89vette

UPDATE ON SEAT MEMORY.

If the key is in the ignition when you open the door the memory buttons will not work. If the key is OUT of the the ignition, the work for 30 seconds after opening the door. Stupid.

GXPrado

Why don't you sell it and buy a GM product? It's obvious you don't like the GX and it has to do with non-repairable aspects. It's just the way the GX is that you don't like.

So you either give it time and an open mind to see if you get used to it or you sell it and buy something else you are more happy with. Otherwise, you start sounding like a whiner which I'm sure you are not.

89vette

You are right I am not a but I am whining about this and I should not. I am going to sell it to buy the new Escalade when the redesigned car comes out early next year if the styling is acceptable. Right now, if I buy a new Escalade, it will loose $10K by next year. The values in Western, PA for the GX stay high because there is 2 dealers and they are both owned by the same person. I got $3800 off sticker and most people accept $1500. I could probalby sell the GX right now for almost what I paid but there is nothing for me to buy right now. The used car manager at the dealer told me that the demand for GX's peak aroud September/October.

I'm sure it will all work out and I will get used to the car somewhat.

loflin

Glad you figured it out.

BTW, I never leave my keys in ignition, don't like the chiming and all.

Note, on Benz they tell you, you HAVE to remove the key (Smartkey) or you will run the battery (in the key) down, also the radio stays on (kinda like the GM retained power). But then you have to turn the radio off, or remove the key.

Anway, net is all are different, and you learn to use/work or just plain live with it.

lexuslover

yeah i guess none of us asked that before. i never leave the keys in the car in the garage. always put them in the house. didn't realize that that could be what was causing it not to work!

lexuslover

btw, doesn't it make you nervous to leave your keys in the ignition? just seems to make it too easy for someone to take the car at night, even if it's garaged.

PitBull

Go to www.kbb.com and plug in your GX470 with whatever mileage you think you will have when it will be time to trade. Look at the trade-in value and that will give you a flavor for what they will give you for your GX470. The only way you will get more is selling it yourself. They will play like your getting more then that but they are just taken it off the Escalade. Figure that you will get about $10K less then the sticker price on your GX470 when you bought it new. Say it listed for $54K you will get $44K. Good luck.

LexFather

2005 GX > any Esclade, even the 3050 model debuting in summer the year 3049....
By then GM will be owned by Toyota

89vette

Yes that is what we should all want. The Germans already own Chrysler, so why not have GM owned by Toyota? Now that would be great for the country.

98Nav400

The "Country" shouldn't be in the car business!!! GM needs to figure out how to make money or they should be vulnerable to any other profit making company with the power to purchase them. The Germans were able to purchase Chrysler because their products were horrible and except for the Caravan nothing was being sold. Now I think most would agree they are making a superior product with much more interest to car fans than before the "merger".

Reading through this, and your post about your poor gas mileage, it seems like you would be much happier getting rid of the car now instead of having to live with critical items like your power ports not staying on when the acc is off; memory seats that don't work after the car has been off or not "renewed" after 30 seconds and the like. Tthe car seems to power down completely after a certain time period to minimize the possible drain to the battery. I didn't even mention the brakes that are just too powerful for you---those bastards!!! You have some annoyances--we all do. I too have yet to find the perfect car! If they begin to produce one $50k isn't going to buy it.

I hope you do your homework better prior to your next purchase--perhaps quit blaming Lexus for being "stupid" since all of the gripes you have could have easily been checked out prior to purchasing the car; they are not the ones who made the "stupid" decision without all of the information. It would seem that being an owner of a Escalade and an 89 Vette you would be used to some minor disappointments and let downs (that was not meant as a jab so please don't take it that way).

Good luck -- and buck up it's not that bad.

89vette

I'm not even going to respond to the first sentence because I have an opposing view on that subject plus it has the potential to turn political!

I have had this image of how great Lexus cars were from reading about them, talking with owners of them and researching them on the internet. I have only bought American cars in the past and currently own an 05 H2 and yes an 89 Corvette that is a hobby car (500hp motor, etc.). I had this image in my head that by buying a Lexus I was making a step up and I would be enjoying a car that would meet or exceed my expectations. My original intention was to buy a Cadillac SRX (station wagon looking thing) to replace the Escalade. I brought one home for a weekend. The car handled and drove very well but the interior was below entry level rental car standards. It was a joke to say the least. I decided to look at the GX since two people I know really loved theirs. I got in, closed the door and was pretty much sold. The quality of the interior materials and build are what sold me on the car. I drove it for 15 minutes in the city and asked if I could have it for a night. The salesman told me they do not give cars out for extended test drives. I looked at things like how the rear seat folds and removes and how the back up camera works while at the dealer.

Then I started looking for another luxury vehicle that was safe, fuel efficient and had a third row seat. There are really only two choices that satisfied that requirement and that was the GX and the SRX. Since the SRX was totally out (even with the $5K difference in price) I bought (actually leased at first) the GX. I drove it home on Friday night and by Saturday my wife and I wanted to give it back. By Monday I wanted to drive it off a cliff because I hated the car and was stuck in a 39 month lease. I called the GM at Lexus on Monday morning and had asked if he sent the papers for the lease in yet. Since he had not, I was able to turn the lease into a buy. At that point I traded the Escalade in for a fair price to save $1800 in sales tax. So now I have the option to sell it.

So, what I am offering is a totally different perspective than most people here have. I for one have not fallen victim to what I would consider poor American quality as some of you have. Substandard interior materials yes, mechanical and cosmetic problems, no. I will also be the first to admit that without quality products from Japan, American cars would not have continually improved. I'm with the GX for at least a year so there is not much I can do about it. I'll give it a chance and hopefully by then I will get used to the little nuances that bother me currently. I have 4 healthy kids and a great wife and that is all that matters anyway.

PitBull

This is going to take sometime. Someone that aways drinks quality beer is not going to like fine aged scotch the first time they taste it. Someone that has alway driven quality American iron might not like the Lexus experience the first time you own one. Sometimes I think we all forgot about the days when the cars didn't have airconditioning and we had to roll up the windows by hand. It's kind of funny if you think about what you had in the 70's-80's and then read some of these threads where people are complaining, you kind of start to laugh. The quality and options that we have today would shock our fathers.

looknow12

KDSS is the way to go, you can rail into a turn without any problems. The harder you take the turn, the better it seems to handle it.
I love the brakes, they are so precise, braking is a breeze. The Escalade has too much depth to it and no feel.
That problem doesn't exist anymore. And when it did it took at least a few k of miles before it did, are you sure?
Perhaps, but the writing on the Escalades Nav Buttons wear off. Three people I know have no writing on their buttons and an accent of chipped. There's no excuse for that.

As someone mentioned the I Agree can be removed, I've gotten used to it. I've complained to Lexus, but probably everyone has. This by the way is very consistent through out the auto industry.

But all in all, you cannot compare the Lexus Navigiation system to any other. The ease of use through touch screen, feature rich system has to be the best in the industry.

Also there's an override to entering the destinations in while driving. I believe this to be a big plus though I understand how some people may not agree.

I tried researching how to do this on the Escalade for my friend, but could not find out. If you know, please advise.
That's what the buttons on the steering wheel are for.
Yes it does, the adjustments are on the door side.
Welcome to a Japanese car. ACC circuits turn off with the key turned to OFF.
Yes you can.
I love this feature now, but was concerned about it in the begining. Now I'm able to trigger it myself. It's a great thing to have the vehicle engine brake down hills by itself. Think about a 2 ton vehicle moving down a hill. Not only do you have the help of the decline, but the engine would normally lull in 5th gear giving you more speed. The GX seems to be almost perfect at sensing the situation and shifting down as a result of it. You'll save a lot of brakes with this too. All Lexus/Toyota vehicle transmissions do this.
With a baby on the way, I'll be able to comment soon :-)
You stated this in #8
Yah, that's why its a lock. It is supposed to lock all of the windows except for the drivers.
Yes, I agree. I end up throwing the change in the cup holder and eventually the cups don't sit right :-)

89vette

If that is the case, I really wish mine had it.

They are powerful for sure. If a chipmunk runs out in front of the car my reaction is to stomp the brakes and the car stands on its nose. GM SUV's do have mushy brakes and I think I went from one extreme to the other therefore I notice it that much more. When I drive it, it is very jerky and the front is always dipping because it wants to go when you let off the brake and the slightest brake pedal movement seems to just stop it cold. I hope I explained that well. Touchy is the best way I can describe it.

Yes but it seems to be there when I let off the brake pedal after stopping. It is like something sticks in the rear suspension and then drops.

I have the same NAV in my Hummer that was released in the 05 Escalades. So far no problems and it operates almost exactly like the Lexus NAV but without the I agree button. The NAV systems in the 03 and 04 GM SUV's were garbage from what I have heard others report. The new one is the touch screen like the GX's. My buddy has an X5 and a QX56 and he has the I Agree button also so I don't feel so bad now.

The company that makes the harness to by-pass this will not return your call.

Same as the latest from GM which is a good thing because it was simple for me to use.

I know of no way either.

Yes but they do not move the tuner one click at a time. The volume and tuning should be on the same side.

If the key is in the ignition, the seat will not move. They key has to be out.

Retained power is a nice feature. I think it stays on for 15 minutes.


Driving a lot of big cars, I like to gain speed down the hills so I have more momentum to go up the next one. Where I live, that is all you do is go up and down hills.

Good for you!

I think it is a Canadian law that the car seat be away from the side airbag. So it takes up two spots in the rear seat instead of just one if you want to put it on the left side of the car.

I agree (see I'm trained to say that!) but the driver should retain control of the windows even while in lock mode. Get back to me when you have three kids in the back that want their windows down and won't wind them up. I should be able to lock the windows and wind them up with my master switch. That way even if they jamb their fingers on the button in the down position, the window still goes up and Dad is still God.

I keep it in the ash tray but a change holder would be nice.

Here are some more things I do not like.

Fuel mileage so far 50/50 city/hiway is 13.8. Part of the reason I went to a smaller car was to get better than the Escalades 13.6. I figured I'd get 16 but even after a good break in, I don't think I will. For this kind of mileage, I would expect 300+ horses.

I'd like to be able to disable the NAV screen. I know how to turn off the auto transition from Audio to NAV but you can't just tell it to stay on Audio. When you start the car, it always defaults to the NAV screen. So you have to press I agree and then Audio.

This may seem silly but again I see things from a different manufacturers prespective. I don't like the fact that you can't just look at a dial or a readout and know what the climate control is set to. You have to tap the temp buttons up or down to see what the temp setting is.

Please let me say some things I do like:

Quality of fit and finish of the interior and exterior but especially the interior. Lexus gets this and GM does not.

The sound the door makes when you close it.

The way the door handle feels when you pull it (inside and out).

The sweet sound the motor makes under full throttle and how smooth it is.

The good resale value

The barn door is nice also I think. Easier than trying to pull down a large door. Plus the swing up door tends to hit the garage door (when the door is up) when the car is in the garage.

The GX470 is a quality unit and my peeves are not related to the brand itself. I'm just not seeing what I got for the money compared to what I traded. I also realized that with 4 kids, I really do need a bigger car and was not ready to move into something smaller.

looknow12

The GM gas pedal seems to shift pressure when you release it, I thought that was odd on the Escalade. Not that this has anything to do with the brakes, but I just thought of it.

Well the fix was a new drive shaft. The yoke that the drive shaft slides into (to make it longer and shorter) was sticking just a bit that you could notice it when at a light. It might go away as things break in.
Definitely an improvement.

Hold down the button for seek.

Wait, I thought the problem was as you go to the car, the seat is in the wrong position.... do you leave the key in the car all of the time? No wonder. I guess the GX still believes someone is sitting in the car. As you take the key out of the car, I believe it moves the steering wheel out of the way. (Or is it when you turn it to the lock position???) If this is the case, you should take the key out of the car anyway.

In the GX? Power for windows is retained until you open up a door. Are you referring to the GM?

As I said, I began to appreciate this over time. It's the first vehicle I've ever seen do it. My GS also does it and I love the feature. I'm live in Connecticut, and travel to Vermont frequently. So this is a must have.

If you want momentum for the next hill, after you hit the brake, tap the gas, the GX will shift out.

I just put our seat in the car. It is in the very center of the back seat, strapped to the lower anchor. Do all cars have this lower anchor in the bottom of the seat? It's great.

Anyway, an adult can sit on either side.

I wasn't aware that the driver could no longer operate the switches when it was locked. Are you sure about that?

Believe me, you'll get better mileage than that. (Although I don't have the 05 engine). Give the engine time to break in. Also, I know for myself with new vehicles, I generally push them harder when I first get them to see what their made of. But over time, when that wears off a bit, the mileage goes up without even realizing it.


Very true. I wrote about this on CL a long time ago. (in fact I've mentioned nearly all of your items at one point in time or another. If the only thing you use all day is the radio, why should the screen keep going back to Navigation. It's silly. One exception (I'm not sure about Gen4 in GX's), you can leave it on trip (at least in my GS). But the silly part is, if you hit Dest and it asks you to agree, and then it goes to the map, not the destination screen. They're not passing the correct parameters to the software. i.e. After pressing I Agree, the software is coded to always go to the MAP screen regardless of what called the disclaimer screen. Poor software coding.
See, I don't appreciate the cluttered dash of the Escalade. There's far too much going on. I prefer the clean look of the Lexus GX. Once you set the temperature, how hard would it be to remember what you set it for. The only time you really care, or are suspicious is if it is cold or hot, if so, hit the up and down paddle buttons.

Except when you need to move something big. The barn door I'm on the fence about that.

4 kids is a lot for the GX. Does the 3rd seat help at all? And if so, do you find enough cargo space?