AURORA4DTH

Hello to all. I bought a lexus some time ago based off of Toyotas reputation and have owned a couple toyotas. They have always been great cars so i decided to get a lexus (an upper end Toyota). Well I have less than 70k miles on it and so far have had to replace an 02 sensor, Halogen Head lamp, Water Pump and Wheel Bearings. On my other toyotas absolutely nothing with over 100k on all of them. Is this typical on lexus cars? How has yours held up?

SW17LS

What year and model is your Lexus?

Most of those things are pretty minor, most troubling to me is the water pump and wheel bearing. Headlamps burn out, 02 sensors fail from time to time.

My 350 has 36k and is great, my previous 2003 ES300 is still in the family and it has about 160k and all thats been done to it is lower control arms at about 145k, and a few warranty things back when it was new.

AURORA4DTH

It is an 07 es 350. The first two maybe minor but with the costs of their parts and average garage costs it certainly ends up costing a ton. And i never expected things like water pumps and Wheel bearings. Basically i wanted to post to find out if this is a trend with these es350's When I bought it I expected to get at least 100k on it before this kind of stuff started happening. As i mentioned none of my other toyotas have ever even seen the inside of a shop unless it was for things like brakes.

garsarno

My '07 needed a transmission replacement with 1,000 miles on it. The passenger side window almost fell out but was covered under their extended warranty. The engine also had the ticking noise when new. I ditched my 2007 in 10/2011 for a leftover 2011 and also purchased their extended warranty. Not so much for reliability issues but if something breaks down, it usually involves a module type repair (not just a plastic clip but the whole assembly module). That 's what makes the repair cost so much. I did not hesitate to buy another Lexus ES350 because of the issues. Just need to know that sometimes, it is better to trade the car in before it starts to nickel and dime you.

AURORA4DTH

Thanx for the response Gars. I think that if i had a trans go out like that i would never buy that brand again. Why did you decide to get another one? I try and stick to things that are reliable because I dont want to trade in every few years. I guess i just expected more from a higher end car like that. I know its not mega high end and I understand all cars will have their problems but not this early in the life of the car. I am just really really disappointed in this.

LexBob2

Another option would be to buy a new car for about the same amount as a used Lexus and get full warranty and no miles. You might not get all of the features, etc. but you would have a new vehicle.

FWIW I also have had two ES350's, a 2007 and currently a 2010. Both problem free, neither really high mileage though.

SW17LS

It doesn't have to cost a ton, you don't have to take it to the Lexus dealer. You can change a halogen headlamp yourself...the cost of the bulb is $20.

Where in MD do you live? If its in the DC area let me know I have a great independent Lexus mechanic.

RTSM

Wow, sorry to hear of the problems you have it doesn't sound usual, we have two ES350's
a 07 & 11. We bought my wife's 2007 the first month it was released and has been trouble free only needing a battery just this year.

AURORA4DTH

SW10Es yes of course I replaced the headlamp myself. But i cannot change a water pump or wheel bearings. i am not a mechanic. I never go to a dealer. i take my car to a mechanic that my family has used for 20 years. If you have a great mechanic here I would love to get his info. I am in the dc area. I am glad to hear that this is not usual, maybe i got a lemon. Very strange that both wheel bearings went out as well. i could hear crazy noises when going around corners and sure enough that is what it was. Maye it is a manufacturing thing.

garsarno

The car is basically reliable, mine was an early build. The new transmission worked great for the 50,000+ miles I put on the 2007. I like the car, for the ride, power, styling etc. I still carp that you cannot get a factory remote start system but that's a minor issue until the snow flies around up here in PA. Just got the e-mail form my Lexus salesman to see the newly arrived 2013. Will go see later today.

Robert_J

We have a 2007 with 117,000 miles. Yes, it's been in the shop for tires, struts, brakes and other wearable items. I missed the notice about the oil line and had it blow out on me. I recently had the serpentine belt changes along with the tensioner pulley which had a bad bearing.

Other than regular maintenance, I've had 2 issues. One my fault for not keeping up with notices and one that is sort of a wearable item.

dman00001

75k miles and running like a champ here! I did have one of the coils go out around 65k but that wasn't too bad and can be expected. Otherwise extremely solid!

donmatt

My '07 ES has been solid as a rock. However, I only have 26K miles on it at this time. It is an early model that I special ordered in May '06 and took delivery July '06. Had the oil line replaced and accelerator pedal replaced per recall. Nothing other than normal maintenance. Great vehicle. Sorry to hear about the higher mileage vehicle problems. Not looking forward to those. Mine continues to be under the extended warranty unitl 2014 so I have a couple of years to decide to trade or not. I viewed the 2013 ES and really like what I saw but did not drive it.

Woodfield

Ed with Woodfield Lexus,
Sorry to hear you've had some issues with your vehicle. We don't replace many wheel bearings on that model. The ES350 usually is a rock solid vehicle. If you have any other issues or need help or advise feel free to give me a call.

847-519-3767

Good Luck Ed

Can always trade up...lol...have you seen the new 2013 ES350?? WOW!!

Road Rage

Keep in mind the old Mechanic's saying: NEW stands for Never Ever Worked.

A run of '07 models were built without gasket sealer in a small spot where the engine's front cover is mated to the block. You can see this by taking a flashlight, getting under the car, and looking at the spot right behind the power steering pump. If there's a very small oil leak there then you have one of the affected vehicles. This was caused by a glitch in the assembly line robot programming and was corrected. This is why vehicles produced after a specific VIN were not affected. The fix is to remove the engine, remove the front cover and reseal.

All the ES350's have higher water pump failure. In fact, one thing I've always been amazed at is Toyota's problem with water pumps throughout the entire product line. And the RX and ES are the biggest pains to replace.

ES350's can occasionally have issues with cam gears. Symptom is engine sounding like a sewing machine for a few seconds on cold start. Also a royal pain to fix. The IS250 has the same problem.

Not much else I see other than an occasional coil pack or AF/O2 sensor.