SW03ES

A detail or body shop might be able to polish the scratches out if they're not too deep. The stock tint on most cars is not a film like traditional aftermarket tinting, its actually tinted between the two layers of glass. So the tin't can't be removed and replaced. If they can't polish it out then the glass will have to be replaced.

Check out the install forum at www.siriusbackstage.com

Thats the difference between "pre-sold" which means they are already purchased and name on a list I believe...

blake- Really? Thats pretty cool! As for the Explorer its not really my issue anymore as I handed it back to my parents when we bought the Prius. They've kept it for...something I don't know what LOL. I believe the transmission BMW uses in the 5 series is the same transmission being used in the new STS...

Well of course the RX is going to be choppier and louder than an LS, its an SUV ;) The only thing I don't agree with is the interior, the interior of the 90-94 LS is (IMHO) very outdated and somewhat bland, where the RX has a very nice looking and high quality interior.

Very cool!

I'm not sure I follow you. You want an expensive fix for the seats? Yet you wanted to try Baby Oil? My guess is you are looking for something INEXPENSIVE to use on the seats in the Concorde. Well, honestly there's not much you can use. You can clean the leather with a solution of Woolite and water (run a search) but I really don't reccomend using anything "on the cheap" to condition leather seats. Most automotive leather is coated and using things like Coco butter for instance can destroy that protective coating and ruin the leather not to mention stain the stitching. A bottle of good leather conditioner like Lexol really doesn't cost that much... $4 or so.

It is entirely possible the phone will not work with the car. Lexus dealers have a list of compatible phones, I know smartphone PDA devices generally don't work. See Bluetooth has several different applications, only one of which is to allow handsfree communication without wires. Bluetooth also is a data transmission method, and my guess is thats basically what your new phone is designed to do. The phone must have bluetooth handsfree compatibility and bluetooth data compatibility to work properly with the Lexus/Toyota system. There are very few phones that work perfectly. If the phone doesn't have handsfree like your phone (I suspect) it will transfer phone books but you won't be able to communicate, a phone with handsfree and no data like the Motorola V710 from Verizon you can make and answer calls but you can't sync phonebooks and the phone won't ring aloud.

Isn't that basically what I said? ;)

Well the engine and drivetrain study reports disagree with you ;) I don't believe Toyota has any engines or transmissions that have been nominated for the list, GM has several (the 3800 is the only one I could think of off of the top of my head, engine and transmission model names aren't my area of expertise lol). Another engine that is on the list is the V6 out of the Maxima. I'll try and find some of the Ward's engine and transmission ratings. I'm not even sure how they rate them. All I know is that GM has recieved several accolades for their engines and transmissions, and BMW wouldn't purchase GM transmissions if they weren't quality peices. As for my Explorer, its had just about everything wrong with it. 2 transmissions (again very common on the Explorer) 2 A/C compressors, 3 CD changers, 2 radios, tension pulley on the serpentine belt flew off, many many brake fiascos, new master cylendar, so many things over 7 years that I can't even remember. THis car has at least $12-13,000 in unscheduled repairs in it, and according to my Ford service rep its one of the more reliable ones. Visibly and inside the truck still looks new, good leather and okay plastics, many of the components are just designed in such a way that they have a certain life that can't be extended. Take the A/C compressors, Ford builds them wrapped in a foam material sort of like a beer caddy. Wel that insulates the compressor and helps to lessen condensation runoff but the foam stays damp and rusts out the condensor. I just had the second replacement installed last month at a cost of $611. I was THRILLED to hear $611 because I can't remember the time the thing went in the shop for less than $1,000. As for the launches of the Explorer, Focus and Lincoln LS its not that there's a problem with it now its that they didn't work all the bugs out BEFORE they started selling them to customers, Ford never does. The Focus has the honor of having more recalls in one year than any other vehicle ever sold in the Automotive industry. The Explorer had several recalls including a leaking gas tank that led to car fires, smoldering interior wiring, a liftgate that shattered when closed, and a rear suspension problem contributing to rollovers. The LS was the same way, many many recalls that put it off on the wrong foot.

It is definately possible, the airbag would also have to be replaced. The wood on the wheel would have to be refinished to match yours as they changed the wood color on the grey and tan interiors, and the tan is a slightly different shade now. The wood on the black interior is the same. The problem is the cost. For right now at least you'd have to buy that wheel new (I've seen the 05 in person and the wheel is very nice) as there won't be any used ones around. I don't have a price on that wheel, but the wheel from the 02-04 is nearly $3,000 from Lexus WITHOUT the airbag! The airbag would be at least another grand. Then you would either need to find a wiring harness for the radio controls or fab one up. The harness would probably be another $500 or so. Your radio should be able to accept steering wheel radio controls as its used on other Toyota vehicles that have this feature. So, its possible but for right now not at all cost efficient.

You know, I wish that someone on the board would post pictures of something like this pretending not to be associated with the company thats making them. Darn! ;) LOL, all kidding aside it might look interesting, maybe powder coated black or something. That plastic grille not only looks kinda cheap but its IMPOSSIBLE to clean.

There is no way to integrate satellite radio into the nav on a 2001 GS. There are plenty of options including directly connected FM modulators and exterior tuners but thats about it. I have Sirius satellite radio installed in my 03 ES directly connected through an FM switchbox and the sound is fine. Check out my install in my garage.

Hey everyone... One thing I've never been thrilled with on my ES is the black eggcrate plastic grille that exists on the bumper opening, I was thinking a nice close woven mesh grille there instead might look good, what does everyone think?

Baby Oil would be a really bad idea, not to mention it would definately stain and darken the interior, make the leather surfaces slippery, and the solvents in the oil would eat away at the stitching. With automotive coated leathers you really want to stick to dedicated leather conditioners.

They have IS's at loaners at some dealers here also ;)

Cool!

Looks very similar to Cadillac's magnetic ride control

The problem is the smoother the tire the shorter the tread life. Sure you can get tires that will last much longer for this car, but like with George's car the ride will be like on a brick. Generally thats the deal, low treadwear=smoother ride. High treadwear=stiffer ride. I'd expect actually that 20k is optimistic for tire life on this car, but thats really true of any car in this class.

The main word in there is "GM makes SOME of the best engines and transmissions in the Industry". The tranny failure on your Suburban is VERY rare, usually that tranny is bulletproof. The 3800 V6 used in GM cars like the Buick Regal, Pontiac Grand Prix etc consistently makes the 10 best engines list and the basic hardware its built upon is nearly 20 years old. The Northstar engine is legendary for being refined, powerful, and efficient. BMW isn't the only one to use GM transmissions, I believe Honda does as well as does Toyota on some models. GM and Toyota have a joint partnership that brought about the Geo Prizm/Toyota Corolla and right now the Pontiac Vibe (which is a rebadged Toyota Matrix). In trade GM gives Toyota some rights to things like transmission design and some Delco components. Ford's main problem isn't their products its how the company is run. Ford is about the worst run car company there is. Full of corporate wrongdoing and corruption, poor customer service and dealer support. Corruption leads to cars being built and put to market without proper quality control and that causes huge launch fiascos like with the Focus, the 2002 Explorer, the Lincoln LS its a real problem for them. They've definately got to get those issues in check before I ever buy another Ford product. My Explorer has been pretty dissapointing reliabilitywise, the transmissions on 6 cyl Explorers are TERRIBLE with something like a 65% failure rate before 70k miles. Rattles are terrible, body integrity isn't great, it never drives by a dealer for less than $800 and the resale value is terrible. All in all the main problem with American cars is poor build quality and over saturation of dealer inventory that leads to really poor resale value.

Thanks GS :D As for Subaru they make some really nice vehicles, expensive for their market but nice. The new Legacy is very nice, electroluminescent guages, 280hp, nice build and materials really nice car. The problem with GM has never really been their mechanicals, GM engines are some of the best in the industry, their transmissions are so good they're used in BMWs. The problem is how they put the vehicles together. GMs are notorious for falling apart when they still run fine.

Actually its quite simple: S does indeed stand for sedan, and C for coupe, and X for SUV. But where he's a little mistaken is what the first letter stands for. L Stands for Luxury -LS=Luxury Sedan G stands for Grand -GS=Grand Sedan E stands for Executive -ES=Executive Sedan I stands for International -IS=International Sedan S stands for Sport - SC=Sport Coupe As for the SUVs its R for Recreational, L for Luxury and I assume G for Grand to match the GS. This is what I was told a couple years ago from a Lexus spokesperson. If you think about it it makes more sense than what this guy said about the letter being higher in the alphabet, I is higher than everything but L and the IS is the cheapest sedan.

Very cool! And I'm not a non believer, somehow they got that nav installed in all those other cars on that website.

Toyota just doesn't control the quality of dealers like Lexus does. Sure there are some great dealers but there are real crappy ones too, it just depends on the individual owner's business philosophy. Unfortunately I've found that on the whole the dealers are subpar, hence their low dealer satisfaction rating (its 4th from the bottom I think).

Sk- Yeah thats very typical of aftermarket windshields. Steve- Thanks, the Lexus goes in for maintenance and some warranty problems next week, I'll ask them then.