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Lexus ES 300/ES 330

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Comments

  • sopecreeksopecreek Member Posts: 203
    They were Potenza RE92 with V-speed rating. Frankly, I do not believe ES needs V-rated tires since the car is not designed for high performance driving, IMHO. So this time I went with Yokohama Avid H4 (H-speed rating) and so far I can't tell the difference except the wet traction is better with Avid H4.
    I heard much better reviews on Bridgestone Turanza series but the tires are likely to cost more.
    (Two questions for you, I always think Michelin makes top notch tires, how did you like MXV4 and any reason for the change? And how do you determine size of tires, 205/60-16 vs 225/55-16, any possible fitting issues?)

    BTW, the vibration after my new tires installed has almost gone now. They put the air way too much (35 psi, max in Avid H4) whereas Lexus recommends 29 psi in front and 32(?) in back.
    The air was taken out somewhat in the shop (but the tires were warm then.) Next morning, I could still see that the front tires have more air than they should. But I agree that it is better to have more air than less. Besides cold season is coming now...
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    There is a tire size calculator at: http://powerdog.com/tiresize.cgi/

    Tire rack also has some good info: http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp


    But I always check with a local tire shop I’ve used. They are a bunch of performance and race guys with all the info on how large a tire can fit onto a particular wheel and how much clearance is available with different cars. They advised me that with the ES clearances and the 16" wheeels I've currently got, 225s were the widest tire I should consider. Then we just figured out what aspect ratio was right for 225s vs 205s (which turned out to be 55 instead of 60) in order to keep the outside measurements of the tires the same as stock so the speedometer did not need to be recalibrated.


    I've had a couple sets of MXV4-H tires. Overall I think they are pretty good for So Cal driving. But this set on my ES got noisy after about 20K miles and hard to balance.


    I recently put a set of Dunlop Sport 8000's on my wifes car older SL. These are definately performance tires. Very soft and fast wearing but very grippy. Quiet too, at least so far. But the deep vertical grooves in the tires makes them kind of "twitchy" as they get stuck on road imperfections. If it weren't for the twitchiness, I'd live with the quick wear-out for the improved handling for the ES too. I guess I'm just trying to find a different balance between comfort and performance than the MXV4's are offering. The reviews of the Turanza LS-H

    's on Tire Rack sounded like what I was looking for. But they are so new that there isn't a lot of information on how people liked them mid-way through the tire's life.

  • hk2lahk2la Member Posts: 53
    I now have a small (1") scratch on my driver door. :( Not noticed by anyone else, but is a giant flaw in my mind. Doesn't look like a deep scratch. Any suggestions for fixes? Thanks.
  • hk2lahk2la Member Posts: 53
    What, exactly, were you quoting up a couple of pages? "Settlement terms" implies lawsuit. What lawsuit is this, what jurisdiction?
  • sliangsliang Member Posts: 50
    I have a 02 ES300 which I bought in Feb. this year. My transmission also had the downshift hesitation and unexpected shift problem for the 4th and 5th gears. This was very noticeable when my ES was new at around 5K miles.
    Now my ES has over 15K miles, and it is shifting very smoothly, and the problems are not noticeable any more(almost). I think it shifts even smoother than my wife's 00 Acura RL.
    I am not sure how good the 03 ES transmission is, but I am happy with what I have now. If Lexus can provide a software upgrade for the 02 transmission, I won't hesitate to do it either. Good luck for all new ES owners.
  • atoewsatoews Member Posts: 637
    I bought my ES300 in March of 2002 and have 6000 miles on my vehicle. I always recall you as the board member whose transmission issue is most similar to mine. That is, we notice the transmission problem and find it extremely annoying, but not nearly enough to cause a huge dis satisfaction with the car. Our symptoms seem identical, too. You and I were both into experimenting with different driving styles to see if it would make a difference.

    I, like you, have begun to feel the transmission problem less and less. As I stated in a previous post (3138 - Oct 28), I believe it may be that we are changing our driving habits. I no longer back off the gas prior to accelerating and the car works just fine.

    However, this afternoon, I will test whether I can still repeat the transmission symptom at will. If I can, I will conclude that it is my driving style that is changing to adapt to the transmission as opposed to the transmission "mellowing with age".

    If it is our driving styles at issue, then there is still a danger that if we revert to the old style in an emergency the car might behave as rtorecca and texas83 describe, in which case there is a real safety issue.
  • rtorrecartorreca Member Posts: 74
    Bought mine in March 2002 and now has 9500 miles. Hesitation is still there. Still quite noticeable when slowing down to turn. It's so noticeable that it actually interrupts the ongoing conversation in the cabin and passengers having a "what-the-hell-was-that" look in their face. Quite embarassing actually. I'm pretty sure they wanted to ask "and you paid how much for this?!" but didn't so as not to offend me.

    Oh yes, I hate my effin' car.
  • sliangsliang Member Posts: 50
    I bet you can still notice your transmission problem since you have only 6K miles. As I remembered for my ES, I still noticed the transmission problems when it had 10K miles. But it is shifting very smoothly now, and I barely can find any problem with it.
    My guess is that maybe the cut-off mileage for the adaptive algorithm is 15K, the software learned how you drive before 15K and then adapt those data into the regular formula. Since I never drove hard before 15K, the software has learned my driving pattern and can easily fit it into the normal formula. This is just my theory, not sure if it is true.
  • rtorrecartorreca Member Posts: 74
    Would you buy a $35K+ car with a tranny that would need to be driven 15,001 miles before it learns your driving pattern? What if there are more than one person driving the vehicle? And what happens if (God forbid) the dealership reset the computer at 16,000 miles? Yikes!

    The service tech at the dealership told me that it "learns" after the first few miles of driving - not the first few thousand miles. This would make more sense since more than one person could be driving the vehicle.

    (nothing like the mention of tranny to get this board rolling again eh? ;) )
  • mhs7386mhs7386 Member Posts: 33
    Hi friends.

    Just picked up a loaded ES 300 two weeks ago, and though still early, it is PERFECT in every way (traction control, navigation system, Mark Levinson audio system). I just turned in a Mercedes C 240, and there's no comparison, the Lexus is a much better ride. The Mercedes E class is more comparable to the Lexus. I especially love the soft ride; I don't need to "feel" the road beneath me.

    Matt
  • mrrogersmrrogers Member Posts: 391
    Dear Sir:
    I visited your website: www.protechtransmissions.com, and I see that you make transmission chips for several Lexus vehicles. www.edmunds.com has a Townhall section titled, "Lexus ES300." If you visit the site, you will see that some 2002 ES300 owners appear to have a transmission chip problem. Would you consider making a chip to help them?

    I sent the above email today. I will post a response if I receive one.
  • atoewsatoews Member Posts: 637
    Nothing like the tranny to inspire the board. I guess we are into dead horses. :-)
    The info I received concurs with what you said about the transmission "learning". A service tech told me that the learning occurs in a very few miles. Also, I have driven several vehicles on test drives and they all felt the same to me. I could repeat the symptom on my car.

    I also believe that you stated a similar experience. That is, when you test drive other vehicles, they feel the same as your car.
  • atoewsatoews Member Posts: 637
    I test drove my car to see if I could repeat previous transmission symptom. It still seems as though the transmission does not respond well to situations where no or little gas is flowing through after which the driver expects instantaneous response to heavy gas application. You are just never going to "peel out" in this car.

    I will wait with interest to see if the symptom completely disappears at 15K. It will probably take awhile though, since I don't expect to have 15K miles on my car any time soon. (I estimate that I put will 8000 miles per year on my car max under normal conditions).
  • atoewsatoews Member Posts: 637
    than the average.

    If I understand you correctly, you report a problem in the opposite situation that I call out. Specifically, you feel the symptoms when slowing down, or with a lessening of gas through the system.

    I only feel the symptom when I expect the car to respond instantaneously to heavy gas application, NOT in situations where I just back off the gas as would happen when slowing for a turn..

    If I back off the gas, I don't get a hesitation unless I try and floor it afterwards.
  • rtorrecartorreca Member Posts: 74
    Actually I feel the symptom not when slowing down but when I start accelerating out of the turn. I guess it's pretty much the same symptom you are experiencing.
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    I believe this is related to the 5-speed transmission that the Lexus employs. Both the 4th and the 5th gears are overdrive gears. The 5th is especially highly over-driven. The car is basically programmed to hold onto the 5th gear (for fuel efficiency purposes). The overdriven nature of the 5th gear is the bane of acceleration and unfortunately, the programming of the transmission code, inordinately delays a kickdown into the 3rd gear (that is the nearest available nonoverdrive gear, which is needed for acceleration). Lexus needs to fix this programming of their firmware.

    Most 5-speed automatics have their 4th gear as non-overdrive (for a quick kickdown for acceleration) and the 5th would be over-drive (for fuel efficiency). The Acura 3.2TL/TL-s Automatics also have the 4th and 5th gears as over-drive gears, but it is programmed to swiftly kick down into the 3rd gear, when you mash the gas pedal. Lexus needs to re-program the shift characteristic of their 5-speed.

    Note:

    Over-drive gears = Good for fuel efficiency, bad for acceleration.

    Non-overdrive gears = Good for acceleration, bad for fuel efficiency.

    Later...AH
  • rtorrecartorreca Member Posts: 74
    Do you think a firmware fix will also fix the shuddering/jerking of the transmission? I would imagine the firmware would only change the shift points of the gears. Even when driving on 4, the downshift to 3 is still quite jolting when accelerating out of a 90 degree turn.

    The shuddering is probably mechanical and no amount of chip programming could fix it. That is probably why Lexus has not fixed the issue because it will be very expensive to replace trannies of several thousand 02 ES's. I hope I'm wrong.
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    I think there are 2 conflicting things here, trying to happen simultaneously. The transmission hardware is trying to react to the mashing of the gas pedal by trying to kickdown (to the 4th gear and below for acceleration) based on how that part of the firmware is programmed, while the other programming (relating to fuel efficiency) is trying to hold onto the 5th gear, which due to some reason is not linked to the input from the gas pedal. Is this causing the shuddering ?? By the time the priority is decided (hold onto 5th gear or kickdown to 3rd), there is a delay, that is noticeably felt by the driver. Then BOOM...you are in 3rd and off you go.

    This is almost like 2 related things that should operate hand-in-hand, trying to operate independently of the other, thus causing a reaction conflict and a lag before the priority is decided. Maybe I am wrong...but it is just a thought.

    The gearing of the IS300/GS300 5-speeds etc are completely different, and maybe Lexus thinks that those cars are going to be driven in a more sporty manner (as opposed to sedately), due to which the priority is accorded to the kickdown as opposed to holding onto 5th ?

    Later...AH
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    For those with the navigation system, I have a question.

    When the screen is showing the six preset radio stations, the "buttons" show the preset station frequency (i.e. 92.7).

    Just the other day I noticed one of the six buttons now has the call letters (i.e. WNEZ) along with the frequency. The letters only show up with one preset, not the other five.

    Does anyone know why this happens? Or do you have a similar experience?
  • tmarttmart Member Posts: 2,233
    Sounds like your radio has RDS. My C70 has one. The call letters come from the station, if they broadcast them on a subcarrier frequency which the RDS radio picks up. Not all stations send them. That's why you're not seeing them on all stations. Also, it's not just on the presets. Try using your scan function and see if others show up too.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    I had considered buying a new ES300 but refrained due to the widespread complaint about its transmission. So, I end up buying an 03 Max GLE (my third Maxima). Unlike my other 2 Max which never give me any transmission worries, the new Max tends to linger a bit long in shifting from 1st to 2nd gear when I accelerate from a full stop or after making a turn. I thought it might be due to the traction control, but there is no appreciable difference when I turned it off. Although the problem does not sound as serious as the ES, it nonetheless is a bit troubling knowing that the car cannot provide me with instantaneous acceleration when I need to. This problem is also reported on the Acura/Honda board. I do not understand why the good old reliable Japanese cars are now beginning to slip while the US cars appear to be improving. If this transmission shifting pattern is considered "normal" for the new breed of Japanese cars, I don't know what the designers/engineers are thinking about!!
  • atoewsatoews Member Posts: 637
    Interestingly enough there seems to be a CD capability that is analogous to that described by tmart regarding the radio. Specifically, the system displays detailed information on some CDs but not others, depending, I presume, on how the CD is manufactured.

    For example, on one CD I had, the display showed the name of the CD, the artist, and the title of the track currently playing.

    I say it is analogous to the radio issue because the display seems to depend on the data provided by the specific CD. So far, I have only played one CD where the detailed information was displayed.
  • atoewsatoews Member Posts: 637
    After perusing the other boards, it seems as though transmission complaints/upgrades are common at least throughout the Toyota line.

    On the Lexus LS, GS, and Camry boards, transmission problems are reported and it is also reported that Lexus/Toyota has issued ECU/firmware upgrades on some versions of all of these vehicles.

    I have no idea how LONG after the release of the transmissions that a fix is issued, but I am still hoping.........
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    Yes, I noticed the CD function you're referring to. Interestingly enough, I have also only seen the CD data appear once. All my other CDs show nothing.
  • mouseonlinemouseonline Member Posts: 47
    today, I had my first paid oil change done by dealer at 10000 miles.
    It cost $81. Is this a little too high?
    How much did you pay?
    Thanks.
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    $81 for just an oil change is a complete rip-off. Of the three Lexus dealers near me, one charges $28, one $35 and one $40.

    Perhaps your dealer checked the fluid levels and/or other stuff and charged you for that.
  • richm4richm4 Member Posts: 169
    I'm a new Lexus shopper looking at the ES300. I went to a suburban Chicago dealer today and was not all that impressed with my experience.

    First of all, the saleslady blew off any talk of the well known transmissions troubles I've been reading about in this forum. She said that people were not accustomed to the way the new 5-speed trans performed in 2002. From what she said, no fix is coming in 2003 because there was really no problem to begin with.

    Secondly, she pretty much stated that there is really no negotiation since most people pay sticker because "the Lexus name sells itself". Although I wasn't prepared to buy anything today, she was not going to discuss price.

    For test drives, they only had one ES300 car, so you needed to wait for another customer to finish before being able to test drive. During the test drive, the engine response did not seem that good to me, although it has 15 more horses than my current 98 Pontiac GP. Also, I think I could notice the trans problem people have been referring to.

    Although the car has an absolutely gorgeous interior and a good reputation, I think I am better buying paying just a few grand more and getting a loaded 2002 Deville DTS (list $52K) that I can get heavily discounted since I'm a GM employee. The Northstar engine, trans and handling puts the ES300 to shame.

    I'm wondering if my experience is similar to most people's. Thanks.
  • atoewsatoews Member Posts: 637
    Yours did not sound like the best. I am certain you can get $2500 or more off MSRP, at least in So, Cal.

    As for the transmission, I would not conclude that the salesperson is lying. Most assessments/reviews do not cite the transmission as being a particular irritant. Even on this board, I think you are hearing a lot from a few very squeaky wheels.
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    are great as long as you keep your wallet open.

    richm4, I got the same line when I was trying to buy my 2000 ES two years ago. Checking around, I found that the dealer on the other side of town had negotiated with Costco for a fleet price that was a couple hundred over invoice. I then started negotiating with area dealers using that price as my starting point. When I was done, the dealer that wouldn't budge had come down several thousands of dollars in order to make the sale.

    Oil Change - The dealer I bought my car from now charges $160 for a 5K "service interval". Of course you get a wash and a Lexus loaner, and a laundry list of things that they "inspected". .... but .... get real.

    Other examples of their approach to pricing were the $300 for a front brake job after my rotors warped. ...$125 at the independent, and the $500+ 30k mile service, $270 at the independent.

    I finally gave up on these guys and now use an independent for all my maintanence, unless it is a fully paid for waranty item.
  • bartalk2bartalk2 Member Posts: 326
    A few months ago I checked with Woodfield Lexus in Hoffman Estates. I dealt with a fellow named Brian. Over the phone, no less, he offered me a price on an ES300 that was way below sticker and said I could order the car any way I want. I drove the car but was underwhelmed by the transmission. If you're still interested in an ES300, however, check with him. On the other hand, if you work for GM and can get a Cadillac at a good price, maybe that's the way to go. Beware the depreciation, however. As the US auto industry sinks, owners of American cars are sharing the pain. Cadillacs are way underrated simply because they're Cadillacs, and the division has squandered its once priceless reputation.
  • jimhoustonjimhouston Member Posts: 1
    Just took delivery of new 2003 ES300 on Saturday. Initially I noticed a few rough shifts around 25 miles on the odometer and thought "trouble ahead" but after about 75 miles on the odometer the transmission was flawless, no hesitation, no rough shifting, just smooth and confident. About 300 miles on the odometer now (Monday night). On they way home this evening I was darting about in moderate traffic feeling quite confident in the car.

    - Jim
  • kitchenskitchens Member Posts: 12
    Hi:

    My wife has a 2002 ES 300. She has noticed that there is a bad odor coming from the A/C system. We have had the car into the dealer twice now and the problem goes away for a while then slowly returns. They have put some kind of freshner in the system but I don't think its a permanent fix. The smell is present only when the A/C is on. When ventilation is on without A/C there is no smell. My two theories are 1: The A/C drain is clogged so there is some really nasty stuff in the system or 2: a possible problem with the catalytic converter.

    Has anyone else had this problem. Any suggestions, etc. My wife says she is going to contact Lexus about this. This is an expensive car so we should not have this problem. Other than that, we love the car.

    Thanks everyone.
  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    A musty, moldy kind of smell seems to be a common problem these days in a lot of cars, including Lexus. It is probably due to mold in the AC evaporator system. Someone had said a while back that spraying Lysol into the air intake solved his problem. The dealers also have a fix..... They were quoting me about $130 to inject a disinfectant into the system.
  • raddboy41raddboy41 Member Posts: 249
    This should fix your problem.....now getting Lexus to pay for it is another issue.

    http://www.airsept.com/eed.html
  • lexloothalexlootha Member Posts: 12
    Has anyone with a 97 or newer ES300 had a problem with too much play/slack in their seat back?
  • trublu00trublu00 Member Posts: 5
    Has anyone installed XM radio into their ES300? I have a '00 ES. I was wondering how it worked, how it was mounted, etc. Thanks.
  • sam95essam95es Member Posts: 2
    We just bought 95 300ES. Only complaint is that speedometer and tachometer needle lights are out. We hear this is not uncommon. Dealer wants $900 to replace entire dash unit. We had the needles painted a light color, but this does not work at night. Any suggestions?
  • david_valone1david_valone1 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 ES 300 with TOYO tires. I've had the car for 11 months 14500 miles. After taking the car in for its 15000 mile service the dealer said I needed new tires. Does any one have any info on these tires and is it not odd that new tires are needed with so few miles on them.
    also I have decided to get car service every 7500 miles instead of every 5000 miles as the dealer stated. any thoughts
  • maxhonda99maxhonda99 Member Posts: 1,289
    david valone, New tires at 15K is definately too soon. But ultimately, tire wear depends on each driver's particular driving habits. The average driver should get about 30K to 40K miles out of tires on a ES300.
  • maxhonda99maxhonda99 Member Posts: 1,289
    sam95ES, since you already painted the needles, I don't think there is much else you can do except get a new instrument panel.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    Ouch! $900 for the lights, that is expensive. I wonder if you can get a better price at an independent station. Dealers tend to charge a lot more!!
  • gambiamangambiaman Member Posts: 131
    The Toyo tires on my wife's 300 have a treadwear rating of 140, which is very low, and you probably won't get anywhere near 30-40K out of them.
  • mrrogersmrrogers Member Posts: 391
    The ES300 engine has had a few cases of the oil gel (sludge) problem. You may be able to get by with 7,500 oil and filter changes if you do strictly highway driving, but I would feel safer with a four month/4,000 mile schedule. I realize Lexus is repairing the sludged engines for free, but who needs the hastle?
  • jyeljyel Member Posts: 1
    I do a lot of highway driving - about 3K miles per month, so I have decided for myself to go with the 7.5K service interval, which works out to about every 10-12 weeks or so for me. My understanding of the sludging problem is that it was addressed early this year with a minor design change to the engine that is supposed to prevent it from happening at all.
  • raddboy41raddboy41 Member Posts: 249
    The needles on the Optitron gauges are definitely a frequent point of failure on earlier ES300s. I've located an used instrument cluster on the internet for $165! It's very simple to remove and install really. I've had to remove mine once on my '95 ES300 to replace a couple of backlight bulbs. Here's the details on buying the used instrument cluster...I'd call to get their assurance that the needles are GOOD and Guaranteed:

    WE CAN SUPPLY COMPLETE CLUSTER FOR $165.00,THANKS FRED


    Thanks,

    Sales


    Junkyard Jimmy

    6234 SR 61 North

    Shelby Oh 44875

    Web Site: http://www.junkyardjimmy.com/

    E-Mail: mailto:Parts@junkyardJimmy.com

    Toll-Free: 866-JYJIMMY (595-4669)

    Local: 419-342-2390

    Fax: 419-342-2365

  • sddlwsddlw Member Posts: 361
    Have you installed the Airsept system? How much was it and how well does it work?
  • raddboy41raddboy41 Member Posts: 249
    No, I've not installed one. It's nothing more than an electronic fan control device that cycles the blower motor when the ignition is turned off. The cycling of the blower effective dries up the moisture on the coils.
  • rwcole88rwcole88 Member Posts: 2
    Hi everyone. I was wondering if any of you could let me know if the ES 300 has folding rear seats to allow for hauling of larger items such as a bike. I went to their website but could not find the answer.

    Thanks much!
  • lenscaplenscap Member Posts: 854
    The ES 300 does not have folding seatbacks. Part of the reason is they take away from the structural integrity of the car.
  • bibbensbibbens Member Posts: 6
    I recently purchased a 98 ES300 and was wondering if the interior lighting should go on when unlocking the doors with the remote. Mine isn't at the current time. Thanks in advance.
This discussion has been closed.