Hi everyone.I got a 97 es300. My check engine light was on so i took it to auto zone. they told me it was an evap problem and the code was p0441. The guy from the zone said it was probally a gas cap so i purchased a new one. The code came back on after he reset it so i decided to take it to the dealer for $91 bucks. The dealer told me it needed a new charcoal canister and wanted around $600 to do the job. Me being on a budget decided that i could have the problem fixed by a local shop. The guy from the shop said get one from the junk yard and he'll put it on so i did just that. Now my check engine light is back on with the same code and i don't know what to do. The lexus dealer could have diagnosed it wrong, the part from the junk yard could have been bad, or the guy from the shop could have put it on wrong. My ride runs real good so i don't know if it is a major problem or not. Has anybody dealt with this type of situation? Where should i start?

 

I was in the same situation a couple years ago with my '01 ES. The TRAC OFF and CEL lights were on, I took the car to the dealership for a check-up (no charge since I know some of the service staff pretty well), and they said that a charcoal canister would have to be replaced. I was outside of the factory warranty, so I tried using my extended warranty to cover the part, but no dice. After negotiating for a little bit, we came to an agreement that the dealership would do the job for $230 (no charge for parts, just for labor) and give me a free loaner. About 4-5 days later, the car is running fine, no warning lights, and I haven't had a problem with it since then

$600 sounds like a ripoff from that particular dealership. I would go to another Lexus dealership, or maybe a Toyota dealership if they can work on your car.

 

rip off ain't the word. i think i'm going to check out the toyota dealership, see if they will be able tohelp me out. thanks for the good idea