SW03ES

In my experience, you're better off using an automatic carwash to a bulk hand wash place. Those guys have terrible mits and towels...swirl city.

Do they? I'd be concerned about that.

Actually I disagree. IMHO the standard suspension LS drives at least as well...if not better. Does your 05 have the 18inch wheels?

Lots of good points from Jim. My only disagreement, and its not really a disagreement, is the lease. I lease for business (well, I got away from it the past few years since I bought my car out, but I'll lease again) It all depends on how you drive cars. If you're happy driving a car for a long time (and you can certainly drive these cars for a long time) then you should never lease. However, if you KNOW that you're going to be bored and into a new car every 2-3 years and you don't drive more than 15k miles a year...leasing might make sense for you even if you can't deduct the lease for a business, but only if you KNOW you're going to do that anyway. I venture to say, from a pure financial point of view, its probably almost always cheaper to keep and maintain an older paid for car than it is to purchase a new or newer car.

I agree with you that there have been steps backwards in terms of quality with the ES350, thats part of why I've been so critical of it. However, when you talk about things like brake pads you're into the area of wear items that are stock across the model line. It would cost more to engineer different brake pads for the 350 than to just use whats already been designed. I'd venture a quess that the pads are indeed the same or very similar. As far as tires...Lexus doesn't make tires. They choose lousy OEM tires but most car manufacturers do.

3M's stuff is good, but its a little outdated and hard to use compared with some of the newer products out there...

Only if you're using a rotary. Even so, no need to worry about the clear and the color coat is as thick as both clear and color coats on the clearcoated cars... You can use "Dreft".

That sounds like fun, I'm in!

Why are you getting so defensive? You're right, I don't drive your car. However, do you think its fair to say in 350,000 miles of experience with Lexus cars I might have some insight into the quality of their wear items and how long they typically last? I'd say thats a fair assessment. It is not normal that your brakes would go in 10k miles, and the pads and rotors you've got are the same ones I've had for a decade, and my brakes have lasted far longer than 10k miles and they're driven aggresively. Didnt Lexus replace your brakes under warranty? If it happens again...something is wrong with your unit somewhere...whether its mechanical or user driven. Actually I disagree. The reason these posts get prickley is because a few certain posters refuse to even admit theres a possibility that the issues they're having are user driven. You're as guilty of what you're admonishing me for as I am...just on the other side. Look at my posts, no secret I'm a big fan of Lexus vehicles but I've been very critical of the ES350. I do however know these vehicles really well, almost certainly better than you do (and thats not an insult, I've been driving them for 10 years) and I know that the quality of brakes across the board is not the issue with your vehicle because I've had probably dozens of sets of OEM Lexus brakes installed on my vehicles. As far as tires...Lexus uses crappy OEM tires.

Yeah, I'd be dubious...

Oh absolutely, but there definately are Lexus tuners out there.

Great! I'm so relieved for you.

I have first hand experience Lexus vehicles for a decade with total mileage of 340,000 miles. I've replaced MANY brake pads on them in that time frame and I am telling you that the pads last well beyond 10k miles. THAT is a fact. They are softer than other pads that are available in an effort to make them quiet and smooth, but 10k miles...gotta be something wrong. So, either its aggressive driving or something specific to your car that they just haven't found. This is a very good point. Generally long lasting brakes and tires are made of harder compounds, which transmit more noise and vibration into the cabin. So you're right, high quality doesn't always mean longer life. For instance I would never put a set of tires on a Lexus with more than a 400 treadwear rating because they wouldn't deliver the ride that I bought the Lexus for. Now, 10k miles for brakes is way too short, but I'm happy replacing mine every 20k.

Actually I would not use the dealership and here's why. Dealerships have a built in source of business, people automatically use the dealer. You're better off finding an independent shop that works on a lot of high end cars that has good references. These shops depend on their quality to survive. JMHO.

Lexus has almost always used a single stage black. They went to a clearcoated black for a few years from 01-06 or so but went back to single stage. I actually VASTLY prefer the single stage black. Its SO easy to polish out and correct. Look at old well maintained black Lexuses and compare them to other older black cars, the single stage paint can be corrected so easily and really made to look great.

Yeah the LS430 with the 18s runs 245-45-18s while the LS460 runs 235-50 18s. They run 45 aspect tires on the 19' option.

The tires on the 460 have higher sidewalls than the 430, despite both being 18s

Still though, unless you've tested a product yourself alongside other products that you use its really not fair to make a statement that such a product is lacking. So you've seen it on other people's cars, so what? You don't have the experience with what other products look like on that vehicle or what kinds of prep or polishes went down before the product... You say you can't find an OTC product that will do what you need it to do or stand up where you need it to stand up...yet you haven't used any OTC products?

The question is, whats the fascination with buttons? The LS430 has I believe every feature the S class does...it just controls them with less buttons.

Well the previous GS went basically unchanged from 1998 to 2005, thats 7 years. So I would assume 2012-2013.

There are several Lexus tuners. Modding Lexus cars is not as popular here as it is on CL.

Well if you've never used it...I wouldn't comment on it if I were you. Remember...you're just guessing ;) NXT is a perfectly acceptable product (I have used it), probably the best OTC product by far. Its a great one step product since it has cleaners in it. They've now reformulated it into NXT 2.0 which is supposed to be even better but I haven't tried it. Biggest issue with NXT is that it residues around seams if you're not careful.

Annoying I agree but they'll get it straightened out. As for brakes, the reason the rotors warp is because once they're turned they get thinner and warp faster. I get probablt 20-25k on a set of front brakes and 40k on rears and I drive pretty aggressively. If you have worn brakes and warped rotors at 10k you're driving too aggressively IMHO...

Thats the problem, in my area KBB trade in is close to private party...

Yeah try a waffle weave MF towel instead of the chamois, I bet you'll like it better. I've used the california water blade. Its a neat product, but I'm concerned about picking up a granule of something and causing marring with it.