arentz07

Good call! I worked with Don and he was very apologetic, especially since he remembered that I didn't want it washed when I went in prior. I had thought about it on the way there, too, just left my brain in the driver's seat when I went inside I guess.

Hopefully the fix works!

patgilm

This is the exact reason I say no to all dealership car washes. I’m surprised your cars paint isn’t messed if the car wash messed up your wheels like that.

arentz07

So they tried to fix the wheels, and they made it worse. How, you might ask? By curbing one of the wheels.

What's more, the micro-scratches are still there.


So yeah, needless to say, I am going back to the dealership tomorrow.

arentz07

I just have zero confidence they are going to fix this properly... They have ordered one replacement wheel, for the one that got curbed. The other wheels still look terrible. I kinda just want all of them fixed, at this point.

The manager said something about how they could provide me a loaner, do those fixes, and then bring the car back to my house. I'll have to decline that last part! I've been driving this car for almost 15,000 miles and have never damaged the wheels in such a way. How can you do that and seriously write it off as "debris" from the road hitting the rim. Lol, no. Look at that. You would need the weight of the wheel to come down on something to cause a deep scrape like that. I don't appreciate how they talk to me like I don't have common sense.

And also, you all see the photo above. Joe, the manager, said on the phone to me that he looked at the repaired wheels and that they looked "flawless" even under a flashlight. If that's the case, he needs to renew his prescription on his contacts.

This is from Hennessy Lexus of Gwinnett, by the way, for anyone curious.

LexBob2

That really stinks! I wonder if you could get the dealership to agree to you getting the wheels refinished on your own at a place of your choice and they'd pay the bill. Probably a long shot but maybe worth a try.

arentz07

That'd be something. Honestly at this point, I kinda just want to stop interacting with them at all. Whatever that means. Who is to say if someone damages it again? They seem to have no idea how the wheel got damaged, to which I call baloney because an impact like that would certainly be audible and felt within the cabin. Someone is lying.

DLPTony

Post a note to Lexus Corporate on Twitter. Companies seem more ready to act to a twitter post over IG.

arentz07

I was just making the rounds updating folks on this story. I got Joe to agree to put in a repair order for all four wheels. Should have four brand-new rims on in a couple weeks.

arentz07

Update... I have an appointment for Friday to get them installed.

This issue actually stressed me out quite a bit. I was worried the Lexus experience was not going to be what I had hoped for when I took delivery of this car a year and a half ago - so much so that I actually went and test-drove a BMW. I test-drove a 2021 X3 M40i.



It was fully-loaded. It had the Harmon-Kardon sound system, the heads-up display, all the driver assistance tech available including radar cruise and lane-keep, as well as carbon fiber inlays.



And, I didn't even notice the rear sunshade until I looked at this photo. Clearly, it has everything.

Moreover, it has a B58, and it's the proper gen-2 B58 introduced for the 2020 model year. 382 horsepower feels more like 400+ in this car. It really wakes up when the car is placed into the "S" transmission mode. It sounds shockingly good, too - this is the kind of sound I'd expect to hear in a Supra, not a baby buggy! The ZF 8-speed auto also rips off shifts a little more assertively than in our 330i, and I have no doubt the programming has been tweaked for duty in this M Performance model.

It also rides and steers better than our 330i. The steering isn't weirdly vague or twitchy like in some BMWs, and it has a little bit of feel underneath the thick leather wrapping of the steering wheel. As for the ride, it's pleasantly soft, but body roll is in-check. It didn't feel ponderous, and lane changes were executed willingly if not razor-sharp. In one sentence, I would have to say this X3 inspires confidence right away thanks to its linear, feel-some inputs.

So why didn't I just pull the trigger? Well, it's simple. This car isn't really for me. Problem number one - it's an SUV. Even with the excellent suspension tuning going on in this car, it still doesn't feel as connected to the road as my IS or our 330i. Problem number two - for a used, 2021 X3, the price seems somewhat high. If it were certified, that would help. I had initially assumed that it was, but, after reviewing the dealership's listing again, I don't see the car when I filter cars by their certified status. For just a few grand more, I could get into a 2022 X3 M40i that is on the same lot, has virtually the same miles, and is certified. So, it's a no.

Problem number three - my wife has a blue car. This car is also blue. That'd never work. What, am I supposed to wrap it?

But in all seriousness, problem three is which car we'd even want to trade for it. My wife made it clear she has no interest in trading her car, as it's been good to her. She still really seems to enjoy driving it. For me, well, I like my IS, too. And, while I have a Lexus, I have lots of cool meets and events to go to with other owners I've met through our local club, Southern Lexus. I know it's not as if I'd suddenly be shunned if I no longer owned a Lexus, but at the same time, I wouldn't dare show up to a Lexus Racing official event in... a BMW, let alone an X3.

However, I did want to share my impressions on this here X3 M40i. Compared to a normal X3, which I've also driven, the M40i feels very much like an X3, just much better-tuned for spirited driving, and far quicker in a straight line. Seriously, I think this thing would give something an IS 500 a run for its money. 0-60, it may even just beat the Lexus. It's as quick as one would ever need or want an X3 to be. But, beyond that, it looks to be an extremely usable car, too. The cargo area is gigantic for a "compact" crossover, and the cabin generally feels quite open and roomy. Taller folks should be just fine in the back, and I am sure child seats and the like would be no issue.

For now though, I am getting a new set of wheels put on the Lexus to get it back to looking fresh again. And with that, I am also considering getting some new tires as well, since my rears have entered the "yellow" category - 5/32" or so. I've been wanting to upgrade the tires anyway, since the OE Bridgestones do leave a bit to be desired in the sportiness department. Maybe some Michelins would do the job.

arentz07

I've put some Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires on the IS 350! While I don't have a ton of time behind the wheel with these yet, I will soon. I am hoping I can make a mountain run happen this weekend once all the... weather subsides.




First impressions? Wow, what an upgrade. The Bridgestone Potenza S001L that came on this car from factory seems downright lazy compared to these Michelins. The turn in is nice and crisp, with virtually zero delay in the steering. Ride comfort seems pretty much identical, and noise is of a medium-to-higher pitch compared to the lower tones of the Bridgestone. Impacts from the road can be felt and heard but are nicely damped, in some cases better than the Bridgestones. Overall, I love these. The car feels a lot sharper now.

patgilm

Four brand new wheels or were they refinished? Either way they look great.

arentz07

Good eye. Yes, they're in fact brand-new wheels as well.

arentz07

Not long ago, I caved and got a set of the most expensive, most well-regarded summer performance tires I could buy for the Lexus - the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.



This took a little thought. I could've saved a couple hundred dollars on the set by going with the Continental ExtremeContact Sport or the Pirelli P Zero PZ4. Both are also great tires in their own rights, and they had some advantages over the Michelins in terms of noise and ride quality, according to reviewers. However, I couldn't help but think I'd be leaving the performance and prestige of the Michelins behind by going with one of those options - plus, for a set of tires costing around $1500, a $100-200 price difference seemed insignificant.



I've lived with these tires for over 1000 miles and over a month now, and recently I finally had the chance to test them out on a fun mountain run. Spirited driving is, ultimately, why I got the tire. It's not so much that I want to go flying around corners much faster than before, but rather that I have more safety and precision than can be offered by the stock Bridgestone Potenza S001L tires. With more grip at my disposal, I have more leeway in how I attack corners, and with the stiffer sidewalls and more-optimized tread pattern, I can really dial in the right amount of steering angle with confidence. Or at least, that was my theory going into this purchase.

I should start with the day-to-day stuff. After all, "performance tire" or not, I'll be driving this to and from Publix a lot more than local mountain roads. Right out of the gate, I could feel that the turn-in of the car has been improved. "How?", you may ask. Well, it's down to the directness and responsiveness of the steering. Initiating a lane change feels downright effortless - not that the IS felt unwilling on its previous set of tires. These PS4Ses basically enhance the eagerness to turn in. The steering responds with less delay, as well, in spite of new-tire tread squirm. So, right off the bat, I can tell these tires were designed with sporty driving in mind. This translates itself to noise, unfortunately. On broken or rough surfaces, these tires are somewhat louder than the Potenzas were. I'd stop short of calling them outright "loud", but there is a clear sacrifice made to noise isolation here in comparison to the OE tires. The ride quality, thankfully, is indistinguishable from the stock tire - or at least, I don't recall the OE tires feeling any different. The tire does a good job transmitting some feel into the steering column and through the chassis without causing the ride to feel busy or springy.



In the twisty bits, the steering response is welcomed, but it honestly took me a few turns to wrap my mind around. I'd gotten used to the previous tires, which were somewhat delayed in their steering response. Now, the car almost feels like it's getting ahead of me, which is not a bad thing! If anything, it feels more agile. That said, I think the tires also seem to be pulling the car along for the ride - maybe some lowering springs or other suspension work would counteract that effect. In other words, the tires now are outpacing the suspension. This is, still, a good thing - there's a lot of grip to work with. If you're curious, traction seemed ample as well. Even though there was some salt on the roads, I could always stab the throttle on corner exit with no drama whatsoever. All in all, a tire that, once I got used to it, just stayed out of the way and let me enjoy the drive.

So, yes, they're worth it. If you don't mind the additional cabin noise and plan to take your car to the hills or even a track, just do it.

arentz07

As luck would have it, the exact color combination of Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance showed up at a local dealer and didn't have a list of buyers chomping at the bit purchase it.

So, naturally, I was tempted to at least take a look at it. After all, this car, just a few months ago, would've sold before it even hit the showroom - yet here this one is, just chilling next to the reception desk for nearly an entire week with little buyer interest. To me, this looks like an opportunity not just to get into an IS 500, but also, to not get screwed over on the deal.

However, it wasn't so simple. In the 1.5 years I've owned my 2021 IS 350, we've had a lot of adventures together. It became my favorite car that I've owned by a long shot. Parting with it was, to put it one way, unnecessary. When I was vacuuming the carpet and cleaning my things out of it two nights ago, I felt a little emotional.

You see, with this car, I made a lot of new friends and made some great memories. I happened to take it to a local car meet, only because said car meet was under 10 minutes away from the apartment at which my wife and I were staying at the time. I coincidentally found where some other Lexus owners were parked. One of the guys there invited me to join a club called Southern Lexus. I would install Instagram for the first time just so I could message the owner of the club, and before I knew it, meets like this, as well as other fun car-centric activities with the Lexus club, became a regular part of my life.



One of the first meets I went to while in the new-to-me IS 350 (though not the same one mentioned above).

In particular, thanks to Brian Chen for inviting me to the club.

I had to remind myself, however, that these friends I made were not just because they liked my car or wanted anything from me at all. I've since seen that they are just great people who happen to be into Lexus cars. No matter what I drive, I'm sure they will be there for me. Moving on from this IS 350 doesn't mean divorcing myself from the life I've managed to end up with - change is what keeps life interesting, after all.


I struggle with the fact that this photo is over 9 months old already.

So, with that in mind, I decided that owning an IS 500 would put an end to my dream of, well, owning an IS 500, which is probably healthy to some degree. Ever since it was unveiled back in 2021, I knew an IS 500 would be the car for me... some day. As my friend Tony put it, who somehow knew me better than I knew myself in this situation - I was "okay with" the IS 350. It was a stop-gap. But, having said that, I loved the car, and the degree to which I loved the car gave me confidence that an IS 500 would be the right next step.


Transferring my things to the new car from the old. "Old" feels a bit wrong to type.

So now, there's a 2023 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance Premium sitting in the garage. It's fabulous. I am honestly still a little jittery, even a day later. I think that I only got more excited after I drove the car for the first time because I knew then that I was making a great choice. Once the tedious negotiating (yes, I am that guy!) was done, it felt like turning the page as we walked out of the dealership with the keys and our paperwork.

So, here's to you, Lexus, for creating something so incredible with nothing but parts you already had, that it literally changed my life.


Sunset with the 350.


I hope the 2021 IS 350 goes to a good home. I traded it in at Nalley Lexus Smyrna, and perhaps it'll go on sale there.

SW17LS

Awesome! And Infrared! Thats a beautiful car, and so special. That was the right move IMO.

I always get a little emotional when I let go of a car too, but that quickly fades, especially when its essentially the same car, just better...