steviej

More detail is put into making the customer comfortable at most Lexus dealerships. Not saying that every Toyota dealership doesn't, but they are far and few between. There are also some parts that are not routinely stocked at the Toyota dealership that are stocked at Lexus. For example, the windshield wiper blades from Lexus ARE different than the ones at Toyota. Lexus are better and are a different material. Lexus provides a free rental. Coffee, cappacino, espresso, buffet on Sat., big plush seats if you are waiting. Free exterior car wash and interior vacumming after your service. My dealership is even thinking of going WIFI, so you can do business or mobile computing while you wait. (yeah, right, like I'm going to do that....but I could). It all comes down to what you are willing to pay and how you are or are not willing to wait. At my lexus dealership, I feel like I am at a Starbucks internet cafe, hotel lobby or something. At the Toyota dealerships, I feel like I am at a garage. steviej

without a doubt.....Morton's of Chicago. Outback is my favorite local affordable beef place. Legal Seafood for fish and shellfish. Sorry, grew up on the Atlantic ocean but I'm allergic to lobster and can only stomach a minimal amount of Alaskan King Crab. Other than that....bring it on. (except the oysters....no goin there.) We have all the regular chains here too. There is one I ate at in Nashville, it was a Cajun upscale chain. I forgot the name, but I loved that. We don't have it up in the north. We got some good chains here too. Maccaroni Grill is good. Bertucci's the absolute best for pizza. Pizza is a food group in my house. its 10:30 pm, and now I am hungry again. Thanks guys. steviej

CV joints or complete half shafts can be had for less than $100 at AutoZone or the like. Installation takes about 1 1/2 hours. Most independents can do it. If you can hear clicking and it has been clicking for a while....just get the remanufactured 1/2 shaft. It's not worth repacking and rebooting the worn joint. brakes can be done at Toyota. They can also be done at an independent. You can even work a deal that you bring in the parts and they do the labor. Lexus/Toyota pads are about $40 a set (front or rear) from www.irontoad.com. Rotors go for about $75 each. Before replacing rotors, always see if there is enough material left to resurface before replacing. It saves some money. steviej

what year ES? the picture helps. I didn't see it on CL. If other ES's have it, I'm guessing it is a sensor. If other ES's don't have it, I'm guessing it was an aftermarket alarm indicator. steviej

a larger rim, say an 18", and low profile tires will help the cornering. email Mr. Sypher for some help there. (PM function won't work for you until you hit a post count of 20). Look at TireRack.com for you possibilities too. sway bar help may be found at lextasy.com, one of our authorized traders. You might fancy a few cosmetic items (like eyelids or a lip spoilers) from there, too. See the add link in several places on th is website. steviej

your description pretty much narrows it down to the MAF sensor. Something may have happened when you attached it permenantly. Remove it and inspect it. Make sure the resistor didn't get smashed or a wire broke. Inspect the pins, maybe one broke and is not making a connection. If it is not starting, a trouble code may have been sent. Pull the code upon no start and that may lead you to what is not sending the right signal. the 92 is OBD I, codes 31 and 32 are Air Flow Meter Signal codes. (Lexus Code Retrieval) steviej

deal!!!!

OK dcfish.....I see I gonna have trouble with you! I've been a COWBOYS fan since the early 70's. steviej.

The pads and rotors from Midas may not be Toyota OEM. That may make a difference in the performance/sound/feel that you are used to. Here is an alternative: you could buy Toyota/Lexus pads and rotors wholesale on the web. Try IronToad. They have done well by me so far. Then have an independent mechanic or Midas do the job. You will only have to pay labor to them since you brought the parts. If you feel good with Midas, see if they will allow you to bring in the parts. On a side bar, don't be surprised if Midas or the independent deliberately takes their time to bump up the total labor costs since they will loose some markup profit on the parts. steviej

I guessing 2006 with the introduction of the hybrid version. steviej

"Lex U V" :D I like that PharmGuy. I gonna start using that. steviej

I should hope not, because it is spelt journal. just playin' with ya. :D I understand you quest now. Might I suggest going to the state wide auto auctions and ask questions there. Framingham and Concord MA I believe still have the big auctions. Ask the people buying the Lexii if they are in the know of the infor you want. Hopefully someone here might be able to help you out. steviej

AWJ nailed that one right on the head. This is not a site that keeps such facts. For the most part, what you would get on user group sites is purely personal opinion and speculation. No one here has access to all the specifics that you are looking for...at least that I know of. This is data that periodicals may have so you could try publications such as Road&Track, MotorTrend, AutoWeek, etc. as well as the AWJ mentioned sites. I wish I could be of more help, but I don't keep such statistics for myself. Good luck. steviej

two totally different cars for two totally different personalitites and styles. GS rules in the mod arena. ES is very smooth and comfy, however minimal to no performance mods available. take a ride in each and see where you can go in each one. I would love a GS but would go broke doing stuff to it. On the other hand, my ES is the ultimate in affordable comfort style and grace. It is like a baby LS. steviej PS....when in doubt, toss the coin.

do you have a copy of the sheet that says no dents? get a signed copy as soon as possible that you brought it to the service managers attention immediately after receipt of the vehicle. any time more time elapses now could be used against you. Anyway, discuss this with the service manager AND general manager of the dealership as well as the customer service rep. If they say you can only see it in court, then take them to small claims court. First give them the chance to make it right. You have the paper indicating no dents and you brought the dents to their attention immediately upon receipt of the vehicle. If they tell you to take it to court, then say ok and leave. File the paperwork with the small claims court for that district. Get names of all people you have conversations with and make notes of all conversations. Details, time, names, etc. Hope for the best. You have to prove that they were neglegent. Hopefully they won't digitally tamper with any pictures they may have. I am assuming these are survailence pictures or does this dealership take pictures of the condition of each car before and after services? Bottom line....call their bluff. It only cost a minor filing fee and if you win, they pay it. keep us posted. steviej

absolutely. If a car is not driven alot, stagnent the oil is prone to acid buildup which can damage internal parts. Also if the car is not routinely driven as normal operating temps for an extended periods of time (an hour or two) then there can also be a build up of condensation in the engine block/oil. Water and oil don't mix, the water vapor can settle in the oil rather than be burned off. This leads to gelling and/or further acid build up in the oil. Suggested change every 5k miles or at least 2x per year. (several references have gone as far as saying change it every 4 months). steviej

check your CV joints between the tranny and the hub. It could be that a boot has rotted, the grease has spun out and you got a metal knuckle rubbing against a metal knuckle. The noise will be more pronounced when cornerning. Put them both up for sale, combine the money and get a newer ES. steviej

thanks for sharing that Alan......you just made my day tomorrow seem all that much more fun. :chairshot: my dad recently retired and likes to do things like show up at my door with a fishing pole in one hand a tape player in the other playing the theme from the old Andy Griffith Show. His timing is impecable because I am usually just leaving for work. He says its payback for something....I don't listen at that point. steviej

who/what are you researching for?......magazine article, marketing thesis, TV documentary, data quest for competitor, what? I'm curious.

TB cleaner or Carb cleaner. Just make sure it says "safe for O2 sensors" on the side of the can. Don't use paper towels! :o you will leave paper bits. use an old clean t-shirt or new shop towel. steviej

if the motorvac does not "fix" the sensors, in other words, if the O2 sensors are indeed shot, then they need replacing. Do you need to? That is up to you. Faulty sensors will send the wrong fuel/air ratio signal to the ECU and the car MAY not run properly. The catilytic converter may be infused with excessive amounts of unburned fuel, run hotter and burn out quicker. This is even more expensive than the O2 sensors. You are getting hit with 2 hours labor cause they won't break down the hour. If it take 1 hour and 5 minutes, you get charged the 2 hours. Replacing both sensors can be done in less then 30 minutes in your driveway if you have the right tools and you know where they are and what you are doing. Contact JPI, he is an authorized dealer on this site and might be able to get you a better price on O2 sensors you need. You could then bring them to a good independent mechanic to replace. It will be cheaper than going to the stealership. steviej

until you get a digi cam and before they stop making film, have you pictures developed to print and to CD or online (most developers like CVS and Walgreens provide that). Then you can download the digital files to your hard drive and away you go. steviej

the -20004 filter was made in Japan and discontinuted in DEC 2003 when Denso moved their filter production to Thailand. The newer -YZZD3 is for V8s and the -YZZD1 is for V6s. So far I haven't heard any complaints. here is a link to a thread that talks about the filters: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...c=8223&hl=yzzd3 steviej.

this was asked in the ES forum once. Here is the link. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...3&hl=hematology

try www.lexus-parts.com or www.irontoad.com you may have to go through the "email us a parts request for a quote" pathway as this may not be a regular posted item. Their prices are very good. steviej PS, I am moving this thread to the RX forum. You may even find a RX owner with an extra arm that is willing to part with it.