dave t

Hey Guys,

Got a new HS250 a few days ago. So far I'm pleased. I want to mount my radar detector up by the mirror and need to find a power source. I can see that there are components there but don't know how to get the trim off so I can splice into the wiring. Anyone have any ideas? This is in the area of the glasses holder or the wiring that goes to the mirror. TIA.

Dave T

Mr. Jetson,

Thanks for your reply. I'm going to call for a second opinion tomorrow.

Anybody out there ever had to replace the wiring harness on a 1996 ES300? I am curious as to how much I should be expecting to pay.

I don't know about the cost (or practicality) of replacing the harness, but I would guess that your problem may be a bad ground. One of the headlights may be grounding through the others. Try cleaning the headlight grounds before investing big bucks in a harness. Your best bet may be an auto electrical specialist or a good, honest, neighborhood mechanic familiar with electrical systems.

dave t

I guess I am a bit shocked that brakes could last 40-50k miles. My good co-worker friend just had hers replaced (05 Maxima) and the car has near 60k. With all of the posts from people changing their brakes at 15-20k on their 350's I just thought Lexus brakes were soft or something.

We traded my wife's ES330 (2005) a couple of months ago with 45000 miles on it and the brakes showed no signs of needing replacement. Most brakes now have a wear indicator (a wire that rubs on the rotor and makes a skreeching sound) which will warn of brakes needing replacement. As a matter of fact, we put about 100,000 miles,on her 2000 ES300 and were still on the original pads, both front and rear. And yes, we do stop by using the brakes - not just by running into things.

dave t

Does anybody know what size the bolt is in the middle of the rotor? I think it's called a retainer bolt. It's pretty large and none of my normal tools will fit. I am not even sure if it has to come off or not but I only have one car so I need to make sure I have everything I need to get the job done. I already have the pads, rotors, brake cleaner, and that stuff to put on the back of the pads to keep them quite.

This is for a 2008 ES350 for the front rotors.

The big nut in the middle of the hub does not have to be loosened unless you are doing something to the wheel bearings. The rotor fits between the wheel and the hub. It is held in place by the wheel lug nuts and a couple of small bolts. Sometimes the rotor gets rusted or frozen in place. When that happens you free it up by threading the small bolts into the other holes in the rotor. As they go deeper they will pull the rotor loose. The pads should last 40 or 50 thousand miles (more or less, dependiing on how you drive - some people could wear them out in 10 or 15 thousand miles, but that would be the exception). Replacing them when they are not worn out is just throwing money away. Invest in a Hayes or similar manual (for the Toyota Camry if they don't have one for the ES 350). It shows the process in detail, complete with pictures. It is worth it's weight in gold for a lot of jobs, shows torque values, etc.

dave t

I got a master key from ebay, had it cut by a local locksmith, programmed it according to the instructions that came with the key. No problems. You should be able to get the key cut by almost any locksmith, not a hardware store or Walmart.

Dave T

Check for a Camry transmission. There are a world of Camrys, only a few ES250s. It should be a drop in change.

dave t

Check for a Camry transmission. There are a world of Camrys, only a few ES250s. It should be a drop in change.

dave t

I really feel dumb, but I hate to just start applying brute force to plastic panels. On an '08 ES, how do you remove the fuse panel cover on the driver's side?

Thanks,

Dave T

I went by the dealer today. They just apply brute force. If you pull hard enough on a tab on the front of the cover it comes off. Now that I have seen it, there seems that there is a slot where you can insert a screwdriver to release the catch. The fuse box is located were you need be a contortionist to see it. If you get the cover off, just leave it off. The fuses are a new style and are hard to find in the auto parts stores. (I did find that if you pull a particular 10A fuse the keyless start system is inoperative.) There are a few unused fuse slots in the panel which receive power and can be used for such things as a radar detector.

Dave T

I really feel dumb, but I hate to just start applying brute force to plastic panels. On an '08 ES, how do you remove the fuse panel cover on the driver's side?

Thanks,

Dave T

'00 ES300.

Since December I have been getting a Ck Eng light with a Trac light. The code used to show a "minor emmission control leak". This progressed to an "emission control leak". In both cases it would go two or three weeks before I had to reset it. Now it comes back on in a half hour or maybe 5 minutes. Time for me to get under the hood and check things out. I'm hoping some of you experts can save me some time by telling me the most likely culprits. I sort of assume a hose may have cracked or come off, I have the hose diagram. Is one of them more likely than the others to go bad? Any other common things to look for?

Thanks in advance,

Dave T

Cool!

How do you mean unlock the doors without the key?

We got the keyless door option. Sometimes it seems smarter than I. It recognises the driver and sets the memory seats accordingly, if my wife and I both get in the car at the same time it sometimes gets confused (as do I).

dave t

The dealer ran it through LFS and it went OK. Even though the vehicle I traded had not been financed I had previously gotten a loan on an ES. That seemed to meet the letter of the law, so they came up with $1000.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to unlock the doors without a key.

Dave T

I'm about to trade my '05 ES330 for an '08 ES350. I see references on the net to a $1000 rebate from LFS. My dealer says it only applies if you have a current loan from LFS. Looks to me as though it applies if you have previously financed a car with them. Anybody had any experience with this? The car I financed with LFS was several years ago. Thanks in advance.

Dave T

2005 ES 330

Just back from a 1400 mile trip. Set the cruise on 70, got 26.2 mpg on regular. Temperature in the low 90's so the a/c got a good work out.

Three months ago took the same trip. Set the cruise between 75 and 80, got 26.19. Temp in the 80's so the a/c not in use a good part of the time.

Between trips I put a new KY filter on, used a few more psi in the tires. Next time I'll go back to 80 and quit worrying about saving pennies on gas.

Dave T

I normally use regular in both of mine. On a trip recently I tried premium in the 2005 ES330, found I got about 6% improvement in gas mileage, other than that no difference. I haven't ben able to find enough gas without ethanol to determine if it would make a difference. I've heard that 15% ethanol could reduce gas mileage by 10%.

dave t

I guess someone has to bring the average age up. I'm 74, as is my wife, and we both love our cars. I sold my '86 MR-2 in December to buy my '00.

dave t

I need to replace the OEM tires on my 02 ES300. Lots of options, just interested in real world experiences from forum members and their recommendations

I recently put a set of Bridgestone Potenza G009s on my '00 ES300 and a set of Firestone Firehawks on my wife's '05 ES330. The Firestones seem a little quieter, but I like the looks of the G009s better. Both are rated highly on the Tirerack web site.

dave t

Hi my clock would go out but with some taps on the dash it would come back. soon the taps became pounding and eventually the clock did not come back at all. I had joined this forum some time ago but i lost track of the link. I did a search on my 99 Lexus ES300 clock and found this forum again. I hope it is a fuse but sense it went out slowly I'm not sure. I've also had some problems with SRS sensor and my check engine/Trac Control light coming on and off. If anyone has had this set of problems and found a solution I would love to hear it.

I can't help with the clock (it sounds like a loose connection), but my solution to the check engine/trac control light was to buy a reader on ebay (about $30) and reset it whenever it comes on.

Dave T

Has anyone come up with a way to secure the Lexus factory floor mats? On my '05 the hooks will not stay hooked (on either end), so the mats just kind of float. My '00 doesn't seem to have the problem, maybe because the back of the mats has molded in prongs.

Thanks,

Dave T

i went to lexus.com, register, and ordered a manual. any idea of how long it will take to arrive?

I ordered one and it took about a month. Great deal!

Dave