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Comments
It does show some, what I call, minor wind noise depending on crosswinds and "driving conditions", but generally it is very quiet for a compact-size car. In short, I have been rather pleased overall.
Gripes include no "one swipe" position on wipers like Hondas/Mazdas have, and after washing it takes about 24h before rolling down the windows won't dampen and smear the glass. Nothing defective noted at all...though carwash (handwash, high dollar "Autopia" place across from Jag Dealer no less) did bust rt. turn signal lens (they paid after trying to hide it first!) Ugggh!!!
It is the best assembled car I have ever owned. Though the frameless windows do remind me a bit of my Dad's long gone 1974 Mercury Montego sedan that I leaned to drive in...
If they can show no air leaks, and other cars that are the same, you are going to have a tough sell in arbitration IMHO.
Also, I live in Walnut Creek, and bought my car at Lexus of Concord. You can email me at mwik@value.net, and I'd be happy to trade telephone numbers to chat on your problem.
Of course Lexus is going to fix something when there really is no problem with the car. All cars have windnoise. It's a fact. There are seams, doors, rubber and that means when the car is travelling there is going to be noise produced as the car cuts through the wind. There is no fix.
I'm sorry, but I don't know how you can expect to buy any car for any price and not expect wind noise.
My parent's $60K 2000 LS400 has slight windnoise, my parent's 95 ES300 has some windnoise, my 2000 Acura 3.2TL has wind noise. There is no way around it.
rolloman,
The bushing price is about $15. And I have found alot of times to replace the bushings, the steering rack does need to be replaced. Still, I would have it checked out by either another Lexus dealer, a Toyota dealer or a local reputable shop that does steering rack installs.
Also if you need to have your rack replaced you may want to have to done somewhere other than a Lexus dealer as they can get you a rebuilt rack-and-pinion unit for alot less than a brand new one.
I've been asking myself whether I was so lucky to get a unusually super quiet Corolla or I'm too unlucky to get a noisy Lexus. I noticed how quiet my Corolla was after a week driving an annoying Protege. I could here any engine noise from other cars around me, except from the trucks, school bus or old lousy cars when I was sitting in my Corolla with the windows closed and no radio/CD. but now I can here everything outside while driving my Lexus with/without the radio/CD on. I would think my Lexus noise level is almost as high as the Protege.
I took my car to Lindsay for 30 day service. They told me there is somthing wrong with my engine (I complained that it is loud.) They said something about bearings??. Again, I guess I could use my excuse of being a woman. I had no idea what they were talking about. Anyone has any thoughts on that?
Anyways, they said they don't know how to fixed the probem at this point but will contact Lexus engineers to get their advice on how to proceed on fixing this problem. I'll have to bring it back in a couple weeks. Hopefully, the problem can be fixed then.
Boy! Ain't I a lucky one with this kind of experience with a Lexus like nobody else does?
Have you tried Ray Catena in Larchmont? If you don't mind driving to Jersey, you may want to check out Ray Catena in New Jersey. IN Jersey, they give the best deals!
of the wind noise problems presented in this
discussion, except in cases where wind is leaking
in. perhaps if lexus redesign these outside mirror
to be more aerodynamic/less wind friction, most
of the wind noise may be eliminated. in anycase,
es300 is still among the quietest sedans, most
more expensive than es, on the planet.
cardilemma hope you will find the deal you want.
sddlw makes a good point--you may get a good
discount on the 2001 model late in the year cuz
the dealer would want to make room for the all new
2002 model. 2001 model, like enigmaone said, may
be most reliable of latest generation es.
and do you guys know if it's possible to reduce
the timing of setting the alarm? currently it's
30 seconds after all the doors/trunk/hood are
closed/locked. It would be great to reduce it to
15 or even 10 sec.
and to address an earlier concern about the
auto headlights feature, mine goes out immediately
when the door is opened--don't have to wait 30 sec
like some of you have stated. it's great.
Permit me to add one more comparative observation. Resale value----the LS is a distant second place in this category, by any stretch of the imagination. For a variety of reasons, Lincolns in any model depreciate excessively, and that's sad in a way, because Ford has done a good job with the LS variant.
I finally figured out that the car has such a tight seal inside, the air pressure would increase to push the windows out when I closed the windows, and on certain days and when the car was moving.
It sounded like the windows were slightly open.
I solved the problem by re-opening and re-closing one of the rear windows to relieve the cabin of this pressure inbalance, and also closed one side first then the other side, and it worked. It was like "burping" one of those resealable containers
I sold the car last month and the owner called me upset that the car was noisy...I told him how to fix it and he is fine now.
May not be your problem, but you never know!
Bubba
In order to compare all of the various prices, you need to jot everything down and ask a lot of questions because some quotes will include ad and delivery fees, others will not. In the end, Costco was about $4,200 off MSRP and about $500 more than Carorder, but the Costco participating dealer had the car I wanted on the lot (the last one) and carorder was going to go hunting for it, with no guarantee they would find it (at year end).
One thing is for sure. The lot salesmen will start their sales pitch telling you how they cannot discount the price because demand is high and supply is low ..... and for me, Costco already had $4K knocked off the price (if you had this information).
About windnoise, I'm pretty much happy with my car now because I don't hear any leaking wind anymore.
I did try to do the same thing bubba70 did, but it didn't work.
But for those still shopping, I am truely amazed at the Costco prices for cars considering this s a totally hassle free price you get ... just for doing a little up front work and then just showing up.
The internet brokers are intriguing. Some of them are just like your credit union and Costco in that they have pre-arranged pricing with area dealers. Some of them though actually set up an escrow, do the purchase transaction and deliver your car to you. For someone looking for a rock-bottom price, Carorder.com seemed to be the lowest price out their when I was shopping. But they have to find the car, go through an escrow, deliver the car, and you do not establish an initial relationship with a dealer when things are not quite right and need attention. Theoretically, this should not make a difference and any nearby dealer should take car of you, but I think there is something to a dealer having made a little money from you when you show up a couple weeks later and say that something isn't right.
I've never heard it called "burping", though
alexs95,
your antenna is built-in inside the rear window which I think better that way. Why would you want a crankup antenna?
are you a Lexus saleslady? which dealer do you work for?
alexs95,
Most of the newer cars don't have power antenna's anymore. Every year less and less cars are coming with a power antenna mast. Every Lexus save for the SUVs and IS300 have no antenna mast. All 3 antennas are embedded in the rear windshield(2 for stereo and one for cellular phone).
THe features available on your ES300 are basically all available on some others cars sold.
So the auto up/down feature works now?
Did your salesperson go over the features with you? I would think if you also need to find out how anything works, you should go back to the dealer and ask him/her to show you. Personally, I always told each of my customers to screw the manual and come back to me if they needed to figure out how anything worked.
turbotc,
I never read the manual or go back to the dealer, I find its kinda cool to just figure stuff out as you go. Kinda keeps owning a car interesting.
I've seen yellow pages not as thick as some of these auto owners manuals.
I'm with Enigmaone. Half the fun is stumbling onto a new feature. Itsatisfies the "explorer" in me. Three cheers for unecessary options!
Have a good one!
Kelnshe---I wouldn't recommend dealer oil changes unless part of complimentary (even though it's included in price of car) first 20,000 mile service that some Lexus dealers offer.
Why pay inflated prices just to sit in fancy waiting room? I take my Lexus to my Goodyear guy and get a free rotation to boot. Of course, I don't get a free car wash, but I'd rather wash it myself anyway.
I would only recommend warranty work at your Lexus dealer. Find an honest, dependable mechanic and save big $$$.
I change my own oil. Toyota dealer near me always let the oil drip off the oil filter and I would get a small puddle in my garage the next day so I do it myself now. Bosch oil filter at Autozone for $5 and Pennzoil 5w30. lexus dealer is an hour away. by the time I get there, I would have been done doing it myself with the satisfaction I did it right my way.
For example, do you all know that:
--there's a tilt feature to your steering wheel?
--there's a knob to make the beep heard when you lock or unlock the doors with the remote louder or softer, or silenced altogether?
--there's a button to turn on or off your traction control or Vehicle Skid Control?
--there's a dandy little outside temperature gauge on the dash?
--double-clicking the door closing button on the key remote when it's dark outside turns the headlights off instantly?
--pressing and holding the door closing button on the remote for more than 2 or 3 seconds activates the very loud, beeping, anti-theft alarm?
--pressing the moonroof button forward raises the rear of the moonroof several inches for fresh air in rainy conditions?
--leaving both the headlight switch and the fog light switch in the full-on position means you never have to turn your lights on or off because of the auto-on/auto-off feature?
--there's an emergency pull cable in the trunk (left hand side) that opens the gas cover door in the event that the remote button on the dash doesn't work?
--there's a nice first aid kit in your trunk, as well as the very important wheel lock socket?
Most of you probably know all this and more, but some may not have come across them yet. I'm sure there are a number of others little things that I've either forgotten or haven't discoverd yet.
Anyone care to add to this list?
Al Finegold
Where is the sound control knob for the lock/unlock feature?
By the way, I didn't know that salespersons participate in the conference. I hope my salesman did not see my previuos postings. I was just angry with him, not intending to sabotage his reputation or business. I did not sending in any complaints like I thought I would and did not send in the customer service evaluation form either.
Anyways, he did his best to make my anger go away, by keep calling to follow up with any problems that I have with the car and sending me Lexus gift, a sweatshirt and a cap to make me happy. I was going to send them back but see no point why I have to spend money to send them back so I kept them. At least I know he knows his fault and apologized. But no matter what he does it will not change my mind about that dealership's service. I will never bring my car there again.
My salesman did explain alot of features, though not all. I did not go there for the orientation to learn more about other features that I didn't know about. I don't remember he explained how the one touch works. Maybe the feature is too basic that he thinks I could easily figure that out myself and not worth mentioning about which I don't blame him.
I'm much happier with my car now. The engine noise is now lowered considerably after Lindsay's tech. fixed it for me. I still hear outside noise more than I expect in a Lexus but it's not that annoying as before the windows are fixed. I could be just picky and expecting too much in Lexus. Besides, what can they do about the outside noise?
Turbotc,
If you have to read patent applications and issued patents all day long like me, you would not want to read anythign else when you get home. I'd rather talk on the phone or watch TV after work. But, you're right, reading manual is the good way to do it when you already tried for a long time without success and there is nobody readily there to tell you how to do it.
I thought having your oil change at other places other than Lexsus dealership would affect your warranty. Lexus will not pay for your repair if one is needed. Don't you have to bring your car there for complete checkup, tire rotatition etc...
Do I need to winterize my car?
When sitting in the driver's seat, lean toward the right so you can see the ignition lock. If you follow with your finger straight down from there about 8" or so, following the curve of the dash, you'll find the push button to toggle on or off your traction control or VSC. Then keep following with your finger for another 4" or 5" so that your finger is out of view under the dash, then move it to the left about 2". You should feel a small round knob that controls the "beep" volume. All the way to the right is maximum volume, all the way to the left is silent, anywhere in between varies the beep volume a bit.
Of course you could contort way down and look for it under the dash, or crawl under there from the outside, but it's just as easy using your finger to trace it, and much safer when you're driving!!
Hope this helps.
Al--
turbotc,
when you say a service is "due" you mean at 5K or 7.5K recommended by Lexus? I planned to have my car service at 5K but a service advsior told me I could just have an oil change at mid-way of 7.5K and then have a complete service at 7.5K.
Regualar is fine. Premium unleaded would be fine also and you will probably see a bit more power from the engine. But regular will do no damage to the engine.
liev,
The VSC/Trac has a off-button because sometimes you need to turn it off. The problem with Traction control/VSC is that it takes power away from the drive wheels by applying braking power and/or reducing engine power going to the wheels. And if you drive in the snow, sometimes you know you need tire spinning to get out of a stuck situation! Turning off VSC/Trac allows you to spin wheels if you are stuck in snow and therefore allows you to get a rocking motion going so that a car can get out. Leaving VSC/Trac on would not allow you to do that. Also, some people prefer to turn VSC/Trac off sometimes because it does intervene alot during aggressive driving and therefore some feel it takes the "fun" out of driving, which it does.
Airbags do not have a on/off switch because that is the law. The only cars/trucks that can have a on/off switch from the factory for passenger side airbags are cars with only 2 front seats or rear seats incapable of holding a child seat.
As far as the 7.5k service. I think it is just a waste. All fluids are too new to be changed. They say they will check out your car but the car is too new, do you think they actually will "check it out"? I don't think so. Besides you got warranty so just bring it in if you discover anything. I believe they also rotate your tires too. Total cost probably at least $90 or so. I have my tires rotate and balanced at local Toyota dealer for $19.
As far as gas. I use premium 91 octane. I know I could use 87 and most likely new have a problem. But being that I only filled her up with premium since new. I rather continue doing so. besides $1.55 for 87 and $1.71 for 91. Not a big deal for me anyways.
Also, I had my tire pressure adjusted to 30 PSI in order to achieve a softer, smoother ride. Now it is colder (30's), according to some previuos postings, the air pressure drops, it could be at around 28 PSI now. do you think I should bring the tire pressure up or 28 PSI should be OK?
1 - You didn't say what year your ES300 is. If it's still under warranty, take it in to Lexus. If it's not under warranty, take it in to Lexus, Toyota, or any reputable garage for a check, probably a tuneup needed or perhaps a clogged fuel filter. No car should run as you describe, let alone a Lexus!!
2 - Check your tires with a good air gauge and bring them back to 30-32 PSI. Cold weather does lower the pressure by about 1 pound per 10 degrees of temperature drop, so if you had it at 30 PSI when it was in the 70s and now it's in the 30s, you may be down as low as 26 PSI or so.