hrly68

You have a couple of options. Since you have the key out of the lock, you can either go to the dealership and get a new lock for that door, (or get a used door lock from a wrecking yard) and take it to a locksmith and have it set up to match the key. Then either take the car to the dealership and have them put the new lock into the door, or do it yourself. Personally, I would get a new or used lock, get a locksmith to match it to the key, and because I've done enough car mechanics and restoration myself, I'd take the interior door panel off and put in the new lock. If you have that ability, it will be your cheapest route. If you don't have the experience to tear a door apart, you'll have no choice but to go to a dealer or independent garage that is used to repairing collision damage. It is not a job for the inexperienced who haven't the tools and have never done it before, but then again it is not rocket science. Good Luck!

Once again , I am glad I joined this forum ! everytime I get in a jam and look for answers here - I get them !

that sounds like the right way for me to go but I think I will take it to the dealer though . I needed direction and this is good direction .

another problem questioned and another problem answered !

thanks .

when we bought ours, it came with a separate keyed lock for the drivers door. it wore out, just like yours.

wish the previous owner had dealt with that in a less annoying fashion, but it works with the different key just fine. the little red alarm light comes on periodically when the car is locked.

I wonder were I can have that done ?

I have been waiting for it to happen and it finally did . my key has been sticking and not opening the drivers side for about a week now . I have been using lubricants to help the operation but today when i turned the key to open the door , something cracked and the key got stuck . the door was not unlocked and the key would not come out . after about ten minutes of wiggling , the key came out but the door was still locked . the passenger side will now open so i can open the car but the big problem is the alarm will not turn on . it used to come on when you locked any side but now the drivers side is broke and keeping the alarm from coming on . it seems to be in a open position but not operating the lock mechanism . i have to open the door from the inside .

i guess the real question is not how much will it cost me to get it fixed but where ? the dealer , a repair shop , a locksmith , myself with used parts ?

can any of the smart lexus owners out there offer any advice and how and where i can get a door lock fixed ?

oh my ! well thanks a lot for the heads up ! I did not know any of that . looks like I will use a good cleaner and get a tune up .

thanks again for the good info !

those were intended to be lifetime filters, so unless you got bad gas or something you don't HAVE to change it unless you just feel like doing so. here's a shot of it (you may notice some things are missing from the engine compartment ), it's the small black cylinder with the nut on top in front of the brake cylinder. behind the LH headlight, behind where that motor mount would go. it's so-so in terms of ease, depends if you're handy, if you're used to pulling cars apart. ;)

here's a shot of the engine compartment intact. mostly.

good luck!

I was interested in changing the fuel filter and I cannot seem to find it inline . I was wondering if someone can tell me where I can find the filter on my 91 es250 and please tell me if it is hard to replace ?

thanks alot !

MY '90 es250 with a automatic transmission just started hesitating when shifting . it seems to shift fine at low acceleration . but when I really step on it ,

there seems to be a real noticable hesitation . kinda like a slow loop . then it shifts and away it goes .

I was wondering if it needs a tranny filter replacement ?

thanks for the help !

well gosh darn , you make a whole lot of sense !

I guess i just need to buck up and take the vehicle to a mechanic . a professional is what this car needs , not a backyard mechanic - like myself .

I am glad this forum is here to stop dummies like me , from making dumb mistakes !

I will keep you posted after i take it to a mechanic .

thanks a ton for your common sense advice and the time you take to help guys , like me , out !!

whoa ! now i am confused ! the people i have talked to so far are sure i should use the block sealer before more serious damage occurs . but now i am not sure ? i know it will coat certain items in the engine block and heater system , but is not that the point so any leaks can be stopped from contaiminating the oil and causing engine contastrophy . right now , i do not have a ton of money to spend on mechanic bills so any easy fix would be welcomed . but i guess starting to throw money at small unnescessory fixes is proberly just stupid too .

but if block sealer is considered a negative application , why do some folks tell me to use it ?

my es250 has the same white smoke at warm up . I have been told it is the head gasket . the smoke stop as the engine reaches operating temp . a couple of forum replys on craiglist say i should try a block sealer . i was thinking of trying a k&w block sealer before i have the gasket replaced.

i park the car at night and make sure it idles a little before i turn it off so a high rpm factor would not apply to my white smoke . i start the vehicle in the morning and it smokes until it warms up . but i did notice a little smoke briefly in the afternoon yestaurday .

do you think the block sealer is a good idea ?

"Not often seen..."

Perhaps only as the engine warms up..?

Or....

When you let off the throttle after a fairly hard. HIGH RPM, acceleration...?

In the latter case the HIGH manifold vacuum resulting from closing the throttle butterfly valve with the engine still at high RPM would often result in sucking water into the intake manifold via a leaking head gasket.

But.

A leaking head gasket also typically results in undue pressurization of the engine cooling system resulting in coolant overflow.