steviej

not true. I think it is a couple of nuts or bolts and the entire headlight assembly flops out and then the turn signal bulb is accessable. good luck. steviej

the tranny is no big deal once you are aware of it. Just don't stomp the pedal to the floor. Aggressive/rapid acceleration can be achieved without the lag. You will learn the car and learn the tranny characteristics. Most dealerships will let you take the car for the weekend if they think you are really serious about buying. See if you can do this and then spend the weekend driving around and then make a decision. You won't regret the smooth and quiet of the ES. steviej

sqlsam, see if there is a dedicted fuse for the sensors and pull it. That may disable the buzzer noise too. steviej

manual was a factory configuration in the 93 ES300. I think it was the last or only year it was offered. steviej

skeemer, that is a call you got to make. weigh the pros and cons of both sides. ie. go with your friend's dad and save $200, but if something went wrong could/would you take your friend's dad to court if you had to? on the other side, you have had work done from "your mechanic" and you trust him. Is $200 worth not bringing the business to him. Look at the long term.....he will probalby do a good job because you are a repeat and he wants your future business. talk to you friend's dad and find out if he will stand behind his work, tell your mechanic you can get the job for $700 and see if he comes down some. good luck, steviej

I'm back from Key West and tanned. I saw the car today.....wish I hadn't. It looked so sad. The rear bumper was off.....looks like my lex got pantsed. I had to giggle. The new doors were one, but not painted. All the interior stuff and door hardware were off. I didn't need to see that. The guy told me not to worry. Mine had the least damage of all cars in there. As I talk to more and more people, this is the best shop in the area. I was amazed at all the cars they were working on. All high end stuff. I did make the shop guy aware of the TSB on the sound insulation and he said he will pull the procedure and reinforce the mounting of the stuff so it won't make noise next winter. Anyway, I get my car back by Sat. morning. The total as of right now is $4500. I picked up my rental today. 2003 BMW 325i 4 door. Ironically, it is silver too. I like the sportyness of the BMW, but I miss my lex. vacation was awesome, but I'm kinda glad to be back. steviej

try removing the right front tire and the plastic wheel well shield/shroud. Go at it from the bottom and from the right side, not from the top. steviej

Alan is right. Small Claims is an inexpensive way to go. No lawyers, just a judge or arbitrator. If you win, the other party assumes your filing fee. It only costs you some time. And you may find that the new owner will fix it rather than try to defend himself. If he can't prove the job was done, he may be court ordered to finish the job right. Lex, I have been to small claims. It is defineately worth a shot. It will also send the new shop a message that you mean business. Don't give up. steviej

i don't know the IS that well, but on my ES, I had a clicking sound every time I hit the brakes. Dealer said it was free floating calipers. After two trips to the dealer and sitting next to my car in frustration (I didn't believe it was the brakes) I grabbed the top of the right front tire with both hands and shoved it in and out. Low and behold I recreated the exact click I was hearing. Turned out to be something broken in the front right strut. They replaced the strut assembly and the noise was gone. It is worth a try. I can email you the letter of exact explanation of how I recreated the noise. I had left the dealer this letter so that they could recreate the noise. ( had to leave the car on a Sunday and service was closed.) steviej

just curious as to why 4th gear would be worn down by 33k miles? previous driver or defect in manufacturing? steviej

blake, I have always used mobil 1, but understand you thoughts about leaks. Mobil also makes a non-synthetic oil that is highly rated. Just make sure whichever oil you choose is a "high mileage formula". The ingrediants will help rejuvenate the seals. steviej PS, you could try synthetic and if it starts to leak, switch back immediately. Only loss would be the oil removed.

sk's got it. Surface oxidation, happens to most unfinished metal surfaces when moisture is in the air. The noise is simply the brake pads removing the surface "rust". Go by car dealerships and look are cars that haven't moved in a while. The rotors will actually look bright red/rust colored. no worries. steviej

Revo, the lens are guarenteed for life and the blue reflection is way cool. pricey though. I like the style of Oakleys but they give me a headache cause of my fat head. steviej

please explain what this internal alarm sensor does, I not catching something here? Or atleast explain what was done to the 99 Avalon to trip the internal alarm sensor. I am guessing here, but on the Avalon, if you left your windows open but locked your doors, the factory alarm was triggered if someone reaches their arm in the window opening? steviej

the car goes in the shop tomorrow when I leave for Key West. The shop is state of the art and handles mostly high end cars. It is a highly recommended establishment. I met with the shop today and here is what will happen. -The front door has to have the skin and shell replaced cause that buckle you see actually goes right to the other side. -The rear door will only need an outer skin. -The rear quarter (front of tire) will be repaird. They have some new type of machine that pulls the metal back to the original shape. If that doesn't work they will cut out a piece and weld in a new one. He said I wouldn't even know it was a new piece. -The rear bumper has to come off and be repainted. The entire area behind the rear wheel is all scuffed....hard to see in the picture. -There is a dent over the front tire, that will be repaired. -All molding in that area will be replaced. -There is some damage that can be see when the doors are open, that will be fixed. -The tail light will be buffed, and if that doesn take out the scrapes, then replaced. -Then the entire right side will be painted and clear coated. He estimates about a week and a half to two weeks. SW, as for the stickers, I find myself not being to careful with the ice scraper. Hook me up with LOC stickers and I will swap them out. I figured I would get them at the upcoming spring meet, wherever/whenever that happens. I'll let you know when it is finished as to how good the job was. I think it would be foolish to trade the care in. This car is mechanically perfect and I know every bit of work done to it. Getting another 02 or 03 means more unknown. The body damage is fixable. There is no structural damage. I am the type to keep a car for 10 years. I am not worried about the Carfax report as I have photographed the damage myself. This would be freely offered to show that the damage was mainly cosmetic. Besides, going back to a new car only means more payments........and the ones I have left are enough. steviej PS. A heartfelt thanks to everyone for their concern and words of care.

the picture is of an engine. Was the car running rough just before the light came on (I am talking like for a few days)? Take it to the dealer if the warranty is still good. This just happpened to me and it was a Bank 1 Sensor 1 oxygen sensor malfunction. Code P01135. get it checked out. steviej

take them to small claims court. your paid for a service and the service paid for was not delivered. steviej

here's another, from the back.

here's one. the dents in the door actually got through to the inside, not just the skin.

when you get the car, register it on www.lexus.com and you can request a free owners manual. the octane recommendation will be in the manual. My guess is it calls for 89. changing to xenon lights will be about $500 but several people have done it. Check out Silverstars, PIAA, or MTEC as a lesser expensive alternative to give the brighter look. Don't get excited on performance enhancements, there aren't many, but some people have made some. Browse though the theads and use the search function. Every newcomer asks the same questions, so you are not the first. steviej

air filter is for the engine and under the hood. cabin filter is for the air conditioning system and gets really rank when it is loaded with mold and bacteria. If you don't smell anything, you may not even have a filter in place. No big deal. The 02-04 ES is a piece of cake to change, the pre-02s are not so easy. steviej

not too mention they cost about $10 each. Ouch...... Lexusfreak, I don't think you are fussy......just borderline OCD like me!!!! (j/k) :D steviej

90k is the biggest service and most costly. Timing belt, water pump and pulley replacement. Tranny flush Coolant flush Brake fluid flush PS fluid flush. Oil and filter change Air filter Cabin filter Tire rotation You can get a price break if you check it out with a Toyota shop, too. Spark plugs should have been done at 60k. steviej

it is quick, not the fastest on the block. but......and this is a big but....... it is without a doubt the most SMOOTHEST and QUIETEST car on the block in its price range. steviej

The right side of my car doesn't look pretty. Will post pictures tomorrow in daylight. Cops took the other guy off in cuffs. Here we go with the body shop stuff again. steviej. ps. I'm ok, I'm just wicked *BLEEP*ed right now.