Lexusfreak

Great to see you around akewlguy! :)

True, they are getting much better when comparing to Toyota, Nissan, Honda etc (although still behind I might add)......but they are still far behind if were talking about competing in the luxury market with the big boys.

I do my best to avoid them as much as possible (keeping your distance from the vehicle in front of you & looking far down the road helps a great deal with this too) especially in the winter when the roads have a tendency to heave. My success rate is about 85% I would say lol. I shake my head when people just run right into them when they had pleanty of time to see & avoid them.

How expensive was the 3M one to install compared to others?

A very good 'sleeper' battery if you will to consider is the Kirkland Signature (Costco) brand. They are made by Johnson Controls (which makes many different batteries under different names including Interstate & Optima). I always get the one with the highest CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) & the longest warranty. The Costco is the identical battery to the Interstate Mega Tron model for about $50 (compared to double that for the Interstate model). More info here... http://www.autobatteries.com/

original tires for 05 were toyos POS i chnged em at 9K worn out POS change em now for Yokohama YK 520s they are the best for the price and with 65K warranty you cant go wrong I'd go for the Yokohama V4S over the YK's personally. The all season that came standard on my 05 is the Bridgestone Turanza EL42's......about on par with the Bridgestone RE92's......which is complete garbage in anything but dry road conditions.

Another vote for the Lexus All Weather mats.....followed closely by the weathertech's which are excellent as well, but do not fit 'like a glove' like the Lexus ones do. ;)

Thomas, what year(s) ES300 is your friend considering exactly?

I would suggest you tell your friend to research all the used models he is considering on various websites such as consumerguide.com, consumerreports.org & beleive it or not a site that has excellent & detailed used car reviews is www.canadiandriver.com I owned a 2001 Nissan Maxima SE 20th A.E. (almost identical to the I30) & had some trouble with it (my first car I purchased brand new & actually traded that in for my previous 2001 ES 300). Acura's (and the Accord of the late 90's & early 2000's) have tranny troubles. Here are some links that might help... 1997 - 2001 Lexus ES 300... http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/97-01es300.htm 2002 - 2006 ES 300/330... http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/cc/02-06es300-330.htm 1999 - 2002 Nissan Maxima & Infiniti I30... http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/bm/99-02maxima.htm http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/00-02i30-35.htm 1999 - 2002 Acura TL... http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/99-02tl.htm One thing that always bothered me about my Maxima is that it had a torsion beam rear suspension set up, not independent. Hope this helps.

I'm on my second ES (previous one was a 2001) & have owned it for a little under 2 months now.......so far so good mechanically. When buying one used, I highly suggest getting all service records & a 1 owner. Looking forward to many years of reliable service though.....The Lexus reputation pretty much speaks for itself though. ;)

Michael, Put the 3 tires beside each other (use Tirerack.com as well as they have a few pics of 2 of the 3 tires). You will see the Yoko V4S more aggressive tread pattern as far as wet weather performance is concerned. I personally have not had any experience with the YK520, but I do with the V4S & it's a very quiet tire....as is the Michelin. But I am aware that not only select stores carry the YK520 which I personally think is not a great thing (if they are that good, why does not most tire places carry them, why only discount tire?). Check tirerack for the Michelin Primacy availability (they should have the V4S in stock as well). Stay clear of that Bridgestone you mentioned......it's still to new to the market & not enough feedback at this point to guage it's overall performance. ;)

Welcome michael c B) Based on what your looking for in an all season tire & staying with Yokohama, I would go with the V4S over the YK520. It should be a better overall performer in the wet weather, treadlife is almost identical with a quieter ride & more readily available as well. You also might want to consider the Michelin Primacy MXV4.....it will suit what your looking for to a tee with a longer treadlife. B)

What size do you need & how much are you looking to spend for a set of replacements?

Post some pics of your ride after doing all this work. :)

Welcome Noah.

Pool Table

Top speed of the ES 330 is suppose to be 145 MPH......I'll take their word for it lol. ;)

The selling dealer is sending a set of the correct mats to me via courier & picking up the incorrect ones at their expense. They have apologised that it's taken 3 attempts to get this right (first set of mats were for an RX, the second were for an ES350).

Adultery

Did you get a couple of quotes from Lexus dealers first to see what how much they will charge compared to other shops? I find (at least in these parts) that some independent & chain shops charge just as much & in some cases more than a Lexus or Toyota dealer. ;)

I just got back from Lexus of London (Ontario) & had a cooling system flush & tranny fluid 'drain & fill' change (Amsoil synthetic ATF of course). If anyone is in the Southwestern Ontario area and are looking for a fantastic dealer to take their Lexus or Toyota (Toyota Town is the dealer on the Toyota side) to for regular service......you won't find a better one. Highly recommended with first rate people & their labour rate is very reasonable. B) I have a great sales contact (New or Used) there as well if anyone is in the market down the road, just let me know.....you will be taken care of. ;)

Current

Problem solved. :D

In some parts of northern Canada......it was in the -40's with windchills in the -50's for a few weeks straight. I would not dare lecture some of those poor folks on global warming lol.

Lord of the Flies.