sonewsy

What is the "going 40" problem? ← Jr says he has the "going 40" problem and Swo3es tells him he shouldn't. ??? Shouldn't a car owner know if a problem has been fixed or not? Swo, I know you're a host and you try to be helpful, but it seems like you go out of your way to tell folks what isn't wrong with their car. Don't they know?

Um, I don't drive my 2005 ES any differently than I drove my 1993 Camry or any other car, including my hubby's Explorer. I haven't felt the hesitation unless I am driving between 1-5 mph. Maybe I'm lucky so far, have 2,100 miles. I asked this question before. Will the lagging at higher speeds happen after a certain mileage? Am I in for a rude awakening any day now? Also, FYI, the new Avalon also has the hesitation issue, too, according to USA TODAY. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/review...2005-02-10-ava- lon_x.htm

Hi all, Quick question: do you drive in fifth or fourth gear? I ask because since I purchased my 2005 car last month, I have driven in D (to the right of 4) all the time. I have about 1,200 miles. I don't have hesitation issues, is this why? Is there any reason to drive in 4? Will it improve gas milage? Thanks much.

Just got an 2005 last month. Was given a month to bring the fob back for free personalized settings. Believe after you get you freebie, the charge for future changes is $175. There are certain personalized changes that require specialized equipment that only Lexus dealers have. That's why it says in the Owners Manual to contact your dealer. ;) ← I'll check my owners manual to see if mine has these features. Now, is this something we have to pay the dealer to do or are these 'adjustments' done for free? ←

No, but I will tomorrow. Not venturing out today. <_<

Please explain high road force. The service manager drove it. He said it was very smooth to him and that I felt the difference between a soft tire like the Toyo summer tire and the sturdier Michelins. The ride isn't as smooth now. But then, I would have killed myself with the toyo proxies j33 in our current snow/icy conditions.

Hi all, I picked my 2005 ES up from the dealership yesterday afternoon. They put on the Michelin tires for me. Upon driving away I thought how rougher the ride seemed, compared to the Toyo tires. Only as I drove longer did I realize that there is a slight vibration in the steering wheel. Very annoying and definitely new. Wasn't there before I took it in. I only have 1,100 miles. Is this a sign they didn't do an alignment or that the tires aren't balanced? Where is this "awesome" dealership service when I need it? Anyone have a similar experience? Of course I plan to take it back.

Toyota has publicly admitted there is a hesitation problem. Search internet for the Pittsburgh newspaper articles in December. I have a 2005. So far the problem is only when I drive 1-5 mph. I have about 1,100 miles. Still, there shouldn't be a problem at all. I had a 2005 loaner yesterday with nearly 4,000 miles (had wheels swapped from Toyo to Michelins). It had a very slight hesitation while I was increasing speed after a toll on the highway. Not the 1-2 second delay, but a flash of a delay that I noticed. Hope it doesn't happen on my car. Supposedly 8 to 10 percent of cars have the problem, according to various posts I read. Don't know if that's true. On the other hand, more lexuses were sold in 2004, after the problem had been around for a while. So go figure. No, there's no fix yet. I am one of the people who'd suggest that you not buy it. As much as I love the rest of the ES-330, the transmission belongs in a Yugo. I'm CONSTANTLY cursing it under my breath. If I accelerate harder than it wants me to, it clunks. A huge percentage of the tme when I'm pulling onto a freeway, the hesitation hits me (the on-ramps in Tulsa are quite short and you really have to step on it). Even under day to day driving, it's constantly reminding me how badly the system is designed. Even worse is Lexus' response. 'There's nothing wrong with your car. It's operating as designed". Since they're taking the position that they actualy DESIGNED the transmission to drive like crap, I'd stay away - at least until they admit the problem publicly and say that they're spending whatever it takes to fix it. Having said that, some people aren't bothered by it. They seem to be mostly people who never need to drive the least bit aggressively. If that fits you, you might like it. INSIST on an exteneded test drive before buying, though (at least a couple of days). ←

Hi, Seems everything I'm reading says you should get off at least $3,000 from the sticker price. Mine was $35,200 and some change. I paid $32,000 excluding tag and tax. They tried to "give" me a good deal at $32,500 but I told them other delars matched the 32k price. I actually could have gotten it cheaper by driving a couple hours. Good luck. I don't know about "average", but I paid $32,909 for my Mom at Lexus of Watertown, Mass yesterday. They told me MSRP was 35,709. So that's $2,800 off. Then add about $150 for documents, registration, and about $1650 sales tax here. I'm not a good negotiator, so I first took Mom in and picked out the car, color preferences, etc, and let them know we were buying within 14 days. I shopped the internet and got several "best" prices, and wrote them all down on a piece of paper. Then I wrote the price I would pay at the local dealer (a couple hundred higher than the best quote from 50 miles away). I went back to the sales guy, told him I had done my homework, and my "price" was written on the folded paper. He had one chance to give me a number. We would then look at the paper together, and I would either write a check, or walk and not look back. He came back, saying his manager didn't like this, but quoted $900 less than what I was willing to pay. I smiled as I wrote the check. :D I think this technique would work even better if you sent your spouse, with a sealed "bid" envelope and a check... make the salesguy write his price on the outside of the envelope... ←

Actually sw, the most firm (and second most firm) setting on the AVS is quite well controlled & not mushy at all. The middle setting & the 2 'softer' setting I would agree with. B) ← Hi all, Wasn't going to weigh in until I had 1,000 miles on my 2005. So far I have 890. Here are my impressions. I test drove a 2003 and immediately told the salewoman and my hubby, who were in the car, something doesn't feel right. My Camry, which was totaled, felt smoother with over 125,000 miles. It was later that I discovered the hesitating transmission problem through internet research. Then I test drove a 2004 with 3500 miles. A bit better but still not smooth. Then I test drove a 2005. Ah! Felt right. My car had 10 miles on it when I test drove it. I didn't take it on t he highway during test drives. Initially it felt weird, like mayo in the transmission, when I drove less than 10 mph. That quickly went away and I can honestly say it's getting smoother by the day. For the first 200 miles I didn't do any crazy stops. Essentially babyed it. Once in stop and go traffic the car lurched forward a bit. That was wild. But I am seldom in stop and go traffic. So the other day I deliberately took the long way with plenty of lights. No pausing or lurching, everything was smooth. I do mostly highway driving. No problem passing or merging. The only change I'm making is from the toyo summer tire to Michelin, cause the toyo is crap/noisy. I have the 17 inch tires. Do I regret my purchase? Not at the moment. I pray my car doesn't develop the 1-2 second hesitation problem after the 1,000 mile mark. Hope this helps.