gbhrps

Two thoughts come to mind. One, your problem may not be from the dash area at all. My 90 Nissan 300ZX developed a squeak /rattle that sounded like it was coming from the dash right behind the steering column. It drove me crazy because I couldn't find anything under the dash to cause it. I went to a 300ZX forum and posed the question. Ten people came back to say that the problem was the rubber bumper/height adjusters of the hood...at the front of the car over the radiator support. I tightened them up and lubricated them with weatherstripping silicone...and problem solved. The point is, don't discount that the noise may be from inside the engine compartment somewhere. Two, if you remove the tapedeck/radio from the car, and go for a test drive, and there's no squeak...you found your problem. Throw the radio away (just kidding). At that point you have other avenues to explore. Good luck!

The manual on my 97 says regular fuel, and that's what goes in the tank. The car runs like a dream, always has, and most probably always will. I'll use the money I save by not using premium fuel to help buy my next ES. By the way, my Nissan 300ZX manual says to use premium fuel, and that's what goes in the tank. I'll put my trust in the cars' designers and engineers. They built the thing and they will know its requirements.

Check carefully before you drill! You don't want any holes in your gas tank.

Thought of something else. Don't know the year of your car, but most of the Toyota/Lexus door switches just pry out of the door panel/arm rest using a screw driver that has been taped to prevent it scratching the panels or switch garnish.

I've had this problem twice on other cars I've owned, and the fix was easy, and the same in both cases. The electrical contacts in the window switch were dirty. I removed the switches from the door panel, disconnected them, turned them over, and using an electrical contact cleaner spray, I shot liberal amounts into the openings/seams, and activated the switch numerous times. Give the spray time to evaporate, reconnect it and try the window. You may have to do it two or three times to get results. If you are brave...it may be possible to pry the switch apart to do the job properly...but be prepared for tiny springs to toss tiny brass contacts about. There is danger of losing some of the bits or destroying the switch entirely. You can get the electrical contact cleaner at any Radio Shack or automotive parts supplier. You may find that the switch needs to be replaced, or that your problem lies elsewhere, buts its a good bet on where to start. Good luck.

If your car is the 97 - 01 body style, see the thread on page 5 entitled "Need Help Removing Door Panel". I hope this is a little more useful to you than, "the year might help".

AxelinDC, I'm not certain if your 92 is like my wife's 97, but I suspect so. In that case there is a separate key fob about 2 inches long, an inch wide, and a quarter inch thick. It is not a key but the actual remote itself with 3 buttons on the front, lock, unlock and trunk opener, and a red panic button on the reverse. Using a screwdriver to pop it open reveals a battery about the size of a nickle. Hope this helps.

Uma, I just did my wife's 97 myself, and purchased all new pads and rotors, front and rear, from our local Toyota dealer. (the Toyota Camry and Lexus ES300 are the same car essentially) The parts, with a 15 % tax here in Ontario, Canada, came to $560, roughly $400 USD. It is possible that from a Lexus dealer they may have cost even more. The parts are genuine Toyota/Lexus parts, guaranteed to fit and last just like your original parts did. Midas will use generic aftermarket rotors and pads, that may not be up to Toyota standards, and may not last as long, or perform as well. Considering the price Midas quoted you...it seems a little high to me, but could be accurate, based on whether they run into problems, and whether or not they are going to put in new emergency brake shoes on your rears. The other thing to consider is that your present rotors may just need to be turned on a lathe to true them up, meaning you could get away even cheaper. Then again that all depends on what state your original rotors are in. They may be thick enough to turn or too thin already. Turning a rotor is about a quarter of the cost of a new one. That could lower your costs quite a bit. Hint: get a quote from your local Toyota dealer to see if Midas in in the ballpark, and ask what the costs are if they can turn your old rotors. Best of luck with your pocketbook!

You are most welcome! Taking the time to get back to the thread to tell how you made out...it made my day, and will make me want to take the time to help out the next person. Thanks!

I'm very pleased with the Michelin MXV4's on our 97.

Your 5000 mile oil change schedule shadows my 6000 km (Canadian specs)schedule to a "T". For the cost of a filter and oil I've found it to be cheap insurance for trouble free motoring. Curiously, our last Toyota Cressida used the same 6000 km schedule and used not a drop of oil until it hit 5000 km. At that point the viscosity must have dropped off and the car would burn about a 3rd of a litre of oil up until the 6000 km oil change. This occurred from when the car was first new, and continued up until we traded it on our 97 ES 300, at which point the Cressida had 269 000 km on it. Change the oil and filter at every recommended schedule.

I had a similar problem back a few years ago, and the problem was the format burning of the CD. The particular burner software that I was using (I can't recall its name right now) allowed you to burn the music CD in 2 formats...one to work ONLY in the CD Burner Drive of the computer and the other format would allow the music CD to be played in any CD Drive or car CD unit. I would suggest that the software you are using most likely burns to the first format I described. Check to see if your burning options allow for you to change your burning to the second format. If not, you'll have to most likely get another CD Burning software package that does. I'm presently using a 3 year old one called NTI CD Maker 2000 Plus that works just fine for CD's that play well in the wife's Lexus and my Subaru both. Hope this is on the money and is of some help!

From a 97 workshop manual......remove the inside door bezel, by opening the cap over the screw just above the handle dead centre, and remove the screw. Remove the bracket garnish the goes around the door handle. Pop up the power window switch assembly as a unit. Inside the opening where the power window switches were is a screw near the rear that is to be removed. Remove the plastic cap over the screw in the upper corner by the tweeter and remove the screw underneath. There are 7 pop out plugs that hold the door panel to the door. They surround the outside of the panel and are evenly spaced. Use a screw driver to pry each one from the door. Disconnect electrical connectors to the courtesy light and the power window switches (label if there are any that are identical so that you know where to put them on reassembly). Lift the entire panel straight up to remove it. Reassembly is just the reverse of this procedure. Take your time, don't force anything, tape up your screw driver so you don't scratch any panels, and you'll make out all right Good luck!

Gentlemen, the problem may not be the battery at all, but rather a charging system that is not up to par. It may have been fine when the car was gone over by the dealership before you bought it, but that doesn't guarantee that something..the battery...the voltage regulator...the alternator won't go bad the very next day. After all, a used car is just that..a used car. No, you shouldn't have had a problem this soon after buying the car, and the dealer will most likely...if you give him a chance and approach him correctly...correct the problem. One other thing to consider, maybe you left the interior lights on, or a door ajar, which would do the same thing. The battery wore down but left enough to start the car, and your drive to the airport didn't charge it up enough, and your additional load of 35 minutes of radio time finally was the straw that broke the camel's back. I'd give the dealer a chance to check things out before I jumped to conclusions...and strung the guy up. "You get more bees with honey."

You don't say whether you purchased your car from a Lexus dealer or not, but assuming that you did, there is nothing dramatically wrong with your brakes. A Lexus dealer would go over the entire braking system of a trade in and would replace any half worn parts before it was sold. So you have nothing to worry about as far as the brakes failing or needing repairs in the immediate future. That said, the screeching and squeaking noises have 2 sources generally. There is a metal finger that as the brake pads wear down will eventually contact the rotor and make a screeching sound, indicating that it is time for brake service and new brake pads. Since your recent service check said that the brakes are fine, you have a vibration that is occurring when the pads hit the rotor. Usually the anti squeal shims between your pads and the caliper absorb this vibration and won't allow the squeal. Sometimes the mechanic will add an anti squeal sealant between the shims and the pads during their installation to further ensure no squeal. Sometimes the build up of brake dust can start the problem. Your solution may be to take the car back to the dealer and ask them to clean the pads and slider surfaces and apply anti squeal sealant to the shims. They should be more than happy to correct the problem for you, particularly when you took delivery of the vehicle such a short time ago. Hope it works out for you, and Welcome to the fraternity!

If you can open the door from the inside, then the problem will most likely break down to 2 obvious possibilities. The outside door handle has a tab that pulls on a rod the actuates the lock mechanism. Your tab is most likely broken off (usually happens in winter in cold climates like here in Southern Ontario, when the door handle is pulled while the door is frozen shut. After a winter rain moisture in the door freezes the mechanism or the freezes the weatherstripping to the car body overnight and when the door handle is forced the next morning..bingo). Sometimes the tab gets cracked and over time it finally lets go. Possibly the actuator rod the goes from the door pull to the lock mechanism has come unclipped. There's a plastic lock that holds the lock actuator rod in place, and if it has come loose the rod falls out of place then... no open. This may well be your rattle. Yes, you can fix it yourself if you are up for frustration at working in awkward/confined spaces where you really can't see that well. Get the door panel off, peal the door plastic weather seal down, and with the glass all the way up, you will see open ports in the door where you have limited access to the lock mechanism and wiring. I guarantee that you will need lots of patience, but if you are up for the challenge, and handy with tools, you can do it yourself. You mighty even get lucky and find the parts that have come undone lying in the bottom of the door! Good luck!

You really haven't given us any information in order for us to diagnose your problem. For instance...how long ago did the other caliper get replaced and why? Was it seized up? Has the brake system been flushed every 3 years and new brake fluid been installed? Brake fluid absorbs water from the air and rusts the brake lines and calipers from the inside unless its replaced with fresh fluid on a regular basis. Then again maybe your caliper had some damage done to its piston dust seal and rust seized it up from the outside. And what is the problem now? You don't give us any symptoms to go by.

Sorry to hear of your problems with a much loved car, and that you've decided to part with her. I'm happy to know that you're staying in the family. Wise decision. A newspaper out this morning with an article on the best used cars to consider buying, listed every model of Lexus available, among certain models of other manufacturers as well. Sure its a Canadian newspaper you say, but we're not all snow, hockey and Tim Horton's up here you know, eh.

Many Thanks for the link to the TBS! I'll give it a try.

One such source could be the trunk lid springs. Each is a long rod the goes from one trunk hinge to be anchored on the other side of the trunk by the other trunk hinge. Since they cross each other closely, and in some instances even touch, check to see how far apart they are at the midpoint between each hinge. I jammed a small piece of foam rubber between them on one car to cure the rattle problem. Could yours be doing the same thing?

Years ago I had a Toyota Cressida that had the same symptoms. There were never any strange noises from the motor though. Sometimes the sunroof would work, sometimes it wouldn't. Sometimes it would open by itself and then you spent 5 minutes trying to close it. The problem was corrected when a new sunroof computer was installed.

Can you be more specific as to what you called the "seat belt holder" that you cleaned using velcro? Are you talking about the rollup spool that winds up all of the excess seat belt at the lower B pillar anchor point, or the seat belt height adjuster high up on the B pillar opposite your ear when seated in the driver's seat? And just how does one go about cleaning off dirt using velcro, the fuzzy section or the barbed section? Please, I am not being a smart *** here. I honestly don't know what you are referring to, and I do want to fix the driver's side seat belt retractor in my wife's 97.

My wife's 97 ES has a similar problem. I pulled the B pillar trim panel and removed the bolts that hold the seat belt retractor to the body. I discovered that the retractor assembly is entirely sealed and has a LARGE decal stating that it encloses an explosive device for the pretensioner. This makes it a definite LEAVE IT ALONE type of repair. If I can find a low mileage wreck with the same colour belts I'll buy one and switch it out. I can only imagine that a Lexus price for a new one has to be right up there just short of astronomical.

One more idea. You've plugged and unplugged the connector at the door many times, so you would guess that its clean enough to be making a really good connection, but is it? The other end is also a possible problem. Pull the radio and dissconnect the main harness to the speakers. Is there a bad contact in either connector that needs cleaning? And what about the ground contact of the speaker to the door? If there is only one wire connection to the speaker at the door, the speaker must be properly grounded to the door itself. Is it? Put a temporary ground wire between the door speaker and a good grounded bolt head in the car somewhere and see what happens. Short of taking your car to an audio expert, I've exhausted my ideas. Hope one of them helps you out.

If you've replaced the speaker several times and the problem still exists, my guess is for 2 possibilities. One, there has got to be something inside that door that is loose and rattles whenever you get the volume up. It should be fairly easy to spot if you thump the door with your palm several times. If that doesn't find the rattle, because one may not exist, go to step two. Two, you already have the interior door panel off, go to a car audio specialist /installer and let them try to give you some advice. It may well be that that one output amp for the channel is gone. Either way, they should be able to tell you what your problem is, particularly with the panel removed. Good luck!