Lexus ES 350

analyst3

All ES350 buyers be aware. If you look on EBAY for the ES350 2007 all are manufacturers buy-backs. They are buying my back 100% of monies! The transmission went out in lesss than 2.000 miles, so did the radiator. If you read the National Highway Transportation recalls/complaints you will read a bout lot of the same and worse near fatal accidents. The cruise control has a mind of it own, accelerating without control, who knows Lexus may stop selling the car or recalls may come in sooner. I owned 3 Lexus, Afte I get my refund I will lease a GX470 but be careful of any of the others that share transmissions......

jaspalb

Your case seems to be stray case of such major problems. How many such cases are on National Highway Transportation site? I never heard of such strange behaviour of cruise control, etc.

jaspalb

I had a look at EBay and did find several ES350's at prices similar or higher than what you pay for a new car. Who do they expect to buy from EBay? Site clarifies that buyer is responsible for pickup. Some are listed as-is. This is so weird !!

t_rucky

There are a few 07's posted on Ebay by a used car broker in Texas. For anyone interested in these, I talked to the broker and asked about them. They were obtained from a variety of locales around the country, and the transmissions were replaced due to an issue which happened early on in the new model year. They come with a new car warranty from the manufacturer.There was a faulty snap ring installed in a small number of transmissions during a period early into the production run of this model which created a potential transmission failure. This error was spotted at the factory and was passed on to customers who bought vehicles made in that production period. They were given the option of a replacement transmission, or a replacement buy back. Some chose buy back. These ES350s are from that program.

jaspalb

If they are at 20% discount on EBay, may be I would consider, but at regular or near regular price, I don't understand who would think of buying an expensive car like that. May be the dealer just needs only a few 'stupid' people, which may be only a matter of time to find.

t_rucky

You are right. Who can say how such a high asking price was determined. FYI, the seller isn't a Lexus dealer. It's a used car brokerage. Evidently that brokerage only handles high end vehicles.

iqbaldhillon2

Yesterday I bought a brand new 2007 Lexus ES 350 fully loaded I got the lo-jack system, 20" chrome rims, spoiler, and the navigation system, all equiped for a final MSRP of $39,990, I paid nothing but MSRP. Thank you Edmunds, you gave the confidence to by this car!

jaspalb

Iqbal,

Yours is perhaps Premium+. MSRP for the car with features you listed is higher. You paid a lot less than MSRP, which is good. Which city/dealership is it?

sacto1

I would love to find out more about resolving the wind noise on the ES 350. I have excessive wind noise on both sides inbetween the front and back doors. My dealer originally said that he could find no record of anyone else having this problem. Now he is saying that all of the ES 350s have the same noise and therefore it is not abnormal. So if others either don't have the noise or have had it fixed, that would be good info. to give him. I did provide him some info. from this site, but to no avail so far. Other than the wind noise, the car is great.

jaspalb

There is always some wind noise at high speeds. There are mirrors near windows, and window glass is not sound proof. How do you determine what is reasonable or unreasonable? Car is quite silent for tyre and undergear noise. There is some wind noise, but that never bothered me.

yilegao

My 2007 ES 350 has some rattling noise in the overhead dashboard after the car goes through bumpy roads. Does anyone have the same problem? What did the dealership say?

larrymit

After about 7,000 miles, my 2007 ES has developed a bump or ridge in the driver's seat. This extends all the way across the seat bottom at the back of the seat where it meets the seat back. I can reduce it somewhat by bouncing up and down on it a few times, but it always comes back and is quite uncomfortable.

Has anyone else had this problem? Am I missing an adjustment or has the seat heat/cool mechanism come loose?

tonyguy2000

Hi, I drove my car from California to Texas, After about 4-5 hours on the road I felt the same bump. It's very uncomfortable and now I feel it all the time. The dealer told me it's the heating/cooling mechanism and nothing can be done to fix it. Between that and the wind noise and the rattles in the dashboard which get worse in cold weather, I have had it with this car. Good Luck! Let me know what your dealer says about the lump.

larrymit

I'm going to ask about it at the next oil change. It would be one thing if it were there from the beginning. But it's just appeared so they can't say it was designed that way.

ricwilli

I had the transmission replaced at 6,000 miles and I thought it was going to be ok, but now it races...even when it is warm! What process did you guys go through to get a buy back?? :mad:

sacto1

Hi, my dealer claims no knowledge of any way to fix the wind noise, so if you could provide more information, such as dealer location etc. that would be great. Thanks.

tdoh

20" rims, eh? Curious to see how Lexus would cover something like that, as far as warranty issues that may arise as a (in)direct result of driving an ES 350 on 20" wheels/tires. I'm also curious as to the markup on those wheels/tires; I'd be willing to bet that they're much higher than what the factory 17" chrome wheels go for...

tdoh

True, but...wind noise even at 45 mph...even when there is no wind present? Lemme put it this way--if I was willing to live w/ "excessive" wind noise, I would have been better off buying a Camry instead of the ES 350.

basio

Hi,
Today at the dealer, I sat in an ES350 with UL (Mark Levinson audio, among other goodies). I brought with me a DVD chock full of mp3 files. I inserted the DVD into the top o' the line stereo and, lo and behold, nothing. There is a 'DVD' logo and an 'mp3' logo right on the deck, but, much to my chagrin, compressed audo on a DVD did not play. Does anybody know how to get this to work? If there is no crack for the factory hardware, I'm willing to after-market something to make it work.

I have about 3,600 mp3s and was hoping to be able to burn them on to about 4 or 5 DVD disks, leave them in the 6 disk changer, then not have CDs scattered throughout the interior of my car. There has got to be a way to listen to mp3/wmas from DVD, but I've not discovered it. Any advice or links would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
basio

jaspalb

DVD in ES350, and many commercial DVD players (except high end) do not play DVD-audio.

basio

Thanks, jas. Are you aware of any high-end hardware that I could use to replace the factory stereo? The ML speaker setup is nice, but I'd rather go with the Prem Pkg, standard audio, and replace the CD/DVD unit to realize my dream of actually having my mp3 collection at my fingertips in the car.

With today's flash drives/ipods/cheap hard drives, etc, you'd think this would be much more common by now. The 9.5 GB hard drive on the Infiniti G35 is a good step in the right direction, but I don't want a cramped sedan.

thanks,
basio

amf1932

The Mark Levinson System will only play MP3 CD's, not MP3 DVD's. It will play video DVD's.

Alan

jaspalb

basio, you might be better off keeping what is there. Replacing standard equipment might create compatibility problems. I agree, a large flash/hard drive would have been much better. May be 2008 version will have that

sammys

I seem to remember a thread discussion here, or in a related ES350 forum, about how early build ES350s had some quality control issues with th eengine/transmission. It mentioned something about how the egine would rev between 30 and 40 mph while the tranny was trying to get to the next gear (3rd I think) and then finally the transmission would get into gear successfully. Some posters said they saw an idiot light come on and had to take their cars in to be serviced.

Does anyone have more information on this issue and where I might find out more about it? I ask because although I picked up my car in July last year it is only now coming up on the 5k service and I've always intermittantly noticed the above mentioned slippage.

Thanks,
SammyS

jiamin

Last weekend I had an ES350 as a loaner. I know it's not a sports car, but its straight line acceleration is so impressive. I hit I-880 in Fremont, CA where the road surface is super smooth. In a few seconds I was at 100 mph. a little wind noise, a very little engine sound. It is noticeably softer than G35 but noticeably quieter too. Its transmission shifting is not as smooth as G35 when down-shifting, similar to my RX300. I don't have a specific word to describe it, just feel it more than G35 and my QX4, and my body will go a bit back and forth because of the shifting point.
ES350 interior is much better than G35. I touched and pressed here and there just to see how solid it is, or if anything I could complain, and found none. The wood trim around the shifter is not symmetrical, an unusual style.

haemmer

We are considering purchasing an ES 350 "buyback" which has had the transmission replaced. I have been reading primarily negative reports about these particular cars. Are there any POSITIVE stories out there? The car comes with the remaining warranty (car only has 1200 miles). Is the warranty compromised at all given that we know we are buying a "lemon?" Would we still be eligible for Lexus to buyback the car from us if it continues to have problems (supposedly the problem is fixed. . .)? Any info would be helpful. We are excited about the car but also want to make a rational decision here!

mdames

I own a 2007 ES350, and love it. It has no transmission problems. Your warranty is not compromised at all. However, from everything I've heard, a buyback only applies to the purchase of a "new" vehicle. So, Lexus won't buy back this car if the transmission still has problems. I think the question you have to ask is how much money am I saving if I buy this car over a brand new one? Is the difference worth the risk? Especially if your talking about a couple of thousand dollars on a nearly $40k car. That's a very small savings percentage. If you start having problems with it, you'll definitely regret your decision. My 2 cents!

tedescm1

Does the ES 350 Still have transmission problems or have they been resolved as of Feb. 2007?

Any one with a ES 350 purchased in the last few months that has this problem?

jaspalb

Based on the forum discussion it appears that transmission problem was in early production models, which Lexus quickly addressed. On that basis buybacks with a new transmission should be good. Lexus won't buy them back for any problems (which is not common, anyway), but 4-yr warranty should cover any possible problems. Is it worth the risk? That is subjective. Some value savings on an almost new car, over enjoyment of buying a really new car, some don't.

larrymit

I've got about 8,000 on my 350. I had one occurance of what might have been the transmission "flare." Otherwise, it has been perfect.

mohanian

First time visitor. Lots of great comments and a seemingly endless wealth of knowledge out there. My wife loves her new 350 but hates the stock wheels. Any suggestions on where to look for quality wheels that will not detract from the great ride. Thanks.

phillipson

Upon picking my car up for last minute detailing, my son discovered that the door had been slightly damaged. The service manager was happy to fix the problem the following week. This meant that I would have to spend yet another hour going there and back to fix a problem which I was not responsible for. The loaner car I received on both occasions were in the condition of having been occupied by a homeless person for a week. (no disrespect to homeless persons) I had also noticed a squeaking problem behind the dash board and brought this to the attention of the service manager. This problem has been often mentioned by other new Lexus ES 350 owners. The service manager seemed to be unfamiliar with the resolution of this problem but said he would check the internet for a resolution. After having the car for an entire day I picked the car up and the next morning noticed the squeaking even louder than before. This time the service manager said he would pick my car up while I was away on vacation and have it repaired by time I returned. Upon my arrival home I was disappointed to discover that the car was not in my driveway. I contacted the service manager and was informed the I could pick the car up at the dealer after 8am. I expressed my displeasure and was told that he never said he would return the car to my home. I will never use this dealership again and I wanted to warn others that this conduce is not at all what I would have expected from any dealer ship with a Lexus association. I will be in contact with Lexus USA asap.

phillipson

I just left a post about this issue. I have just brought back my car for second time and have yet to find whether they have resolved the issue yet. This is an often mentioned issue and I have read at least one posting which suggested that the issue is resolvable. This job apparently takes up to six hours. Make sure you get a loaner and test drive the car with mechanic before accepting the car back.

greasykid1

Call Tire Rack.

jaspalb

Some have complained about clearcoat being too soft (leaves whirl marks by wiping after a wash). I have not yet experienced any such problem, as I have not given that many washes yet. Can this issue be addressed by getting a nice wax job early enough. I didn't get any yet, although dealer offerred it at a hefty price when I bought my car. Any thoughts?

jlbmi

I have an ES 350 which is my first Lexus. To be honest, I am beginning to really not like this car. My Bluetooth and voice activated dialing do not work even with a recommended phone. My car had the dash rattle...which was fixed. It also had the habit of lowering the windows and opening the sunroof by itself usually in inclimate weather...also fixed which meant disabling the feature on my key fob. The transmission flares on cold mornings. To be honest, I expected a LOT more from a Lexus.

bash4

If I were you I would trade it in on a GS or used LS. Every time I drive mine I keep my fingers crossed.

tedescm1

When did you purchase the car? Was it an early version?

I heard that Lexus has been having transmissin issues since 2002...could that be true?

jlbmi

I took delivery of the car in late August. The Bluetooth issue was there right from the start. The voice activated dialing does not work well at all. In October, the windows went down by themselves and the sunroof opened in a torrential rainstorm. The same thing happened again in January while it was snowing. The transmission began its surging in November and the dash noise began in November. I am incredibly disappointed with this car. Only thing they have fixed...fingers crossed...is the dash rattle.

tedescm1

It sounds like you purchased one of the first units to hit the street. I made the same mistake with an Acura TL….
I guess it does not pay to buy a brand new version. It's best to wait a year or two and wait until they are done beta testing the cars on the street.

I’ve been thinking about buying a new ES 350 but am concerned with all the trans problems that have been reported. I think I’ll wait another 6 months and see what is reported on this web site.

jiamin

That is why I'd like to buy as late as possible, definately not the first year new design. I usually keep a car many years so depreciation is not an issue of mine. I don't care too much of an "old" looking car. I don't pay for someone else to appreciate the look, but pay for the quality and reliability I enjoy everyday...

jaspalb

I believe problems were only in early production models. Anything coming after September 06 seems to be quite reliable, and very good value. Also, note that people who are happy and busy with enjoying the car don't have time to visit this site :-) So we only hear from those with problems

tedescm1

I think your right...and the car (ES350) has been out for about one year?

zekeman1

I took delivery of my 350 in May 06 and have not had a single problem. It has been pretty much perfect and am getting right at 27 mpg on highway/city driving.

If I had the problem(s) you describe, I would be carefully documenting all of them and reading the Lemon Law applicable to your state, with my end goal being a buy back from Lexus. Complaints on this forum could get some great suggestions/solutions, but if you're REALLY (seriously) disappointed with the car, get rid of it!

seiko

I took possession of a new ES350 last week from a dealer after inspecting the vehicle for any flaws in the "delivery" room of the dealership. Both my wife and I went over the car very carefully and probably spent five minutes just looking at the paint. The room had bright BUT artificial light of course. Within a few days after driving the car off the lot, we discovered several oval metallic blotches under the clearcoat on the roof. They are only evident when the car is in strong sunlight and only from certain angles depending on how the light is striking it. The clearcoat is fully intact and flawless and automotive paint professionals I have shown it to say it is obviously from some type of surface contamination during the factory painting process. I took it back to the dealer within a few days and with a whopping 157 miles on the odometer. All they will say is that will get a Lexus rep "to look at it in the next 30 days or so". I find this response to be unacceptable. Any advice on how to get a better response. I think Lexus needs to give me a new vehicle immediately. Their own sales information touts the factory finish and I really do not want a local patch job. Also, as a lesson for others out there, make sure you take possession of your new Lexus in a place with strong natural sunlight. All the people at the dealership would say is "we have not seen anything like that before". I guess with Lexus reliability and initial quality figures dropping, they are probably going to see of lot more messes like this!

zekeman1

Hmmm, just my personal opinion, but you need to go lightly on the coolaid...

They are only evident when the car is in strong sunlight and only from certain angles depending on how the light is striking it

All they will say is that will get a Lexus rep "to look at it in the next 30 days or so". I find this response to be unacceptable

I think Lexus needs to give me a new vehicle immediately.

Everyone has their expectations, but personally I think you're a bit over the top...while Lexus is an exceptional car, some have problems. We've all read about them on this and other forums. The fact that Lexus is willing to have a Lexus rep look at it, why not give them a chance? While you have an issue, you expect Lexus to send a rep (IMMEDIATELY) in to look at what appears to be a paint imperfection? You want them to give you a new vehicle immediately? I'm taken aback that there is royalty reading/posting to the forum!

I think you should have purchased a Maybach rather than one of these cheap little 350's.

john396

:confuse: At a stop, I stepped on gas to 40-50% then I added a little more, just before it hit 50 miles/hr, a very loud and high frequency zapping-like sound but not zapping. I placed foot on brake to feel a little vibration. Is this a transmission problem ? Or am I loading too much force on the 3 or 4th gear ? It only lasted for a second before I decel, and the car is fine at the moment. Does anymore know what that was ?

Car ordered: December 2006
Shipped from: Japan by mid Feb 2007

jaspalb

Has anyone tried car cover sold by Lexus for this model? Is it worth the price? If useful, want to consider it for indoor use (to safeguard from dust).

seiko

After getting the attention of the General Manager of the dealership, there was a major change of direction in how the paint defect was handled. He very quickly got an assessment of the paint problem from a Lexus rep. They determined it was a contaminant of some type between the paint coat and the clearcoat. Lexus is taking the car back, the dealer tagged out an identical one from their inventory, and we will complete the paperwork on the buyback/swap in two days.

You have every right to consider my position as "over the top" but I think the nature of the problem in this case could not be appreciated without eyeballing it.

jiamin

Good to hear that Lexus is doing something for you. Short term someone would think Lexus is losing but long term, customer feedback is very important to help improve quality.

My 02 QX4 has a few bubble type of paint spots one the hood. They are not easy to see. Dealer saw them under the sun, at some angle. They said "well..."

I know it is not so bad and decided to forget it. N\It's been nearly five years and the spots never got worse at all...