition do not lease anything at all.

This article on Yahoo Finance provides quite an accurate overview:  http://biz.yahoo.com/pfg/e16buylease/

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Blanket statements like that are usually wrong.

While leasing doesn't make sense in lots of cases, there are cases where it makes sense. For example, my wife got a new Volvo V70 wagon on a 3 year lease for $292 per month. My brother bought a new Volvo V60 sedan at about the same time - on a 5 or 6 year loan.

Let's say my brother pays off his car and keeps it for 9 years, then it has a fairly modest resale value. My wife will get a new car every 3 years. Even after allowing for the resale value my brother's car will have, my wife will not have spent much more over the 9 year period than him -and she'll get 3 new cars rather than one.

There are other situations where they make sense, as well.

Granted, leases make the most sense with cars that have very high resale value, but there are clearly cases where they do make sense.

You can get some good lease deals. As for sale prices, I bet you can beat any December to Remember deal in January.

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I'm not real impressed with any lease deal I've ever seen from Lexus (see comparison below). Given the claims that Lexus makes about great resale values, the leases ought to be better. To be fair, BMW and Mercedes also offer terrible lease deals.

For a 2006 IS (auto), based on $3 K cap cost reduction, I get:

24 months $396 per month

36 months $373 per month

48 months $383 per month

60 months $372 per month

First, note the odd time behavior. Normally, you'd expect that the price would decrease steadily as the length of contract goes up. In this case, the 60 month is the same as the 36 month - and 48 month leases cost more than 36 months.

For comparison, let's look at my wife's Volvo V70 wagon. This had a similar MSRP to the Lexus and my cap cost reduction was lower (about $2,500 IIRC). The monthly payment is $292.

I'd have a hard time justifying the lease rates on a Lexus - unless you were planning to buy the car at the end of the lease. The above suggests that they have a lower residual than the Volvo.

good luck with cancelling the paypal payment they only refund if you do not receive the goods not the condition of any item

belive me i got stuck with mastercard ebay and paypal ,all saying their is nothgin they could do because i received the goods and they only get involved if i was defrauded by it not being sent which could only be handled by paypal as they did the billing

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Yep. Paypal's buyer protection is pretty much worthless. The buyer can say anything they want in an ad and even if the product shipped is nothing like the ad says, Paypal won't refund the money. As long as the seller ships something that's even remotely like what they advertised, it's OK with Paypal.

I still use eBay a lot, but with 2 rules:

1. I check feedback. Unless the feedback is >50 or 100 and AT LEAST 97% (preferably higher), I go elsewhere. There are few items so rare that you can't find a seller with 99% feedback.

2. I am currently over 1500 transactions on eBay and have had probably 5 that I got ripped off. Considering that I typically save about 30% average by buying on eBay, the 0.3% rip off rate is something I can live with.

You need an amp meter to be hooked up to your battery and disconnect fuses 1 by 1 to trace the source of your major drain as it should be fully charged for atleast 1 week of sitting and be fine for atleast 10 starts with no issues.

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I can't figure out why the dealer hasn't done this - after all that this guy's been through. It would only take the dealer an hour or so to at least find out which circuit is causing the problem. I've lost track - how many times has he been back to the same dealer and they've never run that simple test?

I think he needs a new dealer if there's one who's anywhere close. I'd probably even go to a Toyota dealer rather than go back to this one.

Anyone got two 12 inch subs with a 1300 watt amp didnt think so well i do in my sweet 1995 ES 300 it kicks and this car can really ride smooth im a new lexus owner tell me if you know how to inprove the performence please leave a post.

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You might start by learning to use punctuation marks so that people can read your post.

does anyone know if the iPod interfaces listed on the soundgate site will work in the 98-99 ES models?  Just curious if anyone has tried one yet and in what years they will work.  Any info is appreciated, thanks

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Their web site says only 2001-06.

Have you tried contacting them? They should be able to answer your question. If they don't have one, they might be working on one - and you might even get yourself involved as a beta tester. (I've been able to beta test a number of products by being in the right place at the right time).

Good luck.

i know that 5250 was around 135- 140 , i wasnt really paying attion to it to be exact.

forgot to mention that was on a 4 mile down hill striaght :)  but i have seen it

also  did a top end dyno run and there was no govener to slow it down. and we too it back up to 6200 rpm before letting off,  and itwas was pushing the 160 range, but dont remmebr the exact number.

but u dont have to belive a damn word i say :)

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It's quite possible that it could hit the equivalent of 160 on a dyno. Running on the road is quite different (wind resistance, for starters).

Hello,

I just finished 170,000. I do oil change every 3000 with Castrol synthetic blend 10x30. Changing air filter every 15-20 thousand miles. drain and fill transmission every 15000 miles and change trans. filter at 30000 mile.Car runs like New.

I did change TB @130000 with WP,Seals and Fuel filter.

Please advise me if i missed something.

Thanks in advance.

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Look in your manual. There are a LOT of things that you didn't mention. For example, did you change your belts (including timing belt)? Fuel filters? PCVs?

I have added questions to other posts but I am not getting any answers so please explain to me what air filter should I run in my 96 es 300 with 90,000 miles that I just purchased a few months ago? What I dont understand is the k&n filter is $45.00 and up and the oem denso or toyota filter is like $17.00 and up depending on where you buy. So what are the differences and how often do I need to change it?I know nothing about the quality or benefits of any air ac trany ,any filter over the other so please help me to run my car the best way i can. thanks 

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Stick with the OEM filters. This has been discussed repeatedly here, so you can search for the details, but the K&N filters are no good. To summarize

First, they are not very efficient filters for the very fine particles which you need to worry about (they filter large particles well and that's why they claim high dirt holding capacity which is a worthless measurement in this regard). At least one person provided oil test numbers which showed that the K&N filter was dumping far too much material into the engine.

Second, you need to oil them very carefully. Too much oil and you can damage the O2 sensors. Not enough oil and the filtration gets even worse.

Third, air flow measurements were reported here and the K&N didn't even offer the air flow advantages they claimed.

Do yourself a favor and stick with the stuff that Toyota designed for the car. They spent billions of dollars in R&D to make sure that their cars work as planned. It's not worth messing around in the hopes of gaining a HP or two that you won't even feel, anyway.

Probably a stretch, but what about temperature? If the person drives only short distances, the tires will be colder this time of year then when he bought it. This might give a harsher ride. Or, conceivably, the fluid in the shocks could become more viscous in the cold. Again, this would disappear after the car warmed up.

Seems unlikely, but I guess it's possible.

Hello everyone.  I am new here and this is my first Lexus.  I bought a loaded 2006 ES330 with Navigation, Chrome wheels, etc...  I have been looking at a number of different vehicles for a while now and really wanted a Mercedes but, my wife (even though this is not her car) really loves the ES, so I bought the ES.  Did I make a good choice?  I have been reading several posts about the transmission hesitation in previous model years - does anyone know if they were addressed in the '06?  Anyone know anything about teflon coating the paint?  Sorry if these questions are covered somewhere else, if they are, I didn't see them.

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If your wife's happy, then you made a good deal.

The ES is a great car other than the crappy shifting problem (and it does apply to 2006 models). In many ways, it's far superior to the Mercedes or BMW you can buy at the same price level. Many people never experience the problem (particularly people who don't drive aggressively), so it may never be an issue for you. Also, the latest firmware upgrade helps, but doesn't completely eliminate the problem. Eventually, they might get it completely fixed, but a lot of people will be happy with it now.

As for the paint, my recommendation is not to mess around with third party 'upgrades', either internal or external. There are very, very few that really add any value, so why waste your money? With proper normal care, your car should last indefinitely, so why spend money on something that won't help and might hurt?

Good luck and congratulations on your purchase.

Thanks for the input I had no idea tirerack was bias. I understand for a so called perfect ride , noise ,and compfort I should stick with the smaller wheel. But I like the look of the 17 inch wheel and just want to see what would be the tires in my size that people feel would achieve the best results? i was on tirerack and did see the michelin x in my size for about 100.00 I want to say I know the mx4's are more, but I am not asking about best deal only best tires for summer and on a 17 inch rim. Any other suggestions would be great thanks again I know its an old subject but the summer tire is different i thought.

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www.discounttiredirect.com

like $80 a piece, Falken Zeix ZE-512. Hands down the BEST high performance/general use tire IMO.

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It all depends on your desires. The Falken is a sportier tire. The smoothest tire I've found is the Bridgestone Turanza LSV. I drove a Michelin MX4 at the same time and the Turanza was much quieter.

I've now tested two portable units and am reviewing them per someone's request.

I tried the TomTom unit. It was nice and compact and runs on batteries, so you can remove it from the car and walk around. It took quite a while to find the satellites, but seemed to work OK after that. ease of use was pretty good. However, it had one major flaw - my housing development (which has been here for at least 6-8 years) wasn't even listed. I have to assume that coverage in other areas is limited, too.

I also tried the iWay 500 from Lowrance. This is one huge, hefty unit and you might have trouble finding an easy way to mount it on the dash (they provide a suction cup to hold it to the windshield, but that just doesn't seem secure for such a heavy unit. They also provide a clamp to secure it, but I'm not sure where I can use that on my 04 ES. The screen is very large and very bright - much nicer than the TomTom screen. There's no battery, so you can't carry it around with you when you're walking. Coverage was great - it took me right to my house without difficulty.

I'd much rather have a built in unit, but if you want to save some money, these portable units do the job very well. Personally, I'd prefer the iWay because of its better coverage, but I'll have to work a bit to find a good mounting mechanism.

Both of them can be found at local retailers.

[tantrum snipped]

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Sorry, your post resembles a teenager having a tantrum more than anything else.

And you can brag all you want about the massive experience you've had in your 6 years of driving, but it's laughable compared to the experience and skills of the people who designed and built the car - and they happen to disagree with you.

You can scream all you want. The facts are simple:

1. Lexus spends many millions of dollars designing their cars, testing them, and guaranteeing them based on their design.

2. Changing that design without an equivalent amount of testing is just as likely to cause problems as to improve things.

3. People have reported problems with the things you're suggesting. While it's impossible to prove that the problems were cause by the mods you're suggesting, you also can't prove that they weren't.

4. Given #3, I'd default back to #1. Lexus knows what they're doing. There's no evidence that you do.

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I think it would be incumbent upon you to document (prove) any of these cases of problems/damage due to any of these mods being done as instructed. Therefore I am now asking you for that documentation. After all, we are adults here and any reasonable person would understand what risks, if any might be involved, and any reasonable person would also understand his own skill level and any limitations he might have in doing such mods.

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You've got it completely backwards. The person suggesting that someone should violate their warranty and implement some changes that the factory doesn't approve is the one who has the burden of proof to show that their change won't hurt anything.

Leaving it alone will certainly not hurt anything - as shown by the number of Lexus vehicles which go past 200 K miles without problems.

So where's the proof that your modification won't hurt anything - particularly in light of the fact that people who have made these changes have had problems long before they would have in the normal course of things.

Toysrme has a 1993 ES300 which is mechanically the same car as a 1993 Camry. Here's an owner testimonial of the engine and transmission durability capability of an unmodified 1993 Camry: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/mastertech/cam.jpg  So that's the sort of durability standard I think Toysrme should go by when he claims this or that mod  (like adding hardware store Acetone and Seafoam to the gas tank, removing the EGR valve, modifying the transmission shifting, etc.) will not adversely affect long term component reliability and durability.

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Exactly. Transmission and engine failures in that car are rare. A transmission failure after implementing the suggested change is VERY suspicious.

jragosta You've missed a few things because you either didn't know them, or didn't know there is a bigger picture than you are looking at. It's no big deal.

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Yes, the bigger picture is that you're recommending modifications which void the Lexus warranty and have the potential to damage someone's car. Other people have reported engine and transmission damage after doing the mods you're recommending.

Yet you insist that there's no risk to doing the things you recommend. IOW, you have your eyes closed tight and refuse to acknowledge the there's a world out there that you're too blind to see.

1) I have never posted anything that I haven't personally done myself to verify that it works. Believe it or not - when I say something, I'm not full of *BLEEP*.

When I'm guessing, don't know something, or don't have first hand experience with it - unlike most people I SAY IT up front.

2) For the second time, maximum line pressure IS NOT INCREASED by making a throttle cable adjustment.

The

(Again) The only time your transmission is going to fail in relation to a TV adjustment is when you are substituting the FACTORY ADJUSTMENT for a VALVE BODY / CLUTCH / PUMP UPGRADE. If you're trying to hold more power than the transmission clutches can handle VIA the TV adjustment - You will fail! It's stupid in the first part.

It's already proven that even with a full out VB upgrade & dual coolers, the transmissions clutches simply can't keep the stock clutches pushed in hard enough -> quickly enough. Trying to substitute the adjustment for a rebuild is moronic.

3) The longer the clutch, band & brake material in the transmission work the hotter they get, AND the more work they are subject to. This doesn't work the other way around. At any case, transmission life is increased slightly (Tho I don't think enough to justify saying hey, you'll get an extra 10,000 miles out of it) because they not only operate at a slightly lower temperature, but they don't work as long all the time.

This has been an extremely common adjustment to make not just on this transmission, but on nearly every transmission from the 70's through the mid 90's before they went 100% electronic by actually monitoring line pressure. On top of all that, our transmission has a very weak adjustment range to begin with. Unlike some transmissions built closely to the maximum power output it can handle, ours are not.

On some transmissions, if you leave a TV, or vacuum modulator completely loose / off you'll grind the clutches to death because they're not being pushed in. This has proven to be not true in the case of the A540 family. I've found at least 10 people over the last 9-12 months having transmission issues where the TV cable was either way out of adjustment, or not connected at all.

jragosta ask yourself... Did SK's transmission fail from an adjustment, or did it just fail? Ya know there are weak areas of these transmissions... Ask SK about his transmission failure & read the other threads at the time. After I bashed the FAQ from errors, he bashed everything I posted for a week. Ya know he was nagging the threads for an underlying reason LoL ;)

This adjustment has been done too many times, by too many people, over way to long a time.

If you're going to argue, PICK AN AREA YOU CAN WIN. An FYI, adjusting the TV is an area ya can't win.  Arrrrrr

LoL! Find a different one. :D

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You can scream all you want. The facts are simple:

1. Lexus spends many millions of dollars designing their cars, testing them, and guaranteeing them based on their design.

2. Changing that design without an equivalent amount of testing is just as likely to cause problems as to improve things.

3. People have reported problems with the things you're suggesting. While it's impossible to prove that the problems were cause by the mods you're suggesting, you also can't prove that they weren't.

4. Given #3, I'd default back to #1. Lexus knows what they're doing. There's no evidence that you do.

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I think it would be incumbent upon you to document (prove) any of these cases of problems/damage due to any of these mods being done as instructed. Therefore I am now asking you for that documentation. After all, we are adults here and any reasonable person would understand what risks, if any might be involved, and any reasonable person would also understand his own skill level and any limitations he might have in doing such mods.

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I've already said that it would be hard to prove that the damage was caused by the modifications. But people report having tried the modifications that Toysrme is recommending and have had problems (a ruined engine in one case and a ruined transmission in another). Given the reliabilty of Toyota engines and transmissions, that OUGHT to make a person suspicious.

As for yours and Steviej's comment that 'we're all adults and people should be able to try whatever they want', I agree completely. But lots of people will believe a post from someone that says 'if you do this, you'll have miracles happen and there's no risk at all' -- when there is, in fact, plenty of risk. Instead of attacking the person who's pointing out that there is a risk, you ought to be chastising the person who says 'nothing can go wrong, trust me' when he's clearly wrong. At the very least, you screw up your Lexus warranty.

1) I have never posted anything that I haven't personally done myself to verify that it works. Believe it or not - when I say something, I'm not full of *BLEEP*.

When I'm guessing, don't know something, or don't have first hand experience with it - unlike most people I SAY IT up front.

2) For the second time, maximum line pressure IS NOT INCREASED by making a throttle cable adjustment.

The

(Again) The only time your transmission is going to fail in relation to a TV adjustment is when you are substituting the FACTORY ADJUSTMENT for a VALVE BODY / CLUTCH / PUMP UPGRADE. If you're trying to hold more power than the transmission clutches can handle VIA the TV adjustment - You will fail! It's stupid in the first part.

It's already proven that even with a full out VB upgrade & dual coolers, the transmissions clutches simply can't keep the stock clutches pushed in hard enough -> quickly enough. Trying to substitute the adjustment for a rebuild is moronic.

3) The longer the clutch, band & brake material in the transmission work the hotter they get, AND the more work they are subject to. This doesn't work the other way around. At any case, transmission life is increased slightly (Tho I don't think enough to justify saying hey, you'll get an extra 10,000 miles out of it) because they not only operate at a slightly lower temperature, but they don't work as long all the time.

This has been an extremely common adjustment to make not just on this transmission, but on nearly every transmission from the 70's through the mid 90's before they went 100% electronic by actually monitoring line pressure. On top of all that, our transmission has a very weak adjustment range to begin with. Unlike some transmissions built closely to the maximum power output it can handle, ours are not.

On some transmissions, if you leave a TV, or vacuum modulator completely loose / off you'll grind the clutches to death because they're not being pushed in. This has proven to be not true in the case of the A540 family. I've found at least 10 people over the last 9-12 months having transmission issues where the TV cable was either way out of adjustment, or not connected at all.

jragosta ask yourself... Did SK's transmission fail from an adjustment, or did it just fail? Ya know there are weak areas of these transmissions... Ask SK about his transmission failure & read the other threads at the time. After I bashed the FAQ from errors, he bashed everything I posted for a week. Ya know he was nagging the threads for an underlying reason LoL ;)

This adjustment has been done too many times, by too many people, over way to long a time.

If you're going to argue, PICK AN AREA YOU CAN WIN. An FYI, adjusting the TV is an area ya can't win.  Arrrrrr

LoL! Find a different one. :D

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You can scream all you want. The facts are simple:

1. Lexus spends many millions of dollars designing their cars, testing them, and guaranteeing them based on their design.

2. Changing that design without an equivalent amount of testing is just as likely to cause problems as to improve things.

3. People have reported problems with the things you're suggesting. While it's impossible to prove that the problems were cause by the mods you're suggesting, you also can't prove that they weren't.

4. Given #3, I'd default back to #1. Lexus knows what they're doing. There's no evidence that you do.

i agree,for anytone saying that these mods are stupid and ES isnt a sports car,while i agree ES isnt a sports car if thety dont like it then dont comment. These mods are posted for those who want to do it, i havent seen ideas this good on this forum yet.....

hmm i would try this tranny thing but im afraid since i have a 1996 es300,its already older. and for me im no engineer but isnt more pressure equal more heat???????? how is it the other way around.

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I don't mind people posting suggestions. What I mind is Toysrme's ignoring the risks involved when he posts all his suggestions. Then, when someone points out cases where his suggestions have caused damage to the car, he waves it away and says that they don't know what they're talking about.

Readers need to know that changing the car to do things it wasn't designed to do carries risks.

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The way I see it is if the MFG. engineered the automobile with adjustments, Then the adjustments should be taken advantage of , After all the MFG. sets everything very moderate , So if you want to readjust the settings so the car runs and performs optimally for the owner then so be it. MFG'S get you in the ballpark If you want to hit a home run, More power to you. [A fitting analogy ] My 2 cents.

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That's a silly argument. There are all sorts of adjustments in the car and they're designed to be set properly. When you change them, you're no longer in spec.

For example, your car has adjustments for toe, camber, and caster. They're designed to be set within the design range. Just because you CAN move them to the extremes doesn't mean that you won't wear out tires by doing so.

i agree,for anytone saying that these mods are stupid and ES isnt a sports car,while i agree ES isnt a sports car if thety dont like it then dont comment. These mods are posted for those who want to do it, i havent seen ideas this good on this forum yet.....

hmm i would try this tranny thing but im afraid since i have a 1996 es300,its already older. and for me im no engineer but isnt more pressure equal more heat???????? how is it the other way around.

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I don't mind people posting suggestions. What I mind is Toysrme's ignoring the risks involved when he posts all his suggestions. Then, when someone points out cases where his suggestions have caused damage to the car, he waves it away and says that they don't know what they're talking about.

Readers need to know that changing the car to do things it wasn't designed to do carries risks.

There was also the original A540-F with no electronics what-so ever! :)

I would doubt that caused the transmission to die.

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Attention readers:

This is a common trend for Toysrme. He recommends some modification to the car. When someone reports that they tried this modification and it caused engine or transmission failure, he waves it off and says 'the modification didn't cause it'.

All of these modifications carry the risk of damage. While Toysrme doesn't feel that he should warn you of that, you need to know that using fluids in your car that the factory doesn't recommend, or making the shift go much harder than designed, or increasing the pressure in your engine all could damage your car.

While you may want to 'upgrade' anyway, you should do it only on the basis of a careful evaluation of the risks and benefits - and only when receiving advice from an experienced professional. Someone who recommends all these changes and who simply waves off the risks (and the experience of people who have tried it) is not giving you balanced advice.

Water injection article I wrote:

http://www.biznetonline.com/02-02/water2.htm

I also just got back from SEMA.  There is a new unit coming out that is extrimly computer controlled and breaks the water into it's gas parts and injects the gas (H2o).

I'll tell more when I know it.

There is one thing I don't get.  I have an 84 Saab, I drive the hell out of it.  I have 350,000 miles on it.  Factory turbo.  5 Speed trany.  Added intercooler and water injection.  Have a "hot" APC box.  I have used no "additives" in it.  Change oil every 3,000 miles.  Keep it well maintaned.  Had to put a new head gasket on at 150,000 miles after jerk at a shop, took car for a joy ride (shop paid for it), Replaced cluch at 175,000.  Trany had minor work done at 200,000 miles.  Org turbo, never needed any work.  That has been it for major work, other then things like starter and alt, etc...

I know the top speed is 150mph.  I know it will handle 140 mph for 400 miles..  Like I said I drive this car hard.

So, what I don't get is on toysrme, if you are taking care of your car, adding these great aditives, then why dose you car keep blowing up?????

Is it that you don't believe in stopping at the red line, or????????

This is not ment as a jab.  I really don't get why your car keeps blowing up, if you are careing for it.

I would tend to be more open to your advise on car car, if it was working for you...  Or am I missing something...??

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Just be careful not to suggest that his use of Seafoam could have anything to do with his continuing problems.

BTW, everyone needs to read advertising with a huge grain of salt. They're taking something extremely mundane (injection of a mist which then evaporates) and trying to make it sound like magic ("breaks the water into it's gas parts and injects the gas (H2o)"). It's not always easy to see through advertising crap, but it's a worthwhile skill to learn.

The article you cite is a good one. They accurately point out that water injection has no value for most users, but could be beneficial for people with engines like yours that just beg for more octane. If I were driving a car which was marginal even on 93 octane gas, I'd probably install one. Still, you need to be careful because if it's not installed properly or maintained, you could get a lot of headaches.

M.R.M.

914lps I haven't used WI in months. See the thread I made with pictures of the latest head gaskets blowing up. The #2/#6 are normal, while #4 is completely clean. That's what WI looks like.

jragosta You have no, without a shadow of a doubt, Earthly idea what you're talking about.

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No, I simply quoted the person who had a problem. I guess you know more about his problem than he does.

BTW, how much does Seafoam pay you for this?