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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
The car is a fully loaded Starlight Pearl dream vehicle. Only problem were the noisy Toyo tires which were exchanged with no problem when the dealer heard the complaint.
It sounds odd that the steering wheel controls will be the deciding factor in your purchase. The ES 300/330 and new TL are very different cars. The ES is far more luxurious, while the new TL will be much sportier. Hopefully you will sit in and drive both and use that as the deciding factor. My brother has an Acura CL-S. Much sportier than my ES 300 but the quality of the interior is not in the same league. Both are great cars but with different missions.
2002 I was shopping among ES300, I35 and TL-S and suddenly bought QX4.
I mean basically I like all sedans mentioned above. They are good enough to my taste, no matter one is more luxury, the other more sporty. In this situation I also feel that any tiny thing, like the steering wheel control, could swing me to one car no the other. If I definately want a sporty car then steering wheel control is nothing important.
Sometimes it's very difficult to tell fake or real wood. 01 QX4 has "wood tone", meaning simulated wood, while 02 and up QX4 has real wood. I compared my 02 QX4 with 01 QX4 and can never tell the difference. Just have to trust what window sticker tells me.
Thanks, John
Drive the vehicle with a technician and replicate the problem. Then have the dealer write the problem down very specifically on the invoice. Let them know that this a very serious safety concern for you and your family. They will say something on there like they could replicate the problem with the hesitation but this is a normal characteristic of the vehicle and Lexus is working on a fix due out later this year.
Take the invoice and say thank you very much mister dealer man. As you walk away, notice how he is laughing and smiling. Remember this "great" service experience.
Then go to another dealer about the same problem and have them write down something.
Then contact a lemon lawyer to get rid of the darn thing.
Don't bother wasting your time getting angry or calling Better Business Bureau. Just treat your car as an individual case.
I talked with my salesman yesterday and he said the 2004 ES went into production on August 1. The car will be the ES 330, but hp has not been released. Other changes are not known either, but the colors will remain exactly the same as 2003.
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Lexus just released a new software for your ES300. This supposed to fix all your shifting concern. TSB #TC004-03. Please contact your lexus dealer. They should get the software within next week. This is good news for the ES300 owners. Your wait is over(I HOPE)
JPI
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I took my car in yesterday, got it back today. The service advisor said they performed the TSB but he can't read the technical stuff. When I went in to get my car, besides making me wait forever, he smiled, shook my hand and said I'm glad we "fixed" your car. I told the Service Advisor that I hope they fixed the RPM going up but no power and then gear sticking. He didn't say anything. Just like the mechanic who went on the test drive with me yesterday. He said there was a fix for the "shifting" pattern.
It shifts differently, but no fix yet...almost two years now...
Lemon time...
Please contact the National Transportation Safety Administration and file your complaints. Bad press is the best action against Lexus right now. Call them at 888-DASH-2-DOT. This looks like it has too many phone digits, but I double checked it and it works. On top of the tranny problem, if you try and resell your car, be prepared for the massive drop in value. Edmunds notes it at least 20% for the first year... check for yourself on this website.
I am in the market for what I will call a luxury sports sedan. I began my search with the G35. The car is awesome performance-wise but the interior left a little to be desired. I went to look at the IS 300 but it was too small. The dealer showed me the ES 300 and I took it for a drive. It is a completely different car. The ride was very nice and quiet but when I stepped on the gas it didn't have much there. OK so I went to Nissan to see the Maxima but after seeing it up close I did not care for the styling. Since I was there I looked at a loaded 3.5 Altima... it was ok but for a few thousand more I could get the G35. I am planning on looking at the Acura TL-S today.
After seeing and driving the cars above I think I have an good idea of what I really want. As I explained it to my wife.... If they could only put the Nissan 3.5 in the ES 300 I would be a happy camper......
So gurus.... where is my "Lexus 3.5 SE"? I can go $32K or $33K TOPS. Should I be looking closer at the I35? Isn't the I35 going to be 'redone' for 2004? I know TL's are being redesigned. Maybe I should wait for the new I35 and TL.....
HELP!!! :-)
Drew In San Diego
You can check out pictures of the redesigned TL, from a link in one of the 20 or so previous posts. The interior, though, appears to be geared towards sportiness and doesn't look to have much of a luxury feel. I was hoping Acura would up the luxury quotient in the redesign to better compete with the ES, but it looks like they're aiming it to compete with the G35 and IS300. Nice looking exterior, and of course, quite sporty.
Last I heard, the I35 model is being phased out. It's a dated design with dated components (like the suspension system), and I don't think it competes too well with all the newer, redesigned offerings.
I don't think the Maxima, and especially the Altima, can offer the kind of interior you're looking for.
You can see whether the '04 ES330, set to arrive in Sept./Oct., has enough oomph for your taste. If not, the redesigned TL would probably be your best bet.
I just completed the class on Aug 9,2003 in Wisconsin and the only word to sum it up is FUN.
http://www.lexusdrivingschool.com
BTW-You may want to get your tranny fixed first.
Still going to get to the Acura dealer soon.
Opinions?
Thanks,
Drew In San Diego
I think competition from TL will be a welcome force that make ES330 offer more standard equipments. With Camry V6 eventually going to be increased to the same level, and the fact that Toyota is keeping Avalon, ES330 will be up-marketed as well.
According to an article in the newspaper I read not too long ago, VWs have a very poor reliablity rating. Mercedes has also dropped considerably, and their reliability rating wasn't so stellar to begin with.
I guess we'll see shortly.
As it stands now, the ES300 is underpowered compared to the competition (the Accord V6 has redefined the class below the ES300), and the current GS 300 is way underpowered for its price and luxury niche; I expect its replacement next March to remedy the situation.
A Lexus ES300 with the premium pkg. is a bargain in the low $30k's. A Honda Accord EXV6 is a down-right steal for under $24k. I was very surprised.
I think Lexus has the baby boomer in its hands, and it is doing everything just right. the volume of the RX330 is almost as high as highlander, with 100,000 yearly rate and up to around $40,000 each. That is a lot of $$$.
~alpha
On a related note, I'd love to see steering wheel radio controls in the ES as well. But if that's what makes it or breaks it for you, I would think the ES wouldn't be your first choice to start with.
I'm sure back in the 60's, people who've never had a/c in their car would have said the same thing about it being a make it or break it issue.
I think it is somewhat safer to have the controls on the steering wheel than having to reach (for those with shorter arms) to the dash. If they think it's good for the Solara, then it should be just as good for the ES. Their competition has had radio controls for 1-4 years. Good Lord, even the Ford Taurus has them if I remember correctly.
As I said, this probably should not be a deal breaker, but it makes me think that those who say Lexus does not care about fixing the transmission problems might be right. If the can't figure out how to run a few electrodes to the steering wheel, maybe they just can't fix the transmissions.
I've gotta suggestion for you. Why don't you trade that "death-trap" Lexus for something you feel safer in. Buick, Chevrolet, Ford pick-up - whatever. Just quit re-hashing the same stuff on this web-site every week. A lot of us really like our ES300.
This is a very misleading statement. Having "not as many perks" means overall the ES 300 does not have what the Accord has. This is simply not true. In this case, you are talking about one, and only one, feature that the Accord has that the ES 300 does not. Overall, the ES 300 has far more equipment (standard and optional) than the Accord.
Also, what color is it you would like that the ES 300 does not offer? It seems they have all the bases covered to me.