amf1932

sorry for the caps I am a new Lexus owner I have a 97 Lexus es300 so you are saying that if I put it in auto mode when it get's dark they come on by their self ? Correct.

Definitely NO!! I brought up this question in the early '90's to Lexus headquarters and I was told that this would disrupt the assembly line to such a degree that they would not even consider it!

I'll check the mileage again in awhile since the dealer filled up the car with premium fuel when I picked it up........I don't know whether they filled it to the brim, but I drove about 220 miles and put in 8 gallons. This was a combination of city & parkway driving. Not bad.....27.5 mpg!! :) I prefer to buy new, so I can't answer your question about either car being the "car of the decade". I always love the newest technology. :D

Yup, on occasion I had the same problem on my '03ES.......we'll see if they're improved on the ES350. Personally, I could do without this accessory.......but it's fun to watch. :P

Come on Steve, make the trade!!! You'll be blown away at the performance difference between the '03 and '07!! I couldn't be happier, and I know you will be too. :) I found out that the center bin DOES have a shelf, so I can put stuff in the bottom and top. Secondly, I also found out that my car didn't come with the Radar Cruise control....just the regular cruise. I spoke to the dealer about that and he told me that this accessory was a special order and no dealers have them in any package. I don't know whether that's BS, but I was putting zip codes from all over the country on the Lexus website and not one area offered this item! I'll live without it.......no big deal......but he told me I had the top UL package. Strange???

I have the mist function on both of lexus cars (IS300 '02 and Rx330 '04. It doesnt do anything, you pull the lever, the whipers goes once, and the lever pops back in place. Its sort of a one time use wiper type of thing. THough i never use it cause i have rain sensing wipers. nothing to fret about My ES350 has rain sensing wipers and a mist position also, but I think it's a redundant feature.

Who picked up the dinner check?? :P

Yes Stevie, that's the system that turns the headlights according to vehicle speed and turning angle. Since I only drove at night once with this car the only thing I noticed was the beam pattern and brightness which was excellent. Better then the '03. I wasn't aware of the turning lights yet. Lot's of things to learn, and would you believe I'm sitting home with a bad cold so I'm curtailing my tests for awhile. :(

I sort of agree with you about the interior, so I'll break it down. Storage: The door pockets are smaller....less deep and shorter then the '03. The center console opens up with 1 push of a button, and doesn't have 2 separate compartments like the '03. This I don't like, since it's now one deep bin.......so when you store things and you have to get something from the bottom it could be a hassle. The compartment above the rearview mirror won't store my sunglasses in it's own case because now it's slightly smaller. The glove compartment will no longer store the leather folder that includes Owners Manuals and other stuff, mainly because it's grown to immense proportions.......so now I have to keep it in the trunk. I think the oval instrument panel layout is pretty good, because it really is pretty practical. It doesn't feel strange after using it for awhile. Entry and exiting the rear doors of this car is easier then the '03 since the door layout seems better. Since there is no navigation computer in the trunk anymore it makes it easier to load luggage or other things. The materials used in the interior are different then the '03's......but I don't think they're cheap looking....just different. All these little annoyances fade into the background after you start the engine, shift into drive and feel like the car knows exactly what to do, with very little user intervention. I'm sure you know what I mean. LOL

Somebody requested to see a post of the Lexus ES350 window sticker, so here it is. I just took a shot with my camera, so I hope it's legible. This is for the Ultra-Luxury package.......although there are a few of these UL packages.

I bought the car on May 11th. Everything was done in the dealers office.....re-registering my license plates, switching my insurance, and filling out some other papers. On the next day I drove my '03 ES in.....they hung my plates onto the new car.......gave them the Title and keys from the '03 ES.......then was given some instructions on the operation of some of the accessories, then off I went. :) I think they like me. I've dealt with Bay Ridge Lexus(my third car) since the early '90's, because they threw in 2 Lexus caps and also a black windbreaker jacket emblazened with a Lexus logo. ;) All I needed to give them for payment was my personal check, my '03 ES and that was it......a very nice transaction I might say. :P Oh yeah.....one other thing I failed to mention......I inadvertently left about $10 in quarters that I stored in the dashboard cubby for parking meters on the '03 ES. So, when I went back the next day to retrieve them, low and behold.......they were missing! HeeHee....LOL

So far after about 200 miles of driving thru New York City traffic, New York City Thruway, I cannot fault the operation of this car in ANY respect! The transmission shifted perfectly in either the "Drive mode" or the "Sequential mode". NO hesitation.......perfect shifting speeds.......no lagging........and most of all, extremely smooth shifts. This proved to me that the problems with past ES's that were plagued with these problems was not because of the electronic throttle linkage, but because of something seriously wrong with the design in the transmissions. I didn't have to learn how to overcome any of these shifting problems by driving the car a certain way.......IT JUST WORKED!!! The acceleration is phenomenal. The car is quieter then my '03ES, and the newly designed engine is as smooth as any car I've heard. BTW: This engine uses a timing chain instead of a belt. My car came equipped with Michelin tires, but I don't know whether they'll put them on all the ES's that are not equipped with the UL option package. The tires are extremely quiet running at all speeds. The new Mark Levinson radio...with surround sound is truly one of the best sounding car audio systems that I've ever heard, plus you can plug in an ipod player or integrate a satellite radio. I don't have a bluetooth cell phone yet, so I can't comment about using this type of hookup. All the other options work exactly as advertised.....great! If I sound like I'm tickled pink...I sure am.

Thank's guys for all your well wishes. The first thing I'm going to concentrate on is the transmission. heehee

This morning my dealer called me and told me that they just got in a ES350 with the top UL package. It was the only UL equipped ES that they received delivery on, and they just put it on the showroom floor. I told him that I wasn't too interested in getting that package because I wasn't too keen on the massive moonroof,aside from the fact that the MSRP was $44,084.00! I also found out that you can't buy an ES350 with a Mark Levinson Surround Sound System unless you order any of the UL packages. I ran right down to the dealer and immediately fell in love with the color of this car plus all the goodies that this package afforded. After some bickering about my trade-in of my '03 ES, we came to a decent price, so I bought it. :) The car was on the showroom floor for less than 2 hours, and after the deal was made they immediately removed the car for it's final prep. I'm picking it up tomorrow at 2:00PM!! Yea :) At this point I can't report about too many things since there will be a learning curve on some of the accessories, and I won't be able to take pictures this weekend since rain is forecast, but I will report back with my findings on this beautiful piece of machinery.

OK fellas......I think it's about time for everybody to cool off!! This thread should be locked since it's become very repetitive. :whistles:

I've been reading and seeing on TV about using this alternative fuel(Ethanol), but my question is: Has anyone thought of converting their Lexus to run on this type of fuel, and if so, what would be involved? It sure seems to be the wave of the future. P.S. I just read this article, http://xcelplus.com/e85/e85informationcenter.htm

When I went to my dealer to check out the new ES350, I popped open the hood and was greeted by a black plastic cover which completely covered the whole engine compartment!! I HATE THIS!!! It's no longer a simple thing to look at your fluid levels or any other engine component without removing this plastic cover. This is very inconvenient, in my opinion. Sure, I know that this is the wave of the future, to make everything look streamline, and other auto manufacturers are headed this way also, but I guess I'm from the old school.......I like to see everything immediately, especially when the weather is bad. How much less engine noise does this covering afford? Maybe a couple of decibels at most! What's your feeling about this "new technology"? It sucks! :chairshot:

I bought my car 3/27/03. When I get a chance I'll go out to the car and check the date of manufacture. Like they say, "Go Fight City Hall." :whistles:

Actually, I already called the above telephone number and after much howling on my part they insisted that my car already had the updated parts installed. This was determined by the Vehicle Identification Number. So I guess I'm SOL. :(

I just called my Lexus service advisor and I'm sorry to say that they don't honor the TSB to change the pads or rotors anymore. :cries: Thank's for the suggestion though.

As I've said.......it's hard for me to believe that pad life could change so radically on two different year ES's, especially since both cars where driven exactly the same way. Stevie- Would I be entitled to have Lexus change my pads free using the TSB bulletin as an excuse to do this job? ;)

I put in what I think your zip code would be (20877), and I don't see the UL package listed. :)

OK.........but why the discrepancy in brake pad life between a '94 ES compared to an '03 ES? You would assume that brake technology would improve on a newer car.....not get tremendously worse!!!

Yesterday I brought my 2003 ES for the normal 15,000 mile maintenance. The service advisor told me that 2 things should be changed. One was the AC filter which I declined, since I've had NO foul odors in the cars interior when using the air conditioning. The thing that really bothered me was he mentioned that the front brake pads should be changed!! My car has about 15,820 miles on the odometer, and I'm basically the sole driver of this car, and my driving habits haven't changed since I traded in my 1994 ES. On this car I drove about 38,000 miles before I needed to change the pads. Has anybody had any experience with short pad life on an '02 thru '06 ES? Personally, I feel that they were just trying to make some money for the dealership and this maintenance was really not necessary. What's your take on this?

It might be true about the UL package being offered on the East coast, but if you put an East coast zip code on the Lexus 'build your own' website they don't give you this option?? My NYC dealer mentioned that they'll get the UL package........so why this discrepancy?