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gtstcactus, Several possible issues for the non start. The alternator may be overcharging or not charging the battery. Get it checked at a garage when you do get the car started as it needs to be turning for diagnosis. The battery may have an internal short or be so sulfated that its no longer viable. A garage can load test it to be sure. You may indeed have bad cables from the battery to the starter selenoid, or they may be corroded and need cleaning. Clean up or replace. The starter itself may have a bad section of wiring in the armature (the spinning part). If the starter turns off and stops on this bad section, it won't spin the next time you try to start it. If it stops on a good section, it spins on the next start cycle. Get the starter checked, again at the garage. The brushes in the starter may be worn and need replacing. The starter selenoid may have gone south. If none of these items correct the issue, you will need a service technician to track done the problem, as you may have a short or a break in the wiring someplace. As for the strut ball, use the vice grips and get very aggressive with it. It may well break off in the attempt if its that rusted in place. In that case you'll need to drill out the broken bolt section and retap the blind nut in the fender before you can mount the new strut. Good Luck!

It is possible that the torque converter is on its way out. Prior to the Lexus branding coming to market, my bride always drove Toyota Cressida's. Her last one prior to her first ES300 had a similar issue that turned out to be the torque converter, but that was an early 1980's car. Hope it turns out to be an easy fix!

I'm not sure if you're repairing your original seal or attaching a new one. Either case black weatherstrip adheasive is available in a squeeze tube. You apply a thin coat to each part, let them sit for 2 minutes to become tacky, and then press the seal into place. It won't allow repositioning of the seal, so get it right the first time. Clear silicone is used for gluing glass together for tropical fish tanks and shower stalls, so it'll work in this case as well. However, there is black silicone sealant that would be a better choice, as it'll match the weather stripping and not stand out. You should be able to find it in auto supply stores. I've used black silicone sealant to repair weatherstripping in the past, when a chunk was ripped. Its only downside is that it requires 24 hours to cure before you can expect to use the parts and have them stay together. So tape the parts together well while the silicone sealant cures, to prevent its repositioning. Good Luck!

Congratulations on getting the job done for such a small amount! The sun shield is driven forward by a plastic or metal spring clip/rod, one on either side that catches the sunshield slide mechanism. The problem is that it is difficult to get at, and in many cases even see. Try sitting in the passenger seat facing the back, and with the sunroof closed, open the sunshade about half way. Between the sunshade and the sunroof side rails/water channels, you should be able to see a 3 inch long plastic finger or metal rod that reaches down towards the sunshade on an angle. It may either need to be pushed into a slot on the edge of the sunshield, or from the sunshield back into a metal/plastic tab on the slide mechanism. Each manufacturer is different and Lexus doesn't free up its workshop manuals to show up online that I've been able to find. You might try looking at Camry's from around the same year as your car (used car lots) as they'll use the same mechanism, or your old one. With the entire sunroof out of the car it'll be easy to spot. As for the weatherstripping, I can't really tell you what needs to be done without really seeing it. I can tell you that as long as it isn't ripped (you said sagging down) you should be able to reattach it with a good quality black (not the yellow, it'll show up) weatherstripping adheasive. Follow the directions exactly and let it set up on both the weatherstripping and the metal before you press it in place. As an aside, you might try your public library for the Camry/lexus shop manuals for the early 2000's. I've been told that our Canadian libraries have many of the auto manufacturer's shop manuals available. (though I've never tried it myself) All you will need is an exploded diagram of the sunroof assembly to answer your questions as to how to fix the sunshade and the weatherstripping. With your sunroof tilted up, you may be able to see better how to attach that weatherstripping around the glass. Good Luck!

mberto, I neglected to add that a search on eBay for your year will yield all kinds of aftermarket parts, some of which are a joke, some of which, according to one's taste, may be what you're searching for. Its also a good place to get an idea of what used parts are available, and from where. As to that headlight leveling sensor I referred to in my previous post, I found a used one from a California wrecking yard for $150 including shipping, and I had it in 3 days. Its a good exercise to do, because it'll give you an idea as to what is out there, and what the probable costs will be, particularly when the parts are for an older car. Good Luck in your search!

mrberto, The 2002 to 2006 ES's all share the same body parts, grills, door handles, etc. Certain years change the looks of the tail lights, although they are the same size and exterior shape. The 17 inch wheels will be a direct swap for your 16's. Aftermarket grills, tail lights, etc., may be available, but you'll have to do some shopping around because there are very few if any. That said, my advice would be to leave the car alone and save your money for maintenance issues down the road. There shouldn't be many, but if there are, expect to pay very big bucks for parts that can only be purchased from Lexus, and no, your Toyota dealership can't get you the Lexus parts. Our previous Lexus was an 04 ES330 purchased new and just traded for a 2011 ES350 in the last 2 months. The 04 was a great car, and absolutely loaded with every available option that year. Other than routine maintenance (oil, tires, brakes, wiper blades) it only gave us expensive problems twice. Three years ago the motorized headlights quit working. I diagnosed the problem back to the motor sensor activated by the passenger rear suspension. As the car floats up and down over road dips, the suspension sensor would raise or lower the headlight beams so oncoming drivers wouldn't be blinded. The sensor, half the size of a Zippo lighter, and just basically a volume control, was a $600 part strictly from Lexus. In the last year, the Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor went south and put the car into limp mode. Since our car had the Power Pedal option with memory, the 6 wire sensor only came available with the entire Power Pedal assembly as one entire unit. You can not buy it separately. Not only was the pedal assembly (brake pedal, gas pedal, brackets and motors) almost $1000, but to change out the assembly means pulling the entire dash and the steering column to change it. Imagine your dealership charging you for that work. Its your money and you can spend it any way you want, but my advice would be to save your dough for the gas, insurance, and maintenance. Its a classy ride. Why mess with it?

Lexus Brasil, You are most welcome!

baloo, I've worked on several sunroof assemblies over the years and I can tell you that none of it is rocket science or difficult to do. But it is time consumming, because you need to pull so much out of the car to get to the sunroof assembly under the headliner, overhead lights, sun visors, rear view mirror, ceiling plugs, overhead assist straps, inner door weatherstripping on all doors, A,B and C Pillar mouldings, front seat belt upper anchors, and on and on. That said, as long as you keep your hands clean (getting grease and dirt stains out of the headliner, even if it all comes out, will often mark the material and show up afterwards) fixes are fairly easy to do. Drop the headliner down on top of the seat backs, reach up and undo wiring harness to the motor and switch, undo about ten 10 mm nuts and bolts and the entire sunroof assembly can come out of one of the front doors, if the seat is fully reclined or removed from the car. (the sunroof was installed in the car through the front or rear windshield before the glass was installed, same with the headliner) Then its fairly easy to swap out the parts and test the unit out of the car with a remote 12 volt supply and the sunroof computer and switch hooked up. So you see, even if the parts were free, the man hours required puts the costs easily over a $1000. Many of the Japanese auto makers use the same suppliers for parts source, and undoubtedly there may well be a generation of Mazda or Nissan that uses the same part, but finding out that info would require you to know Japanese, even if a cross reference catalogue exists. So, no! Getting the parts from Toyota/Lexus is the only way to go. Try a wrecking yard, but you will most likely have to buy the entire sunroof assembly, unless they have a rollover where the sunroof, even though damaged, may still be able to be exracted and a good used cable removed. Honestly, I think you're going to have to bite a very expensive bullet and buy the part from Toyota (cheaper than from Lexus), and then search for someone who can tackle the job, but will do it just for the experience or for $10 an hour or so (A high school automotive student?) Either that, or get the sunroof back into place, and simply just leave it closed. Sorry!

Lexus Brasil, You may not be aware that the Toyota Camry (if its called by that name in Brasil) is the twin to the ES300 for that same year and generation. That means than many parts are interchangeable between the two cars. Power window switches, door latches/switches, brake rotors/pads, and on and on. I'd be willing to bet that the seat belts are as well, and the Camry ones will be far more readily available than the ES ones. Check with some wrecking yards to see what's available. Good Luck in your search!

mytea, We recently upgraded to a 2011 ES350 with the nav package and found out quickly that the fix you describe is exactly what our ES wants as well. Its a surprise, considering that the Garmin portables that I've used in my other vehicles cover all of North America without the need to zero in on a particular region. One can only hope that Toyota/Lexus have gone their route to be able to include much more POI's or allow the system to run much more quickly due to the search area being much smaller. Who knows?

mytea, Sometimes it comes down to inputting the required info in the manner that the Navigation system wants. It may be spelled out in the Nav Owner's manual differently from what you are doing. On top of that, the maps may be set up and named differently by the original map techs than what it is referred to by the local people. My wife recently traded her 04 ES330 with the nav package, so I'm familiar with your issue. For the longest time, I couldn't get the GPS in my wife's ES to find a small community 12 miles from my home. Locally we call it by its English name, but the GPS was requiring the French name, even though the French people there call it by its English name. Go figure! I know you don't want to hear this, but maybe its time to pay Lexus for the latest upgrade DVD for your Navigation generation. There are so many changes to the maps, etc., since that car was made, that you are missing a lot of info. They are available on eBay, but be sure to order the correct version for your year ES330. They are not cheap. And, its possible that your unit needs a reset, if you have the original DVD. Good Luck!

mrv8q, You've hit on your solution. Somewhere in your system is a dirty switch, a bad or corroded connection, or a component that has a cold solder joint, etc. It doesn't sound like you'll need to spend any money on parts, but rather spend time on pulling each of the components you listed and checking/cleaning each one in turn, until you find the culprit. While this can be costly to have the dealership/independent mechanic fix, its a DIY type of job if you're handy, have the time, have some rudimentary tools, and are somewhat mechanically inclined. People here can lead you through the dismantling of the center dash panels etc. for your specific year, if you want to tackle it. Unfortunately your 99 is too far removed from my present ride for me to be able to guide you through it. Hopefully someone will jump in with the steps required. Good Luck!

Baloo Belle, I found this on another Lexus site, specifically for your 2002 year ES300. It is the inialization procedure for the sunroof. 1. Push and hold down the "TILT UP" side of the switch until the moon roof tilts all the way up and then tilts down slightly (approx. 10 mm at the rear). 2. Check for proper operation of the "One-touch slide open/close" and "One-touch tilt up/down" functions by pushing the switch briefly to the "SLIDE OPEN" and "TILT UP" position. Hope it works for you!

Deni, I should have also added that a good many Toyota vehicles use exactly the same switches that your Lexus does. That being, armed with a picture of your switches (top and bottom), a visit to a wrecker could most likely yield replacements for far less than other sources. Obviously stay within 3 years either side of your 97 to get a compatible unit. Good Luck!

Deni, First off, a 97 ES is a nice ride! We really loved ours before moving up to our 04 years ago. From what you describe, the switches are usually the culprits. They can be cleaned, but since you've not delved into pulling door panels and changing out window regulators and motors, etc., it may be easier for you to just purchase used switches from eBay. Then have a trusted independent mechanic change them for you. The dealership is not the way to go. Basically you pop up the trim piece that the switches are in with a flat bladed screw driver tape to prevent scratching. Once they're up, unhook the wiring harnesses (don't worry, they are all different shapes and can only be installed on the correct switch in the correct manner). At that point you can change out the switch (its either clipped into the trim piece, or has two or more screws), or try cleaning it with electrical contact cleaner spray (Radio Shack, Pep Boys, etc.) and put back in for a test. I can't be more specific since its been too many years since I had my wife's 97 apart. Good Luck!

Dave, Use the suggested Iridium plugs, and yes, the plug change can be a DIYer. The usual practice is to pull the throttle body to get at the three plugs back by the firewall, hence the expensive shop hours required to do it this way. I've seen the same YouTube video on doing the job without pulling the throttle body, and I've read a step by step description of the same. The trick with the second method is to purchase a ratchet that turns by rotating the handle (I purchased one, but have yet to do the job, waiting for the miles to add up.) If you have small hands, its possible with this ratchet to replace the rear plugs. Its supposed to be a pain, but I'm going to tackle it this way when the time comes. Give it a try, and keep us posted as to how you make out. I guess if its too hard using the second method, you can always do it the way the dealerships do, and pull the intake manifold. Good Luck!

emperor, Typically, the surround molding for the center dash (HVAC/Radio/Center Dash Vents) simply pops straight out, if pried from around all sides. Some older cars from this era may have a screw or two hidden behind a molding that you pop up with a screwdriver (My 1990 300ZX does), and then you can pry the molding out. Take a thin bladed straight screwdriver and tape the blade with masking tape, to prevent scratching the molding and the dash. Then push it into a seam between the dash and the molding and pry carefully to force the molding clip to release. The molding should pop out about a quarter of an inch. Do the same all around the molding, and gently pull the entire molding straight out of the dash. You should then find that the radio/HVAC units?etc., are easily removed after you take out the screws around each of them. Pull the unit out that you want to replace and unclip its wiring harness connector. Good Luck!

reykay, If its not ball joints, I'd take a look at the brakes on that side. There may not be enough freedom for one of the pads to step away from the rotor during the turn, particularly if the calipoer piston is sticking slightly. I know it sounds silly, but I've been there before. Its an easy fix to pull the pads, lube their ends and the slide pins, push the piston back in, and assemble everything back. A trip around the block will tell. Good Luck!

Gentlemen, Since the day of purchase, my wife's 2004 ES330 has had flawless Automatic AC, until today. At startup the entire system worked fine, except that there was no cold air from the vents, and the AC button was flashing slowly. A quick check of the 2 on board fuses marked AC showed that both were good. Under the hood the serpentine belt was fine, and all other systems were good. A search online to another Lexus forum for similar symptoms gave the solution. On the 2004 ES330 and the previous 3 year ES300's all share the same fault. The Magnetic Clutch Relay goes bad and doesn't allow the AC compressor to be engaged and spun by the serpentine belt. Lexus knew of the problem years ago, and updated the MAG C Relay to an updated one that is improved in a TSB. Find the large relay under the hood in the fuse box labelled MAG C. It has a long part number that ends with the digit 2. Go to any parts store and ask for a cross reference to the updated part that ends with exactly the same numbers as the original, BUT with the last digit of 8 instead. Here in Canada I paid $30 for it. Stateside should be in the $15 range. Beware, that Lexus dealers want substantially more! Pop the new relay in, and unless you have a bad compressor, low refridgerant, or other malfunctions, your flashing AC Light should be gone, and the cold air should have returned. Good Luck!

Tod, In the antique and modern auto restoration shop that I worked off and on in for years we've changed a pile of window mechanisms and motors. Some assemblies have to be replaced as a unit (motor and regulator), and others the motor can be separated from the mechanism by unbolting or drilling out the rivets that hold the two together. Having never owned a 98 ES, I can't say what you'll find in there, but I suspect that a Camry unit for the same door and generation may well fit, will be easier to find in a wrecking yard, and will be cheaper to buy. Get yours out first, so you'll know what to look for. The hint that I can give you to make the job easiest, is to separate the glass from the lift mechanism. Some glass is clamped onto the rail of the lift mechanism, and two bolts need only to be unbolted to release it for removal. Other manufacturers have two bolts that go through holes in the glass and need to be removed. The glass is then rotated slightly to drop the front leading edge out of the channel the glass slides up and down in. It can then be wiggled and moved around until the glass is out of the rear channel and can be lifted out of the door frame. The key is to be able to lower the glass to a level where you can get to both of those glass clamps or through the glass bolts at once. There will be a point when the glass is lowered where cutouts in the inner door sheet metal will allow you to get at both bolts. Obviously the interior door panel and weather shield must be already removed. Once the glass is out of the way, all that remains is to unbolt or remove the rivets holding the motor and mechanism, and the front and rear glass channels in some cases, and do the replacement game. They can be a bit** to get out through the inner door openings until you twist/tilt/ open or close the mechanism in different ways. Good Luck!

Flat6, I think you're on the right track with your diagnosis, either the Master Cylinder or the booster. I'm leaning towards the MC. You might try another independent mechanic's thoughts on the issue. I've changed several over the years myself and its no big deal, but much easier to bench bleed it before you install it on the car. If you find the Lexus cost too high, try the Camry MC for a V6 of the same year. It should be the same unit, but priced lower. The Camry V6 pads and rotors are identical, although some of the slide pin rubber gaiters are not. Good Luck!

Graeme, You don't give a year for your ES, but the same year or generation of Toyota Camry V6, uses the same brake rotors and pads. (The various rubbers for the slide pins are not the same, however. At least that's how it is here in Canada and the USA.) You may be able to get the rear pads for a Camry, and they should be a direct fit. I can't see the smaller Corolla, 4 cylinder, having enough rear brake material to to stop a V6 equipped Lexus ES, but ....? If you're so inclined, you'll get the pads you need from eBay suppliers, some with free shipping, but then again, you are in NZ. I can't say how that'll work for you. Good Luck!

Gentlemen, As a followup, I'd thought I'd share my findings for this problem for those of you who don't have the Power Pedal option on their ES330. When I first started to look for a new APPS, the local parts store had the identical sensor for the accelerator pedal, but it only had a 4 pin connector instead of a 6 pin. The cost was about $150 CDN with tax. Online, the genuine Lexus sensor, again with just a 4 pin connector, could only be purchased already attached to a brand new accelerator pedal, for around $300 CDN. So for those of you who ever get the P2121 code, and don't have the Power Pedal setup, it would appear that you have a couple of much cheaper alternatives than those with a fully optioned ES330.

Gentlemen, My bride's 2004 ES330 went into limp mode 3 weeks ago and threw the CEL light on, as well as the Traction Control light and the Vehicle Stability Control light. Its 132 000 kms old and has never had a problem from new. My code reader showed the codes P2121 and P2128, both of which refer to the Accelerator Pedal Position Sensor as being bad. A trip to my trusted independent mechanic backed the readings up and positively identified the APPS as the culprit. A trip to the local parts store for the sensor discovered that our particular Lexus has a specific sensor that only Lexus can supply. A call to the dealership 70 miles away revealed that it only costs $876 CDN including the tax. Here's the catch .... the sensor comes attached to a new accelerator pedal, and because my wife's car has all the options available that year, including power pedals .... the entire brake pedal, accelerator pedal, and the entire motorized assembly for both pedals come as one unit, as one part! You can't buy just the one damn sensor that is held on with 2 small bolts and can fit in your hand. You are forced to buy the entire power pedal assembly. Here's another kicker ...... After pulling the lower dash panel ... its obvious that to replace the entire power pedal assembly as a unit ... you would have to pull the steering column and the entire dash! Now that you're all scared to death, I'll decribe what I did. After disconnecting the 6 pin connector to the APPS, I undid the one nut and one bolt that held the accelerator pedal to the power pedal assembly. Then I removed the same unit from the new entire pedal assembly I purchased on eBay from a Calfornia based parts supplier. An hour later I had the new pedal on the car, cleared the codes and the car is again running 100%. And now I have an entirely new Power Pedal assembly, minus the accelerator pedal, to use as a paper weight. Having all of the options is nice, its just that down the road its going to cost you at repair time. I do have to thank "Ifoundtheparts.com", the lexus parts store on eBay for getting me the correct part I required. They are amazing people to deal with. Their support personnel bent over backwards to ensure I got the correct parts, and for about half what my Canadian dealership was charging, even with the shipping and the brokerage fees.

gangstra1, Congratulations on your first ride, and a Lexus to boot! (I won't tell you what my first car was, because the laughter will be long and hard.) Some advice: Be sure that you need the shocks replaced, and always replace them in pairs, both fronts or both rears, or all four at once. Find an independent mechanic who you can trust to diagnose whether its the shocks or springs, or whether you need both replaced. Check with your friends and relatives to find one. In some cases the springs come already on the strut. Then, with your final say on which ones to buy, have the independent shop get the parts you need and install them. It will be hard to get some mechanic to put on parts that you supply, when he loses his markup on the parts if he supplied them. It sometimes puts their noses out of joint, if you get my meaning. Some mechanics will not have a problem with you buying the parts, others will. You will have a better experience with the shop, if you let them supply the parts. Also be aware that the same year Camry V6 has many of the same parts and my be interchangeable, and cheaper to buy. If your car has the ajustable electronic shocks, be prepared for spending big dollars, as these are only supplied by Lexus/Toyota, but you could change the ajustable shocks over to standard shocks, save a lot of coin, but would lose the ajustability. Don't get caught up in the brand names with lots of advertising game when buying parts for your car. After all, its already 15 years old and has a lot of miles on it. Buy good quality, but don't throw money away on Royal Purple lubricants, K & N filters, and the like, when lesser brands will do the same job for less money. Save the money for putting fuel in the tank, and that next set of brakes and tires. Good Luck!