BaddBoi70

What is this clear bra I keep hearing about? A clear bra is a plastic cover applied with a sticky backing. It is sort of like that shelf paper with the sticky backing - forgot the name of it. Anyway, it is (semi)permanent and durable. Do a search of this site for posts on the good and bad qualities of a clear bra. From what I've read it is expensive and having a good installer is critical to it being applied correctly. Found some stuff on it... http://www.automotivearticles.com/Clear_Bra_3M.shtml and http://www.invisiblepatterns.com Has anybody here done it? What are your opinins on it? AZ - My 07 ES had one installed by the previous owner on the front bumper, side view mirrors, front windshield supports and most importantly on the rear bumper. Why on the rear bumper you ask? Well, how many times have you or the wifey loaded something into the trunk and it slipped and fell onto the bumper? Ah ha! Saves on the incidental scratches - also protects the car while in the garage around the kids! I've always had them installed on my vehicles and they are a huge paint chip saver, especially here in Colorado! However, make sure you spend the money for a good quality clear bra! The cheap imitations tend to turn "milky", hence ruining the beautiful look of your luxury vehicle :) Again, back to the wise old adage of, "You get what you pay for!"

BBW and ClayShooter - Very interesting that this has happened at about the 25K mile mark on your vehicles :( This is definitely a topic that you should bring to a site moderators' attention as they may want to "PIN" it for future reference as this may be a potential defect situation. Best of luck to both of you with your rides!

ClayShooter - Well said! The ML system is nice for factory, but aftermarket systems would leave it in the dust.

I dont see a reason why you couldnt, my guess is that if you just do the speakers you will likely be ok. Mine has the base audio system and I think it sounds good other than the bass causing the speakers to rattle. When i first got my car the CD changer stopped working for about a month on an intermitten basis but latter started to work fine of coures when it was at the dealer they could fine no problem. Also the vol control stopped working on the unit itself but right now its working. Good luck Ira D - My CD player took 5 days for the dealership to discover the issue - a loose connection near the right front airbag - located in the support pillar of the door/windshield!

AZ - Agreed! The dealership messes with the controls on everything :( They need to program that stuff into the "seat controls" so that it auto resets to your preferences when you select the driver settings :)

I had a HUD in my 2001 Pontiac Bonneville.....loved it!!! I am not sure but it still is available on some GM cars (cant remember if it was the Buick or Cadillac I looked at that had the HUD as an option). LOL on the Microsoft Sync......not only will the windows close (or lock up) and the car will crash....the screen will go to the blue screen of death or have an never ending hour glass!!! JGT - MS Sync is MS's entry into the automobile market for automated travel. I envision being able to get into my vehicle and instructing the vehicle to take me to......the car essentially becomes a chaueffer, when needed, and will take me to my final destination without my interferring - scary, but also very exciting! The Jetson's era have started :)

2WhiteLex - Forget the posts - who is that in your profile pic? WOW!!!!

Back in the last century when the RX300 was in the design stage (96..??) it was decided that the Camry engine and transaxle could be used economically if the transaxle could simply be made a little more robust. To make room for the larger components the ATF pressure holding/sustaining accumulator was dropped from the design. As many posters will testify that led directly to lots of premature transaxle failures for the 99 and '00 RX300 because there was no accumulator for sustaining ATF pressure should two gear changes be required in quick sucession, back to back. There is a TSB for the '03 Camry that adequately decribes a few of the circumstances wherein a driver should expect to encounter the 1-2 second transaxle downshift delay enfored via firmware control of the DBW throttle system. With this change the ATF line pressure no longer needed to be, supposedly, held at 2-3000PSI and that meant a slight improvement in FE. Regretably before Toyota and Lexus realized their design mistake the idea was adopted across the entire FWD and F/AWD product line. Up to this point the solution, beginning with the '03 Camry, was to adopt DBW, E-throttle, to "protect the drive train". Basically DBW was adopted to prevent the engine torque from rising until enough ATF pressure could be built up to accomplish the second QUICK shift, all with the engine at idle. The latest "fix", NCF (New Car Feature), announced for the '08 Avalon is to have the engine/transaxle ECU module "watch" the rate at which you release foot pressure on the accelerator pedal after a period of (light?) acceleration. The thought behind this seems to be that a quick release would indicate a wish to slow the vehicle whereas a slow and easy release would indicate a desire to simply enter cruise mode. I would assume if the Avalon "trial" is successfull and drivers are able to learn and adapt to this new feature the technique will be adopted next year for the entire product line. So, begs the question.... Why not simply leave the transaxle in the lower gear just being used for acceleration for a few extra seconds until it becomes definitive as to the driver's intention. SAFETY & FWD or F/AWD In the "wrong" roadway conditions the level of engine compression braking on a FWD or F/AWD resulting from remaining in the lower gear just used for acceleration can quickly turn HAZARDOUS. Ford has a patented technique used on the Escape and Mariner hybrids, FWD or F/AWD, that involves a significant reduction in the level of regenerative braking to be used should the OAT be below or near the freezing level. The second aspect is to disable regenerative braking entirely the INSTANT ABS activates during actual braking. With adverse, slippery, road conditions regenerative braking for recharging the hybrid battery, just like actual compression braking, can not only lead directly to loss of directional control of itself, but might interfere with ABS to such a level to make it completely non-function. Take a test drive in the BMW X3 or X5, accelerate lightly then lift you foot quickly from the gas pedal and "feel" the level of engine compression braking that results. Now do the same thing with a Toyota or Lexus F/AWD vehicle. Since there is no serious detriment, potentially, to engine compression braking with the BMW's rear biased AWD system the level of engine compression braking on it will be substantial in comparison. Oh, Ford, with the introduction of the F/AWD Edge, has adopted a variable displacement ATF pump so the pump can be adjusted to provide high flow volumes even with the engine at idle. Not really a Ford fan any more, but.... In other words, if you too much of this you sacrifice that, and vice-versa. I am in the software business and as precise as you can make the software, we are dealing with an inherently inprecise world that is mechanics. One can make thresholds infinitessimal and try to control as much as you can with software, but the hardware, in this case the drive train (transmission and engine) have non-digital controls. You can tell a transmission that it needs to downshift with software, but as described above you may not have built up enough enough ATF line pressure to get the instantaneous response. Also, one of the biggest issues with digital (using software) and analog (mechanical) is handling the tweeners. When a calculation puts you in between one and another. An example to use about this is say you are 145 yards from a green. You know you can hit a 9-iron 140 yards and an 8-iron 150. You don't have an 8.5-iron, you need to either hit a hard 9 or a soft 8. Which do you do? It depends on you (most people would do a hard 9 and come up short!). Of course there are other factors as is it downhill or which way the wind is blowing, but that is the idea. A computer, if I were to program it, excluding those external factors for simplicity sake, would make you hit the 8-iron because I know that 80% of the time that would be the right club. So, it's the same here, your software monitors are saying that you should be between 3rd or 4th gear, but which one should it go to. There probably is a whole lot of intelligence and logic measuring external factors that goes into deciding that. But most of the time you are going 20 you do not need to go 60 instantaneously. So being in fourth is OK. Our transmission tries to learn your driving habits and keeps a running log of your latest behaviors to better guess, but sometimes, that guess is wrong. To change the software to put you in 3rd everytime because you may need a surge is not what the ES is about. My guess is that they are using the 80/20 rule. You do something that will be right 80% of the time. This is not as technical as what wwest says, and it may even be wrong, but this is what my common sense tells me whenever I drive an automatic. If you would like to learn more about how software handles tweeners, look up discussions on sampling and over-sampling and why these techniques are done. Music in digital format is the best example of analog to digital conversion. Once you record music and then put it on the CD, it will never sound like the original. A lot of what people may be experiencing here is that before cars only had 4 gears including over-drive. Now, we have 6. Even though the difference is more gradual, sometimes the tranny needs to up or down shift 2 or more gears where before it would be only one or two. AZ - Great analogy! I am also in the software biz and I would also assume that the tranny is linked to some sort of algorithmic rules, which given our processing power in autos today may create some lag/latency response issues. The ES is simply not designed for the "sports" enthusiast driver. This car was designed for the soft, luxury cruises; not the race track.

Our suggestions for voice recognition and the interface with the Nav are just programing changes that can be done quite easily. We would not have to get a new car for that, just update the one that we have. It would be great if Lexus would take these suggestions into account. Especially reverse engineering the Sync and others out there... But you know what they say, the Sync is a Microsoft product, so expect it to close all your windows and crash! Somebody did write all the voice commands that are avaliable, like "nearest gas station" and it will show you the nearest gas stations and you choose the one you want to go to. I printed it out once, but it's hard to read that while you're driving, lol. I have not memorized them yet. Here's another suggestion, how about giving us the ability to upgrade our system to have a hard drive installed? Then we can upload our music and not need an iPod or MP3 player hooked up. And, how about opening up the BT to allow other devices to connect to the head unit? One suggestion would be for MP3 devices or iPods to be able to transfer music in order to play it or transfer the music files to that hard drive we just installed. These are all software upgrades, except for the hard drive. But, have you seen how small they make these 40 Gig hard drives these days. And the LS has an HD. AZ - Another great suggestion regarding the HD. This is becoming a very popular feature and within 2-3 years I would imagine that you will see 250 GB or larger capacity HDs installed on all luxury vehicles as standard equipment. If Lexus/Toyota is truly concerned about driver/passenger safety, then this becomes a no brainer as a current driver can not control their plugged in AUX device from the steering wheel or head unit; rather, one must use the iPod/iPhone to navigate through the library of songs - talk about dangerous! Some other neat features being rolled out with other luxury lines include a heads up display (cast onto the windshield) and infared (night) vision displayed through the NAV unit.

SW - I agree on the steering wheel and the leather stitching. Are you aware of any after market parts to upgrade the "cherry wood" look the 07 ES has? Again, the Gray Bird's Eye Maple would be ideal :) The more I drive my ES the more it bothers me :(

Appleton - Based on the target age (55) and annual income ($125K) for this vehicle, I suspect the ashtray was installed for the "cigar afficianado" and the cassette deck seems to be a Toyota thing! I agree with your entire list and would add the following minor tweaks: 1.) ML audio system should allow for the driver to control the AUX device from the steering wheel or worst case the NAV touch screen (I.E.: ability to shuffle through artists, albums, tracks, etc) 2.) Interior lighting should be improved - especially in the back seat area. 3.) Add side mirror indicator signals. 4.) Trunk - add an auto open feature on the key FOB - one that completely opens the trunk vs. simply popping the lock. 5.) Add a "mute" button to the steering wheel for the audio system. 6.) Add some additional wood grain options to select from - the "Dark Gray Bird's-Eye Maple Accent" available on the LS would be a nice option. 7.) Redesign the steering wheel (bottom half of steering wheel should be designed like an upside down "Y") - I hope that makes sense. I also really like my ES 350 and can not wait to take it on a long cruise to truly enjoy the luxury ride! I think we are on the way to designing the PERFECT automobile. Some great ideas on this and the previous posts. Seems too, that a lot of these ideas would not add much cost to the production of the car. Leaving out the cassette deck and the cigar tray would save a few dollars to invest in some of the suggested areas.... lighting, spring loaded trunk lids and coat hooks! Appleton - My ES has a coat hook on each side (back seats) of the vehicle. Part of the issue, IMO, is that car manufacturers do not heed the advice of their consumers! I would imagine that there are some very strong minded individuals, with some rather large egos, that are designing these vehicles and have put their "mark" on the design. However, if Lexus is taking the time to conduct the research and track some of these posts, then I agree, they are well on their way to designing the perfect car (at least for a few of us).

I think an analog style clock (with hands) would be a better fit with an ES 350. JGT - Have you seen the clock in the new Infiniti M35/45? VERY nice touch and it adds a sense of sophistication!

Appleton - Based on the target age (55) and annual income ($125K) for this vehicle, I suspect the ashtray was installed for the "cigar afficianado" and the cassette deck seems to be a Toyota thing! I agree with your entire list and would add the following minor tweaks: 1.) ML audio system should allow for the driver to control the AUX device from the steering wheel or worst case the NAV touch screen (I.E.: ability to shuffle through artists, albums, tracks, etc) 2.) Interior lighting should be improved - especially in the back seat area. 3.) Add side mirror indicator signals. 4.) Trunk - add an auto open feature on the key FOB - one that completely opens the trunk vs. simply popping the lock. 5.) Add a "mute" button to the steering wheel for the audio system. 6.) Add some additional wood grain options to select from - the "Dark Gray Bird's-Eye Maple Accent" available on the LS would be a nice option. 7.) Redesign the steering wheel (bottom half of steering wheel should be designed like an upside down "Y") - I hope that makes sense. I also really like my ES 350 and can not wait to take it on a long cruise to truly enjoy the luxury ride!

Seaweed - Interestingly enough, my 07 ES 350 (UL package) has been at the dealership for 3 days! The CD player is not working and they can NOT figure out the issue :( Have you experienced any issues with the Mark Levinson head unit?

I would assume the delearship has already checked to ensure the actual gas tank is secure, but maybe they have not.

So now you're attacking labor unions! Here's an illuminating point, the Camry and the Accord is assembled in the good Ol' US of A by, you guessed it, UAW! The measuring stick of quality that all other manufacturers were trying to attain, put together here. And, more than 50% of the parts are US made. Now, not all of the Camrys and Accords are assembled in the US, My 00 Honda Accord Coupe was made in Japan, but my 99 Accord Sedan was. The way to tell is when you look at the VIN number, if it starts with a 1 it was US built and if it starts with a 'J', well you know. Anyway, who are you trying not to offend? I am on this forum because I drive a Lexus, not GM... I like my brakes, I hope they last what they are supposed to. Or else Lexus will have to forfeit a bit of their profits in replacing them under warranty. AZ08 - This is a forum and as many people have stated, "It is MY opinion". You may choose to read it or not to read it. You may choose to reply or choose not to. You may agree with me or not. My father works for John Deere and is a proud member of the union! I intimately understand the faults of our labor unions here in America! I am not trying to offend anyone, just stating MY opinion. My brakes are currently functioning properly. But, I have had other issues that again, based on Lexus' past performance is a complete let down for me - MY opinion. Thanks for the VIN info; however, I was already aware of the distinction.

So, are you implying that the Toyota will be of better quality than the Lexus? Do you think that they actually downgraded the radio/cd player from the previous model to this model? And it is worse than what they put in a Toyota? Can you confirm that? And the OEM tires, are they a Toyota product (what does OEM mean)? Yes, there have been transmission issues and yes, it could be attributed to the new model year. Two things can be attributed to the product redesign with your vehicle, the parking assist is one. I don't think that was available in the ES330 (can anyone confirm that?). And the transmission problems, the engine was upgraded from the 3.3 to a 3.5, and along with that came a new 6 speed transmission. And Ira's brake wear issue may be attributed to the same thing, but this is something that can be corrected with replacement. I worked at GM, I have talked to engineers that worked on plant floors and to employees at all levels. I know GM is not Toyota, but it is a very real phenomenon that when a new line comes out, issues abound. But, not all cars display the issues. At some point things get corrected, but the best time to buy a new line is after the first year. Toyota is not imune to this, it is impossible to completely test a vehicle the same way general consumers would use them. AZ08LexusES, As a consumer, I trusted Lexus' past reliability based on their past laurels (mistake on my part). As evidenced by many of the posts on this site, the ES 350 is not being viewed as a success story, quite the contrary! I am hoping that my CD player is an isolated incident; however, I have NEVER had any issues with prior Toyota or Honda stock CD/Stereo head units not working. I would hope that Toyota would NOT downgrade their equipment for their luxury line (Lexus). Again, my 1st impression as a new Lexus owner has been poor. I am not sure I would purchase another Lexus at this time, due to the issues I have had in my ES 350. That is my opinion, which was formed by my purchase of an 07 ES 350! The overall quality of the vehicle is simply not what people have come to expect from the Lexus line. As for the tires, I have never owned a Toyota or Honda product in which the OEM tires were worn out at 20K miles! This was a very poor choice by Lexus. Yes, they corrected the transmission issue, but you can NOT tell me that something this major got past the "testing" conducted by Lexus. The brake issue is also not what Ira expected from Lexus. With the advent of the internet, you can very easily look up OEM and its meaning, but if not, here is a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_equipment_manufacturer As for your past employemnt at GM, no offense, but there is a reason why Toyota will take over as the leader of total vehicles sold worldwide! The big three in America have become a casualty of the American Labor Unions and the lack of producing a quality vehicle :(

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. Steve Im going to say this then im done with this subject unless some wants to here what I have to say. First of I doubt you have put 350,000 on the 07 ES350 I assume you are talking about all the Lexus car you have had sum total milage. Second how do you know the brakes on my car are the same as yours the fact is you dont. Also the facts are than when Toyata did the redesign on the 07 Camary and the ES 350 and also the Avalon all kind of problems begain to appear that the previous years didnt have that or due in part to the fact that the new cars are not useing the all the same parts as the previous ones. Also the ES 350 is not my first Toyota product but it has had more problems than all my previous Toyota cars of which I have owned 2 new and one used. Ira D - I agree with you, Lexus has completely missed their mark on the 07 ES 350 and the quality of the vehicle is NOT what someone purchasing a Lexus has come to expect! I am personally very disappointed with my 1st Lexus purchase! I have owned previous Toyota products and did not experience these quality issues. I have also owned many Honda products and have never experienced these issues (CD player stopped working, front and rear parking assist stopped working, bad OEM tires, transmission issues, etc.). Luckily, I have not experienced any brake issues, yet! People's past experience with Lexus products, albeit helpful, can not be directly related to a knew product redesign. I agree with you, unless they actually own the car and are the primary driver of the vehicle it is difficult at best to be an expert on the vehicle. There are a LOT of issues, unfortunately, with the 07 ES 350 :( I want to keep the faith that Lexus will continue to do the right thing and resolve the issues with this vehicle and have learned an invaluable lesson on their redesign for future vehicles! Best of luck to you with you 07 ES 350.

Steve, Thanks for the tip, I was unaware of the adaptive driving memory.

Thanks for the info. I'll let you know if I am able to successfully find them :)

The gentleman I purchased the vehicle from has purchased several vehicles from the local Lexus dealership and has already contacted them to arrange for a replacement. It seems that he previously had some issues with it, but they allegedly had fixed the issues. I have been very blessed in that the previous owner is a gentleman and has goen above and beyond for me, which is not always the case when purchasing a previously owned vehicle. I hope it is just a "freak" mechanical issue and that this will be the last "freak" mechanical or technical issue I have to deal with on this car. It's a sweet ride!

Maverick, I recently purchased a pre-owned 07 ES 350 (Smokey Granite) w/ 13,500 miles for $33,500.00, which when it was new the MSRP = $43,989 based on the window sticker, which includes the following options: MSRP: $33,170.00 • Intuitive Parking Assist: $500.00 • Luxury Package: $5,380.00 o Perforated Leather Trim Interior w/ Memory Driver's and Front Passenger's Seats, Outside Mirrors, Power Tilt/Telescoping Wood Steering Wheel, Panorama Glass Roof, Heated and Ventilated Front Seats, HID Headlamps with AFS, Power Rear Sunshade, Rear Seat Side Airbags, Driver’s Power Cushion Extender, Rain-Sensing Wipers, Bluetooth, 10-Spoke Graphite Wheels with Full Spare Tire • NAV/Mark Levinson Premium Audio Package: $4,050.00 o Generation 5 NAV system with Rear Camera, Bluetooth, Voice-Activation w/ Destination Input, Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound Audio with 14-Speakers, In-Dash 6-Disc DVD/CD Changer and Cassette Player • Cargo Net: $59.00 • Trunk Mat: $69.00 • Wheel Locks: $66.00 TOTAL: $43,989.00 The car was very meticulously kept and is having a new “rain-sensing” windshield installed by the previous owner (retail cost is $1,100.00). I just can not justify buying a brand new car anymore, given the fact that I buy a new car about every 2-3 years as it just doesn’t make for sound financial sense and I am not a fan of leasing due to the number of miles I drive each year. As for the economy, here are my 2 cents: The continued and unfortunate negative press regarding our economy is going to continue to wreak havoc on the US dollar, financial and real estate sectors. The recent housing news is just the tip of the iceberg. The "recession" we are currently faced with and the rising price of gas will continue to drive down prices in the auto industry. I also believe that the housing slump created by the subprime debacle will continue to affect the financial and real estate sectors through 2009. Based on some of the info I have been reading/researching, I am placing my money on a 2010 turnaround. I sure do hope that I am way off base on my personal opinions and we start to see a recovery sooner than 2010.

What a bummer! My CD player (Mark Levinson) stopped working (will not play a CD, regrdless of format; or DVD's). Has anyone else experienced this with their 07? I would like to know of any existing issues before I contact the dealership to claim this under the warranty. Thanks in advance for your help :) I am happy to report that the CD player / stereo system is being replaced under warranty :D

Nelsjay - Yes, I would; however, I will probably never again purchase a brand new luxury automobile. If you do not have an issue buying a previously owned car, I have found that you can save yourself a lot of money and still get a very nice car. From what I can tell, Lexus has corrected the transmission issue with the 07's (mine was fixed and I have not experienced any of the issues). The NAV system is a HUGE nusiance to me personally, and I am hopeful that Lexus will eventually come to their senses and give their clients what they are demanding. Good luck and let us know what you chose.

Nelsjay - I am a newcomer to the Lexus line, so not much history with the brand or the car (07 ES 350 w/ Ultra Lux Package purchased 1 week ago), but I have always been an admirer based on friends vehicles and their comments. So far I really enjoy and like the car - I would not go as far as to say I love the car quite yet (too new to the vehicle to bestow those feelings towards it). I did what most other buyers of the ES line have done - due diligence and test drove the MB's and BMW's. The Lexus is truly in a class by itself, in my opinion, based on the options offered. As you have read on this site, Lexus has unfortunately reduced the overall quality of their vehicles, but in my opinion so has MB and BMW. So, it really comes down to a personal preference. I personally liked the elegance and extremely smooth ride vs. the sporty ride in the MB and BMW, given the fact that I will be entertaining clients. The Lexus also offers a roomier ride and the all glass top is a unique feature. The NAV, in my opinion, is not as user friendly as an Acura and the back-up camera is nice, but not as nice as the Infinity. The Mark Levinson system definitely provides a luxury sound system. Also, as you have read, the OEM tires on the 07's are very poor and mine will most likely need to be replaced at or before 20K miles :( This was the biggest surprise to me, as I did not even think to check the tires on a 1 year old vehicle with only 13,500 miles on it. With all that said, I just couldn't justify buying the 08 vs. saving $10K+ on a previously owned 07 :) Good luck with your decision.