steviej

my Lexus dealership sent me a promotional postcard that said if I came in to test drive the 05 ES I would get a copy at no charge (Lexus stock price printed on the box was $80 USD). I went in, got the book, but never test drove the 05. I am halfway done reading it. Awesome quality, excellent pictures and a very interesting read it is. Very nice additon to the coffee table collection. Watch ebay as they will most likely start to pop up there for short money. steviej

PepBoys work history is more than adequate. Now talk it out with Lexus. Find out if the tow is part of the warranty work if your car falls under the sludge replacement policy. If not, do you know anyone with AAA? Have them get the car towed under their name. steviej

mxl4729, Since the Tri-Syn formula is no longer carried by Mobil1, do your sprint racing contacts or yourself have any insight to or knowledge of the performance of Mobil1 with "SuperSyn" in the same situations? SuperSyn is their currently marketed formulation. (I know not how it differs if it is different from TriSyn at all.) steviej

get a little squirt bottle of water. Have someone rev the car while in park. Dribble the belt, one at a time, with a little water while it is squeking. If the squeak goes away, then you need to replace that belt. steviej

yep and yep. Maybe we can get a LOC/CL meet going during my little stint up there. steviej

Good stuff. I too use Mobil1 5W-30 and a K&N Gold filter every 5000 miles. (Lexusfreak is always copying me :P ) IS FanaTic, please don't reopen the relentless discussion of what type of oil is better. This topic has been agrued, debated and laid to rest for now. If it starts again, I will close down the thread. If you are interested in that topic just SEARCH on synthetic or conventional oil. steviej

have Lexus tow the car for you or reimburse you for the tow. Either way, get the car to Lexus if that's what it takes to get a new engine!!!!!! steviej

ok, I won't tell you. You will just have to look under my hood in May. :whistles: steviej (The 02-05 ES oil filters are in the same place )

Hey Steve, now that the Lexus service guys are gearing up for the RX400h, will Lexus service your Prius? steviej

The house behind the ES......to die for. I love that styling. Is it yours? steviej

Why delay the fun. You need not wait for warranty to be up, just save all reciepts and record of when you do it. Save yourself the money spent for labor. steviej

hern, it would be a tremendous help if you clued us in on what year ES you have, either in your demographics or in a signature. I say this because the instructions for the different generation ES's are different. You may also be searching on the wrong wording. The light in the window is not a taillight. It is the high mount brake light. Try searching on that and not taillight. steviej

We are not stuck, that is what this forum is all about. People helping people. Use the search function (open the search to over a year) and search on "HomeLink". There have been several threads that outlined a procedure. You can also go to HomeLink's website and obtain/print detailed instructions from there specific for your type of garage opener (standard, rolling code, etc). go to the Inside/Outside Detailing Forum on this site and download the nicely construction, very informative FREE e-book about complete detailing of your Lexus. You could also search on Chrome, again open the search up to over a year. steviej

take it back to the mechanic that did the timing belt and explain what has happened since he did the work. I'm guessing that a vaccum line is loose, cracked or disconnected possible due to the major engine work recently done. The valve cover replacement is new information and I am guessing the smell is traceable back to this. steviej

do a search on "instrument cluster" and open the search up to a year. this has been written up in the past. also check the Tutorial forum for a DIY thread and read the ES FAQ as to where to get them repaired. steviej

wear long sleeves and mechanic's gloves. steviej

Jiffy Lube around here only has cheapo Penzoil filters and oil in bulk drums. I'm sure if you find an independent that has quality filters and oil, that is totally acceptable. steviej

It is the third of the three pinned threads under the Important Topics section of the ES forum. That section is above the Forum Topic section. Look for the one with the :P smiley face and the title "Pinned: Faq Lexus Es" steviej

they might have dripped some sealent on the exhaust and it is burning off. There may be oil also that has dripped and burning off. Watch and see if it goes away. Call the place that did the work and document that you called. Should there be any problem like poor workmanship, you have proof that you alerted them to the presence of the smell. As for the cat problem. Raise and support the car safely. Rap on the exhaust, cat and heat shields with a large rubber mallet. See if you can't duplicate and pinpoint the sound. If may be just a heat shield that has come loose, hopefully. Use a rubber mallet as opposed to a hammer or butt end of a large wrench so as to not cause further metallic sounds. steviej

(I hope this isn't misleading like the last time this question was asked.) Drive with TRAC enabled all the time---that means the TRAC light will be off. Only disable it if you are stuck in snow or mud. It will not effect your fuel economy as it is not an AWD system that requires more power. It's all covered in the manual when you get one. :whistles: The best thing to do is to call around several places and see what shops are getting in you area. Lexus will be close to $50. Schedule it on a Sat. morning and you can gorge at the buffet most Lexus dealers set up. Toyota will be closer to $30. It is about $20 if you do it yourself. They will all use an SAE grade oil that is recommended for your car. Pretty standard it will most likely we 5W-30. The filter is key, Lexus and Toyota will use stock--good stuff. Independents may use whatever they buy in bulk (FRAM, Penzoil, etc). I would stay away from the JiffyLube operations unless you know someone on the inside, but even then I tend not to go there. steviej

you will learn that you have to read WHOLE thread, not just the posts that highlight the word that you searched on. Keep in mind that each sensor can have multiple codes associated with it. yes it is easy to change. Make sure the exhaust has cooled off. Hit the base of the sensor where it threads in with some WD40 or some liquid wrench and leave it for a few minutes. Hit is again with a second application. While you are waiting, you can follow the wire back to the coupling and disconnect the wire carefully. It is a common clip lock type electrically connector. Use the new one to get an idea of what you are in for. You have to reach up by the exhaust pipe. You will need an O2 socket to get the old one off and the new one on. This type of socket is about $15 at Autozone, they may even rent them. It has a slit in it so that the wire won't get smushed or crimped. When the new one is connected and secure, once you start the engine and the new signal is transmitted, the CEL should go out on its own. steviej

since you don't mention the year of your ES in your demographics or in a signature I will assume that your ES has the more common engine (1MZFE). read this and this doesn't seem to be any conflict there. Bank 1 Sensor 2 is underneath the car in the curved pipe. You can get it for less than a benji on the web. Look at the pictures that I posted in both threads. steviej

I think we are all just getting back from vacation and travels. The only thought that I have concerning the smell is a concurrent valve cover gasket leak (common problem with older ES's.) Shirley, was the smell there before the timing belt was done? If so, you may have a very small leak around one of the valve covers. If the smell came with the return of the car after the timing belt, then maybe a seal that is involved with the timing belt may be suspect. As for the hesitation in the tranny, when was the last time that the tranny fluid was flushed? If this problem manifested itself with the advent of the timing belt repair then maybe a vacumm hose or sensor is disconnected and needs to be hooked up. It is easy to bump a hose or a wire out of place. In any event, I would take it back to the mechanic that did the timing belt and see what he says. He shouldn't charge you if all these go back to the timing belts repair. If they are not agreeable then take it to another shop for a second opininon. steviej

:chairshot:

AWESOME!!!!! The tire pressure should be on the door jam sticker. It is most definately in the owners manual. If you don't have an owners manual, contact 1-800-25-LEXUS and request one. You can also go to www.lexus.com and register under OWNERS. Then you can request an owners manual and a supplemental owners manual for free. Personally I run my tires 1/9th below max for the tire. My 16s max at 36lbs so I run them at 32lbs. My 18s max at 45lbs so I run them at 40lbs. Don't ask me how I figured that formula, but it provides the best ride for me. That is why they are called seat warmers and not bun burners. My ES does the same. Do you want to be warm or uncomfortable? The hotter heater may burn out quicker, too. There are some really good aftermarket upgrades and mods for the IS. L-Sportline, TRD, L-tunedparts to name a few. Personally I take my car to the dealer for anything I can't do myself and any warranty issues. Most of the 15k services can be done in your driveway if you are handy with a wrench. If not a good independent that is savy in Lexus is a perfectly acceptable alternative. You may find a Toyota dealership in your area that will handle Lexus too as a slightly cheaper rate. but when it come down to being pampered, there is nothing like the Lexus dealership itself. Not a problem......Welcome to the club!!! steviej