norcallexus

Just adding my two-cents worth here, I have 2001 ES300 Coach Edition and have had several brands of tires. It came to me with Dunlops on it. I started noticing a steering wheel vibration around 60 MPH. After putting the tires on a Hunter analyzing machine, the tech discovered a belt separation as the cause. The tire dealer talked me into putting on Toyo Proxes. They drove much better with no vibration, but they had road noise and sang like an alleycat! After wearing those out, I put on the Michelin's which as everyone has said are on the expensive side. However, the ride, drive, and steer like a dream. Well worth the costs.

Have owned my ES300 for two years now. Drive mostly commute miles and just reached 85,000 miles. My city/freeway mileage has been pretty consistenly 24-25 MPG. Highway gas mileage has been 28-30 MPG. Best was when making a trip from Kansas City to Sacramento at 30 MPG. I have found the best way for me to get good gas mileage is to hold back on the sudden/fast start from stoplights and try to coast to a slow stop at the light.

Hey thanks to all on the information. I really do appreciate it. alsalih I appreciate your comments. I should have read more carefully what was given on the website that these were replacement filters, NOT OEM filters. I have also checked out the autohausaz.com site. I think I will be more comfortable with a filter that is OEM. I know there can be others for less money, but I have come from the school that you get what you pay for. The Denso filter is what I am looking at now. But thanks again for the input about Drivewire.

Well I am getting ready to do an oil change on my 2002 ES300. After surfing the net I ran across a discount auto parts place called Drivewire.com out of southern California. They offer oil filters for the 1MZFE engine (1997-2001) for $2.71 each. That sounds like a good price for an OEM oil filter. Has anyone ever purchased anything from them? Are the parts truly Lexus OEM or are they an inexpensive subsitute? Just wanted to get an opinion from others who may have dealt with them. Thanks.

I've been reading all the comments and replies to your topic of tires, Steve. I put the Toyo Proxes on my 2001 ES and have had nothing but excellent results. They now have about 8000 miles on them and they still perform like new. What do you folks think about siping? I bought my Toyo's through a Les Schwab tire dealer who recommended sipping the tires. I had it done and it does provide significant traction one wet pavement and the overall steering seems better than before. Has anyone had their tires siped?

Yes, they did change spark plugs and PCV valve, Steve. Although I question if the plugs needed changing so soon. Since I live in the foothills, I took mine to Thompsons Toyota in Placerville. That might be too far for someone in the Sacramento area. But since I work in Sacramento, I went to the Les Schwab on Northgate Blvd. for the Toyo tires. They did very good work and figured out my tire problem quickly.

Well, took my 2001 ES300 to a Toyota dealership and had the 60K service done. They were very thorough and covered everything that the service manual called to be serviced plus washed and vacuumed it out. Out the door with tax it totaled $554.20. Could have been worse since the Lexus folks wanted nearly $1200. I'm satisified. :D

My 2002 ES300 is rapidly approaching 60,000 miles on the odometer. I plan to take it to a local Toyota dealership that also has a mechanic with Lexus experience. I was just wondering what to expect when the bill comes. What have most other paid for the 60,000 mile service. I know it is supposed to be a major service so I am expecting it to be a bit hit to the pocketbook. :cries:

I drove my last car (a BMW 528i) for about 20 yrs. with 310,000+ miles on the original engine. I love my 2001 ES and plan to do the same with it. Assuredly there will be maintenance repairs at some point, but if you love what you drive then it's worth it in the long run to keep on driving it. :D

I agree that the car mags seem to look at performance and flashy styles. But look at J. D. Powers survey of cars and customer satisfaction. Lexus was won it for the last 10 years. IMHO that's impressive. I used to own a BMW 528i for 20 yrs. I drove it 310,000 miles. It was a wonderful performance car. BUT not a luxury car. And not as reliable for repairs the the Lexus. It really boils down to driving styles and personal preferences. But for luxury, style, and reliability, I'm happy with my Lexus.

Well, here is an update on the vibration from the front end. It was a tire problem resulting from either a bad steel belt or slight separation. I took the car in to a nearby Les Schwab tire center because they had the Hunter Road Force balancer. The tech showed me where two of my tires had problems. Both of them (one on the left front and one on right rear) had a flaw in the tread. He showed me on the screen of the equipment where the defects were located. When he did the spin balance and applied the equivalent road force to the tire it demonstrated the vibration occurring around 65 MPH. Long story short, because these were tires that were on the car when I purchased it from a private party, they still had decent tread left on them. So I negociated a credit for the remaining tread and turned those tires in to them and bought new tires. Purchased 4 Toyo Proxes and boy what a difference. Smooth quiet ride, much better handling, and a less stiff ride. But most importantly, no vibration in the steering or from the front end at any speed range. BTW the old tires were Dunlop GT Qualifiers.

Thanks to all for the information and things to try for the solution to the vibration problem. I am positive that there was no road force balancing done to the tires. Just a regular weight balance was done. I notice the vibration at freeway speeds of 70 to 75 MPH and yes, I can feel it even when slowing down or decelerating, too. I believe you all are right about the tire balance is still off. I am going to call around to some tire installers/dealers to see who might have a Hunter machine and have all four wheels checked out. Will let you know my results when I can get this done. Thanks again everybody.

I had the tires rotated and balanced. I don't believe they did a road force test, just a regular balance with weights. They did indicate that they were out of balance. Before this was done the steering wheel would vibrate. That no longer occurs, but I still feel a distinct vibration coming from the front end. Think I will have the balance re-checked. Someone at my office said it also could be the wheel rim out of whack. What would cause this? Thanks for the many replies.

I have an annoying problem that I'm trying to figure out the cause. I have a 2001 ES300 that has a vibration that seems to be coming from the front end of the car. I thought it was simply a tire balancing problem, but I had the front tires properly balanced last weekend. The vibration is still there and seems to occur when traveling between 70 and 75 MPH on the freeway. I do not feel it at any other times. It's not a rattle your bones type of vibration, but it is definitely noticable and you can feel it on the floor and through the steering wheel. Anybody have this experience or any idea on what might be causing this? Thanks. 2001 ES300 Coach Edition

My morning commute is all freeway driving and light stop and go traffic. However, the evening return trip is almost all stop and go traffic. Ave. speeds vary from 10 MPH to 65 MPH. But I try not to do jackrabbit starts and stops unless it's a critical hazard situation that requires getting out of the way quickly. And yes, here in the Sacramento Valley in August the temperatures have been near 100 degrees so AC is definitely necessary. I would think you should be getting 20 MPG or better if your car was running at its best with good plugs, clean air filter, fuel filter, etc. Also it doesn't seem to matter for my car if I use 87 octane or 91 octane. Still get around 25 to 28 MPG.

Hmm, you might want to do as others have suggested and look in to a tune-up. I just filled my tank today. Went a total of 415.0 miles and used 16.50 gallons to fill-up. That figures to be 25.15 MPG and that is also with about 50/50 city and freeway driving.

Geo, I had a similar problem recently. I had parked my car next to the automatic lawn sprinkler head at work. It went off while I was at work and watered the front hood and both front fender panels. The hot sun then dried the water leaving major water spots all over the front of the car. My solution was to use Dupont's Car Polishing Compound. It required a little elbow grease on my part, but I lightly applied it to all areas that showed water spots. When it dries to a light haze, wipe off with a clean cloth/towel. The spots were completely gone. I then had to reapply a coat of wax since the compound does remove not only the water spots but the wax as well. But now the front of the car looks like new. Hope this helps.

Oyster Pearl with pin stripe

I recently bought my 2001 ES300 Coach Edition and thoroughly enjoy it. For the last 15 years I have driven a BMW 528i and finally had to put it to rest after 310,000 miles. She served me well, but she was a tired puppy. So when I began to look at a replacement I wanted something that could compete with the old BMW. I didn't want a new BMW because of the premium gas requirement and high selling prices. Loved the looks of the Lexus. I went to a dealer and he let me drive one for an entire afternoon. I was really impressed with their customer service. Got to run the vehicle through the paces of freeway driving, city street driving, parallel parking, mall parking, etc. Although the BMW's beat Lexus for steering and suspension, the ES300 just had a nice plush ride. Everything about the car said quality and luxury. I was sold right then and there. The only hitch was they didn't have the colors that I liked. Then the dealer showed me a nice 01 Coach Edition but it was already sold. So I told him if you can find me one like that I would buy it. As it turned out, a few weeks later I found one from a private party ( 1 owner ) who was selling his through a classified ad. It was immaculate and ever bit as nice and cared for as any dealer CPO car. We agreed on a price and today I am proud to be with the Lexus family. It's a great car. Also this is a great forum. Have been browsing previous postings and learning much about my ES300 features and mechanical things to watch out for in the future. Keep up with the great postings. Thanks!

nicksan, congratulations on your purchase of an 01 ES300. Like you I am a new proud owner of an 01 ES300 Coach Edition, Oyster Pearl ext. with Beige int. I got mine through a private party (1 owner) and I did ask about receiving the service records as I, too, had some concerns about the sludge issue. But everyone I've spoken to has said the same thing, mainly to be sure the oil has been changed at the proper service intervals. Fortunately, the previous owner of mine did all the service through his Lexus dealer. I also bought the car outside the state of California and drove it here. Just to update a previous post I made, the car passed California SMOG with flying colors. I have been driving it for several weeks. Everything is silky smooth and flawless. The nicest and best car I have ever purchased used. Good luck and enoy your new purchase. norcallexus 2001 ES300, Coach Edition

Thanks for all your help. Alan, I called the number you gave but it is now disconnected. However, I did find a little information from the Dept. of Motor Vehicles and the Calif. Air Resources Board. They indicate that there is a placard or label under the hood which should state if it meets California and Federal emission standards. If it doesn't say anything about California then it won't meet the requirements. But, it does sound like dropspace indicated, that it will need to have a SMOG test done but under different standards for passing. So it sounds like it could probably be brought to California. Anyone find out anything more? D.B.

I am looking to purchase a 2001 ES300 Coach Edition. I have found one that I am interested in but it was purchased and driven in Virginia. I would have to bring it to Northern California to register and title it. It will require that it meet California SMOG standards. Does anyone know if a Lexus sold outside of California will meet the standards here. I would like to know, before I make the purchase and find out later that it won't pass SMOG in CA. Thanks for the help. This is a great site for information. D.B.