Reptar

Hello ClubLexus,
Just inherited a 2001es300. She runs and drives great, a bit like a boat, but smooth and powerful with no noises or immediate problems. I would like to customize the car a bit and make her mine. I am having trouble with finding parts online because I am not a mechanic. Could someone please point me in the right direction of the correct "Tech Kit" and which Air intake to buy. Also I want to replace the plugs and wire harness ith a better looking aftermarket one. DOes this seem reasonable?? Thanks guys

808mcv20l

1st of all Welcome, and Congrats on the Car, I have a 2000 ES Platinum I bought last year from the original owner and love it.

I prefer the look of the 00-01 ES to the 97-99 ones.

If you're looking for a car to mod, well, you'll be sorely disappointed there aren't too many parts for the ES300/Windom.

Now if you have gotten a GS300 or IS300 there are tons of parts for those...

I would not waste my money on an intake system.

from 99-01 it was a dual butterfly system and I think there is only like 1 or 2 intake systems that fit.

You're probably better served with a high flow filter, like K&N, TRD, or Blitz.

for 99-01 there is a coil on each cylinder, there are no spark wires you need to change. And the consensus is to replace plugs with Denso Iridium Long Life plugs.

for 97-98 there were spark plug wires that lead from the front 3 coils to the rear 3 spark plugs, the 99-01 were direct coils.

There's a bunch of maintenance things you can do to freshen up the car.

I would do:
Spark plugs
Valve Cover Gaskets
PCV Valve/grommet
clean out throttle body, IACV, MAF sensor
New Air filter
Transmission drain fill, new pan gasket/filter
Flush Brake fluid, inspect pads, rotors, re-lube sliding pins
Flush power steering fluid
inspect/flush coolant
inspect change Tierod Ends if there is lots of play in steering

there's not a lot of mods for this car, so you're probably looking at general mods like appearance mods wheels/tires/suspension.

not many body kits I would consider.

maybe just the JDM clear corners/ HIDs if you car doesn't have it.

LED out the interior.

update the Audio system with a new deck/ Screen for andriod/ios, etc.

Leung

808mcv20l pretty much hit the spot. A set of oem wheels from other models such as the newer ES or SC430 wheels look pretty good on our cars.

Guyanese

Hello Everyone, I am new here (despite when i created my account) and first off, absolutely fantastic site. I recently (yesterday) bought myself my first car, a 2000 ES300 Platinum Edition. It has 115K miles, timing belt replaced at 94K. I checked all fluids this morning, great. Transmission fluid is light red, no burnt smell however. When i drive the car, it seems to hold onto 4th gear around 40-48 mph without going into OD unless i back off the gas (which i drive very conservatively). I am contemplating resetting the ECU to relearn my driving style as opposed to its previous owner who frequented 3000 RPMS. I usually drive aiming between 2000-2500 unless at highway speeds. Any insight please? Sorry i had to just jump in with this, i could not find a way to create a new thread or find any threads on it. Any and all help is much appreciated

Cheers

speedkar9

The car won't shift into OD if the engine is cold.

Some engine codes (like knock sensors, or EVAP) will also cause the transmission not to shift into OD.

You can try resetting the ECU, but after a while it should "get used to" your driving habits.

Guyanese

Thanks for the reply, my concern is the engine is warm. It doesn't happen only first time getting into OD. Everytime is happens. And if i accelerate a bit hard, say in 3rd gear to 3K, it's a noticeable shift into 4th. Im just curious if there's any future tranny problem i could do something now to prevent. Im only concerned because my dad's 95 es was super smooth even at 150k miles. This not so much and im not sure if the ecu was redesigned to cause this 'holding' lower gears for quicker response or not. Thanks for your insight and input.

Grendal666

I would add, check ALL the rubber under your hood, you have the same year as mine and I've had to replace all my air intake hoses due to dry-rot. I find that the various bushing, mounts, rubber hoses and wire insulators are all looking worse for wear on my vehicle and will soon need replacing.