steviej

sorry to jump into this forum. I have an '02 ES and am very interested in putting on a roof spoiler similar to the L-sportline one for the GS. however, they don't make one. If anyone has a roof spoiler, could you measure the outside width. Ia curious to see if the GS will fit on my ES window. Thanks. steveij

sorry to jump in sk, but something similar happened to me recently. try a "cleaner wax" first. use a very soft cloth and put a dab of wax on the dull spot. make very smal circles starting in the center and work out. I prefer the liquid cleaner waxes over the paste kind. Gives you a little moisture to work with. if that doesn't do it, then kick it up a notch. try a very fine cut polishing compound, with a very soft cloth. same motion as the wax. Again, i prefer liquid pc's rather than pastes. If this does it, then go back with he cleaner wax to smooth it out even further. Go light, go slow and make small cirlces (dime size). If it works and you have waxed the spot you need to adhere the emblem to, a little rubbing alcohol will cut the wax. good luck. steveij

The DRIVING section is in my Thursday paper, and that column is all I read, too. So far the unscented lysol spray is working ok. I took my filter out to vacuum is out...very dusty...I gave it a spray too. steviej

irony in the newspaper. I think sk either reads my paper or he has the same column in his paper. The "Ask the Doctor" column in my local paper written by a syndicated local auto mechanic that has a nationally broadcasted call radio show on Saturdays had this question and answer today. Q: We own a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. the air conditioner has this horrible odor. We are concerned because we are moving from NY to Florida. How do I get rid of this smell? A: I think the odor you refer to is from mold buildup. Mauke sure the heater box drain is not plugged up with debris. Next, buy a can of aerosol spray disinfectant. With the AC on and its blower speed on high, spray the disinfectant into the heater and air-conditioning inlet at the bottom of the winshield for 45 seconds at a time. Next, switch to the heat position and repeat the process. Do this every day for a week. This should kill off the mold. I am going to try this starting tomorrow, since I now have the smell only for a few miniutes when the AC is first turned on. From what I read, it is not specific to Lexus, nor is it specific to new cars. I will post results. Word of note, when I was buying the spray disinfectant, READ the cans, some don't say on the label that they kill mold. Get one that does.....Lysol. steviej

you forgot the "all of the above" box. I vote for that one. steviej

very good observation, sk. steviej

bbsal, I get the full shine from my detailer every 4 months. I don't have the time to do a three step wax and seal job. He does the engine bay and the interior cabin so that it sparkles, too. Until it goes to the detailer, it's meguires cleaner wax and megiuries mist and shine when I am just washing the light dirt off. steviej

common problem with the AC system in 1st generation ES's. steviej

a hair dryer, dental floss and the search function......its been covered before. steviej

I kinda feeling the silver. what you think?

when you fill up at the pump, do you force fill after the pump shuts off? If so stop doing that. I have read several post where people stopped doing that and the code associated with the Vapor and charcol canisters went away. If not, then call your lexus dealer. They should be able to tell you what the code means and what the fix is over the phone. steviej

Mequires all the way baby!!!!! :chairshot: Their cleaner caruba wax (liquid version) is the absolute best. Easy on, easier off. Being a "cleaner" it actually takes off those little imperfections that the car soap and regular wax just doesn't seem to take off. Car soap: The only product from Amor All that I use. Take off the water with a chamois.

It must be one of the lights that only comes on with the tail and parking lights. Did you look at you license plate lights, there are two in the back, maybe one is out. Also look at all of the side marker lights. steviej

2002 ES has a 18.5g tank (sorry, 70 L). I don't know if that changed from previous. I have 2-3 gallons left when my light comes on. But I never let the light come on. I always fill up when I get to 1/4 tank. steviej

in the 2002 owner's manual, it is listed in the index under "air conditioner filter" page 167. Page 167 is in the air conditioning section, Section (e) Checking and replacing the air conditioning filter On another site, I just read the filter on older ES's is above the gas pedal. It is not behind the carpet, but up under the dash around where the steering wheel column goes in, above the gas pedal, get on your knees and put your head up under the dash. There should be a white/beige plastic pull out filter holder. It is a littler larger than a video cassette. Try looking there. steviej

dude, more info is needed. What car, what year, what engine? ya gots to give up some specifics. thanks, sj

Is this not covered in the owners manual? It is covered in mine. If you say, you don't have one, then I will tell you there is no excuse not to have one. They can be had on Ebay WITH the leather pouch for easy money, or the manual only can be had from the dealer for $20.00. sj

look in your yellow pages for electroplating. They might be able to create them for you. You would have to supply the 20 lugs to be electroplated. If electroplating is not an option, consult a powder coating business. You might be able to powdercoat in your own oven. steviej

ProZac, that is the spoiler that you can get on the Camry through Toyota. Not original. I like the style of mine better, it is smoother and flows with the lines of the 02/03 ES better. just my $0.02. steviej

remove each bulb and thoroughly clean the contacts. The slightest decrease or increase in resistance can set the indicator light off. The housings are plastic and will contract and expand a little with heat (it is summer). You may find that a buld has good contact then the housing expands with heat (sun, motor, exhaust, whatever) and the contact is poor. Thus the indicator light. Clean the buld contacts and the housing contacts. WD40 sometiems helps to remove corrosion. Check all bulbs, even the high mount. Sometimes just removing and reinstalling the bulb is all that is needed. steviej.

I had a 93 Bonneville SSEi, switched to synthetic at 85k and used it till I traded the car at 155k. Never a leak, but then again, never any sludging. If it starts to leak, then switch back. If the oil was changed religiously previous to you owning it, then you shouldn't have any problems. Make sure the formula that you choose says "for higher mileage engines" steviej

JoeG, the jerky ness at 40 mph is a simple solution. The tranny wants to go into overdrive, the speed tells it to go to 4th, it can't make up its minds. Solution: move the shift lever to the left into "4" instead of D and cancel out the ability to go into 5th (overdrive). This is actually mentioned in the manual and is not specific to the Lexus ES tranny. When you go past 45 then move it back to D. If you are accelerating up through 40 mph, don't move the shift. You only have to do this when the jerking starts to happen....and that is only when you go steady 40 mph. The hesitation in full throttle acceleration from slow speed (20mph to 60 mph) is a "customer disatisfaction issue". Report it to your dealership, and to 1-800-25-LEXUS. Ast for Customer Satisfaction and then ask to speak with Laura or Elton. Ask that you be faxed the letter that is going out to 2002/2003 ES owners and that you want it on record that you are not satisfied with the performance. Temporary soluiton: don't stomp it to accelerate....play the pedal. Acceleration is actually better this way. Lexus is working on a fix. I saw a post from Edmunds.com that states a Canadian owner around Toronto had the Engine chip replaced with a new one, new part number by the dealer. Key is it was in Canada. The exact chip is available in the states but the US people are still saying they don't know about it. My service manager has been talking to the regional rep and as it stands now, I am still waiting further updates as to the progess. They are aware of the Edmunds post, too. I don't usually refer people to another Lexus site, but this topic is also covered in CluLexus.com. I posted the exact letter form Lexus, just too tired to retype it here. The Edmonds post is quoted there too. The only thing I can say is to go on record with Lexus Customer Service and your dealership as to the fact that you "are not satisfied". We need to make them move faster. They have stated that the "fix" will be offered to dissatisfied 02/03 owners at no cost. All the fixes that they have tried, supposedly do not allow the vehicle to adhere to ULEV requirements, that is the hold up. steviej

high pressured air into each cylinder (spark plug removed) will quickly tell if there is a cylinder head gasket leak. You have to have the radiator cap off too. This is best done by the professional. If there is a leak in either of the gaskets, the coolant will bubble up out of the radiator or overflow tank when air is forced in the cylinder. Look for coolant trails around the entire gasket area. If it leaks, its got to be resealed. Leaks just get bigger. steviej

in accordance with sk, I cannot speak to what my driving would yield if me and my car were in the land of the rising sun. I have yielded 23-24mpg city and 30 highway with a totally stock setup except: K&N drop in filter synthetic 5W-30 oil changed every 4-5k miles. I only run premium fuel (93 octane, US rated) before the filter, I was running 20-21 mpg city. Drop in filter results may vary amongst users and engines. steviej

first thought is just that, a rock, pebble or nail stuck in the tread. does it make the sound when cornering, going straight or both? If you find no foreign object stuck in the tire, then put the front tire on the back and the back tire on the front. If the noise goes to the back, it is in the tire. If it stays up front, you are looking at maybe a CV joint starting to go, or a wheel bearing. post what you find. steviej