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Let's not reward a, um, "baiter" with an argument, okay folks?
anthonycecil,
I only chime in when I detect to much bs, and that can be on ANY board, except the SUV boards.
M
You get 98% of the benefits of an LS430 UL for $55k.
And so my 996 looks like a close copy of the Audi TT, why should I care?
btw, I bought the Ultra for the parktronic feature--cannot live without it.
Have you had a problem with the automatic windshield wipers in hot weather? Mine seem to take 1 swip when I turn the car on when it's hot out. Hopefully I'll have that fixed when I bring it in for the 10K service.
Best regards
Jeff
I have not had problems with wipers coming on, but a while ago someone had their sensor replaced and it fixed the problem. Mine came on the other day when a lot of bugs hit the windshield!
Has anyone had their Nav lock in on an address near your "home," but not the address you entered for your home? Mine seems to enter an address nearby, but not my address, and if I "mark" my garage, for example, it is not the same place as my "home."
BMW (7 series was not rated because it's too new), Audi and VW scores weren't much better than MB. Best score was average for the 5 Series and the Passat. Everything else was below or at the lowest rating possible. BMW seems to have slipped as I remember them getting a few above average scores in the past.
My current problem is a creaking noise from front passenger door. Dealer again said they adjusted but creak can back after a few days. Has anyone else had this problem and was it resolved?
FYI regarding my dealer: I have used two previous Toyota/Lexus-only dealers for service and the performance was excellent. My current dealer sells everything, including MB, Audi & Jag and, while the service is better than I remember at GM, etc., it does not approach what I got from my previous Lexus-only shops.
And indeed that board is where these brand debates belong.
But of course even there, the rules of civil and respectful discourse apply.
Still, there are very many of us who are tired of these disagreements taking over so many discussions. What I need to do is just remove messages from an individual-model discussion when the clear intent is to argue - whether or not the point is for or against the subject vehicle.
I have really resisted becoming that rigid, but I think it has probably come to that now.
Questions, comments -- please email me rather than distract this discussion any further.
Thanks.
Pat
If MB is not concerned about its reliability scores it will be in pretty sad shape, at least in the US, in 5-10 years, if not sooner.
I better stop this before my good buddy Merc1 thinks I'm justifying my purchase.
Further off-topic messages will be removed. Guaranteed, this time.
It would be okay to provide a brief summary of what you read there, but please don't post anything that would get the Town Hall in copyright hot water.
A couple, two, three sentence summary should be fine.
Also provided a couple annecdotes. One from a MB dealer in IL complaining about quality problems especially on the E and S. Another from a S owner who "has lost track of how many times he has been to the dealer for repairs"...transmission lurching, electronics system shutdown, etc.
QUOTED ITEMS ARE FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, NOVEMBER 12, 2002. PatHost please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that SHORT quotes, with proper attribution, does not violate copyright rules.
The bottom line is that the Town Hall (and therefore our community members) needs to respect the proprietary articles posted on proprietary websites such as the Wall Street Journal and such as Edmunds.com Town Hall.
Check out the Membership Agreement on the left sidebar here if you have any questions about this. And/or email me or our Interim Community Manager, Sylvia, at sylvia@edmunds.com.
There is an occasional post...but even then it is not a serious bash like we see here.
Why don't we discuss our own cars and let the Mercedes people alone? I still don't understand.
I am sure that I will now be chastised and attacked for saying this.
Seems to be a strange mind set on this board.
http://www.autonews.com/article.cms?articleId=41381
By Edward Lapham
Automotive News / November 04, 2002
Nov. 8 -- Here’s a shocker. J.D. Power and Associates just did its first-ever Customer Satisfaction Index in Germany and Toyota came out on top.
That's right. In the land where German engineering and precision manufacturing rule, Toyota or Lexus models ranked No. 1 in six of the seven categories. Nissan took the other one.
German customers are picky.
In overall customer satisfaction, Toyota had the highest score followed by Mazda, BMW, Honda, Porsche and Daihatsu.
Among the other German brands, Mercedes-Benz finished in 8th place and Audi was in 12th place. Volkswagen, Smart and GM’s Opel were in the cellar with CSI scores below the industry average.
What kind of message do you think that sends?
Post 3536 further reminds me of what led me to Lexus.
So I thought that by presenting something from an unbiased source (wsj) maybe those folks would go back to the MB and comparison boards, where they belong. And if it that doesn't work, well, call me childish, but it does feel good to hit back (especially with material from an unbiased source), because one particular poster has put up dozens if not hundreds of very partisan comments, and I've only posted the one. I probably won't post another unless I see another 100 going the other way.
Like it or not, Lexus lives in the shadow of MB. We as customers may benefit from the extra measure of dealer service, product reliability and pricing that is part of Toyota's Lexus strategy. We give up the cachet of owning one of the German marques.
You only have to count the many posts on the subject to see it is an important issue to us. Many of us would be driving Honda Accords if emotion did not enter in our choice our cars. Posts on MB cache vs. Lexus reliability simply reflect part of our ownership experience.
On another note, I am approaching 3700 miles on the odometer--have had it just over two months now. I find myself looking forward to my drive to/from work every day (well, mainly FROM work). I'll have to take it in for the 5,000 mile service before you know it. Not one problem, thank goodness.
whybuy1: It's good being in the shadow, isn't it.
The point is that this discussion is supposed to be dedicated to one vehicle. Yes of course comparisons are going to come up from time to time, that's understandable and expected.
What has been happening here is very different. This discussion has been overtaken by a few people wanting to argue the same arguments that have invaded many discussions previously, this one included.
There simply is no need to have that scenario repeated here. Extended comparisons belong on the comparisons board in an appropriate topic.
The folks who have asked that this singly focused discussion get back on topic are well within reason.
So let's try to talk about Lexus LS's here and meet up over on the Comparisons Board to continue the Mercedes-Benz vs. Lexus debate.
Thanks.
Pat, Host
Anecodotal experience times 10 or more is invaluable. If 10 people on this thread report a problem with their Lexus then it would be a pretty fair assumption that I might very well have the same problem. If 25 people were to report a problem then the chances a pretty good I would expect to have that same problem.
It happened with my Intrigue and it happened with my Impala. Townhall was dead on with the problems of both cars.
It is abunantly clear to this poster that the Lexus is the least troublesome luxury marque.
As someone who has never owned a Lexus, but ridden and driven in dozens and talked with the owners about their experience, why are people coming to this thread and telling us that it is not so?
They are simply less expensive to own and operate over the long hall than any other competing vehicle and have been for the last 13 years.
Where we stray is in arguing how valid someone thinks another person's perceptions are, and in getting personal about it. That we can do without.
I remember that decision process - one whose outcome I am very happy about - very well. I hope your are also a happy camper.
On a different note - we had our driveway sealed a few weeks back and left our cars outside for a few days. During the time we ended up using our truck and never noticed that we left the trunk slightly open and its interior light drained the battery on our LS430. Actually the trunk closer probably failed to seal it properly - or at least so we thought. I went into the car and tried to start it and was promptly greeted by our Lexus link friends. No need to tell them where I was as they had it right on the money. Fifteen minutes later roadside assistance showed up and charged the battery for me. The next day Ray Catena Lexus called to ask if I wanted them to check into the problem. Service with a capital S. The irony was that my laundry was in the trunk and blocked the trunk closer from doing its job.
I put the chrome frames from my MB (they were an add-on I had purchased circa 1998) on my LS. I think they still look nice, and if I remember weren't too expensive. I don't know what Pep Boys might carry. For reasons I don't understand, the Lexus only has the two upper license plate bolts in the rear. I put in two short bolts in the bottom holes, (with some silicon rubber paste at the ends to protect the paint) just to hold the chrome frame and plate together, and this has worked fine for 18 mos. I'd be surprised Lexus doesn't have this type of accessory somewhere.
I just noticed something new. I was playing with the assist handles over the door (I was bored waiting for someone), and picked up on how they don't just snap back into position. They have some kind of damper, so they move slowly and quietly back. It's just another indication of how Lexus has paid attention to the tiniest details in this car.
Living in New Hampshire, I want to put snow tires on the car.
I was thinking about 4 Dunlop Winter Sport M2 225/55-17 tires.
Does anyone have experience with winter tires on the LS430.
My primary criteria is low noise.....
I went to the DMV site, and in the on line drivers manual section on inspections they mention "window glazing" as one area they look at. That was the best I could find. Like many other areas, there may be a specific criteria, but enforcement may be at the whim of the inspector or any policeman.