zeta

i actually got a wiring harness from best buy straight hook up with rca outputs to the deck. no extra wiring... still using stock amp and it's plenty strong. sounds stronger than the original headunit. using a 200watt pioneer hu that i got for $100. kev

a thousand dollars on a new system? are you MAD? that'd get me a whole frickin premium 6.1 sound system in my car. what kind of system are YOU lookin at :) my system cost... let's see... $20 + $100 + $18 + $12 = $150... full setup with everything connected and running perfectly strong... i d`unno but $1000 is a LOT to spend on audio... <_< kev

here's a set of the MTEC 2x bulbs. MTEC 2X they are 55w --> 100w bulbs. i've had mine on for practically a year. no problems at all. they're clear like no other and if i had a digital camera i'd take a pic of them in the alleyway, but uhh heh i need a digital camera first :) kev

you wouldn't have been ignored... there's a reason for the 'go to newest post' arrow on each thread. that way they can be led straight to the newest post. :) kev

heh... don't know bout the flasher, but for those that are still wondering if there's any way to use the stock amp and speakers really well... i think i've had the simplest experience possible. i bought a wiring harness from my local best buy and a well experienced audio tech helped me do the install right outside the back garage. basically i took the wiring harness... wires for each speaker, ground, antenna, acc, etc. and also 4 rca plugs. amazingly... i used the 4 rca plugs... using 2 2-to-1 rca adapters to plug right into my deck, connected the normal wires (ground, acc, antenna, etc) and stuck the thing in. my radio is a bit hay wire, but then again my mast is broken and i unplugged it... not sure how well it does plugged in with power... but i've had great sound wish the stock amp... just lost the fader from front to rear. only have left to right... heh. pretty simple and cheap too. i've actually been asked if i got subs in my car (waitin for 2 12 JL's for cheap) pretty wierd... but the performance of my audio is great. just throwin this out there.. probably out of place too... mod placing an out of place post woo hoo. :) kev

that's a massive project.. and why 4wd on an ES. i'd still really wanna just take the money... sell the car... and get an EVO :) kev

yeah... if metal particles are rolling around in your oil... that thing is pretty much gone. those metal particles are gonna start tearing the internal parts of the engine that use the oil as lubrication. any more severe would've been a break down straight in the middle of the road. good to hear nothin major happened to you like an accident. maybe try a NEWER ES :) kev

well JP, davenport is sort of right down the street from me, like literally lol so it's the closest in case of emergency fixes. i may come out to JPI and check y`all out one day. garland isn't too bad. been around there a lot in the past year b/c of a friend's cell phone store he's got there. goin out there to meet up with him. what intersection are y`all at? (i'm too lazy to mapquest it :D ) kev

yeah i thought JIC had coilovers for the ES. i think TEIN actually has coilovers for the ES as well. i remember seeing them from TEIN. lol yeah bbsal, i havne't gotten around to buying one yet. it would help if i had a job, an income, and a credit card :P unless you wouldn't mind buying me one :D i haven't heard anythin 'bout the sprint spring 1.8" drop. i think 2" might actually be a lot to drop on the ES. it'd sacrifice too much ride comfort becasue the tires would be so close to the fenderwell. but that's just my opinion. kev

heh i have sylvania highs, but for my lows, i went for somethin a bit out of the box. i went and got MTEC japanese bulbs. they're actually very nice. they burn at 4350 temp, but i'm not sure about lumen rating. they are quite bright though. my brother is changing from superstars to MTECs on his accord because he found mine so much brighter than his bulbs were and a lot easier on the eye while driving. the MTEC's were only $25 shipped from ebay /pr. i need to go find the high beams though. the sylvanias are too weak. but they are enough to light up my entire alley, so i'm pretty good with them. i have MTEC's in the fogs too. they're brighter than ever, but still yellow due to the lens lol. kev

oh yeah... NEVER stick with OEM bulbs... they are horrible. if you want a cheaper than PIAA solution, check out other brands with strong bulbs, such as sylvania superstars, i personally have MTEC headlights around the car. they're Japan make and are rated at the quality of PIAA. MTEC has actually even bought MUGEN in japan. pretty scary... but check out other bulbs. just be sure not to buy too high power input because it might fry your wires. and that's costly. kev

hey steve, see in my case, the rear brakes squeal unless i apply my brakes... and then when i pull on the handbrake, there's a slight squeal from the tightening of the calipers i'm guessing. not sure if it just needs a small oil down or something. kev

hrmm... uh`oh... i think i need to check my brakes then... this has been making the sound for a while, but the lexus tech that did maintenance on my car a while back checked all four pads and there was still at least 70% pad left... so i was pretty sure i'm safe... but i guess i'm gonna have to check that out some more then... heh always good to know that something's wrong with this car... kev

lol ay bbsal... the strut bars on ebay are like $15 shipped now. they're like $8 buy it now minus shipping. it's amazing how cheap they are. i think i needa go pick one up sometime soon. kev

heh actually higher octane is just better for the engine overall. i've had premium in my '93 since i got it last year from my dad. i actually get better mileage. if you try premium for a long period of time and find mpg... and then compare it to regular after a long period of time... my dad ran regular a lot thinking it didn't make a diff too... when i upped to premium at request of my mom (She pays for gas anyways), i noticed at least 40 more miles per tank. i guess it depends... but don't know... that's my experience. kev

heh texas isn't much better. the temp has been around 50 high the past 2 days... but 3 days ago it was a high of like 20. it was pretty bad. texas ain't all the heat it's cut out to be. kev

wow i think i might've gotten the best deal... a lexus mech that works at my neighborhood lexus dealership does personal work at home. basically he did the 90k full service on my car, alignment, changed my seals, checked my suspension, replaced brakes (rotors and pads), replaced all the bulbs in my tail lights, replaced the bulbs behind the speedo, tore out my headunit for me (got a new headunit with the simplest setup i've ever seen, no need to buy new amp. ran straight through stock amp). i got everything done for $500 flat. oh and oil change and tranny flush. oil change was full synth mobil one. he also flushed my brake fluid with new fluid. flushed engine coolant as well. danggg now that i look at it... that was a HELLUVA deal!! <_< :chairshot: :chairshot: kev

Davenport Motor Company Exclusively Lexus Service and Repair 4010 W. Plano Pkwy Plano, TX 75093 972-612-3377 this is the independent lexus service shop i use for major maintenance work. or a private lexus mechanic that still works at lexus that lives in allen. he does wonders at unbelievable prices. got everything fixed on my car that would've cost over $1000 at a dealer for $500 flat. didn't know you would drive down here to TX to get your car serviced. especially from boston area... that's far.

if there are cracks in the intake, the car would not only lose power, but with running such rich amount of air, the car would stall. i had a crack in my big pipe a while ago before i replaced it, and the car would accelerate fine with normal accel, but if i pushed it down a bit further, it would hesitate and accelerate about 2 seconds later. i checked the engine bay and found my intake pipe cracked with a 2 inch crack. duck taped it until the new pipe came in. $102 for the new pipe with installation. not too bad. check the pipe for cracks or if it's become hard... the heat from the engine and weather can cause it to become completely opposite of the soft plastic it should be and become hard to a point hard accel would crack it. check it out. kev

ahhh isn't it always great to see ppl using the search utility? =) i had mine recently changed to bright white lights. so much easier to see dead needles as they run across them lol. still don't think the cold cathode proj is worth $600 at the moment... i'll do it when it becomes like $150 =) kev

the weatherstripping is a major problem with these early ES's it happens on my car too, but i've gotten used to it before i got a new hu, but now i just let my stereo drown it out. it's mostly because there's no full frame on the doors, so if the stripping gets folded under or cracks or anything, it gets bad. the oil leak and steering problem i've never run across before. and if the rack and pinion are needed to be replaced... that may be the problem that you are running across with the steering. the oil leak may come from really bad seals under the car. i had mine replaced recently and they were worn to almost nothing. the original seals don't last very long. the gas mileage is about right. i get about 16-18 but i'm about 85-90% city and the rest highway b/c i'm just a student and only take highway for maybe 10-15 minutes max if i'm ever on it. plus, the car is nearing 11 years old, so gas mileage is gonna depreciate sooner or later. good luck with the fix. i'd say $2000 would be a bit steep. try finding a lexus mechanic who does work outside of the dealer for cheaper. i know one down here in tx, so i take it to him. i did the 90k service, oil change, alignment, tranny flush, new seals, fixed foglights, cleaned engine, changed bulbs behind speedo, replaced rear bulbs and everything for only $500. the 90k service would have run at least that at the dealership. ask around. there's a few lexus mechs on here i think. not on here as much as i used to. just try asking around. btw, Welcome to the Club, Sri. you're gonna like it here. kev

synthetic is really the good way to go. i've had synthetic royal purple and mobil one since about 70k miles and the car runs smooth and it's quite worry free about its viscosity. i would say everything would depend on your area temperatures. texas is constant really hot n really cold, so i find it a lot safer with synthetic. but if you see what bbsal is sayin 'bout high mileage... changing to synthetic would be the best for higher mileage cars... 110k n still rollin strong =) kev

wow... my grandpa has an '03 ES300, but i haven't heard any door rattle or any real complaints about rattling from him. his car seems to be in pretty good shape. the only minor bit is that the rear bumper is missing a single plastic locking piece to lock the bumper to the fender area. haven't gone to get that lil piece yet, but the bumper's not gonna fall off, so i'll get it sometime. but that's really weird about a rattle on the back door panel... there's shouldn't really be anything inside the rear door panels except well nothing lol don't remember if there's a speaker back there. hope someone finds a self fix or lexus finds a way to repair this. i know how annoying those things can get. my '93 has no door frame so at high speeds i've got lots of wind noise. this the reason for the all powerful pioneer headunit =) good luck y`all.

wow... my grandpa has an '03 ES300, but i haven't heard any door rattle or any real complaints about rattling from him. his car seems to be in pretty good shape. the only minor bit is that the rear bumper is missing a single plastic locking piece to lock the bumper to the fender area. haven't gone to get that lil piece yet, but the bumper's not gonna fall off, so i'll get it sometime. but that's really weird about a rattle on the back door panel... there's shouldn't really be anything inside the rear door panels except well nothing lol don't remember if there's a speaker back there. hope someone finds a self fix or lexus finds a way to repair this. i know how annoying those things can get. my '93 has no door frame so at high speeds i've got lots of wind noise. this the reason for the all powerful pioneer headunit =) good luck y`all.

i personally have 10W-30... but then again my ES3 passed 110,000 a while ago without me even knowing heh. this is what i get for leaving the odo on the trip computer to watch how many miles on the tank... the tail light is simple and was described by bbsal pretty good. the angel eyes... different type of headlight housing. 97-01 uses reflectors, which would be basically impossible to install angel eyes on, since they are specifically for projector housings more. for the repair manual... ebay's the way to go... about the lude... the '99 ES300 has 210 hp whereas the prelude has only 160hp? on the base engine but 200 on the SH engine. a big difference. vtec will only kick in on higher rpm's and this battle would also depend on off the line or running start. the ES will completely smoke him in running, but off the line, the SH could take it off the line with a good driver and good responses. kev