earossi

I'm afraid that I have to agree with Randy on both items. First, front brakes do most of the braking, and consequently have, on every car I have owned, worn out first. As stated, I usually go through two sets of front pads for a set of rear pads. If there is documented evidence that there is a problem with these cars, then you should have a warranty claim. Secondly, on my other two Lexus' (both RX300's), I've gotten about 65,000 miles on front pads, and could have gone a lot longer on the rears, but decided to replace both sets since I had it up in the air. I do all the work on these cars myself, and changing out brake pads is very straight forward. On the curb rash, I think you should pass on the request to do an alignment. Today's cars are so stroutly built that it is very difficult to take one out of alignment. Normally, alignment becomes an issue simply because of mileage and the wear of the various bushings that are in the steering system. If you suspect damage to the suspension, you will note it in the handling of the car (i.e. tends to pull to the right or left consistently) or in tire wear, which will be uneven or premature. Based on the two items included in your note, I would suggest trying another dealer in the future. Giving your current dealer the benefit of the doubt, he sounds way to conservative on his advice, which adds up to increased costs for the owner. On the other hand, he could be more interested in repairs than in the customer. I live in Chicago and have been impressed with the Lexus dealer I occasionally take my cars to, if I choose not to do the work myself. I think that my dealer if more typical for the Lexus mark, where they are trying to provide good and honest service to the customer.

I think that I was not clear in my description of the driver's seat controls. Both of my front seats have the same controls. The problem is that the controls on the drivers seat give the seat much less movement than the same controls do on the passenger seat. No, the lumbar support is not an issue. What is an issue is that the seat bottom appears to have what feels like a hard item under the leather. Consequently, most of the seat cushion has give, except for the portion in the very middle of the seat cushion which is so hard that you might as well be sitting on a concrete step. My car has the UL package which should have an upgrade on the seats. I'm trying to see if others have had the issue with seat cushion comfort.

The Lexus will run on regular grade fuel (87 octane) just fine. The engine computer may end up retarding the spark a tad to account for the lower octane, but the car will run fine. What you give up is a few horsepower. But, the ES350 has so much power that you will not miss a few horsepower. In reality, you should actually get LESS gas mileage on premium fuel than on regular. This is because gasoline is really a mixture of a number of hydrocarbons. In order to increase the octane number from 87 to the 91 (or 93 in some areas) premium octane number, the refiners add octane inhancers such as butane to the mixture to get the increase. The problem is that the butane molecule has less energy in it than other lower octane constituents of gasoline. "So, to get the same energy release, you have to burn more molecules of butane. If you make the trip you mentioned often, I woudl suggest changing the sequence of fuel you use. Run reular one way and premium on the return trip. Then reverse that on the next trip.

The bumper covers are made from polyurethane which is a plastic that has a "memory". Since the paint is fine, you can simply take a heat gun and heat the area, and the dipple may just ease itself out. Other wise, the bumper cover will have to be removed from the bumper so that you can reach the back side of the cover. Then use the heat gun to heat up the area (it really does not take much heat to do this). And, while heating the cover from the outside, reach on the backside of the cover and push out the dimple with your finger. It's really that easy.

On the Internet, go to Tire Rack anytime that you need to replace tires. Their site is wonderful and offers comparisons between all tires also with testimonials from folks that have bought tires from them for their cars. The Michilin Prevocy is currently the #1 rated all season tire on the Tire Rack survey for Grand Touring tires. They list for about $135 per tire in the 215/55/17 size that is the standard for the ES350. Since you live in Florida, you should consider using a Summer rated tire that will not have the compromises needed in a Four Season tire. As long as you do not drive in snow or on ice, the Summer tire is the right one for your car. You'll probably find that the Summer tire is a better tire from the standpoint of comfort, handling, and life. So, do consider them. Incidentally, the testimonials on Tire Rack for the OEM Michelin MXV4 S8 are not very good. Terrible in wet weather and not very good in snow.

Installing ceramic pads should be the same procedure as with other friction material pads. I haven't replaced any on my ES350, but the procedure is straight forward and does not require special tools. Not sure but would expect that the Lexus has wear sensors on the fronts and rears. You should replace the sensors when you put in new pads. They are a plug in and easy to replace. The problem with them is that you usually destroy them when trying to remove them from used pads. For both BMW and Mercedes, the sensors are about $15 each. You may have them on all four wheels or just on a single front and a single rear wheel.

I'm in the Chicago area, and believe that I have a rare one. When looking for Ruby Red cars, almost everyone had the cashmere interior. My Ruby Red 2007 has a black interior. As with most of the other posters, my car is also loaded with the exception of the adaptive cruise control. I do have the rear spoiler, but really don't care that much for it. It's basically none functional given its size and adds gaps that will collect wax over time. Still trying to finish a first time read through of the over 200 page instruction manual for the NAV system!

I just purchased a 2007 ES350 and am very pleased with the car except for the comfort of the drivers seat. AFter driving the car for about an hour, I noticed that my butt was very uncomfortable. I know that this is a very subjective statement, but after owning two other Lexus' and three Mercedes Benz's, I think that I know what to expect in the way of seating comfort.....and the ES 350 is not only uncomfortable, but makes the driving experience poor for any distances that keep you in the drivers seat for more than about 20 minutes. The rear part of the seat cushion seems like you are sitting on a concrete step. I don't know how else to describe it. In addition to the lack of comfort ( more later), I noticed that there seems to be a very limited amount of adjustment available from all of the seat controls. I first thought that if I could increase the angle of the seat cushion in the front that I could make the seat more comfortable, but the amount of seat movement seems very little. I was able to confirm all of the above by sitting in the passengers seat which appears to be infinitely more comfortable and has a much greater magnitude of adjustment from the controls. Has this been a problem with the ES350? And, if so, what will the dealer do to correct it? I have an older RX300 that is infinitely more comfortable, which doesn't seem right. Please help with your experiences and suggestions. I have not taken the car into the dealer yet, but plan on doing that shortly.