LEX ES300

PLEASE HELP!

Well my new cabin filters finally arrived for my 97 ES300 and I thought it would be fairly easy easy to change them, especially when there are excellent posts on Club Lexus on how to DIY.

I know exactly what I have to do to change them but I am faced with a very annoying problem......the electrical plug that is in front of the cabin door won't unplug so that I can access the filters and pull them out!
here is a pic from one of the DIY threads so you can see what I mean:



I know that there is a small tab on the plug than needs to be squeezed to help release the plug, and I am squeezing it and pulling but it wont move. I have tried wiggling it, pulling it and even slowly warming up the outer plastic of the plug with a hair dryer, but I can only release it about 1mm. The space is very tight and it's not easy to get a good grip on it. I don't really want to try pulling on the wires themselves incase I damage them.

Also the cables to the plug are very short so you can't leave the plug plugged in and stretch the wires around the filter. (mine is slightly different to the picture)

Anyone else have the same problem?

It is so annoying having the plugs and wires blocking the cabin filter door - very bad design!

I haven't been able to change the filters yet.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

LEX ES300

BadViper22

Damn Lexus plugs are notorious for getting stuck. Keep trying, it'll come out. Use a flathead screwdriver in a prying motion, it helps often. Whatever you do, Do NOT pull on the wires themselves. Good luck!

Lexus4You

when all else fails.... break it.. thats my motto...lol...no dont do that, but try your hardest to get in there and pry it with a screw driver...

LXMN

Cut that black cable tie and you should be able to move the wires out of the way without unplugging the socket.

LEX ES300

SUCCESS AT LAST!

Well, I finally managed to unplug it!

I ended up having to lighly spray the plug with silcone spray to lubricate it, and then I managed to get a pair of angled pliers in there to grip the plug and and pull it out with no damage.

I removed the old filters, and cleaned out the compartment by sticking a piece of tubing on the end of the vacuum cleaner and vacuuming any remaining dust and dirt out. I popped in the new filters and now it's all done! I was kind of hoping that I would see a noticable increase in air flow through the a/c vents, but no real noticable change. Never mind, at least I have fresh filters!

I'm glad I don't have to change the filters for a while now, it's not as easy as it appears to change them - the filters are located in a very difficult position.

Here are the pics of the old ones and new ones:

Old:

New:


LEX ES 300

gputt

Where can you buy these locally. Cheap. And how much should I be Paying. I was Quoted 78.00 installed by dealership.

jimmyjay

Don't know about bricks and mortar retail but I purchased at **********.com and paid about US $30. I only takes a few days for delivery.

LXMN

Here are a couple links:

O'Reilly Auto Parts

PartsAmerica.com (Advanceautoparts.com)

They are between $25 and $35 for the filter. I bought mine last year for $17, but I could not find that price. Looks like it went up. You should have no trouble installing them yourself. That is unless you want to sit at the Lexus dealer and drink coffee in a fancy waiting room while they price gouge you.

BadViper22

I'm going to guess that all the parts down there look the same as a 2nd gen, right? Chime in if I'm wrong.

LarryParker

https://www.rockauto.com/

$18 to $46 for different brands of cabin air filters.

rlx101

on a 95 es300 i cant pull the carpet down, its glued to the wall!!! the there is a plastic cover underneath it that covers the filter compartment i assume.

2000ES300

Yes, great success.

I need to follow in your success and replace mine.

If you could assign a time lenght to make the switch how long would you say?

15 Minutes? An hour?

thanks in advance

tuan92129

Its velcrowed for the top part. The lower part is connected using a plastic clip thing that goes between the metal and the trim piece...try pulling up and out.

LEX ES300

Well, mine took over an hour but only because I couldn't unplug the plug that was in the way!

It's always quicker when you know how, but I say realistically allow for about 45mins - including the vacuuming/cleaning of the compartment area too. It's quite a tight space to work in.

LEX ES300

LW ES300

I know this is a price question from long ago, but I just ordered on 10/23 a pair for my 96 ES300 (two needed for replacement) on eBay for $20.75 + $4.75 freight.

eBay seller is aircabinman from Laguna Hills, CA. Other Lexus models offered at this store.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...1601&viewitem=