SW03ES

oooh... I'm not so sure you will be able to. Ballpoint pen will come out but I don't know about straight ink pens. I would find a detailer in your area that specializes in stain removal.

Believeable. Brakes on Lexus vehicles don't last long because they use a soft pad compound for quietness. Rotors are so cheap nowadays that most people don't turn them. Turning them makes them thinner which creates more heat and wears the pads faster. All Lexus dealers replace rotors now. Odd the rears would go first though...

If its what tta says then my ES does the same thing when the windows are down, its the design of the windows creates a buffeting, its deafening because its !Removed! with the pressure inside the cabin. If you really enjoy driving with the windows down (some do, I don't) I would suggest you get some ventvisors they should help. I'm sure Lexus sells them, if not www.weathertech.com does. We were just on vacation with some of my fiance's family and they always had the windows down in the back, drove me NUTS!

Sure the system could break again, it could break again if he replaces it too. Just because it could doesnt mean it will, I say pay the $1200 if it breaks again. Why do it now "just in case". Its not like we're talking a life or death component here, if it fails you gotta sweat it for a day, big deal. Smart move

Yeah they fixed the rear door under warranty. The difference is Lexus cared enough to address the problem and fix it. You have a rattle on a Ford and tell the dealer they say "Cars just rattle, nothing we can do about it". Lexus has a way to eliminate every type of rattle, if they don't then they have a team design a way for you. Thats a lot of the difference also, willingness to stand behind their product. I love my Explorer, I love the way it looks but a reliable or well built vehicle it is not. For something that cost $40,000 new, I wouldn't buy another one. It was nice until 60k when the extended warranty ran out, its cost me $4000 a year since then. Another thing you've got to differentiate between is city cars and highway cars. City cars, whoever makes them, will start to rattle first as the wear on them is higher (stress caused by starts and stops, potholes, curb bumps etc). Thats why they say every city mile is worth 10 highway miles. Your LS is a highway car, the ES is a city car. Have you gotten the PC yet? I have got to show you pictures of what a detailer was able to do on a black LS that was as neglected as yours with just a PC. He thought he was going to have to paint it, but it looks brand new now. Its amazing...

It'll take it a second to kick in. Try leaving it at a preset temp (I find 70-72 works well) and let it do its thing. Also keep in mind that just because the fan isn't blowing doesn't mean the system isn't operating, its venting and cooling that air to provide a gradual change.

Thank you Steve, especially hard because I've had her for so long, she would have been 14 next month. She'd been real sick the past year though and it was time to let her go. We're keeping busy by discussing what kind of pet we're going to get probably sometime this fall.

Your Lexus might have some rattles but its got 230k miles! And from the condition it was in it didn't have the easiest life... Thats actually odd because my dad's 98 didn't have one rattle at 150k when he traded it... My Explorer rattles so bad the radio won't even drown it out... That 97 40th Ed. LC is sharp! Looks to be in great condition too. I also agree that Minivans are best in practicality but used minivans can be just plain scary abused... That LC is going to give you a nice ride and be reliable and it looks to have been very well cared for...

The information that I've gotten is from a reseller that sells the kit for the Toyota vehicles. Its the exact same kit. The Solara specifically even uses the exact same head unit as the ES. Let me see if I can get them to come on here and post...

Can you post pictures?

Do you have the manual? If so it should identify all the fuses...

Thats exactly what my parents have, my dad has an 04 LS and my mom has an FX35. Small world. Anywho, check the nav system to make sure its not sent to detour around interstates...

There's no way to do it without the FM modulator that is surefire to work. There are adapters that you can use from www.soundgate.com that will be a direct connection to your stereo and replace the CD Changer in the glovebox, or you can even use the Lexus kit (but Lexus will sware up and down you can't). The Lexus kit is great my dad has it on his new LS430. There's no way to get around the antenna, all cars with sat. radio must have an antenna. I put mine on the back parcel shelf, its invisible and works fine. Also don't be afraid of FM modulation, mine is hardwired FM modulated and the sound is fantastic. The quality really depends on the stereo and its fine with the ML. Search this forum for my install.

It all depends on how you drive it. My fiance's Prius forum has taught her how to drive it properly for the best gas mileage, how to brake and get maximum charging, how to take off and coast. If you drive it like a normal car you'll only get about 42, but people on her board are getting OVER 60.

Thanks Alan :(

Auto climate control takes a little getting used to. Best to use it like your home thermostat, choose one temp and leave it there. There's a range of like 3 degrees where the car feels its "comfortable" and it won't cut off so sometimes it gets a little too cold or hot before it adjusts, again just like home systems. The auto recirc mode senses dirt in the air and adjusts for it by triggering recirc so you don't get bad smells, thats all it does.

Beautiful! Take good care of her and she'll take good care of you ;)

Honestly, before you sell the LS look into refinancing it. Its going to hold its value and last far longer than the other vehicles you're currently considering. The Expeditions are okay, I just put my Explorer in the shop for $2600. Thats the real fear. Fords (not all) just don't have the dependability and consistent quality of the Japanese automakers. The Expedition has several areas of concern that are common, search around and look for some forums on them. My Explorer gets driven very little now and I have not had it in the shop for less than $500 in years. I'm not kidding, even oil changes aren't just oil changes anymore, comes back $750 or 1000 etc, always. its been this way since 70k when the tranny went at $2500. Its just a money hole, its a perfectly maintained 97 Limited. It still looks great but it feels on the road like its falling apart after 148,000 miles. The Outback is a nice wagon, and since they just redesigned it you should be able to get a good deal on it. I'd look at it, I've been considering getting a new one to replace the Explorer...

Turns on and off the autodimming feature.

I completely forgot... Our dog got very sick and we had to have her put down yesterday. In all the hustle it just totally slipped my mind. Sorry gang

Its just bad for fuel economy. As for the radio, anything that draws on the battery causes the charging system to have to work harder. thusly lowering fuel econ.

No prob!

Probably the switch has gone bad... Have you checked the fuses?

Basically all of the LS' up to the brand new 04 ride and drive pretty much the same, the "LS ride" is legendary and they don't mess with success. Glad you liked the ES. I know a couple people who have traded their LS' on them because the ride/drive and feature content of the new ES and the median LS' are so similar, and the ES is so much cheaper than a new LS. They set out to make the ES into a "baby LS" and they definately succeeded. The granet/ivory like your loaner is pretty common but the car with the black interior like mine is fairly rare. Lexus prefers to ship their colors with "contrast". Dark interiors light exteriors, dark exteriors light interiors etc. Thats the reaction I get from everyone they say it looks and feels like a much more expensive car than it is. Which armrest do you mean the door armrests or the center one? The door armrests are synthetic leather that may be why you had that reaction, its a pretty good synthetic leather though...

All engines must run at higher RPM the faster the vehicle moves. The RPM stands for "Revolutions per minute", its how fast the engine is running. My ES sits around 2400 RPM at 75 MPH. The RPM at each given speed are in relation to the gearing of the transmission. Since yours is a 4 speed and mine is a 5 yours probably runs at a higher RPM than mine. It also depends on the weather, the elevation, load, tires, etc. Generally the rule about not going over 2000 RPM goes for acceleration only, don't let the engine exceed 2000 RPMs when accelerating from a stop. And our new Prius is getting abut 55 MPG ;) The new diesel engines are much more efficient than most gas engines.