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Old Aug 25, 2004 | 05:23 AM
  #1  
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dannyypk
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Default Engine Maintainence

Hey guys,

my 96 ES 300 has 130000 mileage on it. I want to keep the car for longer. How can I maintain it?
especially the Engine, and the Outlook?

I saw some of the engine cleaner that add to gasoline...can it help? and one can suggest a brand?

for outlook..how to restore the outlook to look more shinery?
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Old Aug 25, 2004 | 06:06 AM
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Make sure you maintain the car according to your owners manual.......change your oil & oil filter (perhaps even considering switching to synthetic oil) on time every time.....that's the lifeblood of your car! Keep everything else (including all other fluids) up as well with proper fluid change intervals. I use Valvoline Synpower 'Fuel System Cleaner' about twice a year when I go on fairly long highway drives to keep the complete fuel system cleaned.......make sure your using a quality gasoline! I use Sunoco Ultra 94, best gasoline you can buy......at least in Canada. Good luck!

Consider doing a complete detail on the oustide of your car including a quality wax or paint sealant. Use touch up paint (get from the dealer) to repair any stone chips. If you don't ahve the patience to do the complete detailing (should take the better part of an afternoon once you wash the car) consider taking it to a professional detailer where they do good work & use top shelf products....shop for prices as they are all different, but good work isn't cheap so it might be a couple hundred bucks for a 'complete' job inside & out!

Last edited by Lexusfreak; Aug 25, 2004 at 06:09 AM.
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Old Aug 25, 2004 | 11:34 AM
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I'm at 155K miles, I dont do anything too special to it. A synthetic oil change every 3K, and I use a Fuel Injector additive every other service. Only problem I've had in the ENTIRE life of the car was an oil leak.
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Old Aug 25, 2004 | 03:03 PM
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I bought my car in 120000 milage. I hope it can run longer until I got enough money to change to another Lexus.~

Can anybody tell me what kind of fuel or engine or injection cleaner " BRAND" you guys using?
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Old Aug 25, 2004 | 04:02 PM
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Moving this to the Maintenance forum so you'll get a variety of responses.

On my '01 ES, I use the Chevron w/ Techron concentrate as my fuel injector cleaner (1-2 times a year). I used to fill my car with mid-grade fuel, but now I'm back to 87 Octane, and I don't notice any significant difference in fuel economy. I recently made the switch to synthetic oil (Mobil-1 10W-30) after surpassing 90K miles a couple months ago, and so far no problems with the oil (I check the oil at every fill-up). Completed the all-important 90K service package too, and the ES runs like a champ (giving me more time to think of current and future mods)
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Old Aug 27, 2004 | 12:11 AM
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Originally posted by dannyypk
I bought my car in 120000 milage. I hope it can run longer until I got enough money to change to another Lexus.~

Can anybody tell me what kind of fuel or engine or injection cleaner " BRAND" you guys using?
If you don't have a heavy foot, and keep up w/ maintenance, your car should last you a long time. A friend on mines has a '95 es300 w/ over 200k. He replaced the tranny around 170k, because he has a lead foot and doesn't keep up w/ maintenance. I'm surprised his engine even lasted past 200k.
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Old Sep 7, 2004 | 05:54 PM
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After talking to lots of people over the years, my belief about additives has come to be that they are, at best, a ripoff. At worst, they can damage your car. Fuel additives are worthless. Fuel injector cleaners -- although they do work to some modest degree -- are not a substitute for getting the fuel injectors removed professionally and cleaned the right way (ask your mechanic about a fuel injector service, and for an old car, ask about decarbonizing the heads).

I am informed that cleaning fuel injectors with an additive is easy to do wrong, and can melt the darn things.

One exception I might make would be for a coolant additive like Purple Ice, but those are really only useful in track cars and race cars. A street car is not likely to show any measurable difference.

Ral
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