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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
I simply cannot accept that a $35K vehicle has a worse transmission than a $24k camry v6 or accord v6.
Don't know what I'll replace it with but definitely not buying Lexus ever again.
Car details:
Onyx Blue
Premium Pkg
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They are specific to each vehicle, and can usually be found in an appropriate color.
Just go to www.google.com and search for cannon weathertech
The place I bought mine usually has a full-page ad in all the major monthly car mags, such as Automobile, Car & Driver, Road & Track, Motor Trend.
Dave
Friends' Dad traded in his old-style ES300 for a TrailBlazer! Can you say "no style" or "no class"?!
Best regards
If ALL vehicles have the problem, then I guess you will have to sell your car.
On the other hand, if you drive one with no problem, and Lexus still denies there is a problem, you could ask if they will swap transmissions with the other car. If nothing else, you might elect to pay for a new transmission, negotiating ahead of time that if there is a problem, you will not accept the new transmission. Maybe there is something wrong with a batch of transmissions that are in vehicles sold in the February/March time frame.
I also have a transmission problem, but I suspect yours is worse than mine is.
I think that you might kick yourself if, down the road, Lexus decides to replace faulty transmissions at no cost to the owner. If there is a problem, Lexus HAS to fix it sometime and a new transmission might be cheaper than the depreciation on selling a new car.
Why? Because if Lexus admits the problem (and I still think it is likely a design problem, not one on individual vehicles), all of you who do not have the problem, or experience the problem are likely to want the "fix" anyway, even though you claim to be happy with your cars.
So, if 1/4 of us have a problem, it will cost Lexus three times as much as it should to fix it. Lexus has to weigh the cost/benefit to having 1/4 of their customers unhappy versus what it would cost them to fix the cars of those who are satisfied but who would demand the fix anyway.
So, lenscap and kreativ and aceking2000, if I reported that Lexus fixed my transmission with, say a 2003 ES300 transmission upgrade, would you then want to demand a fix from your dealer under warranty?
Try Zaino. Many people recommend it and it's one of the top products.
Atoews:
That depends. Just like you said earlier, you did not want the dealer to break something else by fixing this problem. So do I. Honestly, my transmission is perfect and I see no reason of making any changes toward it. In fact, this is one of the best transmission I have ever experienced. My car knows when to shift from the 1st to the 2nd. Not like Honda Accord, which stays in 1st for a long period of time.
I believe that you and others have the issues regarding the transmission. I would like to see if there if these problems occur on the car manufactured after a certain date - say April or May.
We should keep this discussion going just to find out what is really the cause of bad transmission on some of the 2002 Lexus ES300
The "smart" transmission issue seems very weird to me. Does it mean perhaps that the transmission will not respond optimally in driving conditions that are exceptional to the driver? What about drivers who have different styles depending upon where they drive?
Note that in an earlier post, I noted that an LS430 owner complained of a similar symptom in their car.
As a last resort, rtorreca may ask if the dealer will reset his transmission computer. Maybe he did some driving that caused an exceptional situation.
In a humorous way, I asked the Desert Lexus sales representative whether my car was trying to tell me that I am a lousy driver. Oh, well. :-)
Just to clarify, the tranny problem I have is the "shuddering" when slowing down to turn. There is also hesitation when passing and merging from a complete stop. What really pissed me off what when I tried to merge into traffic, it hesitated and almost got into a serious accident. My wife and daughter was with me at the time.
Prior to this car, I had a 99 exv6 accord coupe, which in my opinion, had one of the smoothest shifting tranny out there. I could be going 80mph (not that I drive that fast all the time) and still pass another vehicle with nary a complaint from the tranny.
Went to the dealer today because I wanted to know if the rattle on the passenger side was normal or not. A sales rep. rode the car with me and he did hear the noise but was unable to identify the source of it. One thing that I know now is that the noise is NOT the rattle. Rattle is more like a metalic sound but mine is so minor that you really have to pay attention to hear it. And it only happens when the road is bumpy - road condition is Michigan is really not that great. I heard it's just the material noise which I am not going to be too concerned about.
The story is, I asked him to try the loaner and it still has the same noise. As a result, I believe my car is normal. No more complaints about the noise.
About the tranny problem several of you experienced, I don't really know if it's the "smart" technology of the tranny. However, mine started to fit into my driving habit the first day I got the car. I am still "training" it though.
I hope everyone would love his/her Lexus ES300 eventually.
Personally, I think it's a an easy excuse by the dealer to blame it on the driver-adaptive learning feature any time someone complains about the tranny. If it's supposed to adapt to the driver, then the driver should be happier driving it vs. a car without a smart tranny.
I reset the avg. MPG meter when I took it on the freeway, driving more or less a consistent 65mph for a half hour or so, and could only manage 25mpg. I'm using Premium unleaded. Doesn't look to be very good vs. the 21/29 spec.
~alpha
I recently took a trip from Michigan to North Carolina. I used all Inter states. "Country" mileage was between 28.8 and 30.0 mph depending on the terrain.
I run the AC most of the time. On pleasant days when I turn it off it does not seem to have an appreciable effect on mileage. A surprising but pleasing result as it means I am not paying a price in fuel efficiency to ride in comfort.
I got the car last January. My mileage has gotten better as the weather warmed. When it's cold the engine has to run a richer fuel mixture until it warms up.
I have always used Shell in all my cars. This is not a commercial but I recently got their Shell Master Card which gives me a 5% discount off the price of their gas. If you buy Shell gas 9 times a year there is no annual fee and they credit you the 5% in the very next month's bill. I'm running on premium for the price of intermediate. Go figure!
I talked to the dealer the other day and they said it was not really necessary to use the premium fuel. The engine is designed to take the mid-grade fuel. So if you want to save some money you can definitely do that. I will put the medium grade fuel into my car from now on and will let you know about the MPG.
TK's car really has some of the greatest MPG I have ever seen. It may depend on individuals' driving behaviors too.
By the way, I am feeling happy that the noise problem has been resolved.
Also my transmission is getting smoother and more responsive than it was at 5K miles, I am now close to 9K miles.
Btw, do you still have the noise from the passenger side? Let me know. Thanks.
I have read in a car magazine where they got >30mpg on highway driving in the '02 ES (with <20mpg for city driving).
I cannot prove to myself whether airconditioning affects things, but I think it does a little.
In town, the number of times I visit a drive through restaurant has the biggest influence on gas mileage. I can get about 21 mpg if I don't use drive-throughs.
By the way, I generally get about 1mpg better actual mileage than the average indicated on the gauge.
I discovered the relationship between uphill/downhill and mpg by watching the instantaneous mpg gauge. The mileage definitely drops when driving uphill.
Thanks
Gene
http://home.carolina.rr.com/jonkennedy/lexus1.htm
Also from there, you can read the horror story that was my previous car - a 2002 Jaguar X-Type that I had for about 5 months.
Just had my car in for it's courtesy 1 month checkup at Hendrick Lexus here in Charlotte, NC. Didn't have a thing to complain about! I don't have the tranny problem or any rattles. The buying process, delivery, and everything else at the dealership has been first-rate and very professional. While I was in the service drive, I asked someone at the desk about the transmission problems that have been discussed here. Well, that got everyone's attention! They told me that it's a known problem and that Lexus is working on a software update to fix it, but they didn't know when it would be available. They explained that it's basically caused by the computer-controlled "learing" transmission system, and usually occurs around 45-50 mph, and that the new "drive-by-wire" throttle control is also involved. I'm sure there will be a TSB issued when the software update is available. I guess the reason I haven't noticed any problem in this area is that my driving style doesn't bring it out. Must not be that agressive, or have not been in a situation that reveals it (after 600+ miles).
As for mileage, I've been getting 19.0 since delivery, most of it driving in the city here (have not reset it yet).
So, hello to everyone here - see ya around!
Regarding the I-35 and ES 300, there has been a number of messages but where within the 2,692 messages posted to date--I could not tell you. However, both are excellent choices. I have tested both and will be purchasing the ES within 2-3 months. The I-35 is sportier and more powerful. The ES is more refined and classier in my opinion. The ES is also in it's first year of design whereas the I-35 has been around a while and it is uncertain when, if at all, the new design will be forthcoming. Best thing to do, of course, is to test drive both and then make your decision. Resale will be better with the ES.
TL will have a new design next year. From what I've heard, I35 is being dropped soon. There's a good chance the ES330 will come out in 2004 to compete with competing companys' new offerings. (i.e. give Acura one year in the spotlight with their new TL, take it back the next year with the ES330).
If you have any interest in the TL, wait until the new TL comes out before buying. The new one should up the luxury quotient to better compete with the ES. The current TL already has 260hp, so no worries there. The ES330 won't even have that much HP.
As for me, I'm happy with my '02 ES, but am waiting on the new '04 GS as a replacement for my aging LS. Seeing what they did with the ES in terms of luxury and refinement, I can't wait to see what the '04 GS will be like.
Because an oil drain plug has NO torque on it in use, I would be certain 99.9% that your car has "right hand threads" on it's drain plug.
When you finally get it out, hopefully without stripping the threads, you should seriously consider buying a Fram SureDrain from WalMart, to replace the plug. You will then have no reason to repeat the problem you are having.
I have SureDrain valves on both my '95 Olds and '01 Millenia, and I would never go back to removable plugs. Good luck with your dilemma. May I suggest you have a mechanic remove it this time. If he screws it up, he is out of luck, not you.
The TL is a very nice car for the money. If the ES 300 is a bit too much for what you want to spend, or you want something sportier, I think the TL is a great choice.
By the way, remember all the criticism heaved on Lexus for not boosting the ES 300's power when it was introduced last fall (which does not bother me)? Well, look at Mercedes' two newest models. Both the all-new 2003 E320 and CLK320 are about one full second slower 0-60 than their 2002 counterparts. Their times have dropped to around the 8.0-second range, mostly because the cars have the same engines but are heavier than before.
As the Lexus dealer explained it to me, the computer system does not allow the engine to communicate properly with the transmission. It requires a software fix. That's exactly my problem. Whether I'm driving up the various floors of my parking garage at work, or most notably, when I need power for lane changes, there is a terrible delay. I can hit the foot feed and watch the RPM's go to 6000 and the car barely moves. Three instances have caused me concern. Once, I was stalled in traffic and saw an opening to move to the lane next to me. I hit accelerator and nothing happened. By the time I moved into the lane the oncoming car really had to hit their brakes. Another time I was approaching an intersection as the light was turning yellow. Thinking I could safely move thru the intersection, I hit the gas and nothing happened. That light was soooo red when I went thru that intersection. Most recently I was coming out of a grocery store parking lot needing to cross the road thru on coming traffic. Thinking I had plenty of time, I hit the gas, the RPM's went up and nothing happened. Cars had to slow to let me thru. To make matters worse, the stupid car downshifts after you accelerate. And, occassionally it sticks in a gear and I have to hit the foot feed to make it shift. Plainly, the transmission is garbage and Lexus has said they may not have a fix for six months. Don't buy this car until they do.
Enough bad publicity from those unhappy with the new transmission should speed up the time it takes to get a fix out.
This is my frustration. It makes absolutely no sense to me. Unless you and I and rtorreca are willing to sell our vehicles at a loss (you may have noticed that rtorreca is ready to do just that), how will we EVER resolve the transmission issue if the majority do not feel the problem?