Jump to content

ClayShooter

Regular Member
  • Posts

    34
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by ClayShooter

  1. I'll second that. For whatever reason, Japanese car batteries tend to die quicker than others. The HID's really suck the juice as well. Example: Came home one night from the grocery store, took a load of bags in the house, but left the trunk lid up. The phone rang and I was on a call for about 20 mins. Back outside, I found the headlights/foglights still on! Seems that as long as the trunk lid was open, the headlights stayed on. I got the rest of the groceries out, shut the trunk and went in for the night. Next morning, the battery was dead and I had to jump it from my other car. I figured there'd be a switch somewhere that would shut off the headlights, even if the trunk or door were open for an extended period, but evidently not.
  2. Your pic wouldn't load because of Google issues. Are you sure it's on the left side of the drivers side? If it's up near the rear view mirror, it's the rain sensor for your automatic wipers.
  3. Not sure which model year you have, and they may have taken the option away in subsequent years, but on my 2007 ES350, you CAN turn off the traction control. The switch is a push button underneath the steering wheel; way under the dash, the one on the right, next to the Headlight Swivel (or whatever you call it) on/off switch. Just push it and a light will come on in the speedo cluster that the traction control is off. I'm probably like a lot of people on here...grew up driving a stick in the snow. It's hard enough to get used to an automatic in the snow, but I definitely DO NOT like the traction control in the snow. I want to FEEL every little spin and slide. Then I'LL decide what corrective action to take. There's a reason that most all 4WD off roaders, race car drivers etc drive a stick instead of an automatic. It's all about the feel. The way I see it, I KNOW how to drive in the snow and when I push the gas, I want power, not the retarding of the engine and transmission. I regard Traction Control like I do all the little wizards in the later versions of Microsoft Windows that pop up endlessly to help out the less experienced. I've been a computer user for 20 years and I KNOW how to work it. Just leave me alone...if I need help, I'll ask. I wish there was an 'off' switch for the Wizards in Windows like there is on my ES... I've been driving cars with traction control for the past 18 years (Volvo S70 and a Nissan Maxima) and I can honestly say traction control has absolutely never prevented, saved, aided, helped or in any way, protected me from myself. I'm not sure why we have it, although I expect some of ya'll will let me know :D Just my 2 pence...
  4. My light comes on too, but I still have grayed out options...I even took it up a fairly deserted road today and pushed the brake half way in; so far that it was slowing the car down, and still no luck. One thing just occured to me...did you punch up the menu AFTER you pressed the brake? I already had the menu up when I engaged the brake, thinking that the icons would appear, but they didn't. Maybe I need to fiddle with the menu after I push in the brake? I'll let you know if it works. I'm still using the original 2007 disc, if that matters.
  5. Bill, I too have an 07 ES350. I tried this today and no luck. Everything still stayed 'grayed out'...are you sure you didn't do something else in conjunction with using the brake that made it work? Am I not holding my mouth right? What? :o Ben
  6. I'm right there with you, Brian...kind of a low 'whump' when I'm backing out of the driveway, (and no, I'm not backing over the neighbor's dog)...I thought it was just junk in the trunk, but maybe not...let us know what you find out, if anything. -Ben
  7. Great trip eh TexasComputerMan? I almost passed you out there. From Aug 1st to Aug 16th, I drove from Roanoke VA out to Denver and back through many of the spots you saw, including the St. Louis Arch, Devils Tower, Crazy Horse/Mt. Rushmore, The Badlands and best of all, managed to cruise into Sturgis SD during the huge annual bike rally in my White 2007 ES350 UL...Man was I getting some looks! A Lexus is just not something you see going down the main drag at Sturgis during bike week! We stopped and got a burger and brew at "The Knuckle" saloon in Sturgis. What a picture. Me in khaki shorts and a polo shirt, girlfriend dressed much the same, getting out of a Lexus and strolling in as if this was our regular place to grab some lunch! HAHAHAH....everyone else around us was in black leather and doo rags! I think she was expecting a biker gang to abduct her at any minute, but she finally realized that 99% of bikers are just regular people. It WAS fun though... I will give the Lexus engine/fuel-computer it's props. The ES went to the top of Pikes Peak outside Colorado Springs without a hiccup. We're talking 14,000+ feet here. As I was walking around up there, I'd get short of breath because of lack of oxygen, but the Lexus ran perfectly. I didn't keep nearly as detailed records as you did, but all told, the trip was 4600 odd miles and avg trip mileage was 27.3mpg. I do tend to drive a bit on the speedier side however, so that pulled it down somewhat, not to mention 3 days in stop-and-go in Denver. The girlfriend has a pic of the speedometer outside of Colby Kansas. The cruise is set on 117mph, but there was no traffic and the road is flat as a floor out there. I think the ES enjoyed 'stretching her legs' a little bit! I had the oil changed the day before I left. I wish I had gotten a picture of the guy's face (same guy) when I pulled in 17 days later for another oil change. He didn't know what to think! I highly recommend everyone drive across this giant, great great country of ours and see it for yourself, from a car window, with time to stop and check out things that interest you. Whether it's something like the St. Louis Arch or the worlds largest ball of twine, get out there and explore! I've driven cross-country twice now and will be taking a northern route through Michigan, Minn, ND, Montana, Idaho, Washington and back through Canada next spring. True, driving through the Midwest, the terrain doesn't change too much (No offense to those states' residents on this board), but there's still a ton of stuff to see and learn. I can really understand why some folks are hooked on RV'ing. Only down side is the RV can't do 117 on a West-Kansas Interstate....
  8. Take a look at my gallery. I was like you and thought long and hard about the moldings; even went so far as to have the dealer tape them on the car in the service bay before they permanently installed them so I could see what they looked like. I'm sure glad I went ahead and got them. Not a week after, some nutbag door-dinged me so hard it nicked the paint on the molding. Fortunately, not on the metal, and a little touch-up paint later, all is well... In addition, IMO, the ES looks a little too bubble shaped, depending on the angle you're viewing. I have the UL package and the moldings, along with the spoiler, help to create the horizontal lines that lower the aspect and make it look a bit longer, lower and sleeker...just my opinion, but I highly recommend them... I have White on Grey, by the way, although I had to buy it in Calif. and drive back to VA to get it...I think it's the best color combo...never liked the beige interior.
  9. I have an 07 ES and the NAV WILL pronounce certain things, especially route numbers. It will say "...turn right on eye-five-eighty-one (Interstate 581)" or "proceed on U S Route four-sixty", but as for something like, "turn left on smithfield drive", you'll have to read the display for that...always wondered why they won't let you watch DVD's or program destinations while you drive, but you must read the NAV screen to identify street names! Go figure!
  10. You've 'toasted' your rotors...warped them due to extended high heat. I've done it to mine. Other poster's are correct, cross drilling would help ventilate, but is uncommon in 'street' cars outside of the best sports cars. I may be wrong, but I don't think the warping is a problem unless it gets really bad. Go aftermarket rotors if you want, but understand that the ES is not a high performance car, it's a luxury cruiser. Adding high perf rotors to an ES is like putting racing slicks on a Lincoln Town Car, in my opinion... I remember the exact day I toasted mine. I had to brake fairly hard and the shimmy showed up soon afterward. The reason I had to brake was that I had run it up to 133mph and needed to slow down as the car was getting loose and floating. THAT'S usually how you toast them; give them high speed and long braking duration. Heat kills. Ever see that cool camera on a NASCAR car that shows the brake disc during a race. The discs glow red at every turn. I understand the discs that can handle that kind of punishment go for around $900-$1200 EACH... The only fix, as I understand it, after toasting is to turn them and take the warp out, but once they've been warped, they'll always be a little off. May be wrong on this to some extent, but I'm sure someone will correct me! BTW, I don't recommend 130MPH+ to anyone in this particular car; and certainly not on a public road. I know, I know, practice what I preach, but I do my high speed on a divided, desolate super-nice 4 lane secondary road in the middle of nowhere in West Virginia. (No specifics in case there is a Lexus-owning WV Trooper on the thread!) The suspension/brakes/steering are not designed for it. Up to about 90-95mph, it cruises like a dream, but higher than that, you'll need a sportier suspension found on the IS350 or a BMW. The suspension must be tighter to respond to small dips etc which are greatly magnified at high speed. Bottom line, the faster you're going, the easier on the brakes you must be...avoid heat buildup...Just my 2 pennies...
  11. FYI, 235/50-17 tires WILL NOT fit on a 2007 ES 350. The front rubs inside on a turn and the rear does not have enough clearance if there is any load whatsoever in the back. I just got the bad news. My tire guy will try 225/50's. Lexus says they are an approved alt. size.
  12. Hmm...interesting. I'm doing comparisons based on Tire Size Calc it gives the following info for changing a 215/55 to a 235/50 Sidewall difference= -.1 inch Radius= -.1 inch Diameter= No Change Circumference= -.2 inch Revolutions per mile= +1 Rev per mile It also states that the new tires would be .2% too fast. i.e, when you're doing 60 mph on the speedo, you're actually doing 59.9mph. Using these figures, nearly all variables are unchanged except the wider footprint. Wheel wells are still filled out, it'll still fit the rim fine etc...That's why I figured it would work. Where are you getting the 3.17% diff. in diameter? Maybe I'm using the wrong calc. I sure don't want to order these tires and then have them not work or rub. Thanks for any info you can give.
  13. Thanks for the info on wider footprints. I'm thinking of going even farther, to a 235/55, has anyone else done this? Will the rim hold that wide a tire? Are there rubbing problems? I wish there was some place on the net to tell me not only what OEM is, but what other sizes would work on my stock wheels. How do I determine how wide I can go before I encounter problems? Is the only way a trial-and-error system? I'd like to order them on tirerack.com, but I don't want to get something that won't work. Thoughts? Thanks!
  14. Then check this out... Snopes.com: Cell Phone Popcorn Just a marketing gimmick from a Bluetooth headset manufacturer...
  15. ClayShooter

    2007 ES350 UL

  16. Got Lexus moldings done the other day. $260 installed. They were $160 and Flow Lexus in Greensboro NC did them. When I called and ordered them, I asked how hard the self-install was. He said it just a stick-on type thing and that it comes with templates to get the position correct. Not being a big DIY'er, I asked what the install charge was. When he said 100 bucks, I said SOLD! The service guy even taped them on before he did the permanent install so I could see how they looked and then decide. Obviously, I liked them. Just got done washing and waxing and decided to pull it out front and snap some pics, so hot off the camera, here they are...enjoy. Check my gallery for more.
  17. I'll second the Starfire Pearl with Grey interior. The white, along with the all black roof on my UL Panoramic definitely gets double takes. Something about the black and white contrast just catches the eye. Not too many out there like that. Especially now that I have the door guards on. I think their placement makes the ES look less 'tall' and more stretched out and low-slung. Couple that with the rear spoiler and I think I have one of the best looking cars on the road. I get tons of double takes from kids in Scion coupes that have the glass roof. It's as if they look at it, think it's just like theirs, but then realize there is definitely a big difference. Mercedes also makes a dark tinted full panorama roof, and those guys look at me at stoplights like I just showed up at the prom wearing the same dress they were told was a one-of-a-kind. The best pleasure was the other day when one of these white Mercedes with the panorama roof pulled alongside at a stoplight on a fairly deserted 4 lane. He was staring his eyeballs out, finally realized he wasn't the only unique one around, got irritated and when the light changed, he proceeded to open it up. I think he was surprised when the ES kept up without breaking a sweat. After about 5 seconds, I proceeded to reach up and punch the OFF button on the A/C, which at full throttle, acts like a minor nitrous shot. I only let off the gas when I couldn't see his jaw dragging the ground anymore! It may have been that he didn't know how to drive, wasn't getting fully into the throttle, or a thousand other reasons, but hey, like Ron White says about the death penalty for the criminally insane..."If he doesn't know the difference, and it makes me feel better, what the hell are we arguing about?" It sure put a smile on my face!
  18. Cool site...thanks for the post. google.com Net Worth : $1.2 Billion Daily Pageview : 550000000 Daily Ads Revenue : $1650003.16 Traffic Rank : 2 I wonder what #1 is? Ha ha...found it! yahoo.com Net Worth : $2.41 Billion Daily Pageview : 1100000000 Daily Ads Revenue : $3300003 Traffic Rank : 1 Other interesting stuff... irs.gov Net Worth : $4.32 Million Traffic Rank : 558 cnn.com Net Worth : $47.24 Million Daily Pageview : 21568627 Daily Ads Revenue : $64708.88 Traffic Rank : 51 youtube.com Net Worth : $803 Million Daily Pageview : 366666666 Daily Ads Revenue : $1100003 Traffic Rank : 3
  19. Don't know about the sales side, but Flow Lexus in Greensboro NC has been absolutely 5 star to me in the service dept. I bought my ES350 on the internet from a small Jag/Land Rover dealer in Fresno CA and drove it back, but I had a wheel bearing issue and Flow took care of it well, gave me a loaner RX 330 etc., even though I didn't buy from them. It was a warranty repair, so I don't know what the dealer 'made' on the transaction, but I paid nothing. They offered to let me take the loaner home (about 200 miles round trip). I was almost expecting chocolates on the seat when I went back to pick up my car, I was so impressed. For what it's worth, see my previous posts regarding Flow. If I have need to buy another Lexus, they'll definitely get my biz. Good Luck, Ben
  20. Golf! Doesn't anyone shoot sporting clays anymore? ;-) Take it from me...get yourself a good-fitting shotgun, take a lesson or two and go shoot a round of clays. Much more addicting than golf, and you can still ride in a cart and hang around the guys...one down side, no alcohol during the round. It's a sacrifice I'm more than willing to make! If you're around Va, mail me and I'll take you out for a round. Costs are about the same as golf. Ben
×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership