lexusk8

You roll the windows down/up when inserting the master key on either front door and turning it. It also closes/opens the moonroof (at least in my '01 ES), which I thought was unusual

It's definitely a different experience dealing with black cars on hot summer days, so I usually do a few things to keep the interior "sub"-hot while the ES is parked: - keep a windshield sunscreen up - lay a towel over the wood steering wheel (so I don't burn myself) - clean/condition the interior on a frequent basis (once a week during the summer) - just received Vinylex, so I will certainly apply some of that to the dashboard too - keep all windows slightly cracked open (if the parking area is safe) ;) - tint would help greatly, but I don't see the practical need of tint in CT

Your impressions sound like mine when I first got my '01 ES last April ;) I tend to liken the ES to a luxo-cruiser car, not in the least bit to a sports car. It's very comfortable, sometimes too much for me to handle LOL :D The leather trim and quality is excellent and top-notch. I usually clean and condition the leather once every 2 weeks to maintain its life. Here's where my opinions differ to yours: The 190-watt, 8-speaker stock sound system fits my audio needs as I don't need a tremendous amount of bass, nor do I need a concert playing inside the car. The instrument gauge cluster is very bright and attractive, so much better than the 1st-gen ES. I wouldn't trade it for anything else As far as looks go, the ES snugs itself right in with other luxury cars and makes. Here's an old pic of my ES parked with my friend's old S-class:

bbsal, I agree with you about black looking great when it's nice and clean. I've owned 2 black ES300s (including my current '01), and my passion for that deep rich color never fails on me ;) Hey bbsal, I see that you're on the list for the NE Lexus meet on the 25th this month. Hope to see your black/black ES at the meet (as that will bring me back memories of my '96 Coach Edition!) :D

I have a 2001 ES300 w/ stock 16s, TRAC, and Toyo all-seasons. It handled superb from this past winter (in CT), and I never see the need for snow tires to switch to. Being prepared for snow driving also means preparing yourself for the task (i.e. braking earlier than usual, keeping both hands on 10 and 2-o'clock of the steering wheel, taking turns nice and easy, etc.)

:D :D

Ooopsie, my bad. I didn't check the post where he says he got a '99 ES; I thought he got a 1st-gen ES. Sorry about that :whistles:

You said it man, I think it's about time that the ES sedan gets some serious representation all across Lexus land :P Unfortunately I don't frequent this LOC website much (I'm in ClubLexus.com most of the time), but I'm amazed to see the widespread number of ES members here versus GS, SC, IS, etc. Me being a 2-time Lexus ES300 owner, I'm sure I'll make faithful contributions here time and time :) :D

Get yourself in the middle position of the back seating, facing the rear of the car. With both hands, grasp both sides of the speaker box and start pulling the box towards you. It might not budge at first, so you will have to use some force to get the box to move (it is basically held on by two plastic clips underneath the box, try not to accidentally break the clip(s) or else the speaker box will rattle while driving). Once you are able to slide the box out all the way without disconnecting any wiring, you should have enough room to clean the glass. Hope this helps.

It's really not that difficult to install yourself. To take out your old bulbs, open the hood, and look for the electrical connection that provides power to the low beam bulbs (it contains red and black wiring). Carefully pull/disconnect the connection from the bulb (you may want to keep a clean towel handy to clean off any dirt/grime from the electrical connection). Then you will see that the back of the low beam bulb resembles an elbow-shaped frame. The bulb is locked into place by a twist, so you must remove the low beam bulb by grabbing and twisting the elbow-shaped frame in one direction (it's either clockwise or counter, but you'll find out there's only way to twist). Put your old bulbs aside, and have your new ones ready. Reverse the removal steps here for installation, but make sure you do NOT touch the glass part of the bulb with your fingers; you will risk a blowout to the bulb. For added safety, wear clean rubber gloves for the installation process. Entire process took me 15 minutes for my previous '96 ES. Good luck.

LOL I love the subject title of this thread! ;) I own a 2001 ES300, and I'm a twentysomething male. Around my area (Fairfield County CT), I see maybe 75% of the ES's being driven by females. No intention to stereotype, but I would presume that the ES sedan in one way appropriately fits the image and comfort, yet yields enough power for a well-to-do, female buyer. I'm not worried about the "chick" comment, but maybe it's because I don't receive that kind of static. In fact, I've received a decent amount of looks and compliments from my neighbors, friends and co-workers :) So I guess what I'm trying to say is don't worry about the female comment thing on your car; it'll get old after a while. Enjoy your new purchase, and keep the car nice and clean! B)

2001 Black Onyx ES300 (ivory interior) - 2nd owner, purchased in April 2003 from a used corporate car dealership for $18,900 (64,000 miles at time of purchase). About 18 months later, I have put in over 33,500 miles of daily driving (work commute, weekend driving). - This car has all the options except HIDs and AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension). - As far as I know, this car has never been taken to a Lexus dealership for any type of service, not even for a 30K or 60K. I'm amazed how solid this car still feels, but eventually I will bring it in for the 90K soon (UPDATE: Just completed the 90K service in late April 2004). I plan to keep driving until the wheels fall off ;) :D - Non-maintenance problems 1) May '03: Brake/tail light bulb burnt out (replaced myself w/ $3 Walmart bulb). 2) June '03: Charcoal canister went bad, resulting in CEL and TRAC OFF lights (Lexus replaced for $238, originally $575). 3) Aug. '03: Vibration on steering wheel when braking, so resurfaced F/R rotors (Lexus did it for $288). 4) Jan. '04: Two bulbs behind A/C unit burnt out (replaced myself w/ $4 Lexus bulbs). 5) March '04: Seat shield mount on passenger side broken (replaced myself for $60). 6) April '04: 'AUTO' function on driver's side window switch not working (Lexus did it for $465) :o 7) June '04: Rough/low idle at random times upon engine start-up. Problem was a faulty idle air control valve and MAF sensor (replaced under extended warranty). Later on, Toyota professionally cleaned up the throttle body for $85. 8) Dec. '04: At approx. 98,600 miles, dying transmission w/ hesitant behavior. Replaced w/ Lexus reman tranny (partially covered by extended warranty. Total out of pocket = $1,200) :o - Modifications 1) Aug. '03: Debadged 'LEXUS' emblem ($0, one of the easiest and cleanest mods done yet) :) 2) Oct. '03: Installed extra wood trim ($161 purchase from Exotic Wood Dash). 3) May '04: Installed 2003 ES300 washer nozzles ($22 purchase from Lexus parts dept). 4) May '04: Replaced with Denso Iridium spark plugs ($78 purchase from Autozone). 5) June '04: Installed 35% smoke tint (4 windows), and 20% smoke (rear windshield). $159 plus tax. 6) Aug. '04: Installed '03 OEM ES300 wheels ($349 for the whole set from Ebay). This revives the look of my '01 ES :) 7) Oct. '04: Installed M-6 Polarg bulbs to the back-up lights ($12 purchase from Cardomain.com). 8) March '05: Installed Sylvania Silverstars to low beams ($34 purchase from Advance Auto Parts).

Those plastic retainer screws should be able to snap back into place. It's been a while since I toyed with those screws, but from my experience, the trick here is to pull the bottom "skirt" of the screw to one end, and squeeze and force the screw into the hole. It takes a little while to get used to the manipulation, but you should be able to get it.

Check your IAC (idle air control) valve or motor; one of them is probably going bad and needs to be replaced. Unfortunately, this is a common problem in higher mileage vehicles.

Geo, your ride sounds almost like mine (2001 black/tan ES300), except for the chrome wheels (they sure look nice). Congrats on your recent purchase. How many miles are on there? As far as cleaning accessories, get a decent carnauba wax like Meguiar's 3-step, a bottle of Meguiar's Quik Detailer or Wax spray for those spot-spraying dirty spots on the car, a bag of 100% US white cotton towels or old T-shirts, and a good chrome polish applicant for your wheels. To safely wipe dust off your car w/out scratching the surface, I suggest getting what's called the "California Duster" (about $8). It's a red ragged brush with a white plastic handle, but the brush contains special embedded oil to attract the dust to the brush. If you're wondering, I personally have used all of these cleaning items, and they're a solid part of my cleaning item collection :D That's pretty much all I can think of for now..

Well since I'm co-coordinating this big NE Lexus/BMW/Benz meet, why would I not come? :D ;) It's great that we have some of you fellows here in LOC planning to come to the meet :D , and for some of you who have never been to a Lexus meet, you will enjoy this one immensely. I can't even begin to describe the feelings, but any Lexus enthusiast will certainly enjoy the atmosphere and vibe amongst other fellow Lexus enthusiasts, as well as glorifying each other's rides :) I mainly reside in ClubLexus.com (I rarely come here on LOC), so if you have any questions about this meet, steviej (a great friend of mine) should be able to answer them for you. -Doug

There's really not much you can do with the airbag warning light except to take it into the dealership. I think having to pay $98 just to check it out is ridiculous; we are talking about an important safety Lexus feature, not some trivial problem. If this dealership doesn't budge in having the airbag light checked out for free, go to another dealership; it sounds to me they're trying to rip you off :( Like Senna4ever said, all Coach Edition ES's come with Coach luggage, but also the following: - Coach Edition badging - perforated leather seating - special Coach wheels - Coach Edition floormats - extra wood trim - black pearl Lexus badging

$150 per chip?? That's outrageous! :o For that price, you are better off having the affected body part(s) repainted.

Not a problem :D Originally the price tag was going to be around $575 for parts and labor, but after some persuasion, I got the service dept to charge me just for labor, which ended being about $240, plus tax. They gave me a free loaner for 2 days (it was a '97 ES unfortunately, no '02 or '03 ES loaners at that time)

The wind noise problem is expected on all pre-'02 ES models. I still get a little wind noise on my '01 ES, but not too much to make me go nuts. I guess the nice thing about the frameless window design is more convenience of entering/exiting the vehicle :D

scientist99, I've seen this kind of problem show up on a lot of 2nd-gen ES ('97-'01), and most of the time, the source of this problem is a bad charcoal canister. I ran into the exact same situation as you did with my 2001 ES300 last year. CEL and TRAC OFF lights went on at the same time, I took the car to a Lexus dealership ASAP (the next day I believe), the service advisor scanned the codes and found out that the problem was with the charcoal canister. This affects the fuel and exhaust emissions, and could prove to be catastrophic should you keep running your car with a bad CC, which sounds almost surely like your situation when driving up hills :o Anyway, I got that replaced for roughly half of the original quote (my extended warranty doesn't cover emissions-related repairs). Many months later, no problems with the CC and haven't gotten any warning lights. I still retain my Lexus work receipt (good for 1 year) should the same problem occur again. Hope this info helps out :)

Hey Stevie, I heard about the accident with the D/D, and I thought about posting on CL, but I see more active responses on this site Anyway, sorry to hear what happened to you and your ES. Talk about bad timing and perhaps bad luck, considering that you got into an accident with an SUV a year and a half ago (I think? At least it was that guy's fault ;)) I see the pics of the damage, and from what I can tell, you'll at least need new passenger side doors, lower body molding, passenger side rear quarter panel, and possibly a new tailight :( I know it sucks to be in a depressed situation like this (I felt the same way from an accident a few yrs ago), but let's all hope the D/D's insurance will pay for everything. Keep us updated here and on CL, and maybe we'll see your ES retouched like new at the spring meet :)

If you're talking about the 2001 ES300 Coach Edition, there are some apparent differences: - perforated leather seating - special 16-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels (similar to the Platinum Ed. wheels but w/ a mirror-like finish) - black pearl badging and 'Coach Edition' badging near each front quarter panel - 'Coach Edition' floormats - bird's-eye maple interior trim and steering wheel - chrome interior door handles (the only pre-'02 ES model with that feature)

2000esplat, I'm glad to hear that worked out for you :) It is a big lesson to learn that not all dealerships work under the same "frame of mind", and it really comes down to who you know in the service dept. When you get varying opinions, that's when you have to make the tough decision of choosing which dealership you rely on. For instance, I have 2 Lexus dealerships (Westport and Greenwich) within a 25-mile radius from my town that I go to for parts, service, etc. I personally know 2-3 people at Greenwich, but there's almost always a wait for the car to get checked on. In Westport, it's not as busy as Greenwich, so I like being able to get serviced right away. Let us know if there are any more problems (I don't imagine there will be since the technician seems very honest and reliable).

2000esplat, I'm glad to hear that worked out for you :) It is a big lesson to learn that not all dealerships work under the same "frame of mind", and it really comes down to who you know in the service dept. When you get varying opinions, that's when you have to make the tough decision of choosing which dealership you rely on. For instance, I have 2 Lexus dealerships (Westport and Greenwich) within a 25-mile radius from my town that I go to for parts, service, etc. I personally know 2-3 people at Greenwich, but there's almost always a wait for the car to get checked on. In Westport, it's not as busy as Greenwich, so I like being able to get serviced right away. Let us know if there are any more problems (I don't imagine there will be since the technician seems very honest and reliable).