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Comments
During the 1000 mile/30 day service on my LS, I asked my dealer to reset the auto door lock function to operate when the car speed exceeded 12mph rather than when the transmission is taken out of Park. This option is described on page 48 of the owner's manual. When I picked up the car, I noted on the invoice that the technician "did not find programming change in the computer to allow for doors to lock at speeds of 12 mph...". To make a long story shorter, the Service Advisor and Duty Service Manager basically told me that it couldn't be done, that the owner's manual was probably incorrect, and they could not (or would not) produce a copy of the '04 CBEST settings for the LS. I had earlier been shown a copy of what turned out to be the 2002 LS CBEST which said the locking function could be changed to 5mph - their reaction was that Lexus must have dropped the option for 2004. They advised me to take up the issue with "the factory". Customer service at its finest!!
At any rate, I would like to be armed with correct info before I take on the dealer again...thanks in advance...
SanDiegoTom
Sean
At worst you could order the lighest color available and your dealer could paint them then install...I would expect they would charge for paint and install about $100 per but I don't know for sure.
The LS is the best mass produced sedan in the world - in my opinion - so comparing top quality lux cars to it is a losing proposition, let alone an SUV. But the GX is a fabulous truck and I look forward to driving it all the time. Having both the LS and GX is having the best of both worlds - given my wife wanted a Lexus suv that was smaller than the LX. With that said I still prefer the LX to the GX as it is definitely the premier SUV in the Lexus lineup and probably the best made SUV on the planet - though arguably the Range Rover is just as or a tad more luxurious - assuming you can deal with its reliabilty issues. But the GX is the equal of the LX in ride and is a better handler - two very crucial staples. It's just that for all around comfort, luxury and cargo space the LX reigns for me.
Anyway with all that said I can't imagine you won't love this GX. You'll have to stop comparing it to the LS though because its a totally different experience. On the other hand maybe you need a complimentary LS to go with it.
I knew you'd get to the bottom of the vibration thing on the GX. Thanks for that post. I don't have any hint of the vibration but I know what to do now it is if it happens.
Ron
Also, on the Lexus web site they no longer show saddle interior as an option. Any guess as to why that would not be available now.
The RX is great also. I've really liked the new bamboo pearl color whenever I see it. I always request the RX as a loaner when the LS goes in for maintenance. Did you inquire about the hybrid?
Best of luck with both.
HOWEVER, I was dissapointed to see in the maintenance manual that it is required every 5k miles rather than giving the option of 5000 or 7500. Considering that every other luxury manufacturer makes it a 10k to 12k, especially for oil changes using Mobile 1, this seems like a regressive move.
ONE OTHER QUESTION: The manual indicates that there is no way to use the bluetooth to dial out while driving? Any experience to the contrary? Will be checking in with Cingular to replace my current mobile with the t616, as I guess this is the best one available through that carrier.
Many thanks again for all of the accurate info.
Fred
Any comments would be welcome.
It was a coin toss for me between silver/black and pine/saddle. My wife went with Bamboo Pearl for her RX and I got the pine SC to have some contrast. I guess if she went for Flint Mica (a close choice for her) I might have gotten the lighter colored car. I will say the pine "dusts up" as fast as a black car.
The hybrid really didn't interest me for a few reasons, so that didn't come into the picture.
I'm still waiting on Verizon to launch bluetooth so I haven't really fiddled with that yet. But I'm losing patience with Verizon.
Steve - I had the midnight pine before and its practically a black car but the gleem of green is real nice and it looks awesome when you wax it.
I am using the new Motorola V600 through Cingular and it has performed flawlessly. The Bluetooth connection is automatically made when you turn on the car's ignition. Usually takes about 5-10 seconds. Calls can be dialed from the Nav screen virtual keypad or phone book when the car is stationary. Note that you can bring up the virtual keypad while on a call (as long as the car is not moving)so that you can retrieve voice mail and enter prompts etc. If you are moving these prompts can be made from the phone keypad. There is no significant lag either receiving or placing calls via the Bluetooth interface. As mentioned previously, if you dial from the phone the system only connects when the call is answered.
When driving, you can only place calls from the one touch screen which the system defaults to when the car is moving. I believe you can store about 18 of these numbers which is not bad. You assign the one touch numbers from the phone book, or from your log of outgoing or received calls. The one touch entries that you import from the phone book have the name and number displayed when the car is stationary but only the name when moving. The one touch entries imported from the call log only have the number which goes away when you are driving leaving a blank space with no indication of who you would be calling so it is better to use the phonebook as a source. The phonebook entries are created by uploading entries one at a time from the phone. I have not been able to come up with a way to do the whole phonebook. I understand that the entire phonebook can be uploaded from the Sony-Erikson.
If you are on a call and for some reason want to go from handsfree to using the actual phone it is easy to do so by droppig the Bluetooth connection by pressing a few buttons on the phone. However, I have found that the only way to reestablish the Bluetooth for that call or any new calls is to have the car stationary and either restart the car or go into the phone settings and reconnect the Bluetooth. You cannot get into the settings when the car is moving.
Another oddity is that the phone book entries are reversed after thay are uploaded. Bob Smith becomes Smith Bob. I am not sure whether this is related to this particular phone only.
The Lexus manual indicates caller ID functionality with name and number but I cannot get it to display names even if they are in the phonebook.
As to the lack of functionality while driving, I understand that there are stereo installers who can rewire the cars so that you can dial from the screen and access the phonebook while driving. In my opinion this is safer than fumbling with a tiny phone keypad but I know the Toyota lawyers do not see it that way.
As to oil change intervals, I used the 7500 schedule on my '90 LS. When I sold it 3 years ago with 130,000, it still got the same MPG as when it was new and the oil was still in the safe range (without any addition) at each oil change. With the stable viscosity and break-down resistance of Mobil 1, it seems to me that 10k to 12k is reasonable and even 7.5k should be extra conservative. I'm going that route, since I change the oil myself anyway.
On another note, I was on a recent trip and had a long stretch of open road in front of me and thought what if I stretch the LS beyond my normal 75mph ? Hmmmmm..... I had the car at 100mph and about the only thing I noticed was a higher noise intrusion into the cabin. The car was so smooth and straight, it was scary ! Exactly as C&D described in their Dec lux sedan comparo, quote: "The steering knows exactly where straight ahead is, and the faster you go, the more it locks onto that heading"
Except for the hybrid type of mpg and cleaner emissions, higher HP and faster 0-60 starts (probably under 5 in the more powerful 2006/7's) I'm not sure how they can improve this car on the next build. But I know they will. By the way I'm pretty sure the next build is in 2006 from everything I'm reading and the inherent logic in leading the world debut with the flagship sedan. That's why I believe 3 of the 4 Japaneses Lexi debuting in August 2005 will be the re-designed IS. GS and LS. The fourth is most likely the HPX now that I think about it. Than in 2007 you get the ES and Super LS and maybe a very high end sports car plus a new LX (VX?) that is finally very different than anything from Toyota. It may be off the Sequoia platform but it will bear no real resemblance to it or the TLC.
Your 100% right on the hydrogen fuel cell power as far as I'm concerned. It's anywhere from 10-25 years away and probably closer to the latter. The German fans better hope its that far off because the only company with the financial prowess to pull it off in the next 5-10 years is Toyota. BMW is way too small while the Americans have too much still to fix. There are certain things the Germans better give up trying to lead or they will just shoot themselves in the foot. Hydrogen fuel cell powered cars and sophisticated electronics are certainly two of those things.
By the way I'm convinced the higher gas prices are here to stay. They may fall a bit near-term but they aren't going back to where they were a year ago. They are a pre-cursor to the hybrids just like the rising prices in the 70's were a pre-cursor to the improved fuel economy engines that were coming back then. The diesels will never be anything more than a small niche segment here.
Alternate fuels are going to be a big deal in the next several years. Hopefully, Congress will do the right thing and pass the energy bill so that funding for more research on this can be provided. Whatever happens, gas-electric hybrids will play a big role, which gives Toyota and Honda a huge lead already.
Scheduled maintainances: My LS now has 88K miles. Last month, I spent $1.5K for its scheduled 90K mile service - included replacing the water pump, timing belt, and all the hoses and clamps. 2 years ago, I did the 60K mile service which cost $600, for mostly a tune-up service, and a myriad of *checks* and *advice*, as the dealership calls it. If Lexus releases the next LS in 2006, then this 90K mile service will be my LAST major service on my current '99. I'll be the proud owner of the new 2006 LS when it comes, although I suspect I'll miss my old reliable '99 which has been perfect so far.
http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/04/0526.html
Notice that they say the "LS, GS, IS and SC—will be introduced within one year of starting operations"...meaning the new LS could be model year 2006 or 2007.
Now, there are some people who I know will confirm that I am known for missing some important data when I read things - normally from my spouse! So I could have overlooked that point in the release.
Aggie76 - The redesigned IS and GS will be very different than anything from Toyota and the SC - from everything I know - is already a stand alone car. The LS has a counterpart in the Toyota Celsior in Japan. So it just doesn't make any sense that they would go with a re-badged car there particularly since the LS was the defining element of Lexus in 1990. Consumers Guide is also saying the LS will be done over in 2006 with hybrid availability in 2006 or 2007. As well Automobile reported a re-designed super LS is coming in Aug. 2006 (probably as a 2007) and that car probably follows a more base LS rather than leads it. I know there are a handful of Lexus dealers set-up already in Tokyo but I don't know how they are handling the Celsior/LS situation in those dealerships. Maybe it is similar to the LX/TLC situation. But from what I saw the Celsior was a twin to the LS with similar pricing and the same equipment and options - just a different badge. It also supposedly sells well in Japan. Simply killing the Celsior as a Toyota and adding it as a Lexus LS would require a lot of marketing and I'd view that as a foolish thing to do if I were a Japanese consumer. The LS is Lexus' status king so it needs white glove treatment. Many of the stories about the new model are also saying a stretched wheelbase will be an option.
OAC - I have read in a few places that Lexus has given the HPX a go-ahead so it makes sense that it will be an early entry into the new stand-alone line-up. But it comes off the GS platform so maybe it is a 2007 car. Heck - maybe they'll even make it a bit larger and let it come off the LS platform. The SC redo is not slated until 2008 and it is the closest existing Lexus to the new styling anyway - so no need to rush it. That's why the SC made sense to me as a possible 4th car in that earlier post I made on the high-end board.
The bad news? This wire is located directly behind the very expensive nav screen. So, installing a switch for the wire requires disassembly of the dash. That's why I never did it.
Sean
They can also put in a rocker switch that temporarily disables the navigation system speed sensor so that you can enter destinations while driving.
I would suggest that you call around to some car radio/DVD installers and they may be able to get you the wiring diagrams if you want to do it yourself.
When you really think about it there are only a few comments that have been disclosed to the public or hinted at what is to come. You have the GS and IS statements and auto show presentations, the LFS concepr which I'm convinced is more about the LS than the GS, the comments about the next LS doing to the market what the 1990 did, the redo of either the entire lineup (or just the car lineup) by 2007 and then the super LS, super sports car, the tuning arm and HPX. They have not delved into specifics which is in-line with Toyota's normal secrecy on these things. Whatever is to come - it's going to be big, centered around hybrids and it will set a lot of things on fire in the lux segment.
with our questions? Perhaps we should invite 'them' to participate,
to the extent 'they' are able to respond?
My background was a sales engineer, if you didn't ask for the order,
you probably wouldn't get the order.
syswei: would you invite Mr. Clements to participate? We might be
surpised at his response.
flkey@earthlink.net
Hope this helps.
Just to be clear before I mess up my car. Your information about the violet/white wire applies to 2004 LS430 cars, right? (Or, at least as far as you know.) I'm ok with disassembling the dash, I just need to be very sure of this.
Thanks for the information,
Dominick
I found it a worthwhile upgrade. Others may disagree. You should drive both types before deciding for yourself.
And why so down on the wood steering wheel? I think they are very elegant.