jragosta

As I've explained earlier, one of my biggest complaints about the way Lexus is handling this is their insistence that the car operates as designed. Now, if they said 'some drivers experience a hesitatation but we don't think it's severe enough to cause a safety issue', that would be better. Insisting that the car is DESIGNED to have a huge lag for many drivers is just stupid. WHy do I bring it up now? I just took my car in for its 20,000 mile service and asked them to look at a few other things. One of them is an item I've complained about at least 5 times. I like my seat all the way back. I move it back and program the memory to stay there. After my wife drives the car (she moves the seat way forward), I hit the memory button to return the seat to the furthest back position - but it doesn't go all the way back. It stops about an inch short. I've taken it in 5 times and they always say they can't duplicate it. Today, the service manager said 'oh, yes, we've seen that problem before and it's designed that way'. WTF!!! They designed it to go to a different position than it was programmed? And if it was designed that way, why didn't they tell me that the first 5 times? Again, an honest answer would have been 'because of the tolerances, it's not unusual to get an error of 1" or so in the memory settings, but we have never found a way to avoid that' or something like that. Telling me time after time that I'm imagining the problem is the worst possible customer service. I'm even more convinced that this is my last Lexus. I just talked someone else out of buying one today.

A number of comments: 1. Did they give you an estimate for all that work? Even if you don't plan to have them do it, it would be useful to have their estimate - and another shop's. 2. IF they're seeing leakage around the valve cover gasket and you just did it, one of two things probalby happened: a. You didn't really fix the problem and it's still leaking (either due to improper installation or bad mating surfases) b. You fixed the problem but they misdiagnosed it because there's still some oil there. It does seem rather odd for all those things to need attention at the same time. Do you see oil and/or transmission fluid on your driveway or garage?

Sounds like the radio is OK and he has a problem with the amp. It would be nice if he simply has a loose connection. Unfortunately, if it is the amp, that's almost as bad as the radio. Even if there's a line out which would allow him to connect to a new external amp, Lexus speakers are odd impedance and he'll have to be careful to get an amp that works with the speakers - and an installer who knows what he's doing.

That's always been true. If you read the reviews from nearly any automotive magazine, they criticize the ES as being 'boring' or 'unexciting'. The reviewers rave over cars that are FAST and have extreme handling - which is why the Acura TL always beats the ES in those reviews. Don't let it bother you too much.

It all comes down to condition. In 'average' condition, Edmunds puts this car at right around $10 K in a private party transaction. In excellent condition, it goes up to $12.5 K or so. In general, my personal opinion is that a car with that many miles isn't worth purchasing unless it's in absolute prime condition. No major problems and obviously very well tended (with records to match). If you can see one or more major problems, it's not just an issue of "well, it will cost me $1000 to replace the tmining belt", it's more an issue of "if they didn't take care of this item, what other items did they neglect". Now, I realize that my situation is probably different than yours - I'm more interested in a new vehicle. But, on the other hand, someone buying a 5 year old used car probably needs reliability even more than I do because you're not going to want the expense of paying for a rental and repairs. So, back to my original suggestion. I would not personally buy any car with >75 K miles unless it appears to be in absolutely exceptional condition. Good luck.

Seems to me that the solution would be to leave the car overnight since it seems like it only happens when the engine is cold. Even if you see the problem tomorrow, by the time you get to the dealer, the engine will be warm and the problem will go away.

While that's technically corect, that doesn't seem to explain his symptoms. He's not seeing slow cranking, he's seeing normal starting and then low idle. I guess if the oil was almost completely empty it might account for a low idle, but if it were that low, the oil warning light would have come on.

That's your problem right there. You don't want to go to a dealer, so you're stuck with a mechanic who doesn't know what he's doing. Of the three things he tried (and charged you for), only the throttle plate would have been anywhere near the top of my list of things to try. I can't for the life of me figure out how he thought a low oil level would cause those systems. A bad alternator just might, but only under very, very unusual circumstances. A short in the stereo is truly one of the most bizarre suggestions I've ever heard. I'm not an expert, so anything I have to say is probably not very useful. I'd be looking at things like plugged fuel injectors or a bad sensor somewhere. But your best bet is to take it to the dealer (who would undoubtedly charge you less than your quack mechanic did). Oh, and I'd go back to your mechanic and demand my money back. The guy's just throwing money at your car without having any idea what he's doing.

i should have been more clear, i am a manager at Motorola. i oversee the refurbishment of phones. and while i understand that cellular telephones are not car parts, i also can tell you that 99% of our final product is 100% rebuilt with new parts. the only thing that isnt replaced is the main circut board, which is completely erased and updated with the latest software. i can only expect the same from auto parts manufacturers. ← I see. That's the problem. While you're doing it the right way, there are a lot of shops who don't. You can buy 'refurbished' parts that are simply parts taken from the junkyard and cleaned off. I agree that if it's done properly, a refurb can be OK. But a huge percentage in the auto business are not done properly. And the ones that are won't be as big a savings as the cheapo ones.

Since you refurbish things for a living, I would say that your opinion might be just a bit biased. And while you are no doubt one of those refurbishers who does everything right and can provide a very high quality part, that doesn't negate the fact that there's a lot of crap out there being passed off as refurbished. That's why I made the comment that you need to have confidence in the people who did the work. IN GENERAL, it's not realistic to expect that refurbished parts will last as long or longer than OEM parts. A refurbished part has wear that a new part does not have. Even though you're replacing the obvious wear parts, things like the bodies can have small cracks that you don't see. I consider it a risky money saving venture. If you have complete confidence in the people who did the work, it might be worth it. Otherwise (such as if you're getting a no-name refurb part), I'd generally stay away.

The price seems quite reasonable. I paid $1850 to rebuild my 92 Chrysler Town & Country transmission about 6-7 years ago. Just make sure you trust the people doing the work and that you get a decent warranty.

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).

The mechanic i go to ( you all know him) prefers a lexus power steering pump becuase he has seen Aftermarket ones fail after as little as 1,000 miles. i myself do not have the $450 to spend on a lexus power steering pump, $450 will buy me 6 aftermarket power steering pumps, so even if i have to replace one a year, i still am dead even for 6 years. ← Well, that's true if you don't have any labor costs. AND if your down time isn't important to you. AND if you don't mind being stuck in the middle of nowhere and having to get the car towed in when the pump fails. The decision obviously depends on your personal situation, but I would never install a rebuilt pump - for exactly the reason your mechanic is stating.

Depends on how long you plan to keep the car. If you're planning to sell it in the next 6 months, I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you're planning to keep it longer, I'd want to be convinced that the people who rebuilt it really did the job properly and know what they're doing. There are plenty of 'rebuilders' who take parts from the junkyard, clean them up a bit, and call them rebuilt. Unless you know the people who did it very well, I wouldn't think it's worth the savings.

I'm glad you like the sound of yours. Unfortunately, that's not going to be typical. Let's say that the car has a dip in its acouistic curve at 10 kHz. Lexus buys a speaker which is slightly elevated at 10 kHz. Then, they play with the location. An inch further forward or further backward and the dip could be worsened rather than made better. Repeat that process at a wide range of frequencies. Now, unless your speaker has exactly the same frequency response curve as the stock speakers, it's going to mis-match the interior acoustics. That is, instead of having higher response at 10 kHz, it would have flat or lower response. That would make the overall sound less flat. My experience is that most people who like the sound of a given speaker like if for precisely that reason - it sounds louder in a frequency range that is important to them. That's why you have so many people who go around bragging about their speaker with buckets of bass response, but which otherwise sound like crap. You just can't expect a set of speakers to improve on the OVERALL balance of OEM speakers unless you put a lot of work into balancing the system. BTW, here's an example I presented earlier. Go to your favorite mid- to high-end audio store. Listen to the Klipsch or other speakers in the $500 / pr range. You're probably going to love the sound of these speakers. If you read the reviews, you'll get rave reviews about the great sound. NOW, listen to the Infinity 360 speakers. Pay particular attention to the clarity and detail. Basically, the other brands sound like you're hearing the speakers. The Infinity sounds like you're hearing the music. (When you're done, tell the salesman he has to send me half his Infinity commission check) The same is true of car speakers. The only way to turn off your perceptions is to either listen to the speakers IN THE CAR before buying or buy good speakers and then have them acoustically balanced (which is something that won't be cheap and requires a good quality shop).

The problem is the car's acoustics. If you take a pair of speakers that sound incredible in the show room and put them into a car, they can sound terrible. At the very least, if I were replacing speakers, I'd have them installed by a shop who could properly equalize them to make up for the acoustics. Then, you have the matter of individual preferences. The Polk speakers might sound great to you, but to me they might be terrible. I can virtually guarantee that the speakers I'd prefer would be far to bright for your taste. Lexus puts a lot of time into selecting speakers for their cars and then balancing the entire audio system. Making arbitrary changes is just as likely to make it worse as to make it better. Best to either do the entire system properly or stick with what Lexus provided. IMHO.

so where can i find some factory spec speakers? dealer item only? ← It doesn't look like anyone has answered your question yet. I would guess that this should be an easy item to find in a salvage yard. That's where I'd go. Or, you could ask the dealer how much, but it's probably a high profit item and might be too much.

That's not fair. SOME people are paranoid about the transmission issue. OTOH, SOME people are extremely insistant that it's not a problem - ignoring all the people who say it is. I have the transmission problem and consider it to be a major safety issue. I will gladly join a class action suit. Furthermore, if anyone has an injury due to this problem, I will personally testify against Lexus that they've been informed about the issue many, many times but refuse to acknowledge it. Sadly, it's probably going to take someone being killed before Lexus does anything about it. That doesn't make me paranoid - even if you choose not to consider it a problem.

Well, it could be about a thousand things. Needs a tuneup Plugged fuel injectors Badly underinflated tires Low transmission fluid Transmission not shifting into top gear Bad O2 sensor Bad PCV valve And a zillion more. Are there any other symptoms that might help to narrow it down?

How many miles?

Sounds like there's something wrong with yours. My 2004 ES 330 does pretty well on gas - especially when you consider that there are more than 200 ponies under the hood. At a steady 70 mph, I was pretty close to 30 mpg last week. Not too bad at all for a midsize.

Like SW03ES said, the 2001 ES300 has them, but not worth speaking of. You find this out quickly, when your steaming cup almost spills on your leather seats! Yuck! ← Man, that's terrible. I have a friend who had narrowed her choice down to three car models. She ended up buying a Mercedes based mostly on the number and functionality of the cup holders. ← Cupholders were also one of my wife's criteria. She hated my 2000 Acura TL but likes her 2004 Volvo V70. She likes the cupholders in the front of the Lexus, but the rear ones are a pain (you can't use them if there are 3 passengers in the rear).

← Why would you leave out the sub since you already own it and a good amp? If your model has a factory sub, I guess you won't miss much (unless you're one of these bass hungry people who seem to live next to me all the time). But if you don't already have a sub, you'll definitely want to install it. A decent amp to drive the front and rear speakers isn't all that much when you consider the cost of the entire project.

It's going to be completely dependent on the car's acoustics and your ears. I'd suggest having this done by a reputable shop who has the ability to equalize things so that the speakers blend well with the car's interior. Everything else being equal (which it never is, of course), I prefer Infinity speakers. They tend to give a very crisp, bright sound - but that's what I prefer. You might prefer the richer, boomier sound of the Alpines. (For comparison, go to a stereo store and compare the Infiinity Primum 360 towers (list $300 each, available for just over half that) to anything under $1 K using classical or vocal music. Even the salesman was amazed at how much more musical the Infinity speaker were - even compared to Klipsch and other names. Apparently, most people just come in with their booming rock CDs and miss out on the accuracy issues that you don't hear very well at 110 db with booming bass). A good car stereo shop should be able to help you through this decision.

Just in case anyone might be tempted to take this seriously - don't. There's no way you're going to get a 10% increase in fuel economy simply by replacing the air filter. Undoubtedly, the conditions 'after' were different than 'before'.