AZ08LexusES

OK Tom S. we all hate you too! ha ha. Did you buy your parents a Camry? Ok, you and saabkyle are the two guys who invented google!!! LOL I know about salt and snow....Pennsylvania is the same way....but maybe not the world's worst drivers' though. But you know what, I think Boston, MA has the dubious honor for having the world's worst drivers...I think Toronto is a distant 2nd then! :) Tom.S and saabkyle, NICE to see our younger generation having early successes :) I am 37 and got a killer deal on a UL w/ ML; however, after driving it for 1,000 miles I decided it was not what I was looking for in a daily driver and so I purchased an IS 350 - WOW, now that is a performance ride! BaddBoi What??? You went to the IS??? Have fun, should be great!!! Just not the family car that I can live with.

By luxury package, do you mean an Ultra Luxury, you know, with Nav, ML, Panoramic Roof, etc?

I am new to this whole detailing world, but have read a lot into this Zaino craze. It seems that there is a group of people that are so into Zaino products that they try to beat everybody else in the head with it. I don't want to open a can of worms here, but why is that? Are they motivated to promote it because they sell it or what is it?

It's the same one you use to connect your computer to the computer speakers. It's a stereo/aux cable with 3.5 mm stereo plugs on both ends. As mentioned here, you can find it anywhere and the cost can be from $2 to $35 (Monster, don't do it, don't buy into the hype!). If you have an old set of computer speakers that you don't use any more, just take that one, that's what I did... Now, about the digital music, the cable is analog, it is not a digital hookup. Although the music is stored in your iPod digitally, when it is played out through the cable (or the ear plugs for that matter) it has already been convereted to sound as opposed to ones and zeroes. So cable quality does play into it but nothing that anybody here would ever notice. Another trick, put your iPod at full volume and it will play louder in your car sound system.

No, I am not very anal. I am not good with lists, I used to make them and never go back to them. At work I wish I could hire a good list maker and maintainer, it's a skill that is so hard to find! I did print your list of what you purchased and put check marks by what I ordered to see what I will need next, so thanks! That's about as anal as I get. My wife is the list maker, honeydos, family goals, tasks, what purse she wants to buy next, etc. My son and I just follow what pertains to us.

I'll put some up after I get it nice and clean. Believe it or not, it rained yesterday here in AZ, and when that happens, you get a layer of dust with water drop marks on your car. Maybe I'll take a picture of that so you see what we have to go through!

Yes, it does have a clearcoat. My car is a smoky granite. Love that color. Follow the same recommendations you have read in this thread. Thanks, I have been quietly reading these. I am sure after I go through a whole detailing session it will not be as overwhelming. Right now, to start, it seems like a lot! Just got my first order from Autopia today, so this weekend I will do my first attempt! Nice! What did you order? I got the PS21 and a foam applicator (which will not fit in the wax container, haven't tried it yet to see if it will be a problem), the Sonus wash kit which has the shampoo, drying towels and other towels, and the wash mit. So, $80 later, I figured I wait for the rest. In reading the directions from the shampoo bottle, it says I should seal or polish first, so I guess I should order the Ultima Paint Guard Plus and applicator before I do the wax. I do not plan to get any machines for a while, so I want to make sure that whatever I get and use is safe to be done by hand. This may have been asked, but is applying the Paint Guard by hand safe?

Funny you should mention it... JGT started a thread on just our model here: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=45222. There's a lot in there, it will take you a while to go through it all. I would post this question there as I did for my color. There is a person that will reply who seems extremely knowledgable in the subject, detaildoc. Also others such as mburnikas and sw03es make great contributions. Check it out!

Yes, it does have a clearcoat. My car is a smoky granite. Love that color. Follow the same recommendations you have read in this thread. Thanks, I have been quietly reading these. I am sure after I go through a whole detailing session it will not be as overwhelming. Right now, to start, it seems like a lot! Just got my first order from Autopia today, so this weekend I will do my first attempt!

Hey no fair you beat me to it!!!!! Don't forget to post pics. You answered my question about polishing when you told me you had swirls and then ddoc said what you were using...so sounds like you are good!!!! As to swirls on my car, I have only used the spray car washes....I will never go to a auto car wash that has anything touching my cars paint. Did that with my last car and regretted it; also used cheap crap on my wheels and ruined them on my last car....that is why I started this post. Thanks to ddoc and SW03ES and mrburnikas and others, I won't make that mistake again and I will use good stuff. Now, I am probably not going to ever grow up to be like my hero detaildoc (ha ha), but I want to at least seal the paint and wax the car every so often to make it look good when I want it to. detaildoc is a mad man with his regimen (detaildoc were you in the Army?). Phew, I am not sure I could keep up with that and do my hobby (golf). On the PC or UDM, I may do that in a year or so also....but right now, I want to do it by hand. But hey rtj, you are now the expert huh (don't forget to post pics). Pretty soon I will have a second hero...you! ha ha! Too funny. Yeah, I will admit, I am pretty obsessive about my regimen, but so is every single one of us Autopians. Keep reading the Autopia forums and you will be detailing like a pro. How obsessive am I about detailing? Well, here are some pics of my detailing supplies. I got a bunch more in boxes. OMG!!! I bet you have it alphabetized. The only thing though, what's up with those extension cords all strewn about?

Bump- Anybody have an answer to this?

I have the spoiler, but I am not sure it is work $400 like I think they wanted for it (I negotiated this in). I, mean, it's ok but I guess I thought it would be bigger. If you look, you can hardly see it. In my old car (Pontiac Bonneville), the rear spoiler really made the car look better....I am not so sure with the ES. Just one man's opinion! I think the lip spoiler gives it a subtle boost. If you look at one that does not have it and compare it to yours you would notice the improvement. That's what I like about Lexus, everything is subtle, not so flashy. Flash is up to the owner and how far they want to take it.

AZ - I am not sure why you are referencing a hybrid disk????? The post doesn't refer to a hybrid disk; rather, simple instructions to use to override the system "manually". I woudl also not recommend to the masses purchasing a "black market" DVD as it is a serious piracy violation. You see, I too am in the software biz :) I just referenced the hybrid disk because the 08 has the latest software that does not allow the override, and that is why the hybrid was created. Until Lexus comes out with something different I will live with what I have, legally and ethically!

Does Smokey Granite have a clear coat? Any special instructions for that?

I wonder how much the hover craft option goes for, and does it fit in the trunk. Well, I got $6K off of mine, so MSRP was $42 and change and I paid $36 and change. Not a UL, but it has Nav and all of those features, parking assist, lip spoiler, etc. I went in during the "September to Remember" and we found a smokey granite (color we wanted) car that was being deliveredshortly. We started negotiating and got down to our final price over a few days (I was dealing with two dealerships in different places in the country). Even though I would have save a few hundred bucks on the car in Florida (dealer is a family friend), I figured that I would go with the local dealer. The travel and drive would more than make up for the difference. When I went to sign the papers it turned out that the car was an 08 instead of an 07! They were not expecting them so soon, and somehow the VIN number with the 08 was not noticed. The finance manager walked out with the paper work to discuss it with whomever he needed to talk to. End of the day, they honored our original deal. We were going to lease it, but then figured that for us, it would be a better deal to buy it since we wanted to keep after the 4 years were done. But, NavyRican, now that seems to be a great deal! Under $38K for a UL? That's crazy!

Now let's hope that the quality rating by people like Consumer Reports and others goes up. It's like the credit bureaus, one little slip up and you pay for years!

I would also recommend CraigsList! You will be pleasantly surprised at the number of luxury vehicles listed on this site. Good luck. CraigsList is a great free site. I don't have experience with luxusry cars, but I did sell my 99 Honda Accord Coupe the day I put it on the site! I showed it to the guy on Saturday and Monday we met at the bank where we notarized the title and I got the Cashier's check! Awesome!!! Good luck with that!

As JGT says, it may work for you, but the 08's have the next version of the software, that although eliminates the need to hit OK every time you start your car, you cannot override it. Some people have created what is called a "hybrid" which combines the old executable with the updated maps. The pro is that you can override it, the con, you have to press OK. Personally and ethically speaking, I would not buy a hybrid disk. One, because having been an software developer I understand that my income came from people buying the software legally. And two, I don't think I would risk $300 on buying something that is not guaranteed by the manufacturer.

The thing is that when buying an ES in the US, generally, you have one of three main packages to buy from. The basic package comes without NAV, Park Assist, and other creature comforts (not sure if it comes with BT, my guess is no). Then the next main package is the one with Nav, backup camera, park assist, BT, etc. The next level up would be the UL which has the panoramic sun roof, Nav, the sound system is upgraded to the ML system that has the DVD player, etc. Variations from this are fairly rare to find unless one wants to special order one from the factory, and that could take forever. You might go to the Lexus website or other sites like costco.com and say what options you want, but when it comes to it, it will normally have to fit one of these three packages. Dealers don't like to special order cars because there is more incentive to move what hey have in inventory and get the credit/comission right away and move on to the next sucker..., er customer. Now, you might find one with an adaptive cruise control or other really rare features, but not very often.

What is this clear bra I keep hearing about? A clear bra is a plastic cover applied with a sticky backing. It is sort of like that shelf paper with the sticky backing - forgot the name of it. Anyway, it is (semi)permanent and durable. Do a search of this site for posts on the good and bad qualities of a clear bra. From what I've read it is expensive and having a good installer is critical to it being applied correctly. Found some stuff on it... http://www.automotivearticles.com/Clear_Bra_3M.shtml and http://www.invisiblepatterns.com Has anybody here done it? What are your opinins on it? AZ - My 07 ES had one installed by the previous owner on the front bumper, side view mirrors, front windshield supports and most importantly on the rear bumper. Why on the rear bumper you ask? Well, how many times have you or the wifey loaded something into the trunk and it slipped and fell onto the bumper? Ah ha! Saves on the incidental scratches - also protects the car while in the garage around the kids! I've always had them installed on my vehicles and they are a huge paint chip saver, especially here in Colorado! However, make sure you spend the money for a good quality clear bra! The cheap imitations tend to turn "milky", hence ruining the beautiful look of your luxury vehicle :) Again, back to the wise old adage of, "You get what you pay for!" I don't travel on the highway so much, but already have a couple of noticeable nicks on the hood and two front quarter panels. Drives me nuts! I wonder if I should do it or not.

OOOH, aaaah!!!! Just curious, did you take the over head one from your helicopter? Can we get a picture of that?

ILUVLEX - Please note that some of the 2007 models experienced a transmission issue. In fact, I purchased my 07 (previously owned) and the transmission was replaced by the dealership prior to my purchase of the vehicle b/c the "software" fix did not resolve the issue. I would recommend reading as many posts on this site as you can before drawing your own conclusion on which model year she should purchase. Best of luck and enjoy! AND- do test drive it thoroughly and try to reproduce the transmission issue yourself. If the car has more than 10K miles and this behavior is not detected, it maybe alright, but do your due dilligence. I have an 08 and am extremely happy with it and I am aproaching the 10K.

How about this on the steering wheel: A is for the jacks to lift the car for repair, but can be used to jump when the car is moving. B is for belts on the tires, this way you get great traction and avoid punctures. C is for the cutters, you never know when you are driving in a forest and need to cut down trees in front of you at high speed. D is for the deflector shield covering the cockpit. And so on... Wouldn't that be ideal?

I was only joking about the MS Sync, it's fun to pick on the KOS (King of Software)! Being a computer geek and working in that industry, it has been done since the mid 90's... Baddboi, about the memory settings with the windshield wipers, lights and even the setting to have your mirros tilt when in reverse, what a great suggestion! And Appleton, the last wipe! It's kind of like going to the bathroom, no matter how much you shake it, the last drop ends up, well you know where...

I dont see a reason why you couldnt, my guess is that if you just do the speakers you will likely be ok. Mine has the base audio system and I think it sounds good other than the bass causing the speakers to rattle. When i first got my car the CD changer stopped working for about a month on an intermitten basis but latter started to work fine of coures when it was at the dealer they could fine no problem. Also the vol control stopped working on the unit itself but right now its working. Good luck Ira D - My CD player took 5 days for the dealership to discover the issue - a loose connection near the right front airbag - located in the support pillar of the door/windshield! Cool thing they found out what was wrong with it! Hopefully that will be it and no more issues with that.