Opinion on Options in new 2016 ES300h
#16
Lead Lap
Some more quetsions re: options.
Paint Protection Film - My dealer said they had lots of complaints when the film gets older. Plastic wears more quickly and actually looks uglier. The plastic protects but doesn't look good and color fading varies under plastic vs elsewhere. Suggested that i am better off without paint protection film and just washing the car more frequently. Thoughts?
Alloy wheel locks: if the lock bolt gets rusted it can be a challenge taking it off especially due to the key lock. better off with normal nuts.
heated steering wheel - any point getting this with the wood trim? I have usually never felt a need for it because usually when it is so cold outside I would carry gloves.
any comments on these?
Paint Protection Film - My dealer said they had lots of complaints when the film gets older. Plastic wears more quickly and actually looks uglier. The plastic protects but doesn't look good and color fading varies under plastic vs elsewhere. Suggested that i am better off without paint protection film and just washing the car more frequently. Thoughts?
Alloy wheel locks: if the lock bolt gets rusted it can be a challenge taking it off especially due to the key lock. better off with normal nuts.
heated steering wheel - any point getting this with the wood trim? I have usually never felt a need for it because usually when it is so cold outside I would carry gloves.
any comments on these?
I've had wheel locks on many vehicles, and I've never had an issue with corrosion or with difficulty removing them. On the other hand, if you live in and will be parking in areas where theft is less likely, I'm not sure that having them is a must.
I've come to really enjoy having the heated steering wheel. Even though only the leather part heats up, that is where your hands should be anyway. What is nice about it is that the heat starts to become evident within seconds after turning it on. When you combine that with the fact that the ES heated seats also start putting out heat within seconds, the combination of the heated seats and heated wheel makes things more comfortable on cold days during the time it takes for the actual heater to start putting out heat. Normally, I turn off the heated wheel and heated seats after a few minutes and after the interior of the car has started to warm, but it is still nice to have those things during those few minutes.
#17
My concerns were with the laser cruise control and the Pre-Collision System. I had read (here I think) of false activation causes by bridge railings and light poles on occasion. Reading the owner's manual seems to warn of this. ALL of my driving seems to be in the city and it just sounded like it was a feature that I would have turned off much of the time. My son has a new Denali and it has a pre-collision system of some kind that is activated at 35 mph and is flashing or braking much of the time in city driving. Under different driving conditions the safety system at just $500 is probably a good buy. The $500 is a little misleading because it is only available with the $525 LED headlights which I did order though those two may be of limited value for my driving. Like a power trunk I also always liked the best headlights available.
Dave Mac
Dave Mac
#18
Dynamic Cruise Control
I have a '14 ES/UL/ML--everything. My DCC/PCS uses radar, I dunno about a laser in the '16 system. However, I like to use DCC a lot, even in rush hour (which moves 30-70, doesn't really stop). The system is designed to supplement the driver, not take over. So if you are speeding along and heading into another car, YOU are supposed to be ready with the brake--which gets primed and takes 1mm pedal movement to engage the brake and it brakes hard. Kinda nice but takes getting used to it or you'll stop too quickly! The only false positive I get with PCS, which the car will slow down thinking there is an obstacle, is on a sharp turn on surface streets with a pile of cars (30-45 MPH). The DCC/PCS doesn't know the road is curving ahead and cars are all moving sideways (to the DCC/PCS radar) and it can figure out there is a turn but depending on the traffic, your steering wheel (which helps it to figure out you are turning), etc., it might try to slow down quickly thinking you are approaching and about to hit something. Now that I know that, I am OK with it and ready for it.
In conclusion: DCC should not be used to "self-drive" the car; PCS should not be depended upon to save you from front end collisions. Both work really well, but since they aren't human, aren't 100%. I use DCC a lot. BUT... =) DCC is nice when I turn my head to the stereo to choose a song or whatever...I know the car won't run into something and if it starts to slow down, I can reengage my focus immediately back on the road.
My two cents: I think Lexus is putting the Safety System on the '16 for $500 to encourage everyone to get it so they can get more statistics on how all the systems work. I heard rumor that Lexus is working on a self-driving car also and what better way than to collect data on all the cars on the road.
I only wish I paid $500 for all the fully-loaded stuff. The '16 folks have it great! =) My '14 safety features cost $3500 (BSM/RCTA=$500, LDA=$1000, IPA=$500, DCC/PCS=$1500) for what the '16 folks are getting for $500 now...but I do enjoy them all. I use LDA mostly on long trips to ensure I don't fall asleep or something.
In conclusion: DCC should not be used to "self-drive" the car; PCS should not be depended upon to save you from front end collisions. Both work really well, but since they aren't human, aren't 100%. I use DCC a lot. BUT... =) DCC is nice when I turn my head to the stereo to choose a song or whatever...I know the car won't run into something and if it starts to slow down, I can reengage my focus immediately back on the road.
My two cents: I think Lexus is putting the Safety System on the '16 for $500 to encourage everyone to get it so they can get more statistics on how all the systems work. I heard rumor that Lexus is working on a self-driving car also and what better way than to collect data on all the cars on the road.
I only wish I paid $500 for all the fully-loaded stuff. The '16 folks have it great! =) My '14 safety features cost $3500 (BSM/RCTA=$500, LDA=$1000, IPA=$500, DCC/PCS=$1500) for what the '16 folks are getting for $500 now...but I do enjoy them all. I use LDA mostly on long trips to ensure I don't fall asleep or something.
#19
Pole Position
Some more quetsions re: options.
Paint Protection Film - My dealer said they had lots of complaints when the film gets older. Plastic wears more quickly and actually looks uglier. The plastic protects but doesn't look good and color fading varies under plastic vs elsewhere. Suggested that i am better off without paint protection film and just washing the car more frequently. Thoughts?
Alloy wheel locks: if the lock bolt gets rusted it can be a challenge taking it off especially due to the key lock. better off with normal nuts.
heated steering wheel - any point getting this with the wood trim? I have usually never felt a need for it because usually when it is so cold outside I would carry gloves.
any comments on these?
Paint Protection Film - My dealer said they had lots of complaints when the film gets older. Plastic wears more quickly and actually looks uglier. The plastic protects but doesn't look good and color fading varies under plastic vs elsewhere. Suggested that i am better off without paint protection film and just washing the car more frequently. Thoughts?
Alloy wheel locks: if the lock bolt gets rusted it can be a challenge taking it off especially due to the key lock. better off with normal nuts.
heated steering wheel - any point getting this with the wood trim? I have usually never felt a need for it because usually when it is so cold outside I would carry gloves.
any comments on these?
As for the wheel locks, no particular opinion. We don't have a significant problem with rust in our arid climate out here so the argument may vary with conditions in your area.
As for the heated wheel, we have found it to be of limited value since it is only heated on the leather part. It is nice driving home from a winter car wash when my hands are Popsicles but never really use it otherwise.
#20
Driver School Candidate
OK it's Winter now! Like you, I wear gloves when it's really cold. Well, today I walked out of the house not expecting it to be as cold as it was. It was 18 degrees. I tuned on the heated steering wheel in my 2015 RX450h because I was too lazy to go back in the house. Pretty nice feature. It works really well. I was surprised. Sure made driving the car more comfortable while the car warmed up. The wheel warms up quickly, just the leather parts of the left and right side of the wheel. The areas are about 4 or 5 inches long, where they want you to hold the wheel now days. The wheel sections get noticably warm. Eventually warm enough to turn off. I think it's worth the money. The option came with the Luxury package on my RX. I would order it as an individual option now.
About the paint protection film.
It came on my last car. I had no choice.
Don't waste your money!
It does protect the paint, but... The stuff eventually yellows and cracks. It's hard to remove once it gets old. The edge where the plastic ends gets scratched from trying to get the wax out of the seam. Your friends will say, "Your car is beautiful, but what's that line on your hood?" You always see the place where the plastic ends and the uncovered paint begins.
When you do finally get tired of your friends pointing out the line where the plastic ends, and you work hours removing the plastic, you find the paint under the plastic will never quite match the paint that wasn't under the plastic. And there is a line across your hood from the abrasions at the edge of the plastic from the detailer removing the wax. Never Again!!
About the paint protection film.
It came on my last car. I had no choice.
Don't waste your money!
It does protect the paint, but... The stuff eventually yellows and cracks. It's hard to remove once it gets old. The edge where the plastic ends gets scratched from trying to get the wax out of the seam. Your friends will say, "Your car is beautiful, but what's that line on your hood?" You always see the place where the plastic ends and the uncovered paint begins.
When you do finally get tired of your friends pointing out the line where the plastic ends, and you work hours removing the plastic, you find the paint under the plastic will never quite match the paint that wasn't under the plastic. And there is a line across your hood from the abrasions at the edge of the plastic from the detailer removing the wax. Never Again!!
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boe
ES - 5th Gen (2007-2012)
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04-18-10 02:46 PM