producer97

Has anybody run into this problem and if so, what was the cause and what was the resolution? Last night I locked the door using the rubber smart access button on the outside of the driver's door. Then I also locked it using the remote control (this I did for the first time since I have owned the car in about a month or so). Then today after I got into the car using smart access, but I couldn't start the engine. The ignition knob would not turn with or without the key or the fake smart access starter that came in a plastic card. I think there was a message flashed on the screen that said cannot detect smart key (which I obviously had with me). After fiddling with it for more than 15 minutes (mainly trying all combinations of keys and turning smart access on and off), I finally was able to start the car. I then tried to duplicate the problem, and I was able to do it using the same sequence as above. I then try to fix it and couldn't again for a while, until all of a sudden it worked again. I don't know what I did to make it work. I RTFM and found it to be largely useless in regard to this problem. I then tried to duplicate the problem 2 times and was not able to do it. I remember when I first bought the car I let my nephew play inside with the keys and somehow he caused the same lock out and I fixed by fiddling without actually knowing what I was doing. The only thing I know for sure is that if I ONLY use smart access, I have no problems whatever. As soon as we use the key in combination with the smart access system, then things go awry. I am probably OK with the set up, I have to say I LOVE the smart access system, but if my wife has to drive somewhere and gets stuck like this she will surely kill me. She almost killed me this morning because I was supposed to drive her to school and she ended up taking a cab and was late. Besides, I might let somebody else drive it and it will be the same issue, which I don't want. Any advice on the cause and solution would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Thanks for letting us know!

Can somebody PLEASE record this show and post on youtube or google? I don't have cable. Thanks!!!!

Well, it seems MB voice recognition stinks just as much as it does on my LS. The funny thing is that I almost bought this car on ebay, 4 years old with ~35k miles for $35K. Then I read nightmare reviews of the V12 engine on mbworld.com forums and that ended my idea of toying with buying a MB without a factory warranty. I later found a newer model (500hp) that still had a few months of factory warranty on it, which would allow me to purchase a 3-year extended warranty for just $6,000!!! From what I hear it's pocket change comparing to what maintenance of that junk would cost.

Thanks for posting. The first part is actually very funny.

That's good to hear...Tell us more about the car: the ride, quietness, handling, comfort, etc,etc,etc...

you are right. I should ask them to drive another LS. It would probably also help determine the wind rush issue, which I sometimes experience at as low as 50mph, especially with other cars around me. I wonder if all these issues are related. I have 17-inch tires and the first tech who said there was nothing wrong with car (or with excessive wind rush) also said that the psi were in the low 40's so he decreased them to the low 30's. It made it marginally better, if at all.

I don't know much about it, but I don't think it's software. I think the hardest think is to make the car that can apply 40% of breaks w/D-plus instead of just 20% on D. I don't see what else is different. It seems that it might be pretty easy to make hydralics to do this, but I guess it's very difficult. I wonder how long it took the second Distronic car company to put out this feature. Audi, btw, also offers plus in one of their cars: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2393487043048006933 Man, this video just makes me want this feature SO BAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!

The reason why they don't have Distronic Plus is because they haven't engineered it yet; I doubt it has much to do with copying. They thieved the backup camera from Q45 in an instant, they could have done the same with D-Plus. personally, i think the backup camera has very limited utility. I think it should be looked at once immediately before backing up, spending the rest of the time looking back. I am so used to (properly) looking only backwards while I am backing up, that when I look at the camera while backing up, it makes me really nervous. Note to self: that's not how it's supposed to be used. What would be really cool is if Lexus built a head up display in the back around brake light projecting a view from the backup camera onto the rear windshield when the car is in reverse.

Thanks for your replies. I decided to take to another dealer. Is it just me or do Lexus service advisors suck no less than those of other car manufacturers? After waiting for 2 hours I inquired about how much longer it might take. He came out from his office and told me they are test driving it now. I couldn't understand it because I was looking at my car in the parking lot and nobody has touched it yet. Then one hour later called me in for a meeting with the tech. He apologized for the delay and said "it does take that long to determine the problem". "That long" was 2 minutes that the tech took to test drive the car, as opposed to ~3 hours that I waited around with the car sitting in the parking lot. It seems that the service advisor is just a liar. Anyway, the tech then said the tires are not factory (Michelin Energy MX4) and that he recommends road-forced wheel balancing and wheel alignment. I made an appointment to drop it off for those services. I am honestly hoping that will be the end of it. Should I ask them to do a safety check of sorts anyway, like check for broken tie rods, etc, while they are working on the car?

if you are rich enough to be able to afford a new LS, chances are you are going to park it in a garage instead of on the street. I find it so rare that one can't find either a regular parking lot or a paid garage and is forced to parallel park. I've lived in NYC and Philadelphia and seems more common for rich people to just park in a garage, even for a 30 minutes for $10. Besides, who wants to leave a new LS on the street in these cities? I personally find Distronic Plus 1000 times more useful than this parallel park feature. Imagine sitting in bumper to bumper traffic only holding the wheel? Man, MB might suck in reliabilty, but its innovations list is surely is impressive (first 3-point seatbelt, first ABS, first airbag, first distronic, first ESP, first distronic plus,etc). The latter would be the reason why I might trade the 05 LS I just bought for another car with this feature on it. Hopefully, it will be a Lexus!

When I drive my 05 LS on the highway, I have to downshift twice to go from 6th to 4th if I need passing power. Kind of a paint in the butt, but no the end of the world. On the new LS, though, am I going to have to go from 8th to 4th to get the passing power I need? That sounds like a major pain.

Thanks!

Can somebody else share what the steering on the LS should be like? I just picked up a used 05 LS from a local used car shop and find that my steering is all weird. Basically, the car doesn't return to the center once I turn the wheel a little bit. So if I turn the wheel a little to the right, the car keeps going to the right, to straighten it out, I have to turn to the left a little bit, but then it keeps going to the left, so i have to turn to the right, etc,etc,etc. Needless to say, it's very annoying to drive this car on the highway, having to adjust it every 2 secons. I just brought it to the dealer, but he didn't find any problems, even though a local tech said the car needs "a litle alignment" after test driving it. The dealer gave me an RX (which seems really crappy now comparing to the LS), but it was really easy to steer and the wheel seemed to want to return to the center once I turn it slightly either left or a right. The dealer didn't charge me for the test drive, so I don't know if they even did it. Any recommendations? Should I take it back and insist on a test drive together with the tech, or even take it to another dealer? Many thanks.