tibug

Hey all,

Got an '05 ES330, Black Interior. The driver's floor mat is worn through due to 223,000 miles of heel friction. Disappointing. Why can't Lexus make quality stuff?!??!


KIDDING!

So I see you can purchase a full set (front and rear) of OEM floor mats online for approximately $100 shipped, which is very reasonable to me. But the other 3 floor mats are fine, so in the interest of saving money and not chucking perfectly good material in the trash...anyone know where I can buy JUST the driver's floor mat, in black? I don't expect it to cost $25 either...I'd pay $50 or $60 for that single mat because the fact is I don't foresee ever having to replace the other 3 mats.

I've already thought of a junkyard, but I hate the yards around here...would really like to avoid them.

Thanks all

808mcv20l

I don't think there's any way around having to buy all 4. I doubt anyone is going to sell you just one mat as the other 3 would become useless to them lol.

you can try car-part.com and do a search for all the salvage yards around you for it but the price of 1 mat will likely be the same as buying all 4 lol.

tibug

Yeahhhh I figured as much. I tried car-part, no yards bother to list up floor mats for sale...

Ah well, I guess I gotta buy all 4. That's gonna have to wait until I get the brakes done. Hopefully my mom will let me do the struts too. hehe, but really, this car is for my mom to drive; it needs work which I'm willing to do, but I'm not able to foot the bill for all the parts...some of them, not all. And she's the type who wouldn't replace struts unless they literally break. But the thing wallows all over the place with 223,000 on the stock suspension and I really really want to replace them.

tibug

Just to add, in regard to Lexus quality...

I am so impressed. Admittedly, this car has had a few interior electrical issues with the door locks, windows, and sunroof, but not severe. It's not perfect, but the build quality is generally excellent. The quality of the interior finish is simply fantastic. I'm halfway through an interior detail and I am just so pleased with how well it's all coming back to near-new condition. This is a car with 223,000 miles on it. I'm coming from primarily working on Subarus (and I will probably always own Subarus), but Lexuses (and even run-of-the-mill Camrys) are just in another league as far as build quality. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I feel like I have some amount of authority on this. I live in the northeast, where we salt the roads to all hell. I've worked on many makes and models, and corrosion resistance is perhaps the foremost quality that impresses me. And these cars have it.

808mcv20l

I think it's Toyota Reliability built into Lexus quality that you're seeing.

In my Family we've only owned Hondas and toyotas, I've owned one VW.
These japanese cars just last and last.

On my ES300, bought it at 46k miles last June, it was garaged and adult owned by a retired man before me.

Only a few minor things I had to fix since taking ownership.

1) Power Mirrors didn't work, Replaced a memory control model from another '01 and now it works perfectly.
2) Hood Struts didn't stay up, bought new one from the dealer, and they are perfect again.
3) Battery died, replaced it with an Optima Yellow Top.

Interior is Almost perfect, front 2 seats were just slightly dirty and 95% of it came out when I cleaned it.

Everything else on the car works, Radio and CD changer works perfect, Speakers still sound great.

I'm planning to change out the timing belt and re-do the brakes.

I've already changed the trans fluid 2x, oil 1x, power steering 2x drain and refill from the reservoir.

I'll probably change the sway bar bushings when I redo the brakes.

Steering has a small bit of play, I'll probably change the outer tierods eventually.


BTW have you considered getting Weather tech mats for the car? I love those and would get them if they didn't cost so much haha!

tibug

Yeah the weathertechs are a bit much for me. If I could I'd buy only the best for my mom, but fact is I can't afford it, and moreover, she wouldn't really care that much...she'd just as soon have no mats at all, like she has in her Camry.

speedkar9

What about a cut to fit layover mat on top of the OEM mat?

Or flip the passenger mat over and put it on the drivers side, with a rubber mat on top? (I've done this in winter sometimes).

I agree, the 4th gen ES is one really well put together car with a plush interior. Its too bad they couldn't make it drive as responsive as the older ES300's, with its funky shifting tranny and throttle lag.

tibug

Good tips...I'll have to figure out something to do with it. I'd really like to have a matching mat in good condition.

It's kind of odd; I am fairly particular about this car, and I'm not even going to be driving it. I don't pay the same attention to my own cars.