Freddyk

I have a 2000 Lexus 300es with 335000 on it every now and then smokes just a little (burnt piston ring) but still strong motor paid 100 bucks for car 5 years ago 150000 miles ago best investment of my life

djr48312

When it comes to it you can get a lower mileage engine for under $500.

Kainjames

2000 es300 @ 238,000 original and still goin!

Gunner41

I have a 2005 and just hit 252,000. Its still running good but the car is starting to get into ruff shape. Now it has a magic noise that I cant figure out. Sitting in the drivers seat and hit the throttle I hear hesitation and it sounds like it has a small race muffler. Now outside the car cant hear it. Touching everything with the stethoscope it sounds like a fuel line from the tank going forward. See magic. I would love to get another 50K out of it.

djr48312

You can get another 200k out of it. You probably have an exhaust leak at your flex pipe, an exhaust shop will fix that for $100-$200.

As far as car getting sloppy, your suspension, steering rack, end links and bushings should be replaced around 150k, it'll make the ride feel tight and new. Also the motor mounts.

There are companies that make better than factory brakes for not much more than a stock brake replacement, one company is "power stop" the pad and rotor material stops like eagle claws, plus the rotors look cool because they are slotted and cross drilled.

Clearcoat on the hood, roof and rear deck will start peeling away in certain environments, there are companies which make replacement clear coat and it'll make the outside look new again.

For real power consider a turbo or supercharger installation with an exahust upgrade. You'll get a piggyback device to help control fuel and spark. You can use rims and tires from later model ES350's which will give better traction and look cooler.

Gunner41

I had the Exhaust shop check the flex pipe and they said no. I had two shops who just couldn't find anything. One of the shops basically told me that the engine has 250 on it so its just worn out but couldn't find the sound. Not the timing belt, gears, bearings nothing. I think at this point its a matter of pride now. When I said ruff it really wasn't mechanical. Clear coat, paint seats tore but mechanically the thing runs fairly well. Transmission good. Its that sound. I pulled the rear seat out to check if it was the pump getting ready to go out and I could hear a loud pumping sound in the fuel line under the car. I hate to give up.

djr48312

For the seats I found seats out of 2007-2014 es350's. Front seats can be $250 each and the rear seat is $400-$450. The seats look better than the new factory seat, are more supportive and they fit. The carpet is like $200 and will make you feel better about the car.

That exhaust shop was lazy not to find the leak. There are companies that make bluetooth tesla like stereo and ac controls basically a 13" screen replaces all of that.

Joe1994ES300

[WhatQUOTE=ES Boy;2237058]I've already hit the 214,000 mark and then some. Probably around 214,200. Tranny croaked on Labor Day though, so I had it replaced at around 207k.[/QUOTE]

What was your cost? did youreplace it with a rebuilt one? Did a local tranny shop do it? Thanx

djr48312

You felt like the noise was from a fuel line? Maybe there is a bushing or grommet that's missing and the line is metal on metal somewhere causing it to vibrate and make a noise.

shardayyy

Got 1998 ES300, at 381K and runs great. You can barely hear the engine while idling.

djr48312

What engine oil do you use?

shardayyy

I go between and depends on cost.

Remember when full oil changes did cost $19.99, not they cost upwards of $80 - $90.

I change my own oil now and have been for about 10 years. Gone are those days when I used to go the the Lexus dealership every 3K for an oil change. At the lexus delarship am not sure what type of oil they used (full synthetic vs non-synthetic). I use full synthetic because of the high mileage now, and I change them every 5 - 8k miles, sometimes 10K. As for filters, nothing special, I used the FRAM brands, and they claim to last up to 20k between changes with synthetic oils.

As for gas, I have owned the car since 1999 and have never put anything in it other than 87 Octane.

djr48312

So the car makes about 15 more HP and 10 more ft-lb on 93 octane, it is designed to run on it. The computer will retard the timing on 87 octane because it will knock due to the high compression. Personally i like how it feels more on the 93 so I don't run 87 unless seriously low on cash. I agree with your oil selection and also switching at 5-8k miles.

KCES300

This thread gives me a lot of hope!! I just bought a 2002 ES300 with 236,000 miles on it, because the car I had from brand new since 2012 (a Hyundai Sonata with 248,000 miles on it) suffered a total loss in a head on collision (while I was not moving at a red light). The other person’s insurance only paid me $2200 so I spent the past 2 weeks looking at cars that could possibly be reliable for the next 2 years until I could try to save up for something newer. I just picked up my ES300 yesterday and tasked with getting it in service soon (so I can return my dad’s Nissan Sentra that I’ve been driving for the past month). It would be great to see the ES300 get into the 300K’s! I was worried about what sort of car I could get for $2200 that would be just as good as my old car which I was the first and only owner of the Hyundai and kept it in great condition but despite, it just did not retain value). It did come with some small cosmetic issues though-but I feel I got a fairly decent car for $2200.

djr48312

Suspension will be shot at 150k. I'd replace the shocks and struts and steering rack, then you will have a tight like new feeling to the ride. Upgrade the brakes with something that stops better than factory such as the "power stops" and you can use rims and tires from a ES350 model for more modern look and better traction.

There might be some other cosmetics you need to replace but the engine will be fine for 300-400k with regular oil changes. There is someone that got 1 Million miles out of it without a rebuild, but that is not likely. 200k is not a large number for these engines....