LexRuger

I don't have the ML, but I just had a custom box built for the sub I had in my last car. It's a bandpass box that fires through the armrest and it sounds wonderful. Absolutely no rattle from the outside and I didn't have to add hundreds of dollars worth of dynomat.

For those that have the Hybrid you should be able to port through the stock sub location.

Or just an 8" sub with an enclosure built on the rear deck should be plenty for some people. Lots of options.

Music4ever

This is something Lexus should be doing, every time I inform them what I want to do they claim the warranty will be voided. It is worth going through lemon law, you never know what happens if many people take this route. My disappointment has been no support from Lexus Corporation and Harman. I was informed if I want a stronger case against Lexus to take my vehicle to a professional shop and test if Lexus claim of 835 watts @ less than 0.1% THD, 20–20,000 Hz[*] is correct, if not thier is a better chance with the lemon law.

coach1

If this is the best you can come up with as a complaint of the new ES 350, you should visit an Audi forum and read about the engine oil consumption problems, transmission issues, fuel control valves, and the cars tied up at the shop more than on the road, yata yata. That is lemon law material. Believe me when I say I am over joyed to be out of the Audi and back to Lexus.

If you want a boom box sound system that will annoy everyone with in 3 blocks....go to an audio store and I'm sure they can outfit you with massive speakers that fill your trunk, amplifiers to drive them and the batteries it requires to operate it all.

bc6152

Whew! And I almost bought an Audi A5 coupe... Glad I have the 350...

ElliotB

Is there a more trouble free line of cars then Lexus?

LexRuger

Nope. Our cars are the best

LexBob2

Except for that ML audio system. Just kidding. I agree, the reliability of the ES over the years has been stellar.

I recently went from back to back problem free ES350's to a 2013 Audi and although after 6 months so far so good, my fingers are crossed.

coach1

Please don't misunderstand....Audi makes some terrific cars. I went cheap with an A4 2.0T, and a CVT transmission. The car was fast. The CVT was difficult to adjust to. The Quattro would have been a much better choice and thats what got me started. Audi sale staff does a poor job of explaining the CVT and in my case, not at all. I began looking into the problems with earlier years and that scared the crap out of me because I'm retired and was expecting to have the car for a long, long time. I had no mechanical issues with mine at 10K miles. The service for the engine and transmission is ridiculously expensive. The car also proved to be too small for us, trunk and passenger space.

Enjoy your Audi. Stay in tune with service and you may never have a single problem. It is hard to compare the Lexus with the Audi because I think they are completely different cars, one is a sport sedan, the other a luxury sedan (some may refer to it as an old man's car). I had an 03 SC430, w/80K miles....not one problem, everything work as new. I looked at Lexus in 2012 and was not impressed with the ES...2013 was another story. In my case, sentiment for the Audi I purchased was only going to deteriorate and the out of pocket expense wasn't going to improve, so I cut my lose and moved on.

Music4ever

Coach1, I enjoy my music wether it is at 30 or 63 tone volume that is my choice; do I need a trunk full of amps......nope.... I never said that.. Just want the system to sound right to the level I enjoy or Lexus claims it can....if your content with your system move on to another thread or start a new one ( annoying loud music)

As for Audi vehicles I had two of them with over 130,00miles and never had any issues, Not to say their isn't with other people. I made a choice to try Lexus and I have said before it is a nice vehicle and great on gas. The only thing is my expection of the system was high and the service from Lexus as a corporation has been extremely poor. Their will always be little things on a vehicle you wish it had, sunglasse holder, eletrical folding mirrors, air condition seats, compass on the rearview mirror, the list can go on. The only thing I have complaint really the most is the subwoofer, I even recommend to Lexus boxing the sub and they clearly said no.

We are on this thread to help each other to correct or find a resolution, not put people down on their likes or if they have a valid point.

Robdog1515

Assuming Lexus does not buy back my car. I will be taking it to a shop to have aftermarket subs installed. I want to go to a shop that has worked on Lexus before and know what they are doing.

Can anyone give me a suggestion of a great shop to use in southern California? Orange County, los Angeles?

LexRuger

Al & Ed's do a lot of high-end cars. But are pricey.

08WhiteIS

can you please explain more on how this buy back works? How do i even ask about this lemon law? Does it go for engine problems? I have been going back to the dealer quite alot ever since i bought the car and i have only had it for two years. I just recently went back and they didnt even have parts for it. They said they will call me back when it arrives. On top of that i also got a letter stating that there was a recall on some windshield wiper. motor. I dont know, i feel like this car is just giving me problems all the time and I am tired of always going to the dealer to fix one thing after another.

Mike728

You should Google it and check your states law. This is the 2013 ES forum and the thread is regarding the Mark Levinson audio issue some people are having. I'm pretty sure you're in the wrong place, since you state you've had your car 2 years.

Robdog1515

@ 08WhiteIS: look in your glov box. there is a booklet for lemon law. find your state and you will find your answer.

@ everyone!!!! GOOD NEWS!!!

I got a call from Mark Levinson today. Thank god! Here is the update.

on Thursday and Friday of last week everyone involved with the issue at Harman (ML) was on a conference call with Lexus Corporate in Torrance CA and Lexus corporate in Japan. Lexus told Harman, "we are going to manufacture this car for another 4 years, we cannot have this distortion. Find a way to fix it."

Today, Harman has a 2013 ES350 ultra luxury in their shop. the engineers have re-created the distortion with the new amp. The engineers will be working to resolve this issue all this week. On Friday they are reporting back to the bosses at Harman on what the short term and long term fix will be. The Mark Levinson rep said he will call me back on Friday or Monday with the resolution they will be giving to Lexus.

Short term fix. Modify the EQ again and possibly the software in the head unit. push more bass to the door woofers and take away bass from the sub to remove the distortion without removing a lot of Bass from the car. These types of fixes can be sent out to the dealers in a matter of a month or so.

Long Term fix. perform a system modification. i.e. remove the 200mm sub and replace it with a larger sub like the one in the GS or LS (250mm or 300mm). this will involve a structure modification from Lexus to accept the larger sub and a long testing regime to make sure the it passes vibration, acoustics, heat, fire...bla bla bla. this could take several months to a year to get out to the dealers.

The bottom line is Mark Levinson is working the issue this week and will have a go ahead plan by early next week. Assuming I get a call back I'll post what I was told and how long we have to wait for the fix.

also. The ML amp that is in our 2013 ES 350's, it is the same exact amp that is in the GS, LS, and LX Mark Levinson equipped cars. Each amp has a specific flashing to it to match the setting needed for each car. so our 835 Watt amp is the same one as the 300+ watt amp in the GS350. Wouldn’t have guessed that.

Music4ever

Here is the web site 08whiteIS, pretty straight forward. Good luck

http://lemonlawusa.com/