lexusk8

If the pinstripe is a sticker, it can be taken out pretty easily with a hair dryer or heat gun. If it's painted on, then it is more difficult to remove.

scorpiondad, I created the instructional write-up for the center console bulb replacement in the following link (pics included): http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...threadid=104934 Hope this helps out.

All 1994-2002 ES300 have the 1MZ-FE V-6 engine designation. Have fun at the HIN event. Look out for the ClubLexus group representing their rides there :)

Replacing the bulbs behind the stereo-and-A/C cluster involves removing the entire cluster from the center console and accessing the circuit board behind the stereo unit where the bulbs are affected. I did this before in my '01 ES when a couple lights behind the A/C unit burnt out. It was a pretty easy DIY process and saved my butt from getting taken by the dealership for $500 in labor charges :o Try to do a search on this topic; I remember this was discussed in the past. If you can't find it, message me and I'll walk you thru the process.

I have driven all-season tires thru all the winters here in NE (and yes, we have plenty of snowstorms!). No problems with the all-seasons other than the occasional slippage on steep gradients. Driver control is just as important as the choice of tires during the winter.

Thanks for the compliments guys! Neiltyme, I thought the same way about the wheels when I had them installed 2 months ago. I was getting tired of the stock 16's (the ones with the double 3-spoke design), not to mention that 3 of the wheels have curb rash. Scored an awesome deal on Ebay, and this by far is my most favorite mod on the ES. I really think these wheels look better on my gen ES than on the '02+ ES B)

Check the fuse for your clock; location of fuse should be mentioned in your owner's manual. If it seems OK, try to disconnect and reconnect the cable for your clock. This requires you to carefully pry out the center vent assy.

You need a metric Allen wrench (forget what size it is) to remove the 3 screws holding the engine cover. After you remove the screws, untwist the "L" emblem on the engine cover, and now you should be able to take the cover off.

These pics were taken after an early Sunday morning wash/polish/glaze/seal/wax session. Weather was beautiful for mid-October in New England, not to mention the scenery B)

I got stranded a few times earlier this year in my '01 ES, and that was due to a dirty throttle body. It would cause a rough/low idle in the engine. After Toyota cleaned it up, the car is back to normal so no more worries :)

And here is a pic of the Lexus license frame with the black nickel finish (my favorite) :D

I have 2 Lexus license frames. One from Ebay that has a chrome finish with an embossed Lexus logo at the bottom, and the other (bought from Carson Toyota in Carson, CA for $35) which has a black nickel finish (to match the paint on my car) and a 'LEXUS' chrome badge on the bottom. This is a pic of my license frame from Ebay:

metaspace, if you have the owner's manual for your ES, instructions for the A/C filter access are located in the manual. FYI, the filter itself is located behind the carpeting, to the right of the gas pedal.

Welcome to the LOC forum. Normally for timing belt replacements on a Lexus, they are done at the 90K mile mark, so you do not need to worry about it at this moment. Do you have info on any previous maintenance history done on your car? That should help you determine what work needs to be done and at what priority. You should esp. look into and see if the 60K service was done yet. You can do that by calling up your local Lexus dealership service dept. and politely ask them to pull up the service history on your car. They will ask for your VIN #, which is all they need. All Lexus dealerships across the US keep a national database of all cars' service histories, so they are accessible by any dealership.

I agree with Alan on the throttle body cleaning since the same occurrence happened to me in my '01 ES several months ago. It's esp. quite embarrassing to be stuck in the middle of a public parking lot with cars honking at you and all :o Anyway, I took the car to Toyota and they specially cleaned my dirty throttle body for an hour's worth of labor, and my car since then starts up and idles perfectly fine at all times.

Steve, as always it's a pleasure to have you at a NE meet, even more so with the EOS one. I don't remember if I mentioned it to you before, but the pinstriping job is done very nicely on your ES. Definitely creates a luxury theme all around your ride B) Might I also add that you took a lot of beautiful pics of the meet, and I can't get enough of seeing those beautiful modded GS's. We're all like a class on our own, and we know how to beautify the look and appeal of a Lexus more than the average crowd. I just hope these words, as well as Steve's pics, will attract some of you from the NE to consider interest in coming to future meets with us (Steve and I have participated in many past Lexus meets). It's an amazing spectacle to see these cars, and to also learn a little more about them and share some knowledge. Nothing like bringing like minds together! :)

Those plastic covers are for your heat seaters (if originally equipped with the car).

Sorry about that. The purchase price for my '01 ES was $18,900 at that time (asking price was $21K).

High mileage ES's (from the '97-'01 era) can be a bargain if of course the price is right and the maintenance have been up to snuff. As an example, I purchased my '01 ES last year for less than $14,000 after trade-in, and it had 64K miles at that time. I did not find a major problem with that car for the last year and a half that I have owned the car (other than the low idle problem, but that was recently fixed and partially my fault when I had a K&N filter installed). I'm currently up to 96K miles, had the 90K service done a few months ago, and this car still feels like a brand new and peppy car despite the high mileage

Change is good and surely doesn't happen overnight ;) :D One of the changes I like so far is the display of picture attachments from a post, instead of a separate link before the forum upgrade. However, I personally think the title banner of each page could use some sprucing up. It looks unattractive with the title graphic so small in size and sitting all the way to the left of the page (should make it centered at least).

My PIAA Xtreme Whites for the low beams (H7 type) have lasted about 15 months so far in my '01 ES, and they still remain white and bright like they were on the 1st day of install :)

Any license plate light is replaceable, sister B) On your '98 ES, use a small flathead and carefully pry around the circular plastic clip cover to the right of the license plate light. Then you can pull the whole light assembly out of its place and twist and pull off the bulb. From my recollection, the bulb type is 2825, and I'm sure you can find a Sylvania for that at your local auto parts store. I included a pic of how the license plate light is accessed from my '01 ES.

Since steviej answered the 1st part of your question, I'll tackle the 2nd part :D Bird droppings are harmful on any automotive paint, not just from a Lexus. If not cleaned off right away, they will slowly but surely eat away the UV-protected surface of the paint, thus leaving an oxidized appearance. Best to use a 50/50 alcohol-water mixture to clean off the bird droppings, and afterwards use a good polish and swirl mark remover for the final cleaning.