fju2112

wondering if there was ever an explanation on the high price to do the front struts & mounts? I'm in the same boat at the moment; seems I'm getting a high quote from someone who has been honest & reasonable in the past, compared to what the forums are telling me.

did your mechanic charge you after doing that work and having it not work? did you try someone else first? not that he's not a good mechanic, but wow, $1200 for a car w/ 297K miles on it...even if you love it, that's a lot o' bones! that sounds about right for an OEM cat, for sure...hope someone else can chime in recommending an aftermarket one for you.

Hey guys

Just bought a 2000 ES300. Got a few hundred whacked off for a couple missing items and the car needs balancing, but I wanted to drive away w/ it that day.

So i called my local stealership. here is what i need and what they priced it at:

1. battery for remote key - $15.00 (I'm fine paying that...)

2. all weather floor mats - $120 (NOT okay paying that. any suggestions on OEM rubber mats online? ebay?)

3. second key - $260 (ridiculous - anyone know if a different dealership has cheaper pricing on keys that can be cut and coded from afar?)

4. cd changer magazine for nakamichi audio system (glovebox changer) - $60. Again, anyone know where I can get a cheaper magazine? This piece of plastic should be about $20-$30 IMO.

5. car did not come with an owner's manual; is the dealer they only place for this, is there an electronic version online, and if not, how much does the dealer charge for a copy?

thanks guys

FJU

going to search and post about this now, but the car is pulling P0171 code, engine light on, and TRAC OFF light is on.

ahhhhh...what is going on??? dealership will have to fix of course but still...???

Definetly get the dealership to fix that code, could be no more than a bad gas cap, but could also be a dirty MAF sensor.

thanks again guys, am taking it to dealership on Monday to fix the code. Thanks for the valuable input.

How easy is it to get at the fog lights on this car? On my E320 there's a little plastic flap by the wheelwell which cna be used to access and cahnge the bulbs, typically without having to put the car on a lift. haven't had a chance to get under her yet :)

also on the battery, will the car need the radio code to be input if i disconnect the battery? if so, and the lexus dealership tells me they need the serial # of the radio, how do i pull the radio out? i have keys to do it on my E320, but have never worked with a Lexus head unit.

Thanks again

also, i have never owned a lexus so help me out here...

i plan on doing the battery just for my own peace of mind, and the fog lamps are out which are not MASS inspection-necessary. they shaved some off the price for both rear brake pads needing repalcement in 2K or so miles as well as the fog light inconvenience.

are the fogs easy to get at without a lift? and what batteries are best, in your opinion?

Just picked up my 2000 Lexus Es300 w/ 85K miles.

As soon as I pulled away from the dealership - got check engine light, trac off light, and when i plugged the code reader into the car, got code P0171.

Dealership will be looking at it Monday but in the meantime, someone please relieve my stress... :) Or help me understand what's up here!

Ah man, you got a P0171 code??!!! that means catastrophic engine and transmission failure! eh, i'm just !Removed! with you, probably just a dirty MAF...

http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gen...ygen-sensor.php

oh yeah and the Trac Off light comes on just to screw with you too.

fair enough, but the dealership has to fix it...yeah i figured on the dirty MAFS, and that even worked on a VW i owned. concerned about TRAC OFF. that's not good. I know others have had that issue on here but not in conjunction w/ these codes. I will try MAFS cleaner tomorrow, but if TRAC OFF stays lit, what then?

Thanks for the quick response!

Just picked up my 2000 Lexus Es300 w/ 85K miles.

As soon as I pulled away from the dealership - got check engine light, trac off light, and when i plugged the code reader into the car, got code P0171.

Dealership will be looking at it Monday but in the meantime, someone please relieve my stress... :) Or help me understand what's up here!

going to search and post about this now, but the car is pulling P0171 code, engine light on, and TRAC OFF light is on.

ahhhhh...what is going on??? dealership will have to fix of course but still...???

also what oil is recommended? i use mobil-1 by manufacturer recommendation on the E320. did these come w/ synthetic from the factory; i'm guessing they did not. if it does not currently have synth oil in it i'm definitely putting some in at the first oil change.

In addition to what amf has mentioned, if you can get the car with all service records that would be a plus. The 1997 - 2001's have an engine gel issue that affects those vehicles that have not been maintained properly. Other than that, these cars are pretty much bullet proof. Good luck.

thanks guys

im a bit nervous about buying this car at 85K miles and then having to do timing belt/water pump 5K miles later. I guess that could be up to 10 months away, so maybe it's not that big a deal, but as i understand it, timing belts can snap suddenly and cause serious damage where timing chains usually give you symptoms and a bit more time to act.

anyone know what a new key cost for a 2000 ES300? i think the car i may buy this week only comes with one key. i didn't even get a good look at the key as it was dark here...is it a single key/fob, single piece of hardware?

mark, did you get the issue properly diagnosed, curious to hear what happened? after all that work was done, silly question, but did they reset the code? sometimes it takes a few drive cycles for the code to correct itself unless it's manually reset.

they do have "universal cats" but maybe others can chime in as i've never dealt with cat issues or how well the universal cats behave with Lexus.

camlex, why do you want to do the cats? are they failing? if your car had less than 80K miles and was less than 8 years old, your cats (and o2 sensors) would be covered under federal emissions warranty. since it's a 97, then you may be talking big bucks depending again on the universal cat and whether it's appropriate for your car. just a couple thoughts; i wouldn't bother changing the cats until you hear them rattle!

Hi all

besides reading one or two threads on here, one of which pointed to a knock sensor issue, i don't know much about lexus but my wife was quite taken with a Lexus ES300. we're going to trade in her car for the Lexus. It's a 2000 ES300 w/ 85K miles and is labeled with a "platinum series" badge, which my research online points to upgraded styling but i'm not quite sure what else? I have either owned Honda or Mercedes-Benz my entire life, but I know plenty of Lexus owners who spoke highly of the car. My mechanic will be looking at it within a day or two and then the deal will be completed.

just wanted to know - the car will be driven 5-7K miles per year, and I wanted to know what to watch out for - typical problems you owners have had after doing some basic searches on this forum. i know that i will want to do spark plugs and complete fluid changes in about 10K miles, but does this car use a timing belt or timing chain? and again, any other typical issues you owners have had.

thanks very much, looking forward to owning my first Lexus! :)

2000 ES300

I have had a the check engine light and trac off light come on simultaneously. The lights will occationally go out, but then return later. No codes other than P0330 Knock sensor register on the Autozone code reader and my mechanic's Snap-on code reader. I have also noticed that the car will not go into overdrive if the wheels happen to slip with these dash warning lights lit. I have to turn off the engine to reset the computer to get the car and transmission to go into overdrive properly. The transmission will go out of overdrive after the wheels slip and the transmission drops out of overdrive.

Is this a known problem on the 2000 ES 300and what is the solution? Thanks, bob

The Knock sensor needed to be replaced (both of them). The CEL causes the Trac Off light to illuminate. The Trac OFF light had nothing to do with the transmission, wheel sensors etc. The Autozone and other code reader read the code to be a knock sensor problem. The knock sensor replacement was expensive but it did correct the problem. By the way the car would not alway go into OD when the Trac Off light was illuminated (some protect default setting by the car computer).

Hope this helps the next guy,

bob

powerbob -

i'm about to buy a 2000 Lexus ES300 and am searching the forums for info. It's a great car and I hope the deal goes through this week. This is good info to know - just curious as to how much those knock sensors cost you and whether or not you went to a dealership for that or an indie mechanic?

Thanks

FJU