steviej

they are not lit on the 02, either. Come to think of it, none f my cars ever had illuminated fuel door or trunk buttons. Think of the positive.....two less bulbs to burn out and *BLEEP* you off later. steviej

now it's Miller Time. good job. Just keep an eye on it and the coolant level for leaks. steviej

http://www.alldata.com in the top bar, click on Recall and Technical Service Bulletins. You will be required to plug in car info, then you will get a list of TSB numbers and titles. You have to subscribe to get the full bulletin. steviej

you actually get out of your cars at the car wash. Wow, we sit in them and do the Alley McBeal thing. No, kidding. I can't take mine into drive through carwashes with the Enkeis. So I take it to my detailer and go shopping for 4 hours. He is right next to the plaza. When I come back, I get to hear him and his staff all praising my baby. and it is all smiles for me. :P steviej

do a search here and on www.clublexus.com. Search on 2002 Transmission and 2003 transmission. I have posted many times on this and am in constant contact with my dealership. A fix is promised in the fall for the US. There is a fix available in Canada for the Canadian version ES. The tranny has shift logic problems when stomping it. It jumps too many gears down and winds out the motor. There is also a joggle that develops when driving steady at about 40 mph. The joggle goes away when a load is placed on the motor by speeding up or slowing down. What you can do: 1. register complaint with 1-800-25-LEXUS. Ask for Elton or Laura. Ask that they fax you the letter explaining the tranny problem. I got one, and will fax to you if you need it by the time you go to the dealership. I actually transcribed the contents of the letter verbatum in a post on CL. 2. register complaint with NTHSB (will give you website if you need it). You probably won't as Lexus is well aware of this problem. 3. Do the searches, print them out and bring them with you. Lexus is well aware that this is a common topic of discussion on the web. Your service manager may not be so informed. 4. Don't stomp on it. The car actually have very good acceleration if you learn the pedal, going 3/4 of the way works wonders. 5. To stop the joggling, move the lever to "4" until you either go faster than 45 or slower than 40. Be patient. Other than the tranny, it is a very sweet car. Steviej

Chris, leaving the body kit black will give the car that "unfinished look. Sort of like you ran out of paint. Think this one through. If you are any good at photoshop try repainting an ES with a body kit to match the color scheme you have in mind. I think you will find the three tone will stand out.......alot. just mho. steveij

I have a picture of a car that I saw at a local CL meet, and then saw it on other cars (aware of it now). It starts as silver mirror at the bottom of the window and fades/transitions into just dark/black tint at the top of the window. TOTALLY AWESOME.

there is a 7th fuel injector to help on cold startups. It may be diry or clogged. Run a bottle of Chevron/with Techron fuel injector cleaner with the next fill up. A friend had this same complaint and two tank fulls with a bottle of Chev in each cleared it up. Give it a try, it can only help. steviej

Is this a Lexus CPO sale or independent dealer? watch for oil sludging. Change it immediately after you buy (if you do) and check the condition of the old oil. You can also run a finger up under the oil fill and see if it is gritty or smooth (oil that is not the under surface of the manifold). Also check around the valve cover gaskets and see if they are moist. Leakage here is common with high miles. Same for rear engine seals. Check the condition of the tranny fluid. Is it reddish or blackish. get whatever maintenance records you can, even talk to previous owner if possible. Take it to a third party mechanic and have a prepurchase inspection done. Usually costs $50-100 but it will be out of your pocket. They should at least offer a 60-90 day warranty. Put the car through the paces then. steviej

from what you have said, the oil is full (according to the dipstick) and I assume the car is running ok....you haven't seized up. I can only deduce that the oil level sensor has gone bad. The engine thinks it is out of oil but it is not. If the pump were bad, then the low pressure light would come on (dripping oil can w/NO waves under it). I wasn't aware that the ES had an oil change reminder light. ProZac, your picture and suggestions are excellent. I must note that the Previa dash has a light specific for "oil change". If they carried that option to the ES, then I would hope they kept the idiot light, too. steviej

i have a 2002 with stock 16". i believe the 2000 ES has 16s also. Correct me if I am wrong but didn't they switch to 16 mid 2nd generation?. I went with the exact same rim shown (18x8) with 235/40-18 skins. I only rub when I got two >200 pounders int he back seats and the bumps are dramatic. Go to a professional tire shop and consult them. steveij

I have the Toyo Proxes FZ-4. They are a low profile tire with an aggresive directional tread pattern. Sidewall says M+S but I am only going to use them until late Sept/Oct. They are very nice for traction on wet and dry. They have very strong reinforced sidewalls and do absorb some shock. Actually better than I thought. I have nailed a couple of potholes that I thought for sure ruined a rim and to my surprise....NOTHING. But I try not to make a habit of this. I was warned that they may be a bit loud. I can say they are louder than the stock RE92 bridgies. But I cannot compare them to any other low profiles. These are my first. USD: $179 each for 235/40-18 steviej

back to the original content of the thread. Toyota has posted on their web site that the 2004 Solara will have a 3.3L V6 VVT-i, 5 spd automatic as the V6 option. They post numbers of 225 hp and 240 torque. This will probably be the same for the awaited ES330. My guess is the hype begins 9/1 and the debut is 10/1. steviej

you guys are exactly right, it is a owned vs. rent thing in my head. Steve, what is your annual mileage allowance? and how much $ or ¢ per mile after that. This is where I would get hit in extra costs in that I put close to 20k on in a years time. steviej

CHAMOIS all the way. I tried one of those super absorbant new age plastic material ones.......it sucked up the water like no one's business, but left little tiny yellow fibers and shreds of material all over the place. steviej

whatever day my detailer has an appointment open. :D I hate doing it. steviej

I had an FM modulated CD player in my last car for one weekend. It was returned the following Monday. I would get too much radio static in the background. None of the possible stations that could be programmed were clean enough for a good signal in the Greater Boston area. Have they changed that much in 2 years? However, this is just my experience with one brand, one model. Didn't bother to try any others. Was told it would happen regardless. steviej

don't give it a thought! Mad...........are you kidding? With all that is going on in the world? This is much better than CNN. Keep talking, I love listening (reading) it. steviej

SW, enlighten me on the "cooled" seats. Am I to assume we now have refrigerant running through the seats? I don't even want to think of repair cost (or better yet if you spring a leak) if that is the case. I really like the new Maxima and have a little desire to go check one out with a test drive. The moonroof is very odd, it is like they turned it 90 degrees. It must open left to right? steviej

actually here is the !Removed!: The dealer is trying to get you to overlook one of the two flaws of the 02/03 tranny. This tranny is a 5spd auto as you know. 5th being the OD. This tranny also is electronically controlled by a program that has some less than desirable shift logic. Not to scare you, it can be overcome with driving style until the fix comes supposedly in the fall. When you are driving about 40 mph with no load on the engine, ie most of our commutes and country driving, the engine wants to be in 4th but the computer wants to be in 5th. A very minor shutter develops and is felt in the car. Slide the lever over to 4th and the shutter goes away instantly. You still have normal range of 1st to 4th. If you stay in D, once you go below 40 or above 45, the shutter goes away on its own, too. I have learned to live with it. I drive in D all the time. When I get the shutter, I a.) drop it into 4, b.) slow down if I have to, c.) speed up a little if I can safely and d.)don't worry about it. All four of these work. The other problem is the hesitation with full depression of the gas pedal. You can read up on that by doing a search on 02 transmission or 03 transmissions. steviej

my friend has a BMW that uses a crank to open the sunroof. OK the car is an 86 but it is still beautiful. I remember T-Tops, now those where cool, but they only look good on a 2 door. Did I just show my age....sorry. steviej

leasing in my lifestyle/nature would be like renting, in the end I won't own it. I would have a hard time giving it back at the end of the lease after paying so much up front and monthly. I would much rather have title in hand at the end of the payments/contract. I like to mod things, too. I have never leased, so to all those that do, can you mod a leased vehicle or is it in the contract that you cannot change the initial condition of the car? Also, what maintanence items are not covered under a lease? I would not be able to take advantage of the tax rightoff cause I don't itemize (not enough deductions to make it worth it). but it comes down to different plans for different budgets and people. steviej

sing like no one is listening, dance like no one is watching. put a spoiler where a spoiler ought to be!!! (I think Joan Crawford said that last bit off stage) steviej

I used the turtle wax stuff on my old SSEi (metallic dark green). It did not impress me at all. The chipstick was very hard and just reminded me of a very hard candle. The liquid wax in the bottle is pigmented and if you don't get it all off, it comes off on whoever brushes up against you car after you finish. It is more like a coverup than a remover. A very fine cut polishing compound followed by a 3 step clean, wax/polish and seal will be a better investment. I would put more turst in the Meguiar's. steviej

be careful if you use the spacers. If they are too thick, they will decrease the amount of threads the lug nuts will be able to hold on to. Not enough threads can cause a very dangerous situation. If the spacers needed are very thick, you can look into longer lug bolts too. sj