Poppi Posted October 26, 2004 Posted October 26, 2004 Its probably just a more advanced condition. ← It is still pitiful for a company like Lexus that has had a reputation for quality to sell cars that have this problem. I have never out of 32 vehicles during my life so far until this car, had one that the steering pops and clunks and the transmission jerks when shifting. Otherwise it would be a good car, but I will NEVER EVER purchase another Lexus vehicle and will not replace the ES and RX with another LEXUS brand. They are not what they are hyped to be. I was talking to a guy yesterday who is trading in a 1997 Ford Thunderbird that has 230,000 miles on it and all he has had done is regular maintenance. He has had the T-bird serviced according to owner's manual recommendations. I am not a Ford Thunderbird man at all, but I will say that the car doesn't look like it has 30,000 miles on it much less 230,000. Leather seats still look good. He has used Lexol leather cleaner and Lexol Leather treatment. What kind of car is he buying you ask? One of the newly Ford 500's that has just been introduced. What kind of car did he own prior to the T-bird? An LS 400 LEXUS that he drove for a little over 106,000 miles. He said he would never pay the high price LEXUS demands for their cars when he can purchase a much less expensive vehicle and drive it for more than twice as many miles without any problems. Poppi
SW03ES Posted October 26, 2004 Posted October 26, 2004 Well with all due respect for your friend if the only reason he purchased a Lexus was to drive it a lot of miles he overspent. The Lexus is a luxury car, its designed to last a long time but at the expense of having the best materials, the best ride, a smooth engine and style and appearance. He should have bought a Toyota Corolla, it would have served him better. Buying a Lexus just because they last a long time is beyond wacky. Thats like buying a Cadillac Escalade for its hauling capacity. Plenty other trucks haul just as well, just not with as much style and prestige. Plenty of other cars will last just as long as the Lexus, just not with as much style and prestige. As for the steering knock I don't see it as a big deal, there's a simple fix for it in an updated secondary steering shaft. As for the transmission hesitiation its inherant to the drive by wire system and is not unique to the Lexus, and most drivers don't even notice it. The Lexus may not be the right car for you, but its certainly not a bad car.
Poppi Posted October 27, 2004 Posted October 27, 2004 Buying a Lexus just because they last a long time is beyond wacky. Ask yourself what comes to most peoples' mind when you mention LEXUS. They think QUALITY. Not to argue, but the above quote makes no sense at all. Why not buy a car that will last longer and acquire more mileage without excessive repairs? Why pay a premium price for prestige? Not me. I buy vehicles because of quality and LEXUS in the past and presently continues to peddle cars as the zenith of quality. Poppi
Poppi Posted October 27, 2004 Posted October 27, 2004 SW03ES, As for the steering knock I don't see it as a big deal, there's a simple fix for it in an updated secondary steering shaft. I'm having a problem with understanding what a secondary steering shaft is. I will ask the service manager next time I take the car in about 'the fix'. He has never mentioned it. Thanks, Poppi
SW03ES Posted October 27, 2004 Posted October 27, 2004 Ask yourself what comes to most peoples' mind when you mention LEXUS. They think QUALITY. Not to argue, but the above quote makes no sense at all. Why not buy a car that will last longer and acquire more mileage without excessive repairs? Why pay a premium price for prestige? Not me. I buy vehicles because of quality and LEXUS in the past and presently continues to peddle cars as the zenith of quality.Poppi ← Then you really should have bought a Toyota or Honda, not a Lexus. A Lexus is a luxury car and you pay a premium because of that fact. It also has luxury features that are more likely to require repair, softer joints and bushings that wear faster to give the smoother softer ride, and parts that cost twice as much.
Poppi Posted October 28, 2004 Posted October 28, 2004 Then you really should have bought a Toyota or Honda, not a Lexus. A Lexus is a luxury car and you pay a premium because of that fact. It also has luxury features that are more likely to require repair, softer joints and bushings that wear faster to give the smoother softer ride, and parts that cost twice as much. ← SW I have news for you. We have owned three different Toyota's, one camry and two different avalons. The avalons actually had a little smoother ride than the ES does. The Avalons's actually hnandled better than the ES. We almost bought another AVAlon a couple of days before my wife found the ES and fell in love with the thing and there was no way of changing her mind. There is no way I would have chosen it as my vehicle. I have an RX300 which I have always liked. That said, we will not run right out and trade the ES anytime soon. My gripe is the hype of LEXUS that this is such an 'all-fired' super car which it in no way is. As I have stated earlier, the jerky shifting transmission and the popping/clunking steering stinks. There is no way this is quality and certainly not something that shoud have to be tolerated in especially a luxury car. I have owned primarily Ford vehicles along with a couple of Chevrolet's, a Toronado Oldsmobile, two different Buick Rivera's, a Nissan Maxima that was a lemon, A Nissan 300ZX which I really liked, A Toyota Camry that was a good car, two different Toyota Avalons that were great cars and not hiccups, one Toyota 4Runner and now I have a RX300 and my wife has the ES300. I said all that to say that other than this dadblammed ES NONE of the other vehicles, a total of thirty two, had jerky shifting transmissions or clunking sterring. But I will not buy anymore LEXUS vehicles unless LEXUS gets their act together and produces a complete quality car like we thougth we were getting. So there you have it. Poppi
SW03ES Posted October 29, 2004 Posted October 29, 2004 Well thats your opinion, I don't share it I test drove Avalons before I bought the ES and thought they were boaty like Buicks but its your opinion. All I'm saying is you shouldn't have bought a Lexus if all you were looking for was reliability. Just realize that the Camry/Avalon/ES are all primarily the same vehicle in the suspension and drivetrain department. The ES has softer bushings and higher quality struts and springs but other than that the drivetrains are pretty much the same. So what you're driving is basically the same car. Ever hear the idea of a self fulfilling prophecy? Its hard not to concentrate on the faults of a vehicle you "never would have chosen as your vehicle" isn't it? The steering clunk is easily reapired under warranty, the hesitation in the transmission can be remedied by adapting your driving style to it. Do you not want to be satisfied? Whats the point in even posting here if you're going to argue with our advice? I'm trying to help you by pointing you in the right direction with the steering clunk (which is repairable and there is a TSB according to my research) and explaining the transmission jerk to you. I'm not going to help you though and no one else here is either if you're going to be nasty to us. You've got to realize that this is a Lexus enthusiast board, most of us are 110% satisfied with our cars. Its not my fault you're not satisfied with your car, I don't work for Lexus. Go give your "news" to someone who can do something about it.
Poppi Posted October 29, 2004 Posted October 29, 2004 ...... Whats the point in even posting here if you're going to argue with our advice?I'm trying to help you by pointing you in the right direction with the steering clunk (which is repairable and there is a TSB according to my research) and explaining the transmission jerk to you. I'm not going to help you though and no one else here is either if you're going to be nasty to us. You've got to realize that this is a Lexus enthusiast board, most of us are 110% satisfied with our cars. Its not my fault you're not satisfied with your car, I don't work for Lexus. Go give your "news" to someone who can do something about it. ← SW, I should have said ... "for your information", not 'news' Anything I have posted was not meant as an argument. It's a shame one cannot post their opinions of fact(s) without being interpreted as being argumentative if our opinions do not agree with yours. You have completely ignored my posting of me being satisfied with the RX300 in spite of the fact that it has a slight hesitation when applying sudden acceleration, or I would have already traded it. It is not as bad as the ES. I am dissatisfied with the ES, my wife isn't. My gripe with LEXUS is for offerning a car to the buying public for a premium price knowing that it has defects that could have been corrected prior to leaving the factory. That's my complaint. It is not a complaint against you and I haven't been argumentative. So you will not have me to 'kick' around on this board ever again. Your help was appreciated. Poppi
SW03ES Posted October 30, 2004 Posted October 30, 2004 No reason to leave, thats silly. I was just trying to make you understand that we're trying to help you by steering you in the right direction so you can get the most out of your purchase. You've got to be open to whats being said though.
Ken-L Posted December 19, 2004 Posted December 19, 2004 (edited) [i have a 2002 ES300 and it too hesitates under a variety of conditions and speeds! It is annoying and dangerous. My dealer "updated" the software/firmware, but it did not fix the problem, and even made shifting worse. What we need is a Class Action Lawsuit! Edited December 20, 2004 by SW03ES
SW03ES Posted December 20, 2004 Posted December 20, 2004 The huge type is really not neccisary so I removed it. Like I said before, I realize that you are frustrated but we will not tolerate your being rude to our members or administration and breaking our rules.
Ken-L Posted December 20, 2004 Posted December 20, 2004 Poppi, you have it right. I have seen enough posted messages and the so-called "replies" by the adminstrators/moderators to too many of them in just one day as a member. They obviously have a very selective and proprietary point of view and are determined to not allow anyone to disagree with them or their special interests. You will not see any post from me again either, because as soon as I finsh this one, I am dropping off this "Lexus Owners" forum! There is no point in kidding ourselves as to what this board is really about. This post will be immediately CENSORED too.........and I will be BANNED IN BOSTON. Now, that's quite an honor. Ken ...... Whats the point in even posting here if you're going to argue with our advice?I'm trying to help you by pointing you in the right direction with the steering clunk (which is repairable and there is a TSB according to my research) and explaining the transmission jerk to you. I'm not going to help you though and no one else here is either if you're going to be nasty to us. You've got to realize that this is a Lexus enthusiast board, most of us are 110% satisfied with our cars. Its not my fault you're not satisfied with your car, I don't work for Lexus. Go give your "news" to someone who can do something about it. ← SW, I should have said ... "for your information", not 'news' Anything I have posted was not meant as an argument. It's a shame one cannot post their opinions of fact(s) without being interpreted as being argumentative if our opinions do not agree with yours. You have completely ignored my posting of me being satisfied with the RX300 in spite of the fact that it has a slight hesitation when applying sudden acceleration, or I would have already traded it. It is not as bad as the ES. I am dissatisfied with the ES, my wife isn't. My gripe with LEXUS is for offerning a car to the buying public for a premium price knowing that it has defects that could have been corrected prior to leaving the factory. That's my complaint. It is not a complaint against you and I haven't been argumentative. So you will not have me to 'kick' around on this board ever again. Your help was appreciated. Poppi ←
bartkat Posted December 20, 2004 Posted December 20, 2004 Poppi, you have it right. I have seen enough posted messages and the so-called "replies" by the adminstrators/moderators to too many of them in just one day as a member. They obviously have a very selective and proprietary point of view and are determined to not allow anyone to disagree with them or their special interests. You will not see any post from me again either, because as soon as I finsh this one, I am dropping off this "Lexus Owners" forum! There is no point in kidding ourselves as to what this board is really about. This post will be immediately CENSORED too.........and I will be BANNED IN BOSTON. Now, that's quite an honor. ← Bye
SW03ES Posted December 20, 2004 Posted December 20, 2004 Banned. All I asked you to do was adhere to the rules of the site and stop trying to one-up the moderators. If you can't post within the rules, you'll have to post somewhere else. Like I said, we're not affiliated with Lexus in any way, we're owners and we're allowed to discuss our opinions too. Again, I know your frustrated but thats not our fault. You're not going to get anywhere trying to get some action on your issue if you're rude and disrespectful to people. Nobody's going to take you seriously, just like nobody has here. One thing I've noticed about these people having this tranny issue, they sure are paranoid
jragosta Posted December 20, 2004 Posted December 20, 2004 One thing I've noticed about these people having this tranny issue, they sure are paranoid ← That's not fair. SOME people are paranoid about the transmission issue. OTOH, SOME people are extremely insistant that it's not a problem - ignoring all the people who say it is. I have the transmission problem and consider it to be a major safety issue. I will gladly join a class action suit. Furthermore, if anyone has an injury due to this problem, I will personally testify against Lexus that they've been informed about the issue many, many times but refuse to acknowledge it. Sadly, it's probably going to take someone being killed before Lexus does anything about it. That doesn't make me paranoid - even if you choose not to consider it a problem.
SW03ES Posted December 20, 2004 Posted December 20, 2004 jrag- I should have said "some of these people", I apologize. You've never acted like this guy has acted or others have. Seeing a problem in the design of the transmission/throttle of the car and believing that Lexus doesn't intend to help you doesn't make you paranoid, going around accusing this site and particular members of being Lexus plants and there being some conspiracy to deny these people help or an avenue to discuss the issue DOES make them paranoid. All the other moderators and I did was close that guy's post and direct him to this thread, it is our policy that discussion of the transmission/throttle issue be done here to keep from allowing the forum to be taken over by these posts. Instead of simply complying with our wishes, he opened ANOTHER thread and accused steviej of being "worried" about a class action suit. Well, steviej is a medical researcher, why would he be worried? Then he posts in here using giant 20point font, thats just not neccisary. He wasn't banned because of his grievance he was banned because of his conduct, he believes it was because of his grievance that makes him paranoid. Also, for the record, its not that I don't consider the drivetrain hesitation a problem its that I don't consider it a safety problem. The drivetrain on this car in inexcusably jerky for its price. I've learned to drive around it though and now I never feel the hesitation. My stance on the subject comes from the fact that I believe that the behavior is inherant in the drive by wire system and that there's no way it can be repaired, so why worry about it...
SKperformance Posted December 20, 2004 Posted December 20, 2004 you want jerky go drive the new BMW 745i what an expensive peice of crap i drove 7 03 ES 300's this weekend nothing i would call hesitation just normal electronic delay but a $100 thousand dollar car with enough lag to count in seconds is completly ridiculas to me. what a peice of junk
SW03ES Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 Its the same issue with the 7s, the drive by wire system. The car companies are simply rushing this technology to market before its ready.
SKperformance Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 so agreed thank god the GS 400 doesn;t have a problem
bartkat Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 I've had my IS300 for a year and a half now and I have never seen a problem related to drive by wire. There was the issue that was fixed with the ECU reflash, and the supposed hesitation with the 1 -2 shift, which some say is because the 2 is just an overdrive 1. Whatever the case, I just haven't seen any real problems with this type of thing. When I put the pedal down , the engine and trans give immediate and appropirate response at any speed.
SW03ES Posted December 21, 2004 Posted December 21, 2004 Some drivers never notice the hesitation, it all depends on your driving style.
amf1932 Posted December 27, 2004 Author Posted December 27, 2004 I just got back from Scottsdale, AZ for a little vacation. I traveled all around with a Hertz rental, a 2005 Hyundai Sonata. This car was equipped with a V6, 4-Speed SHIFTRONIC(like an autostick) transmission, and I must say I was very impressed with the performance of this under $20K automobile. Up and down the mountains it went with flawless, smooth shifting in ALL types of circumstances......and NO rattles....a very quiet car! Now, I'm not trying to compare it to the luxury of an ES, but how come Hyundai can produce a car with a beautiful tranny that responds to your every whim, for a lot less money than I suppose Lexus spent on their dog of a tranny? I don't want to hear about ULEV standards, and electronic throttle that's incorporated in the Lexus! All I know is, I wish I could switch out my Lexus transmission for the Hyundai's and then I'd be completely happy with my Lexus.
bartkat Posted December 27, 2004 Posted December 27, 2004 Some drivers never notice the hesitation, it all depends on your driving style. ← If it was there, I'd notice.
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