Oh, absolutely. Because nothing says "definitive automotive authority" like judging a car's fit and finish with your own two eyes. Those eagle eyes must be quite something.

 

#1 Contradictory (Companion answer with #4)


#2 Obtuse


#3 You and I wasted too much energy on this post.


#4 Asinine, Contradictory (Companion answer with #1)

 

Good news: Apparently they kept those rules for the 7th Gen ES.

https://www.clublexus.com/articles/a...-off-the-line/

 

These are the facts, so I don’t believe the QC is at the level it should be:





















Japan made ES:

 

For what it’s worth, this thread caused me to carefully examine my MY 2021. Thankfully, it appears perfect. I guess I’m one of the fortunate ones. My car seems to be perfect. It has also performed absolute perfectly over the past 2.5 years of ownership. I have no complaints and if I outlive my wonderful 350 ES, I’ll buy another, wherever it’s manufactured.

 

Interesting ain't it? My Kentucky-build '23 300h has a VERY slightly, but noticeable to the touch, misaligned bumper cover driver's side rear quarter. I only thought about it after watching the factory video tour where they informed me that my car's body panels were hand-massaged to within a millimeter of their lives. It's a small imperfection in an otherwise amazing car. I'll live with it the way it is rather than have them mess with it, But they DID make a big deal about QC.
Could be that mine was built on the day after the company outing?

 

No, because 90% of them are like this, even the 2023 model.

 

2023 model, worse than ever:

 

Looks like paint drips and panel alignment are a legitimate issue. I used to work Quality at Honda factories in Ohio and we searched for this stuff on every car.

That being said, anyone who thinks steering wheel stitching is performed at the final assembly plant is misinformed.

 

It's interesting that the 7th gen ES doesn't seem to have lots of generalized misalignments all over the car, just specifically this misalignment where the front bumpers meet the front fenders. I'm guessing there's some issue specific to this pair of parts, but I'm not expert enough to know what it is.

 

Mine is the rear bumper cover. Not as bad as some of the photos, but noticeable when you look for it. Makes me slightly worried about the rest of the build, but so far, no issues at 4600 miles in.

 

I have archived save photos of both my 2021 ES too. crooked doors, bubbling clear coat on trunk edge, crooked dash on driver's side (raised about 3mm), raised hood on passenger side about 2-4mm depending on model. and a few others im forgetting. i fixed the doors and i fixed the rattles so i was happy with the car. the trunk and the hood i left alone. i didn't want to risk making things worse by messing with the hood. both my ES had hoods raised on the right side. (where it meets the fender at the windshield) was hoping things are better for 2023.

 

Yes, CT, we know, we know.