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Comments
Waited to weigh in once I had 1,000 miles on my 2005. Just hit that mark yesterday. Here are my impressions. I test drove a 2003 and immediately told the salewoman and my hubby, who were in the car, something doesn't feel right. My Camry, which was totaled, felt smoother with over 125,000 miles.
It was later that I discovered the hesitating transmission problem through internet research.
Then I test drove a 2004 with 3500 miles. A bit better but still not smooth.
Then I test drove a 2005. Ah! Felt right.
My car had 10 miles on it when I test drove it. I didn't take it on the highway during test drives. Initially it felt weird, like mayo in the transmission, when I drove less than 10 mph. That quickly went away and I can honestly say it's getting smoother by the day. For the first 200 miles I didn't do any crazy stops. Essentially babyed it.
Once in stop and go traffic the car lurched forward a bit. That was wild. But I am seldom in stop and go traffic. So the other day I deliberately took the long way with plenty of lights. No pausing or lurching, everything was smooth.
I do mostly highway driving. No problem passing or merging. The only change I'm making is from the toyo summer tire to Michelin, cause the toyo is crap/noisy. I have the 17 inch tires.
Do I regret my purchase? Not at the moment. I pray my car doesn't develop the 1-2 second hesitation problem after the 1,000 mile mark.
Hope this helps.
I picked my 2005 ES up from the dealership yesterday afternoon. They put on the Michelin tires for me.
Upon driving away I thought how rougher the ride seemed, compared to the Toyo tires. Only as I drove longer did I realize that there is a slight vibration in the steering wheel. Very annoying and definitely new. Wasn't there before I took it in. I only have 1,100 miles.
Is this a sign they didn't do an alignment or that the tires aren't balanced? Where is this "awesome" dealership service when I need it?
Anyone have a similar experience? Of course I plan to take it back.
Was your swap to a new set of Michelins at no charge?
#404 of 670 Extremely Surprised! by nogermancar Jan 29, 2004 (11:18 pm)
Reply
I am extremely surprised to hear that Lexus 2003-04 ES300 or ES330 owners are still having problems with their transmissions. I bought a 2002 ES300 and felt really frustrated with the way in which Lexus dealt with the whole issue. I had some very weird experiences with the service advisors.
After one year of ownership, I got a lemon lawyer and got my money back. If you have a mechanical problem that admittedly cannot be fixed by the dealerships, and your vehicle manufacturer does not work with you, then go get your four repair attempts and your money back. Simple.
Good luck to you all. I hope your future car experiences are much more enjoyable.
I can't wait to find out!
I would like to know what they did to fix the problem if fixed and how they are going to make things right in the older models.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=8037&sid=18- 0&n=157
Toyota has a real shot at the sedan market with this car, all they need to do with the ES is give it that Lexus touch and they'll sell like hot cakes....
I have driven it very conservative since November
and have about 1500 miles.
Does anyone have problems with the remote not working intermittently
'03 ES300 with 21500 mi. Drive train operating as usual. Called Lexus service mgr who says "safe to drive", "don't worry", "will check it out next time you come in".
Anyone have similar issues with "check engine" light?? Is this a non-issue as I am led to believe from the Lexus service mgr???
(In the "pursuit of perfection", the ES has a way to go)
However, the '03 ES has a "one click only" re-designed gas cap, unlike the pre '02ES and other Toyota products. ( I am familiar with what you mean as I have owned 4 previous Toyota/Lexus vehicles where this was a problem if you didn't twist the cap until it clicked 3 or 4 times ).
I will take it in next week to have the Lexus service guys "fix" it.
The reason that I am cynical about the "relentless pursuit of perfection" is that I am not satisfied with the performance of the drivetrain (hesitation, surges and rough-shifts) which has been documented in great detail on the Edmunds' ES transmission website.
Even though it may be a common problem, check engine lights coming on in a relatively new car doesn't instill confidence in quality products.
Didn't effect the rough shifting / hesitation that I have put up with since the car's early infancy.
I've driven at least 7 different loaner 5-speed auto ES300 and ES330s in the past two years and just last night I had the opportunity to drive another - 2005 ES330 with 6K on the odometer.
I'm happy to report that there is no transmission lag whatsoever in this car. Previous cars, the tranny was hunting around and it was sluggish and never in tune with the engine/pedal (the 99 ES300 I own had a much happier engine/transmission combo).
BUT THIS CAR DRIVES WELL, no delay whatsoever. So I think Lexus may have finally addressed and fixed the problem.
That being said, I owned an 04 ES330 that I could not live with, the hesitation and jerkiness was unbearable. The 05 I had for the day was wonderful, unlike the 04 I had.
I cannot say that Lexus has officially fixed this dangerous problem in the ES, but I can say the single 05 that I drove did not exibit the traits of the 04!!!!
It would not surprise me to see Lexus fix the problem while attempting to keep things hush-hush. I would have to really drive the car in all conditions to believe that the problem was fixed. More comments from 05 owners or 04 owners that have driven the 05 would be nice.
A possible reason for this is that Lexus may be including the firmware "fix" that came out about a year ago in all newer cars. I never upgraded my car because the technician told me that the firmware "fix" alleviated problems at the lower speeds but caused more problems for highway driving. When I drove the 2004, I repeated the problem on the freeway and noted the longer, less jerky response.
I got my 2005 with 10 miles on it in December. I now have 1,650 miles and I don't have the hesitation problem. It's not as smooth when traveling between 1 and 5 mph, but I seldom drive that slow.
I pray I don't develop a problem as mileage increases. I'm about to go on a 540 mile trip this weekend. If I notice anything weird will post.
I did drive a 2003 and a 2004 with 3,500 miles. They each felt mushy and laggy. Drove another 2005 and it felt right, which is why I bought mine.
Then the car shifted abnormally, sometimes harsh, and made a huge noise when going from N to D. After further examination, now they tell me that the transmission suffered internal failure and they'll replace it as it is under warranty.
I absolutely baby my car the way I drive and maintain it, and it's possible the maintenance done on my car and the transmission failure is a coincidence or is it more likely a techie who messed it up?
I was told by the new car manager when asked about the 2006 ES330 that there was going to be no change. This is going to be like the 2005 GS300. They did not change anything but the year because of the early release of the 2006. This is what the manager said is going to be done to the ES330. He was expecting Lexus to release the new design for the 2007 ES350 around march\april of 2006. I have not heard this from anyone else but he said this was in info that is distributed to the managers and higher ups.
Just returned from a 540 mile trip in 24 hours. The car behaved wonderfully. No problem accelerating, etc. And I got the best gas mileage ever. Did 300 miles with 11.8 gallons, some of it in slow highway traffic.
I have 2,100 miles now. Looking forward to getting 29 mpg on the highway. Maybe after first oil change.
I think that you will find the ES330 and the Camry to be substantially different, insofar as interior appointments and the driving experience. Keep in mind that the ES330 comes standard with moonroof and leather interior, which are extra in the Camry. An ES330 is not that much more expensive than a loaded (options) Camry.
IMHO, Lexus quality is excellent but there some drivability issues that have plagued the 2002-2005 model years. The problems of hesitation and transmission issues (shifting smoothness, delay, etc.) have been encountered by many. Some have learned to live with it, others can't. Only YOU can determine if the 2005 ES330 drivability is acceptable. Reportedly, Lexus is addressing the complaints with a totally new throttle control system in future (spring 2006 availability) cars.
Personally, I can't live with the hesitation and transmission characteristics of the 2005 ES330 and will either wait for the improved car or buy something else. FYI, I drove a new GS300 today which has a new 6-speed tranny and throttle control system and the driving experience was flawless!
Good luck with your decision.
Martin T.
Talked to a Lexus salesman today who said that every 2005 ES330 that he has driven exhibits the hesitation problem. He went on to say that the 2006 ES will have a totally new throttle control system that will eliminate the problem for once and for all.
Obviously, some people are more sensitive to the problem than others. Personally, the condition is unacceptable to me. My wife's '98 ES300 has NO hesitation and upshifts/downshifts are flawless. It almost seems if pre-2002 ESs are the ones with the advanced technology!
FYI, drove the new 2006 GS300 today and this is one nice automobile.... 6-speed tranny and new throttle control system to go with the new V6 engine. I dare not let the wife drive one!
Martin T.
Martin T.
And yes, I can live with that.
As far as the difference between a Camry and a Lexus, I've had both. The Lexus is better.
Happy shopping.
All kinds of standard bells and whistles over my Camry, which did not have a moonroof, etc.
Smooth, quiet ride, better than my Camry on the highway.
Great warranty, safety and reliability records.
And I know you don't want to hear anything about the dealership, but when I got my car in December I didn't realize it had summer tires on it until after I bought it.
Guess what? Dealer gave me four brand new Michelins for no charge when I asked for them a couple weeks later. So, yes, thumbs up for the dealership, too.
Those are my reasons in a nutshell. Hope you can find some for yourself.
-- too little headroom (and I am only 5'10", 150lbs)
-- heap and shoulder room are lacking, too: my head almost touches the upper door handle. I tried to lower the seat, but then visibility is compromized.
-- the driver seat is too narrow and a bit firm, and doesn't have enough thigh support
-- the auto climate system is frustrating: why do I have to hit the internar air circulation button every time I start the car? I fully expected that it would remember the setting that I left when I turned off the ignition
-- the throttle is still not very responsive, despite all the reprogramming and improvements over the last years. The simple test is to press the accelerator 1/3 to 1/2 way down and release within 1/4 of a second. Nothing happens, and tachometer doesn't register anything! I've heard that the throttle system will be completely new for the 2006 model, although if it's the same as in the redesigned 2005 Avalon, I am not encouraged (I test drove the 2005 Avalon, and was not impressed with the throttle).
-- shifts could be smoother, too, especially between 1st and 2nd, and 2nd and 3rd.
-- the Nav system is great, but I wish I could assign custom voice tag to preprogrammed addresses. In its current form, the only destination voice commands it recognizes are "Home" and "Quick Destination 1" thru "Quick Destination 5". I t would be nice to be able to key in the address and assign a custom voice tag to it, such as "My Hotel", "Uncle Earnie", or "Fred", so that you can later set it as destination by speaking it
-- my rear passengers found it difficult to fasten the seatbelts: the buckle is sunk too deep in the seat
-- body lean during cornering is pronounced