Saw this thread in a local motoring forum:
Lexus build quality

I have a 3rd gen GS and do have some small yet niggly issues like:
1. Non-flushing and uneven gaps in centre console
2. Front speaker grilles are not flushed
3. Panel at the B pillar is a bit fiddly

Does anybody feel that the build quality of Lexus seems to be lesser compared to the previous models? (my 2nd gen GS seems better put together). Of course all this may change when the new LS arrives

 

More imperfect parts = higher quality

Sometimes, being imperfect works...

 

That owns.

 

You have your rare Lexus lemons, you have Lexus with problems. Lexus never CLAIMED to be perfect, only passionatly pursuing it.

It is though, common knowledge, Lexus cars are the best built highest quality cars you can buy. They are world reknown for reputation. When you say "Lexuslike" you mean, great quality

 

May I ask what makes an issue "niggly?"

 

Today's Japanese cars are not as well built or engineered as they were twenty years ago. But that's not to say that they aren't still among the best in the world.

 

Search niggly, niggling. Believe it or not we have actually discussed it before.

 

Niggling - Troublesome, irritating, bothersome or nagging...

 

I have problem #1with my 2IS... It is a bit annoying, but nothing that would keep me from not buying another Lexus. It would be nice if the center console pieces were a bit more flush though.

 

when i originally purchased my LS 3 years ago, the center HVAC / Stereo console didn't seem flush either. I took it back to my dealership and viola, they ordered a new part, installed it, whie providing me with a nice RX loaner, and took care of it. I don't believe there is a perfect car out there, but Lexus strives to appease their clientle to the nth degree!

 

Having reviewed several new Lexus products in the last 12-18 months, I would say the answer is both yes and no. The general build quality of today's Lexus products is as good or better than anything we have seen in the past ( although the new ES350 I tested had some dash rattles ), and the paint jobs are better than ever, so the people in the assembly plants seem to be doing their jobs. But, again with some exceptions, there seems to be a decline in the quality of hardware, interior trim, *****, switches, etc. The interiors of the new IS250-350 and ES350 especially, may look glitzy, but there is a noticably cheaper feel to the plastics, shifters, and hardware....and the new ES has lost a lot of its formerly superb wood paneling on the dash and door panels. The new GS, though, IMO, is superior to both the new IS and ES in build quality, especially inside.
I especially noticed the difference between the 2005 and 2006 IS. The interior in the 2005 IS, though having a more spartan look, was built of more durable materials than the 2006, ( especially the real metal shifter with its solid chrome ball ), despite the fact that the 2006 IS looks much more " Lexus-like " inside.

Outside, though, it is hard to fault today's Lexus vehicles. They easily set the industry standard for mass-production cars in paint quality, evenness of bodywork, and precision assembly. The only other single car I have seen that can equal or exceed this is the new Acura RL...a truly superb car in almost every way, though that certainly is not true of the rest of the Acura line.

The main problem with build quality, though, with today's cars in general...Lexus as well as everyone else, is that there is simply TOO MUCH PLASTIC used in areas that should have metal, wood, and real brushed aluminum, and IMO today's sheet metal and glass is too thin. It was rare to see ANY plastic in the cars I grew up with in the 1960's and 70's....almost everything on the cars had a heavy-duty feel to it, although general assembly quality could not match that of today.