TroyLexus

You will have to find a custom shop for that special treatment, What size tires/wheels/drop are you wanting to install ? I have a 2004 ES330, and installed the 18" Lexus RX330 wheels on there. I used what was supposed to be the proper tire size, but if I have grocery's in the trunk, or people in the back, it will rub only in the rear around corners or larger bumps ... I used 245-45 R18 for my tires. now I wish I would have went with a size smaller ... I'd hate to just throw away perfectly good tires only to buy new ones just cause of a little rub ... I've been calling custom shops all over town and haven't had any luck yet.. . Not to be negative, Did you research the wheel/tire size before you purchased ? To roll the fenders in non-reversable and will compromise the resale of the car. Just trying to help ;) B) Yes, I was informed by tirerack, and discounttire.com that a 18X8 wheel with 245-45-18 will fit. I actually spent a few weeks reading everything I could find about offset and everything else, it seemed like everything was a go. live and learn I guess.

You will have to find a custom shop for that special treatment, What size tires/wheels/drop are you wanting to install ? I have a 2004 ES330, and installed the 18" Lexus RX330 wheels on there. I used what was supposed to be the proper tire size, but if I have grocery's in the trunk, or people in the back, it will rub only in the rear around corners or larger bumps ... I used 245-45 R18 for my tires. now I wish I would have went with a size smaller ... I'd hate to just throw away perfectly good tires only to buy new ones just cause of a little rub ... I've been calling custom shops all over town and haven't had any luck yet.. .

Hey, I'm looking for a shop that can roll my fenders a little bit, and I'm having trouble finding a shop, I've called around a few body shops with no luck.. I live in st paul MN .. . . . Thanks !!

ok thanks, I believe it's rubbing the the fender lip, I'll try that.. I've also heard of people using spacers ? is that only if it's rubbing on the strut ? would there be tire rub marks on the tire if it was rubbing the strut ? (sorry if that's a dumb question)

Hello everyone, I have a 2004 ES330 I went from a stock 215/60-R16 size wheel and tire combo, to a 245/45-R18 size wheel and tire, it works ok for the most part, and I was told by DiscountTire they would fit fine, except while turning they rear tires seem to rub a little, or the slightest bump will make the rear tires rub. anyone experienced this before ? any suggestions ? any help or idea's would be aprecieated... by the way I went with a larger lexus wheel from the RX330.

I'm looking into debadging the "Es330" and the "Lexus" badges on my car.. But am keeping the front and rear lexus symbols on... does anyone know if a 2004 ES330 has the pinholes, or is it just adhessive'ed on ?

Is the valve cover gasket an easy fix ? what is the ballpark estimate for that from an indie shop?

After driving for even 10 or 15 minutes or so, I can smell a distinct burnt oil smell. I read in the manual that these are supposed to burn SOME oil, but this seems a little much... any idea's ? any input ? Is this nothing to worry about ? is this an early sign this engine is junk ? 2004 / 80,000 miles. . . Thanks!

Any update on this ? Mine also has 1500rpm even in warm weather, and I was wondering what the dealership reported on this ? once it's warmed up, it goes down to 700

When you say your idle speed is very low, how low is it? Mines around 600-800 when warmed up and 1400-1600 cold start. AznMechanic, I have the exact same idle rpm's as you do. Do you condiser 1600 TOO HIGH ? I thought mine was, and am wondering if this is normal ? thanks !

was that right up you speak of on these boards in particular ? or should I search on google ?

thanks! that should get it done... I still can't beleive where the filter is though... .. one step forward two steps back. . . .. I was trying with the expandable / collapsable wrench, I'll pick up a cap style .. ..

How in the hockey puck do you get your oil filter off ?! Completly redicoulus !

I tried like crazy to get the clip off, from the back, everything, but I think your right, if I took a needle nose, I might be able to screw it off from the back, but man that would be hard .. . .

UPDATE - I didn't get to the IACV , I noticed a bad vacume line while I was in there, I replaced it, now here is my next question.. Cold engine, started in park, RPM's are at 1200 for less than 10 seconds, then 1000 RPM for less than 30 seconds, then I put it in gear, and they dropped to 800, after engine warmed up, rpms were at 700 or so, even in park. Is this normal ? I understand an engine runs higher when cold, my question is, does a normal engine run at lets say 1000 at the highest, and down from there, and so forth ??? the temp is about 60 degrees F outside.. . thanks ! I'm hoping all my problems are fixed and I can be done with this.. . .

Does anyone know how to get the yellow-ish fog color on the outside of dated headlights off ? Had anyone buffed them out ? if so, what did you use ? what type of materials ?

I can't get the airbox out. I have all vacume hoses off, air filter out, the three screws at the bottom of the air box out, I can move it freely, except one thing... the two or three wire in a casing behind the air box, is attached to the airbox, there are plastic loops on the back of the airbox that the cable with plastic casing around goes through.... any idea how to get that off ? I'm trying to get to the IACV valve. ..

I'm buying new tires for my ES330, and my top priority is ride comfort, and road noise, not performance, I am thinking of buying Falken FK 452's , anyone have these ? suggestions ? What tire are you using and are you happy with it ? tire suggestions ?

This afternoon or next, I will do that, I will take a picture and post it here for your guys' expert reveiw.. It's hard to find time working 7 days a week... . . Once this problem is solved, I just have to worry about my high idle.. I noticed alot of people posted that the IACV is to blame for idle, but from all the posts I've read, it only gives mention to rough, or low idle.... Does anyone know if the IACV valve is suspect for very smooth, but high idle ? I have the chilton, and did not see anything for 'high idle' ... thanks ! Also, My goal is to tackle these two problems this weekend before my scheduled apt to bring it to the dealer, I'm hoping I can fix these 2 problems and cancel my apt and save hundreds if not thousands. . I have the throttle body cleaner, and plan on cleaning out the IACV valve this afternoon along with tearing into the engine in search for sludge...

I do not pretend to the expertise of lenore and blk_on_blk, but I was always told that blue smoke was oil, white smoke water. A little white smoke if engine is starting and cold is often OK. Do you check your oil, does your car use a lot of it? Do you check your water / coolant level? Does it go down, are you losing coolant? If the answer is 'no' to both those questions, you may not have a problem at all.... UPDATE : Ok so after driving around for half an hour, then coming back home to check for smoke, there was absolutly none! does that mean I'm in the clear ? someone mentioned if you have sludge, after it heats up there will be no smoke anyway... so maybe I should pop the cover off ? How do I do that ? is it fairly simple and I just remove the point blank obvious screws ?

To everyone who hast posted on this topic, I just want to say thanks, and that I truly apreciate the support I am getting. There's nothing more frustratig than buying a car from a dealership with no warranty, and seeing problem after problem... I will drive the car around for a long time, until it warms up really good, and post the results, along with more questions, later tonight... thanks !

Ok, I bought the car a week and a half ago... so I don't know about the oil .. . If it has signs of sludge, what am I looking at ? full engine replacement ? I was going to bring it in to the dealership on monday, get estimates... then shop around at indie shops... the dealerships tend to be super picky and point out every problem.. . where sometimes in my personal experience, the indie shop will say, yeah, it's fine no big deal... but that's just in my experience.. Also, will I be able to see any "signs of sludge" if I drain the oil and look at it ?

It's a 2004 ES330 with 80,000 miles. I have the blue smoke or white smoke ? at start up... it's fairly faint, you have to look for it to notice, but you CAN notice... it's not shooting out like a bat out of hell though... Any other thoughts on what it could be ? What can I check or tell you that would help anyone diagnose thise here ? What other information do you need or questions ?

I believe my valve seals are leaking, does anyone know ball park figure what the lexus dealership will charge for this service ?

Camlex, thanks, I will be trying that this weekend. I'll post results... By the way, 351,000 miles ? can I ask what year and make that is ? just curious