steviej

help me out guys. a 95 also has the 1MZ-FE, right? Gabish, in all the belt mayhem, did you shred BOTH belts? I have an 02 with the 1MZ-FE and there is a big belt that goes around the center pulley, the A/C and the Alt. There is a smaller belt that is goes around the center pulley (inside of the AC/ALT belt) to the power steering pump. I may be reading too deep into your question but are you trying to put one belt on the center pulley, AC, ALT and the PS? steviej

what were the codes he pulled from the car that tripped the CEL? steviej

go back to the dealership, find out in writing what keys the CPO's come with. They should be able to throw in at least the valet key and the flat wallet key at no charge. Next call the cust. service line at 1-800-25-LEXUS. They are intent on satisfied customers. You should be able to get them. A new Lex comes with two master remote keys, one valet key and one flat key (computer chipped for starting in the 02/03). steviej silver........totally awesome. I now have a 2002 with 27k on it.

keep all your receipts form everytime you bring it in. Give the Lexus dealer that installed the ALT one chance to eliminate the sound. If they quiet things down, then drive off happy. If they do not, Take it to a Toyota dealer or another Lexus dealer and explain the noise. Don't tell them you have already been to the 1st Lexus dealership. If they fix it, find out what they did. If they say the belt was too tight or if it has anything to do with the ALT install, get everything in writing. Pay them for their services and walk out with a smile. Drive your very silent car over to the 1st Lexus dealership and ask to speak with the service manager in his office with the general manager present. Explain the resolution and show them the bill. Ask them to reimburse you for the cost of the repair you had done at the other dealership that was not performed to your satisfaction at their dealership. Notify 1-800-25-LEXUS of all the events. You should get reimbursed for a repair that the 1st Lexus dealship failed to perform to your satisfaction. You should have no problem recovering your money. steviej PS, Amazon.com. get the Hayes manual for the 91-01 Camry/Solara/Avalon/ES. It might/should be in there. Plus this is a sound $20 investment.

a reman. axle half shaft (comes with two prepacked CV joints) runs $60-100 USD. Labor is about 2 hours. I just did one this weekend on my friends Olds 98, I know, its not a Lex but it is FWD nonetheless. Resurfacing rotors means taking them to a brake shop and have them clean up the surface where the pads make contact. It puts and even flat plane to the surface. Eliminates warps for the most part. Alot of places don't do this anymore, it is quicker and sometimes cheaper to just replace the rotor. Rotors are about $40-60 bucks each and all four wheels can be done in about 1 and a 1/2 hours. The tranny running at 4k rpm and not shifting into OD until 95 sounds like an overdrive problem. May be a torque lock up switch or is the OD switch off. Is the shift lever in the D with the circle or is it just in the D? (I don't know the exact labeling of the shift positions for a pre-02 model). Something is not right. If your steering wheel shakes when you are NOT stepping on the brake, it may be more balance or alignment related than brakes. steviej

hey speedy, what tire are you running that you can safely pump them up to 50psi? My Bridgestones would be maxed at 38 and the Toyo low profile 18s are maxed at 44 psi. Anything above the max psi is very dangerous. please be careful, life and health couldn't be worth the improvement you get going to 50 psi. steviej

I get about 350 miles on 15 gallons when doing just city driving. That would extrapolate out to about 435 miles on a complete tank full. sj

my '02 manual shows front to back only. On all my radial tires, I have only swapped front to back. Never had any problems as long as the tire pressure was checked regularly, and the car was always aligned. I can only go F to B with the Toyos cause they are directional. ps, I never rotate the spare. It stays in the trunk in the dark but is checked occasionally to make sure it always has air. sj

yep, what he said. sj you can try this in your driveway. Open the hood while the car is running with the AC on. With a squirt water bottle, TRICKLE some water on the belt. See if the AC light flickers. Listen for the slippage of the belt. It may be as simple as a new belt is needed or the tension needs to be adjusted.

if the tires are 205/65-15 then the biggest rim you can put them on is a 15" rim. If you go to 16" rim, you have to go to a ###/##-16 tire. sj

return the belt to Autozone. Get your belt from Toyota or Lexus. Shouldn't be that much different in price. I have had multiple experiences with Autozone belts not fitting or not even being the right belt. If the belt is as little as 10 mm in length different is can travel off the pulley. There should be a diagram near the belts to show which goes to what and the threading of each belt. However, it may be faded. If the belt shredded, be sure the pulleys are clear and the tensioner didn't slip to allow the belt to "walk" off a pulley. This happens all to frequently. Belts get old too, they are rubber and can harden or crack. If you get it at Lexus, ask them to photocopy the diagram from the actual shop manual. If they won't, ask to speak to the parts manager and tell him you will take the business elsewhere. good luck. steviej

Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus (stock on 2003 models) Michelin X One Goodyear Aquatred 3 (if you get alot of rain) steviej

according to my dealership, their coorporate bodyshop (Herb Chambers Motor Group) and the independent bodyshop that did my bodywork in Feb. Black is the only Lexus paint that does NOT have a clear coat. sj

I have an '02 and went from 16s to 18s but the tire guy said I could go to 20's if I wanted. 215/60-16 went to 235/40-18. I tried to stay within the proper range so I wouldn't have to worry about speedo reacalcultion or remembering a fudge factor. I know alot of 1st/2nd gen ES that go to 17's and they look awesome. I wouldn't go wider than an 8" rim though. when in doubt, consult Mason or Brandon at www.TireRack.com sj

pop for the professional repair. If you are down to bare metal, you don't want rusting to start. Touch up will work temporarily, but if you are going to do it, do it right. You don't want the clear coat peeling up on you in a few years. Have you talked to you insurance company? sj

did somebody slam one of your right side doors very very hard recently?

I concour with sk. sj

on my car, it is the entire front seats, headrests, center console cover, door inserts, shift knob, rear seats, entrie rear fold down console, rear seat headrests (3 of them), and rear door inserts. Oh yeah, almost forgot, the pouch that holds the reg., the owners manual, the supplemental owners manual, a pen and vital Lexus phone numbers is leather, too. I don't know if the dash is leather or that leatherette vinyl stuff. My guess is the latter of the two. My glasses case, contact lens case, pouch to hold little ammentities, CD case, and business card case are Coach leather.....purchased separately....I just had to throw them in. steviej

mind you I am talking a 2002. The glove compartment has to flop down by undoing one screw on the right hand side that holds the "mighty lift" type of piston that allows the comparmtnet to open slowly, and two black plastic "stops" that are in the top front corners of the comparmtnet. With out the stops the comparmtent will flop out and down on the hinge. The filter tray is a white plastic tray with a flat front. There are two clips that you press, one on the left front and one on the right front. The tray slide out and inside is the filter. My filter is a blue fiber material that looks like the bellows of an accordian. It is two layers with charcol sandwiched inside but it is all one piece. Along the two longs edges is a gray foam material to help seal it when it is in the tray. It was$57 for just the filter element. No tray, just one filter replacement. I wonder if alot of pre-2002 owners took the filter out and when they found out the price of a replacement they threw the dirty one at the parts guy and figured they didn't need to replace the part and left it out. I don't know the setup for the pre 2002 cars. except for where it is. Perhaps this is a good time for JPC to chime in. steviej.

lalaw, go with the 2000 or the 2001. The light charcol grey interior (what I've got) will be cooler and will cool down faster with the AC than the black. The lighter color leathers will stand up a little better than darker colors, but than again, any leather will stand the test of time if it is cared for regularly and properly. (I base this on my 2002) The moon roof, slides back into the roof completely, has a sun shade that moves with the moon roof or can be opened seprately to let light in while the roof is closed. The rear portion of the moon roof also tilts up to act as a major vent. I am a bigger person, 5'9" and just over 200. The height wasn't a problem, it was the width of my shoulders. In the Accord and TL Type-S I was a little close the the person in the passenger seat. No so in the Lexus. This goes for the back seats too. I say go with you gut feeling. Stick with the 2000 or the 2001 if you can afford it, that way you get some benefit out of the warranty. steviej

the 5 day lysol thing worked good for the duct work, but when I sprayed the filter, the paper element broke open and charcol was falling out. I ended up replacing the filter, $57 from the dealer..... OUCH....and that didn't even include the holder. I have found that you can get the filters from www.irontoad.com for about $20 less. steviej

further followup. On a different website, a member had the same problem but a different model. Previously stated by me: Oddly enough, I can't find a fuse in the fuse listing in my owner's manual that covers the shift lock or the brake switch. This may explain why your fuse is "good". The brake light fuse is the fuse for the switch, too. I must add that even though a fuse looks intact and not blown, it may not be seated well and will result in the same as a blown fuse. When checking a fuse, don't just look at it, take it out, examine it and properly reseat it if it is good. cas0040: excellent work. B) steviej

there is style and there is grace. Chris, you and your wife are blessed with both. ;) sj

CPOs have usually been through some sort of check out by Lexus and have a better warranty from Lexus than a preowned from a non lexus dealer. What warranty do you get? CPO 3yr/total 100k or do you get what is left on the original vehicle 4yr/50k miles + 7yr/70k powertrain? If you get black leather.....it is hot in the summer when you first get in....if you are in shorts, don't get burned. Just condition the leather with lexol every 6 months and it will stay soft and supple for years to come. Silver did you say......look at the picture to your left. No further questions. in the words of Nike....just do it. steviej

it's the only reason I have ever used this product......Armor All Protectant. It works great on door hinge squeaks. Whether it be the screen door to the porch or the car, it works better than WD40 cause it doesn't dissolve away. WD40 is actually a solvent and not a lubricant. White grease is the best but it is hard to apply sometimes, especially when trying to get it into the hinge post. spray a stream of Armor All into the two hinges, get the posts so that it soaks in. It won't wash off that easy in the rain or car washes. Mind you, it is only a temporary fix until you can get some white grease inside the hinge. steviej