Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
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Lexus doesn't understant that there may be a passanger on board that can work the GPS...
I would really rather take my new LS to the beach this summer rather than our 11 yr old MB E320 wagon, but I'm sure the LS' trunk is not going to hold all of my family's stuff. We previously put a couple of large old suitcases strapped onto the roof rack of the wagon and that worked fine.
Has anyone tried to put a roof rack on the LS-- preferably one that can be removed when not needed? Or has anyone used a roof luggage carrier that they would recommend?
thanks for all of your help....
Also I feel vibrations @ 40 and 60 mph...any suggestions on what that could be?
Mich tires on are the car, with plenty of wear remaining.
Mich tires on are the car, with plenty of wear remaining.
My best guess is front end alignment, unless there's a defect in the tires.
dialed numbers can be "registered"...there are 18 registration numbers available...#6 is reserved for most recent number
But, you must remember who the number belongs to...no name reflected.
Phone book data exchange does not work...I assume the LG has a different format than Lexus engineers expected...each name can have 3 phone numbers and an icon to indicate office, home, cell...and there can be an e-mail
Kannawin
Does anyone know where the Lexus xm mounts and connects to the levenson/nav? I uncovered some electronics in the right rear corner of the trunk but they are unmarked. There were two unused connectors available on a wiring loom. Perhaps this is where the xm connects?
I connected my Skyfi 2 in the consol and use the fm to recieve it on the Levenson system, but want to install the Lexus to get read out on the nav and better sound quality. Where are the dealers putting the xm antenna? The dealer in Fife says they install it somewhere in the windshield area hidden, perhaps the rain sensor in front of the rear view mirror? I have seen a post here about using the center rear stop light housing to hide the antenna in too. Anyone have any input?
I mounted the antenna in the middle of the trunk's leading edge near the rear window. It works just as well as any other I have installed on two other vehicles on the roof. I was hoping to place it in some place hidden though.
Thanks for the input. I was told there are special balancing weights that are used on Lexus and also you have to make sure the wheel lug nuts are not tighterned improperly....is this so?
Thanks...
I am looking for a Lexus mechanic in the Los Angeles/Torrance area to rebuild my transmission.
This car has been dealer serviced since purchase with all scheduled maintenance performed on a timely basis. I do not understand why the transmission makes a lot of noise when driven. In addition, the car will not get into reverse gear.
Can someone recommend me a reputable Lexus Mechanic who can rebuild this transmission. Lexus dealer wants to charge close to $6,000 for the replacement transmission.
Thanks for your help in advance.
itrolls - you might have some luck at the CarTalk guys' website. Copy & paste the web addy (below) to their "Mechan X-files", then enter your zip code. Entries are made by readers/radio talk show listeners, with their comments. It's worth a try.
http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/find.html
Second, the only way to check the fill level if to be looking at the glass just as the liguid refrigerant first reaches it, generally within a few seconds of the compressor clutch being engaged. In that circumstance you will see bubbles in the liquid for a second or so but once the area behind the glass has fully filled with flowing liquid it will not look any different than no liquid at all.
You want the A/C airflow to be cold when it's snowing outside??!!
Just what planet are you from?
Lexus owners mostly complain about the system being too willing to switch to cooling mode, airflow primarily from the dash outlets, once the cabin has risen to the temperature setpoint.
Cool and dry airflow to the bare skin of the face can be extremely discomforting when the human comfort equation is unbalanced by the loss of radiant heating from the surrounding landscape. Most of us tend to manually over-ride the system back into footwell mode which results in more warming airflow and unlike the cooling mode, "leaks" a substantial level of that warming airflow to the interior surface of the windshield to keep it, hopefully, well above the dewpoint of the cabin atmosphere.
If your windshield tends to fog up in these conditions the best thing to do is lower the relative humidity of the cabin's incoming airflow by heating it, sometimes even above your personal comfort level. At the same time keep it in defrost/defog/demist mode as much as possible to keep the windshield thoroughly warmed against the COLD 60MPH airlfow impinging on its exterior surface.
Lowering a rear window slightly will also help.
Assuming incoming fresh airflow and if that incoming air is already cold, but still saturated with moisture (it doesn't take much moisture content to bring cold air to 100% Rh.) the A/C evaporator operating at an absolute minimum of 32F (35F being more common) simply cannot be effective at reducing the "moisture level". That incoming airflow would need to be above 47F and still close to saturation in order for the A/C to be effective at reducing the moisture level in a hurry.
If you wish to keep your Lexus windshield clear of condensation in the circumstances you related then raise the heating level high enough to be slightly discomforting and activate the defrost/defog/demist mode to route ALL of the system airflow to the interior surface of the windshield. If the fogging condition persists then lower a rear window slightly to allow the moisture laden air within the cabin to more readily escape.
The factory refrigerant in the Lexus series is a CLEAR liquid. Liquid refrigerant flowing through the sight glass can only be visually discerned by observing the bubbles at the initiation or end of the liquid flow.
I have never heard, nor do I know of, any noise unique to the system running low on refrigerant. Only if it runs long enough that way and begins to fail internally. That shouldn't happen with a Lexus since there is a low pressure cutout switch that prevents the compressor from operating if the refrigerant level becomes too low.
I did this on my 2004 LS430. It took only one day and included the replacement fuel pump that was not compatible with the mixture of gas we use in the U.S. (Ethanol I believe). The dealer cautioned me to bring in the car nearly empty of gas so they could fill up the tank as a courtesy and provided a new Lexus as a loaner vehicle. About a month later, I received a letter from Lexus Headquarters apologizing for the inconvenience and they included Chevron gas gift cards valued at $200 to make up for any inconvenience that it might have caused. I've never heard of any other car company doing anything like that. Guess that's how they practice "the Passionate Pursuit of Perfection".
So . . . perhaps you got an LS that was built for Europe, if the fuel pump was not compatible to our gasoline? Interesting . . . .
Defect Description:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE IMPELLER INSIDE THE FUEL PUMP MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MOLDED DUE TO A MANUFACTURING ERROR. ALCOHOL IN SOME FUELS MAY DEFORM THE IMPELLER AND CAUSE IT TO COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE PUMP HOUSING.
Consequence of Defect:
THIS CONDITION COULD INCREASE THE ROTATIONAL RESISTANCE OF THE IMPELLER AND, IN THE WORST CASE, MAY RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE FUEL PUMP
U.S.
That's a nice thought, but the reason they cautioned you to bring the car in nearly empty, is because they didn't want to try to drop a full tank of gas to get to the fuel pump. It's very heavy.
Suggest you contact Automotive Instincts (formerly known as Steve's Indpedent - Acura/Lexus Repair) in Woodland Hills, CA. They are a very honest and well qualified shop where I have had my car serviced for the last 7 years. If they don't do the tranny repair they can steer you in the right direction. I know that's a little far from Torrance but for $6,000 it would probably be worth it.
They are written up on the CarTalk site, btw.
Good luck.
Thanks in advance.
Well, our '05 LS absolutely will not unload the dishwasher no matter how often I ask it to..
:P
So far these cars are too new to evaluate it properly. The only common complaint is soft paint on this board. Others have mentioned hestitation issues and a harsh ride from the 18" tires.
Long term there are questions as to whether all of these electronic toys will hold up well. I like my backup camera and NAV but I wonder how long they will last. Surely it will go past the warranty period and even extended of 7 yrs, but I doubt this car will be as trouble free as the original LS400's..That said on a relative scale, nothing beats the LS.
SV
JNS
This is a common fault on Lexus cars. Is this screen completely black? Does the unit work at all?
If it is just the screen, you can have that panel rebuilt by Mikado Technologies at http://www.mikadotech.com/.
They should do this repair for about $300. I got my panel on my LS fixed by them.
Hope this helps,
SV
The good news is, it sounds like Lexus dealers take very good care of their customers whatever the issues may be - that is comforting.
Gasoline is also a hazardous waste, and as such, is very expensive to dispose of; moreover, as a "generator" of a toxic waste, Lexus would be responsible for any environmental effects the gasoline disposal could cause if were not disposed of properly.
I am left with conflicting opinions though on what it all means. On the one hand, it shows that Lexus stands behind (some of) their products and works hard on making good their promise of the "pursuit of perfection". It appears that when they find the problem, they fix it.They have not taken the cheap way out and have worked hard to honor its relationship with you, the customer. This is noteworthy, and, commendable. (That has NOT been my experience to-date with my RX330, but time will tell how they handle it in the end) But, it would have been better still had these systems and parts not been defective, requiring their repair or replacement.
But the flip side is that your cars have experienced several minor and quite a few major mechanical problems, some of which required the car to be taken apart and put back together -- the transmission and the HVAC system. Having a dashboard pulled off, fuel pumps replaced, and tranny replaced adds up to a lot of defective parts and manufacturing errors in my book. While no car company makes perfect cars, these defects are not insignificant.
I have owned an Acura Legend for well over a decade, and while its had its share of repairs, I have never had to replace the transmission, have the dash pulled out, the carpet ripped up or fuel pump replaced. Indeed, at 14 years old, the tranny and the fuel pump are still going strong. There have been no major recalls for the car.
I guess my point is that Lexus' reputation for quality and reliability seems not to square with reality. My own experience with my brand new 2005 RX330 has revealed a number of ongoing problems that Lexus has been working on for 3 years (transmission hesitation). Interior noise is another appalling problem -- my 2005 RX330 is louder than many trucks!
One would expect better engineering, quality assurance, and manufacturing excellence in a highly priced automobile like the LS430, but it appears that driving one does not equate to a trouble free ownership experience.
As you said, no car is perfect. Even the best manufacturer will occasionally have a lemon. Perhaps you've got one in your RX. (do you have Lemon Laws in your state?) My next door neighbor loves her RX 300 and swears by it.
One major problem in any product is not cause for concern in my opinion. Just MHO. However, ongoing problem$ every 6 months is another matter. That's why I dumped my Volvo. I have friends who swear they've never had a problem with their Volvos. Other friends have dumped theirs as gleefully as I have. Well, not gleefully because I did love driving that car and it was a great car . . .but . . . chronic the repair$ . . . that really got old.
Another thing I have noticed: At one point I considered a Toyota Prius simply for the fuel efficiency. The forums here at edmunds all seemed overwhelmingly negative, while the Consumer Reports readers' survey in the April annual issues all had solid red dots ("excellent") reports on reliability & repairs. Go figure. Different market segments perhaps reading different forums & magazines? I found that odd, though.
It's all a gamble, no matter what we buy. Even our Avalon finally needed new belts at 90k miles.
As a long time Lexus owner, I wanted to weigh in with my experiences.
I've had my 1992 LS since new and have had little if any problems with it. It still rides like it did when I bought it. I've replaced the Climate Control unit b/c of a leaking LCD screen and Power Steering Pump because I never changed the fluid for 8.5 yrs. Other than that it's been to Lexus every 15K for the typical fluid changes. The paint still looks great, and it drives like a dream.
The 1998 was a different story. This car had all sorts of weird issues. The dash would flicker all the time. It was a nagging electrical problem that would drive me crazy. It would stall some times, and the right rear door wouldn't shut properly. Those problems were fixed under warranty. I eventually got rid of it b/c of the dash problem. I only owned this car 7 months (preowned), and took a huge hit when I traded for my 2002 LS430.
My '02 was generally good, but a few annoying issues. The Rain sensor was replaced 3 times and the steering column assembly was replaced, as it groaned every time the car was shut off. I wasn't pleased with the cheap quality of the center caps on the wheels either. The garage installing my snow tires broke two of them. It looked pretty flimsy to me. The car was horrendous in the snow, even with snow tires..I was not pleased with the paint either. It chipped far too easily.
I haven't had much experience with my '05 LS thus far. The only problem I've noticed is the same paint issue. It looks like my detailing regimen has put a stop to that problem however. So far so good as any other problems go.
It does seem to me that Lexus quality has fallen on an absolute scale. None of these new cars inspire that built for eternity feeling you get sitting in an original LS400. I doubt my '05 will be as bulletproof as my 1992. Even the dealer admits they don't built them like they used to. I have to say once Mercedes gets its' act together, I might seriously consider one if my new LS430 doesn't live up to expectations.
SV