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Bigbill, thank you for posting this! I realize that you posted almost a year ago, but it is still very much appreciated. I had a loaner car from the dealer several years ago (around 2007), and the ventilated seats were wonderful in the Texas summer. I originally had 2002 ES300 at the time without ventilated seats, but I recently purchased a 2013 ES350 with ventilated seats, and they are VERY disappointing. They are nothing like I remembered from the (new at the time) 2007 that I drove. It seems that something inside the seat material has been crushed and pinches off the air flow. When I lift my weight off of the seat, it gets a little bit of flow that I can feel on the bottom seat. However, when I sit down, virtually all flow through the bottom cushion stops. Does anyone know the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) number for this? My car is a CPO, and I'd like to contact the dealer to address this issue.

I got a response in another forum for this problem. Change the preset to another station, and then change it back to the original station.

I have a very strange problem with one radio station in my 2002 ES 300. Whenever I try to listen to FM station 92.5, I get a half second sound drop-out every 4 seconds. It's as if someone is briefly pressing a mute button everyone 4 seconds. It's really annoying. I have the standard radio without the sub woofer. This doesn't happen with the radio in my truck or with my home stereo. It's a strong local station an it's always done this. Does anyone have ideas as to what's going on? Thanks in advance! Jason

I just put on some of the new Toyo Versado LX tires. I am quite pleased with them so far. In addition to a smooth ride, I wanted tires that would be quiet and would stay quiet throughout the life of the tire. These are very quiet and are designed to stay quiet. We'll see. The Toyo TPT's were extremely loud when they got old.

Which Michelin Energies did they put on the front? There is more than one Michelin "Energy" tire. Did they downgrade your front tires? Energy MXV4 Energy MXV4+ Energy MXV4 S8 Energy LX4

No replies here. For better or for worse, I ended up getting Toyo Versado LX tires which are supposed to remain quiet for longer. They are much quieter than the old Toyo Proxes TPTs. I'm hoping that they'll stay quiet.

I bought a 2002 ES2002 a few months ago with worn 16” Toyo Proxes TPT tires (215/60/16) that are extremely loud. Any roughness in the road surface seems to be greatly amplified. The wear seems to even, so I don't suspect that alignment is a factor. My Ford Expedition is quieter on rough surfaces. I’m shopping for replacement tires which will be quiet throughout their life. I’m not a sporty driver and I’m not worried about top notch handling characteristics. There’s also a rumor that extremely long life tires tend to be loud (because they are harder), so I’m willing to give up a little life in order to remain quiet. I’ve read accounts from others who have complained that their Toyo Proxes TPT’s started out very quiet, but got very loud after less than 10,000 miles. They apparently have great handling and longevity. It seems that most tires are fairly quiet when new, but get louder as they age. I’ve seen lots of apparently conflicting tire reviews where the owners bash their old loud tires and laud their new quiet tires. However, some seem to have a reputation for getting loud faster than others. Reading reviews are maddening, because the reviews are very conflicting. Many of the opinions appear to be based on emotion rather than fact. I’d welcome comments and recommendations from anyone. I'm leaning towards the Michelin MXV4 tires, but I'm open minded. Here are some popular candidates: Toyo Proxes TPT: My current loud tires. Great tires, except for a common complaint that they get loud. Michelin MXV4+ or Michelin MXV4 S8. I think that the “S8” is a newer version of this tire. They are supposed to be good tires and most reviews (not all) claim that they are quiet. Yokahoma AVS dB S2: These have a unique tread pattern that are designed to be quiet. I don’t know how long they remain quiet. I read a complaint that the outer tread became loud after wear. They seem to be harder to find, though I think that I can order them from my local mechanic. Yokahoma Avid H4S: Some reviews claimed that they were quiet. Bridgestone Potenza RE92: Some reviews complained that they got loud after minimal wear. Bridgestone Turanza LS-H or LSV: Some reviews complained that they got loud after minimal wear.

The Avalon may have some common parts and a trim that is similar to the Camry, but it's a much different car to drive. It's quieter and smoother, more like the ES300 than like the Camry. The Avalon's suspension is much more mushy than the ES300's. Ask someone who has driven both. The backseat area is noticeably larger than both the Camry and ES300. I'd rather take a long ride in the backseat of an Avalon than an ES300.

My wife and I test drove a 2003 ES300, 2005 Camry 4-cylinder, and an 2003 Avalon. I was surprised how nice the Avalon was and also surprised at the difference between the ES300 and the Camry. The ES300 and Camry were roughly the same size. The Avalon felt much bigger and drove a little like a squishy whale. The ES300 and Avalon had a softer ride and were significantly quieter than the Camry. We thought that the E300 drove a little nicer than the Avalon, and that they were both noticeably nicer than the Camry. The Avalon is a very nice car if you need the room. I was originally looking for a Camry XLE (top of the line with nice features), but there were very few of these models for sale used, especially with the V6. We ended up getting a 2002 ES300 and we've been very happy with it.

I managed to get the original jack! Thanks for the replies! Jason

I just bought a used 2002 ES300 that is missing the jack. The various tools in the kit are in the trunk, but the jack itself is missing. Does anyone have any suggestions for a replacement? Is it worth getting one from a Lexus dealer? It would be nice to have one that fits exactly in the toolkit. I guessing that I might be able to save some money by buying one from a local parts store, but it might flop around in the trunk if it doesn't fit in the tool kit. Also, how hard is it to find a generic (non-Lexus) jack that will work for this car? I've heard that some cars are oddly shaped and that not just any jack will work with it. What weight rating should I look for? Update: A replacement jack from my local Lexus dealer is $125.81 A 1.5 ton scissor jack from Autozone is $24.99 Thanks in advance! Jason