steviej

bring it back to them and have the shop do it or have them replace the rim and tire. sj

needles were never recalled that I know of. There are too many threads here and on CL about them going out and about replacing them yourself. Try a SEARCH. steviej

around here, it is a freebee from AutoZone. And yes they are OBDII compliant. Your dad's diagnosis could be right on given the signs and symptoms you just posted. Get it read. If it is the charcol canister.....your looking at about 4-5 bills including labor. sj

Actually bummpr, I continue to press the issue. You failed to dig deep enough in the threads of this forum. Check out the link below. This thread is actually on page 3 of the active threads listed in the ES forum. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...7&t=1276&st=15& I say it to you too, keep on your dealer. ClubLexus.com has actually made this issue a sticky. They are aware of what is posted overther. I call my service manager each week to see if there is anything new. 1. this lets him know, I am not forgetting and 2. it nags him to do something. This weekend, I actually went by the dealership and put the service manager on the spot in front of other ES owners. I call the hotline every other week to let them know I am still on them. steviej

If it is not blown, then the contacts are dirty and need cleaning. This happens alot to the wedge type bulb. Sometimes they just need to be pulled out, sanded very little and reseated. steviej

thanks Mr. Sypher. It was an extreme pleasure meeting you last weekend. Thanks for checking for me. I got a speed shop checking here too. There was one (called a Back Visor) on yahoo, but is looks more like what you would see on an RX or SUV. Too much over hang for the angle of the ES rear window. I'll keep looking. thanks again. steviej

my guess is that the car is almost 10 years old and has 150k miles, then the dealer may laugh at any recall. They will say the grace period is over. However, got to www.alldata.com and get a list of TSBs that have been generated. Things to look for in this year ES, valve cover leakage, AC expansion valve problems, engine seal leakages, dashboard needles that burn out. Do you have the maint. records for the car. If everything was done in the proper times (ie, oil changes and filters, tranny fluid, timing belt at 90k, etc.) then she has plenty of life left in her and should provide you with a very enjoyable ride. Welcome to the club. Tis a really cool place. steviej

I agree, get the code read. my guess it will be an O2 sensor. If Autozone reads it and it is the O2 sensor, don't buy it from them. There are multiple O2 sensors on the ES and I have read that sometimes the Bosch (Autozone distributed) son't always have the right connector or the wire is not long enough. Then take it to Toyota. Usually cheaper than Lex for something like this. steviej BUT, at any rate, get the code read.

turns out, Lexus actually has a custom seat cover for the back for those owners who have pets (big ones). I will post the website and the part number should you like.....I warn you though, the price will blow you away. Let's just say, the couch in my house cost just a little more. steviej

maybe I will just have it professionally done. Turns out a friend of mine's brother does this. sj I'll check out the tirerack stuff though.

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! No, never mix the two. The red stuff, Toyota Long Life can be bought at any Toyota or Lexus Dealership. You can get it or an equivalent at AutoZone, Wal-Mart, etc under the Dexcool. READ THE LABEL and if you are not using Toyota brand, make sure the label says Toyota compliant (or something like that). The only way you could put the green stuff in there, is if you completely absolutely totally flushed out the red stuff. How low is it??? If need be, you might add water until you can get it flushed, inspected and refilled. I suggest if it is really low, have the system checked, flushed (if you add the water), and refilled to find where the source of you leak is. steviej

no prob dude. sj

that seems very cheap for HIDs, don't confuse Halogen or Xenon with true HID. I have copied a post from another board to help in the confusion. The author is rominl, and he is the moderator of the lighting forum on that board. confused between hid and halogen bulb type? here's the answer well seems like some of you are confused about the different bulb types, etc... so i will try to give some info here and see how it can help first of all, when it comes to hid, yes there are a bit more components like the ballasts, relay, couple more wires, etc... but if you just look at the bulb, they are just bulbs, so it's not hard to talk about the type (set aside other components) now when cars come with hid stock, it can only be two cases, either d2r or d2s. this is the bulb type, and they have their own distinct shape (base). d2r is for reflective housing (acura, lexus GS, LS, etc...), has the metal piece on it. d2s id for projective housing (bimmer, audi, lexus SC430, etc...), doesn't have the metal piece on the bulb. these are the ONLY two hid bulb that comes out from factory and will fit on any cars with stock hid. so if you get a car that comes with HID, it will ONLY be one of these two. how most other cars that comes without hid, say gs300, lx470, etc... they have halogen. there are couple of bulb type for halogen, 9006 (GS low beam), 9005 (GS high beam), H1 (old gen bmw low beam), H7, etc.... a lot of them. no halogen headlight will use d2r or d2s bulb, coz'.... there is just no halogen bulb of that size. so now say you want to put hid kit on your gs without hid. the low beam on your GS is 9006, so you would want to get a hid kit that comes with bulbs that have 9006 base so it will fit in the housing. however, like i said before, all hid bulbs, when out of factory, are either d2r or d2s. so what to do? that's where companies like autolamps-online.com "re-base" the bulbs. they use either d2r or d2s bulbs, take off the original base, and put in the 9006 base, seal it, sell it to you, so you can just put in the bulb in your gs300. now whether they use d2r or d2s is their own choice, but there is little reason why they would use d2r coz' there is the metal piece which will reduce the light output. almost all the hid kit i see out there, companies use d2s bulbs, rebase them to whatever bulb type of your headlight (9006, 9005, etc...) so what that means is, if you get a 9006 hid kit that uses d2s bulbs (like the one you get from autolamp or jason aka discountcycle), it will fit in your gs300 non hid housing no problem. no silicone, no rubber ring, no nothing. just put the bulb in, twist it, and it will be locked it tight just like your stock 9006 halogen bulbs. however, sometimes people they go to junk yark or whatever, and they ripped off a STOCK hid setup from another car. for example you go there, found a crashed gs430 (hid is standard), you rip off the bulbs, ballasts, relays, etc... now you have a hid too. however, that bulb you get, it's d2r, it has DIFFERNCT base as your 9006 halogen setup. now if you want to put THAT kit in your car, you will need to somehow seal it in. the bulb will NOT be fit tight in the housing at all. you can use silicone, however it will be hard to change bulb later, etc.... steviej Suggstion, This forum needs a similar lighting forum.

I've got to paint the hubs (definate) and calipers (good possibility) next. The new wheels show to much rust on the hubs and the calipers would look nice the same color. I was thinking of going with VHT paint (900° paint). The color would be silver to match the car or black to match the tires. Haven't decided yet. Has anyone done this, and if so, got any tips? steviej

how far of a drive from Boston is it? I might consider it as a vacation and see the sights on the way up. steviej

I've only heard that they are crap, just regular halogen bulbs with a cheap coating. Don't get fooled by the name. All halogens have Xenon in them. Xenon is the inert gas used to keep the particle decay of the halogen element down to a minimum. In HID bulbs, Xenon is actually excited to produce the characteristic light. Go with a known name. Sylvania Silverstars are bright, reputable, last a long time and won't set you back too much. Usually you can catch them on sale at Autozone, Wal Mart, PepBoys etc. ~$15-25 each for a 9005 or 9006. PIAA, in my opinion, are the best for lighting. However, they will run you about $70.00/pair. I have them in my highs, the road signs actually reflect so bright you almost can't read them from a distance. There are other brands that I have heard good things about like, Polarg and Razo. But, I have no experiecne with them. good luck. steviej

cas, your two problems are most likely related. There is a switch up under the dash that is connected to the brake pedal. When you step on the brake, this switch is activated, which then sends the signal to the shift lever lock. It unlocks and you are able to shift. You mention that you have to press the red button on the shifter....that is the manual override. The brake lights are also tied into switch/pedal in some way. My guess is that the switch is bad or shorting out. It overloads the brake lights and they blow and it is not activating the shift lever lock mechanism. These switches are electonic devises that do go bad sometimes. 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". Take it to the dealer and have them check out this switch. steviej

if it is not a fuse, check the deck itself for a circuit breaker type switch or a reset switch. I don't have this type of changer, so I can't go look. steviej

have the battery load tested, usually free from Sears and Autozone. It may be the battery is not holding full charge to begin with. have the output from the alternator checked, it may be the battery is not being charged to potential. May be the voltage regulator (usually inside modern alternators) is faulty. If replacement of alternator or battery is not the solution then read on. This appeared in my Thurday "Ask the Doctor" auto column in the local paper. It is written by a very knowledgable local mechanic with a nationally aired radio show on Saturdays. Q: After only 18 months of ownership, I had to have the battery replaced on my 2001 Buick Park Avenue, and shortly thereafter, the alternator. The car has only 14,000 miles on it. I called GM and was told that I do not drive the car enough. Some things in the anwer may apply to you, I copied only the ones that applied to the battery stuff. A: Because today's vehicles have a lot of electronics, the battery can drain down to a very low state if the vehicle is left sitting for several weeks or longer. Also, driving short trips will cause short battery life. I suggest using an automatic trickle battery charger. Check with you local Interstate bettery dealer for the small automatic trickle charger. The cost is less than $50. steviej.

i like the car within a car. Now that is a windom I can relate to. sj

see if your insurance company will cover the cost of the windshield. tell them a rock hit it. DON'T tell them you were messin with a putty knife and a mallet. When you have the new one put on, see if the installer will reattach the mount. steviej

whenever you get a check engine light, have the code(s) read. I have said this before, it may be as simple as a loose gas cap and as expensive as an EGR valve replacement. You never know until you find out what code it is. Then consult someone that knows the codes. Often times codes pop up due to the effect on a sensor by simple things and not the sensor itself. For example, force filling you gas tank can set off the vapor sensor in the charcol canister. Simple things to do: unscrew your gas cap and put it back on again. Make sure it screws in until you hear the clicking. when you fill up at the pump, don't put more fuel in after the gas pump's automatic shut off has stopped fuel delivery. These two items commonly cause "check engine" lights don't always go by what the previous owner said. They may not really know either. steviej

check ALL your fuses carefully. sj

there should be a manual override button or a hole that has a hidden release switch. The deck may have to come out to find it. May be in the back or on the side. No manual for the deck I presume. Do you play home burned CD's with stick on type labels. These are killers for auto CD changers. The labels cause them to bind in the limited space in the cartridge. steviej

recently at a CL meet, I saw 3 GS's with an L-Sportline type roof spoiler. I think this would accentuate the look of my spoiler. However, I have searched CL, here and somewhat on the web. I found one on that Yahoo shopping site called a "Back Visor" but the picture makes it look like an late 80's Celica Supra rear visor or louvre.....too big IMO. Unfortunately, L-Sportline doesn't make one for the ES that I can find. Anyone with any leads as to where to find? I am not worried about factory paint, I can have it done here. I have emailed spoilerdepot.com and spoiler4less.com. No replys as of yet. Thanks for your help. steviej