steviej

a 200? a 2000, 2001, 2002 ??? please specify. I'm guessing a 2000 GS300. also in your profile it says gs3000. just though I would point that out. ok, ok, I'm being wicked picky tonight. Sorry. steviej

keep taking care of it by doing what you are doing to keep it in "great shape". If you chose to go the extended warranty route, read the fine print and the extra fine print very very carefully. Know what is covered and what is not. Know who can and cannot perform service work. Most of all, know what is you deductible and how often claims can be made within a specified time period. I personally would put the money toward having regular maintance done properely. Keep in mind the powertrain warranty is still in effect until 70,000 miles. You may be able to hold off until then as most warranty items are usually involved there. Hopefully someone pro-extended warranties will chime in to give you an opinion, too. steviej

sk, I don't know exactly why it creates this symptom and how exactly it works, but every post that I have read that had faulty expansion valves has this as the major complaint. sk, you could SEARCH on expansion valve and see what your take on it is. ( :P :D boy oh boy, have I been wanting to say that to you for a year now) just playing with ya buddy. bpricetex, I don't know exactly what the valve does. I do know it is right up by the firewall and is a PITA to fix. Cost of fixing it varies but is in the neighborhood of $500. There is another possibility. Does your 96 have dual climate control. Maybe the setting for one side is set hotter than the other side. If so, you would see a button that says DUAL and the light would be on. The passenger's side would have a separate temp control. My 02 has this, but I don't know what year it was introduced on the ES. steviej

expansion valve is faulty or malfunctioning. It is a common problem with earlier ES's.....what year is yours? steviej

the codes should be listed on a plaque on the drivers door jam. here are color codes for the 2000 ES: 051-Diamond White Pearl 1B2-Antique Sage 1C0-Millenium Silver 1C6-Dark Gray 1C6-Dark Grey 202-Black Onyx 3N6-Vintage Red 4M9-Cashmere Beige (my guess) 6R6-Grayish Green I hope this helps. Also, if you register your ES with www.lexus.com, it should tell you the color and the options that car came with from the factory. steviej

I assume your ES is a 96. If so, then your engine is non-interference meaning that the pistons won't slam into the valves if the timing belt breaks. Damage that might be caused will be from the acutal timing belt whatever parts may be around it but usually nothing happens except the belt breaking and the car is dead in the water. My 02 is an interference engine meaning there most likely will be valve damage and piston damage and other carnage that I don't want to think about. My supplemental owners manual specfically states to change it at 90,000. I have heard of people not changing the timing belt until 120,000 on non-interference engines. They just inspect it from time to time and look for the precautions you listed. I assume the 7year 70,000 mile powertrain warranty was up last year so this won't help. If that warranty were still in effect then I wouldn't do a thing as you would be covered. I tend to err on the conservative side when dealing with timing belts. I will change mine at 90k in addtion to the water pump and tensioners while they are in there. Also shop around for pricing when the time comes that you decide to have it done. Toyota dealers are a little less as this is a similar operation on the Camry. You may also find a reputable independent that knows Toyota and Lexus. steviej

jragosta, what was the refrigerant in your Acura, R-12? Similar to what you have cited, I do notice the same thing in my 02 which has R-134a. It does get cold but no where near as fast as my previous '93 SSEI, which had R-12. steviej

sounds more of a combination balance and alignment problem. The first thing I would do, is consult the dealership that you bought the car from. The car should have been checked over. Ask them to reimburse you if you take it to a quality tire shop for a balance and 4-wheel alignment. It shouldn't be more that $100. If they have tire service capability, then they may just do the work themselves. What kind of warranty did they give you upon pruchase? Secondly, the balance and alignment will probably not be covered under Lexus warranty, but you never know until you ask. Go to or call the Lexus dealership that you think you might use for service (if you go that route) and discuss the situation with the service manager. Explain that you are new and want to know if this is covered. Be totally honest and tell him where you got the car and that you are looking for a Lexus Service Shop for future service dealings. If the service manager wants to acquire another long term customer, they may right it off under warranty. When in doubt, call 1-800-25-LEXUS and ask customer service directly. It is hard to tell from just reading a post if the accident was just cosmetic or was it a major hit with frame damage. Do you follow me here? steviej

You are correct in that if the leak/hole is on the tread that it can be plugged and if it is on the sidewall it is hopeless. It is not a matter of a small leak anymore. 1. It is a matter of convenience. That ever so small hole is a weak spot in the rubber will allow air to constantly leak out. You then have to constantly air the tire back up. Your tire will never be at a constant air pressure. This will effect fuel economy, ride quality and handling. 2. It is a matter of safety. That leak is a spot in the rubber where there is structural weakness. This has major potential for bigger problems should you hit a bump or a pothole......flat tire. It also has major potential to become a bigger leak at high speeds as the rubber heats........BLOWOUT at HIGH SPEED. Your safety and the safety of the travelers around you are worth more than what it would cost to replace the tire. I suggest not using a "Fix-a-Flat" type of remedy. These canned products are supposed to be used to get you to safety when you have a flat tire. Then the tire should be fixed appropriately. Fix-a-Flat treated tires are not intended to become daily driver tires. If it were my tire, I would replace it. steviej

It may be more of a cost cutting measure in the factory. One method of making keys is cheaper than maintaining two methods. just my thought. steviej

not to mention at 5:30am. just kidding, too. sj

silverstars are close to 4300k, so that means they are closer to white. If you want blue, then find a bulb that is closer to 5200k. Bulb Info keep in mind the higher the k value above 4300, the less light that actually illumintes the road in front of you. Use the lumens rating for this. steviej PS, kyle I think your pictures (#2 and #3) are reversed. The high beams should be the picture without the fog lights on.

byohzrd, I merged your two identical threads. This way we don't have people replying to two identical but separate threads. steviej

Go to AutoZone and have the code(s) read. Then post them here and we will tell you what the code means. It is a start. Don't go replacing O2 sensors at random, that can be expensive since you have three. steviej

I believe it is a 4 yr/ 50,000 mile warranty. It should be covered if it is obviously from poor paint adhesion. If it looked like scrapes and rock chips, the dealership may try to get out of it. but, if your 4/50k is up you might try getting it fixed under the 6 year/unlimited mileage corrosion perforation warranty. good luck, steviej

It will put it in the mail tomorrow AM on my way to work. steviej

I found it: Homemade CDs steviej

there was a post recently that explains this problem being connected to how the CDr was "burned". I guess there are two methods that PC programs use to burn the tracks. One method does not cause problems with walkmans, home CD players, PC CD players and Lexus CD players. The other method causes problems when the Lexus CD player tries to read the tracks. I burn my CDs with Roxio and have had no such problems. I did have a problem with Memorex Audio CDs, but that was anywhere I played them. I use only Maxell or Sony now. I will do a search and see if I can't find the thread I speak of. steviej

Many people have successfully put these rims on an ES. It is a very nice look. Search the gallery for pictures then contact the posting member. The rear wheels may need a small spacer since these rims were meant for RWD. Bolt pattern is same. steviej

Mobil 1 synthetic 5w-30 is an excellent choice. Mobil1 filters are superb. Toyota OEM filters are very good, too. I prefer the K&N Gold filters cause of the molded nut on the bottom. It makes it a breeze to get on and off with a 1" socket instead of a filter wrench. As for the RX. The filter is best accessed by standing in front of the vehicle. Use a milk crate or something sturdy to boost you up a little. The filter is under the front exhaust manifold, angled down so the bottom of the filter is pointing up. Poor location design if you ask me. Just have a large basin to catch the drips. The plastic splash guard underneath the vehicle tends to spead the drops. steviej

I fixed it for you. sj

sorry for the confusion Alan. I meant DVD. Very seldom do I use DVDs and I am always using CDs so I guess this one is blamed on alphabet soup in the brain. Karen, I bought my car in Sept of 2002, the only brochure they had on the floor was for the 2003. It is the 11x14 paper booklet. I would be happy to send it to you cause i really like your screen name. email me with you address and I will ship it. steviej

I am moving this from the IS forum to the General Discussions Forum. steviej

2002 ES300, 43,800 miles. 02 sensor, front brake TSB and right front strut assembly replaced (Boston pot hole I'm guessing). All fixed under warranty with no questions asked. Excellent service, loaners and waiting rooms. I'm not surprised Lexus is on top. I have a friend that bought a BMW around the same time I bought the lex. He's in the service bay almost every month for one thing or another. My only complaints are: 1. the tranny hesitation, but I've learned to deal with it, other than that it is an extremely smooth and quiet shifting tranny. 2. Lexus service and parts are so exspensive if you choose to go through the dealership. (wholesale internet parts acquisition does help). steviej

nope, but the ones for a 1995 Camry can be altered to fit perfectly. search on this, as brief instructions have been posted in the past. steviej