cduluk

try doing a search, this is a common problem and there's a lot of talk about it.

wrap around polished stainless steel?

What are you driving now? Your profile states "io" under model, so... could you mean IS?

YES! That's the one i couldn't remember. Parts.com is cheaper than the other two i posted.

http://www.lexuspartsonline.com/ http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?siteid=214915

I think you should get one then <_< You only live once, right? I like the blue on the one you pictured, reminds me of the indigo ink pearl of my old Rx300. But definitely stay away from any vehicle with accident history unless you can confirm it was only minor damage. From looking at the pics of the one you posted, it appears that it was repaired correctly as all the gaps (hood, door, etc) look OK. But it's probably best to keep looking.

...what function delayed? Headlights? Interior dome lights? etc...

What color is your leather? I know the gray and tan are very sensitive and i've seen quite a few RX seats with blue stains most likely from jeans and what not. From what i've read, these stains do not come out. Try using the cleaner and conditioner on those areas with a cotton rag, and see if the stains come out. If they don't, your best bet is to have those areas re-finished. Your lexus dealer will have a company they call for things like this. They basically just re-dye those areas to blend in.

The X3 is a decent looking SUV. It's definitely more sporty than the RX...

Hands down the best and safest leather cleaner and conditioner are from Leatherique. Start with the "leather rejuvenator" then finish with the "prestine clean".

That i don't know If you can find an electrical diagram for the ES that might help you find it. Not sure where that might be located either, sorry :(

Yeah, and all the "professionals" thought the Rx300 would be bulletproof too. Now they're ridden with transmission issues.

Yeah, Toyota's and Lexus' hold their value very well. You really can't go wrong!

No proof of my statements?? Where's yours?? My negative opinions of Ford come from the past 20+ years of lacking reliability and poor quality of materials. I know people who have Fords and i know what pieces of junk they are/have been in comparison with Toyota or Honda. People are saying the Fords being produced today are reliable, which i find interesting since reliability is measured with TIME. Unless someone has gone into the future i don't understand how anyone would know how reliable these new Fords are. Take a 10yr old Toyota Camry and 10 year old Ford Taurus and compare the reliability and present state. My cousin has a 2000 Ford Explorer, garage kept, all services done. It's covered in rust, the thing rides like a tank (not in a good way), the interior is falling apart. It's a piece of crap. Look at any 5+ year old Ford on the road and you can clearly see they're crap. I've sat and driven in newer Fords, and i'm sorry but there's nothing that tells me they're going to be more reliable than their previous ancestors. They might have nice technology and "look" nice, but underneath for all we know it's the same unreliable frame as the older models. There's NOTHING in the newer models that would imply greater reliability. The base 2010 Taurus is $20k. Put in a larger engine and a few other pieces of technology, and it's $40k. Now tell me how this $40k Taurus will be more reliable than the $20k Taurus... $20k is all your getting towards reliability, no matter what Taurus you get. The extra $20k goes towards the overpriced American gadgets. I'm not a Ford "hater", it just amazes me when i hear people talking about how much more reliable the new Fords are with no data to back it up. Like i've said before, in 10 years if the Fords produced today end up being as reliable as the comparable Toyota or Honda... then i will change my mind. But until then, all i have is their history.

Hey guys, I've been trying to find a high quality, reliable windshield wiper brand for my Rx400h, and i need some input. I've tried a few but i don't want to spend more money trying out every brand out there. The wipers that were on the car when i got it last year were AWESOME. I have no idea which brand they were, so it doesn't help much. And the car was used, so they might not have been OEM. The first pair i replaced them with last fall were the Trico Winter Wiper blades: They were nice in the winter for clearing snow off the windshield, and they were completely silent and didn't often streak, but they are SO ugly... They were however very reliable: despite constant use of the alcohol windshield wiper washing fluid, they didn't dry out or anything. In April i tried a different brand, RainX: I bought these because they're slimmer than the Trico ones, much more appealing. They were also the most expensive wipers on the shelf at Autozone (i figured the extra price would have to be justified)- but NOPE. They're terrible! They streak, and squeak after EVERY rotation. I gave them a few weeks (thinking they'd get better with age) but no such luck. So i dug the Trico wipers out of the garbage and have them installed once again. Does anyone know of another high quality wiper brand i could try? I might try the OEM blades, but i bet the dealer charges a fortune... And my windshield is OEM so that's not the problem. Thanks!

They make "dummy" antennas that are the same shape as the factory ones, here's one on ebay for $39.99 with one day left in the auction. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Lexus-LS-GS-ES-Shark-Fin-Antenna-Platinum-silver-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem335dca935fQQitemZ220616889183QQptZLHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f100 It's identical to the GS antenna. You can also have it painted to match yours, just stop by an auto body shop and ask if they can paint it (give them your cars paint code). They shouldn't charge you more than $25 or so and it should take a few hours... The seller also sells the same thing in black or white, you may want to ask if they have your color.

Yeah i was going to say, their insurance can't make any decisions, yours will. You can pick your own repair shop and your insurance company will go after the other persons company for reimbursement.

I don't see why not. You might need a few modifications at the engine (hooking it up to the exhaust), but it should work.

I just saw a green ES350 last night... it caught my eye for sure, i thought it might be a custom paint job as i've never seen a green Lexus before.

Could be a fuse. Try looking in the manual for the correct fuse and give it a check. Does your ES have the standard halogen lows or are they HID? If HID, the problem could be with the bulb ballasts (igniters) or the bulbs themselves. But i find it extremely odd that both ballasts or both bulbs would go out at the same time. Did they go out at the same time? Or gradually? My guess is the fuse has blow. Rare, but my best guess.

Does the ABS system control the traction control too? I wonder if this would work to prevent loss of power to the wheels in the snow? Do you happen to know where your mechanic accessed the circuit? Was it at the fuse box? Does this cut power to the entire ABS system or just open the circuits for the input sensors? I have to believe that cutting power to the entire ABS system would just turn the system OFF, whereas opening the circuits of the input sensors would be more beneficial, in a sense tricking the ABS system into thinking there's nothing triggering the sensors that there's rough terrain.

I think I would buy a $40K Taurus SHO over a $40K Lexus ES350 any day of the week. The Taurus might be equipped pretty well but it's still a "Ford". For $40k they should have just called it a Lincoln.

NC, have you considered the Toyota Highlander? I believe they come with the optional 3rd row (although i doubt it's very roomy). How often do you need a 7th passenger? You could probably get a newer Highlander for the same price as an older Lexus. I think the Sequoia is a bit too big

It's extremely rare for the battery to be 100% full. On my Rx400h it usually stays at least 2 bars below max. It's completely normal <_<

It's fairly easy once you've done it once. Just make sure to keep track of the bolts and screws as you take them out and make a note as to where they go. I remember a lot of different types and length bolts and screws were used... I think you may need an alan wrench and 10mm socket wrench to remove the bolts holding in the wheel liner. When i had my Rx300 i must have taken the headlights out... at least 50 times while working on my several projector retrofits. Also be careful of the "clip" that holds the headlight down. It's at the bottom of the headlight, a little black 2"x2" plastic thing. After you remove the two bolts on the back "side" of the headlight (gain access from the wheel liner area) and bolt holding the tab at the top, and after removal of the mini grille, you'll need to pull the headlight UP releasing this clip. Sometimes the clip decides to come loose and fall into the annex of the engine compartment... If you do it slow however it should either stick to the cars frame or the headlight itself. It's been over a year since i've done it on an Rx300, but that's all i remember. <_<