Sort of looks like Lexus has lost it. Drove the wife's ES300 down to the coast to a couple of things. Steering wheel jumping around when I slowed down on the freeway and the brakes bumping wildly while slowing down in towns. Of couse my wife has not noticed this much, just sort of thought it normal. As I am in the market for a new car, I stopped in to see the 04 LS430s in Charleston as they can't keep one on the lot up here in Greenville. The dealer there did admit there is a rotor problem and they could replace them for free. They could do that if the local guys dont want to. Seems the local guys think there is no problem with the 2000, just with the 02 and 03. They maybe can turn the rotors for free, but this is not really an acceptable fix. And then you look at the hesitation problem with the Lexi cars and .... But wait! Isn't this the way Mercedes began the long slide into the mess they are in now? Oh well .... so now the question is what car to buy for myself.
This is a warning to everyone. You absolutely MUST drive your wife's car from time to time, to see what the heck is going on with the car. Don't expect your wife to notice things or to make them a priority.
I am still considering the ES330 but, since they're obviously not too concerned with the hesitation problem, I am also starting to look elsewhere.
In the June 2004 issue of Automobile magazine, there's a REALLY upbeat article about the recently released 2005 Chrysler 300C. I don't know if I trust Chrysler quality but this writer thinks that they may have finally gotten something right from the Daimler-Chrysler merger...which brings us right back to the quality issues over at Mercedes Benz...
I'm not sure I would make the bold leap to Chrysler and expect any kind of lasting quality. I think you're wise to avoid the ES, the lag problem is terribly frustrating at times. I looked at Nissan and Infiniti, thought I was in a bad science fiction movie when I saw their new "pod" designs and tons of tightly spaced buttons on the dash. Figured I would have an accident just trying to change the radio station while driving. That's the one thing I have to give Lexus credit for, the dash console on my 2002 ES300 is very simply designed and well laid out, I don't have any problem using the controls effectively and safely while driving.
I rented one of those for a few days. Lot's of power. Typical Chrysler blind spots, though. They can't seem to figure out how to design a car to look good and NOT have blind spots. Also, the worst gas mileage you can imagine for a car that size, and I wasn't driving all that hard.
"MCBRUE" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m26.aol.com...
The automotive world is in a sad, sad state when people are experiencing transmission problems with vehicles manufactured by THE TOP DOG in initial build quality eight years running! None other than the Lexus nameplate. And then there's the engine oil sludge problem with certain Lexus and Toyota vehicles. Two of the world's best nameplates in quality. Honda, another manufacturer noted for having impeccable initial AND downstream quality, recently recalled 600,000 vehicles for transmission problems. With that said, can you imagine just how bad the quality problems are with vehicles manufactured by companies with quality ratings that are far, far below those of Lexus/Toyota, Acura/Honda and BMW???!!! It must be nightmarish. All I've heard lately from Ford, Chevrolet and Mercedes owners is how they simply cannot stand the thoughts of dealing with another car-related problem. So far I have been very, very lucky with my Lexus IS300. I am yet to experience the first issue with the vehicle. I have never had to take it back to the dealership for a single thing--outside of routine oil changes and tire rotations. The last domestic vehicle that I purchased new back in 2001 turned out to be a HUGE lemon. I am of the opinion now that ALL makes are subject to give trouble. So the best thing to do is buy what you truly like driving. If it's manufactured by a company that is known to have lots of quality problems, purchase an extended warranty and be done with it. Are these types of warranties ripoffs? Maybe so. But then again, considering the types of quality problems all makes are subject to give the owner these days, maybe it's not such a bad idea afterall. A major part of the problem with newer cars these days is that they have become too sophisticated. Lots more electrical problems nowadays--since so many components are computer controlled. Plus, all of the automobile manufacturers are under a tremendous amount of pressure to produce the greatest products for the best price, while making sure that the CEOs and other heavies are satisfied from a net profit standpoint.
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