Got a '03 ES300 loaner (vs. my '02)
01-26-03, 02:43 AM
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Got a '03 ES300 loaner (vs. my '02)
It was finally time for a 5000-mile service for my '02 ES300. The dealer (Putnam Lexus @ Redwood City, CA) gave me a '03 ES300 as a loaner. It was a base model for sure, so I have a couple of observations to contribute after comparing it with my loaded '02.
1. The shifting has been fixed as rumored!! It can be immediately felt the first time I accelerated the car. What a difference! It was totally smooth and seamless without the abrupt push from gear 1 to gear 2 and gear 2 to gear 3 on my car.
When asked if he knew about this transmission update, the service guy claimed he didn't even know there was such a problem with the '02 ES, and that after the requested inspection on my car, they found nothing wrong.
I guess they just don't want to go through the hassles of updating every '02 owner's car.
2. The loaner had the premium sound system. The in-dash CD changer is a much more convenient and intuitive design, as opposed to the Mark Levinson's CD-changer cartridge stored in the armrest.
After testing it with a few classical music pieces and some heavy-pounding dance music CDs, I'd say that the premium system has more pounding power in the lower end, which is nice since I've always felt the bass lacking in my car. The Mark Levinson system, however, produces a very noticeably clearer and more dynamic sound in both the higher and lower ends. In the end, I'm still glad I chose to have the Mark Levinson as I'm more often a listener to classical music.
But!! I've been having this problem with my system since the 2nd month: whenever the car is started after left cold for a while, there's a 50% chance that the audio system will produce a very noticeable distortion in the high range that sounds like a static noise. It stays this way for as long as the car stays on. If I restart the engine, though, there's about 70% chance that the problem will automatically go away and the sound will become perfect again. This bothers me a lot and the dealer at first couldn't confirm my problem because when my car arrived for service the audio system happened to be perfect, and the car has to be left cold again for the problem to possibly appear. Luckily when I picked up my car the problem reappeared and the service guy confirmed it and said he'll order a new amplifier for me.
3. The loaner, without AVS, drives like the default AVS setting on my car. Not too soft and not too stiff, which is good. But I guess I'm just too spoiled by the softest setting when cruising on the highway. So if you want the cushiest ride possible, you'll still want the AVS option.
BTW, is it just me or are these warranty maintenance services free? Why didn't I get charged at all!? :eek:
I was a bit too embarrassed to ask the dealer, but I heard people complaining about Lexus charging too much in services before. Does anybody know if free services are a norm in Lexus dealers?
Anyway, overall a very good Lexus service experience (particularly when it's free
).
1. The shifting has been fixed as rumored!! It can be immediately felt the first time I accelerated the car. What a difference! It was totally smooth and seamless without the abrupt push from gear 1 to gear 2 and gear 2 to gear 3 on my car.
When asked if he knew about this transmission update, the service guy claimed he didn't even know there was such a problem with the '02 ES, and that after the requested inspection on my car, they found nothing wrong.
I guess they just don't want to go through the hassles of updating every '02 owner's car.
2. The loaner had the premium sound system. The in-dash CD changer is a much more convenient and intuitive design, as opposed to the Mark Levinson's CD-changer cartridge stored in the armrest.
After testing it with a few classical music pieces and some heavy-pounding dance music CDs, I'd say that the premium system has more pounding power in the lower end, which is nice since I've always felt the bass lacking in my car. The Mark Levinson system, however, produces a very noticeably clearer and more dynamic sound in both the higher and lower ends. In the end, I'm still glad I chose to have the Mark Levinson as I'm more often a listener to classical music.
But!! I've been having this problem with my system since the 2nd month: whenever the car is started after left cold for a while, there's a 50% chance that the audio system will produce a very noticeable distortion in the high range that sounds like a static noise. It stays this way for as long as the car stays on. If I restart the engine, though, there's about 70% chance that the problem will automatically go away and the sound will become perfect again. This bothers me a lot and the dealer at first couldn't confirm my problem because when my car arrived for service the audio system happened to be perfect, and the car has to be left cold again for the problem to possibly appear. Luckily when I picked up my car the problem reappeared and the service guy confirmed it and said he'll order a new amplifier for me.
3. The loaner, without AVS, drives like the default AVS setting on my car. Not too soft and not too stiff, which is good. But I guess I'm just too spoiled by the softest setting when cruising on the highway. So if you want the cushiest ride possible, you'll still want the AVS option.
BTW, is it just me or are these warranty maintenance services free? Why didn't I get charged at all!? :eek:
I was a bit too embarrassed to ask the dealer, but I heard people complaining about Lexus charging too much in services before. Does anybody know if free services are a norm in Lexus dealers?
Anyway, overall a very good Lexus service experience (particularly when it's free
).
Last edited by XeroK00L; 01-26-03 at 03:31 AM.
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