cp6689

lexusfreak, kashi125, steviej, Thanks for your comments. I have tire pressure checked at 32 all the time and EPA estimate for my car in city is 18 mpg. the traffic condition my wife encountered should be better than the "pure" city testing EPA did. I plan to get my sleeves rolled up but this time I do not have time, therefore the parts/remedies here you mentioned, I mainly have to ask the shop to check them up for me. I know there is a premium to pay but I am tied up this time. Lexusfreak, I saw you responded my the other thread! Nice looking car! Couldn't help praising again :) Stevie, I was considering an "upgrade" to the braking system. There was nothing wrong with current DOT3. In fact, I am a little withdrawn from that idea after talking to some of my friends that they either said "noisy" or "dusty" after the aftermarket upgrades. So, I have to weigh the trade-off. Thank you very much for the insights about how the old fluid is out. I will also put that into considerations. Great site, I joined for a while (since last year) but I will become a bit more active. Thank you everyone here. Sincerely, CP

Nice looking car !! Great job. Glad to see your '01 ES300 tint pictures, makes me wanting a tint more !! I know a quality job is necessary, so I am searching feed backs from Metro DC area. I heard "gila" film is good also, but not sure the news is true or just a rumor. Thanks for your reply and will update when I have a result. Best, CP

Hi, Summer is coming and I want to add window tinting to my car. However, I am worried about job quality and product durability. Can anyone recommend a good and inexpensive tinting shop in Northern VA (or Montgomery county, MD)?? What is your experience and how much did it cost you?? Any advise?? Highly appreciated for your help in advance. Sincerely CP

No on the smoke, now my older ES gets their hwy in the city? But my 98 is about the same rating wise and I get over 30+ mpg on hwy (easy) and 23 to 25 in city. In fact since 1-2008 most going to work is 23.5 to almost 26. I documented in since I have owned the car. In fact, 99% of the time AC on, in Houston traffic I do not go less then 21... Just saying someting is wrong with this guys car and if the newer ES get worse then mine, you would not see me buying one. Hell, my wife kiddie van gets what you are with more weight more, etc. Just saying wow... Plus I would also use some nice fuel adds in the fuel to clean the sys and get more mpg. I am also leaning to think my gas mileage is not right because it is in fact same engines since last generation ES300 and EPA gave it a similar rating. Besides this generation ES has Variable Valve Timing that suppose managing the engine more efficiently. I will check the air filter and PCV ( not sure what is this but will google to find out )... Glad to hear that the labor charge for the brake job is OK. I also will update the finding of suspension sounds I have. Thanks for the feed back from everyone . I learn from people's input a lot. Thanks CP

Thank you all for the prompt help. I now have some ideas what I will face when I bring the car to the shop. According to one posting here, it seems that my 17 mpg is an OK mileage. To answer the tire pressure question, I usually keep the tires at 32 psi. I could not tell the clunking sound is from the front or rear. But I will forward all the points you mentioned to the shop to check them up. Lexusfreak, Big thanks to the brake fluid info. Can you kindly comment the difference between "super blue" and "type 200"? They seem having same boiling points. I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION!! Can anyone here help answer me? The shop quoted me $300 for the brake jobs I plan to to do ( 4 wheels, chnage brake lines, fluid, rotors, pads ). Is the price right ( Mid-Atlantic region )? Sincerely thanks.

Hi, my ES-300 has issues. It would be highly appreciated if you comment or point out a direction how to troubleshoot. (1) I got low gas mileage comparing to other owners. The car currently only gets 17 mpg for moderate city miles, not much traffic jam and no air conditioning. The car is about 54K miles since new. (2) The car makes a clunking sound from the passenger side when driving over bumps, holes, or un-even surface. So far no shops had found what was wrong. The sound is low and annoying. (3) I plan to bring my parts for coming brake services. I expect an improvement, the question is, is the improvement significant? ( All parts will be on line ordered from tirerack ): - ATE premium one sloted rotors ( 4 wheels ) - Akebono Street performance pad ( ceramic, front ) - Akebono ProACT pad ( ceramic, rear ) - Goodridge G-stop brake line kit ( stainless steel ) - ATE type 200 DOT 4 brake fluid ( how many litters? ) DOES ANY ONE KNOW HOW MANY LITTERS OF BRAKE FLUID I SHOULD GET ? ( I will order online so no way to call to find out ). BIG THANKS IN ADVANCE !!

Thanks for the info!! The OBD2 scanner from local part store seems reading codes only. However, interestingly, last fill up I got 163 miles out of 10.5 gallons regular-unleaded. So the gas mileage is still low but seems a big improvement. I noticed somthing after my last fill up: 1) I rotated the tank cap more ( more clicking sound ) 2) I replaced all 4 head lamps ( I noticed a broken hi-beam, I am suprised that there was no warning on dash ) 3) The weather in Metro DC area was very warm for couple days ( near 70 when it was usually around 40 or lower ).

(Not sure how to check gas leak... I am not super handy when work under the hood)!! I tried to see a gas leak marks on the ground after parking over night but saw none! Is there a way I can borrow an equipment to test fuel line? Just like the OBDII scanner that parts store will lend for free. ( A wishful thinking :) ) SKperformance, I looked the term EGR quickly, Exhaust Gas Recirculation. Got it! Another possible cause too, how do I un-clog it (any gas tank treatment or oil treatments)?? mburnickas, Thanks for your hints on cleaning engine. It is hard for me to believe that my engine has dirst in it!! I always use Mobil-1 since first oil change... and I always go "popular" gas stations for gas up... avoiding "no-name" gas as much as I can. Again, thanks for all your help

Sorry for visiting the forum not as frequent as I wanna to. And million thanks for people's warm hearts here and trying to trouble shooting for my poor car. We now avoiding using ES as much as possible :( . However, more useless garage visits adds up the cost quick, may be even quicker than the extra gas we have to buy! And yeah, I can get a SUV and that kind of MPG here. I do recall 3 things may be related this Winter: 1) Around Thanksgiving I was in NJ and I parked outside, the weather is at or below freezing one day morning. I started the engine fine with first attempt but the ABS light did not go off until 15 minutes later. 2) 10 days later the "Trac Off" and "Check Engine" light went up together and stayed on for 2 days. I re-tightened the fuel tank cap and went parts store testing using an OBDII reader. The code is "P0440 - EVAP emission control system malfunction". I mentioned this to both garages I sent my car to (warning lights were already off by themselves) and they said that nothing wrong. 3) I noticed that my Hi-beam is burnt out 2 weeks ago (maybe even earlier), I replaced all Low and Hi beams with Sylvania's "SilverStar Ultra" (seems not as bright as the commercial said). While replacing the bulbs, I also checked all the fuses. Can anyone recommend a good (and low cost) Lexus shop for me around Metro DC/MD/VA? I will also go take a look at the exhaust (it is 9:20 PM, cold and dark). Again, thanks for the help and sorry not following my own "cry for help" closely! Thanks!!

Odd, isn't it? I even looked the ground where I parked and see no leaking either.

mb12345, Did you resolve your issue? I have a '01 ES and its gas mileage drops poorly in this winter too. I am curious about your current progress. Thanks in advance if you can share.

mburnickas, Please explain a bit more on "clean the engine (internal)". My '01 ES (only 52K miles so far) gets only 10.5 mpg last month! I went 2 garages that were highly rated by cartalk's "find a mechanic" but they found nothing. I will try to change plugs myself now since this issue with 2 garage visits have already cost me over $300 and no fix. Please help! Thanks.