jaredsc

Hey all, I just wanted to share some thoughts about my Lexus ES' reliability, especially as compared to my '15 Mercedes-Benz C300 and '16 BMW 320xi (the Germans are leases, the Lexus is owned free and clear).

My Lexus ES has 35,000 miles on it, and has been in the shop for... scheduled maintenance and a flat tire... But the satellite radio is going out too often compared to my other cars (and in absolutely random places the other cars don't go out) so I'm going to bring that up with the dealer.

My Mercedes has 31,000 miles on it, and here's what it's had thus far (all but fumes were under 24,000 miles): randomly failing head unit, all pistons replaced in the engine (an issue that's both poorly documented by the manufacturer and well documented by owners), the keyless entry system failing, the car failing to start with the push button, extreme rattling and creaking coming from the headliner, broken buttons, blind spot and collision prevention systems failing, and probably more that I'm forgetting to be honest (I remember some Bluetooth and mbrace problems originally). Oh, and fumes coming from the ventilation system due to a leaking fuel line.

My BMW has 8,900 miles on it, and actually hasn't had any issues yet. I like that the maintenance is included for 4 years and 50,000 miles, too. It's going in for its first service this week.

Despite all the issues, the Mercedes is still my favorite if I'm being honest, but I hate it as much as I love it . The engineering in that car and technology and everything else is amazing, and it's really fun to drive (for what it is — a sport sedan with a turbo four) and very luxurious (except for the ride which, while good, could be much better if it didn't have run-flat tires, and for the creaking and rattling, which drives me crazy and which the dealer won't fix). But the reliability and dependability: I'd never own it without a warranty (interesting because my '09 GL had a warranty up to 120k miles and Benz probably paid out $20k on that warranty, but from 120k to 135k it was bulletproof, and my '13 GL had a coolant leak at like 12k miles but was bulletproof after that to 75k miles).

But I love my Lexus for it's super comfortable seats (it's debatably a more comfortable car to drive than the Mercedes, but nowhere near as engaging and fun, despite being quicker — but we all know that), ventilated seats, wood/leather steering wheel (although the Benz one is much better to grip), and the fact that everything just works, it always works, and I never have to worry about breaking it down — that peace of mind is priceless (especially when you put a lot of miles on it, which I will be doing now but didn't do before on this car — possibly 35k per year or more — and because I don't have to worry about miles on the car because it's owned outright, not a lease like the others). And because the Lexus service experience is so much better... they have loaners available if you need one immediately because you get a flat (or break down, if that ever happens as long as you do scheduled maintenance) where Mercedes wouldn't have one for weeks (literally weeks — ask any dealer in the tri-state area), and maybe days if you break down (happened to me, but I'm lucky enough to have multiple cars), and the Lexus dealers always seem to just fix whatever's wrong... not require you to bring your car in 10 times for the same issue (haven't had to have a "fixing" experience with the ES, but have with the LXs).

Both of my Lexus LXs (when we had them) were wonderfully reliable and always gave us an amazing service experience.

Now our '86 300ZX, that's a different beast... '15 Jeep Grand Cherokee has been good too thus far (have a lifetime warranty on this one, good when it drives 35k miles per year), same with '15 Jeep Cherokee.

Although Porsches have been pretty reliable in my experience, too.

So yeah, here's some Lexus praise, especially compared to the Germans.

bc6152

Your report on the German cars faults and the abundant reliability of the Lexus is another post that is similar to many others on this forum. Most members are very satisfied with their cars and would buy another Lexus. Another member also stated that don't own a Benz or BMW out of warranty. I would also add the Audi. Your post indicates that it's not a matter of luck getting a car that works and lasts. At least not when you buy a Lexus.

peteharvey

I wonder if my wife's 2014 IS250 F Sport, and her new midlife updated 2017 IS200t would be able to give you the best of both worlds with by combining the chassis engagement of your Mercedes C300 with the comfort and reliability of your ES?

Though the C Class looks conservative, mature, stylish, and elegant, while the IS looks rather radical.
I don't think there's much difference between the C Class and IS for size.
The C Class does have lots of toys.

While the ES is considerably larger in size than both C300 and IS.

The 320Xi is a case of not if it will fall apart, but when.
Many years ago, I had a C Class with the 90 degree V6, and there were zero warranty claims.
However, after the warranty period expired, I paid something like $3,500 for a new heater, $2,900 for a new ignition switch, $1,500 for a new alternator, and about $4k for a new air conditioner, then the OEM CD player broke down...

Freds430

Lexus has been #1 in the J D Power dependability study for six years in a row. In 2011 they were ranked #2, 2010 #4, 2009 #3, 2008 #1, and 2007 #2. Lexus is the third least expensive to maintain behind Toyota and Scion. The ES is ranked by J D Power as #1 in reliability in the compact premium class.