ESDragon

As some of you know that I only had my ES for a little over 2 weeks. I am sorry to say that it is a hugh disappointment. The flaring has never stop ever since it past the 250 miles mark. I had high hopes and have tried to look at this as positive as I can. But this ended yesterday when I was driving home from work and it spiked from 2k rpm all the way up to 4k rpm for no apparent reason. I was not accelerating at all just normal driving. Obviously, I can't replicate this spike again. This morning, I had to run a small errand and guess what it flare 3 *****ing times!! I immediately call my dealership and they said to bring in the car the following week since they don't have loaners next week. That left me a bad taste in my mouth about their service. Since it is a weekend, I won't be able to contact anyone, but rest assure Monday I will be on the phone with corporate and the customer liaison of the dealership about this problem. I see how Bob and others feel about their ES. It is a great looking car, but when the transmission is not working the way it is suppose to be, it makes me feel like I am driving a piece of *****. I know the journey will be hard for me and I will probably end going back to Honda/Acura. It is a shame that this is my first Lexus for 2 weeks and I have regrets already.

osokuko

Go for the GS. We’ll have a bag of gourmet pop corn waiting for you on the seat. Wow Dragon that is sad, do the very best you can to solve your problem with the car. Relax and have a cool head. You know the course and your ship will come in to port. Best of luck.

2007es350

Don't worry...the crap will end when Lexus buys back your current ES350.

dunnojack

What is your build month again?

ES350Bob

ES, the fact that it has positive attributes is what makes having a significant issue or issues so frustrating.

Anyone having gone through it will assure you that the sooner you can allow yourself to stress less over it the better, because later you realize there are far more important things to get stirred up about in life. Not something you want to read at the moment, but none of us want you stressed out over it. And there are plenty of people on here to talk stuff over with and who will help you tremendously, that's what CL is about.

Just ask and people will help you with advice or suggestions.

ESDragon

build was 2/07... It is one of the late models since I had to wait 2 weeks for it to come in.

ESDragon

Thanks guys, I have read your all your posts and it is somewhat comforting that I am not alone going through this. I will take it one step at time until either they fix this once and for all or get me in a GS model. This really brings back memory when I had to call client services for my Acura when its transmission failed.

MD350

Go speak to the General Manager of the dealership first thing Monday morning. Go right to the top.

dreyfus

I'm so sorry to hear that - you should be having a happy time right now with your new wheels. Don't let Lexus get away with it. Be loud and vocal (and polite) right from the start. Good luck with your outcome.

2thfixr

Then we can all sit back in our comfy recliners and giggle like school children as ES guys cry about their problems. Wait a sec, I have a ES350 also. Sorry, I don't mean to make light of your problems, I just couldn't resist that setup. Seriously, I expect that this crap will never end because Lexus has had plenty of time to address the tranny issue in a reasonable manner but it appears they have chosen to skirt around the issue by handling it on a case by case basis. IMO, they should have offered an extended warranty on the tranny a long time ago as a good will gesture to all current owners. At least this way, they would have 6 years/100k miles to get off their butts and come up with a permanent solution and at the same time, we would have some peace of mind.

Good luck and keep us posted as your case progresses. It would be really nice if we could compile a list of known VIN#s and buyback/repair/trade-in status. That way all of the ES owners could document tranny incidents for the inevitable class action suit. Seriously, I think it's only a matter of time before Lexus pisses off someone that will get the ball rolling and give Lexus the pimp slapping that they deserve.

BillP

Amen Bob. Over the last two months I've spent a lot of time traveling in my ES, anywhere from 2 1/2 to over 4 hour trips. This car is comfortable, quite (thanks to Wanderer posting the wind noise fix), looks great (Ruby/Black) and I'm getting excellent mileage. This the first car I've had that my wife can use the reading light and it doesn't affect my seeing at night. I can pack a ton of stuff into the trunk and when I keep my speed reasonable I'm getting right at 30 mpg on 87 octane. If this tranny issue could be corrected I'd be thrilled with the car.

Hearing that a Feb 07 build still has tranny issues is disappointing. I will keep hoping Lexus will develop a fix.

dunnojack

i doubt that lexus didn't discover the transmission slip during the testing phase.

I think maybe they did find it, and then concluded that it was too late/expensive to make design fixes, & hoped that customers would not notice it.

twister

I know how frustrating you feel, ESDragon. While so many here experienced the usual 200-400 rpm spikes, I remember my 2k rpm spikes, freaky when you are not in control of your car Yes, going with GS will make you happy, but you are not facing a choice of buyback yet. The main thing is for your dealership to see it. Since this is your first tranny, they will most likely suggest replacing it. Just keep pushing you don't feel confident with a new replacement, you don't feel safe in a car, and you want to get out of ES. I know how bad it feels now and how you probably don't want to give ES another chance (can't blame you), but give Lexus another chance because you will be very happy with GS (if you lucky enough to find one on East Coast )

2thfixr

I drove my ES350 for the first time in 2 months today and guess what? It has a 3-4 tranny slip. No flare but a slight slip. It's repeatable, consistent and always there. Only the 3-4 shift has it and the rest of the gears shift perfectly. Steady throttle application with no change in throttle position throughout the shifts @ approx 3000-3500 RPM. It has 2800 miles on it and I am not concerned enough to warrant a trip to the dealership but the second it flares (if it ever does), it will go in. I will have to check it again in the morning because if it's slipping when warm, who knows what it's doing when it's cold.

My GS goes in tomorrow for an oil change and brake pad replacement per TSIB so I will probably get an ES loaner. I will see if it has the slip as well.

twister

Good point about warm vs cold start, you definitely have to check it out. Oh, and I will be looking forward to your feedback on *dustless* brake pad replacement