cduluk

I'd love it if Lexus would give the IS350 as a loaner- i'm pretty sure i'd enjoy it! But it's a loner, so i should be thankful it had nav...

Do people in other countries have green/gray wood furniture sets in their homes? I just don't understand why any car manufacturer would use this shade for their wood trim...

The more i see of the new ES, the more i love it! It looks SO luxurious- i can't wait to see it in person. It's gonna be VERY hard for buyers in this class to opt for another brand... It looks perfect!

Hi everyone, Last week my Rx400h was at the dealer for a repair, and i was given a 2012 Lexus IS250 loaner vehicle. At first i didn't think i'd even "fit" in it, but after spending 4 days with her i was quite impressed! There is no escaping the fact that it's "small". There is enough leg room (i'm 5'11") for the driver and passenger if the seats are pushed back far enough, but let's just say my textbooks were gasping for air on the back floor. There is also little room to "stretch" or remove a jacket while sitting in the drivers seat, but i guess i'm just spoiled from having an SUV. Nevertheless it was "comfortable" yet not as roomy as i'd like a loaner to be. In the past Lexus has always given out ES and RX's as loaners, but i guess money is tight so they're downgrading... I was also surprised to find that my loaner had navigation!! In the past, loners at my dealer were typically the "stripped" versions. I was VERY impressed with the brightness and contrast of the new navigation screens as opposed to the 07-09 type (which were even better than the 04-06). The crisp "white" was very intriguing, and even more beautiful at night. Getting back to my Rx400h's "yellowed" navigation screen was depressing... One thing i didn't like however was the lack of a separate LCD display for radio information (station, AM, FM, CD, etc.). I never had this with my old Rx300 that had navigation, but i have a separate display on my Rx400h and it's a good feature. Sometimes i can't tell if the volume is all the way down, or if the radio is OFF. Without a separate display (excluding the menu for radio on the nav screen) if the volume is "very low", you think it's OFF yet start hearing "whispering" as if someone's in the back seat with a crowbar. It's nice to know simply by looking at the console whether you have a CD running (changing discs on their own) or if the radio is on or not. Another feature that i LOVE (although not specific to the IS) is the cooled/ventilated seats. Sometimes, things can get rather "damp" down there, and having the cool air blowing out from the perforated seats was a relief. Sorry for that image, but it's true! One big complaint i have is the location of the center- well, ALL, cup-holders. The one that's built into the front door is extremely obtrusive, as it prevents your hand from reaching the seat controls. And if you have a drink in the one in the center console, you can't put your right arm on the armrest as your wrist hits your drink. Thankfully my water bottle has a cap, or otherwise it would have spilled every time i accidentally hit it! Something else that bothered me was the fact that they changed the "material" of the glove compartment when they upgraded in 2011. The old IS (06-10) glove compartment was covered in softer vinyl (as are the sides of the center console) however on this 2012 it was rock hard plastic. How much cheaper can Lexus get? Some other things that i didn't like include the "gray/green" wood trim- what was Lexus thinking? The ride was incredibly harsh, and every time i hit a little bump the car emitted a loud "thud". The car lacks a lot of power, specifically torque when you hit the gas hard. It seems like it takes a lot of time before you feel the "push" back into your seat. Also, i found it odd that this IS250 had navigation, yet no electric tilt/telescoping steering wheel, no auto wipers, and no HID headlights! I always thought these features came as a package on the IS. My cousin has an 09 IS250 with nav but it has HID headlamps. I was also saddened to hear that the new navigation "voice" (which seemed to be the same from at least 03-09) has changed to a new woman. And other big complaint i have is the gas mileage. In 4 days i had to tank up again! In my 400h i can get at least 7 days before it reaches empty. I think i ran out so fast since i spend a lot of time parked with the engine ON to get A/C. Some things i did like on the IS include of course the "new car smell". With only 5,000 miles it was very clean. I also found it to be INCREDIBLY quiet in the interior when the car is on and in park. If you opened a window you could hear the engine quite well, however with it closed the interior was completely silent. Coming from a hybrid owner that's saying a lot- when the RX400h engine is on, you can hear it. And of course the "smart key" feature is very convenient, as well as the compact size and tight turning radius when trying to parallel park. And thank god this IS had the back-up camera, because without it there's NO way to see out the back... So, overall i was impressed with the 2012 IS250 but don't think i could tolerate it's small cabin space or low stance after having an SUV for so long. The interior quality could use some work, but otherwise it's just a "smaller" Lexus. Dear Lexus, let me have an RX next time i need a loaner, though... I need personal space. Are your dealers giving you IS's as loaners too?

I FREAKING LOVE IT!!!!!!!

It appears the US spec will in fact look like the one we saw on those leaked china pictures... Personally i really like it.

Do you think replacement of the inverter will just cause more harm than good? I'm worried that they might damage something else doing the repair (like cause the transmission to leak). Since I have another year left of the warranty, would I be better off waiting on a replacement? Knowing my luck, they'd replace it now, and the replacement would start leaking just outside of warranty. :(

my god... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=72642

Hey guys, Well "lemon", you're not alone. After seeing your many posts regarding your inverter leaks, i checked under the hood today and what do you know, mine is leaking too. I thought i'd check just for kicks, but i never thought i'd see anything. Mine is a 2008, with 73,000 miles (117,500km). At the time of this posting, it's only 4 years old. Thankfully we have a Lexus extended warranty which runs out at 100,000 miles or July 2013 (whichever comes first). Here are some pictures; you can see the pink fluid which has "crusted" around the edge. I checked the left and right sides, however the front (as you see here) is the only area leaking. I also checked the area down below where lemon also saw leakage, but mine is clean. And here's the fluid level (i think?) So, what should i do? Is this amount of leakage (doesn't seem to be "active") normal? Or is this thing supposed to be air tight? The last time i really "looked around" down there was probably last fall (if that) so i have no idea how old it is. Should i show the leaks to Lexus now, or wait? Any input is appreciated! Thanks lemon for the heads up- and to everyone else, CHECK YOURS too!

Well they found the problem- a "chafed" wire which was lodged behind the dashboard, rubbing against grounded metal. They had to remove the entire glove compartment, dash, etc to get to it. Thankfully this time (a few years ago they had to remove the dash to replace the "white powder" issue in the evaporator core) they didn't scuff, scratch or chip anything. Dealer said it was covered under our extended warranty (couldn't they admit they broke something on the last repair?) and the final "bill" would have been $2.95 for parts and $960 for labor. YIKES... They did have the car from Monday to Thursday though. In worse news, i discovered something quite "alarming" under the hood today... new thread to come.

Any option for a Lexus that costs only $115 seems dirt cheap to me. Pry harder or ask the dealer. The trim of this type I've seen is installed by forcefully pushing it into place including tapping it into place with a rubber mallet. That doesn't mar the paint beneath? This stuff didn't look like it's held on by friction, as the lip "inside" the door is just as slim (how much it curves around the edge) as it is on the outside.

It really amazes me how inept the service departments are at Lexus... I'm not sure if it's because they literally "don't understand", or if they just play dumb? Nevertheless, they're the ones doing the granting of "good-will" warranties when we're stuck, so we have to play it nice... Let us know how it goes tomorrow, and remember, be nice!

$115?? That seems VERY steep, no? I wonder how they're attached to the door, too. I tried to "pry" it a little, but it didn't budge at all. No signs of glue either. I can't imagine how they'd ever be removed if they got damaged, without removing the factory door paint (we all know how soft the new Lexus paint).

Well Lexus has had the car since Monday (today's Thursday) and they called today to let me know it's fixed. I'm gonna pick it up tomorrow, as my IS loaner has been growing on me and the new car smell is addicting. i'll update with what the cause was!

Let us know how it goes! And post pictures!

Holy CRAP... Do you think they could have assembled something incorrectly, or "knocked" something out of place doing the repair last year to cause this? When i get my car back (mine's at Lexus because my A/C blower died) i'm definitely going to check for the stains you experienced. With the way i drive, i've gotta pay attention to the transmission. I feel bad you're experiencing this. I hope Lexus finds a way to cover it for you. If not, still try to at least enjoy the loaner!

I checked all the "connectors" behind the paneling down there and there's no moisture or anything that appears "out of place"- so i'm stumped. I dropped the car off at Lexus this morning and they put me in an IS250 loaner. I hope it's done tomorrow! While we're on the subject, my loaner IS is a 2012 with ~5k miles, has nagivation yet no HID headlights... is it common for Lexus to give out loaners with NAV? I didn't even think you could get an IS250 without the telescoping steering wheel, auto-wipers and still get nav... very weird.

Hey guys, I spent a little time in my Lexus dealer today while they were failing a repair on my Rx400h, and spent some time in the showroom. They had two '12 RX350's however on one of them, it had some sort of "door edge guards" which caught my eye... just take a look (they're hard to see in the last pic). Upon closer inspection, i realized these weren't "rubbery" like one would expect, but absolutely rock hard, painted metal. I opened the doors, tried to see if the strips had any "give" to them, but they seemed to have been welded/epoxied on tight. I asked a salesman what they were, and he said they were dealer installed. They also installed painted "mouldings" that stretch across, half-way down on each door (which IMO is a must as without them the doors look naked). What i don't get though is what these "door edge guards" are supposed to do? I understand they're "supposed" to protect neighboring vehicles if the door is swung open, as well as to protect the edge of its own door if it's opened onto another car... But the ones on this RX weren't soft (AT ALL), and the one on the front door wouldn't even make contact on a neighboring parked door as the "moulding" would be first to hit. The only thing i could think of, is if someone opened the door onto another car, it would scuff only this thin strip rather than the edge of the door... but seriously how much damage could be done to the edge that touch-up couldn't fix? Most of the damage done when swinging door A into neighboring car B occurs to car B in the form of a door-ding! That's why these strips are supposed to be soft rubber, right? Not only would these strips be ineffective on the front because of the moulding sticking out, but the strip doesn't go down enough on the rear doors; the bottom "edge" of the rear door would be contacting a neighboring car, not the strip. And the ones on this RX were painted METAL (not rubber) so they'd sustain just as much damage that the door's edge would... And i can't imagine a body shop masking and bagging an entire car just to re-paint this 1cm strip... and getting it to match? Has anyone seen these installed on a Lexus before?

hey guys, it's happened again. This morning my A/C was working just fine. Parked it for a while, and when i got back in the car and after a few minutes of driving i realized the blower wasn't working. When i got home i checked the #65 fuse below the steering column and it was burned out. I put in a new one, and once i put the car in ACC it blew... Tried another fuse and it blew as well. Not only did the filaments in the fuses burn out, they "sparked" as bright as a match- actually enough to MELT the metal feet on each side of the fuses, creating little "beads" similar to those created during welding. All other fuses in the cabin and in the engine compartment were fine. Took the car to the dealer and they spent a few hours looking for the problem. They came back stating they found the issue, "loose connection in junction block on D/S kick panel. Reconnected connector in junction block." They didn't charge me anything thankfully since we have an extended warranty. I got in the car, started it up and the A/C and blower were working fine. However, about 5 minutes later on my way home from the dealer i noticed the blower stopped again. At this point the service dept had closed so i just went home. When i got home i checked the #65 fuse and it had blown again. Put in a new one, and just as before it blew out right away. I guess i'll have to take it back on Monday! I have no idea what "connector" they're talking about, nor any idea how a loose connector could short out a circuit to the point where there's enough e- to MELT not only the filament in the fuse, but the feet on either side of it that make it snug in the fuse box. That's a LOT of electricity! Any ideas? I haven't done anything to the car in a long, long while in terms of modifications... I haven't even cleaned it since we had snow on the ground (a few months...) Anyways, while i was waiting for them to "fix" my car, i walked around the showroom. They had two new GS's, of course neither with the wood trim interior (which i'm trying to see in person), two RX's, two ES's, an IS, the IS-F, and the new CT. In my opinion the most beautiful car in there: '12 ES350 in truffle mica. I LOVE the side mouldings, chrome trim and especially the tail lights. I wish Lexus used some of these features on it's other models. I know "chrome" isn't as popular as it used to be, but i love it. I honestly look forward to seeing it again on Monday when i take the RX400h back for this stupid blower motor... UGH.

Well the 96 ES didn't even have HID as a factory option, so there really isn't a "factory" kit you could add. But all those aftermarket HID kits can be installed in ANY car as all they need is 12V power (from halogen lights). If you remove a bulb on one side, does the other one go out automatically? If you unplug a ballast on one side, does the other side bulb go out? When you write that you unplug/replug and it works, what wires are you unplugging? The wires to the ballasts? Does your kit have only one plug attaching to the car? Or does each side ballast have its own plug going to the cars wiring? Can you post a link to the kit you have? Or a wiring diagram?

aftermarket ballasts are junk. get a better quality kit...

actually someone posted a similar issue with their RX not too long ago. I don't think they posted a solution but let me see if i can find the thread... EDIT: Ahh nevermind, not exactly the same problem... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=71705

I agree completely. As the engineers try to make these new technologies more "efficient", they lose out on reliability. This can most clearly be seen in some of the new "fuel efficient" engines being put in cars today. They get great fuel economy, but they break down easily. And as new features are added in cars, weight goes up so they try to use lighter materials which of course don't hold up as well. I wish a car manufacturer would design a car and keep "fixing" things on it as years pass, without having to re-design it after 5 years. For example, can you imagine how reliable the LS400 would be today if they kept the same design as the 1990 but only modified it as we learned which parts needed to be stronger? It would without a doubt be the most reliable car in existence, and not to mention one of the cheapest! And i second the fact that Dunlop tires don't wear very evenly. When i removed my summer tires (which are Dunlops) in the fall, both front tires were worn only on the inside, so much so that the fabric was showing through! The car was aligned just fine so i have NO idea what happened... I'd really like to see a 2012 LS400... if Lexus kept the same car and just fixed the 3 things that often failed, it would be a "super" car! I mean they do it with airplanes, why not cars? The 737 looks the same as it did when the first one rolled out in 1967, they just perfected it over time.

yeah, definitely make sure you have room behind the bumper before you drill. You might be able to reach your hand behind it without having to remove it completely. There are two bumper reinforcers- a solid metal one closest to the car, and a styrofoam one between that and the bumper cover. If you are "desperate" you could dremel away at the styrofoam one, but do it too much and it might break...

most likely, the rear auto-leveling sensor is dirty. There's a little sensor on the right rear control arm that looks like a little arm, connecting to the body of the car. It detects weight in the rear of the car which would raise the nose blinding oncoming drivers. Sometimes dirt can enter the sensor and oxidize the connectors sending a bum signal to the car's computer. The reason your AFS light is blinking is because Lexus was too dumb to make a separate idiot light for the auto-leveling and adaptive front lighting system (AFS). Take a look back there and try to find the sensor. You can remove the little arm and open up the sensor, clean it out, and re-install. That should clear it up.