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wwilsonxp, I believe that the wipers arms can be parked closer to the bottom of the glass, because there are two starting positions for them, one for summer and one for winter. The winter position keeps the wipers further up the glass from the cowl, to help prevent them from freezing in ice and snow on the hood, in areas of North America where this may be a problem. On my wife's 04 ES330, one has to grasp the driver's wiper arm (when the wipers are parked) about half way down its length (not the wiper blade) and pull it up towards the top of the car firmly, until you feel it click into its new position. This winter position parks the blades about 4 or 5 inches up from the bottom of the windshield. That said, this is on an 04. Yours should be the same, BUT CHECK your owner's manual to be sure. When returning the blades to the summer parking position, just push the arm down until the blades are at the bottom of the windshield. You'll only need to do this on the one wiper arm, as the passenger side wiper will follow suit. As far as gas mileage is concerned, from your mileage (60 000) I suspect that you may need new spark plugs (iridium?), a new air filter, injector cleaner added to the fuel tank, a throttle body cleaning and properly inflated tires. You may also have to back off on the accelerator. Running at sixty mph (as we have to do here in Canada) yields far better gas mileage than seventy does.

I'd be awfully tempted to get some white grease on the latching mechanism to ensure its well lubricated, and possibly prevent a reoccurrence.

stprez, I very much doubt it will be a direct swap. The newer engines will require the entire new engine wiring harness, as well as its computer. The tranny you presently have may have problems communicating with the newer computer as well. Your best bet, would be an engine from the same generation ES or Camry V6 for the same years. I would try to find a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) engine from one of the larger suppliers from a major city in the eastern states. In Japan cars older than 3 years are junked by their owners because the taxation on older cars makes it much cheaper to do so and buy a new one. All of these cars are then stripped of their major components, and the engines, trannies, etc., are shipped world wide. None of them have more than 30 000 miles on them typically, and are warranted for a specific time. Check the major trade magazines (Auto Trader, etc.) ads for suppliers. Larger cities, New York, Detroit, Dallas/Fort Worth, etc. all have companies that sell them. You may be able to locate one not too far away. Good Luck!

Kishore, Unfortunately the only way to fix your problem is to get the trunk open first. Only then can you track down what the problem is. I would wonder if two things might be tried first. Try holding/pushing the trunk lid down while activating the remote key fob trunk release, or prying up on the trunk while doing the same thing. It may be that some of the dynamat or similar has gotten into the latch mechanism, preventing its easy release. If that doesn't do the trick, you'll have to go through the trunk pass through (behind the rear arm rest) and see if you can't grab that inside emergency trunk release handle with some sort of jury-rigged pole with a hook on it. If that fails, you'll have to pry the trunk open and cause some damage. Good Luck!

My wife's car has the adjustable shocks as well, and when and if they need replacing down the road, I'll be replacing them with either the standard struts from a V6 Camry of the same year (if the part numbers cross reference, because they are both basically the same car and share many of the same parts)or the standard struts from Lexus. The ES comes with both standard and electronic struts for that year, and they should both be interchangeable. One would simply not hook up the wiring harness to each strut, if you put in the standard ones, simply because there would be no place to attach them anyway. That would leave you with a non operating switch in the centre console, and the same ride as the electronic shocks set at their "normal" setting. Big deal.

Mike, It appears from the dealer's website that what you've picked out would be a good prospect. I can say that if I were in the market, it would be a definite car to check out. We've had our 04 ES330 (Nav package) for 6 years now and have amassed about 140 000 km ( 85 000 mi). Other than normal maintenance of oil changes, brakes, etc., the car has run flawlessly. I do all of my own maintenance and have only had to replace the sending unit (basically a small plastic volume control that can fit in your hand, that Lexus Canada wanted $500 for, and I purchased used from a California wrecking yard for $130 on eBay) for the self leveling headlight system. Any independent shop can work on the normal maintenance of the car. Specific systems and parts for a Lexus cannot be ordered from Toyota dealerships in Canada (I don't know if its the same for you in the US. Many parts can be found online though, headlights, entire speedometers, door switches, alternators, bumper covers, etc. So, somewhere down the line, you may have to journey to that Lexus dealer to correct something the other guys just can't do. That said, the cars are pretty much bullet proof. This one is our fourth, and will not be our last Lexus. They are about as reliable as anything you can buy. As for pricing and depreciation in your market, I'm too far removed from your location to have an opinion of any value. Good Luck in your search!

The fog lights are wired such that they can only be on when your low beams are on. They will turn off when you flash or turn on your high beams. The safety idea is that the fog lights as well as your high beams being on at the same time would simply blind oncoming drivers far too much. As the fog lights are presently wired, you simply cannot turn them on by themselves. They can be rewired to do so, but you will require an automotive technician who can provide the proper switching and wiring of the fog lights, as well as the required relays and fuses. Trying to do it yourself without the proper understanding is asking for trouble. Read that as very expensive fires, short circuits and melted wiring harnesses.

da7, The price difference may well be that the Lexus had a pretensioner system for the seat belts for your model year, while the Camry did not. I don't know for sure, but I had to take the driver's seat belt assembly from one of my wife's earlier ES300's, a 97. That car had the explosive bolt pretensioner system. There were large yellow warning stickers all over the B pillar post at the bottom of the frame, as well as on the seat belt spool. They didn't want anyone blowing off fingers or losing an eye if it was triggered by an electrical spark, etc., while taking it apart. If this was only a Lexus option, and not on the Camry of that year, that may speak for the price difference. You don't say where you are located, but I'd for sure try wrecking yards for a replacement belt assembly before I bought a new one for a car of that age. Or, I'd go online to eBay and purchase one there. I recently bought a used height sensing unit for the motorized headlights of my wife's 04 ES330, out of a wrecking yard in California for $130. The new part in Canada was quoted as just over $500 at our Lexus dealership. Good Luck!

Most rear seats are removed by pushing at the front edge of the cushion towards the rear of the car, rather hard, and then jerking the front up. You will have to do this on both sides of the cushion, as there is a locking hook located on both sides. From there its as described by 1990ls400. Good Luck!

As nice as an indash nav unit is because it is incorporated into the layout, you'll spend big bucks getting there aftermarket. Portable GPS units that you can purchase anywhere are generally more intuitive to program, and much less expensive to purchase and update. As well, they allow a passenger to program them while the car is in motion, while the factory units do not. Most annoying. My wife's 04 ES330 has the factory nav option and its unfriendly and not at all intuitive to use. It is painful to use when compared to any of the 3 Garmin portables that I've used over the years. The newer factory units may be more easy to program and use (I don't know for sure)and may be cheaper to update now. Updating my wife's unit costs more than any of the portable units I've purchased. Do some checking and researching before you commit to buying. Good Luck!

These motors operate on two wires. Hooked up in one direction, the mast goes up, reverse the two wires and the motor runs in the opposite direction, and the mast goes down. A test light hooked to the main connector from the timing module (usually on the side of the antenna motor) to the antenna motor when the radio is first turned on, should light up. After say 6 seconds or so it should go out. This gives the motor enough time to raise the mast, and then the clutch mechanism, inside the gear assembly, starts to slip until the timer times out. The reverse situation takes place when the radio is turned off. Check to see if you have power to the connector to the timer module when the radio is first turned on. If not, there is your problem. Either you have a break in a wire someplace, or the radio isn't sending any juice to the antenna circuit when its first turned on. If you do, then see if you have power from the timer module when the radio is first turned on. If not, then the timer is bad. If you do have power from the module when the radio is first turned on and the motor doesn't move, then the motor is bad. That said, these entire assemblies are easy to remove from the car and take apart and fix. In some cases, the gear box is riveted (grind the rivet heads off or drill them out, and replace with small nuts and bolts when reassembling), in others its screwed together. Good Luck!

Mrshim78, I stand by my first post! It looks like you found a very good candidate for purchase. Personally, from what you've already told us about the car, I wouldn't hesitate to buy the car. Pull the oil filler cap, look at its underside and in the valve cover opening for oil sludge/junk. If it looks clean for its age, you'll most likely never have an issue. If you want a car to stay away from purchasing, try a Trabant, or Lada, or a Jeep.

My wife's first Lexus was the 97 ES, and it was a beauty to drive, and as dependable as a Timex watch. It has no common problems to watch out for, other than the age of its components (hence the seals). That certainly is not too many miles on the one you've found, as we had 369 000 km on ours when we upgraded to the 04 ES, and it ran like a top when traded, and only ever required routine maintenance. Good Luck with your car search!

I agree with the others on this. You are perfectly fine with dino 10W30. The manufacturer delivered the car with that oil already in it, not anything thinner, or even a synthetic. The reality is that you have a 10 year old car, that will most likely still be on the road and going strong in another 10 years from now, provided that its not neglected and receives routine maintenance. The Oil Companies' hype on synthetic oils is way overblown for average drivers like you and me. If you are pounding on that engine every day, racing it, or driving in a fleet of taxi cabs .... then maybe you should invest the extra money and switch over to synthetic oil. Otherwise, save your money for that next set of tires, brakes, or the down payment of your next Lexus. If your engine had synthetic oil in it when new, then you should continue using it. If not, switching over now will possibly cause you engine seal leaks, and will definitely have you throwing money away needlessly.

Just a guess here. Maybe the previous owner had children and they have the child proof lock switch activated on each rear door. Get the doors open and then look on the back edge of each door to see if the manual switch has been thrown. Maybe it interferes with the power locks if they're on.

Scott, From what you describe the news is not good. You could have a whole raft of different things that are causing the symptoms. You may have a blown head gasket (hence the bubbles in the overflow tank), a collapsed radiator hose, plugged radiator, bad thermostat, or the water pump has gone south. The radiator fan may not be working or the block may even be plugged at some point. I'm sure there may even be one or two areas that I haven't even mentioned. The only way to know for sure is to start with the simple things that can be checked, and then go on to the next one, and so on until the culprit rears its ugly head. Good Luck!

Enola Straight, Caution!!!!! Disconnect the battery and wait 30 minutes before you mess with the air bag. If it goes off while you're working on it and your face is too close when it fires, your relatives will be planning a funeral. Air bags have an electrical capacitor that stores enough electrical power to fire them several minutes after an accident, even if the battery is destroyed at impact. Most steering wheel covers have screws on the back side of the steering wheel that have to be removed before the cover comes off. Others simply unsnap as you pull towards you. Once the cover is off, there will be some fasteners that hold the air bag, and once removed, the nut is underneath. Good Luck!

guy4rmsky, There are 4 sunroof drain tubes, two up front that exit down the A pillars, and two that run from the rear side channels of the sunroof, and exit down through the C pillar and out between the rear bumper cover and the sheet metal, just back of the rear wheel. If those rear drains are plugged, or the drain hose has come off the tube at the sunroof channel, you'll get water into the back seat area. If the tube has come off, its usually because the plastic tubing has aged and split. Sometimes you can put a long copper tube on the end of a compressor hose, and with the sunroof partially opened, get it back to the rear of the sunroof side channel and blow out the drain tube. The only other way is to pull the weatherstrip from around the rear door, remove the rear seat bottom and back, pop the C pillar moulding off, remove the overhead assist strap, and gently pull down the headliner to get at the end of the drain tube and reattach it or replace it. The only other way for water to get into the back seat area, is through the trunk seal, the tail lights or the rear windshield. Sometimes the shape of the trunk floor will allow water from these areas to flow forward and into the back seat area. You have some detective work on your hands. Good Luck!

ywtqeyuag, Chances are that the actuator rod from the lock to the the actual locking mechanism has come off the locking mechanism. Its held on with a plastic clip, which may have broken, or simply come undone and fallen into the bottom of the door. Regardless, the only way to know for sure and then make a repair is to remove the inner door panel and the plastic weather shield and take look. Been there, done that, not a lot of room, not a lot of fun, but doable for a DIYer with some patience. Good Luck!

hmkim, I would wonder if some of the trunk inner panels or the sound deadening materials under neath were left out by the body shop. Just a thought.

omee, Your problem may only be related to your having readjusted the headlights. The entire system is set at the factory to ensure that they don't burn out the eyes of oncoming drivers. You may be forced to set them back to where they were before in order to get the warning light to extinguish. I don't know for certain, but it would make sense. A Lexus tech may be able to readjust it, but it'll cost some bucks to find out. Good Luck!

omee, If your car has the same setup as my wife's 04 ES330, then your problem is the sending unit on the passenger side rear suspension. Get the car in the air and get under there, and look for a 5 inch long thin rod going up from about the middle of the lower rear swing arm. At the top of the rod is the actuator for the self leveling headlights. Check to see if its wiring connector is loose, corroded, etc. If not, it unbolts (10 mm nuts on it and the heim joints at both ends of the rod.) It has 4 screws that hold its body together that you remove to look at its interior, which is very simple ...two sweeper copper tabs that contact two circular copper rings. Really its just a volume control. If water got inside, things may be corroded and might clean up if you're careful. If not, ...you'll need a new one .... and they are huge dollars for what it is. I'm in Canada, and I was quoted $490 before taxes from the Lexus stealership. I went online and found a used one in a Southern California wrecking yard, shipped to my door for $150. When you get the new one hooked up to the wiring, turn the ignition on and move the arm up and down to watch the headlights sweep before you bolt it back up. Good Luck!

flipmode64, The noise could come from anywhere, and they can be darn hard to track down. Personally I would get the car on jack stands or on a hoist, put on some dirty clothes and safety glasses, and get a rubber mallet. I'd then start systematically rapping everything under the rear of the car from one side to the other. You might get lucky and spot the source. Also be prepared for not finding it, since the weight of the car may have to be on the wheels for the clunk to show up. In that case, see if you can get a garage that has a drive on ramp hoist (muffler shop, wheel alignment shop) so you can do the same thing while the wheels are on the ground. Good Luck!

I suspect that you'll find its a servo motor that opens and closes an air mixing door. Whenever there are problems that have to do with the HVAC unit, there may be a minor fix (I'll get to that in a moment) that's easy because you can lay on the floor and get at the culprit, or you may be looking at major dollars because the dash has to come out of the car in order to get at that particular area of the HVAC unit. Every car is different. Don't get your hopes up, but many issues can be corrected by doing a reset of the HVAC computer. Your problem may fall into this category. My 2003 GMC truck had no heat coming from the floor vents last year. Someone suggested doing a reset of the HVAC computer to correct it. I went online to a GMC/Chevrolet Forum and did a search for the problem. About 5 minutes of searching posts, I found a thread where someone had a similar issue as mine. A responder gave a link to the reset sequence, which I printed out, tried it the next day, and bingo! ... the floor vents started working again. The sequence was like "turn the key to ON, press the AC button and hold for 5 seconds, then press DEFROST". Nothing too complicated. I'd do a search for the HVAC reset code online, and if that turns up negative, go ask a Lexus Tech what they think the solution is. They may have the answer for you, or they may want you to part with some cash.

rustyshackelford, You don't say whether the blown head gasket resulted in any engine damage. When the HG blows the engine can overheat and destroy a great deal of the internals. Likewise, coolant can find itself into the oil and do much the same. It really depends on whether the head gasket blew and the driver shut the engine off immediately, or whether the engine was overheated and that blew the HG. Regardless, a 19 year old car with 180 000 miles on it doesn't qualify for a new motor. If all that needs doing is to replace the head gasket, get an independent service tech to give you a price. If there is more damage than just the HG, a used engine may be the way to go. Get a price from a wrecker to see what prices are like. There is also a 3rd way to go. Source a JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) used engine. When a new car in Japan reaches the end of its 3rd year, almost all of them go to the wrecking yards, because the taxes on a 4 year old car in Japan make it cheaper to junk the car and buy a new one. Consequently, Japanese auto wreckers sell these used car parts all over the world. In most cases these engines, trannies, rear ends, etc., have no more than 30 000 miles on them. In your case, even a used Camry engine of the same generation as your ES will fit. And there are a lot of those out there. If I were in your shoes, and the car was worth keeping and investing the money in, this the way I would go. Check the state wide Auto Trader ads to find one of these import wreckers who source their parts from Japan (they'll say so in their ad). In most cases, they'll even swap out the engine for you for $500 or so (been a few years since I checked it out, and may be more today) Any way, check out these choices and when you see what the costs are, you can make a better decision that works for you and your pocket book. I feel your pain. Good Luck!@