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reikiwes

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Everything posted by reikiwes

  1. The $1,100 is not from the dealer... from independent mechanic. Supposedly includes Timing, Belt, Water pump, tensioners(?), and something else I forget. You think $1,100 is too high for this? Should I look elsewhere?
  2. So i had my first oil change today since the purchase last week, and had a great/strange experience. To preface this, I should say the car drives amazingly well, but it always felt a little "sluggish", and has even felt like it lost some power every now and then when driving at city speeds (20-30 mph). A slight hesitation I'd call it. I just thought this was related to the dreaded "ES300 tranny jerk of 'aught three" I read so much about. So.. I stopped at the local Valvoline shop and had an oil change, cause I don't know the last time it was changed since I bought it. I also asked for a transmission drain and fill. Not a flush... yet. I read in a post here to get a drain and fill first, then drive a while, then go for a full flush. Can't remember which post, or exactly the thinking behind it, but... it's also not the point of this post. So, they "called me back" and told me that all the fluids looked good and fresh, but that the injectors were dirty and not spraying correctly. He said the throttle body was very dirty as well. They offered a fuel injector cleaning service for $79 that would take care of that right now... Want it? I said yes. Not 10 minutes later, I see what appears to be THE ENTIRE BUILDING ENGULFED IN SMOKE. Six bays of this garage were COMPLETELY COVERED in smoke, to the point you could not see 3 feet in front of you. Well, I then realize IT IS COMING OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE OF MY BRAND NEW (to me) LEXUS ES300 MELLINIUM SILVER $389 A MONTH F$%#KING CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I realize that is dramatic, but... when I say smoke, I mean SO MUCH GD SMOKE I NEARLY RAN OUT OF THE BUILDING IN FEAR OF MY VERY LIFE. So, the technician come to me and says "don't be scared... the more smoke the better.. means it's coming out".. So I sat for nearly 20 minutes as smoke BILLOWED OUT of the tail pipe of this car. They would rev the engine and it would throw acrid smoke like 10 stage fog machines. I now realize my mileage indicator, when reset, has gone from about 17 MPG to about 20 instantly, and the hesitation is gone. Completely. Smoother than when I bought it , and didn't think that was possible. Now, moments before I wheeled in for the oil change, I had filled up with high-octane gas, and put a bottle of Chevron Techron in the tank, due to the rec's on this site. I FORGOT to tell the technician before the fuel injector service, and mentioned it during the "event". He said it wouldn't be a problem. I saw they also added something to the tank for cleaning. I hope I haven't overloaded my fuel system here. lol All told, oil change, tranny drain and fill, air filter (which was filthy), and fuel injector service came to $169. Not too bad, I feel. My next step is plugs (which he said were cleaned by this "service") and then the 90k service, which I just priced out at about $1100 plus tax. Thinking of trying the plugs myself, with some help. So.. has anyone experienced that much smoking during an injector cleaning and would it be normal for an '03 with 80k miles to smoke that much? I DEFINITELY feel a difference after the service, but that could be from the filthy air filter, no? Also, I asked about changing the PCV valve, as I've read so much about it. He said I didn't have one. "Not on that model.". That true? Thanks for listening!
  3. OK, if you choose to re-program your door locks yourself, here is the procedure as taken out of the Owners Manual: PERFECT! Worked for me. Really appreciate the scan of the manual. Thanks!
  4. When shifting into Drive, all the doors lock. That's cool. But when I park and turn off the car to get out, only the driver's door unlocks. Can this be changed so that ALL the doors will unlock when I turn off the car? It is frustrating to have a briefcase or something (like a passenger) in the back seat, and have to fumble with the key or door locks to get into the back seat. Most auto-locking cars unlock all the doors when switched off, so surely there is a way to do it on the Lexus, no? Help me out, if anyone can! Another quick question: For those of you who have been discussing gas mileage on the site, are you using the figures from the trip computer, or are you figuring it out yourself based on mileage and amount of gas put in? Just curious if you find your mileage indicator to be accurate or not, and if not, by how much was it off?
  5. Or, she wasn't selling any houses and couldn't afford it any longer!! I don't know about your area, but here on the Gulf Coast our real estate market has dried up. I mean NOTHING is selling. I've seen houses selling in the mid-$200k's dropping $80k-$100k in price!!! I probably couldn't sell my home now if I tried. I have a friend in Human Resources at a large company here in town that told me probably 25-30% of ALL his applications for employment are from former realtors. Three years ago, our small beach town was nothing but real estate agents and mortgage officers. EVERYONE wanted to be a realtor here because the multi-million dollar properties were selling by the truckload. You couldn't sell one now if your life depended on it. My neighbor was a realtor... a fairly popular one at that. She now "throws dough" at our local pizza joint making less than $9.00/hour. Heartbreaking, really. When I bought my house two years ago, there were less than 2,000 homes on the market in our small(ish) city. Now, there are over 8 thousand on the market, last I heard. Hope you are faring better. I think we're just getting hit harder because we are in a vacation/beach area.
  6. AH HA! I GOT IT! Took your advice and got in there with a screwdriver. There was something in there all right! No $300 sunglasses, but TONS of business cards. Previous owner was a realtor, and it had about 200 business cards jammed in it, keeping it from opening. Works perfectly now. Thanks SW03ES! So... now that I know the previous owner (purchased at dealer), I wonder if I should email her and ask why she traded it and what might be wrong with it, that she knows of? Would that be in poor taste?
  7. You know, I don't really know. I've got a moonroof and rear power sunshade and in-dash 6-disc CD and tape, but no heated seats or navigation or raindrop detection, or ML radio. Sounds pretty basic. If I look in the crack, I can see space behind the door, as if there SHOULD be something there, but that probably doesn't mean anything. I just don't want to force it open and all my moonroof wiring pop out or something crazy.
  8. Looks like I'm going to have to be a bit more "forceful" about it. I pushed on it, but it doesn't budge. Up or down. I would assume pushing up on it, it would "give" slightly and drop. No such luck for me. Perhaps someone left their $300 sunglasses in there for me!! (Or, more likely, their kid's $6.00 Mickey Mouse sunglasses with the ears, which is making it difficult to open. LOL!)
  9. Hey again. (I'm really getting my $$ worth with these forums. Thanks for all the valuable info, everyone!) I see that there is supposed to be a storage compartment (for sunglasses?) behind the moon-roof controls. Mine doesn't open, if there is one there. I know on my Volvo, the sunglass holder was just a "dummy" if you got the sunroof option, and was only functional if you did NOT have a sunroof. Can anyone confirm if this is the case for the ES300 (2003)? If there IS one there, has anyone had troubles getting it pen, and how would I do it without breaking it? All I can see to do would be to try to push a flat head screwdriver into the crack and pry it open, but this scares me. What to do?
  10. Search hates me, so perhaps you can help me out. I have read on the forum about the steering wheel squeaking or squealing when the weather gets cool. Well, since my purchase last week, the weather here in Florida has been above 80 degrees. Today, the temps went down to low 50's, and the whole way to work my steering wheel squealed as I turned it. I did a three-point-turn this morning, and laughed a little cause the noise was so peculiar. Definitely is coming from directly behind the steering wheel, almost like leather rubbing on leather, not so much a "mechanical" sound at all. Can anyone do a better job than me of searching the forum for that post, or does anyone have any experience with this noise? Thanks!
  11. Sorry to go off topic for a second, but what the heck is a Typhoon? Just curious.
  12. "SW, I guess you didn't read the original posters question since he didn't mention anything about a '93!" I think SW was referring to the poster below mine who was asking if he could put my 2003 CD player into his 1993 ES300. SW was telling him it wouldn't work. Sad to hear I can't play MP3's CD's, but not too big of a deal b/c I can use my iPod with FM Transmitter and stow it in my Center console. SO NICE that they put a cig.lighter power supply inside the console for things like this! SW: Are you able to play MP3 CD's in YOUR 2003 ES300? I see we share the same year and model.
  13. Howdy fellas. Well, this is my first day with my new 2003 ES300. Beautiful car with a fantastic ride! I didn't even realize it came with the rear power sunshade until I was driving to work this morning and pressed the button. What a surprise! The driver's side arm raises fully, but the other side does not. There also appears to be no "screen" attached to the lifting rod, either. so I basically have these two broken crazy legs sticking up in the back window (they DO go down, thankfully.) How much would this cost to get repaired/replaced? I have an extended warranty (3rd party, not Lexus) that is supposed to cover EVERYTHING, so I am hoping it will cover something like this, but not sure. It specifically mentioned it covers "All Enhanced Electrical", and goes on to list things like "window motors and lifts, sunroof motors and lifts," and all sorts of extra things, but of course, doesn't specifically mention power sunshades. Any opinions? I have also taken the advice of everyone on the board and ordered replacement keys from eBay, too. I have ONE original master key, but it is broken and has been glued back together. I bought the "shell" to put my "guts" into, so that key should be good, then bought an extra key with all the guts, and programming instructions. This should do it, right? Anyone had luck getting a regular locksmith to do the cutting for you? Or will Lexus rape me to cut an aftermarket key?
  14. Can anyone tell me if I would be able too play MP3 cd's with the factory "Premium" CD system on a 2003 ES300?
  15. I had read about the tranny concerns before I test drove it, and tried to get it to "react" like everyone describes. Drove like "buttah", as they say. Keep in mind, though, I'm coming from a Ford F150 pickup truck, 2004, with known "steering wheel and front end shudder", so anything would feel good. (If you own a 2004+ F150, take a look at other forums, there are as many people talking about the front end shudder as there are people talking about the ES300 tranny. Except, for some, the front end shudder has actually caused loss of control and accidents! YIKES!! Of course, Ford says there's nothing wrong at all... "it's a truck!") I'm going today at 4:00 to complete the paperwork for purchase. Here goes nothin'! Thanks for all the support, guys. I'll keep you posted. -w
  16. Thanks for the reassurances. Just drove the car and it's very nice. I'll let you know when I take 'the plunge". LOL -w
  17. Hey guys. New member, and hopefully, a new owner soon, too! I have my eyes on a 2003 ES300 with 79,900 miles on it. Interior looks great, but, obviously, I am worried about the high mileage. Dealer is asking $15,900 for the car. Is this too much for so many miles? Everything else in the 2003 range with less miles is $5-6k higher (lower $20k's). My concern is that I will be strapped with a high payment and not be able to afford the maintenance required to keep the car in good condition, or if anything tragic happens, like having the tranny go or some similar disaster. What potential problems can I expect with the 2003 with 70k+ miles on it? Basically, I need someone to tell me I cam crazy for paying so much for a car with so many miles on it, or to tell me I would be making a wise purchase, and that the Lexus quality and reliability is nothing to sneeze at and I will be just fine for the lifetime of the payments (5 years). (I have had NUMEROUS people tell me they'd never LOOK at a Mercedes with those miles, but wouldn't blink about paying that for a Lexus with those miles.) Someone please allay my fears (or confirm them). FYI: Here's a link to the car in question, and I trust the dealer a lot... they drive a HUGE business here in our town, and are VERY fair to customers, or so it seems. They are essentially a "no haggle" dealer, with marked prices their "bottom", if you know what I mean. Link to dealer: http://www.frontiermotorsinc.com/inventory.html. select "Lexus", it's the 9th or 10th one down.
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