SW03ES

I can only hope!

The amplifier would be covered under warranty. Have you had it since new? Because Lexus' warranty is 4 years 50k you should get it in quick. For some reason the Nakamichi units never had ASL, but the Mark Levinson's did. Thats one of the main reasons Lexus switched, Nakamichi was very specific in what they would allow on the stereo, no ASL, no DSP, no RDS, no navigation system.

I dont at all agree on the interior. The A4 and the ES are constantly battling for the top rated entry level interior. Audi interiors are a thing of beauty, perfectly constructed, they get a lot of praise from the automotive press. VW and Audi interiors are totally different. Thats like saying the interior of the Camry and the ES are the same, which is rediculous.

Cool! I've looked everywhere and have never found one...

Its very little, and its nothing compared to the GS and the IS Sport Designs (which are very expensive option packages) but I think the changes are compensorate to the $600 price. A new set of 16 inch wheels would cost $600 or more. The market of the ES isn't really geared towards performance, it almost seems to me that they're testing the waters to see if a more comprehensive package could be offered somewhere down the line. What confuses me is Denny Clements said that they weren't interested in dialing any sport into the ES, that the IS allowed them to build the ES soley for luxury, yet they come out with the ES "SportDesign", its contradictory. I think a "Coach" edition would have fitted the car, and even the package better. I mean, look at the wheels, do they say sport to you? They say "Coach edition" to me.

Have you tried running ozium or something through the A/C induction system? Does it usually only happen when the defroster is on? With mine sometimes when I set it to recirculate sometimes I get a stiff spurt of a strong chemical/charcoal smell which comes from the filter, its not pleasant but it doesn't sound anything like yours. Can you describe the smell? How is the car parked, is it outside a lot (including a carport) or is it garaged? Have they tried to change the cabin filter? If there is something foreign in the A/C induction system changing the filter wouldn't help. The filter guards against microbes and SOME smells, but it wont filter out particularly strong aromas. Whenever anything becomes lodged in the system, even if its something small like a leaf or some mold spores it can create a NASTY smell fast due to the fact that all of the air is blowing by it on a constant basis...

After the experience my mother had with Volkswagen I wouldn't be caught dead in one lol.

Very cool.... I collect 1:18th scale models, I have the first gen LS one but I was always irritated they never made any for the subsequent generations...

You could mount one uo above the stack in the seam between the dash and the radio face...

Hey Steve, do you get any sulfer smell with the Exxon? Mine smells like *BLEEP* (literally lol) when I use Exxon. Irriates me too because I love the Speedpass.

ASL has been on Lexus radios for quite some time, I know the LS had it as early as 1998... The base ES stereo has it too, at least the one in my loaner did.

My father also drives LS' and he was looking at a 745Li to replace his 98, and a customer of his who sold his 99 LS400 for a 750iL and returned it to buy an LS430 told him that the fun of owning a BMW would last him three weeks, then he would want his Lexus back. My dad bought a brand new 04 LS430 lol BMW is a great car, the 740i may be one of the best looking sport sedans of all time, but from what I hear from owners and what I see in the reliability ratings, its nowhere near as trouble free a vehicle as an LS. My fiance's father just bought a CPO 740iL and he took it in for the first $350 oil change and they found $1700 worth of suspension work that needed to be done on his "certified" car, not a dollar under warranty,it only has 50,000 miles on it. Personally to me a BMW is a nice car, but its not anything I'd ever care about owning. Give me a reliable Lexus anyday.

From what I hear the GX has been a nightmare for Lexus all the way around... I know of one person who had serious wind noise like you on al LS430, and it wound up the windshield was not seated correctly, once they re-seated it the noise level was what it should be. I have not driven a GX myself so I can't say...

Its actually not the catalytic converter, our own resident Lexus tech has tried swapping it and the smell remains. It really is the sulfer content of the gas. I now exclusively use BP's self proclaimed "low sulfer" gas and the smell is completely gone. I found its the worst with Exxon/Mobil, Shell and Chevron are better, but its totally gone with BP.

The Goodyears are poor tires though, especially in the snow.

The radios are identical, it will fit.

Speed limits are set way too low most places anyways, to the point where going the speed limit can be dangerous...

The ASL changes based on the speed. What it actually sounds like to me is that the amplifier may be getting ready to give out. The volume change with the ASL is so subtle you'd never notice.

Jeff, As a test I aired mine up to 36 PSI today and the handling was much crisper and the car felt much lighter. Increase in ride harshness wasn't that bad actually...

Yeah here it is http://www.lexuscarcare.com/dual-action-polishers.html

We sell the Porter Cable here at Lexus Car Care and it comes with three high quality pads. Its a little cheaper elsewhere, but it doesn't come with pads and they can be $15 or so a peice. I think we have it and all three pads for $199...

What you want to do is use the second bucket to rinse out your wash mitt. Also wash the car from the top down. So you'd dunk in the clean water, swish around, load up on soap, wash the panel in straight lines, rinse out well in the rinse bucket and repeat. Especially important as you get down around the beltline. Also never use the same mitt for wheels/wheel wells and the rest of the car. Download the e-book from www.lexuscarcare.com

In my experience the key batteries don't slowly die, they just go out in one big way lol. 9 times out of 10 if the keyless entry doesnt work right, the batteries are dead.

Thats weird, the trip timers in my ES, and both the LS' my dad has had don't reset...

Apparently they have, check with your Lexus dealer and see what they can do.