LA_newbie

This is Jim Falk Lexus of Beverly Hills. Where can I complain about them? BBB?

bc6152

You can tell if a car salesperson is lying - if their lips are moving... OTOH one must have some knowledge of the selling price. lease rules, terms, residuals, etc, BEFORE dealing with a salesperson. Sounds like you were talked into an unsatisfactory (for you) deal. I also agree with the others as far as L.A. being a terrible place to measure mileage. My 2013 got between 22 and 28 mpg and my 2019 with just over 1500 miles is achieving about 21 mpg. I have never had it on an interstate to date so can't say what I would get there... I do drive gently, not sprinting from a stop. Those days are over for the Lexus. Now when in the Corvette...

mcomer

I wholeheartedly agree that they ought to have listened better and
helped you get the ES300h, regular fuel and 44 MPG in town rather
than the 22 MPG city you got.

Ways to improve on what you have for the next 4 years, limit your
use of the remote start to cool off the parked car. Use the recommended
Regular fuel, do not use slow burning Premium in the ES350 V6. Use
the ventilated seat feature and set the A/C to a slightly higher temp to
use less fuel.

The IS300 uses Premium fuel while the ES350 runs on Regular and
while the RWD is rated at 22 MPG city, it is a 4 cyl turbo.

bc6152

This is a new car and they want to charge you $200.00 to fix a safety feature? I would bet that there's nothing wrong with your car and they're slinging BS at you and hoping it will stick.
It sounds to me that they are taking advantage of you from the sale to everything else. Unfortunately, Lexus usually does nothing in these instances so I'd find another dealer and have the car checked for whatever these morons are saying is wrong. Don't get taken for a ride any further. These people are simply being dishonest and their only mission is to separate you from your money. Really pisses me off when a dealer takes advantage of a customer like this. Most dealers are honest and forthright. Just let me know when you find one...

95bat

BBB might help, but it's not likely. What resolution would you be seeking? I don't think the BBB can get you out of your lease. It sounds like they took advantage of you and continue to do so with an attempt at generating a bogus $200 service charge.

Unfortunately, you might need to swallow your medicine and learn an expensive lesson, then never do business with them again. Maybe some other members will have better advice for this type of situation.

kalel2127

I disagree, I believe most dealerships are dishonest. I say this from experience and having friends that have worked in dealerships. Hearing the same thing from multiple sources and from people I trust is why I stay away from dealerships. Money makes people change and usually not for the good.

CAHWY128

California has its own crappy gas formula and that could be a cause of worse than estimated gas mileage.

I am sorry that you feel that the dealer made you buy a car you did not want. Yet, I assume you are over 18 years old and you bought it. You signed for it and you own it. It is up to the buyer to do his due diligence. Buyer beware.

Personally, if it were me, I would just move on and enjoy the car as much as possible.

CAHWY128

I think a lot of the Dealerships in California are bad. There are some good honest ones, but a lot of them prey on the poor and uneducated. Yet, it is legal if their contracts are in order. It has been a long time since the Gunderson Chevrolet story broke, but I assume many dealers still are doing this in California. The state of California could care less, as they make more money off new car sales than the dealers do.

AllinCLE

It sucks that the dealer didn't work with you to make sure you were well informed to the point that your expectations were set to what the vehicle is capable of giving you. In LA traffic, no vehicle is going to deliver it's EPA rating, and you described it as an errand car which to me would mean lots of short trips around town, maybe on-off the highway in a couple exits. Those conditions will torpedo fuel mileage, regardless of vehicle.

For what it's worth, the ES350 shines on the highway. Tall gearing and good aerodynamics help it overachieve cruising on the open road. I drive medium-long stretches at a time on the highway, and I typically can get 38 to 40 mpg on trips longer than 50-60 miles. I track each and every fill up in a spreadsheet just for the heck of it, and so far, overall, I'm averaging 29.1 mpg across the first 1622 mi on the vehicle.

jimv1983

I have the hybrid and I'm also not getting the mileage was hoping for/expecting. The EPA estimate is 45 and many reviews said it does pretty good at getting that. Even keeping it in Eco mode, cruise control set at 70mph and mostly freeway driving after 10 fill-ups I'm getting just under 41mpg. I was really hoping for like 43mpg average.

jimv1983

You made the right decision getting the Lexus over there Genesis. With Genesis you'd basically be getting the quality and reliability of a Hyundai.

DMPesso

Use premium gas and you will get better mpg. When they say city mpg they don’t mean LA or NYC city. They basically mean open road city with not much stopping. That’s how they come up with their mpg. The 3.5L engine whether in the GS, RX or ES always gets 13-15 mpg in LA or NYC city traffic unless you drive it like a baby. The hybrid is what you need if you drive in the city a lot, gets double the MPG basically. Find a highly rated Lexus dealer and try to get them to switch you to the hybrid.

mcomer

DMPesso is correct for cars that require Premium such as our GS350's and NX300 turbos.
Both the ES350 V6 and the ES300h Hybrid 4 cylinder are tuned for Regular fuel and will
not benefit from the use of Premium.

Jimv1083 - the optimum MPG from our Hybrids is around town, electricity creates momentum
while accelerating and the momentum creates electricity when slowing down. At highway speeds
it is just a very nice 4 cylinder car. Our 2018 ES300h (40/39/40) gets 41 when commuting at a
27 MPH average, 37 MPG at 70 MPH but only 32 MPG (!?!) when cruising at 75 MPH.

DMPesso

Even on the cars that say premium isn’t required it increases mpg and or performance. Just like the RX.

User 41924

I may not be the standard for normal behavior, but I would be talking to anyone that would listen! I would start with a FORMAL complaint about the dealer to Lexus ASAP, and explain how these guys are clearly trying to take advantage of you. They might be more interested in finding a solution if your lease is through Lexus Financial. Press for a conversation with someone id customer service. Next, I would write a letter to the president of the dealership, and Jim Falk himself. It's his name attached to the slimy dealership! Tell them your story about how you were manipulated away from what you wanted to buy, and tell them you want them to do a new deal for the car you intended to buy when you walked in. Acknowledge your part, but they have to know their culpability. If that doesn't help, I'd start looking at the media. It's a classic slimy dealership story, and all thieves are afraid of the spotlight. These guys need to be held accountable.

On another note ..... you're mileage is terrible no doubt, but it's very hard to quantify. Everyone's driving circumstances are different, which is why they always say "your mileage may vary". It really does! The ES350 is no MPG Hero. That said, 14 MPG seems unusual. Take a short trip on the freeway, and see how it does. If it doesn't get up to at least 22 or 23, you may have a real issue. If it does, I'd start thinking about change my driving habits, and learn about the tons of things that negatively impact mileage. I suspect you'll recognize a few of them.

Either way, it makes no sense to just guess about what might be causing your bad mileage. You'll need to figure it out on your own. Don't expect much help from Lexus or the dealer until you have evidence there is something wrong with the car.