bostonsnowboarder

It used to be that the Xpel was a lot thinner and was a lot smoother, but I don't know if thats the case anymore. I can get the genuine 3M scotchguard hood kit for the ES330 on ebay for $69. the bumper kit is more. but need warm temperatures to install - so might wait until summer. For $69/kit, I can take a chance and try to install myself. Worst case is that it looks like hell and I take it off. I would rather avoid paying $700 to an installer if I can help it. (trying to save up $700 for remote start and alarm anyway!)

that's good to hear Steve. That is actually the biggest reason that I went for the ES330. I have bad chronic lower back problems, and I found my dad's ES330 perhaps one of the most comfortable cars to sit in as a passenger but also (at least for brief) trips as the driver. I have not found any other car in the price range with the same comfort. In my previous Honda, I had to keep my (firm bucket seat) seatback reclined pretty far back to be comfortable, but I figure that if I ever got into a head on collision like that, I would be toast! Fortunately it did'nt happen. I can sit pretty comfortably in the lexus at least in the short term - and hopefully for longer trips too. an update will follow on my hesitation findings under that thread after it has gone through its "re-learning" process...(up to mile 100 now) Boston Snowboarder

but no sore butt after long drives??? if not, then that is good to hear. mine has some visible indentations from the previous owner, but I guess it will "re-mold" to mine now! Other than the driver's seat, the other seats look great. I guess if I want to be that picky , I shoud have got a new ES350!

yeah, I think I need to do some more fiddling around, and then memorize the best settings under memory. I love that the passenger seat has memory too.

Has anyone with an 02-06 ES found that their driver seat comfort has declined over time? Just bought an 05 with 30,000 miles on it. of course it is comfortable, but it seems that the support under the buttocks is not as good as newer ones that I have driven (and particularly the new ES350s). Boston Snowboarder 2005 ES330 Silver/black, heated/ventilated seats

There seem to be 2 major brands: Xpel and 3M scotchguard. Does anyone know if there is any major difference between the two? I am going to ignore the whole discussion on the Texas freeways. All I know, is that it reinforces what I already know which is that I have no desire to live in Houston. Sounds like, your car is doomed unless you are driving a reinforced tank on the Houston freeways. Boston Snowboarder

You have an older car and you don't live in an urban highway area. The newer finishes with low VOC paints chip much more easily than the older finished. I am truly sorry I did not buy it when I bought my car, and my next car will absolutely have it before I ever even drive one mile. Every mark on my car is relegated to the parts of the front end that would have been protected by a clear bra. Its not horrible, but its definately noticable if only to me. Those are the older films, and even then if you kept them protected with wax or sealant and polished them regularly that didn't happen. If that ever should happen, you can always just remove and replace the film. Thanks for all of the comments!! Well - I will say that I looked at a number of the used cars at Herb Chambers Lexus of Sharon, MA. The one I bought is an 05 with only 29K miles on it, but there were lots of chips on the front end and front of the hood. And yes, the newer paint seems real vulnerable - there are chips gone right through the paint (my old 1999 Honda Civic that I have has NO chip marks at all and without waxing it at all the finish is in great shape). I negotiated in my deal that they repaint my front end and hood which they are doing. I did test drive another 05 with about 50K miles on it which had the clear plastic bra. This car was driven in New england where there is road salt, grit, ice etc and the clear plastic bra seemed to be in good shape still. AND, it did seem to have protected the paint well as it was in good shape. I did'nt buy this one due to the higher miles but now that I think about it, the fact that it already had the plastic bra was a good feature. Researching it online, it appears that if you have a shop do it, it costs around $500 to do the front end. You can by the official 3M material pre-cut for about $150 on ebay, but it says to install it when the temperature is between 60 and 90 degrees, so for me, i wouldn't be able to self install until May! There are some cheaper knock off films available on ebay for next to nothing, but I wonder about the quality of these. Boston Snowboarder

Hi all, What do people think of the clear plastic stuff that you can have put on the front end and hood to prevent rock chips etc (dont know the official name for this - but it is a great alternative to having the black leather bra things that I think dont look good on lexuses). The dealer told me it is a $600 accessory if they do it. have people found it worthwhile? Does it last? Are there aftermarket places that can do it for less? -Boston Snowboarder 2005 ES330

Not for winter conditions they aren't Steve. ;) And my experience with them on my previous ES as well as 2 Subaru Foresters.....all the talk about them being loud is not true.....Still have not owned a better tire in the rain though. At least I think we can agree that the Turanza EL42's are not a very good OE tire for good traction. :) Lexusfreak, do you use the triple threads yearround? Without having had a car with the triple threads (but having driven cars with the MXV4's before), I think that the triple threads would certainly do better in the Boston winters, but if someone was using a tire yearround, the MXV4s may work out better all around - ie sacrifice a bit of winter traction for better summer ride and performance)

I just have the standard suspension. The AVS suspension option sounds pretty cool, but could'nt find many used 05's around here with that option. I want to keep my ride relatively soft as that is one of the things that I like about the lexus - (the soft, comfortable ride with minimal road noise and good isolation from bumps), but then I think the 17 inchers should give a bit better feel for cornering and handling, which I agree is a bit lackluster. Anyway, not much I can do about it unless I buy a set of smaller 16 inch rims, which I wont do unless it would make a major difference. It won't make a major difference. Just stick with tires for your OE 17" alloys....you'll be fine. :) The only thing I would suggest is if you do decide to get a set of winter tires down the road, get a set of Lexus 16" (2002 - 2006 ES) alloys from an autowrecker or salvage yard for dirt cheap & just install the winter rubber on them. That's a great idea to get a seperate set of 16 inch rims for snows. That would make the ride a bit softer on the snow tires and probably easier and cheaper to get 16 inch winters rather than 17 inch. also then it is a piece of cake to switch them out. I am not surprised that the AVS is common on the West Coast, but funny that it is common in canada but not the east coast. What makes canada different to make it popular there compared to the east coast USA? I would have liked the AVS - can put it in soft suspension for the crappy potholed Boston roads, but then if I take a highway trip somewhere, can put it in firm. But, dealers around Boston said that I would never find a used ES around here with AVS on it.

I just have the standard suspension. The AVS suspension option sounds pretty cool, but could'nt find many used 05's around here with that option. I want to keep my ride relatively soft as that is one of the things that I like about the lexus - (the soft, comfortable ride with minimal road noise and good isolation from bumps), but then I think the 17 inchers should give a bit better feel for cornering and handling, which I agree is a bit lackluster. Anyway, not much I can do about it unless I buy a set of smaller 16 inch rims, which I wont do unless it would make a major difference.

as far as performance/handling vs ride.... Also, any particular recommended all-season tires that people have liked (either 16 or 17 inch) that have reasonable snow traction but yet also good ride in summer and reasonable tread life! thanks Boston Snowboarder 2005 ES330, standardly equipped - getting new tires since it is a Pre-Certified Lexus, but will likely be the standard Bridgestone Crap!

It doesen't hurt to ask, but I wouldn't bet the ranch on it. :whistles: Another idea is when you get new tires, keep the old ones & sell them.....that way you get a few $$ back at least. True - I could just take the Bridgestones right off and then sell them on ebay as "virtually new"! then get whatever I want on them. Does anyone else have any recommendations for all-season tires which they have liked on their 02-06 ES330?

This is my second ES. Not sure about the U.S. but the 17's in Canada were equipped with Bridgestone Turanza EL 42's as OE (and the previous owner replaced them with the same as the tires are pretty much brand new.....but still aweful in anything but dry pavement). Check out the ratings here from tirerack... http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?ti...inSpeedRating=H These are not the be all & end all of tire ratings however......more of personal opinions, but I do concur with most of the comments. I can't wait to get these things off. I wish the dealer would at least give me some Michelin Pilots or similar......

Agreed boston.....but don't expect the credit though......just be careful in the snow or take the outback. B) Sadly, Lexus (and most automakers) gear their tire choices for fuel economy (low rolling resistance) & a quieter ride as opposed to optimum traction & long treadlife. Yeah, I guess since I'll be stuck with whatever dealership all-season tire they put on, I'll have to see how it goes this winter. If I hvae trouble, I could always invest in some winters - my preliminary research is that Michelin X-ice would be nice :)

Been there done that with the Proxes TPT's....they started off pretty good in the first winter I had em, but downhill after that lol. Lexusfreak, is this your 2nd (or 3rd) Es that you just bought then? What exactly is the OM tire that the ES330 comes with new? is it a bridgestone? I'll see how it goes this winter, and might just invest in a set of snow tires for the winter if needed.

I too just picked up my 2005 ES 330 yesterday (absolutely everything including the AVS suspension, but no Nav)....the car has the 17" alloys (215 55 17) & the tires are fairly new but they replaced them with the OE Bridgestone Turanza EL 42's.....to be blunt.....these tires on anything but dry pavemenet are worthless & complete garbage. When I have the funds, I will be going with a set of Goodyear Triple Treads (H speed rating which is fine for a vehicle like the ES, even though they put a V speed rated tire on it). The Michelin's are a good choice as well....but the TT's have better overall wet & winter traction with a longer treadlife and are less expensive. I personally will pass on a second set of winter tires & rims as If the weather is that bad.....I will just take my wife's Subaru Forester with full time AWD with the Triple Treads. ;) Congrats - I hear you! They have'nt put my new tires on yet - I wish I could have some say in what tires they put on or get some sort of credit and just put my own on, but I am sure they buy a bunch of OEM replacements that they keep in stock so they will proably use theirs. If they are crap in snow, I might think about using them just in the summer and invest in some good treaded snows for winter, but will see. I too, like you, have a wife with a Subie (Outback) which I can use if needed if we really have big time snow and the lexus is stranded.

Yeah, the scratches are pretty superficial, just in the urethane clear coat, not down to the wood (is it really real wood? - I guess Lexus says it is so it shoudl be). So that does make sense that any clearcoat scratch remover should help like Meguiar's scratch X or similar. I'll give it a try. thanks

I cant find any recent posts on remote starters and alarms so I'll throw it out there again - Does anyone have any particular recommendations or counter-recommendations for a remote starter and alarm for an 05 ES330? THe dealer has an outside contractor come in and do it on site - and they say it is about $700 due to the contractor having to work around the Lexus electrical. Is it worth going with this expensive dealer-related contractor, or should I go with Circuit CIty for about what looks like $300 installed for a reasonable unit, or a high-end independent store? on my Subaru I have a Code Alarm system that I like, but having trouble finding a shop that deals in code alarm in Boston. thanks

Just bought a pre-owned 05 ES330 - Silver/Black, so has the darker interior wood (whatver they call that color that goes with the black interior) Has some scratches on the wood trim around the gear-shift knob, presumably from keys or coffee cups or something. Has anyone had any particular luck with polishing or buffing such scratches out? Just wanted to check before I try to buff out.

What wheel size are folks talking about here? If I am correct from other post readings and general tire/wheel knowledge - rim size makes a difference here, as well as tire type, with 17 inchers likely to wear tread faster than 16 inchers. My question - Just bought a used 05 ES330 which has the 17 inch alloys on it. Dealer will put new tires on for me as per the Lexus precertified requirements for tire tread wear. I am not sure yet what they standardly replace with, but I know the original new 05 ES's come with option on the 17 inch wheels of either an all-season or a summer tire. Does anyone have comments in general of tread wear with the usually supplied summer tire vs all-season, and with 16 inch vs 17 inch wheels? I am in Boston, so kind of have to ask for the all-seasons (unless I opt for a seperate set of snows for the winter). [silver 05 ES330 with usual equipment]

About the white paper that you refer to, is that whilte paper with regards to the 08 Avalon or the older Lexuses? If it applied to the Lexuses, it would'nt really make sense to me, as that would me that it is essentially re-learning a new pattern of driving every 120 seconds, so you might have hesitation one moment but yet no hesitation 2 minutes later. THat is not the pattern that people seemed to have described on the forums for those cars that do hesitate. As for the car that I bought, I gave it a good 30 minute test drive with no apparent changes in performance at any time. A further question about this whole issue - while I may not understand the full mechanical implications of the hesitation, but - if a car did have significant enough points of hesitation or poor shifting to result in little "clunks", would'nt those "clunks" eventually over time lead to premature wearing of the transmission parts? Has anyone with an 03-06 Es with high mileage had premature transmission failures?

I test drove a different ES and despite deliberately and repeatedly trying to reproduce the hesitation that has been reported in the forums on these cars, could not reproduce any hesitation at all. So, I have bought this car, since the other one that I was considering did appear, at least on my particular test drive, to have repeated hesitation. How much of this is based on previous learnings vs unique aspects of each car I dont know. Now, for the car which I have just bougtht, I would leave to keep things just as they are, however, under the precertified program they will be replacing the battery. So, I will be getting the car delivered to me with any previous learning reset. So, I'll report back on what happens. I hope that, on learning my particular driving habits, it does not then create new hesitation! Boston Snowboarder [Just bought an 05 ES330 Silver/Blk w/ 17 inch alloys/rain sensing wipers/hi intensity xenons] oh, I should add that I checked under the hood and it appears to have NOT had the TC004-03 enhancement, which I will not have done, unless there are any new hesitations that develop (I am praying for things to stay just how they are now!)

I test drove a different ES and despite deliberately and repeatedly trying to reproduce the hesitation that has been reported in the forums on these cars, could not reproduce any hesitation at all. So, I have bought this car, since the other one that I was considering did appear, at least on my particular test drive, to have repeated hesitation. How much of this is based on previous learnings vs unique aspects of each car I dont know. Now, for the car which I have just bougtht, I would leave to keep things just as they are, however, under the precertified program they will be replacing the battery. So, I will be getting the car delivered to me with any previous learning reset. So, I'll report back on what happens. I hope that, on learning my particular driving habits, it does not then create new hesitation! Boston Snowboarder [Just bought an 05 ES330 Silver/Blk w/ 17 inch alloys/rain sensing wipers/hi intensity xenons]

my dilemma is that I saw a 2005 with nice low miles (22,000) at another dealership at a reasonable price, but I thought that it had more lag than other cars I have seen, so that put me off it. I suppose I could go back and ask them to let me do the battery unplug and then re-drive it. I am sure that the salesman are well aware of the hesitation thing even though they never say a word about it.