SW03ES

JD Power doesn't test cars. They gather data by surveying owners of vehicles randomly with mail in surveys. JD Power rates and ranks everything out there a consumer can buy or use, credit cards, banks, cars, appliances, etc. For instance American Express constantly ranks at the top of customer service ratings for credit cards from JD Power. Their results aren't biased, they're classic representative sampling and no conclusions are drawn by them, they are pure statistics. Consumer Reports rates the same way but they are more biased because they only survey their members, members of consumer reports aren't a representative sample of an owner population at large. Lexus has been tops in IQS (initial quality, thats the 3 months is250 was talking about but they survey way more than that), dealership satisfaction, overal satisfaction, and 5 year dependability with JD Power since they've been eligable for any of these measures. You also have to look at other measures, I defy you to find any objective measure (consumer reports, etc, magazines and reviews are subjective) where Lexus is not at or near the top, and they haven't been almost every year they've been in business. Randy's perception of BMW is a good example of how dependable JD Power ratings are. The ratings mirror what he has found with his friends and not his percieved public perception of BMW as a brand.

Hey Rick! What do you think of your ES vs your A6? The A6 is a nice car. Issues to look for? None. Thats one of the differences between a Lexus and an Audi ;) Mine has 125,000 miles and I'm still waiting for issues. As for the key, you can set it so when you touch the door handle it will open all the doors or when you push unlock once it will open all the cars. Its a setting the dealer can activate. Ask them for a LPS (Lexus Personalized Settings) catalog and select any changes you want to make, dealers will do the first round free.

Can I give you some advice? The Lexus has a warranty and roadside assistance for a reason. I would not jump start a Lexus that is under warranty, you paid a lot of money for roadside assistance, Lexus service and their warranty. Call 1-800-25-LEXUS and have them send someone out to you, let them jumpstart the car and assume any liability if anything gets damaged (you can destroy a car's electrical system by jumpstarting improperly). Then take the car to Lexus of Rockville (best DC area dealer by far) and I would ask that they check the battery, they'll probably replace it under warranty. I bet it has a bad cell or something. Don't buy jumper cables, let Lexus assume the reliability of jumpstarting it and never offer to jumpstart anyone else's car. Let professionals do it.

Yeah on the ES, everything but the seat surfaces, the steering wheel, and the shifter knob is vinyl. I'm actually surprised that tore that easily...

Every ES on 20s I've ever seen looks silly, IMHO. I don't like them personally on any car, but the ES is kinda high waisted anyways and the big wheels make it look like a truck. To make it look okay on larger wheels it needs a drop and a bodykit.

I have heard you can do it yourself, but a car audio shop charged me about $80 to install mine, and to me $80 was incredibly well spent to make sure I didn't break any of the incredibly expensive interior trim peices and that all the lines were run where I wanted (the iPod dock is in the armrest, he drilled a nice hole and trimmed the edges so it looks OEM. The module will not fit behind the HU, it has to go down underneath the console. I'm not sure about the iPhone's screeen, on my iPod all the iPod functions and screen are blacked out.

sounds like a crappy extended warranty, what company is that through?

Right, if he's talking about the auto-swivel in mirrors they are supposed to do it. There's a switch there, you can turn it off...

cduluk is correct about the make-up of the leather seats and the effect MrClean erasers will have long term. If its just a one time cleanup or something as a last resort then I'm okay with it, but they shouldn't be used for regular cleaning.

The headlights definately have a UV coating from the factory...

If you can't feel them with your fingernail they can be buffed out, whether you can see them when the paint is wet or not.

very slight, its an oil based sealer. You can clay, polish, and wax the wood just like the paint on your car. The wood is sealed under a clearcoat. I would reccomend trying Plast-X or something like that, then go to Plexus, then finish it up with the pledge and see what you get...

It would be a pain to keep clean, but the lack of a clearcoat doesn't make any difference in terms of salt protection. A single stage car like the Lexus obsidian black has just as much paint as a dual stage car (color & clear) its just the single stage car has all color coats, whereas the top few coats of the dual stage car are clear. No difference in salt protection. Only suggestion...buy the car in NC. Reason being it won't have seen salt covered roads. That car being in Chicago has seen salt covered roads its whole life.

Don't go up either...they'll sell it to you for what you want eventually.

Oh man, Smooth folded like a cheerleader in Vegas... I'm ashamed!

Could be, the technology they're using now is the first generation Toyota technology. I know the new Focus hybrid got really great reviews...

Can't wait to see it in person. I'm not wild about the interior personally...

Thats easily fixed, ask the dealer they'll have a referral for you. Thats actually not leather, its vinyl. Easy to patch.

I can fix your issues. The doors don't lock when the trunk is open for long periods of time, at least mine doesn't. The doors will lock if you unlock the doors and then open the trunk without opening a door. It relocks the doors after 30 seconds if you unlock them and don't open a door. As for the lights, the lights will go out once all the doors are closed. The only way you could be loosing your battery is if you are leaving doors or the trunk open say overnight. I leave my lights on when I drive too, I've never had a dead battery or the lights stay on when I didn't want them to in 6 years...

Do you mean the auto-folding mirrors?!? I'm confused...

Bear in mind too the Prius is all new in '10... They changed the interior to make it more normal like the Insight, the current Prius (which I own) is very uncomfortable to drive to me...

Exactly, I'm definately almost positive that might be the car I buy...unless I choose something else ;)

I still think this guy is a little off his rocker. Like I said, thats why the slogan is relentless PURSUIT of perfection. No car is perfect, a car cannot be for every person. Take the seat heaters, the reason they now have a knob vs the button they had for years was people complained about them not being adjustable enough. The new wheel adjuster is better than that knob. They're always improving, and the all new RX looks to have many very interesting features. Lexus vehicles have never been tech-heavy. They just aren't, they've gotten moreso but they are still light and I think thats to avoid reliability issues down the line. If you want a "gadget cruiser" buy an Acura or an Infiniti. I drove a new TL and it had so many functions, many of them useless (doppler radar on the nav screen? Come on) but gadgets nonetheless. Until 1998 no Lexus even had a basic driver information center. The 1987 Ford Aerostar van we had when I was a kid had a driver information center. If you're looking for a tech-car, this car isn't the one for you. If you're looking for a well made and reliable luxury vehicle with a great ride, a great finish, and good resale value with an excellent dealer network, this is the one for you.

Ford has made some huge leaps and bounds in the quality department. Their cars nowadays are well made, have excellent materials, and their drivetrains are very refined. The new Lincoln MKS is a beautiful car...

Not to worry, if you choose a well respected shop that prides themselves on their reputation the car will be good as new. Just make sure to look over the car very well before you take delivery, and tell them upfront you are extremely picky and will not take the car back until its perfect. A good shop should welcome that.