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Lexus ES 300/ES 330
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Comments
To my surprise, the service writer didn't blink an eye when I asked to have the headlights raised, and when I got the car back and drove it that evening, what a difference!! The low beams seem to project at least twice as far as before, and so far no oncoming drivers have blinked their lights at me, so the setting apparently isn't blinding anyone.
I would therefore recommend that any of you who are dissatisfied with the setting of your HIDs ask your dealer to raise them up. And don't let them tell you it can't be done because my just were.
It's a VERY easy, do-it-yourself, job. Under the hood and behind the light assembly is an adjusting screw/nut. By simply using a 5/16 (approx.) box wrench and rotating that nut the lights can be moved up or down.
Just park your car in front of a wall, mark the present position of the lights shinning on the wall and adjust then. REMEMBER! "a little goes a long way" and just a small adjustment is needed to move the projected illumination. The best is to wait for a nice foggy night. That way you can better see the angle and distance of the lights.
The whole process takes 5 min.
You know each car as a unique feel, but many times the whole line of cars by a maker has certain attributes or "feel" to it that make it distinctive. BMWs are very agile and quick. The steering is very precise and there is little resistance in the wheel. Interior engine noise tends to be higher and the suspension tends to be stiffer. MBs tend to have heavier, more substantial feel to them and tend to take more effort on the steering wheel to make a turn. Both lines tend to have stiffer suspensions than you would find in American or Japanese car. IMHO, the Lexus line leans a bit in between in overall handling. Many people say that the Lexus suspension is too American like and makes the cars too isolated from the road. I disagree. But that is just my opinion. I thought the ES300 was about as close to an MB feel as I could get for $31K new (C-Class excluded).
As I said a few days ago, I think the ES300 is a great value and balance between interior appointments and driving feel and performance for the current price of around $31K, but sadly styling is very boring. For about the same money, you could be looking at 3-series BMW or C-Class MBs, which are nice entry level cars for these makers, but you're going to give up size and interior amenities, maintanence will be higher, and you'll get a 4-cyl engine. You could go for the Acura TL or CL and have a very sporty car that is not nearly as nice inside. The Infinity is also a nice compromise but doesn't have as good a maintanence record and I thought they cut some corners in the interior. However, for nearly the same money you can get the NAV pkg. Audi and Volvo have nice entry level cars now too but I don't know anything about them. Or you could buy a 3 year old car in the next class up like the E-class or 5-Series or Q45. These are really nice cars, but beware of the cost of ownership because maintanence does add up! If you really wanted the larger, more luxurious car, with a better maintanence record, a used Lexus LS series might be the ticket.
Well enough rambling for this morning. I've got to get to work!
I spend maybe 5 minutes a day or less looking at the exterior of my car--on the way to the garage or driveway, on the way to the car in a parking lot, etc. But I spend maybe 50 minutes a day or more IN the car, where I don't see the exterior, but I can see and appreciate the luxury in feel and appearance of the interior, not to mention the quietness, the ride, the amenities, the incredible stereo, the fit and finish, etc.
So I spend at least 10 times as much time enjoying the interior as I do looking at the exterior. And even if I hated the exterior design (which I don't--I think it's just fine and spells luxury when others look at it just because they know it's a Lexus), that would be a very worthwhile tradeoff to me.
And what others think, I don't really care. IMHO, most of the commenters don't or can't own one, so they make superficial comments about the thing they see from their outside point of view. That's sort of like criticizing someone else's mate's appearance or clothing when they don't know the real person inside.
Anyway, my 2 cents worth on this subject.
Al--
But no car is perfect. No mater how much or little you spend on it. And IMHO, the ES's shortcoming is styling. Come on, if you silhouetted the current ES, Camery, and Accord so that all you saw as their outlines, could you tell them apart with only a 2 second glance? I couldn't. That is what I'm refering to as boring styling. Do the same with the MB E-Class, S-class, or SLs or CLKs, or SLKs, any Jaguar, the BMW 7 or 5 series or Zs, The Miata, Honda's S2000, any Porche, the new VW Beetle, Chrysler's PT Cuiser, the Mustang, even the Ford Focus for heaven's sake. These cars stand out in a crowd and have some originality to them.
I've also owned E-series and SL-series Mercedes. One thing these cars are not short of is style. But we can list many things MB is not real good at. The electrical systems, cooling systems, and climate control in particular were problematic for many, many years. The purchase prices are outragous. But hey, if you don't mind the reliability issues and the cost of ownership, these are fantastic cars, providing a driving "experience" that few other cars come close to. Does that make them better than a Lexus? Maybe yes, maybe no, kind of depends on what is important to you.
I'm wondering why people don't criticize the TL while I think it resembles the Accord. Does anyone agree with me that the TL has an exterior profile that resembles an Accord?
Maybe boring is too strong a word. Uninspired?
I don't know. I agree it's not a bad looking car, it's just hard to tell from other cars without seeing the logo or model badge. If Ford can come up with a unique look for an entry level Focus (not saying it's pretty, just unique) why can't Toyota do something for a car that costs more than twice as much. .... pretty and unique?
The GS was a bit more daring. I'm not sure they really pulled it off very well, but they tried. I have high hopes for the new SC coming out in a year or two. The one with the retractable hard-top. We took an MB SKL out for a spin a little while ago and the concept is "way cool".
The TL, it didn't strike me as that nice looking either.
gotta run...
Thanks.
I had an earlier model, 94 or 95 and liked it except for the lean in turning. I'd like another ES300 if it had a little more HP and more european like handling. We plan on trading in the wife's Volvo because she's "borrowing" my E320 too much. I think the MB C320 is too small but it drives great. The alternative is another E320 but it's a strain on our budget.
When manufacturers are always trying to add safety features to vehicles, I find it strange that they would eliminate one of the best safety features on a vehicle. Since this feature was on my Camry I became very dependent on it. When I am out at night or in an unsafe neighborhood, I liked having the doors automatically lock. Lexus says when they changed the board this year, they eliminated this feature. They say some people liked it some people hated it. My feeling is if you did not like it you did not have to program it. I think most people (women especially) would cherish this feature once they have had it on a vehicle.
Does anyone have any suggestions? I tried to get Lexus to give me a 2000 computer board, but the guy at headquarters seemed less than amused at my suggestion.
and they handle very well. Blizzaks may have better ice performance but the ride and snow capability should be more than adequate with the Alpines. I believe the ride on dry pavement with Blizzak is
skittish with braking according to Consumer Reports Nov. 1999.
So while I still have to lock the doors with the door switch, I've sort of trained myself to grab the key just so when I turn it off and if I catch it just right, I hit the unlock on the remote and the doors open "automatically." It really gives me a thrill when that happens, which is about 25% of the time.
If anyone finds a way to add this feature to a late model ES300, PLEASE!!!!! let us all know about it.
Al Finegold
I took it to the dealer 3 days after I bought it, and they were unable to locate the source of the noise. They asked me to drive it for now and said they would revisit the issue when I took it back for the 1000 mi/1 month checkup. The problem is, the noise is BOTHERING the hell out of me and I don't even feel like driving the car at all (I bought the car because it was so enjoyable to drive in the first place).
Anyone have an idea what to do? Should I take it back to the dealer Monday and force them to solve the problem? Should I find an independent mechanic to look at it? Should I just turn the radio up?
HELP!
In any event, if it happens all or most of the time, insist when you take the car in to the dealer on Monday that a service advisor or mechanic ride with you so that you can point the noise out, rather than having the dealer take the car from you and look or drive it on their own. They should have no problem with this, and you can monitor that it's driven far enough and fast enough to create the problem.
Good luck and best wishes to you on this. I know that all of us Lexus owners have heart attacks about any noise in our cars even if we've owned the car for years, so we surely can understand your emotion and frustration over such a problem in a brand new car.
Al--
Its sort of like ABS. The first ABS computer program on my Chrysler would have the pedal drop to the floor during a hard stop. No matter what the operating manual said, people would lift off the pedal and then pump the brake, all the way to the accident. They had a secret recall on that one.
Tires having an aggressive tread pattern and silica in their compounds will increase the Mu S or coefficient of static friction and help you out a whole lot. Increasing weight will not have an effect when attempting to drive up hills. Forget what they tell you, it really is physics.
After having been stuck too many times, driven into too many snow drifts, played with chains on four wheel drive vehicles, done three sixties, and seven twenties I have found out what to do.
I moved to So Cal. Last week it was 94 degrees during the day. I drove past Disneyland with the sunroof open and the windows down at 9:30 at night. It was 74 degrees and lovely. Wet today but it gave me a chance to turn off the sprinklers.
Check out this web site: www.toyota.co.jp
Click on the car line up, then sedans,
then click on the lower right tab with the
red "NEW" label. It's called the MarkII. The
web site already lists a Camry over there so
I don't think a MarkII is a Camry. After
getting into the MarkII page, click on some
of the blue letters (in Japanese). It's a
very nice looking upscale car. Even has
window frames! What do you think?
Also, there have been several TV shows on in Chicago about the auto show here, and one interviewed the Midwest manager for Toyota. He didn't comment on the ES, but talked briefly about the Camry and said what we already knew, that's it's coming out in the Fall.
For those that don't know, owners of Lexus dealers were shown the new ES back in October I believe at a meeting in Colorado. They weren't given any details, but they were able to see the car up close. My dealer said Lexus felt they did not do enough to the last redesign (in 1997) to separate it from the previous 1992-96 version, and that the new one will be noticeable different from the current one.
Also, I have been invited to a Lexus focus group in Chicago in two weeks, and the topic is the ES and the entire Lexus experience. So, maybe I'll find out some more info then. My dealer actually arranged to have me attend.
I've never heard of that problem on an es300.
that is surprising. but Afinegold offered some
great advice. good luck.
regarding auto locks, I don't think consumers
ever demanded them to be a necessity. I'm sure
Lexus would put them in ES if that were the case.
I personally don't have any problem with not
having it. Having it may even be an annoyance.
Norcalmike,
That is a nice upscale looking sedan but I don't
think it's the new ES. it's called Fortuna and
not Windom. I tried to find the new ES but couldn't on the jp site. can't read japanese so
I pretty much clicked on everything in sight.
I really hope the 2002 ES will have some of the
styling(front & back) similar to that of the
current generation. I think the current gen is
the most elegant luxury car design on the market.
it gets better with age. I kinda got sick of
the 1996 LS400 and latest GS400/300 designs. The
SC400 and ES styling seem to still look fresh to
me. After a nice wash, my ES can still turn heads.
I think the next ES will be bigger(maybe 3.2, 230
bhp or more), more luxurious(nav,etc) and expensive than the IS300. Lexus is deliberately
refraining from showing it to us to make its
introduction even more special.
Please let us know Lenscap.