1,015 Miles - I Made It!

[nancyd]

Good afternoon ---

Well, I finally got enough miles on my Lexus to warrant bringing it in for the resolution to the vibration. I refused, and told the dealership so, to wait for another 500 miles to bring the car in.

My husband and I shared the drive, 103 miles from my door to the Lexus dealer, and he definitely felt the vibration at various speeds. All but the first 7 and the last 2 miles were Interstate driving. While many of our roads in northern NH can be pretty tough this time of year (frost heaves still shrinking), our Interstate system is reasonably smooth.

I am so impressed with the exchanges of dialogues on this forum! Everyone is extremely helpful and more than anything else - honest. It's nice to know I'm not alone and that I can share my concerns and thoughts with other Lexus owners.

So ---- the car is there with the dealer for a week!!! I own two businesses and this is an extremely busy time of the year for us, and I cannot afford to take another day out of the office - so I have to do this car thing on a Saturday or Sunday.

I have a loaner: a 2003 Lexus ES300 with 6,000 miles on it. What a difference in the ride in this model compared to our new Lexus. Not a vibration to be felt (well almost - we felt a slight vibration at 85 mph) and a much more responsive gas pedal. The funny thing is that the new Lexus has a rattle/squeak on the small stretch of "back roads" and the same rattle/squeak happens with the loaner! It is coming from the dashboard. My husband will drive me crazy with pushing and prodding until he finds it . . . heaven help me. Anyone see any problems with his spraying a small bit of WD40 in the spaces between different types of materials?

In closing - when we arrived at the Lexus dealer they were hopping with customers! Our salesperson was waiting on three customers at the same time - with positives outcomes for him, I hope. We spoke with the dealership manager briefly - who was fully aware of our concerns with the tire thing . . . he promised to resolve the matter to our satisfaction - even to put 4 new tires on the car.

But, I've read other posts about all-season tires vs. summer or performance tires. So, what would the best tires be for us up here in northern NH.? I had snow tires put on my previous car - an Avalon. I always took the Avalon to a local auto service/tire dealer who treats all customers like friends and neighbors, which we all are up here . . . and I trusted his judgement implicitly. He suggested snow tires for the car. I was so secure with the Avalon with snow tires and we get the worst kinds of winter weather up here! I had to continually remind myself to drive more cautiously, as the car performed beautifully with these tires. Yes, they were noisy and rode hard - but I, and my passengers were safe!

One last question - what is the best kind of wax/polish to use on my new Lexus? The color of the car is Blue Onyx and as I suspected it would, it shows every speck of dust/dirt, so I'll be washing (brushless) it often.

Thanks for everyone's help! I'll keep you all posted on the outcome of our vibration problem.

[monarch]

At tirerack.com look at the all new Goodyear Comfortreds. They're designed to produce the smoothest, quietest ride possible and yet still offer good all season traction. Reasonably priced to boot.

[SW03ES]

Check out the detailing forum for all the latest detailing information.I would not run the car through a brushless wash, the paint is pretty soft and the wash will scratch it. Best to either wash it yourself or pay a detailer to take care of the car.

As for the squeak/rattle there is a TSB for fixing sqeaks at the base and top of the windshield. Mine will have it done at the next service stop. I wouldn't use WD-40.

Hope they get it worked out for you! I'd stick with allseason tires.

[nancyd]

Steve:

Thanks for the heads up about the brushless washing . . . I've done it twice already . . . irreparable damage?

[steviej]

nancyd, go with what you know and are comfortable. There is nothing wrong with using the all season treads from March/April to December and the snow tires from December to March (give or take couple of weeks). I'm in Boston so I can totally identify with you on the snow thing.

Trust the process with the dealer. Lexus wants 100% customer satisfaction. They will do right by you.

your husband sounds like my father. He is a retired automotive instuctor, so every new or persistent noise has to be indentified and rectified (if possible).

Enjoy the ride.

steviej

[SW03ES]

Not irreperable and probably no damage, but over time brushless washes will marr and dull the finish. Washing it properly yourself or having a detailer do it will be well worth it.

I always tell everyone who'se not really interested in learning how to detail, hiring a good detail for weekly/biweekly washes and a wax every 3 months will do wonders for keeping the car looking new years from now.

[nancyd]

Steve - I wish I had the time to do detail work. I love cleaning every nook and cranny on a car . . . I've been known to be obsessive about the process of cleaning and waxing a car.

As soon as the weather turns decent (missed a great opportunity yesterday - but had to bring the car to the dealer), I will do my own version of detailing the Lexus.

I really want to love the car - so I have great hopes for the resolution of the problem with the tires. Though I have noted the posts of cautionary tales regarding the costs of parts and service by the Lexus service centers . . .

I tried to get on to the site for Dealer ratings and I did - but once I accepted the "agreement," I couldn't go anywhere else. Any clues?

Thanks -

[SW03ES]

Yeah somethings wrong with the dealer ratings page, Matt is working on it.

I'm sure they'll get it fixed. No need to worry about the cost yet, as this is all free. Your 1k and 5k services are free.

[susanc]

I've also encountered the vibration problem with my car. I have had it in to the dealer three times. We thought it was fixed, but 150 miles into a trip it started again. If your dealer is successful please share the solution. We like our car but we didn't want the vibrate option.

[SW03ES]

Maybe its a batch of motor mounts or something that was bad on the 330s...

What all has your dealership done to try and fix the problem Susan?

Strange, and not a problem I've heard anything about until now. I have to put mine in for service, to get the brake TSB done and have a rattle fixed, I'll ask my service guy he really knows his Lexuses.