Lexusfreak

One can bring these concerns to their dealers, however while your there you might want to pick up a bottle of touch up paint for the stone chips as I doubt one will get far with Lexus unless you can prove a serious paint defect. Nobody like to do touch up jobs, but for the most part, it's just something most of us have to deal with....especially on a brand new car.....it hurts :( unless one keeps their car in the garage with a car cover & never drives, otherwise paint chips will occur sooner or later.

What does your owners manual & your oil cap state to use for engine oil? My 01 ES states 5W30 which I use Mobil 1 synthetic. I'm not sure how much of an advantage the 0W40 oil will be in the long run compared to the viscosity grade Lexus recommends. Why do you want to use that grade of oil & how many miles on your IS? B)

Do you know when the last time your car had a tune up Il? if at all? The reason the members are suggesting it is in the long run it's a worthy investment to have the car running at peak condition. If the spark plugs are worn, fuel filter slightly clogged & even the air filter dirty.....it makes a big difference on fuel economy (especially considering the prices at the pumps these days). Do you have a digital tire pressure gauge? It's a $8 - 10 item that is worth it's weight in gold.......keep your tires at the correct pressure will also improve fuel economy. Do all that & I'd be willing to bet you will see a vast improvement even in the NYC area. There are even more things you can do but the ones mentioned here are the basics. B)

What's wrong with the power numbers on the current ES 330 now? 225 hp & 240 lb ft or torque are pretty good numbers......I look at torque number more so than horsepower & the lower RPM's the better for off the line & mid range acceleration. One has to remember the ES is not a sports sedan as much as it leans toward the luxury side of the scale. B)

Thanks sw! I was just courious.....as in a few years down the road, I think I'll pick up an 05 model with the 17's. All 02+ models come with a factory strut tower bar I think don't they? B)

Sw, thanks for your observations......I have to check the 05's out at my Lexus dealer one of these days. Did you happen to notice what tires came with the 17's? (please tell me they are NOT Bridgestone Potenza RE 92's! :chairshot: ) Lexus told me the 05 brochures won't be available for another month or so. Are they available in the U.S.? B)

When was the last major tune up on your ES Il? I get between 360 & 380 (mixed city & highway) & I got over 500 miles on a tank on my way to Florida in May! I use Sunoco Ultra 94 gas! (in Canada at least) It's the very best! B)

01 ES of course! :D B)

I use 5W30 Mobil 1 as well. I use what the owners manual suggests. Having said that, what is the milage on your LS? Some use the slightly thicker viscosity with a higher milage engine due to a number of reasons, one being the car burns a slight amount of oil due to it's age. Remember to use a top quality oil filter as well. I use either the Mobil 1 or K & N oil filter......stay away from Fram! B)

Happy to help littlerock......an "all season" tire is best for the ES as the vast majority have them on their cars. Some put on snows in the northern states & Canada (I'm not one of them as I have no room to store a second set of tires). The Yoko's are suppose to be great! One final on that is an excellent & I'm still learning about is the Falken Ziex ZE-512 which has a 60,000 mile warranty & is a performance all season tire. The Falken came in first place out of 18 all season performance tires by a popular Consumer magazine. It tread wear is 420 with traction A & temperature A. You can get them for around $65 mark per tire & I have heard excellent things about them. I am installing them on my wife's car this coming monday. Any of the tires I suggested are all good values, shop around for prices ask some questions that your concerned about & don't forget to get a 4 wheel alignment when you get your new rubber installed! Good luck B)

Intresting quiz. B) George W would still get my vote however as I never heard of the person you mentioned.

The best choices for what you are looking for in your size are: - Toyo Proxes TPT, Treadwear 400 (60,00 miles) traction A, temperature A (fantastic handling & even better in the rain & hard downpours). "V" rated & Very reasonably priced. My first choice! B) - Yokohama H4S, treadwear 500, traction AA & temperature A. Brand new on the market, I have heard excellent reviews but I do not know or have talked with people who owned them so I can't comment......suppose to be fantastic in all weather however & has a very aggressive tread pattern. Reasonably priced as well. "H" speed rated. - Michelin Hydroedge, treadwear 760 (80,000 miles) traction A & temperature B. Been on the market about a year and a half & has a very good rep so far. I suggested them for my sister in law & she loves them especially in bad rain & very good (for an all season) in snowy conditions but that does not apply to yourself as you mentioned. This is quite expensive compared to the others but you do get a longer tread life and a bit softer ride as it's a "T" speed rated tire. - Goodyear Assurance Triple tred, treadwear 740 traction A & temperature B. Very close in concept to the Hydroedge which will be it's main competition at a slightly cheaper price. It's gotton very good reviews & looks very aggressive especially in rain. I'm personally not a fan of Goodyear from past experences, but this is an important tire for them & it look like they have a good product. "T" speed rated as well. Hope this helps.......there are lot's of other choices but these would be the VERY BEST available in your size in what your looking for in a tire.

Agreed! Stick to either Toyota coolants, & you will be fine. B)

The transmission filter shouldn't need replacement......only cleaned as it's a screen mesh type that is re-usable. :) If your doing a 100% fluid change it might be a wise idea to clean it as you would be changing the gasket at the same time.

Excellent! Who knows, your vote might be the deciding one in November! lol B)

Not many options in that size?? :whistles: Dude, there are 74 alone in every all season catagory on tire rack!! & that dosen't even include the Toyo brand. What are the most important aspects you look for in a tire littlerock?

It's ZR rated with a 280 treadwear, traction AA & temp A. Fairly new tire on the market & has VERY high praise. I'd put money on the Toyo's over the GY any day. ;) B)

Agreed, & the more detailed a post is the easier it is to assist others with their concerns. I find people get annoyed (as an example) when a member post's something "I need tires for my car" please help ......details everyone! B)

Toyo Proxes TPT's are the BEST overall value! (including price). 60,000 mile warranty & fantastic in adverse weather conditions! ;)

Well there is a method behind my madness.....hence the question because I doubt the the Goodyears beat the Toyo Proxes TS-1 :D & I'd bet the treadwear is quite a bit more than the GY.......hence the better value :D B) ;)

PCV valve is part of the tune up process......it's regular maintenence...it won't make the car go faster, the tune up will help make the car drive & run as it was designed & built by Lexus to. The PCV valve is one of the most inexpensive parts to boot. B)

Agreed jr! B)

When using the flushing machine (can't remember the name of the thing now) they have to use several qt's to help clean out the entire system (one can varify this by giving several places a call that do this work - most places are not use to a customer bringing in their own fluids mine you) in order for it to be flushed out completely......not starting a war & I've not performed this service myself, but my mechanics were the ones that gave this info......I needed 17.5 litres total so I bought 18....I have a half litre left over in case of any top up......I was there to watch them perform the service so I know they used everything up & 'didn't sneak any' fluid for themselves or anything & my tranny level is perfect. B) I'm only going by my totals for my 01 ES. B) my statement never said the total capacity was of the trany was 18 - 20qt's.....I said you need 18 - 20 qt's to do the complete flushing service ;)