SW03ES

I do use synthetic oil, because its not much more expensive (couple bucks a quart) and because I hope to drive the Lexus 200,000 miles and it adds to my peace of mind. BUT I do agree with Monarch for the most part. I hear this a lot "Its a Lexus, use the most expensive gas even if it doesn't need it, use synthetic oil, ALWAYS use the dealer even though its 3 times as expensive, ALWAYS use the strict maintenance schedule" its that type of thinking that makes the dealership a FORTUNE. Thats a fortune YOU don't have to spend, and that Lexus TELLS you you dont have to spend right in the owners manual. That "its a LEXUS!" mentality is completely created by the dealership. They even charge as much as they do because in all honesty, Lexus owners WANT to pay that much. My Lexus dealer charges $20 a quart for synthetic oil that would cost $5.50 at TrakAuto. For that much, its gotta do GREAT things for the car right? You laugh, but people think that way. I'm guilty of buying into it just as much as the next guy...

Hey guys, We just got home from visiting the in-laws to be in New Jersey. It rained really hard the whole way back and I noticed something I've noticed a couple of times before again only when its raining. After driving at high speed in the rain, the brakes grind REALLY bad when slowing the car, and there also seems to be a loss of braking effectiveness (pedal feels hard). This is directly proportionate to the amount of rain. By the time we got on the beltway the rain had stopped and braking returned to normal. Braking was normal driving up there, and before it started raining. It only happens when its raining moderately or heavily. Car has about 17,000 miles on it so I dont think its bad pads yet, as the brakes are fine at all other times. I checked all the rotors out really well with a flashlight just now and there doesn't seem to be any scoring of the rotors or excess brake dust. Whats everyone think? This is definately abnormal and is a new problem. The car never used to behave this way in the rain.

I'd do that if the car were a 1992 as opposed to a 2002, but it should be repaired properly ;)

Quite the contrary, now that Lexus has identified the problem there will be a fix for it, and it will be rectified, probably in new cars first. Wait a couple months then special order a GX from the factory and I'm sure the problem will be solved. Lexus wouldn't recognize the problem if they could not rectify it.

I have not but I know people that have and they say its a great cleaner/polish. What people need to realize is that this is NOT one of those crappy color infused polishes like from Turtle Wax. Its simply a cleaner/oxidation remover and is called Color X because it restores the natural color by removing dulling oxidation. It also contains some of the new polymers found in Meg's NXT Tech wax and the two of them are supposed to be a good match for each other. Try it out and let us know what you think!

What you should look for is a tan steering wheel from a LS400 95-97 or an LX450 SUV, they're the same wheel. Any wheel there will work. Sis you buy that seat from the wrecked LS? What about seeing what he would charge you for the steering wheel and the armrest, bet it'd be cheap.

I actually find that ordinary Armor All dries very matte on the tires...

You're there man! Woolite is just the plain ol Woolite laundry detergent you buy at the grocery store. Just dillute it 5 parts Woolite to one part water in a spray bottle and you're good to go. You don't want to use dawn to wash the car, aside from stripping off the wax extended use will dry out all the plastic and all the seals on the car. Actually I reccomend 1Z pearls shampoo, we sell it at Lexus Car Care and it gets great reviews. Another couple things you're going to want: A Claybar. I reccomend the Clay Magic claybar availiable from www.premiumcarcare.com you want the blue one. A Quick Detailer spray. This is useful for quick cleanups and extends washing. Just go to Autozone or something and buy a bottle of Meguiars Quik Detailer, it works fine. You can dillute it 50/50 with water if you want. You also need something to CLEAN the interior plastics, dashboard etc. I reccomend the 1Z Cockpit Premium. The 303 will protect it, but it won't clean it.

Well basically the GS430 and the 300 are the same car, except for the powertrain and some option packages, and some slight trim differences inside. The suspension/handing characteristics are the same, unless you equip one with the 17 inch wheels. Both of them can cruise at the same top speeds as they're aerodynamically identical. Basically if you need the power of that V8, thats the only reason to pay more for the 430.

Well the 97 and 98 wheel/airbags look exactly the same, the spokes are all in the same places etc, the mounting brackets inside are just different for that very reason.

The install guy who is going to do mine said the same thing, he would just put the antenna on the dashboard.

Thats actually a commonly held fallacy. The car can DEFINATELY be repaired so that he won't be able to tell it was ever damaged. It used to not be the case, buit today with computerized paint matching and a good skilled paint and body technician nobody will ever be able to tell the car was damaged. As for it showing up on a carfax it probably will because the police were involved. Whenever the police are involved it will show up on a carfax. They probably wont have to replace the entire doors, just the skins. The inside part of the door and the outside part seperate and can be welded back together. This is what you want them to do because you wont see any ripples or anything like that. They wont replace the rear quarter panel, they'll just weld in a new peice of metal there down by the door. If you find a good shop it'll be 100% impossible to tell the difference. No reason to trade it. I agree that the insurance company should pay whats called a depreciated value claim, compensating you for any loss in value that may have occured after the repair. For one thing the car will never be able to be a Lexus certified pre owned as it has more than one panel repainted, and that would effect what a Lexus dealer would give you on trade, and you should be compensated for that.

VB- You need to try a PC, its not like an ordinary junky Wal mart buffer, its an excellent tool that is really essential if you have to remove defects from the paint. I do everything with the PC now, INCLUDING applying paste waxes because it just saves so much work. Its an excellent and essential tool unless your paint is in perfect condition. I agree the Collinite is great stuff, but there are plenty of other great products out there that will last just as long if not longer. Collinite is definately the longest lasting carnuaba wax, but synthetic polymers like Zaino do tend to last longer, although the shine can be called "sterile". I've been experimenting with a few and will continue to as the weather gets better...

Silver is one of the easiest colors to care for. Any swirls or scratches of any kind? I'd try something like Poorboys EX sealant over Poorboys Polish with Carnuaba on this car. Check out the Poorboys line at www.poorboysproducts.com

Only problem is your airbag may not bolt up to the wheel properly. I don't know why, but thats just the way it is they changed the way the bag attatches. The color SHOULD be the same. The first LS to ever have radio controls on the wheel was the LS430 so no need to worry there.

Yeah thats not too awful bad. They'll wind up replacing the door skins and repainting most of that side. Hope you get it all fixed up soon, talk about bad timing... We gotta get you some LOC stickers ;)

Have you read the tutorials included on www.lexuscarcare.com if not they contain a WEALT of information. I would also download the E-book off of Lexus Car Care, its very thorough and I believe its free right now. A lot of the products that I personally would reccomend depend on the year and color of the car, what kind of shape its in, etc. How much time do you want to devote to washing, prepping the paint, and waxing? So I'll hold off on suggestions there until I hear back from you. As for the interior, I use and love 1Z Cockpit Premium to clean and protect the interior components. It leaves a very matte OEM look. If you like a little more sheen you can try 303 Aerospace Protectant. For the leather, I reccomend 5:1 dillution of Woolite and Water in a spray bottle for cleaning. No need to condition really if the car is new, if the leather is neglected then Leatherique will really help to restore it. As for the cali water blade, its very safe but you have to be very careful to keep it clean. Any dirt on it and it will scratch the hell out of the paint. When I dry I CWB then follow up with a waffle weave microfiber towel. You can buy those at Lexus Car Care or from www.pakshak.com

It was probably just a fluke thing. As far as I know the engine oil light is simply a level sensor in the oil pan.

The PC is the Porter Cable Dual Action polisher. Its really the most effective tool out there short of a real rotary polisher. Here's a link: http://www.lexuscarcare.com/pc-7424-kit.html You'll want to apply and work in compounds and polishes with the buffer, but with that buffer you're going to want to remove products and apply wax by hand. All orbital polishers aren't created equal, most of the bonnet type jobs really aren't as versitile as something like the PC or a rotary buffer, but they're better than hand.

You'll probably want to use terry bonnets with that for swirl removing and polishing, and wax by hand. You should be able to get good results with that but not as good as with something like a PC where you can use foam pads. As for buffing compound, you dont want to use anything that comes in a bar. Just use a good swirl remover, we sell Menzerna and 1Z polishes here which are both excellent.

I stopped off at Tweeter today and I can have XM custom installed for under $300, hidden in the top armrest bin where nobody would ever see it, done with an FM modulator. I sat in two cars, one done with the FM modulator and one done with the line in jack, and while not as good as the line in jack the FM modulator was better than FM reception. I'm very pleased and will have this done soon.

I stopped off at a Tweeter (car audio store) to see about XM radio today and the install guy sat in the car to discuss where to put the unit. He summed it up best, he said he does a lot of these installs in a lot of nice cars, but you get more for your money in an ES than you do anywhere else. The quality of the build and materials is equal to cars twice as expenisve. It really is like having a $60,000 car.

Yeah I need to get a new windshield in mine too.

The dash is vinyl. Lexus calls it "synthetic leather" but its really just vinyl. The Ultra Luxury version of the LS430 has a partial leather dash, but the LS400 does not. Armor All is an okay protectant but its not a cleaner. What I reccomend to everyone is 1Z Cockpit Premium to clean the dash followed by 303 Aerospace Protectant to protect it. In all honesty protecting the interior peices (other than leather) isn't a big priority as the heat doesn't effect them so much and the solar tinted glass nowadays really blocks all the UV rays. As for the adhesive, I'd try some goo gone.

My ears are burning :D What kind of buffer did you buy? That will dictate what types of pads to use and give you realistic expectations of results. If its a PC, or it uses velcro pads then You'll need probably two cutting pads, a polishing pad and a finishing pad. The cutting pad will be used when you are applying compounds, the polishing for polishing, and the finishing for applying waxes and sealants. You want to start with the strongest step, so it would be compound, polish, wax. Removing each before the next step.