LexBob2

Correct, timing chain beginning with the 2007 model.

A lot owners have this done. It's usually referred to as clear bra. Usually you can save money by finding a local shop who installs a name brand product. As you mentioned, the dealership contracts this type of work out and there is an upcharge involved. $500 might not be too bad depending on how much area it includes and what brand of film is used.

In many cases dealer applied protection packages are quite expensive vs. what you actually get for the money. Most of the cost is in the warranty part of the package vs. the product(s) being applied. It's a BIG profit generator for the dealerships. You could use the money spent and have the car detailed inside and out with a good quality sealant applied on a periodic basis by a good detailer. On the other hand it can't hurt to have something done through the dealership. Peace of mind.

It is the same with the ES. Look in your owners manual. There are good instructions with a diagram (if I remember correctly) on what to do in this situation.

There are good instructions in the owners manual for doing the replacement. A lot of places sell the correct filter. Lexus parts, Toyota parts (for Camry), Ebay as well as auto parts supply stores. Prices vary so shop around until you find what you are comfortable with.

The new ES is Avalon based. Did you take a test drive(s) and read any reviews before buying? Most reviews have pointed out the difference in ride vs. previous generations. I feel your pain, and know that's it's a big cost, but there are way to avoid the BIG disappointments.

If it's still new with relatively low miles to you could trade it in for something meets your needs better. You'd have to go out of pocket a bit, but you'd be a happier camper. Most of the reviews of the new gen ES have indicated that the new ones don't ride the same as previous generations. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to the individual.

Just FYI it's nitrogen that you can put in your tires. Its benefits are debatable, but I like the way tire pressures stay pretty stable with it.

With synthetic oil 10k intervals are common. There should be no worries. I'm not aware of any transmission problems with the 2013-2014 ES.

In the 7-8 model years since the '07's these features have become more mainstream and readily available. I heard the take rate on them was very low on the '07's.

The car looks great. It should serve you well for a long time. I had a 2007 ES350 in SGM - A great color. Also had a 2010 Starfire Pearl, not an exciting color but in bright light it did pop and very easy to maintain..

If the car is registered on lexus.com (just need the VIN #) you can see the service history. If the hose was replaced it would show on the cars history.

On a positive note, other than the sunroof issue, none of your dislikes are quality or reliability related and most items are things you can look out for on your next purchase.

After this experience do you think you'll keep the Lexus, or move on to something else?

The dealer is mistaken. 2007-2009 ES350's have a DVD based system and 2010-2012's have a hard drive system. Updates are handled differently and the hard drive system has features the previous gen didn't. If it's important to you, you should try to find the correct manual - If not you can learn as you go with your nav version.

That's a loaded question IMO. Seat comfort is so personal and subjective, you really have to sit in them, drive the car a bit and make that decision. What I think are great seats, the next person may hate them. Personally I've been more than happy with Lexus seats, but that's just me.

I'm sure this was a scary incident and I hope you get things resolved. I don't know if this is a design flaw though. Lexus has sold over 115,000 2013 ES here in North America alone, and to date, there hasn't been a recall or safety bulletin regarding sunroofs. I frequent this Lexus forum as well as another one and haven't seen any similar incidents mentioned by other owners. I'm not saying that it didn't happen but it could have been something else that caused it to shatter.

I think the difference is that CR gave a low score to the IS250 after their Road Test. The Reliability ratings come from the Owners Surveys. So a car could score low on the Road Test, but still be Reliable. And a car could do well on the road Test and have lower than average reliability.

Check your owners manual. There are good instruction in it. I agree, if you bought them at a tire store, they should have done it for you.

Yikes! You are paying nearly $7k per year for insurance and 75% of your income for car payments? That's the definition of being "car poor". As much as I like Lexus, no car is anywhere near worth that. Glad you like it though.

I can't speak for Steve, but I think this line in your post might be what he was referring to: "Actually, you sound like the Bellevue dealership's representative. Rather than discussing here, please return my emails/phone calls so we can work towards resolution" In any case. good luck to you guys towards getting a resolution to the issue.

I agree that this is a rare and unfortunate issue. There seems to be three members here reporting the issue. One each in Ontario, Washington and Maryland. Since it seems that each dealership hasn't acknowledged a problem it might be best to pursue other solutions. The suggestion of windshield replacement sounds feasible, especially for cars that are out of warranty. You could take your cars to an automotive glass shop and get their opinion. My guess is that they'd be happy to replace your windshield. I also frequent another Lexus forum and haven't seen this issue raised over there. Effected owners might Google the issue to see what comes up.

Yes, but to improve the case for a warranty claim beyond the standard warranty period (not a safety-related recall), the problem should have been reported and recorded during the warranty period, even if the dealer claimed NPF. So same question, was the windshield problem reported during the lengthy warranty period? Agreed. It's important to have issues reported while the vehicle is still under warranty.

I saw this article and thought it was very interesting. In the same print edition, they showed the effects of a roof mounted bike rack with a wind deflector and two bikes on fuel economy. This setup reduced the mpg's of the car by 35%.

I believe you can copy and paste your post into a new thread in the RX forum.