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Comments
Outside temp reads 3-4 degrees too high. Does the dealer know how to move the sensor away from the AC compressor?
Parking in hot sun triggers rain sensor. Is there a new sensor to ask for or should I just turn the wipers off and not turn them on except in light rain?
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Also, I noticed a small squeal when the auto-door-closer works on the driver door. This doesn't bother me much because I close the door myself. Is this common? Should I ask that it be fixed or will it likely cause rattles when they take the door apart?
I have the same problem with the rain sensor. When it's hot out, there is a "ghost wipe". There is a fix. The dealer can change out the sensor. For the time being, I've been doing what you suggest...keep the wipers off until it starts raining. Next time I bring it in for servicing I plan on raising the issue.
I got the 2002 ES300 for the loaner. It is a nice car and rides pretty well. IMO, though, it is not (and should not be expected to be) up to the level of the LS430 ride. It has a higher noise level and a somewhat harsher ride, but then it costs about $30k less. The interior has been nicely done is attractive. Just my $.02.
(I'm still ticked about the nav though).
That's what my 01 Rx salesman said too and I wouldn't be shy about asking him to live up to his word. That is if I considered a Lexus nav update worth the time of day.
"Thank you for contacting the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department regarding a Navigation System update for your 2001 LS 430. I apologize that you have dissatisfied with the price of the update. I have documented your concern at our national headquarters.
The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the update disc is $499.00. As independently operated businesses, Lexus dealers may sell the update disc at a different price and will charge labor to install the disc. I apologize that an update must be purchased separately for each vehicle.
If you have any further concerns, you can also reach the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Department at 1-800-255-3987, Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time.
Sincerely,
Jeff Shimizu
Customer Satisfaction Representative
Is your salesperson still around and can you lean on him/her?
My voice can become very loud and angry in the showroom area on these issues and I tend to chose a time with lots of potential customers about.
I recommend going back to the sales department for resolution, rather than service or Lexus HQ. They are the only ones who know what they told customers, and they should be willing to stand behind it. Service and sales are often separate businesses within the dealership (in my case they are even in different locations), and don't have the best insight into each other's operations.
I believe that the word on the change in DVD upgrade policy wasn't gotten out to the sales force, and many dealerships were honestly conveying the wrong info. In fact, when I brought this up, they were still saying the 1st upgrade was free.
Was there a 2001 rev 2 ?
I hope to get 2 - 3 good years from this car.
Thanks much for your time everyone.
You'd get more help to your questions on the club lexus forum. Type this club in any search engine and it should get you into the site. Trying not to provide the link here in case it is against edmund's TH regulation.
Good luck with your car purchase.
Good luck.
Pat
Sedans Host
If some one want see pics, please get to this site :
www.geocities.com/tle1042002/accidentpage.html
Ps: This Lexus ES 300-1997 bought w/14000 miles on 1-12-2000 as preowned from Hennessy Lexus in Atlanta, GA,and serviced by same dealer.
i waited 5k miles for the first, but is that too many. esp if vehicle is driven hard? would 3k miles be better for the engine? thanks
and lexus does not use synthetic right(bmw)
Here's a thought for you. Next time you have the oil changed, ask the service advisor to examine the discarded oil and see if he/she noticed any "greater than normal" breakdown in oil visccity. That might help guide you toward a 3,000 or 5,000 mile interval. Good luck!
PS...If you would, please post what you mean by "hard driving" and what the service advisor recommends to you. Others might have the same question. Thanks.
Before you get into the car, simply use the controls on the side of your seat to move the seat back...enough so that you can get in without having your nose pinned to the windshield. Then start the engine and press the button to get your preferred seat position.
Consumer reports says this every 3k miles with modern oils isn't necessary. MB and AUDI think so. So 7500 miles i feel is resonable and still within warranty specs (i checked manual and early reports said the same, do a search in this forum.
I like the idea of AWD sedan, maybe i'll go with the GS which will get it. hope it comes on the gs430!!!!
jbianco- oh by hard driving what i meant was, frequently revving the engine past 3000-4000 rpm
and occasional stop/go traffic. the service department recommended 5k intervals for me also but i just wanted to be sure because oil is vital for the engine, esp the way i drive the vehicle. its been 3500 and miles now and ill change at 4k and let u know what the service guy says. thanks for the advice
I think I read a little while back that others have had this problem. They fixed it in 30 min, but I was surprised to see this type of fix needed at only 5k.
Anyone have any thoughts on if this is typical or if a big pothole is to blame?
But it also could be a simple manufacturing defect.
I discovered it the next morning and they offered to make it good. I couldn't tell if the filter had been changed out or not so I went ahead and did the complete job all over again myself.
There is likely NO dealer that uses expensive skilled, or even semi-skilled, labor to perform routine, repetitive, maintenance tasks, think McD "flipper" here.
Changing the filter on the early (all??) LS is a bit of a extra task as the bottom engine compartment cover must be removed.
Another friend told me he had the same repair on his 2001 LS.
I'm considering an LS 430 this fall and would like to get the '03. Annoyingly,though, there will be virtually no changes in this car since the intro of the LS 430 in '01, it appears. (OK. Air conditioned seats will be standard. Blah, blah.) Of course, it's pretty good as it is. Nevertheless,I have the following concerns.
1. I do not like the normal suspension of the LS 430 -- too mushy and loose for me, as anyone who's driven the GS 400, as I have for a few years, might imagine I'd feel. The Eurotuned suspension solves that and is absolutely wonderful. But it appears that Lexus intends to drop that suspension option for '03. Really! Feelings of doom! They'll drive me away to BMW. I don't want to go there. Can anyone confirm that the Eurotuned suspension wil remain available for '03? Please!
2. A second disapointment is that the LS 430 does not come with the GS's maual shift mode. Why on earth not? As most will have realized, it takes the automatic transmission a notciable ampount of time to decide what gear to go to when you want to punch it to pass someone on a two-laner -- and the lag is disturbing. On the GS, you can move manual mode, downshift it, and take off like a rocket. Not, apparently in the LS. Why not offer this to LS owners?
3. Two petty remarks: no engine change at all three years in a row and unavailability of a fat steering wheel option without the slippery wood. Surely a few more horsepower and greater torque could have been squeezed out after two years of the identical engine. I wish they had done that. Now I'm flailing around, sure that they'll do it in a year or so -- and that, if I purchase the car, as I want to, I'll be "stuck" with what I could have had in '01! Grrrr! As to the wheel, I'm going to miss the great-gripping, fatter wheel on the GS.
You might say: well, stick with the GS. Well, the LS is simply better overall. It's a quandry. I really, really would like to hear from someone out there that the Eurotuned suspension will be there for '03. Can you help?
I am a former GS ('98) owner and now a two time LS owner. I had the same concerns on performance at one time. All I can really offer is you will really get used to the LS power. It really is there. The difference is not that big once you learn how the car is going to perform.
The manual downshifting you mention on your GS is nice, but remember, they don't offer that any more on 400, just the 300. The engine could keep emissions when it went to the 430. I have the LS and I still downshift it and drive it like a stick, you just do it with the gear selecter and not your fingers on the wheel. It actually works very well.
Get the LS with 17 tires and enjoy a true luxury car.
I use Moble 1 oil and either Moble 1 oil filter or Pure One oil filter, both superior and cheaper than the Lexus filter. 7500 mile interval changes worked well for me as evidenced by using this frequency with my 1990 LS400 which still got the same mpg at 130,000 niles as it got at 15,000 when mpg peaked. As to customer service advise on frequent oil cherges, remember that they have a vested interest in your returning frequently.
I recently installed K&N air filters as replacements on the LS430 and my wife's 98 LS400. These filters never need replacement (cleaning every 50k) and ingrease the hp and torque due to much greater air flow to the gas mixture. My wife and I seem to notice the increased performance.
If you don't mind, where did you hear the sport suspension would be discontinued?
With regard to the engine, you've probably noticed the 430 engine has slightly higher hp/torque in the SC and GS than in the LS. Hmmm.
I appreciate your advice your advice on the manual downshift. I was worried that it wouldn't work quite as well as the manual mode on my '98 GS. I'm delighted to hear that it will. I'll try it in another test drive. I remain concerned about the difference in power -- and note brtmd's comment about the higher hp/torque in the LS version of the engine. It is pretty annoying to know that they already have in hand a way to do it better, but won't make it available on the LS '01-03. That's why I'm sure that the next model year ('04) will bring a favorable change, one I just might have to wait for assuming that the eurotuned suspension remains available. (See below.)
TO: brtmd
Thanks for your remarks. I was giving these cars an initial check at Lexus of Rockville. My sales guy had prijnt outs from, I asume, Lexus concerning the models being built for '03 and similar data for the '02s. The '02 info showed the number of cars built with the eurotuned suspension and included it separately in the lst of builkds available. It was missing from the '03 info and my salesman said that he didn't think it would be available in the '03. He's told me he'll check further on this and, if I hear, I'll let you know (as I hope you will if your inquiries produce additional confirmation that it will be available in the '03). I told my sales guy, and mean it, that I flat out won't by the '03 without this. The regular suspension is a disappointment to me however much others find virtue in it.
To stay ON TOPIC, I tried one last time today with my dealer on the nav update price issue. They are holding fast and saying anyone told earlier that the 1st one was free was unknowingly misinformed. Lexus' policy changed from free to pay when they switched to DVD in 2001 and the maker of the disks charged Lexus a lot more. That, anyway, is their story and they're sticking to it. Personally, I like the nav, but find $600 way too much for just some more detail in a few cities (even though they say my city is one they updated). There are no new "features", just more map detail.