SW03ES

My main concern is it catching fire. Its not just a plastic bag but a tarp like material and I don't think its likely to burn off anytime soon...

For the past week or so I've been smelling this plastic burning smell intermittantly when driving and always from outside the car when I get out after its been running. I've been really busy so I haven't had time to really give it much thought. Yesterday someone stopped me at a stoplight to tell me I had something hanging from undeneath the car. I stopped to look, and theres a big peice of several mil thick black plastic sheeting wrapped around the exhaust line in between the catalytic converter and the muffler. I spent an hour this morning trying to get it off but a 2.5 foot legnth of the exhaust tube (which gets very hot) has melted the plastic and its just completely molded to the pipe. I've stopped driving it for fear the plastic might catch fire. I'm going to take it to the dealer but honestly I think they'll have to replace that section of the line. Anybody have any idea how to get this stuff off?

Yep and I'm trying their interior sealant which looks intriguing. I'll let you know ;)

No, it should work exactly like your previous update worked.

Thats your opinion. I don't like the looks of Zaino, and oddly enough I've never seen a head-to-head involving Zaino that I found Zaino more appealing looks-wise. Zaino has a plasticky shine that maximizes gloss without adding depth, I prefer the depth of a natural carnuaba. I'd only ever use Zaino on a silver or white car, I don't even use it on our light green Prius because I don't like how it looks. I'm hardly alone in that opinion either. Not to say its a bad product (its not at all, its a very good product) its just not for everybody, and definately not the only good product out there (there are MANY excellent products). I've used it, still doesn't do it for me.

The ES is significantly more than that, he has a UL model which MSRPs for about $44k and he probably paid $41-42k.

What GAP insurance protects you from is a situation where the insurance payoff after a total is less than the buyout value of the vehicle on the lease. It keeps you from having to come up with the difference. Most leasing companies require it and its built into the lease, its very inexpensive. It won't help you with a downpayment because you won't be the beneficiary on the policy. No problem!

Have you ever used anything from Ultima mburn? I just ordered a bunch of stuff from them, I'm looking forward to trying it out.

Honestly? I think that would be a mistake. You should be with a girl your own age, theres a huge lifestyle difference between an 18 year old and a 26 year old.

Happy birthday my friend! I hope its been a good one.

The airbags won't go off in a rear collision, there would be no point. If its totalled he won't care about the value, they'll just cut him a check...

That depends. The best "Wax" for durability is probably Colinite or Meguiars #16. Zaino probably has the longest durability of any product currently out there, but you have a tradeoff in terms of asthetics.

I share your frustration, change the climate by posting more positive enthusiastic posts.

Okay, I can help you here. First of all I would not lease the car for 60 months. In fact, I wouldn't lease the car for 48 months, but 48 months is the absolute max a car should be leased. Reason being when you get higher in mileage you start getting into more expensive maintenance items (tires, brakes, belts, etc) that you'll have to do to a car that isn't your property. 24 month leases are great but they're too expensive monthly, 36-39 months is the sweet spot. If you want to keep it 5 years I think you'd be better off buying, even if you can deduct the lease for business. You absolutely can and must negotiate the price before the lease. In fact don't even tell them you're going to lease until you've agreed upon the purchase price in writing. The dealer will try and negotiate using the lease payment and they can hide profit easily that way. You want to look at the capitalized cost (the agreed upon purchase price), the money factor (multiply this by 2400 to get an approximate interest rate), and the residual. You want a high residual and a low money factor. Now on to down payments. Resist the urge to put the trade in money from your '02 down on the lease for several reasons: 1. If you should total the car the insurance company will pay the owner, Lexus Financial (or whatever bank) and you would loose your downpayment. 2. A lower payment means a lower tax deduction for business. You're better off putting the money in a money market account and write the payments or a portion of the payments out of that. If you must put it down, take advantage of the Lexus multiple security deposits instead. Now as for december to remember. I actually disagree that December to Remember is the best time to lease or buy the car. They don't subsidize leases on the LS, so there won't be a special lease deal. They actually create artificial demand with all the marketing they do. In my experience you'll get a better deal in January when business is really slow. Leasing is slightly more complicated though because residuals may be lower in January than they are now. Check out this site: www.leasecompare.com Good luck! Keep us posted!

True the ES shares 20% of its components with the Camry but it is a much nicer car than the Camry, especially the ES350. All you have to do is drive them both to see the difference. Again, nobody is denying that the LS is more car. The question is whether this swap makes sense now that he has already purchased the ES.

Thats why I don't have a BMW lol

Happy Birthday Rya!

Sounds like a warranty problem. Call BMW roadside, have them tow it in, and let them worry about it. DO NOT WAIVER from your positon that this is a 2 year old BMW under warranty that is not starting due to a cause other than the battery. If it was the battery it would have jumped. If this were Lexus they'd cover it no problem, but I don't know about BMW.

Hey guys, What size bulb is that little running light up at the top of the 02-06 ES' headlamp? Is it a 194 wedge bulb? One of mine is out...

Obviously its also unacceptable in Lexus' book since they're covering the replacement. Thanks for the lively discussion

Rx330, I know its hard, but you should never do that. ESPECIALLY when you cannot drive away. Had he had a gun, you very well both could be dead. I've flipped the finger once or twice but I've always been moving LOL. Doing it while boxed in takes balls! I'm impressed ;)

It all depends on how you drive. I have almost 100k miles and I'm on my second set of rears and my 3rd set of fronts.

Congrats and you're absolutely right. Thats more a testament to how well the LS has always been built and how well they age than it is anything negative about the newer ones. Great to hear from you!

As usual I have no idea what you're talking about. All I know is I leave the system on "AUTO" and "A/C" and I stay very comfortable.

You could conceivably hurt the car doing that yes.