SW03ES

I'm going to move this to the detailing section. Read all the information in there. No offense to Twinturbo but he's got it very backwards. A polymer sealant wont remove or hide anything, they are purely for protection. Removing swirls is very difficult by hand and can even be impossible. Rubbing compound is WAY too harsh and wetsanding is almost definately not needed here. A product isn't going to fix your problem, but the proper technique along with the right tools can. Saying something in a bottle can do what a detailer can do for $130 is preposterous, thats like saying don't have a bodyshop fix your damaged fender, get some spraypaint and do it yourself. Swirling in paint is damaged paint, and it needs to be repaired properly by someone that knows how to do it. You could do serious and irreperable damage to the paint by wetsanding and using rubbing compound when you don't know what you're doing. If you just want them buffed out and the car waxed I would do that for you for way less than $130 seeing that you're an LOC member and you're here in D.C. but I'd have to see it first to make sure they're not too bad for me to handle. If you'd like that you're welcome to stick around when I buff them out and I can show you how its done. Once the swirls are gone I can also show you how to keep them from coming back. Lexus black has no clearcoat and swirls VERY easily. Let me know, I'd be happy to help you out. If you want to just tackle it yourself there is more than enough info in the detailing forum to help you out.

Does it work on the 03?

Don't even ask Lexus to pay for a lamp that flew off at 120MPH lol, I'd pay to see the expression on the service guy's face LOL. My guess is the lamp was loose (I see a lot of 98-00 LS' with loose or crooked turn signals. Happens because the lamp is removed to replace the bulb and they don't snap them back in properly) and the high rate of speed caused it to be forced off. Look around online and I'm sure you can find the lamp pretty cheap. Make sure the hatches are battoned down next time you're late for a tee time :D Welcome to the club!

Not really actually, the ES doesn't get very good mileage for a V6 sedan, its quite heavy for its power. In that model year span you're definately going to get more car in the LS (moreso than if you were comparing 04 LS' and ES') BUT there are some things that make me steer you towards an ES: 1. Its cheaper to maintain. That generation ES shares a LOT of its components with the Camry and parts and service will be much cheaper. LS parts are very expensive, even for the old ones. 2. You can get a newer car with less miles for the same money. These cars (both the ES and the LS) are built for miles and can last well beyond 250k if maintained properly. The LS is a little more robust but robust also = more expensive parts should something go wrong. 3. ES are more widely availiable (at least here) and seem to be driven by an older driver than the LS. My dad has a friend that has 3 ES, an ES250 a 94 ES and a 96 ES. All of them (except maybe the 96) have well over 200k with no issues at all. Look for a car that has had regular oil changes done! I fully expect to put 200,000 miles on my ES then it'll go in on trade for an LS. Can't go wrong with either car really, but since its for your mom I'd suggest the ES.

It depends.... I agree the 98-00 is a very elegant looking car and ages very well but IMHO the 95-97 and definately the 90-94 are starting to show their age, most so in the 90-94's interior. The 04 has some neat lines on it but it can still look kinda "weird" from certain angles. My dad had a 98 that I loved (its what got me so interested in Lexus) and he got an 04 last October. I definately prefer the interior of the new one, and go back and forth on the exterior. Actually the 430 new doesn't cost much more than the 90-00 400 cost new. You can get one without nav and with everything the 400 has and some more for actually less money. My dad's 98 had everything except nav and it was somewhere around 63k and change, that LS430 retails around $58k. If you add all of the goodies (his 04 is fully loaded) it hits 70, but thats still not out of line from the 400, $6500 for all that extra equipment.

I doubt it, keep an eye on the coolant level though...

But those 12 year old girls are the single greatest threat to the music industry ever! ;) :D

It might... I've heard conflicting reports, some say it will some say it won't. One way to see, pop one in the drive and see what happens!

Score! I found them online for $87 a peice so that'll save me about a hundred bucks...

I was wondering too, welcome back!

I still dislike the 01-03 LS430, but the 04 Refresh is much better looking. I'm still undecided on which I like more the 98-00 or the 04. The LS430 definately has a lot more features and room than the 400 but the ride and drive are about the same.

Usually it is mandatory to turn the stock wheels in when getting chrome. What you do is pay for the chroming, and your wheels are then traded in, chromed and given to someone else. You could have kept the original wheels but it would have cost you a lot more. What I would do is look around on ebay for the wheels, you can find them really cheap then sell your chrome ones on ebay, you might even make money on the deal... Search for "Lexus Wheels Rims" on ebay.

Thats normal, cars make all kinds of weird noises as they cool off.

Alright, found a place and put a deposit on his last 4 Toyos in stock. They better be good cause they're way more than I wanted to spend , $135.99 a peice installed. Thats about $40 more each than the Dunlops... I've got an appointment Thursday but I'm going to shop it online I think...

Called Merchants back and they don't sell the Toyos either and have plenty of bad things to say about them (which is to be expected since they don't sell them). Complicated, I wish TireRack sold them.

Juan- Naa the tires on the car are sorry anyways, they're not worth the $20 to patch them. Its simply an excuse to buy better tires lol. I just got off the phone with NTB and they said the Toyos were crap (not surprising as they don't sell them heh) and they actually reccomended the...Kumhos.....the same Kumhos Merchants tire said were unsafe so much for talking to tire dealers and trying to get a fair shake sheesh. I'm definately leaning towards the Toyort TPT I just need to find a store that sells Toyos, Michelins, and Dunlops to make sure I can trade if I'm unhappy.

Not to mention they make WAY more on engine oil than they do on gas...

It could also be a loose clamp somewhere in the exhaust system...

LOL! In case people didn't notice my above comment was in response to fatty's statement towards me and my tire decision thread and doesn't reflect my actual opinion on the use of burned CDs ;)

I thought that post was pinned... Oh well now it is!

A rattle? I dont think mine does that... Can you describe the noise better?

Try a different dealer or try online, Lexus DOES sell an escaine cleaner.

Basically its the kind of thing where you can't be too careful. You can't "overchange" the oil. Myself I change it every 5k like Lexus reccomends with full synthetic. If it makes you feel better to do it every 3k then go right ahead.

You're driving a Lexus, step up and do what you know you should, buy the actual album. Sorry couldn't resist Anyways I echo what gbh says about the formatting. Using high quality CD-R (not RW) and the formatting are crucial to getting them to play properly.

If I had been raised to automatically assume something is the best just because it costs the most then I would be driving a Mercedes. I was raised to know better than that which is why I own a Lexus. Please don't assume I am cheap or that I can't afford good tires simply because I am concerned about getting a good value for my money. I'm certain the Michelins are good tires but before I fork over 20% more than all other comparable tires I need to be assured that they are far superior in all pertinent aspects. The more I look around and get people's opinions it seems that as good or better tires can be had for less. Thats simply how people that know the value of money shop. There are many other tires from quality manufacturers like Dunlop that sell for far less. If I may remind you, Lexus ships their cars with Goodyears, Toyos, Bridgestones, Dunlops, AND Michelins. Lexus seems to think these tires are comparable. You can do as you please, but unless you can give me some advice other than a statement like that, don't post in my thread. Anyways... Alan- The Bridgestones are fairly quiet on smooth pavement but they groan loudly on bad roads and are harsh over bumps. They also have a tendency to get flat spots and vibrate depending on the outside temperature. Wet traction has been subpar also. I've driven ES' with the Michelin tires (they come with the Bridgies or the Michelins) and they ride significantly better, at least IMHO. Check out the Tire Rack's reviews of the Bridgestones, they are one of the lowest rated tires they sell. It seems to me like the MXV4's are a good tire, but not so great as to be worth the cash. I'm tempted to do the Toyos since they have that 45 day money back guarantee but they're still $20 more a peice than the Dunlops and I can't find anywhere legitimate to order them online (which I prefer to do from a cost standpoint and I like to have my guy install them)... Also those of you that have gone from V to H rated tires, any adverse effects to the handling of the car?