SW03ES

I doubt it, you'd have to replace the whole bumper as it was redesigned in 00.

I never drove the older Prius, but the new one has some getup sure. Its similar to driving something like a Corolla or a 4cyl Camry. It doesn't have as much power as the ES though. vb- I think it depends on the state. We're buying it in WV and the salesman was surprised when I told him they were sales tax exempt in Maryland. Some states have a discounted tax rate and some states don't give you anything I'd suspect. My guess is both NJ and VA offer at least some sort of discount. The tax credit is a federal deduction. Its not really a credit, people just call it that, its a $1500 deduction for driving a clean fuel vehicle.

No, the LS gets better mileage than the ES. The ES actually doesn't get very good mileage at all, I'm at 17.5 right now. I think it may have to do with the car being somewhat underpowered, the engine has to work harder and use more fuel.

Its a different atmosphere. I find the LOC to be more laid back, more "ordinary people". A lot of members on CL can be just plain uppity. Then there's the difference in the fact that CL is designed to make profit for the Admin, Ethan. This site's only goal is to make enough money to be improved upon itself. Its subtle but that makes a difference in a forum. Here if the sponsors don't like what they see and leave its not the end of the world, on CL they're taking money out of his pocket. Thats our goal, to provide a much more laid back community and I think we've done that very successfully.

They don't, they have to be alluminum wheels. Can you post a picture?

I agree with TOG, probably at 2-3 layers the SG is at its optimum durability and shine.

You know as well as I do, what really makes a car look great is proper prepwork. If you prep the paint properly than anything you use as a last step product will look great. Just because someone uses a product other than Zaino doesn't mean they don't want their car to look its best. Detailing is 90% technique and 10% product. Being a member of Autopia should have taught you that ;) lxs- They also have Lexol at Target.

Sounds like the throttle position sensor to me as well...

Congrats! Lexus dealers will always offer the extended warranty, they have to. They seldom push it though.

Its Details Details Details, Inc. on Rockville pike. Their web address is www.detailsdetailsdetails.com. I have no problem taking care of chips myself, and my color is very hard to touchup.

Thats very high on an ES. Which dealership quoted you that?

Naa, I'm the lucky one by far ;) We drove one here, a dealership had a tester. Its a neat little car. Wouldn't be my first choice but its definately very unique, and the features for the money are unreal! The waiting list here is 4-5 months at least, but we found a dealership in WV that should have it in a month. It really is like driving a normal car, the hybrid system is almost undetectable. If you're sitting in it idling and the door is open you can hear the engine click on and off, but inside the car and on the road its like driving any other car. I can't wait until Lexus unveils all its new hybrids. By 2010 every Lexus model is supposed to have a high performance hybrid version. I'll be the first in line, no sales tax, $1500 a year tax credit, and you can drive in the HOV lanes even when alone? Who wouldn't pass on a deal like that on a Lexus?

Zaino's leather care products are good, but again expensive. I see no use when Woolite+ water does such a good job. silvermate- Zaino users tend to have very one track minds ;)

I've used the Zaino claybar and REALLY didn't like it, not nearly as easy to use as the Claymagic bar IMHO. Zaino products are good but they have 4 Failings: 1. They MAGNIFY swirl marks and surface abrasions. The Z5 swirl remover doesn't do much to hide the swirls. You have to be VERY careful to remove all surface marring first if you want the best results. 2. The shine is "plasticky". Zaino has a LOT of gloss, but not a lot of depth like a carnuaba does. There are full polymers out now like Meguiars NXT, Wolfgang, and Poorboys EX-P that artificially create depth. Not a big deal on a light color or white, but IMHO it masks a lot of the natural beauty of a deep dark color. 3. They're tricky to use. Zaino needs a completely pure surface on which to bond. In order to get a surface like that you have to be careful to remove all oils from the surface. 4. Its just plain EXPENSIVE. But a little goes a long way. I used to be an avid Zaino user, but now I've switched to different kinds of sealants, carnuaba sealant hybrids, and carnuaba waxes and have no desire to go back to Zaino.

The Klasse SG is the sealant glaze. You're not going to be able to use the Menzerna polishes by hand, they're actually fairly difficult by machine. I would get some Meguiars #9 Swirl Mark Remover and work it into the paint well with a terry cloth towel folded in fourths. Be warned though, removing swirls by hand is pretty hard ;)

Yep, over 600 miles on one tank of gas.

Well I just put a $500 deposit on a 2004 Prius for my fiance, fully loaded with all the buttons. Really an amazing little car, voice activated nav, SmartEntry and keyless start, HID headlamps, 60mpg! Sales tax exempt, $1500 a year income tax credit, and you can drive in all the HOV lanes even if you're alone. Just thought I'd share.

My dad's LS430 has it. It actually doesn't work on thumbprint technology, theres a little black button on every door handle and the trunk. As long as you have the "key" in your pocket all you have to do is walk up, press the button, and that door unlocks. Then you get in and sit down, and turn the ignition like the key were in it and the car starts. VERY cool. I just put a $500 deposit down on a 2004 Toyota Prius for my fiance and it has this too! Unbelieveable! $26,000 car and it has 3 features only found on the LS430, SmartEntry (they keyless start), voice activated nav, and bluetooth phone connectivity! Unreal! She's really excited! I can't get over it, 26k for a car with features that only the 70k LS430 has!

Actually the US cars are limited to 149, the limit was dropped to 131 in 2001 when the LS430 came out. There is no government regulation in the US about speed limiters, its actually the "ULEV" rating, if the car were geared to run over 131MPH it would no longer be ULEV compliant.

People are always going to have something dirty to say to you about things that you have, especially a Lexus and especially when they themselves have german cars. Its just them being childish and trying to bolster their own ego. Be happy thats not neccisary for you. The actual demographics of ES owners are around 65%male. True thats higher than something like a LS where 95% of owners are male, but its hardly a "chick car" In fact, owners of the 3 series BMW are closer to 50/50 male/female. Around here, every teenage girl wants a 3 series coupe. Most of the people I see in ES are very old men, in their 70s kinda men. I see many more men than women. Doesn't bother me, I like what I like. Tell your friends you don't need a so called "guy" car to feel like a man. That'll shut em up. If it doesn't, pound them.

You can also access Autopia's articles and tutorials on www.lexuscarcare.com, our online detailing shop is run by Autopia ;)

Oh yeah, can't go wrong with that! One thing I'd reccomend is to also buy a bottle of Klasse SG and put it in between the AIO and the P21S/S100 that comes with the Perfect Shine kit. The SG is VERY durable and will increase the amount of protection. Its tricky to use but I can get you good directions. Any scratches or swirls? Because you'd want to remove those before you seal it in.

Leather isn't naturally supposed to be shiny, its supposed to have a dull matte finish.

It will be filed as an "Uninsured Motorist" claim and will NOT effect your premiums ;)

There's never any indication, thats why they use maintenance free batts now. The shop never checked the water level because I'm sure a lot of those techs have never even seen a servicable battery.