ES-350 front end "overhang"

My wife's new ES-350 seems to have an abnormally long and low overhand. This causes the underside to scrape a curb as the car is curved accurately into a parallel parking spot. I say "abnormally long and low" because neither of us has ever had this much problem with any other car.

The "parking assist" normally alarms just as or slightly after contact. In other words, the "parking assist" is helpful only when objects are approached straight on.

The question is: how do others deal with the underside scrapes? How does touch up paint work out? How much does a repainting of the panel cost, etc?

Our current plan is to have the section repainted after we learn to avoid banging into curbs.

Reply to
Wayne
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Are you saying that, while the car is parking itself on autopilot, it scrapes the curb?

If so, I'd bring it back to the Lexus dealer and have them fix it, including both the paint job as well as the faulty auto-parking feature. If they can't fix the faulty auto-parking feature, I'd insist that they fix the paint.

Reply to
David Z

No, I'm talking about the parking assist that detects nearby objects and sounds an alarm when backing up or going forward in a parking spot. If you have the skill to pull into a parallel sparking spot in a single move, the car overhang will scrape the curb. That is, unless you park 1 or 2 feet from the curb.

Reply to
Wayne

Is the underside of the rear or the front scraping when parallel parking? If it is the rear, you are probably hearing the exhaust pipe hitting the curb, and as long as it is not bent or dented, the pipe should survive a few scrapes.

Remove unnecessary weight in the trunk, check to make sure the tires are properly inflated, and look at the car when it is parked on level ground to make sure it is not sagging in the rear.

The parking assist doesn't reliably detect objects that are below its "line of sight" like curbs or small animals,

Reply to
Ray O

- No the parking assist is not the issue. The subject line is "front end overhang", and occurs when going forward into a parallel parking spot that will have a curb alongside the side of the car. The overhang problem also occurs when turning into a head in parking spot at an end spot that will have a curb alongside the car.

If you swing into the parking spot such that the wheels will be within inches of the curb, the front end will scrape the curb during the turn. So, you have to swing in very wide, and move the car to the curb by going back and forth. Or, you can park like a dufus, and leave the car parked 3 feet from the curb. :)

While I'd much rather have a higher clearance, the question is how to handle the repair/coverup. I see quite a number of ES-350s on the road that have the same front end paint damage.

Reply to
Wayne

One does not parallel park by going forward into the spot.

One backs into the spot, and then swings the front end sideways into the spot.

Reply to
Elmo P. Shagnasty

I live in a small town where it is quite common to find one or more parking spots vacant together. For example, on residential streets, where parking is legal, but parking spots are not marked off. It would be rather odd to back into such a parking space.

However, the subject I am trying to address is handling of the underside scrapes.

Reply to
Wayne

I have a SC430 and don't normally come across this problem. It's higher off the ground than most curbs. But, on a French autoroute (like an interstate) I got caught up in a narrow chicane, with high curbs, that was designed to prevent trucks and campers parking in the bit reserved for cars and disabled. I could not follow its curve without scraping somewhere on the car. The bit under the left door was badly gouged.

My car has water-based paint and I've found that touch-up pens don't do a satisfactory job. I haven't yet tried spray cans because I can only get them from a dealer a long way away.

Probably wise. The bit under the door I described above cost UKP 160 to replace.

Reply to
Robin Bignall

Like Elmo, I was picturing backing into a parallel parking spot between other parked cars.

The front end of the current generation ES does not appear to be abnormally long or low to me. It appears to be shorter than on my '04 LS and about the same ground clearance.

The design of many contemporary cars includes a lower edge on the front of the cars to reduce the gap between the undercarriage and the road surface to better manage the flow of air under the car, which reduces drag, which improves fuel economy. The plastic shield that is probably installed under the engine compartment of your car reduces turbulence, which creates drag.

The downside to the improved underbody airflow management is that it takes a while to become accustomed to not hitting anything.

Reply to
Ray O

I don't know why the ES seems so long, but to me it feels much longer than any car we have ever had, including a Corvette. At any rate, neither the wife or I have crunched anything in a couple of weeks, to the 5000 mile checkup may be the right time for a repainting :)

Reply to
Wayne

I sat in a co-worker's ES, and it does seem long - I think the roomy interior contributes to the illusion. Enjoy your new ride!!

Reply to
Ray O

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