leedoobert

the bank 1 and bank 2 sensor are visible from the engine bay. If you look at your exhaust manifold, you'll see what looks like all metal spark plugs sticking out of it with a wire that comes out of the end of it. If you take those out and use a parts cleaner, or Kerosene, and clean the sensor off, then reinstall it. If the cel comes back, then you probably have a bad sensor and will need to replace it, or determine what is cause=ing the sensor to read that condition.

I'm still having a little bit of trouble finding the bank 1 and bank 2 sensor...maybe you can point them out for me? i'm totally clueless : /

ok...so i finally bought a factory air filter from a lexus dealership and installed the new air filter, cleaned the sensors (i.e. MAF), and reset my check engine light!

is it possible that any of the sensors (for example MAF sensor) got dirty (like any of the detailing solutions/wax got onto the sensor) when the previous owner had the engine detailed?

in any case, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I hope that by changing the air filter and cleaning my MAF sensor that my check engine light STAYS off.

thanks for the help! will let you guys know if the light comes back on *knock on wood* =)

This is one of my business partners who forwarded an email to me....

"I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline....Here in

California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon.

Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a last mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and theatmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder. If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom."

that should do it

Great write up. I have heard about only filling in the morning when temps are lowest, and not filling when the gasoline truck is pumping gas, but not of the others. These days I'm happy to make my gas dollar stretch as far as possible.

some of the above techniques and tactics about gasoline re-fueling does make sense...but how much of it is true and whether or not its worth your time is another story:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/gastips.asp

where are the sensors located?

scratch that...it came back on again =(

the funniest thing happened! I was driving yesterday night and the check engine light magically turned off by itself! i didn't even attempt to fix it yet!

the only 2 things that I changed in my daily rountine of driving prior to the check engine light turning off by itself is

1) it rained (it has been awhile since it has rained)

2) i was driving on the manual step-tronic "M" mode (i usually just drive it on "D")

weird huh?

ok...so I haven't had the chance to buy a new air filter yet...

but so far, I had my mechanic turn off my check engine light and take the old air filter out and kinda shake it around and blow compressed air into it to kind of "clean it out"...then he put the old air filter back and suggested that maybe I should try getting a new air filter...

anyways, a day or two later, (still with my old air filter in) my check engine light turned on again! I will go and buy an air filter soon to replace the old one and see if the check engine light will turn off by itself...but at the moment, I am somewhat doubtful that changing the air filter will turn the check engine light off

i will keep you guys posted...

but in the meantime, do you guys think it could be anything else? my IS doesn't have any mods what-so-ever...

is this worth the money?

K&N Air Filter

or is it adequate to go with this one?

Fram Air Filter

hmmm...air filter looks super dirty! does anyone know the part number for an air filter for a 2001 IS300? do they sell it at Kragen's or some place similar? or do I have to special order it online?

so I took it to my mechanic friend and I ended up getting the following error codes:

P0172

System too Rich (Bank 1)

P0175

System too Rich (Bank 2)

could it be that the air filter (connected to the intake) is clogged up and too dirty?

so I was driving to my friend's house and as I was parking...*gasp* the malfunction indicator lamp (check engine light) suddenly came on!! I currently own a 2001 IS300 and it only has 36,500 miles on it...

naturally, I went home and cracked open the IS300 manual and it tells me to make sure my gas cap is not loose as well as make sure I'm not running on an empty fuel tank...which OF COURSE is almost never the solution to this problem...

I don't feel any differences in the performance of my IS...it still accelerates normally and runs smoothly...no problems at all

I know this is a broad question, but any questions on what could be wrong with my IS?

i'm stressed!! =(

awww...I need "a guy" for dings and dents too! that price isn't too bad either...I would be more than happy to pay someone to take a small dent out for me if he/she is professional...

anyone got any good recommendations for the bay area in california?

So, it turns out that there is a small ding on the right rear passenger door of my black IS300...before it didn't really bother me, but now, the more and more I look at it, the more I'm like ahhHhhHHH (the dent is quite visible on really sunny days)

probably some stupid guy opened their door too close to mine...=(

but anyways, I was wondering what's the best way to remove a small dent/ding? I did some research and was wondering what the best method was...and if some of these methods actually work or not?

1) the dry ice dent removal trick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6AZoN0c6lI

2) the hair dryer / compressed air trick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miNykNl-0NM...feature=related

3) PDR (paintless dent removal) service

4) just suck it up and live with it

any thoughts and/or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! thanks!

it has all the info i need...thanks!

does anyone have any good suggestions as to what brand/type of wax to use in order to preserve the exterior of the IS300 and keep it nice and shiny?

also, how often should one wax their IS300? once a month?

ooh...i see...

so if I was speeding up, I would shift up (behind the steering wheel) and if I'm slowing down, I would shift down (front button) on the steering wheel?

thanks for the help

Hi all,

So I recently acquired a 2001 IS300 with super low mileage and I am quite happy with it!!

This might be a newbie question...but I was wondering if anyone could point me towards the correct usage for the manual mode on an automatic IS300. I read the instruction manual, but it didn't really cover it in depth...

While on "D" and driving along, can I just tap the shift knob to the "M" position anytime during my drive? Do I need to apply the brakes before I shift over to the "M" position? I just don't want to mess up my transmission or anything...

And after shifting to the "M" position, I can downshift or upshift using the buttons on my steering wheel according to speed? the faster I'm driving, the higher number gear I should be in? (i.e. "5?")

I'm clueless...so any help would be greatly appreciated! =)

thanks in advance!

I was thinking...well, how are they gonna catch you?

Even if you are confronted, what prevents you from saying that yes, the seller was one of your very good friends and he pretty much just "gave" it to you for a super cheap price. There's no law that says I can't sell my car dirt cheap to my best friend. Its basically their word against yours...there's no hard evidence to show that I cheated right? (assuming that the seller goes with the same story as you)

am I right?

or am I just being cheap?

i probably won't end up selling it...if anything, i'd probably give it to family =)

so i decided to pull the trigger on the 2001 IS300! I checked out the car and its sweeeet!!

maybe this is a newbie question...but, when I go over to the DMV to transfer the title from the seller to me, how much should the seller write down on the form that is asking for the sales price of the car?

obviously, as the buyer, I want to pay the LEAST amount of tax possible...

is it feasible to have the seller write it off as a gift? or for a really low amount like $5000 or something?

does anyone know the consequences for doing such an action? I don't want to get into trouble with the IRS...LOL

i did a little research and noticed that the 2001 IS300 model has the following differences from the other models:

2001 Model Year

New Models:

- E-Shift IS300 sedan introduced, no 5-Speed Manual option

Exterior:

- Four horizontal bars on front grille, emblem molded into grille

- Chrome taillights only

Initial colors offered:

- Auburn Sky Pearl (ASP)

- Black Onyx (BO)

- Diamond White Pearl (DWP)

- Graphite Gray Pearl (GGP)

- Imperial Jade Mica (IJM)

- Millennium Silver Metallic (MSM)

- Spectra Blue Mica (SBM)

- Solar Yellow (SY)

Interior:

- Seating choices are Black Fabric and Black or Ivory Leather/Ecsaine

- Optional Lexus Luxury Package includes:

- Ivory Leather/Ecsaine Interior with Tan Piping

- Black & Ivory instrument panel

- Walnut Switch (door) Plates

- Power Seats & Homelink

For all Black & non-Luxury Package Ivory interiors, black dash and center console with gray trim extending from above the lint tray down around the shift knob and also above the steering column and glove compartment for (this color matches the AC and radio knobs' trim)

Floormats Have Lexus "L" Emblem and read "IS300"

Mechanical:

- Underbody panels (plastic) prone to failure

Other:

- Tool tray in trunk (two-piece) constructed of styrofoam

should I be worried about the underbody panels? is it a big issue?

also, I was thinking of outiftting it with a carson bodykit since they don't make the L-tune kit anymore...does anyone have a price range of how much the carson kit costs?

$12K-$13K sounds really good to me...I live in San Francisco, CA and prices are way over-inflated here...I'll go take a look at the car and see how much the seller is willing to budge...

So, if I take it to a Lexus dealership and get it inspected, they will tell me what needs to be upgraded and such on the 2001 model? I hear the 2002 model got revamped and had some major improvements since 2001...but with this mileage for a well-kept car, I'm tempted to get it...

Are there any other upgrades that needed to be serviced on the 2001 model? besides the ECU and TSB's?

thanks for the advice!

ok so i took a look at the car and the owner is still asking way too much for the car ($18K)

as such, I found a new car...

its a 2001 IS300, black exterior with tan interior

- 1 owner

- auto

- 36,000 miles

- clean title (carfax checks out)

- adult driven (owner is early 30's)

seller is asking for $15K, but i think i can talk them down to at least $13K

what do you guys think?

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and I am in dire need of some advice...I am thinking of buying a 2nd hand 2004 Lexus IS300...here are some of the stats for the car:

- manual 5 speed

- ~ 74K miles

- Full L-tuned kit w/ fogs

- Tein Basic Coilovers

- Custom grill

- Work Euroline FS(18x9F,18x10R +25)

- Polished AEM intake

- Alphawerks Y-Pipe

- Custom B-Pipe(no resonator)

- Veilside Teardrop axleback exhaust

- JIC CF strut bar

- 6000k HIDs

The owner selling is the 2nd owner, and with all these mods / high mileage, I am a bit worried that this car has been pedal-pushed to the max by its current owner...

Seller is asking for $19K...but he might possibly budge to a lower price...what price do you guys think is reasonable for this car?

I do have the VIN# on hand if somebody does have unlimited access to carfax for this month...I can PM you the VIN# =)

So what do you guys think? DEAL or NO DEAL?

thanks for the help!