SW03ES

The 2001-2003 taillights will bolt right in.

I've always noticed that Lexus paint chips easily from rocks. Thats why the Xpel coatings and stuff are such a good investment. How bad exactly is the chipping, do you do a lot of highway driving?

Yeah 4100 is stock color. Also, you're really not going to notice the auto levelling from inside the car, its more to make other drivers on the road more comfortable. Who cares about them anyways? LOL

All of those are big wear issues on the LS, basically what he's telling you is now while he's in there he should go ahead and do the other work. I'd be inclined to agree, especially if he isn't going to charge you more (labor I assume)...

Welcome to the club

I thought the same thing at first. In fact when I started looking I didnt even drive the ES, I looked at the Audi TL and the Infiniti. Once I really started looking at the ES though, the looks really grew on me. Every day I like it more, and I get lots of compliments on it. In fact, I've never gotten any negative comments on it. Its just a beautiful car. Its also the best selling luxury sedan in the country, so somebody's gotta like it ;) Its just a very fluid car, theres no edges, its like a living organism.Plus the ride and drive when compared to other generation ES is not even comparable, the 02/03 is much smoother and quieter. But I'm biased... The ES in the G1 picture is the 96. I didnt include a G 1.5 because the only changes to the car were (slightly) the rear taillights and the fog lamps. 92-94 had round ones, and 95-96 had the square ones. All the sheetmetal is the same, no other changes. The overall change in look between 99 and 2000 was much more dramatic.

The ride quality between the G3 and the G4 at least is very similar.

I know Bill Gates used to drive an LS400, as did !Removed! Cheney before he became Vice President.

Another option is to have the one you have re-covered.

Worth a shot, personally I think the tires themselves are causing the problem. What type are they?

Wow, my dad's 98 has never had any issues like that. Have you all tried talking to Lexus corporate or another dealer?

What year is it?

Well, I know Lexus. I've heard people spout some pretty grandeouse changes for 2004, but I dont see it happening. Basically what we're going to see is a mid design refresh, similar to the differences between the 97 and 98 LS400s. We may see some engine and drivetrain changes, but they'll be slight. I dont think we'll see AWD as an option next year. So you can probably expect a new front fascia (headlights, grille, bumper, hood) perhaps a rear lamp freshening, probably wont be any sheetmetal changes in the rear. New wheels for sure, 17 inch standard, maybe an 18 inch option. Perhaps a sport package, new seat options, colors and wood choices, nothing more than that. Now, in 2006 the car is slated for a total redesign, there's where you'll see any big engine changes, AWD things of that nature.

Steve- Thats why you should try something like Klasse, its a lot more durable than wax, lasts longer in those conditions ;)

Matt, All those coatings are sealants like Klasse or Zaino applied by the dealership at a huge markup. In a year they're totally gone from the paint anyways. You should always wax like it wasn't there. If you like Carnuaba wax, I reccomend P21S

So thats why there's no ES forum on the UK site? Wow, surprising. The new Camry (at least ours) is similar in style, but shares no body or interior peices. I'll have to take some pictures of mine and put them in the gallery ;) The generation 2.5 is 2000-2001. there's also more wood on the interior, and a wood/leather steering wheel.

LOL, no free and clear here.

Also, Microfiber towels are much better than cotton for almost everything. Waxing, polishing, drying, cleaning windows, they're really tough to beat. Ranney at Pakshak makes great ones at a great low cost. www.pakshak.com

Keep in mind though that the quality Zymol waxes you buy at www.zymol.com and Lexus dealers etc, and what you buy at Autozone or Pepboys are NOT the same. The over the counter stuff (cheap stuff) is just rebadged Turtle Wax. Steve, Have you ever tried a polymer sealant like Klasse or Zaino? I gave up on carnuaba a long time ago.

I have no ticking on the ES and its the same engine...

They have them for $250 at www.lexus-parts.com, and they come with instrustions, its very simple. I do however suggest you wait until September, the new update comes out then.

Thats true. It has the potential to void the warranty, plus for now aftermarket HID kits are technically illegal. Its not a big deal to retrofit them to yours, actually you can easily do it yourself. Just look at a good vendor like www.suvlights.com that deals in Phillips or Hella bulbs and ballasts. Shop around though, they're a little pricey. I reccomend you go with the 4100k kit, thats the stock HID lighting setup for all vehicles. As you go higher, the color gets bluer to purpler, but the light output decreases.

Yeah some of them don't. As for Oregon having so sales tax, have you ever bought out of state before? Usually you pay sales tax in the state the car is titled and garaged in, not where its purchased. I know, PITA. Here we have Delaware 90 miles away with no sales tax, but we have to pay MD tax when we title the cars here.

I personally prefer the Generation 3. It took a while to grow on me though. Originally I didnt like the front end or the headlights, but now I've come to think that they're the best feature of the car, aside from the interior which is just gorgeous. My second favorite is the G2.5. The exterior is great, very agrressive and it came in my favorite Lexus color, Graphite Grey Pearl. The only thing lacking in this model I felt was the interior. Then the G1. The design of this model is timeless. It still looks good, even after 12 years on the market. Then the G2. I felt Toyota took somewhat a step backwards with this car, and the Camry. It seems less upscale to me, I dunno. And no, the G3 picture isn't my car, I dont have any pictures of my car yet. Its exactly the same except I dont have chrome wheels or tinted windows (but I will ;) ).

Which one's the best? Here's G1: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/ES/ESG1 G2 http://us.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/ES/ESG2 G2.5 http://us.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/ES/ESG2_5 G3 http://us.lexusownersclub.com/gallery/ES/ESG3