SW03ES

Not something that can be changed...

You need to really understand leasing, money factors, capitalized cost, etc before you lease. Its very complicated and you can very easily get screwed. Negotiate the price of the car first, then start talking about leasing. When they just quote you a payment like that they are selling you the car for full MSRP which may be up to $4-5k more than you should be paying for that vehicle. The residual stays the same, so anything you can kick off the price will really lower the payments because you are narrowing the difference between the residual and the capitalized cost (purchase price less down payment) which is what you are essentially paying interest on... Even though you are leasing the dealer and the salesman are still selling the car, they're just selling it to LFS (Lexus Financial Services) or whatever bank is doing the lease. Not a lot of banks that do leases in this economy, you're kinda stuck with LFS nowadays. Price first, lowest money factor, highest residual...don't even think about buying the car after. Thats how you lease.

You have to realize though, its not the dealership's product. The dealer is coming out of their own pocket to meet you half way on the repair. Thats another interesting tidbit though, you paid for an additional paint protection package? Do you still have the paperwork from that? It does make sense to me though that the corrosion warranty really only applies to the body of the car. Its also only a perforation warranty and doesn't cover surface rust. If something corrodes from a scratch or a wheel scrape...they can't be held responsible for that. You live in a very corrosive winter location. I know, I'm heading up there in 2 weeks to visit family. The wheels of both their cars are what I would consider badly corroded, and I see that on other cars as well... That goes to show you, always make a note of issues when they pop up. If you had brought it up during the warranty the dealer would have a better chance with Lexus getting them to cover it.

It wouldn't be cheap though...

But remember nc...very responsible...;)

Yeah unfortunately not a lot of owners of the new cars with the new audio setup on here yet... Lower volume than the Prius!

My guess is the bulb has nothing to do with it...

Actually replacing the mirrors wouldn't be a huge deal. I'd be surprised if the mounts are different...

Holy ancient threads....this one's almost 7 years old!

We do need to set one up. In the meantime feel free to post in the RX350 forum...

What kind of relationship do you have with the people at your dealer? On a car with 80k miles I think splitting the cost was a fair offer.

The noise always got worse in the cold too...

Welcome to the LOC Doc!

That sounds high to me... Whats the money factor and lease residual...

Awesome! We need pics!

Yeah thats true also...the ML in the LS is a lot better than in the other models. BUT, you paid 40k for the ES...as opposed to 70k for the LS...

I'm getting ready to put some Yokohamas on the Prius...I'm looking at the Touring-S or the Avid TRZ. The TRZ seems to get better reviews, but the sidewall design is better on the Touring-S. If I like them I'd be willing to give them a shot on the Lexus.

I wouldn't take the chance on the noise personally. Tires are very important to how a Lexus rides...

Yeah nothing rides quite like the LS... Check the air pressure in the tires and make sure they are inflated to the spec on the driver's door jamb...

Its probably that piece of trim we discussed in the other thread...

The doors are triple sealed, its just a very small piece of trim, no difference in noise or anything like that. I could post a picture but I don't think you'd be able to tell, its just a very small little piece right at the bottom of the door panel.... Its all relative. I have an independent Lexus repair shop that does the 5k service (oil change & tire rotation) for $80. Its great that you have a shop that does the oil change for $27 and Discount Tire does the rotations for free. Personally I don't have the time, or the desire to take the time to take the car two places to have one service done. The dealer is more (about $180) for that service, but it was always nice to drop the car off and get a nice loaner and be able to do all of it on my own time, or have the dealer come to my office and get the car and leave a loaner. I also had a good bit of warranty work done, and some things done for free that the dealer didn't have to do such as remove & install a radio bezel that was scratched for me, replace light bulbs for free because of my relationship with them and the valued nature of my business to the service advisor. All in all the service was great and having the car maintained was a pleasant, upscale experience that I enjoyed. As the car got older I made a change and now enjoy saving some money, but when I buy a new one I will probably take it to the dealer again.

I wouldn't worry about it...

My choice in tires for that car would definitely be the Primacy MXV4. I think 30k in tire life is about all you're going to get from low profile tires on those wheels unfortunately, even with the longer wearing Michelins. Thats the tradeoff when it comes to low profile tires. Smooth quiet tires also often suffer short treadwear. At least the Michelins have a warranty... The Primacy is good in the rain and okay in the snow. The LS on all-season tires is pretty awful in the snow, I don't think any tires are going to help with that except snow tires.

Congrats! We need pictures when you get it!

I don't see how...the diameter of the wheel/tire combo is the same...