mhawkin1

I am certainly no expert, but I highly doubt warped rotors are the culprit here. Sorry you are having problems with your new car – not fun. It will all work out.

I was cleaning my car last night, and cleaning/conditioning the leather – when I came to the dash I tried the Lexol leather conditioner on a small spot using a soft, damp cloth. Afterwards, I applied it to the entire dash, it gave it a nice clean, nourished look without making it shiny (I hate the shiny Armor All look). This morning it was still looking great – I think this will be my new method. Lexol products can be found at any AutoZone type store and are pretty cheap – they seem to work great.

If anyone ever crosses their legs and hits my dash with their shoe they will feel three things in this order: a massive brake-check, my shoe smashing into their kidney and last but not least, pavement. ;)

I am kind of curious what you people are getting on your dashes! ;) I have used a duster since owning the car and I have had no problems. Also, I use soap/water on the vinyl door coverings etc.; I don’t think you need to condition the vinyl, only the leather.

You really shouldn’t be driving the car when you are loaded. :D Sorry, couldn’t resist. I would have the dealer replace the rotor(s). I presume it is the front rotor(s) they are referring to, so I would ask them to replace the rotors, not turn them.

I would consider myself a very normal city driver. I have 16k miles on my 08 and at my 15k service they said I had 9mm remaining all around (which is still weird to me that the rear brakes are wearing at the same rate as the front), I think they start at 12mm and need to be replaced at 4mm? If this holds true it looks like I will need brakes around the 35-40k miles range. Just my example.

Hello all, I have been a member of PriusChat/LexusOwnersClub for years and find the opinions posted on both sites greatly intuitive. As I trust your opinions, I would like to ask a couple questions as a concept test relating to my final MBA class. 1. If there were a reputable consultant that you could contact to help you determine the best car for you; find that car; negotiate the best price via any number of dealers; secure the deal and lastly be available if you ever had problems with the dealer in the future (e.g. warranty work) – would you be in the market for such a service/would you seek out such a service? (Yes, No) 2. Would it be more appealing to you if the charge was a percentage of the overall price or a flat fee? (Flat Fee/ Percentage) 3. At what price point would you seek out this service (or at what price would the service be appealing)? $250; $500; $750; $1,000 4. Similarly, at what price point would you refute such a service (or at what price point would the service be unattractive)? $250; $500; $750; $1,000 5. In your opinion what would be the best avenue for reputable advertising? (I appreciate your time and will only leave this post up for a week to collect data – thanks so much.)

I think this topic has been beaten to death in other posts. http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=45818 If you can get starfire pearl with black interior somewhere outside of Indiana, then color me furious. I had to nearly order my car to get gray interior - I wanted black badly and they wouldn't even let me order it. I spoke to dealers in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana. I know they made some in 2007 as I could have bought one used, but I thought after 2007 they didn't make them anymore.

Maybe I am just a total pansy, or maybe my dealer is really friendly.... but I would drive to the dealer and say "hey, can ya get that bug out?" :)

I have the standard leather interior in my 350 and I use Lexol cleaner and conditioner. I have 15k miles on my car and have only done this twice and my interior looks exactly like the day I bought the car. Just buy the cleaner and conditioners, follow the directions and you should be fine. I have to admit, I have never had a stain on my seats though; you don’t know what caused the stain? I don't think you should ever look at a loaner and think that is what you should expect - the loaners are treated with the least amount of care possible.

So your concern is not the leather wearing out as much as the leather staining?

If the water level was to a point that it got my interior wet, my first call would have been to my insurance agent. You may have more problems now/in the future than you currently realize.

I don't even let the dealer clean my car at the 5k mile service intervals. ;)

Do you have a picture of what those side mirrors look like - I'm curious now.

Hi Wes, My brother’s name is Wes – you don’t hear that name very often. Did you have the 15k service completed? They should have given you a reading on the brake pads – so you would have had some pre-warning. It is very possible you need a brake service (pads, rotors turned) - it is not a warranty item. I have heard that on rare occasion dealers cover the brake service under warranty – but it was when pads wore out closer to 10k miles. Keep us posted. It is good to hear when the original pads wear out on different cars, under different driving styles.

I don't think whether the police gave you a ticket or not is really relevant; what you described in your post would clearly place you at fault. I am not sure if this has anything to do with your 'options' or not. If the car is totaled your insurance company will give you whatever value they use in an effort to make you whole, if that value is less than 26k you will be responsible for the difference.

My father always said “He who dies with the most toys wins.” I always countered with “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.” He still says “When I die, anything my kids get from me will be used.” :) The stats showing the ES as having the highest average age of ownership in the Lexus model line up are based on 20 years of data (1989-2009). I would argue that 1997-2001 and 2007-2009 are the only models that have any ‘sportiness’ about them (meaning, a quality that might attract younger buyers). So, eight years out of 20 (40%) could infer that the overall statement is eschewed, a bit. I will stop short of a regression analysis. My humble opinion of the model years: 1989-1991 rebadged Camry (4th Place); 92-96 ‘ok’ – very Japanese looking (3rd Place); 97-2001 (*close* 2nd Place); 2002-2006 Japanese Buick (Last Place); 2007-09 (1st Place). 07-09 and the 00-01 are a near tie for me. And I’m done. ;)

Sorry to hear about your issues; they are not shocking. My car was a squeaky mess the first 10k+ miles. I had them fix a rattle in the door, rear deck, seat belt clamp connected to the b-pillar, dash rattles, speaker cover rattles etc. At some point you will get tired of asking them about rattles and taking the car to them (and I only live two miles from my dealer). Oddly enough, my car now has 13,500 miles and I do not have one rattle or squeak. I started laughing upon my realization of this on the way home the other day. I would call your dealer so they have a car prepared to loan you. Be very specific and just let them see if they can fix the problem. I will give this to my Lexus dealer in Indianapolis - whenever I bought up an issue, they did everything in their power to fix it and were always pleasant in doing so – even when I was at the height of my frustration. I was the one that grew tired, not them. It is not their fault the 350 can be a hot-rattling-mess.

I did have the rear window tinted, which is why they had to remove the brake light. I did not have the front window tinted - I didn't even know they could tint the front window. It was $195 at my Lexus dealer - they did a wonderful job.

I had my windows lightly tinted at the dealer and they look great. I would suggest tinting all of the windows with the exact same tint, do not get 'reflective tint' - get the smoke color and make sure they remove the tail light and tint under it; when you tint 'around' the tail light it looks a little WT in my opinion.

This is just my humble opinion - hell no; don’t do it.

Too funny.... unless my memory is failing, I cannot remember ever hearing a rattle/squeak in my 07 Prius. lol Now - the seat was horribly uncomfortable, I hated the interior materials and it did not have tilt wheel (which was a deal breaker after a year when you are 6'2" and mostly leg)! Apparently each car, even of the same make and model have their own intricacies.

I am not sure why Lexus would be liable for this? When you fill your tank the gas pump should stop well before any overflow; your issue sounds to me like it has nothing to do with the car itself. Maybe I am confused about your issue. Are you saying the paint should not have stained so quickly when exposed to the gasoline?

Yes, AZ that sounds very logical when you put it in those terms. Until, of course, you have taken the car to the dealer more times than you care to count for squeaks and rattles - then the opportunity cost of taking the car back to the dealer for yet another squeak or rattle, instead of trying to go about your daily life, just isn’t there. Turn the music up or trade it; I am currently utilizing the first part of my suggestion. I love the car – the looks, how it drives, even the Lexus service experience. The squeaks and rattles are about to do me in…. Sad.

I would just go to the dealer. My dealer seems to be very reasonable with lights/batteries/wiper blades etc., and then you don’t have to mess with it (and it will only take them five minutes). I understand this is probably not the answer you were looking for, but it’s all I got!