SW03ES

I'd agree with that, the rotors on my car are the same rotors that were replaced at 15k during the ES300 brake TSB that was performed. I'd imagine they're the same rotors that are on your car too... Do you have your car washed at an automatic carwash or spray water into the wheels when the brakes are hot after driving? Sometimes that can cause warping...

make sure you have it replaced with genuine Toyota fluid, I also would just change it instead of flushing it...

I dont have one and haven't played with that particular function but I can guess M=Memory, the preset memory position, and C=clear returns it back to the fully upright rear seat position...

No comparison. I recently rode around for a few hours in a buddy of mine's 08 Camry Hybrid and was extremely dissapointed in it. Not only does he have a bunch of interior trim problems, it rode a lot harder than I thought and in general not nearly as refined as I would have thought. I expected it to be more like my ES. The only plus for the Camry vs the LS is the Camry is new and has a warranty... For what a Camry costs though, you could buy an 04-06 LS430...thats what I would do.

You seemed entertained by it which is why I let it go on ;)

I've tried wiper blades from all over the place though, and the Lexus ones last longer and wipe better than just about any other blade I've ever used...including significantly more expensive blades. You can always order them online for less than the dealer...but I bet you'll be dissapointed in the NAPA blades.

I'd let a professional do it. As long as he covers up the elecronic components it should be fine.

Jaguar quality was improving when Ford owned them too...

The Mercedes C class does have cross drilled rotors...one car. Many other more expensive cars than the ES without cross drilled rotors, its simply not a standard feature on typical luxury sedans. No cross drilled rotors on the 3 series BMW... So the statement "as is customary for a car of this price" is hardly the case. Its a temporary fix for any brakes. Turning them reduces their thickness which makes them warp faster, they need to be replaced.

I believe they are memory positions...

Nope, you've got to have radar cruise to get the PCS. I think the Custom Luxury has the shades too... Glad I could help!

Again, you're posting in generalizations. "Ford can't make a good automatic transmission" give me an example of a transmission failure IN AN F SERIES TRUCK that you have personally dealt with. I had an Explorer before the Lexus, my parents still have it as a thrid car, has 190,000 miles on it. Is it as reliable as a Lexus? no. The transmission was replaced at 75,000 miles as is common, covered under the extended warranty I bought. Same transmission is fine all these miles later. Otherwise its an incredibly good truck for how old it is. Rides far tighter and with less rattles than my 04 Prius with only 44,000 miles. Look in the RX forum here at all the trans failures posts. Some have been fortunate enough to get Lexus to help with the repairs, but most are on their own and that trans is $4500. Look at all the engine sludge problems with the RX300 and ES300 97-01. Lexus has a campaign but only until 100,000 miles and they do everything to get out of it if they can. Look a all the small quality niggles in the 07 ES350, look at all the posts about serious rattles in the 06+ GS and thats just Lexus, I don't know as much about Toyota. Nobody is saying that Fords are as reliable as Toyotas, I obviously don't believe that since I have stopped buying Fords and started buying Toyotas. However, Fords are not "horrible explosions looking for a place to happen" as you say they are, they just simply are not ESPECIALLY not the F series truck. Fords have gotten MUCH better in the quality department of late, and I think several Ford models feel higher quality inside than their Toyota competition including the F150. You just seem to hate anything thats a "Ford" and thats hardly an unbiased source of experience as you claim to be. You keep going back to the #8 plug blowing out on the F series truck, well thats one thing. On the LS400 its the starter, and that costs $2,000 to replace with no help from Lexus. On the RX300 its the transmission and the engine sludge. Lexus air ride systems fail and cost THOUSANDS to repair. From a cost standpoint...I think I'd rather plug that spark plug back in. You should do some more reading. Ford is actually doing remarkably well compared to GM & Chrysler, and Toyotas financials don't look so good these days. No carmaker is doing well right now, how could they with auto sales down 40%? I've only been admining and moderating forums for 12 years, thanks for the tip. In your membership here you've been moderated for attacking people in public when you could have taken them to PM, so I wouldn't throw stones. I'm not moderating you, I'm disagreeing with you and explaining why.

Trim levels in general don't factor into the resale price nearly as much as they did when they were new, thats true on all cars. The only big difference I see when shopping is a big decrease in price if the car does not have nav. Basically Lexus sold a few levels depending on the year: 1. Base with no nav, this car is easy to spot because it has no nav. 2. Nav/Mark Levinson (in 05 this became the "modern luxury" package). This car has nav, ML, the smart key. 3. Custom Luxury, this car has special interior wood trim and leather on the dashboard and door panels as well as the suede headliner. This car is easy to spot because it has that trim difference but no rear seat controls on the armrest, no air suspension, and no laser/radar cruise control. This car is pretty rare, more common in '05 and '06. 4. Ultra Luxury, this car is just like the Custom Luxury but it has power/massaging rear seats, rear audio and climate control on the pull down armrest, air suspension radar/laser cruise ('04, half of '05 have laser cruise, half of '05 and '06 have the new radar cruise and PCS. If it has laser cruise it has no PCS, you can see the radar in the front grille where there is a large glossy square around the Lexus symbol. A fully loaded UL car was $70,000-$72,000 in 04, 05 & 06. The nav/lev custom luxury car was about $64k. Hope that helps! -Steve

5 different polishes for instance is not at all too many, contrary to what you said...

The smell of leather has very little to do with "new car smell". In fact leather in most japanese cars doesn't smell, because the smell of leather is offensive to the Japanese.

Remember dealerships are all independently owned and service quality varies. They're all expensive, but the one I use has always been honest...

I thought what you were looking for was a part that was just the middle section and what I was saying was you can't buy just the middle section... I find it hard to believe an upholstery shop can't find perforated leather...

Name me one luxury sedan under $45,000 that has cross drilled rotors from the factory. Even better, name me one luxury sedan under $80,000 that has cross drilled rotors from the factory. Even BMWs don't have cross drilled rotors. Thats just not typical for a manufacturer to offer cross drilled rotors on a luxury sedan at really any price. Totally overkill for the ES. Have you ever had the rotors turned? Are there any significant downhill grades on these roads?

And stay away from JiffyLube. Remember that Toyotas use a specific type of transmission fluid, I'd stick with that fluid.

Giving me more attitude isn't a very good way of convincing me you didn't intend to have an attitude... Why don't you share with us some specific instances you experienced when you were a service writer, a mechanic, and now work at an auto parts store, that you think would help prove your point? I can cite several examples of Toyota having design flaws they've tried and continue to try and make their customers responsible for...

I need to sell the stuff I have lol.... Seriously though folks he has a lot of good stuff here...buy away!

Clay doesn't do anything to remove scratches, clay is for removing bonded contaminants... Can you feel the scratch with your fingernail when you rub it over the scratch?

I've never heard anything about the IS, you might want to check with the NHTSA.... I have done a good bit of reading over the years about accidents resulting from supposed "spontaneous acceleration" on a wide disparity of makes and models. There was an investigation about the Lexus ES and Toyota Camry, 2002-2004 I think. There has never been a case that was investigated by the NHTSA, for any make or model of vehicle, where the conclusion was that the accident was caused by spontaneous acceleration of the vehicle. It was always deemed operator error. There can be a lot of things that she would think would be spontaneous acceleration that really were a result of operator error. Improperly installed floormats, the car being in one gear when she thinks its in another. Maybe her foot slipped off the brake and hit the gas. IMHO, all of that is far more likely than spontaneous acceleration...

A Tundra forum...real unbiased. Remember...there are MILLIONS more Ford trucks on the road than really any other truck...so that might have something to do with how many you see. I know a lot of people and businesses with Ford F series trucks...I know a lot of home builders...I don't know anyone who is unsatisfied with their truck...thats really saying something. And can the attitude python, if you have an opinion contrary to an opinion someone else has expressed please share it in a respectful and mature manner. "lmfao" and "read up guys" is hardly respectful or mature.

Yeah hopefully this will teach you a lesson...when warning lights and things start coming on...its time to pull over and address the situation. Continuing to drive is what ruins cars, and it is very possible that its ruined yours... Crazy...