DBrucher

My 90,000 mile tune-up was quoted at about 900 here at Anchorage's Lexus dealership. Not even 3 hundo for the parts, but labor was like $600+! ...So I bought a Chilton. :-)

About the cup-holders: Not sure how to fix it, but mine have always been difficult (Won't open without issues). First I cleaned all the gunk I could see from the outside and also from behind it by dismantling the inside of the console. Then I Armor-Alled the peiss out of every nook and cranny like it was WD-40. And STILL I have to give it some kind of 'Swooping Crane' karate CHOP! to get it to slowly open up. Glad I don't use them too often...

The sound quality was fine, I was probably going to put a sub in the trunk, though with its own amp. I was doing some shopping and saw some sweet Pioneer DVD screens I'm hoping will fit (I've never taken the radio out to assess space issues). I'm thinking of throwing no more than a grand into it, but there's no rush. There are plenty of other tweaks and issues I need to fix before focusing on the radio. It would be sweet to salvage a perfectly working disc-changer, though.

I think it has finally happened: My radio has gone dead. It was working fine this morning, then I turned the stereo off with a click of the knob, and 10 mins later when I turned it back on, everything appears normal - minus the sound. I checked the vast pool of knowledge from these forums and I guess what I've got my hands on is a dead amp. Understandable from over-activity probably (I likes my tunes). All the fuses are fine, the display (although still mostly 'delaminated') still going, the disc changer still switches disks...just no sound. So I either am going to replace the factory amp, or take the next step and put a newer replacement deck in. My question is: If I were to get some snazzy DVD display or something, would I even need the Toyota amp in the dash, or does it get bypassed? Also, with aftermarket decks, would my 6-disc changer become obsolete, or could it be incorporated? Would I just be better off replacing the amp and half-burnt-out display on the original?? These are all things I'll have to contemplate in the next few weeks while I take my vow of silence... Whaddyou think?

Thanks, pal. As of now, I think I might have to reprogram the buttons to the corresponding actions (remember, I cut the power). Last I heard, it was a beyotch to do. Time will tell.

Yeah, I've tried messing with the Valet on/off 'feature', but no luck. It seems to be slowly dying. Originally it used to flash the lights AND chirp the horn when accessing the features, but I turned the horn off. Now the Autostart and Trunk-pop won't work, but the lock/unlock does...Minus the flashy lights. I think it might be time to upgrade and rip this piecer out... I wish there was a full reset of the system and start from scratch.

Man, my fob is screwey. I've got a Compustar 1W900FMR that has been acting up and I think has finally gasped its last breath. That OR my car is fighting it like a virus: Sometimes I put it in park, turn the car off, and while I'm pulling the key out, it locks, unlocks, locks before I can get out the door. When that happens, I can't hit the 'all door unlock' on the doors. I'm only able to LOCK all the doors. Also, none of the buttons work on the fob (lock, unlock, autostart, trunk). Sometimes, I park and get out just fine. Then take a few steps away, hit the Lock, and can hear all 4 doors click happily. The other night, I sat out in the cold pushing all buttons and it wouldn't do the command, it would only make my lights flicker twice (and the heater dash lights, radio display, etc.). I've noticed that the red 'security' light on the dash is on all the time now. What did I do and how do I fix it? I've tried disconnecting the negative battery terminal for a few seconds, hoping to RESET something, but no. Thank God I don't have a security code on my Radio! But still, I'm stumped. I am yet to try replacing the battery in the fob, and I've got a question/request for exercism in to Compustar to see what's up. Any ideas? I'm hoping it's something easy like clicking the key from Lock to ACC 5 times fast or something. Thanks! DBrucher

No, that's what I mean: With a new alternator, where should I look next? It makes me wary to add subs in the trunk attached to this power circuit.

Word. I totally notice it in my dash-clock. You can barely read it with the RPMs low, then on acceleration, it's blindingly bright. And I replaced my alternator no more than 3 months ago. I wonder 'what the deal'.

Wow, Charger, you're in the same boat as me! I got my 103,000 mile 97 ES300 about 2 months ago and I've been doing gradual 'Car-Be-Good' upgrades and replacements to a ton of stuff. Replaced air filter (mine, too was super dirty), a fresh oil change to be on the safe side, put some Iridium spark plugs in, and today I'm replacing my brake pads with a 100 dollar set for all 4. Also I've thrown a few bottles of injector cleaner, Marvel's Mystery Oil, and Heet through the gastank. My car's had 3 previous owners and now me (Thank you Carfax) and the only one who documented scheduled maintenance was the first one. So I've got a good 70 thousand mile gap of who knows what. I'm also curious to what would be next on the checklist. Once I put a few thousand miles on my oil, I was thinking I'll just have Lexus give it a good once-over and do a full tune up with all fluids changed, engine cleaned, etc.

103,500 miles. I used to think 100K was a lot before I bought the car, but now I realize that's nothin'!

Hey, I've always been curious on how to have only the parking lights on and the fogs. I did the cheater's way of disabling the Daytime Running Lights, but I just wanted to see how my Ultra-blue fogs would look alone. Is there an easy way to do it?

Nah, I've got more flow than a new pair of kidneys. It's just after the dirty water disappears above the windshield, it comes back down on the driver's side at moderate speeds.

Is it a pain to put in 6x9s in the doors of a 97 ES300? I've got a set of Pioneers that I was contemplating putting in if it was worth it. Plus, I've got a Sony Xplod woofer I was also thinking of changing out in the trunk.

It being December and store shelves empty in the Washer Fluid section, a slight problem has come up: I've found that when traveling at any speed between 30 and 60, when I spray off the windshield, the dirty fluid streaks all along ONLY the driver's side window. When going slower than 30, it just drips down where it should go, and faster than 60, it flows along the car's natural curve on the roof. It's a pain when it drips down into the door because then the 1st roll-down and up leaves nasty dirty water marks. Passenger side stays clean no matter what the speed. The car SHOULD be symmetrical, right? I see no difference with a close inspection. Anything I can do? I don't want to have to buy those cheezy looking window cover things, but I may have to!

That thing is badass. I want one. I'd totally scrap the plastic for a chromed out backlit one.

For my 97 ES300, I've got some general concerns and questions: Well, for starters, I've got the typical radio display issue (half of it is basically unreadable for the a good 20 minutes or so of use, then slightly improves). Thanks to the info posted here on this wonderful community, I'll just go ahead and buy the replacement Pioneer display for 90 bucks. I was contemplating a whole new replacement radio because there's also a burnt out light behind the fade & balance knobs. That's no biggie though, just might have killed 2 birds with one stone. So THANKS to everybody for the posts. I'm looking to upgrade my air intake, but not sure where to start. I know the big, bulky air-box space could easily fit anything that's out there. If anybody's got any suggestions, I would be much obliged to hear. I'm hoping to up my gas mileage, as well as trick the beast out a little bit. She's already a ripper, but a little extra boost never hurt nobody. What does everyone get for gas mileage, anyways? I'm hovering around an average of about 25 city&highway. Back to sound system stuff: I've got a half-decent Sony Xplod woofer I might trade out with the factory speaker, but I'm not sure it would be worth a mean rattle coming from the back. Time will tell... Also, during a thorough detail job, I discovered that the passenger side door tweeter is completely missing! I don't know what happened with the previous owner, but I want my little tweeter back! I'll probably end up buying a replacement set and scraping the 1 that's still in there. Thanks for the informative posts, I'm sure this forum will save me time, effort, and money in the future.

I've got 20% all around with a 6 inch 5% eyebrow on my '97 ES300.