Just Got My 08 Es350

[jig50]

Hi all. First off, I want to thank all of you who have had the guts to post the good, bad and ugly regarding these cars. When I purchased my car recently on March 30th, 2008, I asked my salesman about issues with the 07 model. His point blank response was--"there are no issues with this car."

I currently have 300 miles on my car and was thinking of posting around 1000 miles, but due to recent developments, I have decided to post now. These are my current findings: 1) I have the snap crackle and pop noises with the dash. These are worse when it is hot outside and I put on the A/C. Seems like the cold air meeting hot plastic has something to do with this. 2) When the car is cold, the tranny shifts kind of hard until it has warmed up and then the shifts are more fluid. I have experienced some mild flare occasionally--usually about 200-400 RPM's variation. I noticed a large flare of about 1000rpm shifting 2nd to 3rd when I had the car in the sport mode at about 3000rpm. After this initial flare, shifting seems more positive for the remainder of the drive.

3) I thought I was lucky that I didn't have the dreaded "diesel engine sound", but yesterday when the temp. dropped into the 60's, I started my car and heard it. I think my heart sank at this point as I realized that I have purchased yet one more "lemon". It took about 10 min. for the diesel sound to go away. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE in a luxury car. I don't have the heart to tell my wife, as she bought this car as a gift for my 50th birthday. :(

4) The rear package shelf resonates when I listen to music at about 40 (volume) with certain bass notes.

5) My tire pressure light went on during the cold snap and has stayed on until the temp went back up over 80 deg. What is that about?

All of the above have left a bad taste in my mouth. I waited a year and a half for the first year problems to be resolved but apparently they have not. What is the matter with Toyota? Do I have any recourse?

I would also like to point out a few good things. Once this car is WARMED UP it is a pleasure to drive. I find it extremely quiet and the wind noise is low low low. The ride is well damped but smooth. Handling is better than I would have thought.

The overhead lights don't bother me at all, and I find the lighting level sufficient. Tip: if you need a lot more incandescent lighting to see something, flip down the sun visor and use the vanity lights. They are very bright.

This car could have been a glowing success, but instead I find it a trouble-riddled bomb. This will be my last Toyota product. I should have learned my lesson with my 2005 Solara (a worse lemon) but thought Lexus was different. I guess not. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks All

[AZ08LexusES]

Why was your Solara a lemon? What other cars have you had?

[SW03ES]

40 volume is REALLY loud...

[AZ08LexusES]

40 volume is REALLY loud...

Yep, I have a song or two on my iPod that would make my home system's sub-woofer resonate at that volume, or maybe make everything shake and feel like a weak earthquake!

[mhawkin1]

Your post sounds slightly nit-picky.

What car in your life left you feeling completely satisfied?

I have an 08 with 1500+ miles and really like it (and I have OCD). I listen to Danity Kane at 45 all the time and the stereo sound fine.

[JGTNewLexusOwner]

As some of you may remember/know, that I have had some minor issues. And for a first time Lexus owner, I am a little disappointed. I (and this is just me so I am not making judgements here) would not call my Lexus a bomb. The ride is comfortable and, for the most part, quiet. The ML stereo is great; but holy cow though people...40 or 45 on the volume!!!!. I know that when Peter Frampton comes on (showing my age), I want to turn it up but 40-45...whew!!!! I can only get to 28 and I am happy with blowing my ear drums out!!! ha ha! Back to the subject....but I can understand jig50's disappointment. To go up to a Lexus, like most of us have done, we probably expected more than was reasonable. I haven't gone in the LS forum, but there is where I would really be upset if some of these things happened and I paid $70K for a car!!!!

[jig50]

Why was your Solara a lemon? What other cars have you had?

The car had rattles everywhere--dash, headliner, sunroof and package tray. Car had slipping transmission--never knew what gear it wanted to go in. Rear suspension made thumping sounds over bumps. Turned out to be bad strut mounts. Toyota claimed these problems were "normal". They issued TSB's for these problems after I had already traded the car in for a Hyundai Sonata v-6. FYI, the Hyundai had the best shifting tranny of any car I have ever owned, and I have owned many. I have no allegiance to any car manufacturer, and I have been up and down the alphabet. In reality, Hyundai is as good as any but has terrible resale value. The only reason I sold it was that my wife wanted me to have more of a marque brand as she has a Lexus herself-- a RX330. It shifts flawlessly and the motor runs as it should. I don't think I am any more picky than your average Lexus owner, as another poster has suggested.I just expect to get what the marketing department says I should be getting.

[jig50]

40 volume is REALLY loud...

This is with a cd playing back. They are all recorded at different levels, so this might be really loud with one disc and not so loud with another. I have not really bothered with the FM, so I can't really comment. The sound quality of the stereo is good though. No complaints there.

[jig50]

40 volume is REALLY loud...

This is with the stock stereo. I'm sure the ML system would sound louder at 40 as it has much more powerful amplifiers and is also a totally different setup.

[mhawkin1]

Yes - to clarify, I do not have the ML stereo. So - 45 really isnt that loud on my stereo, I don't think.

[JGTNewLexusOwner]

Why was your Solara a lemon? What other cars have you had?

The car had rattles everywhere--dash, headliner, sunroof and package tray. Car had slipping transmission--never knew what gear it wanted to go in. Rear suspension made thumping sounds over bumps. Turned out to be bad strut mounts. Toyota claimed these problems were "normal". They issued TSB's for these problems after I had already traded the car in for a Hyundai Sonata v-6. FYI, the Hyundai had the best shifting tranny of any car I have ever owned, and I have owned many. I have no allegiance to any car manufacturer, and I have been up and down the alphabet. In reality, Hyundai is as good as any but has terrible resale value. The only reason I sold it was that my wife wanted me to have more of a marque brand as she has a Lexus herself-- a RX330. It shifts flawlessly and the motor runs as it should. I don't think I am any more picky than your average Lexus owner, as another poster has suggested.I just expect to get what the marketing department says I should be getting.

Man, jig50, you have had bad luck with Toyota products. My luck (knock on wood) has been pretty good. That being said, I know that my minor problems are disappointing especially when you spend more for a car and don't expect these kinds of issues. Again, good luck.

[JimsGX]

3) I thought I was lucky that I didn't have the dreaded "diesel engine sound", but yesterday when the temp. dropped into the 60's, I started my car and heard it. I think my heart sank at this point as I realized that I have purchased yet one more "lemon". It took about 10 min. for the diesel sound to go away. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE in a luxury car. I don't have the heart to tell my wife, as she bought this car as a gift for my 50th birthday. :(

My wife has an 08' ES350 that we bought at the end of January this year. I never drive the vehicle, but yesterday I took it to be washed and heard the dieseling sound your talking about. It did lessen as the engine warmed up but sounded just like a MB diesel (I'ved owned MB) when I first started it up, and for the first few miles of driving. The car has 5k miles on it. I called the dealer and I'm bringing it in this Thursday. It definitely sounds to me like it's the valves or timing chain. I've heard the ticking/tapping sound on other Lexus vehicles caused by the injectors. I'd be very surprised if that was the problem. This is much more pronounced than the injector noise and I'd put money on it being caused by either the valves or the timing chain. I plan to have them put Mobil 1 in it when I bring it in. If I make any headway with it, I'll post it here.

Jim

[busoptr]

Hi all. First off, I want to thank all of you who have had the guts to post the good, bad and ugly regarding these cars. When I purchased my car recently on March 30th, 2008, I asked my salesman about issues with the 07 model. His point blank response was--"there are no issues with this car."

I currently have 300 miles on my car and was thinking of posting around 1000 miles, but due to recent developments, I have decided to post now. These are my current findings: 1) I have the snap crackle and pop noises with the dash. These are worse when it is hot outside and I put on the A/C. Seems like the cold air meeting hot plastic has something to do with this. 2) When the car is cold, the tranny shifts kind of hard until it has warmed up and then the shifts are more fluid. I have experienced some mild flare occasionally--usually about 200-400 RPM's variation. I noticed a large flare of about 1000rpm shifting 2nd to 3rd when I had the car in the sport mode at about 3000rpm. After this initial flare, shifting seems more positive for the remainder of the drive.

3) I thought I was lucky that I didn't have the dreaded "diesel engine sound", but yesterday when the temp. dropped into the 60's, I started my car and heard it. I think my heart sank at this point as I realized that I have purchased yet one more "lemon". It took about 10 min. for the diesel sound to go away. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE in a luxury car. I don't have the heart to tell my wife, as she bought this car as a gift for my 50th birthday. :(

4) The rear package shelf resonates when I listen to music at about 40 (volume) with certain bass notes.

5) My tire pressure light went on during the cold snap and has stayed on until the temp went back up over 80 deg. What is that about?

All of the above have left a bad taste in my mouth. I waited a year and a half for the first year problems to be resolved but apparently they have not. What is the matter with Toyota? Do I have any recourse?

I would also like to point out a few good things. Once this car is WARMED UP it is a pleasure to drive. I find it extremely quiet and the wind noise is low low low. The ride is well damped but smooth. Handling is better than I would have thought.

The overhead lights don't bother me at all, and I find the lighting level sufficient. Tip: if you need a lot more incandescent lighting to see something, flip down the sun visor and use the vanity lights. They are very bright.

This car could have been a glowing success, but instead I find it a trouble-riddled bomb. This will be my last Toyota product. I should have learned my lesson with my 2005 Solara (a worse lemon) but thought Lexus was different. I guess not. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks All

Jig, sorry to hear about your 08. I have a 94 and it runs real nice so I doubt your car is a lemon. Good luck

[jig50]

Jig, sorry to hear about your 08. I have a 94 and it runs real nice so I doubt your car is a lemon. Good luck

My mother has a '97 ES300 and it is the best car she has ever owned. She recently asked if she should get a new car because hers is 10+ years old. I replied--NO, keep your car, they don't build 'em like this anymore. I also had a '92 Camry V-6 and it was a great car as well.

[BaddBoi70]

As some of you may remember/know, that I have had some minor issues. And for a first time Lexus owner, I am a little disappointed. I (and this is just me so I am not making judgements here) would not call my Lexus a bomb. The ride is comfortable and, for the most part, quiet. The ML stereo is great; but holy cow though people...40 or 45 on the volume!!!!. I know that when Peter Frampton comes on (showing my age), I want to turn it up but 40-45...whew!!!! I can only get to 28 and I am happy with blowing my ear drums out!!! ha ha! Back to the subject....but I can understand jig50's disappointment. To go up to a Lexus, like most of us have done, we probably expected more than was reasonable. I haven't gone in the LS forum, but there is where I would really be upset if some of these things happened and I paid $70K for a car!!!!

JGT and Jig -

I also fit into the "disappointed" bucket with my '07 ES 350 purchase. However, I feel that ALL manufacturers have recently "cut corners" in an effort to boost their profits :( The earlier version ES300 is a GREAT car! The '07 & '08's have great lines, but the small issues most of us have experienced should be non-existant in a luxury automobile. I have the ML system and to me 40 on the volume level is where is just starts to get FUN!

I just recently purchased an '06 IS 350 and although it is a much different vehicle, I am MUCH more satisfied with the quality of the workmanship on the interior of this vehicle vs. my '07 ES 350 - sad, but true!

I am also switching to Mobil 1, but I have not experienced the "dieseling" effects that others have (I continue to hold my breath)! Have you been filling with 93 octane? If not, you may want to try that approach.

Best fo luck to you -

BaddBoi

[JLEO76]

Hi all. First off, I want to thank all of you who have had the guts to post the good, bad and ugly regarding these cars. When I purchased my car recently on March 30th, 2008, I asked my salesman about issues with the 07 model. His point blank response was--"there are no issues with this car."

I currently have 300 miles on my car and was thinking of posting around 1000 miles, but due to recent developments, I have decided to post now. These are my current findings: 1) I have the snap crackle and pop noises with the dash. These are worse when it is hot outside and I put on the A/C. Seems like the cold air meeting hot plastic has something to do with this. 2) When the car is cold, the tranny shifts kind of hard until it has warmed up and then the shifts are more fluid. I have experienced some mild flare occasionally--usually about 200-400 RPM's variation. I noticed a large flare of about 1000rpm shifting 2nd to 3rd when I had the car in the sport mode at about 3000rpm. After this initial flare, shifting seems more positive for the remainder of the drive.

3) I thought I was lucky that I didn't have the dreaded "diesel engine sound", but yesterday when the temp. dropped into the 60's, I started my car and heard it. I think my heart sank at this point as I realized that I have purchased yet one more "lemon". It took about 10 min. for the diesel sound to go away. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE in a luxury car. I don't have the heart to tell my wife, as she bought this car as a gift for my 50th birthday. :(

4) The rear package shelf resonates when I listen to music at about 40 (volume) with certain bass notes.

5) My tire pressure light went on during the cold snap and has stayed on until the temp went back up over 80 deg. What is that about?

All of the above have left a bad taste in my mouth. I waited a year and a half for the first year problems to be resolved but apparently they have not. What is the matter with Toyota? Do I have any recourse?

I would also like to point out a few good things. Once this car is WARMED UP it is a pleasure to drive. I find it extremely quiet and the wind noise is low low low. The ride is well damped but smooth. Handling is better than I would have thought.

The overhead lights don't bother me at all, and I find the lighting level sufficient. Tip: if you need a lot more incandescent lighting to see something, flip down the sun visor and use the vanity lights. They are very bright.

This car could have been a glowing success, but instead I find it a trouble-riddled bomb. This will be my last Toyota product. I should have learned my lesson with my 2005 Solara (a worse lemon) but thought Lexus was different. I guess not. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks All

[JLEO76]

Tire pressure must be on verge of being low. Have not had the Lexus long enough to see that happen but my toy truck gets on the edge it shows low will it heats up a bit. More air should stop it.

I was not aware of the dreaded knock before I bought the first tank of gas. That type of knock used to be considered hazardous to the engine.

[JimsGX]

Tire pressure must be on verge of being low. Have not had the Lexus long enough to see that happen but my toy truck gets on the edge it shows low will it heats up a bit. More air should stop it.

I was not aware of the dreaded knock before I bought the first tank of gas. That type of knock used to be considered hazardous to the engine.

Don't forget to check the pressure in the spare tire as well. It has a sensor in it that will set off the low pressure light too...

[Ronp]

Why was your Solara a lemon? What other cars have you had?

The car had rattles everywhere--dash, headliner, sunroof and package tray. Car had slipping transmission--never knew what gear it wanted to go in. Rear suspension made thumping sounds over bumps. Turned out to be bad strut mounts. Toyota claimed these problems were "normal". They issued TSB's for these problems after I had already traded the car in for a Hyundai Sonata v-6. FYI, the Hyundai had the best shifting tranny of any car I have ever owned, and I have owned many. I have no allegiance to any car manufacturer, and I have been up and down the alphabet. In reality, Hyundai is as good as any but has terrible resale value. The only reason I sold it was that my wife wanted me to have more of a marque brand as she has a Lexus herself-- a RX330. It shifts flawlessly and the motor runs as it should. I don't think I am any more picky than your average Lexus owner, as another poster has suggested.I just expect to get what the marketing department says I should be getting.

After reading some of these post I feel as though I'm a lucky Lexus ES350 owner. I bought a 07 last summer, I love it!!!

I'm Retired and don't drive a great deal, But when I do it's a pleasure. I got the ultra luxury package and everything works great. If I had to pick something to complain about, It would be the nav system. I hate having to stop to operate it. I know it's a safety thing, But if you have someone else in the car, They could lookup places to stop. I get great gas mileage for a powerful engine. I love my Lex!!!!

Thanks, Ron

[Randy&Bonnie]

..

[JGTNewLexusOwner]

Hi all. First off, I want to thank all of you who have had the guts to post the good, bad and ugly regarding these cars. When I purchased my car recently on March 30th, 2008, I asked my salesman about issues with the 07 model. His point blank response was--"there are no issues with this car."

I currently have 300 miles on my car and was thinking of posting around 1000 miles, but due to recent developments, I have decided to post now. These are my current findings: 1) I have the snap crackle and pop noises with the dash. These are worse when it is hot outside and I put on the A/C. Seems like the cold air meeting hot plastic has something to do with this. 2) When the car is cold, the tranny shifts kind of hard until it has warmed up and then the shifts are more fluid. I have experienced some mild flare occasionally--usually about 200-400 RPM's variation. I noticed a large flare of about 1000rpm shifting 2nd to 3rd when I had the car in the sport mode at about 3000rpm. After this initial flare, shifting seems more positive for the remainder of the drive.

3) I thought I was lucky that I didn't have the dreaded "diesel engine sound", but yesterday when the temp. dropped into the 60's, I started my car and heard it. I think my heart sank at this point as I realized that I have purchased yet one more "lemon". It took about 10 min. for the diesel sound to go away. This is NOT ACCEPTABLE in a luxury car. I don't have the heart to tell my wife, as she bought this car as a gift for my 50th birthday. :(

4) The rear package shelf resonates when I listen to music at about 40 (volume) with certain bass notes.

5) My tire pressure light went on during the cold snap and has stayed on until the temp went back up over 80 deg. What is that about?

All of the above have left a bad taste in my mouth. I waited a year and a half for the first year problems to be resolved but apparently they have not. What is the matter with Toyota? Do I have any recourse?

I would also like to point out a few good things. Once this car is WARMED UP it is a pleasure to drive. I find it extremely quiet and the wind noise is low low low. The ride is well damped but smooth. Handling is better than I would have thought.

The overhead lights don't bother me at all, and I find the lighting level sufficient. Tip: if you need a lot more incandescent lighting to see something, flip down the sun visor and use the vanity lights. They are very bright.

This car could have been a glowing success, but instead I find it a trouble-riddled bomb. This will be my last Toyota product. I should have learned my lesson with my 2005 Solara (a worse lemon) but thought Lexus was different. I guess not. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks All

Gee, I hate reading these posts. Very sorry to read about your disappointment. But reality is real. You are not "nick picking" and 40 on the stereo is NOT loud. Any "luxury vehicle" at this level should not have these issue from the start.

My wife's IS250 has been somewhat of a disappointment, considering it's a Lexus. My good friend bought an IS250 2007 for his wife, shortly after we bought ours, and they are already talking to their lawyer about the lemon law. After three tries by the dealer/factory to fix the problem, here in AZ, you can "lemon law" return it. I'll know more after he's done returning it. He asked me what other manufacturer I would consider? I told him "At this point, in reading about all these problems with the new cars, I'm not sure where in the heck to look for decent quality car, in any brand! I think he will end up with an Acura TL, but time will tell.

Unfortunately, it seems once Toyota took the top spot in the world, suddenly their historical quality (that allowed them to blow past decades of dominance by the USA) has dropped like a lead balloon. Higher profit seems to be the primary goal now, at the expense (and checkbooks) of middel class Americans willing to pay a little extra for a "quality" vehicle considered by most in the automotive world to be a higher class "luxury" vehicle. Something's wrong with this picture.

Hey Randy, I agree that Toyota/Lexus by driving to number 1 they are starting to miss the boat on what got them there....quality and the little things like not creaking inside/etc. I love my 08 but have had some minor issues but still love the look and the ride quality. Hey 40 on the volume IS loud!!!! Can you hear me know? ha ha :D Seriously, I hope that Toyota/Lexus goes back to their roots or they may find American car manufacturers catching up. I saw a report a few months back that Buick beat Lexus in quality (of course Ford says they match Toyota's quality in their ads but I don't believe that for a second. I might believe Buick has but I don't think Ford is there yet!).

[Tango19]

I almost talked myself out of buying my new 2008 ES with UL after reading all of these threads. I have to agree that some must have received lemons as my new ES arrived last week and it is absolutely perfect. No idle problems, no cold start diesel sounds, no rattles even over the worse pot holed Boston streets, perfectly tight tranny with no flare. This sucker is an incredible butter machine.

I'm sorry for those who have the problems, and I can only suggest that the local Lexus dealers be forced to make the cars as good as my copy.

[dga]

I almost talked myself out of buying my new 2008 ES with UL after reading all of these threads. I have to agree that some must have received lemons as my new ES arrived last week and it is absolutely perfect. No idle problems, no cold start diesel sounds, no rattles even over the worse pot holed Boston streets, perfectly tight tranny with no flare. This sucker is an incredible butter machine.

I'm sorry for those who have the problems, and I can only suggest that the local Lexus dealers be forced to make the cars as good as my copy.

The "piston slap" noise is there for all the 08 cars once the ambient temperature of the engine on cold start-up is below 50 deg. It looks like it may be cold enough over night in Boston during the next few days to hear this effect if your car is in an unheated environment. These are great cars and the noise is no big deal.

[Tango19]

I had some nights in the low 40's last week. I haven't heard it yet but I'll keep listening.