steviej

I saw the tire endurance in Autozone also in those pop-up wipe dispensers. That might be real easy to apply. If it gets really bad, or if the rubber is really old and cracked, they can be replaced. steviej

I thought of just getting the parts and doing it myself, but the service guy said he has to install them to keep in line with the Lexus protocal for no cost service work. I will paint shortly thereafter though, as you all noted. The tirerack stuff is $38/kit. steviej

the tire rack stuff was more than 4 times more expensive but is brush on. Anyway, turns out the painting will have to wait. I am getting all new rotors and pads from Lexus at no cost on the 19th. The dreaded brake pulsation problem has fallen upon me. Turns out, the 02-03 have a material mismatch problem and whent he brakes are heated up, they pulsat and if left too long, the rotors will warp. I will paint after that. steveij

you should repost htis in the ES forum. I have an 02, no snap clips, just two philips screws. But, I know what you mean about lots of hook ups. I found the easiest, after the two screws or in your case, the clips, is to just undo on bracket screw that holds the hose connection that goes into the back of the air box cover. Once that screw and bracket were undone, the cover would lift up enough from right side to center of engine bar to slip the air filter out and slip the new one in. Total of three screws and 5 minutes. good luck. steviej

I can think of lots of words: sweet!!! L-sportline, Daizen, TM Engineering, TRD, and the list continues. Chrome.....a must. needs spoilers.....rear and roof. now I want one. steviej

if you bought it from a Lexus dealership, then take it back to them and have them fix it (that is what your CPO warranty is for)? If you bought it from a non-Lexus dealership, you must have some sort of warranty, at least 60 or 90 days. steviej

UPDATE 7/8/2003 I recieved a call today from my service manager. He was informed that the part: #89666-33442 "Engine Computer" is infact being offered to owners of the Canadian version 2002-2003 ES as a no cost item under customer satisfaction guidelines. Lexus still stands by the fact that the tranny problem is not a defect. He also assured me that a fix or a similar ECU release in the US is very very close. The problem is in fact that the product mentioned above will not allow "at this time" the car to meet ULEV guidelines and emission requirements. I must say, I am impressed by the effort Lexus puts into customer satisfaction. Soooo, if you are not satisfied with your tranny's shift logic or hesitations, report it to your dealer and go on record as reporting it. Report it to Lexus.com and/or 1-800-25-LEXUS cutomer service. steviej

UPDATE 7/8/2003 I recieved a call today from my service manager. He was informed that the part: #89666-33442 "Engine Computer" is infact being offered to owners of the Canadian version 2002-2003 ES as a no cost item under customer satisfaction guidelines. Lexus still stands by the fact that the tranny problem is not a defect. He also assured me that a fix or a similar ECU release in the US is very very close. The problem is in fact that the product mentioned above will not allow "at this time" the car to meet ULEV guidelines and emission requirements. I must say, I am impressed by the effort Lexus puts into customer satisfaction. Soooo, if you are not satisfied with your tranny's shift logic or hesitations, report it to your dealer and go on record as reporting it. Report it to Lexus.com and/or 1-800-25-LEXUS cutomer service. steviej

if the bulb is a 1156, then go with the Philips SilverVision (via internet). The appear silver and blend in with the reflcetor and housing, but they flash amber/orange. I have an ES and the bulbs are 7440 wedges. Not available. steveij

definately the GS. There are more aftermarket modifications for the GS. Keep in mind, with either the LS or GS, you are going back to RWD. steveij

HIDs run about 35w. If you are looking for numbers, go back to the factory harness that you replaced with the harness for higher wattage. then look into PIAAs. For the money you paid for the bulb and harness you can get the PIAAs. They are rated at 55w but yield around 110w of brightness. The PIAA Xtreme Whites are rated at 4100k. Play it safe, stick with the factory wiring, if not you gots to adjust your fuses, harness, and piece of mind. sj.

sk, you posted this in a spark plug column. i think you meant to post his on the coolant thread. sj

my dad and my brother both have their licenses and they are egging me on to get mine. I'm just so busy (I know excuses excuses.) steviej

ok, I'll reply. 39 year old medical technologist in Boston. Specialties include Hematology (Leukemias, Lymphomas, etc) and Coagulation (blood clotting and bleeding disorders). I was also a bartender for 10 year in one of the top dance bars in Boston. I am an avid Red Sox fan, too. I had a 1986 Mazda 626GT Coupe right out of collage. Sold that when I moved into Boston, bought a used 93 Bonneville SSEi (supercharged) when I moved to suburbia, traded that in in Sept. for the 02 ES. Both very sweet cars, but I have never looked back. I've opted for comfort and quality for speed. A sure sign of age. However, I am toying with the idea of a motorcycle. Midlife.......maybe. So what. Just do it. steviej

before you go for service, try to pinpoint the hissing sound. feel along hoses and watch for abnormal air streams. You may save yourself a trip to the dealer and a diagnostic bill if it is just a hose that popped off. You found the hissing....look deeper. This is how we learn. steviej

use one of those adjustable filter wrenches that tightens as you move the handle. one thought is the "clench wrench" from sears. I sow a guy once, stab the filter with a long screwdriver (in one side and out the other), then used the screwdriver as a handle to turn the entire filter. I recomend this as the ultimately last step after you have taken it to the dealer to see if they can't get it off. Sounds like the previous owner got a little over zealous on the tightening. steviej

I promised a link: here it is. I think it will be the best $20 investment I've made so far for my lex. http://www.autosharppen.com steviej

Denso is to Toyota/Lexus what AC/Delco is to GM and AutoLite is to Ford. Denso is the OEM for Toyota/Lexus. I am suprised of the dual electrodes. I would think these are not factory originals but a "step up" on the Denso line of avaialble plugs. Maybe the T in your code is for twin. My ES calls for SK20R11 (no T) and the gap is 0.043. Again a comparison, AC/Delco makes a $1.95 plug, a $3.95 platinum plug and a $4.95 RapidFire platinum plug. I wouldn't be surprised if Denso does the same. the ultimate finding is that they are burning clean, toasty brown, not "wet". steviej

both red and green coolants are ethylene-glycol based coolants. the difference between the two are the additives and the protectants that are added to each type of formula. Read on: http://www.penray.com/bulletins/dexcool.htm Equilon (owned by Texaco® and Shell®) markets a European coolant technology (OAT) that consists of ethylene glycol inhibited with a combination of sebacic acid and 2-ethylhexanoic acid supplemented with tolyltriazole. It was originally called "Long Life", but a lawsuit brought by Warren Oil, who markets a fully formulated coolant under the brand name "LongLife®) forced the retraction of that term form the DEXCOOL, Texaco and Caterpillar® packaging. The combination of a mono and dibasic carboxylic acids permitted Texaco to obtain a patent on the specific combination. Other companies have obtained similar patents, by varying the mixture somewhat and by using similar, but not exactly the same, chemistry. General Motors® has been using this coolant technology in their cars and light trucks since the start-of-production of the 1996 model year vehicles (except Saturn®, which began in 1997). GMC® medium trucks equipped with Caterpillar engines, have been getting a nitrite-added form of DEXCOOL (NOAT) to insure protection against wet sleeve liner cavitation-erosion. Frequently Asked Questions: Can DEXCOOL organic acid antifreeze be mixed with ethylene glycol antifreeze? It is ethylene glycol based antifreeze! The concern with mixing comes from the fact that there are very different chemical inhibitor packages in use. Most leading technologies will work very well when used as intended, typically at 50% in good quality water. If the coolants become mixed with DEXCOOL, however, one study showed a possible aluminum corrosion problem in certain situations. The other question is a concern for dilution of the protection packages. At what mix is the there too little of either inhibitor to protect the engine? As a precaution, both GM and Caterpillar instruct that contaminated systems must be maintained as if they contained only conventional coolant. I hope this helps. steviej

oh look, another Steve. This should be renamed Steve's Lexus site. I think zteevo, you make number 7 just in the ES forum. Welcome!!!!! Were the plugs ever changed at 60k. Sounds like maybe old plugs. Easily replaced even DIY if you got the right extensions and angles for your socket wrench. FI cleaning is always a good think, use Chevron w/Techron or have it professionally done. Also, the PCV valve may be old and cranked and clogged. Again, easy DIY. Only a $6.00 part. Have the fuel system pressure tested if you think it is a fuel delivery problems (tired fuel pump, clogged rails, etc). A little "ppppssssttt" from the gas tank is expected. steviej

send a PM to JPI, he is a Lexus Tech and can look it up for you. It could very well be the charcol canister, or the EGR valve. This was a code a friend of mine got twice. Once cleared by the gas cap thing, but six months later it was the canister. He split the cost with Lexus dealer that did the service cause it was one month out of the 4/50k warranty and it doesn't fall under the 7/70 powertrain warranty. steviej

try the simple stuff first, Shut the car off, take your gas cap off and retighten it, restart the car. Don't force fill the tank after the pump automatically shuts off, if you don't do this, then overfilled gas tanks aren't triggering the code. steviej

look on the plate on the driver's door jam. should be a three letter/number. I have millenium silver, the code is 1C0. If you register the car on www.lexus.com, you can get the orginal specs, too. I would do that anyway. There is a new product that is totally awesome. It can be ordered in most domestic and import car colors. It works like a sharpie permanent marker. try a search on AutoSharpe (Ask Jeeves, Google, etc) works much better than the bottle and brush. I will post the link when I get home from work. steveij

the refectors on the highs are slightly different so the beam is more focused, thus making the concentration of light seem brighter. Kinda like turning the bulb housing on a MagLite. maybe. :whistles: sj

IT'S CRAP. If it were that good, they wouldn't need an informercial to sell it. Don't waste your money. Regular maint. of oil (synthetic) and filter(s) will achieve the same. sj