steviej

I don't rightly know, but if the can read codes from the dash port then they might be able to. If they don't it is still FREE and worth a shot before paying Lexus an $80 diagnostic. Wouldn't you think so? why don't you call them and ask them. sj

many lexus dealerships also get spoilers from http://www.spoilerdepot.com they can be ordered in Lexus factory paint and are easy to install. The can look like L-Sportlines but may not be the exact same dimensions. you can also order direct and save the dealer increase and labor. steviej

get the mast at any toyota or lexus parts counter or try http://www.lexus-parts.com read the blurb about antennas in the Faq Lexus just above the threads in this section. It was well paraphased by skperformance. steviej

what an awesome idea. I totally forgot that. That is the sound that it is making. I assumed they did that when they did the 25k service. I can even do this myself. Great, now a plan for the last day of vacation. The sunroof, by the way, didn't make a sound today. go figure. steviej

If it was red, then stick with the red. Flush out the green immediately and completely and go back to the red. Unfortunately, they are not compatible. If it was green that came out then you would be alright. But since you say it was red, then stay with the red. This topic usually sets off some heated discussions as you probably saw in previous threads. steviej

let's start further back than what to put in. what was the color of the stuff that you flushed out? (I know it may be hard to tell if it was really cruddy) sj

it means a buld is out or the car thinks a bulb is out. If it only comes on when you step on the brakes then it is a brake light. Don't forget the high mount light. Sometimes the bulbs aren't bad, it is just the connections are bad. You may have to take out each bulb and reseat them. It may be the bulb makes contact after a bump and then the dash light goes out. Best thing to do, is look at each light when the dash indicator is on and start there. You should have someone step on the brake and then look, too. Look close at the lens, some high mounts have two bulbs. I don't know what the 250 has. Basically it is process of elimination. steviej

there is a whole variety of combinaitons that can be programmed by the dealer based on the users preferences for the 02. I would not think the 97 is that much different. Contact you dealer or find someone that has the 97 Lexus shop manual. steviej

go to autozone and have the codes read for free. That may help you pinpoint which wheel. Otherwise, yes the car has to be jacked up and each wheel taken off. You can do this in the driveway with the trunk jack, but I stress that you support the car with a jack stand before sticking you head up under the wheel well. It is the best way to get you head under there to see unless you are good with a mirror on the end of a stick. The wire will come out from the wheel well and connect to a sensor that is on the back side of the rotor. There may be two connectors/wires if you have trac control. The trac control is usually in the wheel bearing hub. There should be a connector held steady to the back of the shield behind the rotor. Basically look for any electrical conncection on the backside of the brakes around the hub. steviej

:( I went by my dealership today after hearing the news. I have to say I am a bit discouraged. The service manager, whom I trust very much, said he does not want to put the fix in my car. He explained that he did get the fix and they tried it on several cars on the lot that demonstrated the so called problem. Basically he said the fix makes the tranny act like a cheap car. The shifts are not smooth and quiet. The tranny supposedly is still searching for gears and the driver doesn't really know what gear he is in. I did not drive any "fixed" ES but I will trust him. I suggest to anyone that goes for the fix, ask to test drive the car after the ECU is updated. If you do not like the fix, go back to your old ECU. Tell the dealership to contact Lexus and tell them you are not pleased with the fix. If, however, you are impressed with the fix, please post immediately with your take on the new shift logic. I will have to rethink what my service manager advised. The ES world eagerly awaits user opinions. steviej

:( I went by my dealership today after hearing the news. I have to say I am a bit discouraged. The service manager, whom I trust very much, said he does not want to put the fix in my car. He explained that he did get the fix and they tried it on several cars on the lot that demonstrated the so called problem. Basically he said the fix makes the tranny act like a cheap car. The shifts are not smooth and quiet. The tranny supposedly is still searching for gears and the driver doesn't really know what gear he is in. I did not drive any "fixed" ES but I will trust him. I suggest to anyone that goes for the fix, ask to test drive the car after the ECU is updated. If you do not like the fix, go back to your old ECU. Tell the dealership to contact Lexus and tell them you are not pleased with the fix. If, however, you are impressed with the fix, please post immediately with your take on the new shift logic. I will have to rethink what my service manager advised. The ES world eagerly awaits user opinions. steviej

I'm still waiting to here back. But if y'all know, then I should too. oh happy day! oops I forgot, I don't drink. Hey moderators, can we get some smilies that are dancing? steviej

MAF sensor or Mass Air Flow Sensor is located between the air filter and the throttle body. It detects how much air is flowing and adjusts the fuel/air mixture accordingly. The car won't run without it and if it is malfuncitioning, the car will run rough. I bought one once for a GM and it was $250. Installed myself. They ain't cheap sensors. steviej

Steve, the moonroof noise is only when closed. It is a creaking noise made by the rubber gasket against the metal roof when I hit any kind of bumps. If I press on the glass, I can make it make the same noise. I think I am stuck with the noise. I have read every post on CL about the a noise on the GS moonroof. Seems to be inherent in the beast. The rattle in the suspension does not happen when it is raining and does not happen when it is less than ~80 degrees. It is a clunk kind of sound. The two times I brought it to the dealership, it could not be reproduced even going through construction sites. It happens when my foot is on the brake and when I never even touch the brake. It happens sometimes when I turn the wheel and sometimes when I am just going straight. The biggest thing is that it only comes from the right front wheel area. Of well. I will keep looking. If it is making it when I am out, the dealership said come right over. steviej

I prefer synthetic and have always used it. My first car was a turbo, my second was supercharged, my third is the ES. Advantages of synthetic: 1. Less friction on mechanical parts 2. Supposedly a tiny increase in gas mileage 3. A longer interval in changing oil, thanslates into less money spent in the long run on oil changes. 4. Give me peace of mind cause I have always used it. and the top answer for me 5. Synthetic stays more viscous at lower temperatures. This is a particular selling point for me being in cold New England winters. There is better lubrication on cold start ups with synthetic. #5 may not apply to you JPI being in Dallas, or you H8R Proof being in So Cal. It is a major selling point for me, turbo or not. H8R Proof, no there is no special preparation to switch. Just go for it on the next oil change if you so desire. Just change your filter too. H8R Proof, check out this website, alot of your questions may be answered. http://www.bobistheoilguy.com I guess when it comes down to it, if you use dino or synthetic it is all up to the user as to which one makes them feel better. As long as it is changed within acceptable intervals there should be no problems. steviej

I did, it wasn't flattering. :whistles: Kinda reminded me of one of those circus mirrors. I'd rather not post it. steviej

not crazy at all. How close is a Toyota dealership/service. They can handle most of the little stuff. steviej

funny you said that tic, I'm just south of Boston and been raining since last week. Today I had sun, so I washed my car by hand cause I am on vacation and I was bored. I tried sk suggestion of just letting it dry. I was horrified by the spots. I know, I know, they went away with waxing but just the sight of it. My brain was damaged. ok....I'm over it now. so anyway. I washed, waxed, polished, cleaned glass, vacuumed, got a tan to boot and realized I saved a whole lot of money. The neighbors dog even wanted in on the water action, so I soaked him. Labs are so much fun. steviej

I usaully don't do this sort of stuff, but I thought it too good not to take a chance and copy a post seen on ClubLexus. It is for Lexus owners that have had problems with the charcol canister and EPV. The words in blue where copied from a CL post, the link is at the bottom. Mine is an ES-300 98 model with 60K miles. I had the same problem with the error code 0440 which requires a change of charcoal cannister and EPV valve. Lexus dealership gave an estimate of 850 $ for both. I called the customer service no and showed them the case which Toyota/Lexus lost against US EPA on 03/07/2003. The case requires Toyota to extend the Emission warranty from 2/24k to 14yrs/150k on 1996-1998 vehicles. Customer Service called the dealership and the dealership had to do it for free.... link: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread...15&pagenumber=2 just trying to be helpful. I never knew of this in the emissions warranty. Did anyone here? steviej

This problem sounds as if it is engine temp related as you stated. the only other thing I can think of is a temp. sensor of some kind. 2 come to mind. 1. Engine coolant temp. sensor. The temp of the coolant is used to help in the ECU calculations for fuel management, IAC, spark timing, EGR settings and other emission functions. 2. Manifild Air Temp sensor. The temp of the engine manifold is also used to help in fuel delivery and spark advance. usually these sensors are pass or fail. They work or don't work. If they fail a code is sent and the CEL will illuminate on the dashboard. It could be that one is not transmitting the proper signal instead of no signal at all, hence no CEL. You could also have a dealship do a cold startup evaluation. You have to leave it over night, then they hook it up to many sensors and a scan tool and diagnose what may or may not be there upon start up. They will look for things like fuel pressure, timing, spark, coolant temp, air temp, etc. This also will cost money to do. good luck, steviej.

see the guy where you are getting the enkeis. It will tell in the Enkei catalog if they will fit a 2000. It should. I paid $179 each for my LM1/5's, what are you getting for a price. By the way, where are you located. If you where near Boston, I would hook you up with my tire guy. When they put them on, make sure they don't forget the inside hub ring in the back.....that happened to me and it totally throws off the perfectly balanced tire. These are cool rims, very strong. hit several potholes and not dings or bends. Fitted them with a tire that has reinforced sidewalls, got to get that. One word of caution, they will expose rusty hubs if you got them. Easily painted though. good luck. steviej

the rubber gasket that fits around the window part and seals against the body has shrunk, dried or is torn. Happens to most exposed rubber at this age. It should be replaceable. I replaced mine myself on my old SSEi and it shut the noise out once again. Call your Lexus part guy and see what they want for a new gasket. It does involve taking the glass out. For the time being if it is only dried, try soaking a cloth with spray silicone or a spray called Tri-Flo (spray teflon) and then run the cloth around the entire rubber gasket. This may rejuvenate it some. steviej

I don't have any loud bangs or rattles, my moonroof just started creaking/squeaking when it is closed and I go over bumps. I am sure it is just an adjustment on fitment in the closed position. The OEM wipers aren't too bad. My first guess given your description is that there is something hidden on the window. Could be anything from tree sap, to bird crap, to a thin film of wax from automated car washes. I use to get this when I used RainX. After a while (less than 3 months) the wipers would start to degrade and leave a rubber film on the window, but you couldn't see it with the naked eye. You only saw uneven clearing of the window. Try a thorough cleaning with pure alcohol (not the drinking kind). you can get this at autozone or any auto parts store. Home Depot has it too. This will stip any wax that may have gotten on there. PIAA wipers are excellent (I have them). They require that you thoroughly clean the window then apply a silicone dressing to the clean window. It comes in a handy wipe applicator. Takes a few minutes to do, but it is worth it. PIAA wipers are about $25 each, but supposedly will last a year. I used to replace wipers every six months at $11 each on my old car. PIAA hopefully will be an even trade. whatever the moonroof is, keep on the dealer if it is still under warranty. steviej

I wonder it the software update is a new ECU like what was done in Canada. I shall call my dealership tomorrow. Thanks for the info Jim. Steviej.

issues #1 and #2 are known. They are/were in the 2002 model too. 1: the door noise is the sound insulation inside the doors. It tends to move around. They have to go inside the door panel and either a.) remove it, or b.) use the trusty ole duct tape to further secure it. Three weeks is totally absurd. It was probably a low priority for them. Just curious: what did they tell you it was? my experience: I never did anything about it. It seemed to happen in the winter months and eventually the insulation "settled" in to its final resting position cause I ain't heard a peep out of it so far. We will see later this fall/winter. 2. the tranny problem (sorry, according to Lexus it is a concern) is apparently user dependent and variable. Don't stomp the pedal and you probably won't see it. Strong steady accelerations and learning the pedal are the way to absolve your ES of the problem until the fix comes this fall. so that you are on record as not being satisfied, register you complaint with 1-800-25-LEXUS AND you dealership. This way you won't have to pay for the fix when it comes out and you will be notified when it comes out. 3. The rear seat is a new one. Maybe just something got snagged on it. Don't even let the dealership tell you it happened outside there place. They had it for three weeks, anything was possible especially if the door panels were just taken off and placed on the rear seats. the dealership should just order a new back seat. The bottom and backs should be removable. They most likely will swap it out. gas mileages that are stated on window stickers are projected and under optimal conditions. I ask you, who lives in optimal conditions? 20 city and >25 all highway is good if you get close to that. I replaced the stock air filter with a K&N air filter and consistently get 23-24 mpg for around town city driving and ~30 mpg all highway. I only run premium fuel (but I don't know if that will change the mileage any at all). steviej 2002 ES with 27,300 miles on it. My big concerns are a rattle in the right front suspension when the temp is >85°F and the sunroof is begining to make squeky/creaky noises.