jragosta

i haven't had a problem with my es, but just to give you an idea of the dealer cost... i have a small scratch on my wife's LX cup holder cover. i inquired about how much the cover would run...they brought out the cup holder assy (different, but not much materially more costly than the ES)...$567 for the part alone!

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ROTFLMAO.

I guess they figure that some people would rather pay $567 (plus installation and tax) rather than live with a small scratch.

How do you suggest we battle spammers ,Alan ?

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Slow, painful torture?

Thats the problem here -- dealer is 2500 miles away otherwise it would be on his doorstep and I'd be driving a loaner.

This is a factual problem. 400 (425 max)+ miles per tank then, 300 (322 max)+ now. Reproducable with each fill up of 15-16 gallons.

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Heck, I'd just call your local shop anyway. Any Lexus dealer would honor the warranty on a new Lexus you purchased somewhere else, so it wouldn't be unreasonable to ask them to fix a car repaired elsewhere. You might call the other dealer first and ask them to agree to pay for the repair at your local dealer.

I guess my question is going to end up "how much money do we think I'm gonna have to spend to fix this?" And do I take it to the dealer or local specialty toy/lex shop (seem to have very good rep).

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I would say it depends.

If the dealer who installed it got the timing belt off by one tooth, he should fix it at no charge. If the problem is something else, it could cost you.

I'd first verify that the drop in mileage is real - you'll need to know the mileage under identical conditions. Your original statement makes me feel like it may be a vague feeling rather than hard documentation.

Still, even with the feeling that the mileage had dropped, a good dealer would probably have a look at it.

also if you are lucky you may be able to get a custom programd chip they coast a bit more but if you can get one were you live it is the way to go. they run about $500 but are much better

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But let's put it in persepctive. That $500 isn't going to get him all that much extra performance. You're just not going to turn an ES into a hot rod - unless you bolt on a turbocharger, modify the exhaust, and so on. Even then, the amount of performance vs dollars spent isn't going to be all that impressive.

I am so mad. Today my husband and i went to the store and i pulled in a parking place with no one around and here comes this woman flying up next to us. My husband was getting out the passenger side and it was taking him a few seconds well when he opened his door the lady had to stop and wait. I have no idea why she just didn't go to the next parking place. Anyway he took a few more seconds to get the door shut and she gave him a dirty look so i said to him man she sure looked mad cause she had to wait for you. He never even looked at her so he did not see the look. I said maybe we should go back and move the car cause she looked really mad (about what i really don't know) and she might hit it with her door or something. He said no we will just be a minute. So we didn't move the car and when we came out of the store a buggy was against the car and then i said i told you she was mad. There was no damage where the buggy was sitting, but on the front fender it has a i want to say scratch, but it was bigger then a scratch. The paint was taken off. Also on the door is red paint. Oh man i really wish that i would have moved my car. I know what color the truck was, but there is a lot of red trucks out there. I could wish and wish that i moved it or that i paid more attention to the vehicle or that i took her plate #, but i did none of that and wishing is not going to make me fill any better. I wanted to take a picture of it, but as soon as we got home my husband started fixing it and i did not get to take a picture. My husband thinks that she hit the buggy with her truck and then pushed it against our car. How can people do that. Every time i hear something like this i fill so bad for the person that it happens to. Some people are so rude!

:cries:        :(

I needed to vent and i thought this is the best place so do forgive my rambling.

Oh yeah my husband said that the red paint will buff right out. You can barely see it. I seen it cause i was looking for other marks.

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Yeah, it's a bummer, but at some point you have to let it go. It's only a car - and not worth having a stroke over.

I love the ES but check out the 05 G35 before you buy the ES.  Its more sporty and the interior is much better than that of previous years.

Comes down to what you like. Luxury and comfort = Lexus (no doubt), sporty = any other "luxury" company

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Yeah, I forgot to mention the Infiniti G35. It's about halfway between the Acura TL and Lexus ES330 in both sportiness and luxuriousness. However, some people don't like the seats, so be sure to take an extended test drive.

My dealer charges $260 for an oil change...

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Wow. You need a new dealer. That's twice what I pay for a full 5,000 mile service - including tire rotation, fluid fills, other maintenance, and checking all the hoses and belts.

I searched a bit but I could not find anything about the cabin filter.  I did find the WIX part number 24905 for about 20 bucks at RockAuto.  I just need a picture or an idea of where to find the filter in the car.  I am a little frustrated paying about $400 every 5,000 miles.  I am going to service the vehicle's basic maintenance oil changes, air filters, wipers, tire rotations, etc.

Here is the info I have as far as parts:

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$400 every 5,000 miles? Seems pretty high - even if you were using Australian or Canadian dollars.

My 25,000 mile service was $227.43 - and that included 4 wheel alignment for $99.99

20,000 miles was $128.86

Yes, you can save a few dollars, but not all that much.

Oh, and btw, you run the risk of doing a boatload of damage if you put in inferior parts (can you say 'K&N Aif filter'?) or install something wrong.

I agree, Acura is cheaper and may be engineered to handle better than a Lexus. (Lexus is definitely not marketing the ES330 as a sporty car)  Their intentions are golden for those drivers looking for a soft, luxurious, quiet and comfortable ride.  Again, this is a personal opinion and preference, so that's why I would choose Lexus over Acura.  

One thing I must question is:  Why do you believe the Lexus certified program doesn't save people enough money?

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Because every time I've looked at a CPO, the price was too close to the price of a new one. I'm not willing to accept a used car with 20 K miles to save $2-3,000.

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Sometimes you have to turn to CPO to get "what you want." Say someone HATED the new lights and features of the 05 Es330's and liked the 04's better. They would most likely look for a CPO 04 that was in good condition, and save a few $$$ there. Just to get what they want.

I just recently bought a 2003 CPO rx300 for my daughter because she wants the rx300. Unfortunatly (well not really LOL) they don't make the rx300's anymore, so the 03 was the newest. Therefore CPO is looking kinda great!!

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I guess that makes sense.

I can't recall ever being that much in love with one feature, though. Also, if I were in that situation, I'd still probably buy new - even if I had to buy a different car. I just don't like the idea of paying nearly new prices for used cars.

I agree, Acura is cheaper and may be engineered to handle better than a Lexus. (Lexus is definitely not marketing the ES330 as a sporty car)  Their intentions are golden for those drivers looking for a soft, luxurious, quiet and comfortable ride.  Again, this is a personal opinion and preference, so that's why I would choose Lexus over Acura. 

One thing I must question is:  Why do you believe the Lexus certified program doesn't save people enough money?

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Because every time I've looked at a CPO, the price was too close to the price of a new one. I'm not willing to accept a used car with 20 K miles to save $2-3,000.

Lexus vs. Acura?  Lexus wins in my opinion.  Why?  Lexus has statistically proven to offer better quality, reliability, dealer treatment and strong resale value.  Furthermore, you feel the personal satisfaction of driving a respected luxury brand.  Dont get me wrong though, Acura is definitely a nice luxury car, however, I just dont think their quality is all there yet. 

Check out the Lexus Certified Program.  It has a lot of benefits to offer plus you can save much more $$; again that's just my personal taste.  The price will vary depending on what package/options are included.  What are you interested in?  Was it the Acura TL you were comparing the ES330 too?

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It depends.

Lexus wins on ride quality and low noise levels. They have (on average) better quality and I like the way you're treated at the dealer. Other than the Lexus dealer's propensity to say that 'it's designed that way' to any problem in your car - from bad shifting to seat memory forgetting its position.

On the other hand, at least Acura knows how to make a car that shifts properly. Also, Acura has more power, better handling, and more options for the money.

Basically, if you can live with the crappy shifting on the Lexus and want a quiet ride, get the Lexus. If you want performance and handling or can't stand the shifting on the Lexus, get the Acura.

As for Lexus certified - I'd never buy one. You don't save enough money to make up for the fact that you're buying an older car.

Hi,

The MOD chip are not good. They are always junk stuffs - like junk foods. They usually not help anything but will damage your car instead. Try K&N air filter + use Premium gas (91 or higer). I use those two on on my 2003 ES300 and it is alot better.

PS: replace the Engine oil at Lexus Dealer because they use good oil - Mobil 1 Super Synthetic oil 5w-30 but cost $45 bucks.

Hope this will help.

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This has been stated repeatedly before. Stay away from K&N. They do not offer the degree of filtration you need and could potentially damage your engine. Someone gave data showing that K&N let particles through - causing your oil to become contaminated more quickly than a paper filter.

Furthermore, someone provided data in this forum showing that K&N didn't even provide any better air flow than a good paper filter.

Search the archives and you'll see what I mean. K&N is a wonderful testimony to a marketing person being able to convince people to spend money on something that's actually bad for them.

I just got it done on my ES 330. It is somewhat improved, but still not the way a $35 K car should shift. It's probably gone from a Yugo quality transmission to a Chevy Cobalt quality transmission.

The most dangerous part (the long lag when accelerating from 35-40 mph to highway speed) is dramatically better, but it still clunks a lot and shifts very hard. I've only driven it a couple days, so maybe it's still learning and will get better.

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I guess I needed to give it a little longer. I've driven about 300-400 miles now and it's much better. Still not what it should be, but the clunking and hard shifts that appeared when they reprogrammed are nearly gone. I guess it didn't like my driving style until it adapted.

Overall, it's much better and I'd recommend it to anyone who's having the problem. If you're happy with the way yours drives, don't bother.

What kind of stuff is piled back there? lol  

 

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Pretty much everything that belongs in a filing cabinet. Shes an attorney, and has a lot of papers etc. to lug around everywhere. Yet her office is so clean??? LOL

Also anything she needs to carry around obviously...Suits, jackets from the cleaners etc. The hook on the door is no longer attached don't know where it went. I found a few bottles of empty (thank god) soda cans and McDonald's cups (thank my daughter for that) and i also found $10 in change LOL... It's just a mess; i don't know how she can drive around in that car!!! Not like she cares; as long as it has 4 wheels, can accelerate faster than she can walk..it's "just" a car...$40,000 and it's just a car..makes me mad... :o

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I think we can work out a deal that will make everyone happy.

I'll trade you my 2000 Chevy Cavalier for it. Since your wife only wants 4 wheels and an engine, she won't care. She WILL, however, be happy because you'll quit nagging her about the condition of her car.

Since you can't stand to see your beautiful Lexus abused, you'll be happy.

And you probably don't need me to tell you why I'd be happy.

See? Everyone wins.

Ask the dealership to replace them as they are driving you crazy from the noise.

They probably will help you.

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Hmm.......I guess that I'm the only one that is happy with my Bridgestone's on my '03ES. :(

So far I have about 14K miles on these tires, and the tread looks excellent, and they're really very quiet and smooth rolling. The wet & dry traction is also very good.

Believe it or not, my '94ES came equipped with Michelin tires, and I wasn't that impressed with the tread life, noise, and traction. In fact at 30K miles I changed them to Pirelli P6000 tires which in my opinion were better all around.

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I have Bridgestones on my 04 ES. I don't think they're terrible tires, but I'm not very impressed. My biggest complaint is that they're noisy. Tire noise appears to be the biggest source of noise in the car. On the plus side, several people here said that the life would be terrible. I've got 25,000 miles and still have 6 / 32 left (11/32 new). Still, I'll probably replace them with something quieter this fall.

Folks! This weekend, I am planning on a Looooong road trip from Omaha, NE to Hartford, CT (1400 miles) approx. I am moving and driving my 98 ES300. It has 125K. Last week, I changed the oil with Amsoil Synthetic + Amsoil filter. Do I need to check or be aware of anything else regarding my vehicle? Is it ok to drive my car continuously 10 hours a day (ofcourse I'll stop for gas and food inbetween). Please share with me if you have any thoughts or experience.

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Aside from what everyone else recommended, be sure to bring a good map, first aid kit, and pen/paper for notes. Also make sure your cell phone coverage is OK and you're not going to get charged a fortune for roaming (or just don't use it other than an emergency if you have to pay roaming).

The only other recommendation I have is that if you can afford the time, take your time and don't rush through. There are lots of nice things to see between Omaha and Hartford. If you can add a day or two, you can make the trip a lot more enjoyable.

I remember my first cross country road trip. Ithaca, NY to San Francisco - in a 1986 Honda Civic. Aside from the tiny size of this car, I had to keep a case of oil in the back seat since we were stopping every hour to add oil (I managed between 60 and 80 miles per quart). :-)

Have fun.

I just got it done on my ES 330. It is somewhat improved, but still not the way a $35 K car should shift. It's probably gone from a Yugo quality transmission to a Chevy Cobalt quality transmission.

The most dangerous part (the long lag when accelerating from 35-40 mph to highway speed) is dramatically better, but it still clunks a lot and shifts very hard. I've only driven it a couple days, so maybe it's still learning and will get better.

my sweespot is at 120km per hour ,at that point the engine load decreases (vacume gauge) and the engine note disappears

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That doesn't mean your fuel economy is best there.

If you do a carefully controlled test, you'll find that your economy is better at 100 km/hr than at 120 - and still better if you drop to around 80-90 km/hr.

This is all about simple physics.

Back in the day of the US manditory 55mph that ruled.

IMHO that stopped applying long ago.

Taking the f150 to work, there is 15 miles of 70mph highway, then another 10 miles of 50mph driving.

Gas mileage increases on an all highway tank.

I took a long trip to Kentucky up I-65 in december of '03. Going up was spent with the cruise control well north of 100mph (minus nashville) in the very early hours of the morning. (leave work, after midnight take girlfriend to a concert in lexington)

Gas mileage was virtually the same as the return trip, which was done around 80-100mph (starting from the bowling green vette plant)

Stow the comments. This is for example purposes only.

There is a point where mileage flips between very little load on the engine with a slow speed, and a higher fuel useage with the running time is shorter (takes less time to get somewhere).

It's the same deal with wondering if X gear ratio is better than y gear ratio. Obviously, the less the engine is turning over, the less fuel it uses. Not as obvious is that there is a higher load on the engine, and you use more fuel per revolution as a higher gearing...

The v6 ES / Camry platform is the perfect example. Everyone get's in seeing the v6 around 3000mph at 70mph and assumes this is very high.

Yet they don't realize that becase of the lighter load on the engine, it uses the same amount of fuel in practice as any equivilant car / engine in it's class turning a lower rpm. (read VQ30 Maxima)

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Congratulations. You've just rewritten the laws of physics.

Virtually everything you've written is wrong. The fuel economy at 100 mph is far, far worse than at 70 - or 55.

If I had to drive 45 - 50 mph all the time, I'd feel like I was in the movie Driving Miss Daisy!       

 

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I didn't say that you should drive that speed. I said that the fuel economy was highest there. The most economical speed is the slowest one you can tolerate. :-)

I serched the economy spped on google and some article said driving with 60 mph could get the best fuel economy. But for my ES 300, I think the economy speed is 70-80 mph.

Anyone has experence on this, please give me some advice.

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For most modern cars, the highest mileage will be around 45-50 mph. The energy required just to push air out of the way increases as the square of velocity.

You can easily test it yourself.

Update on my tranny reflash.

It has been almost 1500 miles since the reflash.  (A round trip from Boston to Toronto will do that to your odometer)

1.  The shifting is still very pleasing to me.

2.  There is no joggle at 40 mph.

3.  The shifting on the highway is very nice when passing and getting up to speed rapidly.

4.  Only once did I feel the dreaded redline and no shifting.  However, it was from 10 mph, I floored it, going up a steep hill while turning right coming out of a mall.

5.  I am in learning mode too, so I am still getting used to the shifting.  I keep expecting the old tranny to come back.  So far so good.

My travel to Toronto and back was all major highways.  I averaged 29.5 mpg for the entire trip, and it was mostly driving 75-80 mph.

I will post in two or three tankfuls the mpg for around town driving.

steviej

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Sounds great. I'm having mine done next week. I hope it works!!

It's time for next oil change for my car. I was reading lots of thread in our club about using AMSOIL synthetic oil. Today, I contacted Amsoil, tech support dept to get clarified on couple of things before going ahead with my order. The tech person suggested me to go with ATM Amsoil Synthetic Oil 10W-30. He said, I don't have to change oil for 25000 miles except that I need to change the oil filter at 12500 miles. I am in for a total shock. If this is true I don't have to change oil for next 2 yrs!!!. If I order online, all I have to spend is $70 (including shipping for 2 yrs worth of oil change). For me, it sounds too good to be true.

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If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I wouldn't EVER run a car that long on an oil change. Your engine will cost you thousands of dollars to replace. It's not worth saving a few dollars.

And, yes, I'm sure I'll hear from a few people who say 'I use it and haven't had problems'. Sorry, that doesn't prove that it's safe.

Its not that all the cars dont have the problem, they do, its that not all the drivers experience the problem. I've never driven a Lexus that didn't have this hesitation and I've driven many, especially ES's.

Supposedly theres a reflash that fixes it now though, check out the pinned thread.

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It doesn't look like there's a fix.

After my last service visit, I sent in the questionnaire about their service. I pointed out that I was particularly offended when Lexus tells me that clearly defective behavior is normal - this is what they told me both over the transmission problem and the fact that the seat memory doesn't go back to the same position.

I got a call today from their customer support and explained my concerns. She re-iterated that they don't have a fix for the problem - and implied that there will never be one. Now, it's possible that they simply never told their customer support people about the latest flash, but I doubt it. Considering all the complaints, you'd think that they'd tell them about the new patch - if it really fixed the problem.