June "Consumer Reports" Glowing Review.
05-03-07, 07:21 AM
#31
Forum Administrator
iTrader: (2)
05-03-07, 07:52 AM
#32
Intermediate
Thread Starter
I just spent more time on the "CR" website and never realized they have a “Consumer Opinion” section for each vehicle.
For the ES350 specifically, as of 5/2/07, there are 34 opinions listed. Of those, FOUR mentioned a problem with the transmission. So, at least in this online "CR" opinion “survey,” 11.76% of the owners who took the time to opine on their ES’s had problems with the transmission.
The first one below is from 5/2/07 and the last one is from 6/24/06:
“Cons: Transmission not great when cold, rear seats do not fold, narrow opening for center console
Cons: Transmission misses gears, jerks, hesitates
Cons: Transmission flare (goes to neutral a bit) between 3rd-4th gear first 1 or 2 times in the morning, when cold. Known problem with fix, supposedly. I haven't reported it yet.
Cons: Transmission problem out of the box already known by Toyota. Dealer took 2 weeks to fix”
You can also click on each “summary” opinion and read the person’s in-depth review.
Here is one that I found particularly interesting because it lends credence to the theory that some people might have “flaring” transmissions but don’t realize it (nobody on THIS board, I’m SURE):
“A friend of mine had an ES330 and then got a ES350.
When I told him about the jerky transmission he said he never realized it. I drove his ES350 and I found it the same way as mine. Since he was used to driving the ES330 which I guess drove the same way he never realized the difference. So thats why its important to mention what vehicle you were driving before.”
Finally, when I read these “internet opinions,” I always wonder if the positive writers are employees of the company/dealer who want their product to look good. Conversely, the negative writers might work for competing companies/dealers who want it to look bad similar to “trolls” that frequent some boards.
What MIGHT set the “CR” site above the others is that you have to PAY for a subscription to access it. I would tend to believe in the veracity of these opinions over some of the other boards I’ve seen, “Club Lexus” not included, of course!
For the ES350 specifically, as of 5/2/07, there are 34 opinions listed. Of those, FOUR mentioned a problem with the transmission. So, at least in this online "CR" opinion “survey,” 11.76% of the owners who took the time to opine on their ES’s had problems with the transmission.
The first one below is from 5/2/07 and the last one is from 6/24/06:
“Cons: Transmission not great when cold, rear seats do not fold, narrow opening for center console
Cons: Transmission misses gears, jerks, hesitates
Cons: Transmission flare (goes to neutral a bit) between 3rd-4th gear first 1 or 2 times in the morning, when cold. Known problem with fix, supposedly. I haven't reported it yet.
Cons: Transmission problem out of the box already known by Toyota. Dealer took 2 weeks to fix”
You can also click on each “summary” opinion and read the person’s in-depth review.
Here is one that I found particularly interesting because it lends credence to the theory that some people might have “flaring” transmissions but don’t realize it (nobody on THIS board, I’m SURE):
“A friend of mine had an ES330 and then got a ES350.
When I told him about the jerky transmission he said he never realized it. I drove his ES350 and I found it the same way as mine. Since he was used to driving the ES330 which I guess drove the same way he never realized the difference. So thats why its important to mention what vehicle you were driving before.”
Finally, when I read these “internet opinions,” I always wonder if the positive writers are employees of the company/dealer who want their product to look good. Conversely, the negative writers might work for competing companies/dealers who want it to look bad similar to “trolls” that frequent some boards.
What MIGHT set the “CR” site above the others is that you have to PAY for a subscription to access it. I would tend to believe in the veracity of these opinions over some of the other boards I’ve seen, “Club Lexus” not included, of course!
Last edited by BobBass; 05-03-07 at 09:50 AM. Reason: Missed a quote mark
05-03-07, 08:51 AM
#33
Lexus Champion
No not at all, I only mentioned CR view on Accord because my Accord was twice mentioned and I only mentioned it as a comparative of statements/claims about vehicles by CR, not for any legitimacy or lack thereof.
05-03-07, 09:02 AM
#34
Lexus Champion
When it is claimed the G35 is proven as BobBass included in his quotes from CR and it only came out last November with an as yet unproven new 308 HP engine I don't feel their views are based on anything you can rely on where some claims about vehicles are concerned.
05-03-07, 09:22 AM
#35
Lexus Champion
I just spent more time on the "CR" website and never realized they have a “Consumer Opinion” section for each vehicle.
For the ES350 specifically, as of 5/2/07, there are 34 opinions listed. Of those, FOUR mentioned a problem with the transmission. So, at least in this online "CR" opinion “survey,” 11.76% of the owners who took the time to opine on their ES’s had problems with the transmission.
The first one below is from 5/2/07 and the last one is from 6/24/06:
“Cons: Transmission not great when cold, rear seats do not fold, narrow opening for center console
Cons: Transmission misses gears, jerks, hesitates
Cons: Transmission flare (goes to neutral a bit) between 3rd-4th gear first 1 or 2 times in the morning, when cold. Known problem with fix, supposedly. I haven't reported it yet.
Cons: Transmission problem out of the box already known by Toyota. Dealer took 2 weeks to fix”
You can also click on each “summary” opinion and read the person’s in-depth review.
Here is one that I found particularly interesting because it lends credence to the theory that some people might have “flaring” transmissions but don’t realize it (nobody on THIS board, I’m SURE):
“A friend of mine had an ES330 and then got a ES350.
When I told him about the jerky transmission he said he never realized it. I drove
his ES350 and I found it the same way as mine. Since he was used to driving the
ES330 which I guess drove the same way he never realized the difference. So thats
why its important to mention what vehicle you were driving before.”
Finally, when I read these “internet opinions,” I always wonder if the positive writers are employees of the company/dealer who want their product to look good. Conversely, the negative writers might work for competing companies/dealers who want it to look bad similar to “trolls” that frequent some boards.
What MIGHT set the “CR” site above the others is that you have to PAY for a subscription to access it. I would tend to believe in the veracity of these opinions over some of the other boards I’ve seen, “Club Lexus” not included, of course!
For the ES350 specifically, as of 5/2/07, there are 34 opinions listed. Of those, FOUR mentioned a problem with the transmission. So, at least in this online "CR" opinion “survey,” 11.76% of the owners who took the time to opine on their ES’s had problems with the transmission.
The first one below is from 5/2/07 and the last one is from 6/24/06:
“Cons: Transmission not great when cold, rear seats do not fold, narrow opening for center console
Cons: Transmission misses gears, jerks, hesitates
Cons: Transmission flare (goes to neutral a bit) between 3rd-4th gear first 1 or 2 times in the morning, when cold. Known problem with fix, supposedly. I haven't reported it yet.
Cons: Transmission problem out of the box already known by Toyota. Dealer took 2 weeks to fix”
You can also click on each “summary” opinion and read the person’s in-depth review.
Here is one that I found particularly interesting because it lends credence to the theory that some people might have “flaring” transmissions but don’t realize it (nobody on THIS board, I’m SURE):
“A friend of mine had an ES330 and then got a ES350.
When I told him about the jerky transmission he said he never realized it. I drove
his ES350 and I found it the same way as mine. Since he was used to driving the
ES330 which I guess drove the same way he never realized the difference. So thats
why its important to mention what vehicle you were driving before.”
Finally, when I read these “internet opinions,” I always wonder if the positive writers are employees of the company/dealer who want their product to look good. Conversely, the negative writers might work for competing companies/dealers who want it to look bad similar to “trolls” that frequent some boards.
What MIGHT set the “CR” site above the others is that you have to PAY for a subscription to access it. I would tend to believe in the veracity of these opinions over some of the other boards I’ve seen, “Club Lexus” not included, of course!
Maybe ES350Bob will now understand what I was saying in Post #25 about the interim survey I took.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...4&postcount=25
05-03-07, 09:42 AM
#36
Lexus Champion
No, I would refer to owner forums like CL where you get a glimpse of what is going on with that model within that actual model year.
When it is claimed the G35 is proven as BobBass included in his quotes from CR and it only came out last November with an as yet unproven new 308 HP engine I don't feel their views are based on anything you can rely on where some claims about vehicles are concerned.
When it is claimed the G35 is proven as BobBass included in his quotes from CR and it only came out last November with an as yet unproven new 308 HP engine I don't feel their views are based on anything you can rely on where some claims about vehicles are concerned.
05-03-07, 10:33 AM
#37
Lexus Fanatic
If you use forums only, how would find out details of a car such as interior dimensions, gas mileage, performance, handling, braking, pricing, how they compare with similar vehicles, professional assesments (agree with them or not)? I would think the more information, the better for a large purchase like a new car.
on forums, you get the good AND bad picture, and you are most likely to read about defects. That's the biggest benefit of forums such as this and edmunds.
If I were ESdragon, or osokuko, or swobro, or anyone else who clearly has a car with a mechanical defect, I'd hit myself on the head for not reading these forums, if I happened to buy an ES that had that defect. These forums are like a "I told you so" or a "I warned you".
the internet community is comprised of just a small percentage of lexus owners. Consumer reports' membership fee makes their community even smaller.
Has consumer reports ever said anything bad about the ES transmission? How about when the last generation transmission hesitated? If not, why do they fail to mention it when it is clearly a problem, however small a percentage?
Remember, I didn't have a transx problem. I'm just trying to look at this situation objectively.
05-03-07, 10:42 AM
#38
Lexus Champion
all that data is on numerous free auto journal websites.
on forums, you get the good AND bad picture, and you are most likely to read about defects. That's the biggest benefit of forums such as this and edmunds.
If I were ESdragon, or osokuko, or swobro, or anyone else who clearly has a car with a mechanical defect, I'd hit myself on the head for not reading these forums, if I happened to buy an ES that had that defect. These forums are like a "I told you so" or a "I warned you".
the internet community is comprised of just a small percentage of lexus owners. Consumer reports' membership fee makes their community even smaller.
Has consumer reports ever said anything bad about the ES transmission? How about when the last generation transmission hesitated? If not, why do they fail to mention it when it is clearly a problem, however small a percentage?
Remember, I didn't have a transx problem. I'm just trying to look at this situation objectively.
on forums, you get the good AND bad picture, and you are most likely to read about defects. That's the biggest benefit of forums such as this and edmunds.
If I were ESdragon, or osokuko, or swobro, or anyone else who clearly has a car with a mechanical defect, I'd hit myself on the head for not reading these forums, if I happened to buy an ES that had that defect. These forums are like a "I told you so" or a "I warned you".
the internet community is comprised of just a small percentage of lexus owners. Consumer reports' membership fee makes their community even smaller.
Has consumer reports ever said anything bad about the ES transmission? How about when the last generation transmission hesitated? If not, why do they fail to mention it when it is clearly a problem, however small a percentage?
Remember, I didn't have a transx problem. I'm just trying to look at this situation objectively.
05-03-07, 11:26 AM
#39
Intermediate
Thread Starter
I just went thru about 80 opinions on "CR's" '07 Camry section.
If it's any consolation, offhand I'd say fully 1/3 or more of the respondents mentioned transmission problems, especially "throttle lag hesitation" on the 4 cylinder. MANY called it an out and out safety hazard and were notifying NHTSA.
Dealer response? The usual "it takes awhile for the transmission to 'learn' your driving habits" litany. And, here's a new variation - one guy said the mechanic told him it may take up to 30,000 miles! Hell, I just turned 30K in my '04 Maxima. GIMME A BREAK!
Hybrid owners seem to be perfectly satisfied with the with the CVT. Maybe Toyota should have beefed it up and gone that route with the ES.
If it's any consolation, offhand I'd say fully 1/3 or more of the respondents mentioned transmission problems, especially "throttle lag hesitation" on the 4 cylinder. MANY called it an out and out safety hazard and were notifying NHTSA.
Dealer response? The usual "it takes awhile for the transmission to 'learn' your driving habits" litany. And, here's a new variation - one guy said the mechanic told him it may take up to 30,000 miles! Hell, I just turned 30K in my '04 Maxima. GIMME A BREAK!
Hybrid owners seem to be perfectly satisfied with the with the CVT. Maybe Toyota should have beefed it up and gone that route with the ES.
05-03-07, 12:17 PM
#40
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Let me tell you something if they ever said anything bad about Lexus that would be the end. Sure they don't get any profit out of it but Lexus does flip the bill for the chief editor and some other staff to go to club med for a week or to go on a pro fishing trip. Trust me I have seen the bills. They can't get cash but they do take other things. I know since corp does scan these boards this post will prob be removed but I would like to let everyone the truth. The 2008 ES will have all new Tranny and ECU to go along with it so those who are in the market just wait till Sept and you will not have to deal with this. I tell you before I worked for Lexus directly I uster work at a dealer and thought they made this stuff up but it's for real. They uster compare Lexus to Disney how they cover up everything perfect and now I do understand.
05-03-07, 01:45 PM
#41
Lexus Champion
Let me tell you something if they ever said anything bad about Lexus that would be the end. Sure they don't get any profit out of it but Lexus does flip the bill for the chief editor and some other staff to go to club med for a week or to go on a pro fishing trip. Trust me I have seen the bills. They can't get cash but they do take other things. I know since corp does scan these boards this post will prob be removed but I would like to let everyone the truth. The 2008 ES will have all new Tranny and ECU to go along with it so those who are in the market just wait till Sept and you will not have to deal with this. I tell you before I worked for Lexus directly I uster work at a dealer and thought they made this stuff up but it's for real. They uster compare Lexus to Disney how they cover up everything perfect and now I do understand.
P.S. Your friends are right about you.....you're a psycho.
05-03-07, 01:55 PM
#42
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Wow!...You're really in the know.....not! I trust whatever you say with a grain of salt, because you are all wrong about the tranny & CPU. There will be NO changes in this area for the 2008 ES!! And if you don't believe me, I'll meet you at Bay Ridge Lexus and discuss it further.
P.S. Your friends are right about you.....you're a psycho.
P.S. Your friends are right about you.....you're a psycho.
05-03-07, 02:17 PM
#43
Forum Administrator
iTrader: (2)
Let me tell you something if they ever said anything bad about Lexus that would be the end. Sure they don't get any profit out of it but Lexus does flip the bill for the chief editor and some other staff to go to club med for a week or to go on a pro fishing trip. Trust me I have seen the bills. They can't get cash but they do take other things. I know since corp does scan these boards this post will prob be removed but I would like to let everyone the truth. The 2008 ES will have all new Tranny and ECU to go along with it so those who are in the market just wait till Sept and you will not have to deal with this. I tell you before I worked for Lexus directly I uster work at a dealer and thought they made this stuff up but it's for real. They uster compare Lexus to Disney how they cover up everything perfect and now I do understand.
Purebliss, I am weary of your ongoing insinuations of thread deletions. Oh the drama, Lexus Corp is scanning the posts here
! They're watching my every post 
Give me a break.I suspect because we have had to warn you repeatedly for breaking our forum rules about actively soliciting auto sales that you have something against CL and you enjoy putting little random digs out every chance you can... Maybe you don't like your job at Lexus and like spreading rumors... Regardless, I ask you again to cease your "drama" posts that question the integrity of the leadership of this forum from this point forward. If I see another I will ask you to leave Club Lexus.
From what I've read, you sometimes post good 'inside' info, but much of the time it turns out to be partially or totally incorrect - this from others that also work for Lexus. I advise members to take what you post with a big grain of salt.
If you wish to discuss, please PM me and lets get this thread back on topic.
Last edited by DaveGS4; 05-03-07 at 02:20 PM.
05-03-07, 06:08 PM
#45
Guest
Posts: n/a
Consumer Reports does not just report on automobiles. They report on a vast array of consumer products, with NO advertising.
Trust me, if they wanted to make some big bucks, they could sell advertising and still say "We are unbiased".
Who do you think is more unbiased? The magazine with no advertisements giving their opinion on a product or the magazine with a 2 page spread as soon as you open it and their product is chosen #1?
Consumer Reports is not perfect but again, they do a great job.
Another item of interest and we should look out for are "LONG TERM REVIEWS" by car magazines. Some items are uncovered usually during a years ownership. Again, we are trusting the magazine that accepts advertisements will report them.
Trust me, if they wanted to make some big bucks, they could sell advertising and still say "We are unbiased".
Who do you think is more unbiased? The magazine with no advertisements giving their opinion on a product or the magazine with a 2 page spread as soon as you open it and their product is chosen #1?
Consumer Reports is not perfect but again, they do a great job.
Another item of interest and we should look out for are "LONG TERM REVIEWS" by car magazines. Some items are uncovered usually during a years ownership. Again, we are trusting the magazine that accepts advertisements will report them.