SW03ES

This is true on a racecar when trying to make the best time on a road course, but it is not true in a 4000lb FWD behemoth with 65% weight distribution to the front on a public highway or neighborhood street. There is absolutely no reason to use the technique you are describing on a public road, and the ES would be worthless on a track anyways. I've taken racing courses and there are plenty of things that you do on a racetrack that don't translate to the road.

My 03 still has no squeaks or rattles with 135k miles and the leather is like new...its all in how its cared for. I never saw much of a difference in quality between the 97-01 and the 02-06 personally...

How is it not a different car? All of those components are entirely different and not interchangeable... I'm not saying you're wrong I'm just saying because something is possible on the 97 doesn't mean its possible on the 03. Let us know hybridamp!

Thats a totally different car though...

Yeah, I know several cops. Can't see any of them "playing race car" in a loaner Lexus with their family in the car. They've all watched too many people scraped off the pavement after doing similar things.

There is no reason...

The Infiniti M35 is a great car...can't go wrong there.

The lock has started working again...leads me to believe that it may be a switch issue or a power short... No child lock lol. Oh yeah, a couple times. My issue with the ES350 has always been that I feel like they took a step backwards in material quality from our generation. They have addressed some of that with nicer trim in the 2010, but the plastics, leather, and carpeting are still a step below. I've always thought the ES350 was a great looking car...

The car is 8 years old and has 120,000 miles...why would the dealer or Lexus cover the repair or "accept responsibility"?!? Lexus dealers are great for routine maintenance, but when you are dealing with an older car they don't really have all that much experience when it comes to diagnosing trouble spots. Most people have long since switched to a cheaper alternative by the time they start having age and wear related issues. If I were you I would locate a good independent shop that specializes in Lexus or Japanese vehicles and take it there. My '03 does not have the AVS suspension, cars with that are almost nonexistant on the east coast (I've actually never even seen one) but it does have 135k miles. At this mileage the suspension is still tight and rattle free but it does need lower control arm replacement due to worn bushings and I'm planning on having them replace the ball joints at the same time. This may be the issue with yours also. Could also be strut mounts...I know steviej replaced the upper strut mounts on his '02 when he had it...maybe he'll chime in here...

Hey there, No lights behind the gas pop and trunk pop buttons... You may be out of luck with this. I had some bulbs burn out on mine when it was still under warranty and my guy at the Lexus dealer told me that the bulbs were not user servicable and they replaced the whole unit with a new one. Hopefully they just did that out of laziness...I'd hate to think what that unit would cost...

From a pure reliability standpoint the original LS, the 90-04 is probably the best built and the most reliable. You see more problems with them here on the board, and you'd of course expect that because those cars are all old enough to have a driver's license and drive themselves. They are however very over-engineered. With each new version of the LS Lexus has dialed back some of their over-engineering as they have across the whole line. The new LS460 for instance is a beautiful car, very well built and very refined and reliable, but its not as well built as an old LS400. If I were you I would try and find a nice 2000 LS400. In 00 they added brake assist, but there are few differences between the 98,99, and 00. There were a lot of improvements in 98 over the 97, and any fear about the 98 being less well built or reliable than the 97 is unfounded because it was a mid-cycle refresh and most of the car is exactly the same. The 98 got the VVT-i motor, VSC, the 5 speed transmission as well as a new front end, new rear lights, HID headlamps, wood leather wheel, the driver information center as well as new wheels and other trim upgrades. The 98-00 remains one of my favorite LS models. My dad had a 98 he put 165k miles on, he replaced it with a new LS430 in '04 which he also loves, but he always says its not quite the same as the 98.

I figured it had something to do with your move. Hang in there... One thing I've learned is that buying things and making changes that I think will relieve some of my stress and make me happier doesn't...and when I do things and they don't help it just makes it worse. I've learned to sit back and relax and enjoy what I do have and its made me feel a whole lot happier in general. I sympathize, its been really stressful this year for me too. I've actually had a really good year, but everything is 4 times as hard and as stressful as it was and I don't feel as well off as I actually am because of that. Come on down to DC! I'll help you find that "power-home" that you won't be able to die to stop paying for and we can be miserable together! ;) I've never been a huge fan of the GS personally so I see your point, but you're just going to be trading one headache for another...

That was my thought too. I'll ask my guy what he would charge me to remove the door panel and change it out before I tackle it myself, if its a lot I'll definately give it a shot with your help. Just got an email from my Lexus salesman...2.9% financing for 60 months on the 2010 ES350...bet the door locks all work on that! ;)

If the car is not designed to run on premium fuel then yes... This car however is designed to run on premium fuel. The Camry is not.

Check out the Lexus website... There are a number of improvements...

Your GS is going on 9 years old...driven in Chicago...you're going to have worn suspension components...thats just a given. Has nothing to do with Lexus. Your 4Runner is made by the same company...and its much newer...and it was housed and driven mainly in a better climate with better roads. Just because the Lexus is a "Lexus" doesn't mean that its never going to need repairs or upgrades. This was why I suggested you spend some extra and buy the GS in NC before you left for Chicago. I bet had you done that you wouldn't be having this issue now. My ES has 135k miles and the rear door lock and the front lower control arms and ball joints are all being replaced next week. Doesn't bother me...its 7 years old...enough mileage to have been around the world 5 times...its going to need repairs. You sure are "uppity" lately...whats up?

You obviously haven't spent much time around automobile forums ;)

All GoodYears aren't the same...

Hey all, All of a sudden the power door lock on the driver's rear door has stopped working. Manually it works but it won't lock or unlock with the rest of the car, and the alarm won't arm obviously unless its manually locked. Any thoughts as to what the issue might be?

Lowering the octane isn't going to improve mileage, its going to be the other way around. My guess is the culprit is low octane gas and short trips.

Yeah at that speed I doubt the brakes would have been able to overcome the inertia of the car.Putting the car in park would essentially be putting it in neutral. It would brake the parking prawl off...

I've seen a couple around town and I stopped by Rockville today just to see what they had on the lot, sat in one with the black interior. I love the black interior on my car but I'm thinking next time something a little different. I like the new grey because the carpeting and dash are black and only the seats and the door panels are grey, very sharp. I had thought there was a white type interior that was the same way that we saw in pics...but that may have been grey. What a value that car is...$40,800 for loaded with nav (no UL, its only special order here). Thats only $1,000 more than my similarly equipped ES300 was in '03. Pretty remarkable.

Try running premium for a few tanks and see if that helps. I don't buy the "buildup of junk from regular gas" theory personally. The car can run regular gas, just with reduced performance. How do you drive, heavy foot? Lots of short trips?

How many miles? The squeaking is the belt tensioners and that goes away once they warm up, but that noise you describe concerns me...

My Lexus has 140k miles and I never have to top off the oil. Doesn't matter, Americans just aren't going to spend $70k for a Volkswagen. Could be the best car ever, just isn't going to happen. The lease is because its heavily subsidized from VW to sell a slow selling vehicle. The Lexus costs more to lease because Lexus doesn't need to subsidize leases to move their cars.