SW03ES

Rena, I've noticed the same thing and can't tell if its because the lights are just old and worn or if there was actually a difference. We know that in on year (95 I think) they did add or remove those three lines across the lamp, I remember hearing about that...

aaa rims is a great place, no doubt at all. Never bought from them (mainly because I havent bought wheels yet LOL) but I've talked with them several times, good folks.

songbird, no question its a fantastic car. I'll get one when my lease on the ES is up, by then the all new 06 will have been out for a year, perfect!

Actaully believe it or not they sell more LS430s, its possible its different in your area...

Well first I gotta get ahold of my dad, then he has to get ahold of his friend, then his friend has to get ahold of him, then he has to get ahold of me. It could be a while lol :D

As long as the actual diameter of the whole wheel/tire is unchanged the speedometer and the nav system wont have to be recalibrated. Thats why usually when they do a wheel upgrade they lower the width of the tire sidewall so effectively what you have is a wheel tire combo that is the same diameter as the original, just with more wheel and less tire. The computer in the car can't tell a difference. I'm going to stay with 16s though, I prefer the smoothest ride. The actual standard ES wheels in chrome look okay too..., they dont have any flat surfaces really so they're not too "bling bling" as Stevie said lol. I'll probably just wind up leaving them the way they are. My first thing I really want to have done is get XM radio installed so that the controller pad fits in the ashtray, I have to find someone that can do that...

Actually Kevin not so much. A lot of times synthetic oils when added to a high mileage car that has always had dino oil can start leaks, as the oil chips away at baked on gunk that is hiding small leaks.

Alan and everyone, My dad has a friend that is a Lexus engineer, he's helped us in the past on stuff like this. I'll see if he can get ahold of him and find out what's going on with the tranny deal. As I said, mine's fine, I drove the hell out of it the other day to try and make it hesitate and it wont, so there might be something he can tell us.

Stevie, I seriously doubt they're 16s, my guess is 17s at least, most probably 18s. The new ES makes most wheels look really small. Naa, not really my style, just thought I'd share the picture. I dont know what I'm going to do, the LS wheel idea is still a good one, I dont know I'm still in the thinkin stages lol.

Hey y'all. I was cruising around ebay, and found this 03 ES with my color with some pretty slick looking aftermarket wheels. Usually I'm not that much a fan of aftermarket wheels, but these aren't bad. Whats everyone think?

I echo what sk said on all points. Also, www.aaarims.com sells OEM rims one by one, but they can be pricey. www.ackerwheels.com does also.

I mean visually, my feeling was that this was the angle he was looking for changes in.

Alan, you are an asset, dont worry!

Not really, the ES got a very mild refresh in 95, and it was planning to be totally redesigned in 97, so why would they bother with changing anything? Same is true of the 92, 93, and 94, they're all the same, as are the 97, 98 and 99, and the 02, and the 03.

I'll find out amf, I wasn't aware of this either.

Nope, no differences.

Analog service is also very expensive, plus now that carriers aren't required to also provide analog coverage, the coverage area shrinks monthly. In my opinion its not worth it.

I've seen it in person, and both the GS and IS SportDesigns are VERY well done this time around. I love the headlights on the GS, but the IS' may be even better, they've done the headlights and the tails in black chrome. VERY sharp.

Yeah for some reason all the XM install places are afraid to touch the Nakamichi and Mark Levinson systems. I want it too, but the only way is with an FM modulator.

Its actually pretty easy to find these emblems on ebay, just do a search for "lexus chrome" or "lexus emblems" or "lexus badges". You can also get them online from www.lexus-parts.com

Naa, skip the warranty, the car is so flawless mechanically that anything big you could probably get Lexus to pay for out of warranty anyways.

LOL, Lexus dealers will scam you on service just like anyone else. Not all of course, but plenty of them. Think about it this way, any car dealership makes way more money servicing cars than selling them, and Lexus are as reliable as they come. They have to make the money somewhere, and its made on unneccisary service. I've yet to meet a Lexus service department that hasn't tried to screw me somewhere. Got to watch them just like everyone else. Not a bad mark on Lexus, the service is definately great with lots of frills, but they're just people like everyone else. Here's what I do, Its what you should do too! For stuff where I'm not going to leave the car, oil changes, tire rotations etc, I take it to Toyota and just wait. If I'm busy and need to leave the car for a bigger maintenance that takes all day, then its really worth it (to me) to let Lexus do it for several reasons- 1. They come and get it, and bring it back. 2. They leave me a "free" loaner. If I took it to Toyota, I'd have to take it over there, find somewhere to rent a car, rent an equivelent car to the ES (a Caddy or Lincoln) then at the end I'd have eaten up my savings in spent money on the loaner and my wasted time. Generally say the 30k service on the ES is around $450 at Lexus, $250 at Toyota. You add $80 to the Toyota service for the loaner, plus 3 or so hours of wasted time at whatever you figure your time is worth per hour. Gets close to the Lexus service price huh? Personally, I'd never have any car serviced at PepBoys. To me they're like JiffyLube. Find a good repair shop, hell even a gas station with people you trust. Nothing so special about a Lexus that any old ordinary mechanic can't work on it, thats another nice thing about them over BMWs or Mercs etc. I just wouldn't take any car to PepBoys...

See, now I thought the 03s were fixed because mine doesn't display the issue, but yours was built after mine wasn't it? Mine was built in Feb. Weird, maybe I just never drive it in a way to produce the hesitation, but I'm pretty aggressive.

jw, In my dad's LS400, the seat, mirrors, steering wheel, seatbelt anchor height and headrest position are tied to the memory. I wish the ES300 did that! I know it sounds dumb, but are you sitting with your foot on the brake? If the brake is engaged, no part of the memory system will work. You have to be idling (or have the accessory on) in park with no feet on any pedals. When my dad got his LS in 98 it mystified me why the seat wouldnt work for me. I just couldnt make it work. Then my dad would sit down, and it would work. I'd sit down, wouldn't work. Drove me INSANE, I thought it didnt like me ;) I was sitting with my foot on the brake. Once I stopped doing that, it worked. My dad and I looked like two total idiots in the driveway changing places and moving the seat al around until he finally proclaimed "your foot! Take your foot off the brake!" Thats what it was. Of course, figuring this out finally brought on lots of hurrays and high fives, the neighbors probably thought we were insane...

But there's still a much greater supply of them around.