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Hi Timber and welcome to the Lexus Owners Club! I'm not an expert on the IS family, but I do have some thoughts about the offer your dealer is making. Both IS models were "refreshed" in 2013 and the 350 and 250 should be the same in features. Refreshed means that some body restyling was done, Interior should be redone as well. Active features, that is AWD for example and shifting software would be the same. Big differance in HP. This one thing, power, I would want to pay extra for features that enhance the 'go fast' capability. Having the larger engine would pay off with a higher trade-in value. The 5,000 mile would not bother me. That particular car may have been used as a service loaner. A service loaner is a car that was given to customers to drive for a day while their car is being serviced. Service like an oil change or any other item that would make the customer wait more than an 1 hour. The particular car your looking at may not have been a one day loaner and could be from something else. You should get a clear explanation of where the 5,000 miles came from. The IS - 2014 and - 2015 should be pretty close to being the same.

Hi jc4home 2 and welcome. I would start with a call to your local Lexus dealers parts department. There is no reason for them not to help you as your only asking for the cost of the part and its technical info such as part number and cost. If you don't want to call the parts department you can try Auto Zone or an independent mechanics shop. You may also check with the local Toyota dealer. Paul

Hi T and welcome to the Club! There are a couple of things that may contribute to your odor problem. First is a mouse who's made a home on the top of your engine and has been eating the insulation on your wiring. This happens more often than you might think. Secondly, it may be coming from the cabin air filter. This is supposed to be changed every so many miles. If the filter gets wet from a leak such as rain or other sources, it might have mold or some other contaminate. Also, anti freeze might have leaked. To me, that smells like rotten eggs or sulfer. Those are my only ideas but someone else will chime in here with other suggestions. Please come back and let us know how things are going. Paul

The iphone app works great.

Hi Peter and welcome to the North American LOC. Your pics of your "pride and Joy" show that you have done a great job of taking care of it. (by the way, I don't know if someone is playing a joke on you, but your steering wheel is on the wrong side of your car! ) LOL Were glad to have you here and look forward to future chats. Paul

Sorry, I only saw it at the dealership. If you go to the new GS there should be a picture with a view of the interior.

I feel your pain :) I have had three Lexus ES350's. In each, the cool feature was a waste of money because it never felt any cooler. The heat feature worked very well. I have brought this to the dealers attention and they say the cooling fan is working as it should. The odd thing about this situation is that my wife had a Volvo S80 2007 and it had the cooled seat feature as well. But with the Volvo, when you turned on the cool setting it could get so cold you might think about wearing a jacket. It had three positions and it was wonderful to get into a hot car and be cooled with in a few minutes. Paul

Thanks for the information! Paul

I got a chance to look at a 2015 LS Hybred with the sport package trim. It had black gloss wheels, charcoal seats with red trim and grey wood accents. If it wasn't for the flush mount exhaust pipes, you'd never take it for a LS. Paul

Hi Anasazi, I had just heard that same information a few weeks ago. As I understand it, they closed the parts operation earlier in the year. I called the 800 number and got a recording saying to leave a message with the part name and number and they will call back. So your report confirms that they have shut down that site for good. Unfortunately, the LOC has no other discount agreements with any Lexus dealers. There are other parts vendors that other members have used and have been pleased with the service and price. To find some other possibilities, go to our search and filter for Lexus parts. Paul

Hi Ian and welcome. I've been hearing and seeing items about the crafted line, but I haven't really been able to find an article covering what crafted means and includes. Do you know Ian what information is available to explain the program? Great car! Thanks Ian Paul

Hi Jimmy and welcome to the LOC. You've peaked my curiosity regarding the cupping on the two rear tires. Did the service people explain what caused that and did they fix the problem that was causing it? Did they tell you what they thought was causing the rough ride at low speeds? My RX is a 2013 and came with Dunlap 235-55-R19's. It provides a nice smooth and mostly quiet cabin. I've also had a 2005, 2010, and currently a 2013 ES 350. The difference between the two vehicles in smoothness and quiet is definitely there. My 2013 came with Bridgestone tires, (sorry I can't remember the exact model) and they were not a good match in my opinion. I had the dealer take off the OEM Bridgestones's and replace with Michlen Primacy 18 inch. The Michlen Primacy are like riding in your favorite recliner. Many other members also swear by the Michlens for an ES 350. My point is always dig around and research what people say are the best choice for them. For me, you just can't get around the fact that the RX is a totally different animal. It will never be as smooth as an ES or LS, and it will never be as quiet as the other two models as well. Figure out the wear problem and do a search of our data base for some more input.

Check out this video of the "LFA Drifter" machine. http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=c8d07861212a6ff83112f89f7&id=c1d8adf13c&e=03d7af6b56 Paul

Hi Wilson and welcome to the LOC. I looked at a couple of auto pricing sites. They each priced out at about a $500 - 700 variance with your quote. Your dealers price looks to be a pretty fair deal. A couple of things to consider as you negotiate. With this model being brand new to the Lexus family, it is to early for a fair market value to be determined. In the next few months, as enough NX's are sold the true value of the 2015 will show. IMO a buyer can save more money by negotiating the actual net vehicle price instead of negotiating a monthly payment. It seems most car buyers today are only interested in the monthly payment and don't stop to figure out the total cost they will end up paying. I think some other people with chime in here. Paul Paul

As Sgt. Preston used to say on Saturday mornings, "This case is closed King!" Anyone remember? Paul

I'm worried....... Are any of you part of a "Road Manners" sleeper cell? I think we've managed to use every judgmental adjective that Webster could come up with! ....".he who is without a speeding ticket, cast the first stone." LOL Paul

The following article explains the coming operation for the ES plant to open later this year. There are pics as well. Paul https://lexusenthusiast.com/2015/04/23/updated-2016-lexus-es-350-to-built-in-kentucky-by-end-of-the-year/

Earlier this week, there was some conversation regarding Sewell Lexus in Dallas's parts site and discount for LOC members. From the discussion it was said that Sewell had closed it's internet parts business. That was a blow because they were excellent to work with, fast on turn around, and gave our members a great discount. I began to get curious about this hoping it wasn't true. So I logged on to their site and clicked on the tab that said parts. The previous ordering web site was not there but, you could use email for your request. I left an email and received this reply. kfreudenberg@sewelllexusdallas.com Apparently they are keeping there service open but not on the grand fashion they had before. The price for the fob is excellent. I was quoted by my dealer that the fob was $240. Anyone know any more? Paul

As a car lover I always enjoy a machine built with precision and great acceleration. But while I think its way cool to see Lexus bringing out engines with LOTS of horse power it's an example of we as buyers wanting to continue the old ways and old days of gas consumption.When I was a kid doing oil changes in my dad's gas station, I remember pumping a lot of $.24 cent gas. No matter your bias on this subject, those cheap gas days are NOT coming back. On the other side of the situation we are becoming pretty smug about the amount of fossil fuels we need for our cars. I know there are many folks who believe that this whole thing about eventually running out of fossil fuels to use in our car's is a Muslim conspiracy. At the same time it is that group of thinkers who loudly complain that gas is too expensive. We can't continue to be that smug while refusing to get our heads out of our a.. . There is a need for all of us "Car Challenged" people to refocus our anger to one that lets us ask "how can I be apart of making environmentally smart decisions. I try to keep informed about the problems I can help by driving less than 100mph especially when I drive through quiet, peaceful neighborhoods. LOL My 2 cents.......(over priced I know) Paul

That's a good question. When the earth quake and tsunami hit japan it caused significant damage to the Lexus factories. In addition, many of the sub contractors who supplied parts for all Lexus manufacturing were unable to make their product due to damage to their facilities. Given that, Lexus was unable to start-up again because they could not get their parts and could not rebuild their factories quickly because they had such a task as cleaning up the mess and finding building materials. As you know Lexus was already in the process of building a factory in Kentucky from which all ES350's would be built. It is my understanding that the earth quake had also made starting-up the new plant difficult. Getting parts to Kentucky was slowed considerably. Actually, I'm not sure if the plant has started production and is shipping cars. Anyone know the answer? Paul

I feel your pain...... Iowa is the largest producer of Ethanol in the US. And in response to this, the legislators have put in place a discount for 10% Ethanol and gasoline. This is intended to produce a larger market for the farmers, and more revenue for the state. I used this blend for several years and had absolutely no problems. MPG included. However, when we bought our two 2013's I decided to switch to premium. For some reason the state has made the regular unleaded and Ethanol blend both 87 octane. I also have used the 87 octane for quite some time and I know both our RX and ES are fine with 87 octane. Now I use 91 octane. For the small difference in price, I just feel that I want the two cars to run as clean as possible for a long time. The premium doesn't help with MPG. Paul

Considering the number of hoops you have to jump through these days to keep all regulations satisfied, the next thing will be a note from your Mother in order to take your car out of the driveway!!! LOL Paul

Great shots of the new 2016 ES350. Overall, the new design is recieving good reviews. I'm not sure when the model will be released. https://lexusenthusiast.com/2015/04/21/live-photos-of-the-updated-2016-lexus-es/?cpage=0#comment-3666

You may be right!!?? Paul

Hey Jim, I had not heard that.!! Major blow. Are there any other companies out there that you know of that offer discounts through clubs like Club Lexus or others? I will call Sewell and see if they can still offers a break if we can call with a part number or the like. Thanks for the heads up good buddy. Paul