MrBsfirst

The name is Russ and I live in Oklahoma City, OK, also known as tornado alley (for good reason). My son, who is 17 and a senior is actually the Lexus owner but I thought it a good idea to be a part of this forum, especially to gain the wisdom and advice from other Lexus owners.

A brief history of the new (pre-owned) vehicle: It is a 2004 ES 330 manufactured 08/03, base model with 157K miles and a very gorgeous dark blue with tan/parchment leather. It had been rear ended but fortunately right in the middle of the bumper damaging only the bumper and deck lid so repairs will be minor. I simply couldn't pass up the price of $3,500.00 so with repairs should put the total price at around $4,500.00. The tires are almost brand new and aside from a future tint job, it needs very little.

She's a one owner, in excellent condition and was very loved by the original owner. Very well maintained including the timing chain/belt replaced and at 148K it had a full service including oil, transmission, power steering flush and fuel (whatever that means, perhaps fuel injectors or just an additive?).

I priced these locally and found they ranged from $7,000-8,000 and a few even higher so we are both quite excited at the deal and this will be an excellent vehicle to finish out his Sr. year and take him into college. His current ride is a 2004 F-150 so the MPG will rise dramatically.

I look forward to gaining insight from other members and hopefully contributing something every once in a while. I already had help from this forum by way of the rear two windows not operating and thanks to info received here, I was able to get one working so hopefully the other will soon have the same results.

PS: I love how people automatically say; oh the maintenance and repairs will be outrageous, etc. I plan on making sure this ES330 receives the same love and care shown by the first owner and can't wait to share and post here. Thanks for letting me climb on board!

JetsonES

Congratulations on the purchase, sounds like a good deal. The maintenance and repairs are standard toyota stuff, you just get a better built platform tuned for comfort. The only thing I changed on mine was bigger wheels (deal was too good to pass up and I needed tires anyway) and the rear sway bar, which dramatically improved turn in and body roll with no real ride penalty. They are good cars and should last your son through his schooling.

JetsonES

Also, just as a heads up, you may want to pull off the plastic cover on the engine to check the condition of the hoses underneath, mine had some falling off, they get brittle over time. I am replacing them slowly over time as I run without the engine cover. Also zip ties on the ends will help them stay in place.

MrBsfirst

Thanks for the reply. We are both Ford truck guys BUT hey, it's a Lexus and he might as well ride in style his last year. Plus if he goes to school out of state, this should serve him well. It has the chrome wheels but of course there is some slight peeling of the chrome which is a bit disappointing but not the end of the world.

MrBsfirst

Excellent advice. I love to tinker so I will be looking at those ASAP. I do as much as I can myself and save the rest for the pros.

JetsonES

Me too, I do what I can and age has helped me temper biting off more than I can chew. I was surprised when I removed the cover, some of the hoses were off, there was a 4 way tee where a 3 way tee should have been with the fourth port sealed with electrical tape which was leaking, and a valve that had the barb broken off and siliconed back into place. It was a big let down because this car had been exclusively serviced by lexus. The cover hides shoddy workmanship and really serves no purpose.

JetsonES

And as for the peeling chrome almost all toyota wheels are interchangeable and there are lots of oem sets for cheap on Craigslist from people buying big wheels and just wanting rid of the stock units. It can be a good solution when you need new tires, you can get rims and tires with little wear for less than the price of a set of tires. There is a chart somewhere I will see if I can dig it up but almost all of the wheels from the 1980s to the present fit.

JetsonES

Here it is , under the 5x114.3mm bolt pattern section. I run the sc430 wheels, at 18x8.5" they are significantly wider than the stock 16x6.5". The only caveat was that under a really big dip at speed the tire rubbed ever so slightly against the strut body. I bought 5mm hubcentric spacers for 15 bucks off of eBay and it resolved the issue.

The combo of wider tires and the sway bar makes the car stick like glue with minimal ride penalty.

https://free-info-pages.com/what-wheels-will-fit.htm

JetsonES

Here is an example in your area 2001 IS300 wheels for $100 with no tires. That's probably not a whole lot over scrap value. They were 17x7 that year. I would probably hold out for later ones that are 18x8.5 which are on my local Craigslist for $350 with tires.

Damnit, now I have the urge to buy wheels!

https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/pts/5218676209.html

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/pts/5177873821.html

Safetybob

Hey JetsonES, new to the ES330 world too. Can you go into more detail about the rear sway bar.


Bob E.

JetsonES

Sure, the rear sway bar I am running is the TRD unit for the camry of the same year. It has three holes for adjustment of the spring rate. I run the stiffest setting which is the hole furthest from the end of the bar. The increase in spring rate promotes the car to perform more neutral than the standard unit which is designed for understeer. In the stiffest setting I find the car to be much more balanced with all wheels breaking traction at the same time at the limit. In contrast, the stock bar will allow the front wheels to break traction first causing understeer, i.e. the car tends to just slide ahead. The following link can probably explain how a sway bar works better than I can. Suffice to say, it alters the weight distribution during cornering for optimal performance. I believe there are two bars made for this car, the brands being trd and whiteine.

http://www.stockcarracing.com/techar...r_doesnt_sway/

An adjustable rear sway bar is a must have mod for me in front wheel drive cars, I had a MINI a while ago and the bar I installed was so strong that it was on the edge of producing oversteer when set to full stiffness, I left that one set to the middle.

A rear sway bar will provide sharper turn in and much less plowing in turning, as I guess you can tell I am quite a big fan of this modification. At around $150 it is not too high in price and there is minimal if any ride penalty. It is also quite easy to install in the lexus, just a few bolts and some grease that is included in the kit. Installation should take 30 to 45 minutes and can be accomplished by even the most inexperienced person. The one in the MINI was way worse and required dropping the entire rear subframe but I feel strongly that it is worth doing that I did it despite being a pain, I also did several other people's MINIs because I was able to get it down to a process and I knew they would love it (they did).

There really is no downside to this modification other than the cost but it is worth it because it makes the car so much more enjoyable. Here is a link to the thread that has part numbers for the bar that fits the car.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...reference.html

Overall, a rear sway bar and a set of wider wheels (8-8.5") and tires is the way to go in this car, the ride will not change much but the performance will. It just makes it a lot more fun of a car in my opinion while still retaining the comfort it is known for. I have a ruptured disc in my back so I am all about comfort which is why I will stop with just the bar and wheels, springs would be too much of a beating for me.

Chocolate

100 bucks for those? Very good price.

Chocolate

I'll also add that Honda and Acura wheels are usable with a hubcentric ring. I'm running 16" RSX wheels but I really like the 17" RSX wheels also - five spoke wheels are my favorite design.

JetsonES

True, I always worry about the tech forgetting to install them when I get my tires changed though. Either way, OEM wheels are usually a steal on the secondary market and they are good quality unlike some of the cheap aftermarket offerings.

JetsonES

I just found out we have a tire and wheel calculator on this forum, just putting it in the thread for those who are interested, very handy.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/tir...calculator.php