2023 ES350 Ambient Lighting Problem

[Frank DeLeon]

My new 2023 ES350 came equipped with ambient lighting, as stated on the window sticker, as a $490 option.  However, I cannot find how to activate them anywhere on the display.  When I search for them, all I find is the control to adjust the entrance lights.  All the documentation that I have found says that there should be a control named"Illumination" followed by a color pallet where I can choose my desired color.  The dealer or I can find none of those.  Could this be a computer coding problem that can be solved by having a tech re-code the computer?

[UltraLuxury]

Are you referring to the thin strip of faint white lighting under the wood accent pieces on the doors and dash?  In my 2019, it's not color-adjustable (I don't even think it's defeatable).

I've been through the manual front to back and couldn't locate any option to do that (though it would be nice to have).  I've no other ambient lighting save for the exterior/interior door handles and footwells and none are adjustable.

I hope you find what you're looking for.

[Frank DeLeon]

I think the thin strip of lighting is standard and not an option.  I hope Lexus doesn't think a thin strip of unadjustable lighting is worth $490, but thanks for the reply.

[UltraLuxury]

My wife has ambient lighting in her 2020 Highlander Limited and it refers only to a faint blue strip along the dash and doors (plus door-handle lights and white exterior "HIGHLANDER" puddle lamps).  Again, not adjustable, brightness or color).  😕

[Les Lex 2018]

The spec sheet that Lexus of Birmingham gave me for the ES300h shows these two add-ons:

WOOD TRIM WITH AMBIENT LIGHTING $740.

ILLUMINATED DOOR SILLS $400

 Can you possibly imagine the sheer excitement as I finally got it home in the garage and hit the automatic garage door opener, and then in the dark, I see this pale blue strip highlighting the edge of the dash?  And I only paid $740 bucks plus an additional 4% sales tax?

Followed by the thrill of opening the door and seeing a crummy advertisement projected onto my garage floor ("Lexus of Birmingham") for $416.

what a RUSH!!

[C.T.1512]

I was also sold this "invisible" ad on!  Only to be told by the dealership "after" that it's not adjustable.  So basically it's just a dimly lit thin strip!  This should be included. Lexus could and should've done better!

[Frank DeLeon]

Yes, I have since discovered that the $490 "Ambient Lighting" option turned out to be that thin strip of blueish lighting that goes around the front along the dash, coupled with the faint lighting that illuminates the floorboards in the driver's and passenger's footwells. None adjustable.  This boggles my mind because no way this lighting should be $490.  Also, my ES350 did not come equipped with illuminated door sills, so I bought the OEM lights on eBay for less than $200 and had my son (an auto options techie)  install them.  It took him a total of 20 minutes to remove the existing "dummy" sills and install the new ones.  The dealer wanted ($500, "more or less, according to how long the tech takes to install them"), thus saving $300, more or less.  I love the Lexus brand and will always own one, but am disappointed at the ridiculous pricing of some of their options.

[Les Lex 2018]

I do have to back slide here a bit.  In 2021 and 2022, when Lexus quit making cars

and SUVs (figuratively speaking) they were no longer making money selling cars.

To make ends meet, they started loading up most of what they did get the chance to order.

In their defense, they did not charge me above MSRP.  But they did make up for it with added options. 

You done good Frank.  And you do have good taste in cars.

[Lexus-CT]

1 hour ago, Les Lex 2018 said:

I do have to back slide here a bit.  In 2021 and 2022, when Lexus quit making cars

and SUVs (figuratively speaking) they were no longer making money selling cars.

To make ends meet, they started loading up most of what they did get the chance to order.

In their defense, they did not charge me above MSRP.  But they did make up for it with added options. 

You done good Frank.  And you do have good taste in cars.

Correct Les, the ES is a fine-looking car.

What you write is similar to what I can see here. Lexus no longer has a workshop, service with Toyota, but Toyota is selling Toyota, not a Lexus in the show room. If they now make Toyota cars as well as Lexus then I do not mind what the name on the car is.

Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota. Just names of good reliable cars. Once it was Opel (GM) and Mercedes and VW that were popular here.

.