My first 6500 miles
09-05-06, 04:16 AM
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My first 6500 miles
Hello everyone, I've had the car for 2 months, and being an onsite IT consultant, I do a lot of driving. I'v ealready hit th 6500 mile mark, and put the car through three oil changes.
I've got a granite whatever grey with the UL package, black leather interior, no park assist. I've done everything in this car: I've driven it hard, I've driven it soft. I've floored it for an entire tank, just to see what mileage I'd get, I've driven it on the freeway for an entire tank, just to see how efficient it can be. I've played with the autostick on a windy road, and I've taken the car to 120 MPH.
Overall, this car is a beauty to drive. I love how smooth it is, I love how it cruises like it's in neutral. It's just as smooth and quiet at 120 as it is at 60. even from 110 to 120, the car has plenty of power. it's not like it struggles to hit the last few MPH... and the engine cutoff is not like other cars, where the car jerks. You can keep flooring it, and it simply doesn't speed up. there's no indications of any type, no alarms. if you didn't look at your spedometer, you'd think you were going 80.
using the autostick on windey roads for "performance" driving with engine braking is phenominal for what you'd expect out of this car. it hugs the road as well as a 325i no questions asked. together with trac and all the other systems, this is an amazingly well handled car for how smooth it is.
The best hack i've found is the nav speed override:
press menu, then volume. then tap the left bottom corner, left top corner, left bottom again, and left top again. There are no buttons, you just tap in the black. that will get you to the service menu. If you hold down the override button for 3 seconds, it'll turn blue. and you'll be able to use all nav functions as if you're stopped until the car turns off.
Some issues I have:
The paint is way too soft. It's so soft I can scratch it with my fingernail geesh... I'm doing some research, because I HAVE to figure out how in the world to protect that paint. I'm almost about to drop $200 to get a paint shop to put on a second clearcoat, just to protect it. AND DON'T USE A REGULAR TOWEL TO DRY THE CAR. one stroke, and you can already see swirl marks. use a chamoise...
The subwoofer bottoms out way too easily. based on the song, you can turn down the bass or turn off surround, and the problem will go away. I'm about to change the sub out for a 10". Otherwise, that sound system is by far the most amazing system I've heard in a car, luxury or not. I think it beats the Acura sound system by miles.
After taking the car to the lexus dealership for my 5000 mile maintenance, I've started smelling rotten egg smell under reglar accelleration. I don't know WHAT they did, but I bet it's their fault. I'm sending it back to them to fix it.
I HATE the idea that you cannot watch movies while driving. I know illegal, that rules say this and that, whatever... I want to eventually but TVs in the headrest, and I need that video to work. I'm a computer guy, I'll figure it out one day when I have time
I can achieve an average of 26.4 miles per gallon consitently over a whole tank, according to the computer, simply by limiting my acceleration as much as possible. There's a sweet spot for MPG at 40 MPH, and at 70 MPH. you can cruise at those speeds and hit 34-35 MPG consistently. I use my cruis control everywhere.
A vs B: my thoughts
Air vs nitrogen in the tires:
I drove the car for 1000 miles, from 3000 to 4000, and recorded the MPG. I got an average of 22.6 MPG over those 1000 miles. Then I took the car to costco, and had them empty the tires, fill them with nitrogen, and empty and repeat. I wanted to make sure there was as little air in there as possible.
With nitrogen-filled tires, the car cruises noticably smoother (as if that was possible) I tested the gas mileage for the next 1000 miles, from 4000 to 5000, and I got an average of 23.4 MPG. almost a whole MPG increase!
92 vs 87 octane gas:
Bottom line, the car runs a lot smoother on 92. it idles quieter, there's more available power, and it increases gas mileage by about half an MPG. (sorry, this post is geting long) I tried each over the course of 500 miles, from 2000-3000 miles. Later on I learned that 89 octane is just as good as 92 for the car, so now forget the 87, or the 92, I always fill up with 89. it makes the most financial sense if you factor in the MPG savings...
Little known features you might have overlooked:
holding down the unlock key on the remote for a few seconds will roll down all your windows. and since the unlock feature works from like 500 feet away, it's a great way to cool your car down by the time you walk to it. you can also get the sunroof to open, and you can get the windows to roll up with the lock (dealer can set it up for you.) If you have a glass roof, sunroof cannot open with the unlock button (I'll find a way around that)
The backup mirrors will only go down if you have your mirror adjust switch pointing to either the left or the right. In the middle, your side mirrors will not god down in reverse. It helps to keep it in the middle, and switch the switch as if you're going to adjust one of the mirrors only when you're parking next to a curb.
You can activate night mode on your navi by clicking the bdashboard brightness just below hi. There's a sroll switch on your dash to the left of yout steering wheel that adjusts the brightness of your dash lights. at the top brightness it clicks into place. and your navigatio nill be bright white and extremely annoying at night. when youre lights are on, if you click the switch down just a little, your navi will turn to a black background that's much more pleasant to look at at night.
Bottom line, I filled my tires with nitrogen, used 89 octane gas, and try to cruise more than brake, and I can get 26 MPG almost consistently.
okay, that's enough for 4:30 in the morning...
I loove this car.
I've got a granite whatever grey with the UL package, black leather interior, no park assist. I've done everything in this car: I've driven it hard, I've driven it soft. I've floored it for an entire tank, just to see what mileage I'd get, I've driven it on the freeway for an entire tank, just to see how efficient it can be. I've played with the autostick on a windy road, and I've taken the car to 120 MPH.
Overall, this car is a beauty to drive. I love how smooth it is, I love how it cruises like it's in neutral. It's just as smooth and quiet at 120 as it is at 60. even from 110 to 120, the car has plenty of power. it's not like it struggles to hit the last few MPH... and the engine cutoff is not like other cars, where the car jerks. You can keep flooring it, and it simply doesn't speed up. there's no indications of any type, no alarms. if you didn't look at your spedometer, you'd think you were going 80.
using the autostick on windey roads for "performance" driving with engine braking is phenominal for what you'd expect out of this car. it hugs the road as well as a 325i no questions asked. together with trac and all the other systems, this is an amazingly well handled car for how smooth it is.
The best hack i've found is the nav speed override:
press menu, then volume. then tap the left bottom corner, left top corner, left bottom again, and left top again. There are no buttons, you just tap in the black. that will get you to the service menu. If you hold down the override button for 3 seconds, it'll turn blue. and you'll be able to use all nav functions as if you're stopped until the car turns off.
Some issues I have:
The paint is way too soft. It's so soft I can scratch it with my fingernail geesh... I'm doing some research, because I HAVE to figure out how in the world to protect that paint. I'm almost about to drop $200 to get a paint shop to put on a second clearcoat, just to protect it. AND DON'T USE A REGULAR TOWEL TO DRY THE CAR. one stroke, and you can already see swirl marks. use a chamoise...
The subwoofer bottoms out way too easily. based on the song, you can turn down the bass or turn off surround, and the problem will go away. I'm about to change the sub out for a 10". Otherwise, that sound system is by far the most amazing system I've heard in a car, luxury or not. I think it beats the Acura sound system by miles.
After taking the car to the lexus dealership for my 5000 mile maintenance, I've started smelling rotten egg smell under reglar accelleration. I don't know WHAT they did, but I bet it's their fault. I'm sending it back to them to fix it.
I HATE the idea that you cannot watch movies while driving. I know illegal, that rules say this and that, whatever... I want to eventually but TVs in the headrest, and I need that video to work. I'm a computer guy, I'll figure it out one day when I have time
I can achieve an average of 26.4 miles per gallon consitently over a whole tank, according to the computer, simply by limiting my acceleration as much as possible. There's a sweet spot for MPG at 40 MPH, and at 70 MPH. you can cruise at those speeds and hit 34-35 MPG consistently. I use my cruis control everywhere.
A vs B: my thoughts
Air vs nitrogen in the tires:
I drove the car for 1000 miles, from 3000 to 4000, and recorded the MPG. I got an average of 22.6 MPG over those 1000 miles. Then I took the car to costco, and had them empty the tires, fill them with nitrogen, and empty and repeat. I wanted to make sure there was as little air in there as possible.
With nitrogen-filled tires, the car cruises noticably smoother (as if that was possible) I tested the gas mileage for the next 1000 miles, from 4000 to 5000, and I got an average of 23.4 MPG. almost a whole MPG increase!
92 vs 87 octane gas:
Bottom line, the car runs a lot smoother on 92. it idles quieter, there's more available power, and it increases gas mileage by about half an MPG. (sorry, this post is geting long) I tried each over the course of 500 miles, from 2000-3000 miles. Later on I learned that 89 octane is just as good as 92 for the car, so now forget the 87, or the 92, I always fill up with 89. it makes the most financial sense if you factor in the MPG savings...
Little known features you might have overlooked:
holding down the unlock key on the remote for a few seconds will roll down all your windows. and since the unlock feature works from like 500 feet away, it's a great way to cool your car down by the time you walk to it. you can also get the sunroof to open, and you can get the windows to roll up with the lock (dealer can set it up for you.) If you have a glass roof, sunroof cannot open with the unlock button (I'll find a way around that)
The backup mirrors will only go down if you have your mirror adjust switch pointing to either the left or the right. In the middle, your side mirrors will not god down in reverse. It helps to keep it in the middle, and switch the switch as if you're going to adjust one of the mirrors only when you're parking next to a curb.
You can activate night mode on your navi by clicking the bdashboard brightness just below hi. There's a sroll switch on your dash to the left of yout steering wheel that adjusts the brightness of your dash lights. at the top brightness it clicks into place. and your navigatio nill be bright white and extremely annoying at night. when youre lights are on, if you click the switch down just a little, your navi will turn to a black background that's much more pleasant to look at at night.
Bottom line, I filled my tires with nitrogen, used 89 octane gas, and try to cruise more than brake, and I can get 26 MPG almost consistently.
okay, that's enough for 4:30 in the morning...
I loove this car.
09-05-06, 05:46 AM
#2
Cool post and great to see some good things said about our car for a change. It's been getting real ugly here lately. 
I've achieved almost the exact same average mpg as you in overall driving at 26.5 over about 2500 miles. Can't wait to do a road trip to see if I can get those numbers you posted. Wow!
It's also great to know the car runs good on 89 octane. Although, with gas prices down I may just continue to use 92....for now.
I do agree about the paint softness. Don't even come close to letting the door open against anything as it will leave a mark.
I've achieved almost the exact same average mpg as you in overall driving at 26.5 over about 2500 miles. Can't wait to do a road trip to see if I can get those numbers you posted. Wow!
It's also great to know the car runs good on 89 octane. Although, with gas prices down I may just continue to use 92....for now.
I do agree about the paint softness. Don't even come close to letting the door open against anything as it will leave a mark.
09-05-06, 05:48 AM
#3
Lexus Fanatic
Wow, excellent review on what you have found in your first 6500 miles in the ES. I'm especially intrigued with your findings in the air vs. nitrogen-filled tires case. I'm sure we'll all learn a lot as we continue to fiddle around with our new toys
09-08-06, 08:18 PM
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press menu, then volume. then tap the left bottom corner, left top corner, left bottom again, and left top again. There are no buttons, you just tap in the black. that will get you to the service menu. If you hold down the override button for 3 seconds, it'll turn blue. and you'll be able to use all nav functions as if you're stopped until the car turns off.
Just got my ES back, tranny issues, and this was the first thing that I tried. I will say that you are correct about the NAV features but the Bluetooth is still the same and forgot to mess with the MP3 folder selection screen. Anyways, it is still extremely nice to have this hack since my wife likes to play around with the NAV when we are driving....now I dont have to keep hitting the voice button all the time.
09-09-06, 07:50 AM
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Great review! Here's my two cents worth regarding some of the stuff you mentioned:
Nitrogen--the jury is out regarding this; obviously it made a difference in your case, but for many others (on other models) the difference was negligible, if any at all. The one general consensus regarding using nitrogen vs. regular air is that if you can get it for free, then go for it...whatever advantages--perceived or otherwise--that might be gained from using nitrogen isn't worth paying whatever premium places that offer it are charging.
Auto-window/sunroof open/close w/ remote--guess your salesperson wasn't as knowledgable about it, or maybe didn't care ("lazy" would be too harsh a word) enough to demonstrate it to you; mine showed me how to access that function while I was waiting for the sales paperwork to be completed.
Interesting about the negligible difference in fuel economy and performance between 89 and 92 octane gas (probably even less of a difference here in CA since we get 91 instead of 92); just waiting for someone to come out and tell folks who choose to use lower than 91/92 octane that they're being "cheap" for trying to save a few bucks in gas.
Sorry--couldn't help myself here...just got off the other thread where someone was insinuating that folks who could afford to buy a luxury car like the ES but were considering taking it to places like Jiffy Lube for their oil changes were being "cheap".
Nitrogen--the jury is out regarding this; obviously it made a difference in your case, but for many others (on other models) the difference was negligible, if any at all. The one general consensus regarding using nitrogen vs. regular air is that if you can get it for free, then go for it...whatever advantages--perceived or otherwise--that might be gained from using nitrogen isn't worth paying whatever premium places that offer it are charging.
Auto-window/sunroof open/close w/ remote--guess your salesperson wasn't as knowledgable about it, or maybe didn't care ("lazy" would be too harsh a word) enough to demonstrate it to you; mine showed me how to access that function while I was waiting for the sales paperwork to be completed.
Interesting about the negligible difference in fuel economy and performance between 89 and 92 octane gas (probably even less of a difference here in CA since we get 91 instead of 92); just waiting for someone to come out and tell folks who choose to use lower than 91/92 octane that they're being "cheap" for trying to save a few bucks in gas.
Sorry--couldn't help myself here...just got off the other thread where someone was insinuating that folks who could afford to buy a luxury car like the ES but were considering taking it to places like Jiffy Lube for their oil changes were being "cheap".
09-09-06, 11:35 AM
#7
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the octane levels in asoline are there for one thing: to help gas burn more quickly. This is benefitial for high-performance cars.
Realize that this engine is the same one as the 300+ HP IS350. It obviously has been tuned down for this car. theoretically, it runs well on 87, if you don't push the engine. I've found that 89 octane provides anough octane for the performance level of this engine. 91 octane, IMO is overkill on the octane. Not needed.
The jury will always be out on the nitrogen vs. air. I find that it gives me a smoother ride, and for 5 bucks, if it even gives an 0.1 increase in gas mileage, it will pay for itself over the 20000 miles minimum I'll get out of those tires It's worth it. Period.
Yeah, and the easter egg only works for the nav, not the MP3 or DVD. I swear to you, I WILL bypass that DVD thing if it's the last thing I do...
As for these people who have way too many complaints about this car, I say step back and look at this thing... what more do you want? it's not a bentley, I agree. But geez... for the price, this car is worth every penny and more.
Except for the paint
Realize that this engine is the same one as the 300+ HP IS350. It obviously has been tuned down for this car. theoretically, it runs well on 87, if you don't push the engine. I've found that 89 octane provides anough octane for the performance level of this engine. 91 octane, IMO is overkill on the octane. Not needed.
The jury will always be out on the nitrogen vs. air. I find that it gives me a smoother ride, and for 5 bucks, if it even gives an 0.1 increase in gas mileage, it will pay for itself over the 20000 miles minimum I'll get out of those tires
It's worth it. Period.Yeah, and the easter egg only works for the nav, not the MP3 or DVD. I swear to you, I WILL bypass that DVD thing if it's the last thing I do...
As for these people who have way too many complaints about this car, I say step back and look at this thing... what more do you want? it's not a bentley, I agree. But geez... for the price, this car is worth every penny and more.
Except for the paint
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09-09-06, 06:30 PM
#8
Actually, the octane rating is a comparison of how well a blend of gasoline burns compared to pure octane, a reference standard. The higher the octane rating, the SLOWER the blend burns. This is why lower octane fuels ping or pre-detonate in some cars - they're burning too fast. A slower burn means more of the power can be transferred to drivetrain and with less stress on the components.
04-04-07, 08:23 PM
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Great review.
Glad to see that someone believes that nitrogen does work. I started a post with this becuase i once owned a tire business and offerred nitrogen. All I got was a bunch of criticism for offering help. I would be curious to know your tire wear as well. That is supposed to be another benefit.
Glad to see that someone believes that nitrogen does work. I started a post with this becuase i once owned a tire business and offerred nitrogen. All I got was a bunch of criticism for offering help. I would be curious to know your tire wear as well. That is supposed to be another benefit.
04-04-07, 08:37 PM
#12
Glad to see that someone believes that nitrogen does work. I started a post with this becuase i once owned a tire business and offerred nitrogen. All I got was a bunch of criticism for offering help. I would be curious to know your tire wear as well. That is supposed to be another benefit.
Anyway, ZaKapitan, I'm glad your car is working out and everything (including your nitrogen-filled tires) is meeting your expectations. We all await your future hack of the nanny lockouts. There are a large number of Lexus drivers who are as annoyed as you are with their restrictions.
04-05-07, 03:52 AM
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ZaKapitan
Great review. It's refreshing to hear something positive for a change. I was beginning to wonder if we made the right decision by ordering a new 350.
Our ES (same as yours SGM, UL, ML) is currently in transit and will arrive at our dealer around the 20th. I'm looking forward to you resolving the issue of being able to watch a DVD movie while on the road. This will be a great benefit to the passengers.
I'm sure the tuneup is different than the one used on the IS. I wonder if the same tuneup can be put on the ES?
Keep up the good work and enjoy the ES.
Great review. It's refreshing to hear something positive for a change. I was beginning to wonder if we made the right decision by ordering a new 350.
Our ES (same as yours SGM, UL, ML) is currently in transit and will arrive at our dealer around the 20th. I'm looking forward to you resolving the issue of being able to watch a DVD movie while on the road. This will be a great benefit to the passengers.
I'm sure the tuneup is different than the one used on the IS. I wonder if the same tuneup can be put on the ES?
Keep up the good work and enjoy the ES.
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