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Lexus ES 350
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If you want to almost ensure that the flare will occur in front of the service tech--make sure that you don't let your car sit too long during a cold-start warm up (i.e., don't let it idle for more than 30 seconds once you cold-start your vehicle)...then once you get moving, try to get to the 3-4 shift as soon as reasonably/safely possible.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/pricing/best-worst-in-car-reliability-10- 05/best-worst-models/index.htm
FAMILY CARS: Honda Accord Hybrid, Toyota Prius, Honda Accord (4-cyl.), Ford Fusion*, Mercury Milan*.
UPSCALE/LARGE CARS: Lexus ES350*, Lincoln Zephyr*, Hyundai Azera*, Acura TSX, Acura TL.
LUXURY CARS: Lexus LS (2006), Infiniti M*.
But a few years ago who would have considered the ES and "M" to be LARGE or even considered LUXURY cars.
I've had the Premium Plus ES 350 and now have the UL edition. In a nutshell: the sound and sound system in the Premium Plus is horrible and the ML system is barely tolerable, IF, you can discern good sound quality. Both systems use cheap OEM vrsion of name-brand speakers (I think Nakamichito obtain what Lexus touts as sound quality. It's eqivalent to BMW's Harmon Kardon system. If I were HK, I would be ashamed to stamp Harmon Kardon on those speakers.
It would be much easier to upgrade the sound system in the Premium because I don't remember any speakers in the dash. The ML system has 3 speakers in the dash that would be hard to replace. The only thing that would be easy to upgrade is the amp. It is located in the right-rear quarter panel.
JL Audio makes two devices that solve several problems in all late model cars. One is called the Clean Sweep DSP and the other is the Clean Sweep SSI. One of the problems with the ES 350 sound system is that the sound levels change each time you select a different source. You might be listening to satellite at a comfortable level and then get blasted away when you change to FM.
The SSI is a summing device. It takes either line-level or speaker-level inputs from the head-in unit and routes them to the the DSP which "cleans" and provides 30 bands of equalization that is then fed to the new amp via line-level RCA outputs. They are not cheap at about $500, but a good solution for clean, equalized sound going into a new amp. At this writing, I don't know if the SSI is shipping.
The ML system has a bigger amp than the Premium Plus, no doubt to drive the increased number of speakers but I can't say it is any better quality than the Premium-Plus amp. One thing I noticed missing on the ML is the ability to tailor the sound to just the driver. I suppose this is because of the surround system in the ML version. I also notice that the ML tends to focus the sound toward the front of the vehicle.
As far as speakers, I would find a good mobile audio shop that specializes in Lexus vehicles. They may have more info on speaker sizes. Unfortunately, speakers are not trial and error in replacing them in a vehicle (you have to buy them first). What sounds good in the showroom might sound tinny or muddy in the vehicle. Again, seek the advice of the pros.
I would tend to say the ML sound system is adequate for the typicle driver that would purchase the UL version of the vehicle. They are not typically going to pay and average of $200 to $300 for a set of separates for the front of the vehicle or $500 for a good sub and another $500 for a good amp.
I wish someone could post how to defeat the DVD system of having the car in Park and the parking brake on to watch DVDs. You can still listen to DVD sound after going through the process but not watch video.
Aniline, obtained from nitrobenzene, is used to synthesize dyes noted for transparency that gives an appearance of depth and richness to premium hides. Cheaper grade hides are usually surface sprayed with opaque dyes to hide visible imperfections. Neither coloring technique is necessarily longer lasting, nor do the quality of the hides prior to dyeing and tanning necessarily portend longer useful life, either. I'll hazard a guess that "semi-aniline" is somewhere in between for hides that are somewhere in between. It's really all about the visuals. The best thing you can do for leather upholstery of any quality is to frequently brush or vacuum it and apply proper cleaning and preservative chemistry twice a year. Even common "saddle soap" (a gentle, pH-neutral, fine soap with lanolin and glycerin as emollients along with a small amount of carnauba wax to help seal in the good stuff and protect against staining) is an excellent agent for these purposes.
Interview several dealerships and inquire about their Lexus knowledge, Lexus installs and their proposals for your vehicle. Be sure to inquire about their knowledge of the JL Audio CleanSweep DSP and SSI. A reputable dealer won't try to upsell you on equipment you don't need. Remember, great sounding stereo systems, such as Boston Acoustics, MBQuart, JL Audio and others, aren't often found at Best Buy and Circuit City. If you're going to spend $40,000 and over for an automobile, spend about 3 to 4 percent of that on superior equipment with 5-year to lifetime warranties. Also remember, just because it sounds great in the showroom doesn't mean it will sound great in your mobile audio studio. It's a shame that Lexus, BMW and others cut costs on audio equipment and spend it on royalties for designer names like Mark Levinson and Harmon Kardon and pass it off as premium equipment. The amplifier for the Harmon Kardon subwoofer of a BMW is not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes and the subwoofers aren't even subwoofers; they're 6x9 speakers that are flat as a pancake! The money you spend on the premium sound systems offered by these car manufacturers could buy excellent sound equipment and it does not void your warranty!
Good Luck
On all my cars previously I've been able to peel them off.
Are we all driving with them on or has someone managed to remove them?
Thanks.
Anyway - problem solved. I heard a similar sound on the loaner car(s) that I was driving while this issue was being resolved, so this issue may affect other cars too - so worth mentioning to your dealer, if you are experiencing this.
On my ES 330, the two labels on the driver side visor are very distracting when driving with the sunshade in any position.
I got light cardboard (in the form of report folders matching the interior color) from an office supply store, cut rectangles the size of each label, and used a light coat of rubber cement to stick a piece over each label. I did not get rubber cement on the visor material itself.
Did that only on the driver's side. Left the labels alone on the passenger side, where they might matter.
The visor labels are curved. The cardboard pieces won't stick down perfectly flush with the surface of the visor. Sooner or later the light cardboard will get damaged or torn off in cleaning the car. So I'll keep the rest of the packet of report folders handy to replace the covers.
ALL MESSAGES.
#322 in the dodge dekota forum has a way to remove them.
Good luck.
1 Front Mounted 65 mm Center Speaker (assuming dashboard)
2 Front Mounted 25 mm tweeters (assuming dashboard corners)
2 Front Door Mouned 160 mm wolfers
2 Rear Door Mounted 100 mm Mid Range
1 200 mm Subwoofer
I listened to the stereo again and the system definitely needs to be upgraded. I am planning on purchasing the vehicle in the next two weeks and will be immediately upgrading the entire system except for the head unit with JL Audio or a brand of similar caliber and will let everyone interested in upgrading know how it turns out.
On a different note, I live in Houston Texas and have noticed a few new vehicles with very shiny rims...similar to the same structure of the standard rims. They seem to be very shiny chrome. Does anyone know if there is a rim upgrade available? The cars that I have seen may just have very clean, shiny rims.
However, if you UNlock the doors, open one and shut it, they will NOT lock automatically.
Actually makes sense to me.
Barely tolerable? I mean, I reckon the ML isn't the best car audio system around, but for a factory car audio setup...is there any other OEM/factory-installed car audio system (not including factory one-offs or custom/option install packages) out there that BLOWS the ML away, as far as car stereo sound quality? For a factory car audio system, the sound staging of the ML--and I'm speaking only for the one offered in the ES 350--is really good, IMHO...and I can say unequivocally that the ML definitely blows away the BLOSE (I mean, BOSE...no pun intended, BTW) "premium" sound system in my Denali.
The technician could not hear the static and again suggested that this is normal but once I drove the service writer to the parking lot he could clearly hear the background static. We don't seem to have this problem as much with the FM station as we do with the AM station. We do have the Ultra package with the M/L system.
Has anyone else had the same problem of static?
1 - the afterthought AM sections of automotive radios over the past twenty years are pathetic at best and horrid at worst.
2 - AM reception quality varies considerably as to the time of day (extra two-way AM traffic during daylight hours generates interferrence at the extremes of the commercial broadcast bandwidth) and sunspot activity (worse if ol' Sol's in a testy mood ).
If you feel your car's AM reception is particularly subpar, ask to test drive another similarly equipped model for comparison. It is possible you have a defective head unit and/or a suppression problem with one or more of the electricals in your car. A comparison test drive may give you peace of mind or grist to demand further action. One final point - does completely inactivating your cell phone improve AM reception? The reason I bring this up is that, while the frequencies cell phones operate on are outside the frequencies of AM commercial reception, any device that receives RF transmissions, and a cell phone qualifies, will inevitably transmit to a limited degree, too. If its unintentional transmissions are within that part of the spectrum alloted to commercial AM reception, you could have reception issues in your car due to the proximity of the cell phone to the car's radio reception antenna.
Once it is unlocked and a door is opened, it stays unlocked until locked by someone.
AM is inherently more sensitive to interference than FM. That's still no excuse for static.
I'd vote for a bad interference suppression capacitor somewhere in the car's circuitry (like ignition circuitry) or that one of the multitude of motors in the car being bad, perhaps a heating/air fan motor.
If that is the case, the electromagnetic interference could affect the engine computer as well.
potential were few and far between for me. In addition, the interior was not the best for a car in this price range.
So one day I stopped by a Lexus dealer and saw a Royal Ruby w/black interior in the showroom, sat in it and fell in love, it just "felt" different than the G, more upscale. I took my wife on another visit and got her to just sit in it and she thought the same thing. The ES350 has a great interior, much nicer than the G for the daily commute. It has good power with the 272 hp engine and folks young and old are taking second looks at it.
I can't whip around curves as fast as I could in the G but maybe I won't get 2 tickets in two week either. Another positive for the ES350 is that my car insurance premium is only $20 more per year over my 2004 G35. Not bad. the main thing I am getting use to is the push button start and I am liking the car more and more each day. Getting a spoiler put on in the morning..... keep you posted
I find that if my 140 lb. son sits there, but slouches rather than sitting back in the seat, the airbag is off, but if he sits up straighter, it is on.
So it would seem that the weight detector is in the center of the seat and not in the front bolster.
"Most new cars have air bags for front-seat passengers. When used with lap/shoulder belts, air bags work very well to protect older children and adults. Air bags do not work with rear-facing child seats (those used with infants). Airbags could seriously injure or even kill an unbuckled child or adult who is sitting too close to the air bag or who is thrown toward the dash during emergency braking. In a crash, the air bag inflates very quickly. It could hit anything close to the dashboard with enough force to cause severe injuries or even death. Because the back of a rear-facing child seat sits very close to the dashboard, the seat could be struck with enough force to cause serious, or even fatal injuries to a baby. Even older children (who have outgrown child seats) are at risk from a deploying air bag, if they are not properly restrained. The rear seat is the safest place for children of any age to ride. An infant in a rear-facing child seat must ride in the back seat if your vehicle has a passenger air bag. Make sure that everyone in the front seat is properly buckled up and seated as far back from the air bags as is reasonably possible. Make sure that all young children are properly secured in an age and size appropriate restrains. Know how to properly install your child seat in the vehicle. Read both the owner’s manual for the vehicle and the instructions for your child safety seat."
Your kids are out of control in more ways than one.
(Running cold tire pressure as little as 3-4 lbs higher than the automaker's recommended tire pressure will add 10 to 12 thousand extra miles to the useful life of a set of tires with a barely detectable loss of ride comfort. That little an increase in running pressure still allows a very safe operating margin when driving at high speeds across the Mojave desert in the middle of August.)