When will this crap end?
04-11-07, 11:23 AM
#76
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Making the appointment with another dealer might work or at least if not it goes as another attempt for down the road Lemon Law.
I decided it was not worth the length of time going through a 2nd time in my case and will instead just report both my vehicles by their VIN to NHTSA so there is at least an official record of them and since others have already reported their's to that federal agency, maybe they will do more to investigate this.
I decided it was not worth the length of time going through a 2nd time in my case and will instead just report both my vehicles by their VIN to NHTSA so there is at least an official record of them and since others have already reported their's to that federal agency, maybe they will do more to investigate this.
04-11-07, 12:46 PM
#77
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(lots more power/torque, more luxurious inside, softer ride, superior awd performance, and cheaper 
) 
04-11-07, 12:54 PM
#78
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04-11-07, 03:32 PM
#79
Not from my local Lexus dealership, the ones that tell me that the cold engine knock is the fuel injection (and they all make that noise) and when my first transmission flare started up, that it was normal. Sorry but I will not reward that Lexus franchise with recommendations. The Jeep franchise of this same mega dealership in Wilkes Barre, PA - recommend absolutely!
04-12-07, 04:38 AM
#81
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Bob, I just check the NHTSA site and narrow the search down to the ES350 and there quite a few other people who is having this flaring issue. Really pisses me off even more when reading through their experiences. I don't mind filing a complaint, but what will NHTSA actually do? Investigate and will they contact me with the results?
I'm not sure exactly what they do though like me you may have gotten a sense from reading there is some form of investigation done even if limited to requiring a report back from dealer service which may help some caught up in the nightmare of trying to get it resolved simply by additional pressure placed.
04-12-07, 06:17 AM
#82
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Update: 4/11/07 9:00am
I just came back from the other dealership. I sat with the head tech there and took it for a test drive. No flare again, but he said that he knows about the flare since at least one ES owner comes to his dealership every 2 weeks and complaint about this. He pretty much said that the ES uses a drive by wire design instead of the traditional drive by throttle. So basically, this is the "normal characteristic" for the ES. I am at a point that it is hopeless that this will ever be a fixed. There was no point for me to share my frustration, but I did tell him that the ES is a piece of *****! He will submit a complaint for me to Lexus 
and hopefully they will have a software update to fix this, but he did tell me that it will be a while if Lexus ever come up with a update for this. I will give another couple of weeks and see if Lexus Corp will do anything. If not, I will take a big hit and get another car. SHAME ON LEXUS TO DO THIS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. SHAME ON ME TO ACTUALLY BUY THIS VEHILCLE. 
and hopefully they will have a software update to fix this, but he did tell me that it will be a while if Lexus ever come up with a update for this. I will give another couple of weeks and see if Lexus Corp will do anything. If not, I will take a big hit and get another car. SHAME ON LEXUS TO DO THIS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. SHAME ON ME TO ACTUALLY BUY THIS VEHILCLE.
Last edited by ESDragon; 04-12-07 at 11:15 AM.
04-12-07, 09:21 AM
#83
I just came back from the other dealership. I sat with the head tech there and took it for a test drive. No flare again, but he said that he knows about the flare since at least one ES owner comes to his dealership every 2 weeks and complaint about this. He pretty much said that the ES uses a drive by wire design instead of the traditional drive by throttle. So basically, this is the "normal characteristic" for the ES. I am at a point that it is hopeless that this will ever be a fix for this. There was no point for me to share my frustration, but I did tell him that the ES is a piece of *****! He will submit a complaint for me to Lexus and hopefully they will have a software update to fix this, but he did tell me that it will be a while if Lexus ever come up with a update for this. I will give another couple of weeks and see if Lexus Corp will do anything. If not, I will take big hit and get another car. SHAME ON LEXUS TO DO THIS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. SHAME ON ME TO ACTUALLY BUY THIS VEHILCLE.
and hopefully they will have a software update to fix this, but he did tell me that it will be a while if Lexus ever come up with a update for this. I will give another couple of weeks and see if Lexus Corp will do anything. If not, I will take big hit and get another car. SHAME ON LEXUS TO DO THIS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. SHAME ON ME TO ACTUALLY BUY THIS VEHILCLE. Are you getting the 1,000 RPM flare between 3rd and 4th in the morning or just small flares during normal driving conditions?
04-12-07, 11:16 AM
#84
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04-12-07, 11:42 AM
#86
Interesting, your flares are when hot and not consistant with the common cold flare. Have you spoken to the sales manager or general manager of the dealership? While your miles are low, maybe they can get you into a GS or something?
04-12-07, 03:06 PM
#87
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Duh?
My first car was a 1976 Pontiac Catalina that I bought for $300, it never SLIPPED once... And this is technology???
FWIW - My V6 Camry was my first long term experience with DBW, at first, reading the symptoms I had it was all too easy to blame DBW.... But then I rid myself of the Camry and bought an Acura TL.
The TL also has DBW - In all the time I've driven the TL (about the same as my Camry now) there hasn't been ONE INSTANCE where I thought to myself, "Gee that was odd, I wonder if that's because of the DBW?" or "I think it might be LEARNING?"
I'm still the same person, just two different cars... One works, the other doesn't, it's just THAT SIMPLE.
BTW - Anyone who is going to the dealership and are being told the transmission is "LEARNING."
Call their bluff, ask them to cite EXACTLY where it is written that the transmission learns... THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THIS INFORMATION!!!! why? BECAUSE THE U660E TRANSAXLE DOES NOT LEARN!!!! Instead it has what is called ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and this works by interpreting various inputs INSTANTLY!
For example, AI knows to hold off shifting uphill, it also knows to downshift going downhill and coast on flat ground... IT DOESN'T LEARN THAT YOU WENT UP/DOWN A HILL 1000 MILES AGO.
P.S. I'm not YELLING - - I am emphasising.
04-12-07, 03:21 PM
#88
Very troublesome for those experiencing this as it certainly appears to be a genuine bug at the least. I am on my 5th Lexus and all have been astonishingly reliable, especially compared to my prior German, Domestic vehicles.
Lexus better get this corrected quick as all I see are customers going elsewhere to never look back.
Lexus better get this corrected quick as all I see are customers going elsewhere to never look back.
04-12-07, 04:53 PM
#89
YUP-ER-ONI! I'll drink to that!!!!
Duh?
My first car was a 1976 Pontiac Catalina that I bought for $300, it never SLIPPED once... And this is technology???
FWIW - My V6 Camry was my first long term experience with DBW, at first, reading the symptoms I had it was all too easy to blame DBW.... But then I rid myself of the Camry and bought an Acura TL.
The TL also has DBW - In all the time I've driven the TL (about the same as my Camry now) there hasn't been ONE INSTANCE where I thought to myself, "Gee that was odd, I wonder if that's because of the DBW?" or "I think it might be LEARNING?"
I'm still the same person, just two different cars... One works, the other doesn't, it's just THAT SIMPLE.
BTW - Anyone who is going to the dealership and are being told the transmission is "LEARNING."
Call their bluff, ask them to cite EXACTLY where it is written that the transmission learns... THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THIS INFORMATION!!!! why? BECAUSE THE U660E TRANSAXLE DOES NOT LEARN!!!! Instead it has what is called ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and this works by interpreting various inputs INSTANTLY!
For example, AI knows to hold off shifting uphill, it also knows to downshift going downhill and coast on flat ground... IT DOESN'T LEARN THAT YOU WENT UP/DOWN A HILL 1000 MILES AGO.
P.S. I'm not YELLING - - I am emphasising.
Duh?
My first car was a 1976 Pontiac Catalina that I bought for $300, it never SLIPPED once... And this is technology???
FWIW - My V6 Camry was my first long term experience with DBW, at first, reading the symptoms I had it was all too easy to blame DBW.... But then I rid myself of the Camry and bought an Acura TL.
The TL also has DBW - In all the time I've driven the TL (about the same as my Camry now) there hasn't been ONE INSTANCE where I thought to myself, "Gee that was odd, I wonder if that's because of the DBW?" or "I think it might be LEARNING?"
I'm still the same person, just two different cars... One works, the other doesn't, it's just THAT SIMPLE.
BTW - Anyone who is going to the dealership and are being told the transmission is "LEARNING."
Call their bluff, ask them to cite EXACTLY where it is written that the transmission learns... THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE THIS INFORMATION!!!! why? BECAUSE THE U660E TRANSAXLE DOES NOT LEARN!!!! Instead it has what is called ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and this works by interpreting various inputs INSTANTLY!
For example, AI knows to hold off shifting uphill, it also knows to downshift going downhill and coast on flat ground... IT DOESN'T LEARN THAT YOU WENT UP/DOWN A HILL 1000 MILES AGO.
P.S. I'm not YELLING - - I am emphasising.
04-12-07, 06:55 PM
#90
Lexus Test Driver
Why go outside of Lexus family for slippage examples, or lack of them? I can't speak for all other models, but do you see any other section of CL forum talking about gear flares?!? I can only speak for my previous ES (with all its flares) and GS which never had a flare, cold or hot, snow or ice, rain or shine... Anyway, I still feel ES350 is a black sheep of this family 