gbhrps

You're most welcome!

You're most welcome. Glad it was helpful!

jpb100, Every model and maker does it differently, but they all are very similar. Look inside the door handle area. The back plate comes off by prying it with a flat bladed screwdriver (tape the blade to prevent scratches). Under it is a screw to remove. Usually the window switch plate pries up from the rear. Be careful not to break off the tabs. Once up you can disconnect the wiring harness. And in the opening you may again see another screw to remove. The same may be true of the courtesy light. Pop out the lens to see if there's a screw underneath. If not, when you finally do start to pull the door panel, reach in behind to disconnect the wiring to the courtesy light. There will be 2 bolts or screws in behind the arm rest/door pull. The problem is finding them. Some arm rest/door pulls have visible plugs that pop out to reveal the bolts. Others have a back side to the door pull that opens up to find them. Others pop up at one end and then slide forward to pop off, revealing the screws. At this point you usually have to pop out each of the plugs down the sides and across the bottom, which you've already found. Then pull the entire panel straight up to remove it. Once you peel back the plastic weather shield, you'll see the harness to the mirror. If you have any doubts, go see a Lexus service rep and ask how its done. They should show you a blowup on a computer screen if you can get one to cooperate. Good Luck!

Pete Rock, My wife's first ES had the gold package and it deteriorated pretty quickly. That gold plating is very thin on the emblems. Maybe I polished the car too much or cleaned it too frequently. I do know that the standard chrome emblems on her other ES's stood up far better. I'm not trying to spoil your idea here, but just give you a heads up on leaving the emblems alone as much as possible, so that you don't wear the finish off. Good Luck!

Pete, You are most welcome! There is nothing classier than a black car that is cleaned and polished to perfection. One of my own toys is a 90 Nissan 300ZX that is black on black, and is a pleasure to drive when she's all cleaned up. Personally I keep all of my cars (a couple of antiques in there) as stock as possible. It sure makes them much easier to move at resale time. Then again, at 59, I'm pretty close to joining "the over the hill gang". Cheers!

Pete Rock, Personally, I wouldn't change the colour of your tail lights. If you change the amber colour of the turn signals, and during some signaled turn in the future you get clobbered in the rear by some one who claims you didn't signal the turn, and the police see that you've painted/darkened the lenses, you'll be the one charged with an offence. They were coloured amber to attract the attention of drivers following. Looking cool doesn't make it safe.

Devan, If the dealer has the complete history of the car, that's a plus. Reading through it should tell you a great deal about how it was cared for. The rust on the pillar thing may or may not be a big deal. If its surface rust, its a relatively easy fix. Tell the dealer that you expect him to repair it before you purchase the car. If its a rust through issue, there may well be major issues down the road to repair it, such as pulling the windshield to cut out the bad metal and weld in new, paint, resealing and reinstalling the windshield. It may be that you'll want to pass on the car, or once again see if they'll do the repair. You don't say whether this is a Lexus dealer who has the car for sale. If it is, they won't want their reputation ruined by not having the car well prepared for the next owner, as in, new rotors and pads, maybe new tires, doing the 160 000 km service, etc. If its a straight used car dealership without any manufacturer's affiliation, they may not do anything but what is required for the safety check and the Ontario emissions test. That should be indicated in the price they ask. At your inspection, look for repaint overspray (indicates collision repairs), front shock towers that show no rust deterioration, a clean engine with a fresh oil change (pull the dip stick), a black radiator showing corrosion, even worn tires, and a lengthy test drive at all speeds while you check every switch function for proper use. There are a lot of these in the market place, so be sure to buy with your head and not your heart. Good Luck!

Jeff, The washer motor may not draw enough amps to require a relay. This is just a guess, not a for sure. If you can find a relay listed for this system in the fuse and relay chart of your owner's manual, its easy enough to just swap the relay with an identical same coloured relay from somewhere else in the fuse /relay block. That will tell you if the relay is bad. Typically, though, the problem is a corroded connector right at the pump motor. If that doesn't apply in your case, you'll have no option but to pull the upper and lower covers from the steering column to access the combination switch that operates the wipers. Once you do, you might try spraying some electrical contact cleaner right into the openings of the switch base and cycle the switch several times. Do this with the ignition off, and then wait 5 minutes for the fluid to evaporate before trying it. After a couple attempts at this method, if its still a no go, you'll be off to a wrecker to get a used switch assembly. Hint: if you have to go this route, once you have the switch assembly loose from the steering column and have disconnected its wiring connector to the main dash harness under the dash, tie a heavy cord to the wiring at the connector before you pull the switch and its harness up through the steering column. That way you'll be able to tie the cord onto the connector of your new switch and use the cord to pull the harness back through the steering column without jamming up. Good Luck!

Dario, The engine was made to run on ordinary Dino Oil, 5w30. Toyota's engines, if treated well, are capable of 500 000 miles with proper maintenance. Unless you are going to keep this car until you have that kind of mileage on it, or you are going to race the daylights out of it at every opportunity, why waste your money? You bought it with 29 000 mi. on it, and you'll most likely trade it long before it hits 300 000 mi., or the body will have rotted off it by then. The engine will just be nicely broken in at that stage. Save your money for the things you really need to spend it on. New wiper blades each year, brake and coolant flushes and refills every four years, spark plugs every 60 000 mi., etc. Its your car, and its your money. You can spend it any way you want, but it doesn't make any sense in my opinion.

I believe I read somewhere that the dealer has to pull the radio from the dash to see the label on the radio's rear panel. It lists the radio's serial number, etc., which allows them to search the radio manufacturer's lists for the default codes to unlock the radio. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Igbeserk, I'll take a stab at a few of your issues. 1. Power window switches eventually get dirty and refuse to work. Sometimes it can be cured by spraying electrical contact cleaner into the switch and cycling the switch several times. You might have to do this two or three times. Do this with the ignition off .... and wait 5 minutes for the liquid to evaporate ..... before you turn on the ignition to try the switch, otherwise you may cause an electrical short that will fry the wiring. If this doesn't cure the problem, try getting a used switch from an auto wrecker. Remember that a Camry switch from the same model series should be interchangeable. I have no idea as to what "you are applying force to" in order to answer that question. 2. The gas strut that supports the hood is shot. An auto parts store will suggest a replacement. Be sure to get the correct one for your year. 3. The cassette drive may have a slipping or broken drive band. If you can get to the old one and get it out, a audio repair store will have a replacement, if they have yours for a comparison. 4. Replace the fuse with a known good one. Sometimes the fuse is bad even when you can't see that its burned through. Otherwise pull the panel and trace back the wiring. The ground wire may have come disconnected from the socket. 5.If you have snow like we have snow here in southern Ontario, Canada, the water was snow from someone's boots that the heater melted. Even if they had good rubber floor mats, the water sloshed over the mats into the carpeting. You can't do anything about this until spring. Then you'll have to remove the carpeting from the car, air out the interior, and when the carpeting is dry reinstall it. If this isn't your problem, and the water is still coming in, your windshield may be leaking, or the front drain tubes of your sunroof may have come disconnected. 6. Your rear windshield needs to be pulled and resealed, if its leaking. There is no other fix for this. If your front driver's window leaks, the driver's door seals need to be replaced. 7. Any dash or radio lights that are dim when the remainder are bright, indicates that these dim bulbs need to be replaced. Some Lexus vehicles that exhibit this problem require the entire dash panel to be replaced. Good Luck!

HumeLake, Tracking down electronic issues that are computerized can cost big bucks. The dealerships will just pull the old unit and install a new one, without opening it up for any kind of servicing. I suggest that you do the same, but do some homework at the wrecking yards in your state to find a replacement. Once the dash surround is removed, about four screws will allow removal of the old unit enough to disconnect wiring connectors and install a used unit. I won't even venture a guess as to what a used replacement will cost, but it should be your cheapest route. Disconnect the battery before you start any dash disassembly, as the slightest electrical short can spell doom to the unit. Good Luck, and let us know how you make out!

Kyle], Electrical gremlins as you describe strongly suggest that your charging system is at fault, most likely the alternator. Once the engine is running, if the charging system is putting out less than 12 volts, all kinds of strange things happen to lights, turn signals, dash lights, on board electronics, etc. As well, this doesn't sufficiently charge the battery, its internal plates sulfate and you get a battery that develops a short or won't take and hold a full charge any more. In winter, particularly a cold one, batteries have a difficult enough time just doing their normal duty without the additional problem of being under charged added in. Get to an auto parts store that checks electrical systems for free (Pep Boys?) and you'll quickly determine what needs to be done to correct the situation. Remember, if a new alternator is too much money for your budget, an auto wrecker should have several used ones for less money. Be prepared to buy a new battery as well, as your old one may have bit the dust. Good Luck!

Pete Rock, I fancy myself a backyard mechanic who's been in the back yard a little, and yes, since I retired from teaching 8 years ago, I work in an antique auto restoration shop to give myself something to do. We do some collision work occasionally and I can tell you that all cars built from the mid 70's on are pretty much the same. The A,B and C pillars just pop off when you pry them away from the steel structure underneath. Earlier cars used screws for the most part. Tape up a narrow bladed putty knife or wide bladed screw driver (so as to not scratch the panels) and simply pry one end up until you can grab it with your fingers wrapped around the whole panel. Give the panel healthy jerks away from the steel structure (enough to pop the plastic or steel grip plugs underneath, but not enough to break or kink the pillar moulding), moving down the length of the pillar moulding. In fact you can even slide the screwdriver down behind the panel to feel where the plugs are and pry them out as you move along. Generally there will be 3 - 4 plugs on an A and B pillar. The B pillar may require you to use a 50 to 55 Torx bit on the high mount seat belt loop bolt, to remove the loop when the B pillar is part way off. The C pillar should have 5 or 6 plugs and may require a screw or 2 to be removed. The screws may show up when you remove the rear seat bottom and then the seat back. Really, unless you go at them with vengence and a whole bunch of stupidity, you shouldn't damage any of them. After all, they were made to be put in place and whacked into final position with the heal of your hand, when first installed in the car at the factory. If you have any doubts, remove your rear seats by yourself and take the car to a collision shop, and have their tech guy pop them off for you. It'll cost you a few bucks, but you'll learn how to put them back on and it'll be someone else's problem if they break them. Good Luck, and I know what you mean by "Taking care of your baby"!

Pete Rock, I've had to deal with sunroof problems in the past and I'll share a few points with you. To do any repairs on a sunroof assembly the headliner must come out of the car. At that point you'll be able to sort out just what has gone wrong, but may not be able to do any repairs until the entire assembly has been removed from the car. Parts won't be cheap, but that is subject to how big an assembly has to be replaced, usually because individual parts aren't available. An alternative is to purchase an entire assembly from a wrecked Lexus or Camry of the same year as your car. This is not rocket science, and can be done by a street smart DIYer with a fair amount of mechanical aptitude. To get the unit out of the car the headliner goes first. Remove the headrests (you'll need the room when you drop the unit down). Then with clean hands (wash them regularly if you have a light coloured interior) pull the A, B and C pillar mouldings. The rear seats will have to go to get at the C pillars. Pull the mouldings around the doors. You might even need to pull the upper seat belt rings that the belts go through on the B pillar. Pull the overhead lights, assist straps, and sun visors. If there are any overhead plugs, pull them. The headliner should now pull down. Disconnect the the four drain tubes from the sunroof rails, the wiring connector to the motor and the sunroof computer, if its located in the ceiling. Don't forget to pull the sunroof switch as well. You'll find only 6 or 8 nuts that hold the entire assembly to the roof substructure, and with a helper drop it down and out of the car. Put the unit on a work bench, get your parts, swap them out, and using a separate 12 volt supply cycle the sunroof several times to be sure it works as made. Then cycle it into its final closed position. Put the unit back into the car, and tighten it down when you have it correctly positioned to seal in the roof opening. Then reverse the headliner removal. Its a task involving a lot of steps, but it is very doable. My experience was on a dual sunroofed Subaru Outback. It had a flip up front sunroof and a rear slider sunroof all in one assembly. The front unit had stripped its lift mechanism, and the parts (the entire dual scissors lift mechanism with track tubes was $234 CDN back 4 years ago) came as an assembly. Good Luck if you decide to tackle it! Keep us posted.

MichelNC, My wife has had her ES330 for 5 years now, has put 85 000 km (52 800 mi) on it and it is her second Lexus ES. She put 269 000 km (167 000 mi) on her first, a 97. Neither car has required anything other than routine maintenance, nor returns to the dealership for warranty work. Of all of the cars that we have ever owned these have been the most trouble free and most enjoyable to own. When the time comes to replace her present ES, we will buy another ES, and we will buy it from the same dealership. In the past I have owned several Nissan vehicles, none of which were Maxima's, and presently have a 1990 300 ZX as a toy. They have proven to be good, solid vehicles, and have had some repairs which don't fall into the routine maintenance category, but very few. From time to time my wife's work requires her to rent a vehicle for long distance travel, and twice she has brought home a Maxima, which I've had the chance to drive. They were both impressive vehicles and certainly did get up and go. Personally, I would pick the ES as a first choice, and the Maxima would get the second place. Good Luck with which ever one you choose!

Browar, You are best to stay with the exact engine that came with your car in order to get it to match up with your existing electrics, plumbing and tranny. A different engine will require a different computer in most applications as well. Unless some knowledgeable Service Tech can guarantee you a 100 % easy fit, don't change engine types. You are most likely looking at a world of grief and lots of bucks to get it to work correctly. You want an easy swap that will be painless and as inexpensive as possible. Good Luck!

RRCross, Three choices: order new from the dealership = expensive, try to find used one from a wrecking yard = may take some time, or search eBay = you may get lucky, then again you may not. I feel your pain. Good Luck!

Ditto. The passenger side power window switch needs a cleaning. Go to Radio Shack or an auto parts store and get a spray bomb of electrical contact cleaner (or volume control cleaner is what Radio Shack may call it). You can try spraying it right into the openings in the switch while it is in the door panel and cycle the switch several times up and down, all of this with the ignition switch turned off. Give the fluid 4 or 5 minutes to evaporate and then power up the switch and give it a try. If after 2 or 3 attempts at this it still doesn't work, you may well have to remove the switch from the door to get at its bottom and side openings and try spraying it again. If after all of this it still doesn't work, you'll have to replace the switch. Good Luck!

Your best bet will be an autowreckers or eBay.

Could be a wheel bearing, or an indication that a brake pad or slide pin in the brakes on that side are partially seized up and are not allowing the pad to release properly from the rotor after you use the brakes. Bearing noises are usually louder and change volume and sound as you steer sharply left to right and back again at various speeds. Best to check this out in a large parking lot. As for the brake rotor noise, it'll go swish..swish if things need to be cleaned up and relubed. The only way to tell is to try the parking lot manouvre for the bearing, and to pull the wheel when the car is off the ground for the brake noise. Good Luck!

Rob22, Yes, you'll gain another inch and a half without a sunroof in the car. My wife's 04 ES 330 has a sunroof and I have no problems getting my 6 foot 2 inches into it. Now, my 07 Subaru Outback Wagon has a dual sunroof, as well as a raised roof profile. This raised profile roof section (has been designed into Subaru Legacy Wagon and Outback Wagons since 1996, and you can get either model without the sunroofs in them) allows me to even wear a ten gallon hat and not touch the headliner. My 6 foot 6 inch older brother even fits into it. Its not a Lexus, but I'll bet you'll fit inside! Just a thought.

Lexigirl71, Depending on how bad the leak is, or where you park your car, you might just live with the leak problem. Unless you park on daddy's brick mosaic driveway (and he's awfully particular) or its leaking a quart a day, oil is relatively cheap. It may be far less expensive to put a quart a week into the engine at $2.50, over the next year, than lay out $700 for a seal replacement. As for the ABS, on a 12 year old car it could be a corroded or broken wire at one of the wheel sensors, or the ABS fuse, or the ABS unit may be partially seized if the brake fluid hasn't ever been flushed over the years. It may just be something minor. A Toyota/Lexus Tech can trace the cause fairly quickly and let you decide on whether to fix it or not. After all, it won't hurt the car to drive it without ABS (yes, you lose the extra safety factor of ABS) but you've owned and driven cars that didn't have ABS and you still survived. These two items come down to whether or not you are the type of person who really needs to have them fixed. In my case they would both drive me crazy until corrected. But in my younger years before money was no longer a problem, I would have lived quite nicely without fixing either one. You have some decisions to make, and you already made a good one when you bought your Lexus. Good Luck!

BigBoi, The Camry and the ES300 are cousins and many parts interchange. Get to a Lexus/Toyota dealership and ask the parts department to look up the part numbers for both models for a 95 to see if they interchange. If they do, you'll have a far better chance of finding an exhaust manifold from a wrecked Camry. Worth a try! Good Luck!

Mounder, I've never done a 93 ES, but have done loads of doors on many makes and models over the years, and they all have the same general makeup. The outside door handle usually has a metal rod that attaches to a tab extending from it. The other end of the rod extends down to the door latch mechanism, and when the outside door handle is opened, the rod either pulls up or pushes down on the latch tripping an internal arm that opens up the door. Most often both ends of this actuating rod are attached to the outside door handle and the latch mechanism with a plastic or metal clip. What usually happens when the outside door handle no longer unlatches the door, is that the one of the clips has come undone and fallen to the bottom of the door disconnecting the rod, or the clip has broken disconnecting the rod, or the rod has bent and is either too long or too short to move the latch internals. Occasionally the tab on the outside door handle breaks off, requiring a new door handle to repair. You won't know which it is until you shine a light inside the door inside openings and look at the rod from the outside door handle while operating the outside door handle. Be aware that there will be another longer rod coming from the inside door handle to the latch assembly. Don't confuse the two rods. Outside door handles with a thumb push button don't have the actuating rod, because the thumb button pushes against a lever instead. When these fail its usually because the back of the button has broken off. Motoroil, Your Camry manual will show all of the fasteners that need to be removed and will be very similar to your Lexus. Hints: Tape up the blade of a flat-bladed screw driver (to prevent scratches) and gently pry up the window and door lock switch plate. Once up, disconnect the wiring harnesses from the switches. Look for a screw in the opening that holds the inner door panel to the steel door (There may not be one.) If the panel has a courtesy light, pry up the lens and look for another screw (again there may not be one). Pull the inner door handle towards you, hold it and look for a plastic button or a plastic panel that fills the door handle recess that can be pried out. Behind it you will find a screw. Next check the arm rest for plastic plugs or recesses hiding a screw. Typically there will be two that you have to remove. If there is a triangular plastic plate where the outside mirror attaches to the door it must be removed next. Again plastic plugs hide screws, or it may simply pry off. Be careful not to break off any tabs. Check for screws down the sides and bottom of the panel. If none the inner door panel is pried off. Slide the screw driver between the panel and the steel door at the bottom corner and pry and pop out the plastic plug there. Travel along the bottom of the door and up both sides to pop out as many as 10 or 12 plugs in total. With the panel loose down both sides and along the bottom, reach in and disconnect the wiring for the courtesy light (if so equipped). Now grab the panel by its sides and rock it side to side as you lift it straight up until its top edge next to the glass releases. Don't force anything if you have a problem getting the panel off. Wherever it is not releasing there will be a fastener that you've missed. Track it down or see a Toyota/Lexus Tech to get some advice. Good Luck!