SW03ES

I actually know people who have used both those waxes and say they can see no merits over other high grade carnuaba paste waxes like P21S, Pinnacle Souveran, or Meguiars #26.

Good deal! What I find so interesting is that the dealer that quoted me $230 and the one that quoted me $130 both had the same labor rate, $89....

This one's $750 for 8 ounces and is not refillable for life ;) http://www.zymol.com/alant2.htm

Check it out. http://www.zymol.com/vintage2.htm

I've never used it, but its supposed to be one of the best looking waxes out there. Thats actually not the most expensive. There are several waxes over $100, and Zymol sells a wax that comes in a waterford crystal container that costs $1500. They refill it for life. Big of them LOL.

I can understand that LOL

All they have to do is remove a peice of weatherstripping from the base of the door, and the problem will be solved. They just did it to mine. Its very common on the ES. Also shop for the pricing on that 10k service. The 10k is a "mini-service" which includes an oil change, tire rotation, and inspection. I just had one done, was quoted $220 from one dealer, $160 from another. By bringing the synthetic oil with me I was out the door at $130. For an oil change, a tire rotation AND a loaner for the day $130 was worth it.

LOL In all honesty though, Lexus wouldn't allow its dealerships to install such wheels if there was any adverse effect to the vehicle. Lexus themselves designed L-Sportline kits with larger wheels etc.

The RX300 is 4100k :)

Glad it worked out! Leather seats are actually quite resillient and stain resistance ;)

The new nav system is exactly the same, it just looks different, Lexus just switched suppliers from NAVTECH to...something else. I actually think my 03 nav is more attractive than the gen 4 nav in my dad's 04 LS430, the new one has a bright blue/green screen while mine is a more muted natural look. Another pro for getting an 04 is the availiable XM satellite radio which is impossible to install on any other Lexus, but I dont know if you have anything like that 'cross the pond. You're right, I did forget about the 17 inch wheels in the UK. Even the LS400 in the UK had 17 inch wheels. The 01-03 had the keyless start? I thought that was only in Japan...

Why pay $60 for Pinnacle Souveran when you can buy Turtle Wax for $4.00...

He means on the 04...

Even if they did it wouldn't matter, you're not required to service it at the dealer.

Any LS rim will fit on any LS with the exception of the early 15 inch wheels on later models ;)

01- All new LS430 debut, first time the car has been completely reworked since 1995. 02- Fixed some issues with wind noise around the front windshield with new trim fittings. New base 16 inch wheels in response to outcry over 01's ugly 16 inchers. 03- No change 04- Major freshening, new front and rear ends, new wheels. 17 inch wheels were made stanadard with an 18 inch upgrade. New 6 speed auto transmission, new Generation 4 Nav, Bluetooth phone connectivity, smart key availiability. Generally I would try and get an 02 at least just because the 01 was the first year of the model run, and they made that upgrade to fix some wind noise issues.

You can try something like the Novus three step plastic polish...

Thats the problem when dealing with high mileage cars, what repairs are worth doing? I had my 97 Explorer in the shop (146,000 miles) for grinding brakes and it came back $2600, new 4WD hubs, all new brake pads and rotors, a bad axle seal, bad ABS sensors, all kind of things after spending $1500 in Early December to repair the gauge cluster and do routine maintenance and flushes. I know how you feel. I figured hell, I've got so much invested in it now that theres no point in selling it until something major breaks down again. The $1590 was mostly elective work like with you. Fact of the matter is that the Lexus is a reliable car, moreso than my Explorer (there hasn't been a service under $500 in like 3 years lol) and probably at this juncture I would say its worthwhile to spend some money on it. Depending on the transmission replacing the torque converter is usually a partial rebuild at least. Since you haven't frozen any gears yet and the tranny still shifts I would take it to somewhere like AAMCO and see what they think. On a car as old as that one is, even with your mom's discount there's really no reason to service it at the dealer. In all honesty the dealer is so expensive theres no reason to service a brand new one there... Keep us posted ;)

But why would they? If there were any chance of the larger diameter wheels causing early wear of any of those components Lexus dealers wouldn't sell them... If you use a larger wheel/tire combo it causes problems, but if the overall diameter of the wheel/tire is the same and only the wheel diameter is increased then there's no problems whatsoever.

Leonardo DiCaprio drives a GS400

Yep, the new RX400H hybrid. A really cood ad actually...

Thats not what Lexus is saying. I'd be leery of information you get from dealers...

Larger diameter wheels aren't going to void the warranty. In fact, Lexus dealers sell them themselves...

Don't feel too bad, I put my Explorer in the shop for grinding brakes, came back $2600. Gouged rotors all around, burned out 4WD hubs, 3 bad ABS sensors, one leaking axle seal, a faulty ignition cylinder and a few other things I don't even remember. After spending $1500 on it in November... THATS a bad week

I agree... Hey Steve, did you ever get those black pearl emblems on your car?