Hi, after some heavy, heavy rains my ES300 engine light came on and the accelaration was not smooth. At one point even the MPH dial didn't work; the needle stayed at zero. But that went away soon and now the engine light comes on sometimes and on occasion the acceleration is not smooth -- like its not clicking into gear. ALSO the tractionOFF light is permanently on now and wont go away although I don't feel any difference. What can I do? Is this serious? DO you guys always take your car to the dealer or to a reliable mechanic? I have about 87K on mine, bought it at 69K in mint condition.
Would appreciate any advice!

 

Take your car to Autozone or Advance Auto Parts and get the error code diagnosed for free. Once you know the error code go to http://www.obdii.com/codes.asp and find what the error code means.