ut2sua

I did have a choice to get one of the MY 2017 ES 350 that was built in Japan, but due to interior color choice, I purchased an ES that was built in Kentucky. I was a bit worry at first, but so far, even with only 600 miles on the odometer, the ES has cruised like a dream. No rattles anywhere. Very little wind noise. Zero functional issue. The engine was smooth and powerful. Gas consumption was in the 23->25 MPG range. I did get the 18" wheels, so I felt the road more than in my 2010 RX, but the car is solidly built. I am happy so far. I wonder if other owners with American built ES have had the same positive experience.

lesz

I will admit that I am among the group of those who was concerned about a decline in quality, fits and finishes, etc. when I learned about the plans of Lexus to start building the ES 350 in Kentucky. My experience with over a dozen Nissan/Infiniti and Toyota/Lexus vehicles had been that, while both those built in Japan and those built in the US were well made, the ones built in Japan were just a bit better than the ones built in the US, and fits and finishes of the ones built in Japan were just a notch better.

I, however, have had to change that thinking. My 2013 ES was built in Japan. While I had no functional issues with the car during the 3 1/2 years that I owned it and while the fits and finishes were generally okay, they were far from perfect. The alignment of exterior panels was okay, but it was not perfect, and the same thing was true with interior trim pieces, and a couple of the interior wood trim pieces had minor flaws their finish.

Recently, I traded that 2013 ES and bought a 2017 ES. The 2017 was built in Kentucky. The fits and finishes on that car are as close to perfect as they have been on any vehicle that I've ever owned. Exterior panels all line up perfectly, and gaps between the panels are about as uniform as they could be. Similarly, the alignment of interior panels is about as close to perfect as can be, and I can't find any flaws in the wood trim pieces.

Without question , the US built 2017 ES is better built, in terms of fits and finishes, than was my 2013 ES. I can't, at this point, guarantee that there will be no issues down the road. Nor can I say for sure that every US built ES has fits and finishes as good as they are on my car, but, based on what I've seen up to this point, the concerns that I once had about what ES quality would be like with production in the US have been completely removed.

imrankh24

I wish I can say the same. When my dad purchased my es for me as a gift, I had little to no idea about them being built in us. But when I figured they were, and I figured that mine was too cause of the vin. I was very upset. The car has no panel gaps whatsoever with the exception of the black gps surround, the dealer fixed it. I have a couple of buzzes and rattles. The rattles are when I play music and the buzz is from the seat belt adjuster. Other than I love my car and would make the same decision in terms of cars. But def prefer Japan built.

imrankh24

Here is a 2 min video I found if the Kentucky plant. If you do a YouTube search they have longer ones too. You should them, I have watched them it's fun.

ut2sua

Did you have the dealer look at the car to see if they can get rid of the rattles? Thanks for the video. I watched that same video before buying my car. The video did make me feel better in moving forward with my purchase. A long time ago, I did buy a new Honda Prelude that was made in Japan. Less than a year later, the ceiling liner (some kind of fabric) started to fall down. Back then Honda only had a 1 year/ 12K mile bumper to bumper warranty, and because I drove a lot, my car exceeded the 12K mile limit when this happened. I was not happy with that at all. On a different note, my 6 year old Lexus RX was built in Japan, and it only has one minor problem after all these years.

lesz

I don't consider it out of the realm of possibility that, when Lexus first began building the 2016 ES in the US, there were some bugs that needed to be worked out, and I'd like to think that, by the time production on the 2017 ES started, those bugs had been worked out.

Also, I would be inclined to view imrankh24's experience with a bit of caution. I recall that he had some issues with proper alignment of the front bumper, one of the headlights, and the fender, but it turned out that the car didn't come from the factory that way. Instead, the cause of the poor fit of the panels was that the lip on the bottom of the bumper had hit some object, like the cement blocks in parking lots, and that it had gotten pushed back as a result of the impact. Also, if you were to review his posts on this board, you would find that he his been very active with making mods and with tinkering that required taking things apart and putting them back together again. I'm a firm believer that, unless it is absolutely necessary, I don't want to be doing things like removing and re-installing panels, either interior or exterior, and that, the more you take apart things that probably were properly put together at the factory, the more you are likely to be introducing rattles, squeaks, and other problems.

I don't argue with his right to do anything with his car that he wants to do, but I do have reason to question how many of his issues are ones that were related to how the car came from the factory and how many of them were ones that he was responsible for introducing after he got the car.

imrankh24

I promise you the rattles came from factory. I opened lots of things but never a door panel speaker grill nor the seatbelt adjuster.

savon

I have 2007 Japanese built and 2016 U.S. built UL, both have same color exterior and interior. The fit and finish on '16 is as good as my 07. But some materials they used in '16 from U.S vendors aren't the same quality as Japanese ones. Rubber seals around the doors and hood is one of them and that is the first thing I noticed when I bought it. Paint job isn't as good my 07, and after 8 months I see foam used in driver seat where my wallet contacts is loosing its firmness. Overall, it is the best bang for the buck for a entry level luxury car even if it is made in U.S with lesser quality materials.

ut2sua

Right now, where I live, you pay for the exact same price, and you can select between a made in Japan and a made in US car. I guess someone should be able to compare the two in the dealership lot. I happened to look at the sealing rubber around the doors of my car the other day, and I thought the material was superb (was wondering how they engineered the noise out of the cabin). But that material may be lesser than what you had gotten on your 07 Lexus. I don't think my 2010 RX has better material though.

Mike728

Also, for comparison sake, all ES300h's are built in Japan. I'd be surprised if the rubber sealing material is noticeably different. I'd assume the bigger difference comes from some cost cutting that has been done since the 2007 model year.

lesz

+1
That is an important point.

If the comparison point of the OP is the ES now being built in Japan to the ES now being built in the US, I suspect that many of the parts used in building the cars in the US and those used in building the cars in Japan are coming from the same suppliers. And I'm also confident in guessing that, when Lexus sends out requests for bids to suppliers, they are using the same specifications for parts used in both the US and the Japanese production facilities.

JDR76

Not directly applicable, but for what it's worth, my '13 RX was a Japan built model and my current '16 Highlander Hybrid is a US built model. I have not noticed any discernible difference in build quality between the two. My Highlander still doesn't have a single squeak or rattle, and all panels line up appropriately.

I would not hesitate to purchase a US built ES.

Maljunulo

I remain unconvinced.

Pride in their product is an integral and fundamental part of Japanese industry.

In the US there is more concern over how many breaks do I get, how much vacation time, how do I file a grievance, and so on.

How are the guys working for Lexus in KY any different?

Do they belong to the same union(s) as the rest of the domestic industry?

ut2sua

Would you share some of the cost cutting items you have in mind (for Lexus over the years)?
I noticed that I can unlock/lock my ES using the "touch" feature at all four doors. For my 2010 RX, only the front doors have those, so I noticed that improvement. I can't open my power trunk with a button by the driver in my ES. In my RX, I can both open and close the lift-gate using that available button. But I was not sure if that was an ES vs RX thing, or if that was a cost cutting measure.

JDR76

A little broad/sweeping, no?

Better pay/benefits as I have read. Very good morale.

No, as I recall the Toyota plants are non-union.

I would perhaps be more skeptical if the US and Canada built Lexus and Toyota models had lower reliability numbers than their Japanese built counterparts but I haven't seen any data to reflect this. In fact, the Ontario, Canada plant that churns out the RX has a lower "defect per 100 cars" rating than the Japanese plants.