Lexusfreak

That's aweful steviej! :( very happy to hear that you are OK which is the most important thing. I hope the powers that be throw the book at this person!

There is a factory sticker under the hood of my 01 ES that states to use only iridium spark plugs as replacements. I asked the dealer to replace mine at 43,000 miles just so I wouldn't have to worry about them for a long time now. They replaced them with the factory original Denso iridium plugs & I asked for the old plugs back just to see how worn they were (just fussy I guess is the reason why I asked for them back). The iridium plugs have a higher heat tolerance over platinum (although a good plug nonetheless) and last a bit longer than the platinums.

The "V" rated Toyo Proxes T P T's (note, not T F T as there is no such tire) are more quiet, smooth & have a better ride & handling than the original Michelin MXV4's that came on the car from the factory so you need not worry about any sacrifice in ride quality.....they are considered a premium performance touring all season radial for around $100 or less per tire which is excellent value for a "top shelf" tire.

Check with tirerack.com to see what is available in your size & speed rating.....you should have quite a few good choices. B)

Agreed, I replaced mine (according to the Lexus dealer there are 2 fuel filters, the other in in the gas tank but VERY rarely needs to be replaced) and it is a steel tubing & canister unit and is a fairly easy part to change for a mechanic. B)

Poor Ford can't seem to buy a break the last several years & yes the Consumers Reports april edition of the best & worst cars 2004 was quite good & informative. You'll notice both Lexus & Toyota are at the top or right close to it in almost every category. B)

The Proxes TPT's are a very quiet, smooth tire & you will not take a beating in the least (don't read too much into the fact they are a "directional tire). They are a performance tire, NOT an ultra high performance tire :) If you get those, then you will be take a beating in ride quality as the sidewalls are super stiff & be jolted even with a small pothole. THe sidewalls on the TPT look very aggressive as well which is excellent from an appearance standpoint :D

What speed rating does your owners manual or sticker on your door jamb recommend for your car ls? That will either eliminate or include more choices.

I'd go with a bottle of factory touch up paint with the brush from the dealer & the 3M clear hood treatment type product. It hurts Mi I hear ya! :( However, you will get more as time goes along. The clear film is your best bet.....I think llumar (I think thats the name as they make window tint & clear film products) is a very simular product to the 3M & many people think it's a lot better in terms of being more clear so you don't notice it's even on the car (the 3M product has a bit of a "fog" in it's appearance). Neither are cheap to be sure, but neither is body work. My heart can't take the pain of stone chips on a brand new car anymore so I buy pre-owned pay about half the price & somehow it makes it a little easier to live with & not as painful ;) Check out www.llumar.com & the product is called "paint protection film"

your welcome acf, it's just the most "common sense" & rational way to go if you look at it. B)

very true ib, with regards to the domestic automakers. As it was already even before the survey was released the big 3 pretty much needed to look up to see the bottom as it was.....wasen't really a direction to go for them but up.

In this order... - Cashmere beige metallic :D - Pearl white - Silver - Black (but a pain in the to clean)

I did a total tansmission fluid replacement, used Toyota type IV fluid, cleaned the filter mesh screen & had a new transmission pan gasket replaced (Lexus part). The owners manual never stated that you should "never" do a total fluid change. In fact I wish the owners manual would be a lot more specific with regards to certain fluid capacities which are missing. Would you drain only 1/3 of your oil out of your engine if it was really dirty & only top up with new oil while leaving the old oil filter in as well? Same can be said for an engine coolant flush. :chairshot:

Let's hope so! B)

Well said sw & steviej! :D Let's see what the investigation says of the vehicles in question. The number of recalls by the domestics are staggering compared to the imports bad lexus, not to mention the awards for quality that Lexus has recieved over the years speaks for itself B) You think they were awarded them by accident? Have a look at the motortrend website for recall info if your intrested for the last few years, quite intresting. What are you currently driving out of couriosity bad lexus? :whistles:

How did things turn out with the gelling issue cowboyz? Just courious as to the details. B)

Check out the reviews on www.tirerack.com to see what other owners of these tires have to say about them. :)

This for the most part is correct. If you think about it, we usually drive slower in the bad winter weather anyways so it's not necessary to have a "V" rated snow tire. I'd try to go with an "H" rated snow tire however as I don't see why if it's cold & dry out why a snow tire can handle 75 mph.

Kind of unusual that the bags would deploy after being hit from behind don't you think? Was there front end damage as well jb? Just wondering if when the car was hit if it pushed it into something else which would explaing the deployment of the bags.

Good points everyone! I personally think Lexus will infact raise the bar slightly higher on the hp & torque numbers, just a question of by how much & when? We can speculate all we want, but the best idea is for us to be patient and see what Lexus decides to do in the end. It would be intresting to see Lexus come out with a performance arm like the "M" for BMW & AMG for Mercedes. The europeans are loosing significant ground in the quality & reliability departments according to the newest consumer reports 2004 cars guide. I'd take excellent quality, fit and finish & reliability over huge horsepower / torque numbers with breakdown or frequent repairs myself.

True sw, but the conti's do not come in the "V" speed rating that Lexus suggests for the ES. I think they are only "H" rated in those sizes. Which is no big deal to be sure at only 19 mph difference, but nonetheless.......I prefer to stick with a speed rating that Lexus has recommended at least for my 01 with 205 60 16's.

That would be great mr, I can't seem to get a straight answer on the ES threads to the question. I think I might have messed some people up a little because I have the factory AVS on it & I don't think anybody on there knows for sure if the mod is possible. If you can look into it when you get a chance, I'd appreciate it. :) Many thanks in advance.

My Toyo's have been fantastic & I'm very happy with them. The Michelin MXV4 are what came standard on my 01 ES originally, have a look at their snow rating on tirerack & I'll let that speak for itself The Michelim also have the same treadwear as the Toyo which is 400. Put both tires side by side and compare the tread patterns.....you will notice that the Toyo is far more aggressive over the Michelin & you notice the difference when driving as well. Wubb is correct, the TPT's are a 65,000 mile warranty. Not 100% sure about the conti's.

Same tire as a Mazda Protege ES with 16's.

lol steviej I agree however, the Bridgestone RE 92 were by far the worst tire I have ever owned especially in wet & snowy conditions at very slow speeds! is all I can say about em. Welcome ron! B)