SW03ES

Does he realize what a hard job it is? The rear struts on a Lexus are a PITA.

The tires on the front of the ES will look low at the correct pressure because its FWD and most of its weight is in the front. Most FWD cars have different pressure specs for the front and the rear, don't know why the ES doesn't.

The Prius has the interior size of a midsized car, but the exterior dimensions are closer to a Corolla. Its TECHNICALLY 5 passenger, but 3 adults won't be able to sit across the rear seat, its not all that comfortable for two. Its a nice car, its just not a luxury car by any stretch of the imagination.

Thats not like him not to respond though, the email function on his site may not be working.

This is common on many newer cars. The new VOC regulations require that the paint be reformulated, and an unfortunate side effect of that is chipping. My Next Lexus will have a clearbra put on it before it ever even sees the road.

Geo- That won't happen unless you go beyond the max pressure on the tire.

Its a totally different vehicle. We have a new Prius and I enjoy driving it from time to time but I would never drive it as my primary vehicle for a couple of reasons: 1. It looks rediculous 2. Even under all the gizmos and features, its still an economy car. It rides, drives, and feels like an economy car. It may have the features of a Lexus, but its not a Lexus. So, I wouldn't drive a Prius, but I WOULD drive an RX400h. The question is also do you need the room, the RX has MUCH more room than a Prius. If you don't need the room you might be better off waiting for the hybrid Camry/ES.

A good paint thickness gauge costs thousands of dollars, don't feel bad most detailers don't have them. What kind of pads do you use with the rotary? A rotary is nothing to be afraid of, its just something to respect. Its a real professional tool, unlike an orbital which has a margin of error there is none with a rotary. With the wrong pads especially, I'mjust afraid it'll make short work of that paint.

Testing it in an inconspicuous spot doesn't do anything for you. You can't "test" a rotary on an inconspicuous spot like some chemical, its a tool. You shouldn't use ANY pressure with a rotary, ever. The tool is meant to be used under its own weight. You can't bear down on a rotary like an orbital. Even with no pressure, it can and will burn through the paint effortlessly. Nothings going to work on it but a good compounding with a rotary, from the pictures I've seen thats his last resort other than a repaint. I just REEEEALY don't think its a good idea. I think the thing for him to do is to take it to a professional with paint depth measuring equipment. Its nothing against you, I wouldn't touch it with a rotary either because its beyond the scope of my expertise. I'd feel pretty comfortable with a PC on it properly, but I'd still be careful even with that. That paint is very delicate as it is, and in that condition. Thats going to be a very complicated detail. It may even look worse before it looks better as you get through the layers of oxidized and dead paint...

A rotary can burn through paint at any speed. Its not the speed its the way it rotates. Buffers work by abrading the paint in a uniform way and creating heat to soften it. Rotaries create more heat, so they're more efficient. That heat also burns through the paint if the buffer isn't handled properly and all the edges on the panels aren't addressed properly. My question was have you ever done a single stage paint job that was in as poor condition as his. Lexus black is probably the softest paint on the market to begin with, but all the surface damage on his car will make it like powder. My guess is that as much as half of the paint on the hood, roof, and trunk is dead and will have to be removed. I wouldn't be comfortable doing that without a paint depth guage especially when he doesn't have the money to have it repainted. For one you have no idea hoe much paint is left on the hood, it may already be too thin to buff. If it is and you hit it even with the orbital it could go right through. I've done cars before that the paint is so far gone I was afraid to buff. I think the paint can be brought back a LOT by a good buffing with a rotary, but it can also be made a lot worse too. Just be careful.

You're not going to hurt anything at 40, thats just not the PSI the car was designed to ride on.

The best thing to do is learn how to speed instead of buying a radar detector. I know in my area for instance you CAN'T drive the speed limit, people driving the speed limit are a hazard. Thats another argument though. There are some tips for speeding that will greatly reduce your chance of getting a ticket: 1. Never be the fastest thing on the road. Always settle yourself into a pack so that other drivers around you are driving the same speed. You stand out when you're out alone. 2. Don't cruise in the left lane. Many speed traps on highways are set in the median and the radar is trained onto the left lane. Often they'll just ignore people in the slow lane. I've been driving the same speed as someone in the left lane, only in the right lane before and have watched cops pick the person in the left lane before me. 3. Do EVERYTHING else right. Don't ride people's bumpers, weave in and out of traffic, always use your turn signals etc. Its a lot more "satisfying" to stop you if you're being an !Removed!. 4. Be aware of your surroundings. If you see brake lights ahead and there doesn't seem to be any cause, slow down. Know what the front and back of police cars used in the area you're travelling in look like and scan for them. Always keep an eye out behind you. 5. If you blow by a cop, don't slam on the brakes. Often times a cop will be startled by his radar going off while he's snoozing and he'll do a double take, seeing brake lights seals your fate, its like admitting fault. You want to slow down, but downshift to accomplish that don't slam on the brakes. 6. If you think you've been spotted. Slow down by downshifting to within the speed limit, change your position in traffic. If your headlights are off during the day, turn them on. If there's an exit ahead, calmly pull off. Oftentimes cops will pull out to nab you only to realize they're not entirely sure which car you are. I've had cops pull out behind me, and drive next to me and look at me for a second, don't look back, just drive calmly. The cop will back off, since he's not POSITIVE it was you, and you're now obeying the speed limit. 7. Know the "safety net" in your area. For instance here you're safe 20-25 over the limit on the highway as long as you're mostly within the flow of traffic. Surface streets are anywhere from 5-15 depending on the road. I know in WV the interstate gets to 70 limit and they don't like you to do more than 75-80, but thats fast enough. In NJ they'll nab you for anything. 8. Be looking for the sneaky traps. I've seen people slow down and go by one car on the highway then speed back up to 85 before its even out of range, just to be stopped by the REAL trap thats a mile up the road. I get a good laugh out of that. 9. Be safe. Speeding isn't dangerous, as long as you're driving within the flow of traffic, the weather is good, and you aren't being reckless. If you drive 85-90 without realizing it you need a reality check, you're operating a 4500lb death machine, you mess up and you can ruin countless lives, yours, your family's (weather they're with you or not), innocent people and their families. You need to always know the speed you're driving and analyze how it fits into the conditions under which you are driving. Its a big responsibility, and one that is oftentimes placed on individuals that are incapable of handling it in this country. The speed limit isn't some "magic number" beneath which you'll be "safe". The speed thats safe to travel on a roadway often has very little to do with the speed limit. Speed limits serve one purpose only, to make the government money. Be smart and the only money they make from you will be what they rightfully take in taxes. My dad taught me this when I started driving. I've never found the need for a radar detector. I find them more annoying than anything else.

A lot of people think that, the fact is tires don't have a "reccomended inflation" it depends on the car, its weight, its handling characteristics etc. The PSI at the factory is independent of the type of tire. The PSI listed on the sidewall is the max PSI for the tire, the pressure at which it cannot be inflated past. The best thing to do is to treat the manufacturer's pressure as a low, and the max as a high and inflate in between according to your preference. Different tires feel different at different pressures, but tires don't have a "reccomended pressure". As for wheels, blake's wheels are 16s yours are 15s, and his are an inch wider than yours.

I'd look at these pads instead: http://www.properautocare.com/hi612infopaa.html Coastal tool has good tools, but its hardly a detailing shop.

But its smoother and quieter, and more prestigious. Its outdated though.

But look at the competition, at $55,000 they're still 5k under their nearest competition AND with better gas mileage.

Just look at the dramatic decline in auto related deaths now that airbags are around, that answers your question for you.

You've got to see the black maple in person, its very sharp. Doesn't look dirty at all, it looks like aged natural wood. Remember that the GS has cooled seats ;)

blake, Really? I'll get in touch with him for you, thats odd that he wouldn't respond. He may not be able to use all that much though because he doesn't use a rotary. Army, Have you ever done anything like that? You can burn right through Lexus black, especially when its compromised, with a rotary. I'd really leave that to a professional. Not anything against you or your skills, but thats not anything I'd even touch. Theres a lot of potential to make that a lot worse than it already is with a rotary, Lexus black is so soft. Thats something best left to someone with a rotary and a paint thickness gauge so they can measure how far to cut into the paint and what point is too far. I have another detailer to hook you up with in the TX area that does more "hard to do" details and uses a rotary, his name is Anthony.

I personally think airing the tires up that high makes the car feel jittery. I prefer to stick to the manufacturers reccomended PSI as it gives the best ride IMGO, on my car thats 29. Lookin good!

Trust me when I tell you, get in touch with a detailer thats skilled at using a rotary polisher. I bet the paint can be at the very least made to look a whole lot better. Nothing takes miles like an LS...

Oh please, "I think this will cause some deaths on the highway..." come on, we're being a little melodramatic aren't we? The button clearly says "Engine Start Stop". The GS is hardly the first car with a push button ignition, Mercedes puts their start button on the top of the console shifter. I'm sure the button will turn off the engine just like turning the key will turn off the engine. So what if the engine gets turned off on the freeway, just pull over and turn it back on. The cars not going to explode. As for a passenger trying to help out by turning on wiper blades? Huh? Why would they do that? I've been a passenger many times and it has never occured to me to turn on wiper blades or headlights for the driver. I've had many passengers in my car over the years, and its never occured to any of them either. If someone went to do that I would stop them. Any passenger is going to ooh and ahh over the keyless start anyways so they'll know what it is, plus like I said its marked "Engine Start/Stop" What if someone decided to shift the car out of gear? Or pull the handbrake up on cars equipped with console mounted handbrakes? Or open their door? Just because some idiot somewhere might do something stupid designers should limit new technologies? As the driver its your responsibility to be aware of what people are doing in your car. You're driving, you're in charge. If people are pushing buttons they shouldn't be, slap em in the head. Somehow Mercedes has had their button on the gearshift for the past 4 years and I've never heard of anyone accidentaly turning their car off. Causing an accident? Come on.

Which site are you looking at for the pads?

You think Meguiars waxes are easy to use you need to try some higher line products like P21S, Pinnacle Souveran, Poorboys Natty Wax...

I dont know, the new DVD Audio ML system in the 06 GS is supposed to be quite impressive...