lifeisgood

After 89 thousand miles and almost 5 years of ownership, it's time to say goodbye to my Lexus IS 250AWD. So would I buy another IS? Or, would I buy another Lexus? Unfortunately the answer to both questions is no.

I liked the IS--I just did not like it as much as I had hoped.

Likes:
-styling-even after five years, the styling still looks current
-AWD-car is fantastic in the snow and no compaints here
-interior-like the design of the instrument panel, overall, interior finishes are overall first rate, though chrome on gear shift **** is chipping off
-sound system- stock Lexus system is better than stock BMW audio system
-sound insulation-car is fairly quiet if you pick the right tires
-engine/trans- no problems here

Dislikes
-design defects - a/c drain vent leak ($4k repair), paint bubbling on all 4 rims from corrosion*.
-expensive preventive and regular maintenance cost, 3 sets of brakes at 1500 pop. Compared with wife's BMW 0 maintentance costs
-Dealing with Lexus Customer care -not very helpful
-Ride quality/Body roll-car handles well and is fun to drive, but the ride is a bit harsh, and there is too much body lean. Car feels a bit nose heavy.
-Exhaust smell/gas smell in cabin- intermittent but noticable
-Paint quality - lots of chips/fading on the hood front end

*for the wheel rim problem, the car was out of warranty and Lexus Customer Care would not tell me whether it was a covered repair or not--they said it was up to the dealer. I went to one Lexus dealer in southern New Jersey and they were useless--they said the repair was not covered. Unwilling to accept that answer, I went to another dealer who turned out to be sympathetic. This dealer, Lexus of Atlantic City (not where I bought the car from) listened to my problem and said they could probably get at least part of the repair covered--acknowledging that it was an unusual, but not unheard of problem. They came through in a big way. They presented the problem to the regional Lexus rep and were able get 100% of the repair cost covered, which based on my estimates was about $1000 for all four wheels." . I thought I would have to pay at least half, but did not have to pay a dime. So kudos to Lexus of Atlantic City--they did a great job!

Anyway back to the car. I wanted something bigger--an SUV this time, but after driving the RX330, decided against it--it's comfortable for road trips but I did not like the way it handled on secondary roads--there was no road feel. Considered the x5 but that was more than I wanted to spend so I considered Acura MDX, but I was not wild about its looks. Finally I decided to look at the Infiniti FX 35, almost as a throw in. I had no intention of buying the FX that day, but after test driving it and getting $9k off of MRSP (2010 left over) , it became much more affordable, so I bought it and wil be picking it up tomorrow. Platinum gray/graphite interior. I guess I'll have to join the Infinity fourm.

kuuqi

I will say I never had the a/c leak so I can't chime on that but I will say that I had the wheel corrosion issue and the dealer covered it without a single problem. Both my dealer and Lexus customer support were absolutely fantastic with me. They covered issues that I had with my vehicle even outside of my warranty period (granted I was honestly JUST over) and promised my that if should have any future problems even borderline warranty they'll cover it even though I'd technically be out of warranty. When I brought my car in, the dealer didn't even look at my wheels and just refinished it. No questions asked.

I've only gone through one set of brakes, new front rotors and all new brake pads all around and they're still running strong. Because I installed it myself it ran a mere $250.

Handling wise I thought the body roll was a bit more than I like but I thought the ride was absolutely great. I test drove a 328xi before making my purchase and THAT ride gave me a sore neck (literally).

Paint chips honestly occur on all cars. You'll get this if you're roads tend to have lots of sand and if you drive close to cars in front of you. As far as paint fading it all comes down to how much you take care of your paint. Aside from the usual swirls, my paint looks great all around!

The intermittent exhaust smell in the cabin only occurs when I drove behind cars that have crappy exhausts or cars that are running too rich. Wasn't caused by my car but instead it was from others.

Just saying.

ApokC

Wow, you have a bunch of problems that I don't. I have a 2006 IS 350.

No AC Leak, no chips in rims, no fading in paint. No exhaust smell. No expensive brake repair

I gotta say... I will ONLY be buying LEXUS from here on out. And Im only 21, so I plan on getting alot more cars before I die haha

shadowman

iTrader: (2)

"-Paint quality - lots of chips/fading on the hood front end"

That's not Lexus or any manufacturer's defect. Mercedes, BMW, Audi has this problem...hell even Lambo and Ferrari will have them. Those are caused by rock chips. Blame the government for banning lead paint. The paints they use now are less durable but more environment friendly.

To avoid those on your next car, install a clear bra like what I did. I learned my lesson from the 3 previous cars that I owned... all those were chipping and fading from the harsh road conditions.

chikoo

$1500 Brakes? Were they gold plated?? or diamond studded? LOL

Here is what it really costs for brake pads. Give another $80 for an install and you are done.

MBTC

I'm interested to hear details on the $1500 brake repair as well, too. Even with new rotors/pads all the way around I'm curious how the price could get to that point.

ltzSupra

1500 in brakes? Lol they deff got you.

BORIS350

iTrader: (1)

1500? maybe he got some brembos lol

MBTC

Well assuming he has not yet vacated the forums entirely, I'd really be interested in the details, because some people do have certain arrangements set up like free tires for life of the car as long as they get it serviced at the dealer, and of course it usually ends up in favor of the dealer but sometimes once you know all the facts of the arrangement it starts to make more sense. Right now $1500 for any brakejob sounds over the top.

grondie

The soft paint issue is with all new cars, as others have stated.

Kudo's to Lexus of Atlantic City!

Sorry things didn't work out and best of luck with your new FX.

E6BAV8R

Seriously.

I got new brake pads and rotors on my IS and it was less than $700, and that was at the dealer.

lifeisgood

You may be correct that other manufacturers have the same problem, but I can only go by my experience which differs markedly from what you claim. My wife has a '07 BMW 535 xi w/67k miles. I had 89k miles on the Lexus before I traded it. Both cars are black, and there is absolutely no question that the Lexus has many more small pits and rock chips on the hood than the BMW--which has next to none. I'm not sure why, I only go by what I see. If I owned another Lexus, I would get a clear bra.

lifeisgood

Here's a summary of one of my bills from Cherry Hill Lexus
Replace front brakes and resurface rotors
Labor: $ 241.90
2 discs FR: 311.56
Pad Kit/disc brake 87.82
Brake clean 4.54
Shim kit anti-squeal 65.67
Sub-total front $711.49

Replace Rear Brake pads and rotors
Labor $241.90
2 discs RR 326.20
Pad Kit disc brake 87.82
fitting kit disc brake 46.02
Shim kit anti squeal 70.36
grease 19.94
Sub-total rear $792.24

Grand total $1,503.73

There you have it.

lifeisgood

Front and back or just front. If you are only getting front brakes, done, $700 is in the ballpark.

lifeisgood

Actually, it was $1503.73, as you can see in my detailed response below. Sure, I could save money if I did the brakes myself. And I could save money if I sewed my own clothes and raised chickens in my back yard.

You are making a false comparison that is irrelevant.
Of course you can save money if you do it yourself--that's not the point. I would be willing to bet you that an overwhelming majority of people that own a Lexus rely on their dealer to service their car. And Lexus is happy to charge dearly for that service--that's their business model.

BMW used to have a reputation for outrageously expensive service and I suppose too many people complained, so guess what they now include all maintenance, including brakes, oil changes, etc for the first 60 thousand miles. When my wife recently had her brakes replaced on her BMW 5 series -the bill was ZERO, no charge. My point is if Lexus wants to be viewed as a premier brand, why can't they do the same here as BMW and not charge so much?

Oh and did I mention how that in addition to the $1500 brake job, how much Lexus charged for my 60 thousand mile service, an additional $1380.48. For that I got the following:

Fuel injector service: $100.00
Injector Cleaner: 33.95
Perform Throttle body service: 80.00
Spray 23.95
Induction Service 100.00
parts 33.95
shop supplies 18.95
sub total 390.80

60 thousand mile service 555.53
valve sub assembly vent 9.07
wiper blade 8.00
wiper blade 5.66
element sub assembly 48.37
cabin air filter 37.32
brake fluid 11.70
gasket drain plug 3.84
spark plugs 227.22
gasket .99
element 8.00
synthetic oil 48.96
sub total 989.68

grand total 1380.48
tax 96.63
grand total w/tax 1,477.11

So again just one bill w/my Lexus for front and rear brakes and 60k service was $3085.08, while my wife's BMW cost for the entire 60 k miles was zero. Lexus is not such a good deal, especially when you add in all the maintenance cost for 5,10, 15, 30 k service, which will probably raise the total maintenance cost by at least another $2k- if you are interested in a true apples to apples comparison.

Bottom line--as Bill Gates is known to have said to people who make wild *** assumptions with no basis in fact "have entered a reality distortion field". Claiming it would cost another $80 for installing brakes would seem to fit the definition.