e-man

Man, some of you newcomers are way out of line. This is a forum folks. Yes, a forum. Lexus owners come here for a variety of reasons -- to share information, relate experiences, and YES, to post complaints about the car. If you don't have any of these issues, good for you. That's wonderful and you should be very happy. But why criticize the guys who do have problems for posting complaints about them? This is America, right? If you don't like reading complaints, then I have simple solution -- DON'T READ THEM. And I guarantee you, no matter how trouble-free your car is now, there will come a day when you have an issue. Maybe it won't be one of the well-documented issues currently being discussed (e.g., the trans flare, wind noise, diesel clatter, etc.), but you will have a problem and you may be looking to this forum for advice. Sure, you could go to the dealer, but maybe you'll be out of warranty. When that day comes, I really hope for your sake that guys like Bob and others on this forum have short memories.

e

Macklin

e-man, I agree with your post 100%! This is what makes CL such a great place. I joined here early this year when I had an issue with my '98 ES300. A trouble free car over 9 1/2 years I might add. An unbelievable experience in my lifetime. But the radio display had gone out and the dealer wanted $500 to replace it. I wanted to sell the car in anticipation of the arrival of my ES350. Well, I posted a question up here about the possibility of doing it myself to save some coin. The next day I come back to find a picture pictorial with instructions on how to DIY. I ordered the new display for about $99 bucks and had it installed in about an hour. The new owner is now loving that car BTW.

But back to your post. My beef is with the same folks posting the same issues over and over again, and over and over again, in just about every thread that comes up.

It's getting tiresome don't you think?

Gumball

Sorry e-man if I upset you and I apologize for a positive post. The problem is as Macklin reports that the same problems are reported many, many times often under posts with unrelated titles. The problem is you can’t get away from negative posters. I think your analysis is right: - if you are having a good experience with your ES, don’t come to his forum. It seems that reporting positive experience and looking for tips and ‘work arounds’ is no longer an objective of this forum. My wife has a 06 IS 250 and visits to that forum have some negative posts but the forum still hosts many happy owners.
I brought the issue of wind noise up with my Lexus salesman when I ordered my car and his reaction is something to think about. He was aware of the CL and said maybe some of the negative posters are from folks who are not Lexus owners. If the problems with the ES are so pervasive; the unhappy posters should be organizing a class action suite.

ES350Bob

Gumball,

I did not see anywhere in e-man's post where he suggested those without problems or are having a good experience not visit this forum, quite the contrary.

What I noticed is here you have a post that clearly indicates you have a problem free vehicle, especially the complete absense of any knocking tapping whatsoever, and yet you have people who do have knocking tapping fail to clue in on that and instead attempt to give others a hard time for stating having knocking tapping is not normal. There is something wrong with that picture. And again posts to others stating they are being negative while throwing in a transmission issue wonderment in their post at the same time, something wrong with that picture too, especially where you have shared with us all your car does not do that at all.

As for the dealer comments, that is just bunk that these are non-Lexus owners posting on wind noise, and same for knocking tapping and transmisions.

What I'd like to see is people like you take your input a step further where time permits, and emphatically state knocking and tapping is NOT normal or else your own car, LexBob's, several others would also knock and tap if it were indeed normal, encourage and help those to get their's resolved because you are witness to it not being normal. A give and take among those with problem free helping others with problems. Right now it is mainly those with problems helping others with same or similar problems.

onsknht

I've steered clear of this one but I think I have a valid observation.

IMO - The dealer networks and related customer service support are really the deciding factors for the general "tone" of BBS sites... The hot issues that have been discussed, have been topics for quite some time. Granted wind noise and cold start clatter are highly subjective and different individuals have various tolerance thresholds, these are really critical comments IMO. But the transmission issue is for real and the longer it perpetuates the worse the tone/culture/impression/etc will be on BBS sites such as this.

I've been active on BBS for a long time and for various products/technologies, it seems to be a common theme among anything that people can buy and write about... BBS is a form of product communication that was for the most part unheard of just 15 years ago. Companies who realize this take measures to ensure their product is well placed by quickly communicating with customers.

Toyota/Lexus has yet to fess up on the tranny issue and therefore any negativity is appropriately deserved, neh?

MD350

To put all of this in perspective, I was one of the first people to buy a 2007 Saturn Sky as a toy. The looks of the car are fantastic, but the car is a piece of junk. Very cheap interior and had tons of problems with it. I turned to the forum web site and saw tons more problems listed by other owners then what is listed in this forum. Fluid leaks, wheels rubbing wheel wells, rag top leaks, radios not working, etc. You name it!!

Here on CL, we all talk about the same few problems. That is a good thing, we can't find anything else wrong with the car. In other forums, multiple items are discussed. The ES is a fantastic car, I don't think any car is perfect. But the ES is pretty darn close.

By the way, I sold the Sky. Let someone else own the problems. The ES is a keeper.

ES350Bob

The degree of those indicating they have wind noise or engine clatter is significant, so it is in line with the trans issue. The dealer quoted is not aware it seems that other dealers call it buffeting rather than call it wind noise and say nothing short of a design change will fix it and they have nothing to offer to remedy it, except a few have shimmed cars for their customers. There is acontributing aspect to it where door alignment plays a role, I have first hand experience with that, as well as prior dealer input on the diesel engine noise and explanations for it's variances, it is also a real issue affecting ES350 owners.

theredkid

Give me a break... There is a line between reporting new problems and sharing thoughts about fixing it vs virtually "littering" in every thread about the same few problems/bad experience with lexus dealers/reps. Lots of the problems have been reported/acknowledged. A simple keyword search on "transmission" could give you tens of threads. The moderator should seriously combining the threads with same topic together... and if you want to share your thoughts about the similar problem, please keep it in the same thread. Happy owners sure could skip the threads they don't want to read, but then when the first page of the whole forum is littered with same few problems under the disguise of various topics, they could as well skip visiting here.

LexBob2

You missed my point WAY back when. Never said that problems don't exist, never said what's normal or not, only said I didn't have problems and wondered how widespread the problems are. Also said I feel bad for owners who do have problems on their new cars. To date, Lexus has sold tens of thousands of ES's in the U.S. and Canada. I'm still enjoying our ES350 with no problems to date. Sorry.

ES350Bob

Your response puzzles me for several reasons but here are just a couple of the reasons.

If I am saying it is not normal for a car to knock and tap, it is the same as saying your car IS normal because it does not knock and tap, your car is the way they should operate, same for your lack of wind noise and trans, other. when you post your car does not do it, I believe you, and to those whose does it should get their attention on that the fact your's does not instead of questioning my comments on the subject.

I'm on your side of this debate, yet for some very odd reason that fact seems to escape many.

e-man

Okay, okay, I get what the other side is saying. But it's not like people are posting threads entitled "I love my car and here's why" and then Bob comes along posting negative comments. When someone posts up "My new car is coming in next week, what should I look for", or "I'm tired of worrying that the wheels are going to fall off," I think it's entirely appropriate for CL members to post their negative experiences. Isn't that the whole point of this?

ES350Bob

My view on this is that something just is not adding up here, certainly not when a man, (and several others), stating his car is absent all the discussed problem issues yet those who want their cars to also operate absent all these problems are somehow viewed as saying something different in having that as an expectation than one who reports their car is absent them all. Something just isn't adding up here at all.

garsarno

I think the problem comes in with the Lexus Service Manager says "this is the first I have heard of "clacking lifter noise when cold". Our Lexus new car review questionaire hit Corporate Lexus Customer Service. Our dealer called and wanted to discuss our concerns. I notated on the form we were having cannery works noise on cold start up. He said "this is the first etc...". So, we are bringing the car in for a Tuesday after Thanksgiving appointment. We will park the car Monday night in their lot and let them here the noise. I am also going to park our 2004 Lincoln LS with 62,000 miles next to my ES350 overnight and I will arrive at 7:30AM for them to start both and have a listen.

ES350Bob

Garsarno,

That might not be a bad thing to have been told first ever heard because at least implies he should then take it very seriously when he hears it.

Macklin

Touche.

BTW, I did start an 'I love my car' thread a while back, but alas it's dissapeared off the radar.