SW03ES

I don't buy it. Here's why: For one thing Lexus has already announced the launch of the RX400h hybrid for 2005. Hybrid technology from Lexus is no great surprise. The article states that Lexus "unveiled the GS350 GT at Detroit" well thats not true. They unveiled the GS at Detroit, but not a hybrid version nor did they say anything about a hybrid version coming anywhere in the future. A hybrid LS500 has been rumored, but nothing definate. The "GT" moniker is not what Lexus has selected to denote its hybrid models. The RX400h has shown that the hybrid Lexus are going to be denoted by a simple "h" after the model name. "GT" isn't Lexus' style. The guy in the article states that "at first hybrid technology will be reserved for Lexus' most expensive cars" well, the RX400h already exists, dealers are taking orders. The RX is hardly Lexus' most expensive car. This automotive "journalist" must not have seen all the press photos of the RX400h that we've seen here. It was at detroit! The horsepower figures are all wrong. Hybrids work by having a SMALLER engine paired with an electric motor. A smaller engine, even a V8 isn't going to be tuned for 400 hp. Plus, the electric motor in the 400h and the Prius is rated under 100hp. The 400h comes out in 05, where is the "leap in technology"? Yes the Lexus hybrids are going to be better performing than their gas counterparts, but not by that much. 60mpg? The Prius gets 60mpg, but the RX300h does not because its a big heavy vehicle. No way a 600hp LS500 GT or whatever is gonna get 60 mpg. The engine sizes are wrong. Again, hybrids work by pairing a SMALLER engine with an electric one. The RX400h has a 2.5 liter V6. The "GS350 GT" has a "3.5" liter and the "LS500 GT" has a 5.0 liter V8 paired with an electric motor? For one this wouldn't fit in the engine bay, for two using that big an engine wouldn't help fuel economy. And again, if this were a real Lexus press release we would have heard about it from a more reputable source first. My verdict is this guys full of it big time, he has no idea what he's talking about. Aside from simply having no real knowledge of Lexus at all, he's blatantly making stuff up about auto shows, and completely doesnt understand how hybrids work. Sorry guys...

Well, Henry Ford said "You can have any color you want as long as its black" because that was the only color they had. It was the only color they had because it dried the fastest. Didnt have anything to do with him liking black best ;)

Oh yeah, any paint cleaner will remove the Collinite. Clay bars actually don't remove wax, at least not all of it usually. The solvents and the mechanical abrasives in the paint cleaner will make short work of it though. I'd still clay first ;)

It very well may. The melting point of most waxes is 180ish, a dark car bests this daily during the summer.

Naa, thats why I like my color, dark but the metalic flake helps to hide little imperfections. I'm way too picky to be happy with black ;)

LOL!

Yeah but I know from experience, getting those extended warranty companies to pay is like getting bourbon from a wineo. Thats why I always reccomend people pass on them. There are so many "exclusions" and "stipulations" basically unless the car explodes they're not gonna pay, thats how they make money by only covering the catastrophic repairs that so rarely actually happen. And thats the problem with buying used cars. Since she bought a warranty I assume she didn't buy it CPO from Lexus, let the buyer beware. She paid them for it, its not their problem anymore.

Well, not exactly. Bridgestone and Firestone merged a few years back, one doesn't own the other they became an new joint entity, BridgestoneFirestone. Bridgestone tires aren't bad, niether are Firestones. They both make some of the best and most well regarded performance tires in the world. Like any company though, the budget product is the least impressive and thats what we've got.

Steve- How did the SportDesign look in person? I've yet to see one. Interesting about the tires. The Dunlops I've had were a good smooth quiet tire, but they were very sensitive to not only sitting for long periods but they wore fast, which is why I think they cupped so easily. I has SP5000s. Nancy- I have another idea. Check the tire pressure on all the tires, check it when the tires have not been driven on, when they're cold. Make sure ALL the tires are right at 30psi. The ES is very sensitive to variations in the tire pressure. One side a little off and it'll drift. all a little low or high and it'll ride poorly. Dealerships are notorious for over-inflating the tires. I was going to get that blue too except I had to have the black interior and the blue isn't availiable with it. I love the color of my car, very unique and really looks great when the sun hits it.

Thats right! I remember you telling me about that. Oh well, next time.

Your LS should have both those buttons, they're called "ECT PWR" and "ECT SNOW"

I thought the Avalons had a JBL system? I've had both JBL systems and now the Mark Levinson system. The ML system takes a little getting used to. For one the system needs to "break in" with a few hours of listening it'll sound better. The system is also very sensitive to the bass/treble controls. So play with those until it gets to where you like it. One significant difference between the ML and the JBL systems is that the JBL is more of a "Rock and Roll" stereo. Generally tracks with vocals and bands and such will sound "better" on the JBL, where the ML really shines is instrumental and classical music. Its all getting used to, at first I thought the ML wasn't as good as my previous JBL system, but now I love it. It'll grow on you. As for the vibration, what exact kind of Dunlop tires are there on it? I've never seen an ES come with Dunlop tires, they're always Bridgestone, Michelin, or Toyo. Like your husband I've had bad experiences with Dunlop tires and won't buy them again. If you were closer to your dealership I'd suggest you have them swap some wheels off another ES that are better (you'd want the Michelins). Interestingly enough the main problem I always had with Dunlops is that they'd cup causing a vibration at speed. My ES is smooth as glass at all speeds, and I have the Bridgestone tires which are terrible. The ES should actually ride and drive pretty similarly to your previous Avalon, it should be a tad smoother and a tad quieter. The cars are platform mates I'd guess its those tires. If you could go out to the car and write down the exact model name and size of the tire for me. So the tires would read "DUNLOP SP SPORT 5000 A/S" and the size would be in there somewhere "P215 60R 16"

I completely disagree LOL. Yes black looks great, but I will never own a black car because of the upkeep. Black shows EVERYTHING, every nick and scratch and every speck of dust. My dad had a black Cadillac about 10 years ago that I took care of for him, never again. My car is bad enough, but the metallic hides a lot of the miniscule stuff the black does not. I agree with "once you go dark you don't go back" but I'll never buy a black car. Black interiors yes, I love em! Especially not a black Lexus because it doesn't have a clearcoat.

Well with all due respect, many if not most of the problems you've listed are the result of you being hyper about the car. The Lexus is a machine, all machines make noises. Its a quiet car but its not silent. The traction control makes noise, the brakes make a noise when they stop, if you run the tires at 10PSI its going to ride poorly. After running the tires at 10PSI for 10k miles they're going to be worn funny and are going to require replacement. My point is if you're constantly looking for problems you're going to constantly find them. If you don't regularly care for the car by checking tire pressures monthly and having the regular maintenance done, then your car is not going to be perfect. if you treat your Lexus right, it will treat you right. If you don't, then it will age poorly just like any car. You have to stay on top of the maintenance and have all the TSB's and recalls performed. If you dont then its just going to pile up and its going to seem like the car is costing you a lot of time and money when in fact its just because you've neglected it so long There's a TSB out on the brakes, the dealership should replace the front rotors and pads free of charge. As for the flopping sound, look for something inside the car first, in the glove boc, or the console cubby, or the trunk. If not it sounds like one of the screws on the shield in front is missing or loose. This was most likely caused by whoever changed the oil last as that shield has to come down for them to do that. Another thing you have to do is realize that yes your car only has 13,000 miles, but as you said thats 13,000 CITY miles. Thats equivelent probably to 60 or 70,000 highway miles. City miles are MUCH harder on a car than highway miles. I have about 20,000 miles, but they're 85% highway. IMHO highway is where this car really shines, if I did almost all city driving I'd be in something else, something smaller and more efficient.

Pepboys will check the codes for free. You can have the service done anywhere. And thats why extended warranties are usually a waste of money ;)

Looks great! Actually the Plexus and the Novus #1 are pretty similar, no need to use Plexus if you use the Novus #1.

Yep, just don't follow the instructions on the can. Apply it with a foam applicator pad and then wipe it immediately off, don't let it dry. If you let it dry it will be very difficult to remove. So just go panel by panel, apply, remove, move on. And yep, the wheels are clearcoated just like the paint, slap the 476 on!

Generally speaking from my experience the Klasse and the Collinite are about the same in the longevity department when heat isn't an issue. Part of the reason you get such longevity from your Collinite is because your car is white. Collinite is a carnuaba, and the main failing of carnuabas are their relatively low melting point. I only got about 3 months out of Collinite on my car because its a dark color and thusly gets hotter in the sun, even in the winter. Thats the point of the Klasse in the "Perfect Shine" kit. Klasse is an acrylic polymer that can actually be layered. In fact when you've got 2-3 layers of Klasse it can even be scratched, protecting the paint from being scratched. You can't layer carnuabas, especially liquid carnuabas like the Insulator Wax because of their solvent content, they literally dissolve the layer beneath them. Polymers like Klasse are 100% solvent free, they wont even clean water spots off (which water will). Hence why they can be layered. That said Polymers don't offer nearly the depth and look of a carnuaba, which is the point of the P21S in the kit. It has one of the best looks of any wax, but very low durability (only a matter of weeks) whereas the Klasse will last 6+ months. So you maintain with the P21S (which is like butter to apply) and the Klasse offers the real protection. As carnuaba goes Collinite is about the most durable, maybe tied with other heavy waxes like Blitz and Meguiars #16 but its still a carnuaba and its achilles heel is going to be the temperature. One time out on an 80 degree day on a black car and its going to be gone, while the polymer will be unnafected. Thats why I use polymers underneath carnuabas. You could top a polymer with Collinite 476 and get AWESOME durability, but you can't top one with the IW because its too solvent rich, it will remove the polymer layer.

vb- Its a great way to make some extra money isn't it? My goal this summer is to do one car for profit a week, that'll pay for my gas all summer, which is nice with the gas prices doing what they're doing. Anyways yes you can wax anything on the car that is shiny. Headlights, glass, paint, plastic, as long as its shiny. The bumpers on the ES are just paint like everywhere else, just a different color. Which Collinite are you going to use, the Insulator Wax or the 476s? If its the 476 there are some special application instructions you should adhere to. Hey vb, you coming to the NJ run later in April right? Wait until you see what I've started using on my car, I think you'll really like it :D Mums the word until then.

Well first off you need to pull back and look at the situation logically. You've only had the car 1 month, and in that time you've had two warning lights appear. The first one was fixed for $67. If you were experiencing sputtering and explosive backfiring or something then I would agree you have a lemon and should look into getting rid of it, but its just a warning light. You have no idea what it could be yet. I think if a couple odd warning lights are the biggest issues on a 5 year old car then you're a-okay. My Explorer was in the shop for thousands of dollars when it was that age. Just take it down to Pepboys and get the code read and figure out whats going on. Two malfunctioning warning lights do not a lemon make. As well engineered as a Lexus is, its a machine and in your ownership of it its going to require repair. Plus you're going to wind up upside down on it if you sell it, especially after buying that warranty. The warranty should have paid for that $67 repair.

1990- I think its really a regional thing, here most LS owners seem to be women, with more men driving 430s than driving 400s. Most ES owners seem to be men over 65.

The ES is fine in the snow, I'd get one without much concern.

No, there's nothing that will integrate, you will HAVE to add a tuner with a controller with an FM modulator. Look into the XM commander installed professionally, they can hide the box somewhere you'll never see it.

Its entirely possible it got a bad tank of gas. Its also entirely possible that the tires have flat spots from it sitting for an extended period. Why does it have 215 miles on it? Was it a dealer transfer or a demo? The car feeling like its going 40 at 60 is a Lexus trait, it comes from it being so isolated from the road. Most people like it actually. Something you'll just have to get used to.

My dad always taught me you don't become wealthy by wasting money. Spend it on what you want, buy the things and do the things that make you happy, but never pay more for things than you have to. So I agree, even for luxury car owners gas mileage is a huge concern. We were at the Toyota dealer the other day looking at the Priuses...Priii..whatever its called and there was a guy trading in a 2001ish BMW 540i on a Prius because he didn't want to buy the gas for the BMW anymore. I for one am very dissatisfied with how badly my ES wastes gas, I have to fill it up probably twice a week at a cost of nearly $30 each time. Its the only thing about the car I don't like. Its not going to make me get rid of it though.