SW03ES

Whats the matter ris, didn't get quite the welcome at CL as you thought you would after we banned you the first time? Re-banned!

Come on guys...lets cool it...

Hey Nick, have you ever tried the pens from www.paintscratch.com? I actually like them better than AutoVisuals pens...

Hey Steve. Sounds like a very good debatable topic but honestly I'm not into politics too much and I try to stay away from political debates hehe I'll also keep that in mind though but I'm not too sure at this point if I can change my final debate topic.. I'll see... Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks guys .. :) It has nothing to do with politics and it fits perfectly with your topic. To me, as a fairly well read observer of the automobile industry, this is THE reason why foreign carmakers are better and can make a better product than domestic carmakers. Part of the real reason that the domestic carmakers have serious financial problems, and one of the big disadvantages they have when competing with foreign companies are the pension and retiree obligations they have. The UAW has strong armed them into these hugely expensive pension plans and healthcare for their retirees until they and their spouses die to the point where I read a figure where $4,000 per vehicle goes straight to paying those obligations. It doesn't take an economist to realize that foreign carmakers, who don't have those obligations, have much wider profit margins. RX is also very correct. My accountant has wanted a Corvette all his life. Being as financially conservative as he is he planned out when he would buy it, this year. He's going to wait, why? Because he wants to wait and see what happens to GM...

Good, keep us posted. Let me give you some advice...don't spend your time trying to teach others a lesson. The dealer isn't going to learn their lesson, you're not the first person they've treated this way I'm sure. You have to step back and look at this from a business perspective. What has the dealer really lost? You were never a solid customer anyways by your own admission, and would you really have taken it back there and spent $200 on an oil change even if they had treated you great? No, you wouldn't have. I'm not saying they should have treated you that way, they shouldn't have, but looking at the situation and really understanding the value you bring to the equation and what the other party has truly to loose is enormously helpful when you're negotiating in situations like this... Just look out for you, get your car fixed and move on.

Bear in mind though...that is a collision claim same as if you hit something and damaged the bodywork. Its considered a collision with the road... Its at-fault and it will effect your rates.

Why would you be surprised? Moderators are a volunteer position. It would stand to reason if one were interested enough in the site to volunteer to be a moderator...they would be active. Look through the list of top posters, many are moderators. Thats true on any internet forum because the site's owners recruit well respected and active members to be moderators. Why else would someone be a moderator? Do you think we get paid or something? And thats not true. I do like Lexus vehicles a lot but I am also critical about things pertaining to the brand. What I have a strong bias against is whining... The "override" was never meant to be used by customers to allow inputs while driving. Its only on 04-06 systems (my 03 system has no override) Its in a service menu screen designed for servicing the system by the dealer, and it was just stumbled across by someone. Thats why they did away with it. If you upgrade the software on your 04-06 system..the override goes away. Lexus navigation systems have ALWAYS had locked out input features while driving, thats a fact. Most carmakers also lockout the same functions, that too is a fact. My opinions and discussions on this site have nothing to do with me being a moderator. And for the record, nothing that happens on this or any other internet forum makes me mad. I do this for fun. If a time came where this made me mad and detracted from the happiness of my life...I would no longer do it. What I can't stand is people being self-important and whining instead of taking responsibility for not taking the time to thoroughly research a product before buying it. By the time I bought my car, I had driven dozens of them, knew all the features inside and out. Because thats what smart people do before they plunk down the better part of $100,000 on a vehicle. All this talk of class action suits and making Lexus deactivate the lockout is simply a waste of time. They aren't going to do it... Right...don't like it, don't buy the Lexus. Buy one of the two brands of cars that don't lockout nav system functions while driving...BMW or Acura. Everyone else locks out functions. Don't like posting on a forum where moderators can close and lock discussions? Don't post here...or on ClubLexus...or any other internet site pretty much. Why would you get banned? Have we banned anyone else in this discussion who has disagreed with me?

Do some research here. Swirl marks are caused by many things, the least of which is a buffer. A buffer used properly removes swirl marks. Most swirling is caused by improper washing and drying technique.

Depends on what the hitch is used for. If I had a need to use the ES to haul bikes...I'd have a hitch put on. I'm planning to put a hitch on the Prius for a bike rack this summer, we're planning to do some biking. On the trunk racks ruin the paint...I'd rather have a hitch. I wouldn't tow a boat with the ES, but a bike rack or a little utility trailer like Jim mentioned would be fine.

I would talk about pension and retiree obligations and the UAW too.

Your IS does not have RunFlats. If the guy at the dealer told you that, he was wrong.

Welcome to the club!

Nobody's going to flame you here ;)

Ah okay...then the 3k is a deal. Still way too early for struts, air struts or not.

I really disagree. In the many times over the years when I've had bodywork done to cars, the bodywork I've had done at dealership shops has always been the work I am least satisfied with, and that includes Lexus dealers. Dealerships have a built in source of business and they don't need to rest on their reputation to get business. Look at the way this dealer has treated him, they obviously don't care about customer satisfaction. An independent shop has to rest on their reputation, because its customer satisfaction and referrals that keep them alive. While I agree with you it would be nice to make these guys do it until its right, me personally I care more that the work is done well and properly than making someone make right for some damage they did. This dealer doesn't care and they have already written this person off in terms of any future business. They will do a half assed repair job and then tell her to go screw. Thats what crappy dealers do. Get them to cover the repair at a good shop and never go there again.

I think its a truck thing. I have heard off-roaders call rear differentials "pumpkins" when discussing truck mods, suspension lifts, etc. They talk about clearance under the "pumpkin".

It went up and is settling back down here...

Yeah lets call it a rear differential so people know what you're talking about ;)

First of all, you have to calm down. This is a private club and it is in no way affiliated with Lexus USA, Lexus international, or Lexus Canada. Niether SK performance nor anyone else involved in the ownership or management of this site are employees of Lexus or any Lexus dealer. In fact...I think SK does or did work for a Mercedes dealership. We are just private individuals who are Lexus enthusiasts. You're welcome to join and post here, but this is a recreational activity for all of us and if you're going to try and somehow blame us for what happened or attack other people the way you have attacked SK here, you'll be asked to leave. SK is the second most senior member of the site's moderating team, he is the second highest contributer to the site, and he has been a member here for years. He just knows the way these things work, as I do. I'm sure he's also been to that dealer since he lives in that town, which is why he knows the dealership's layout. So any other comments you want to make about our management or members...I'd hold onto them. Now, from what I know of how things work in the US (I can only guess its the same as in Canada) the dealers are independent businesses. Lexus is in no way involved, and they will stay uninvolved as they did already when they sent you that brush off. What you need to do is deal with the dealer. Try and find the dealer's General Manager. Unfortunately the one thing you could have done which you did not do was call the police and get a police report. But...thats water under the bridge. My suggestion is that you contact your insurance company and let them handle it. They will fix your car and they will try and go after the dealership, the employee, and/or the manager who owns the vehicle. They may or may not be successful. Its a little bit of a gray situation, the vehicle was under your control when it was damaged not the dealers (or it would automatically be their fault), there is no police report, and assumably the vehicle that hit you was being operated privately, not under the business of the dealership since it was the property of the service manager. I feel for you...but yelling at us and making insinuations about the managers here isn't going to help anything.

Why on earth would you pay full sticker right now?!?

Happy Birthday!

Yep, it definately was. The Taurus saved Ford from ruin in the 80s. Then they tried to recreate that in 1996 when they rolled out the oval-disaster. Didnt work as well.

Our house in Carolina went under contract within 4 days of hitting the MLS, for what we asked for. I could possibly be one of the last few guys left to make a profit on a piece of residential real estate in the country! Especially considering we bought it in Oct. of 06' right at the tail end of the inflated price bubble. One word...Cul-de-sac! Excellent!

My opinion is if these guys are jerks, and they can't even drive a car arounf without wrecking it, why would I ever let them do any bodywork to my car? Thats why I would find an independent shop. Yes and no. They send out customer satisfaction surveys and they charge low performing dealers higher interest rates on their stock, etc. However, if you called 1-800-25-LEXUS they would tell you that you need to deal with the dealership directly.

Look on the bottle. They display the ingredients and their levels on the bottle, they are exactly the same. Totally ignorant. Only people who are foolish don't have some idea of value think that way, and we're seeing this now in how the economy is effecting people in different ways. Value is not for poor people, and the statement you make reeks of someone pretending to be a lot better off than they actually are. Its also humerous because you drive a car that was designed to be a generic knockoff of a Mercedes for people who did not want to, or could not spend the premium to buy a Mercedes. I love the LS, its my favorite car on the road but the truth is the truth. What makes it even more humerous is that someone can go out and buy an LS just like yours right now for the cost of a not even loaded Ford Taurus. Don't flatter yourself. People who are truly wealthy are a lot more value concious than you think, which is why Lexus owners have an average yearly income that is higher than much more expensive Mercedes models. Totally different situation. You can't compare the way an old carburated car reacted to fuel and the way a modern dynamic fuel injected Lexus will. Plus you just said it, your Catalina KNOCKED. The other poster is saying his LS runs fine. As for race and drag cars, those cars are very high compression as compared to the pretty ordinary Toyota V8 in your LS. That engine is a great engine, but its not a high compression Porsche or Lamborghini engine, you're kidding yourself if you think it is. If regular fuel doesn't hurt your fuel economy and cause any performance issues, go ahead and use it. If you're saying you use premium fuel in your Lexus simply because it makes you feel rich and you think it makes you look rich to others? Thats really sad.