SW03ES

Thats exactly what we all said... Anyways, the DST function on the nav does work on some Lexus models, my guess is that when they adjusted the operating system for the ES they just didn't hide that soft key.

Its not the EPA's job to create or protect jobs. Their job is to protect the environment. Its in the name. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY. Anyways, talk of dismantling government agencies is just Tea Party banter...nobody is going to dismantle any government agencies. We saw his ability to negotiate between the parties when he allowed the Government to be shut down and Bill Clinton to make a fool out of him. Newt Gingrich and his egotistical ineptitude were the MVP for Clinton's re-election campaign. He's a has-been, and talk about skeletons in the closet. They haven't been in the press because nobody thinks of him as a serious candidate, the press would eat him alive in a general election. Or he could have, you know...not harassed women. One allegation could be explained away, but now we're up to 5...I think obviously theres something there. I maintain as I always have, Mitt Romney is the only possible candidate the Republicans have that has a prayer of beating Obama, but he himself is pretty flawed because he's flip flopped between the issues so many times that its hard to say what he actually believes. I think in the General he would move towards the center yet again, and Obama will be able to beat him over the head with the things he's said in the primary...like he would support a bill that makes birth control illegal, that would drive moderates like me away. The primary has been SO hard to the right because of the influence of the tea party, its really going to hurt whoever wins in the general IMHO. I feel, more than ever, that Obama will win re-election watching these clowns.

If there is sludge, absolutely just walk away. A lot of the people who had the issue had no drivability problems before catastophic engine failure, so the fact that it may not have drivability issues doesn't mean much. Same is true of looking under the oil cap, thats not going to tell you anything either unfortunately. The big issue is regular service records showing oil changes every 5k miles (8k km). So if the car has 188,000km, he should be able to show you records from having 23 oil changes performed over the vehicle's life. If he can't do that, then I truly and honestly wouldn't buy the car. I've seen some people with sludge after only missing few oil changes, or doing them every 10k miles, etc. Take your time to find one that has these records (they are out there) before pulling the trigger. If he does have the records, and the car looks clean, have a mechanic look it over. If the records are there...then its probably okay.

It looks to me like the console may slide out from the armrest area to fill that area in...

Just make sure it has good, real service records. The fact that there's no sludge under the oil cap doesn't mean there's no sludge in the motor. As with any used car purchase have a mechanic you trust look it over first too. Don't let your desire to own a "Lexus" cloud your judgement.

In cased you haven't noticed the clock on the ES350 is not incorporated in the navigation system, its a separate, low tech, simple digital clock. I had to reset all of my watches...and the clock in my Lexus and the world didn't end. I know that the dash board clock is not set by the navigation system. Then your post had absolutely nothing to do with the thread...

You would be completely shocked. I know a lot of people that own cars far more expensive than the ES that absolutely trash on them, never change the oil, etc. In another life I owned a mobile detailing business and I saw first hand how a lot of people treat $60k...$70k...$80k cars...like disposable garbage. Yeah until the engine seizes and he's looking at a repair bill far more than he paid for the car. Won't be as fun then. Look, telling someone to "just go for it, don't even think about the possible repercussions, once you get it you'll like it so don't worry about it" is *terrible* advice. I love these cars, this is my second new ES and my 4th Lexus overall, but I personally would not buy a 97-01 ES because of this issue, and I certainly would not buy one without complete oil change records and maybe an oil quality test beforehand. Its a nice car, but there are plenty of other nice cars out there too in that price bracket, in the very least the OP needs to do his due diligence to make sure this is a well cared for car that won't have this well documented issue before he plunks down his hard earned money.

In cased you haven't noticed the clock on the ES350 is not incorporated in the navigation system, its a separate, low tech, simple digital clock. I had to reset all of my watches...and the clock in my Lexus and the world didn't end. Lots of cars out there with clocks integrated in the navigation system, if thats a must have for you I would suggest you sell your ES and buy one of those. We know...the Lexus navigation sucks and your Garmin is so awesome we're just fools for not seeing it. We've heard. Over...and over....and over again.

You could have an oil sample analyzed... http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

It is a great car, but I would consider significant enough engine oil sludging for Lexus to extend the warranty of affected engines a serious enough issue that I would think long and hard before I bought one used when I don't *know* what the service history was. So, be REALLY sure it has good service history...

Welcome to the site! They're pretty easy to work on, a lot of the mechanics of the car are shared with the Toyota Camry. Biggest issue on these cars is the possibility of sludge in the motor if the previous owner wasn't meticulous about oil changes...short of removing the valve covers theres not a lot of ways to know if there is sludge, just be sure it has good records showing the oil has been changed every 5k miles...

Its not worth much since a Garmin or any navigation system isn't the topic of this thread. Its about as relevant as my cell phone adjusting for DST...which it did.

Yeah I wouldn't use a K&N filter personally...

It all depends on how hard you drive it. You're never going to have good treadwear on these vehicles because they are low profile tires, but because they are basically FWD and front engined if you drive it hard in the corners they really tear the front tires up...

I think its because the nav software is shared across all the models, and some models will automatically adjusted for DST. Its basically just a soft option that should have been hidden in the ES application but wasn't. Like Jim, I too have a few clocks that now change a couple weeks early for DST! Very annoying.

No problem, glad you got them swapped out...

My 2010 ES keeps accurate time... But you do have to manually change the clock on the ES.

Those little bulbs will come on whenever the parking or headlights are on. My guess is they are burned out.

I'm also a BofA customer, and am in the process of deciding which local bank or credit union to move our money to. The final straw for me was when I have 5 pieces of paper I needed notarized and I was turned away from my BofA branch because they only notarize up to 3 pages. I have personal checking, business checking, savings, payroll, personal credit card, business credit card with BofA, and I'm a real estate broker who refers homebuyers who need loans. I mean...can you think of a better customer? I took it over to the competing bank across the street who did it no problem despite the fact that i had no accounts with them. Terrible organization.

Yeah those are little 194 wedge bulbs, they do burn out. They are a PITA to replace too...

Wow, the more I look at it the more I like it...car of the future for sure...

I'm going to move this into the right forum... This may sound dumb, but are you sure you aren't sitting with your foot on the brake when trying to use the system? It won't adjust the seat if your foot is on the brake...

I also want to add that engine flushes for the most part aren't a good idea. There is no auto manufacturer that recommends an engine flush, and there is a lot of research out ere that a power flush of the engine actually can do damage to the engine... I would never do an engine flush on one of my vehicles.

Well..the manual isn't an advertisement, and it discusses a lot of equipment not all models have. Do you have navigation? I'm thinking maybe the non-nav cars have e courtesy light, and e nab cars don't since with the nav that cubby is basically filled with the CD changer

I don't remember 100%, but I don't think my '03 had a console courtesy light... My ES350 does...