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Impressions After 1000 Mls With New Car


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Sort of a diary I suppose, but not sure how long I will keep it up ( careful now :winky: )

Well I collected my new toy last Saturday, and had been expecting some sort of special attention / procedure would be Involved. Don't ask why I thought this.....I guess it is just because of the whole supposed "lexus experience", reputation, the 33k of my hard earned cash that I had just paid out in a single cheque,and the fact that I had previously spotted a seperate room with a sign on the door reading "handover room" :blink: - I had asked about this, and was told "Yes, when you collect your vehicle we will use this facility". The main sales manager had also stated in earlier letters to me that he was looking forward to "being involved" in my collection experience.

Well, frankly, - it was a let down ( It was a nice surprise for me however - see earlier thread)

I was taken into a salesman's office ( the salesman who had been dealing with me since day 1 was off sick)

asked to sign a registration form.....and the next I knew, the car was driven around to the front of the showroom. The same salesman then spent about 15 mins parked up going through some points about using the car. I asked acouple of questions - (to which he had not got an answer), and that was it "enjoy the car sir. goobye" in so many words.....

Never even got a look in the mysterious "handover room", never saw the sales manager or anyone else.

Had to ask for a coffee, and then wait while the salesman cleared the dirty cups away from the table, and not even a biscuit :excl:

Wifey and I set off for London for the weekend, and our IS experience began....

Impressions so far

1) It is a nice car...but then so were the BMWs and Mercs that I had as company vehicles

2) The MM system is not worth the money - for the following reasons.....

The POIs are crap. Not a single fast food joint included in the entire list. I am not a big burger eater, but when all you want is a toilet break and a coffee - the golden arches hit the spot. No BK, Pizza hut, McD, KFC.

But of course a large list of useless things like "schools" ?? Who the heck needs a list of schools nearby? Surely the only school /s you need to know about are ones you have an interest in, in which case you know where they are! The command "nearest fast food" is recognised by the system, but to no avail at all, as there are NO fast food establishments in the database!! How :tsktsk: stupid. I find the ML audio system good, with a nice sound, but no better than any good Pioneer /Kenwood / etc . Menu transition and commands using voice recog is labourious, the parking camera is over complicated, with green lines, red lines, curvy lines etc etc. :o but the real let down for me is the crappy data in the sat system - apart from the food / restaurants as mentioned, I also tried "nearest cinema" and was directed to a palladium cinema in the next town 4 miles away which has been a wetherspoons pub for over 6 years! I was actually parked outside a multiscreen complex at the time, and this "did not exist" Rubbish, very disappointed.

3) It was rainig today, and as we parked at Tescos to shop, when we opened our doors, both of us got soaked with water dripping off the tops of the door apertures, which continued to drip onto the new leather seats after we exited - whats that all about then in a 33k car??? :excl:

4) Road noise is quite high ( bridgestone shod) on any but the smoothest of tarmac.

5) Why oh Why did they fit the catch / handle for the "ski hatch" in the small boot, on the boot side?- I can only just reach in and operate it - the small wife has no chance :blink: It would have made so much more sense to have operated it from the back seat side instead.

6) I have started to try and work through the manuals for both the car and the MM but they are not well written /translated. I was also given a CD which was supposedly to fully explain the MM system, but firstly, - it doesnt play on the in car unit !! and secondly when I fired it up on my PC, it was rubbish. No sound, just a few silly graphics, and brief overviews of things which I already knew from the original brochure, or regular quick start booklet.PLUS it also has erroneous data IE: "paddle shift the gears up and down of the 5 speed auto box" dont know about others, but mine is a six speed :excl:

7) So all the important functions for each driver setting are memorised in the system ? Seat, overtaking mirrors ( incorrectly named rear view mirrors) and steering wheel position. What about the interior mirror???? Wifey has to change that every time she drives, and so do I upon my return.

Anyway.....rant over for now...suffice to say it has not been the superb experience I was hoping for, and the car / dealer is leaving me distinctly underwhelmed so far, especially as I waited over 7 months for it.

Very disturbingly I find myself thinking....have I made a wrong decision with this car choice?

I remember being very impressed after the short test drive in the 320d - certainly from a "drivers" point of view anyway. Lovely colour, technically impressive, but "could do better"

Lexus are still "pursuing perfection" in my book, and have some way to go yet !

I shall be writing to Lexus GB.

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and the fact that I had previously spotted a seperate room with a sign on the door reading "handover room" :blink: - I had asked about this, and was told "Yes, when you collect your vehicle we will use this facility". The main sales manager had also stated in earlier letters to me that he was looking forward to "being involved" in my collection experience.

I never got to use the "Handover Room" either, but then again my car was parked in the centre of the showroom and they waved off towards open double doors.

Once the shouting had died down and the salesman who had thrown himself in front of my car got back up again, they guided me back and sent me off in the right direction and not through the front windows.

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Sort of a diary I suppose, but not sure how long I will keep it up ( careful now :winky: )

Well I collected my new toy last Saturday, and had been expecting some sort of special attention / procedure would be Involved. Don't ask why I thought this.....I guess it is just because of the whole supposed "lexus experience", reputation, the 33k of my hard earned cash that I had just paid out in a single cheque,and the fact that I had previously spotted a seperate room with a sign on the door reading "handover room" :blink: - I had asked about this, and was told "Yes, when you collect your vehicle we will use this facility". The main sales manager had also stated in earlier letters to me that he was looking forward to "being involved" in my collection experience.

Well, frankly, - it was a let down ( It was a nice surprise for me however - see earlier thread)

I was taken into a salesman's office ( the salesman who had been dealing with me since day 1 was off sick)

asked to sign a registration form.....and the next I knew, the car was driven around to the front of the showroom. The same salesman then spent about 15 mins parked up going through some points about using the car. I asked acouple of questions - (to which he had not got an answer), and that was it "enjoy the car sir. goobye" in so many words.....

Never even got a look in the mysterious "handover room", never saw the sales manager or anyone else.

Had to ask for a coffee, and then wait while the salesman cleared the dirty cups away from the table, and not even a biscuit :excl:

Wifey and I set off for London for the weekend, and our IS experience began....

Impressions so far

1) It is a nice car...but then so were the BMWs and Mercs that I had as company vehicles

2) The MM system is not worth the money - for the following reasons.....

The POIs are crap. Not a single fast food joint included in the entire list. I am not a big burger eater, but when all you want is a toilet break and a coffee - the golden arches hit the spot. No BK, Pizza hut, McD, KFC.

But of course a large list of useless things like "schools" ?? Who the heck needs a list of schools nearby? Surely the only school /s you need to know about are ones you have an interest in, in which case you know where they are! The command "nearest fast food" is recognised by the system, but to no avail at all, as there are NO fast food establishments in the database!! How :tsktsk: stupid. I find the ML audio system good, with a nice sound, but no better than any good Pioneer /Kenwood / etc . Menu transition and commands using voice recog is labourious, the parking camera is over complicated, with green lines, red lines, curvy lines etc etc. :o but the real let down for me is the crappy data in the sat system - apart from the food / restaurants as mentioned, I also tried "nearest cinema" and was directed to a palladium cinema in the next town 4 miles away which has been a wetherspoons pub for over 6 years! I was actually parked outside a multiscreen complex at the time, and this "did not exist" Rubbish, very disappointed.

3) It was rainig today, and as we parked at Tescos to shop, when we opened our doors, both of us got soaked with water dripping off the tops of the door apertures, which continued to drip onto the new leather seats after we exited - whats that all about then in a 33k car??? :excl:

4) Road noise is quite high ( bridgestone shod) on any but the smoothest of tarmac.

5) Why oh Why did they fit the catch / handle for the "ski hatch" in the small boot, on the boot side?- I can only just reach in and operate it - the small wife has no chance :blink: It would have made so much more sense to have operated it from the back seat side instead.

6) I have started to try and work through the manuals for both the car and the MM but they are not well written /translated. I was also given a CD which was supposedly to fully explain the MM system, but firstly, - it doesnt play on the in car unit !! and secondly when I fired it up on my PC, it was rubbish. No sound, just a few silly graphics, and brief overviews of things which I already knew from the original brochure, or regular quick start booklet.PLUS it also has erroneous data IE: "paddle shift the gears up and down of the 5 speed auto box" dont know about others, but mine is a six speed :excl:

7) So all the important functions for each driver setting are memorised in the system ? Seat, overtaking mirrors ( incorrectly named rear view mirrors) and steering wheel position. What about the interior mirror???? Wifey has to change that every time she drives, and so do I upon my return.

Anyway.....rant over for now...suffice to say it has not been the superb experience I was hoping for, and the car / dealer is leaving me distinctly underwhelmed so far, especially as I waited over 7 months for it.

Very disturbingly I find myself thinking....have I made a wrong decision with this car choice?

I remember being very impressed after the short test drive in the 320d - certainly from a "drivers" point of view anyway. Lovely colour, technically impressive, but "could do better"

Lexus are still "pursuing perfection" in my book, and have some way to go yet !

I shall be writing to Lexus GB.

Schools comment very funny, very 'Clarkson-esque'

P.S. when I picked up my 2nd hand Lex at Edinburgh I got to use the mysterious Handover room - quality man!,

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All quite different from my experience.

Sales VERY good, quick accurate delivery on the car, handover room, complimentary wine (specially chosen wine from the salesmans home town in France), all things ordered for the car were there, complimentary spare mats (as well as the ivory standard ones), follow up calls, follow up letter from the dealer and Lexus, all paperwork done quickly, number plates for private plate up 2 weeks later when I went in with no worries and no charge, minor niggles fixed on the car as soon as I walked in the door (no appointment) and was told to just "bring it in whenever you can and we'll look at it straight away". V5 arrived within 5 days, all my RAC stuff arrived within a week.

The car has road noise (18" wheels), not always the smoothest on rough roads, the gearchange is taking a bit of settling in, I need to keep the interior tidy (Ivory Cellensia), the handbrake is not fantastic on hills, it does stone chip (not now it has just been treated to Armourfend) and the central armrest gets in the way of quick gearchanges, the boot could be bigger, the car could be cheaper, the interior mirror could not vibrate slightly blah blah blah.

But who gives a ******...

It looks great, does 40 MPG, is quiet and comfortable, handles well, has every conceivable extra (and quite glad not everything then it would be just a machine), the standard 13 speaker stereo wipes the floor with standard systems on most cars (and I really like good quality audio), it will be 100% reliable, servicing is not BMW or Mercedes or Audi expensive, is a rare sight on the road (and I hope will continue to be), it is well thought out and designed (though will be fine tuned), it is NOT A BMW or MERC or Audi (thankfully) and I have total faith in the mechanical integrity of the car.

It is a superb car and although not perfect it is a damn lot closer than most cars at that price.

My mate is a BMW tech and he said the car is superb and is built the way a 3 series should be - looks at the insulation on the boot lid hinges, inside the door window seals etc. Quality.

Brian [:)]

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Sounds like the novelty is wearing thin matey!! Well I've hand mine since March 17th via the oval office (i.e. the Handover room)....but a part of me is underwhelmed too....

My poor dealer experience is legendary!!! Lets not go there again....my heart can't take it!

I too agree the car is good, but it also has some annoying traits which really shouldn't be there. They are marginal things, but ones which sometime get on yer wik and you feel really should not be there at this price!! So Lexus, if you're watching, try these for size:

Tyre Noise - most cars with tyres of this size suffer, but the Lexus is either too loud or too quiet. You can see a piece of tarmac you're about to drive over, and you know what it'll sound like....and feel like. You can actually feel the coarseness of the tarmac sometimes...and the rumbling can be tiring on a long drive, especially on the M25 and it's concreted sections. The GS is slightly quieter and a better proposition used, especially when the first owner has taken a 20% hit in value in 6 months!!

Rear view mirror - I think every diesel has a vibrating mirror. This really should have been designed out...there is no excuse for it being there at all, and shows little attention was given to it when they spent hours and days in Scandinavia, Switzerland, or whichever holiday destination they took it to whilst "testing" it with it's plastic disguise..... The miror is useless on the motorway, especially in 6th.

Lack of oddment space up front.

Some trim looks "Avensis", shiny platsics in console, stereo/satnav screen surround etc

Thick A posts (obstructs your view quite a bit)

Small boot - 370odd Litres against 450+ on BMW, Audi and Merc

Not spacious at the back at all...centre passenger gets a raw deal. rear passengers can get their feet trapped under the front seats if they are lowered without warning...it's that bad!!

Sat Nav and phone nannies. You can take a phone in your hand and dial to override it, yet you can't even choose prev destination while driving, but you can scroll around on the map and choose one. What's more dangerous I ask you??

Gear change "mod" - why don't they have it at the correct setting at the factory?

Rattles - from my reckoning 50%ish have rattled...similar places for over 6 months...which means the issue is a serious "logistics" one.

No diesel Auto = big mistake for UK market. With all the traffic many people yearn for an auto oiler...they will all go to the german brigade...especially when you also consider that Lex can make the best auto's around!!

Diesel performance - MPG is OK. From a standstill it's pretty slow. I still think the EMU/Drive ratio's are a mess and spoil progress. Lex tried to make it the most powerful and most economical - ended up with a car with a narrow powerband, tall gearing and average economy. The Sport does make more sense. Takes getting used to in non Sport models and I still see no point of the 6th gear in the UK.

Inbility to make the car personal. You get Base, SE and Sport and SE-L - whilst well equipped, people (IMHO) are spending huge wads of cash (like £1200) on wheels to make their car different. Or you can have ICE. Those wheels are amongst the most expensive in this grade of car.

There are also some good points. It looks the best, has the most enviable cust sat survey results in this sector (though BMW is catching it fast), is best VFM due to the kit available, and will no doubt hold on to more cash than any of the others.

Mine still makes me smile each time I drive it. The sound system is awesome. The cocooning feeling is good...It is not as well built as my old A4 was (which was bullet proof, never rattled etc and the dealer was poor but better then the Lex one), and doesn't take corners or have overall refinement like a BMW or Merc. But it has a character and VFM which still make it the best in the sector.

Eunos800 - I would say that you've got the better of the cars in the ranges offered - an Auto V6. The Diesel is IMHO a very "average" engine. Loud on the outside and it's only the sound and antivibration stuff/deadening materials which makes it OK inside...and I believe the anti NVH stuff forces the vibration energy through the body and windscreen etc which makes the mirror shake....so the engines not that good for NVH, just well insulated!

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welcome to the dissapointed club matey......

oh and sorry me gold member still does not appear after 4 months. nor did i get a reply to me pm the the admin just incase he reads this.

see not even the lexus owners club are faultless.

i will px me 250 as soon as the thing goes into pos cash flow.

I wanna buy a VXR Monaro

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welcome to the dissapointed club matey......

oh and sorry me gold member still does not appear after 4 months. nor did i get a reply to me pm the the admin just incase he reads this.

see not even the lexus owners club are faultless.

i will px me 250 as soon as the thing goes into pos cash flow.

I wanna buy a VXR Monaro

That's a point - I went Gold in March...mine still shows me down as a casual!!

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Based on the above disapointed posts only.

Have Lexus passed out of the niche volume car retailer sector and lost the personal touch, seeling more cars to more people, knowing they have a saleable attractive product with a waiting list and now concentrating on return rather than satisfaction. Moving back into the clutches of the high volume Merc/BMW sector.

Discuss.

Infinity.............

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I have a Hoshied 18" 250 Auto SEL that cost c.31k which,as ever, was c. 6k. cheaper than the 3 Series for the same spec & ,significantly, the BMW xtras would have zero value in 3years time!

The car is a stunner,nearly as economical as Jamboo's @ high speed ,is as special in-side as the current LS & quieter too!

I did not have MM because, for £400, you can have B/Tooth & the Navman lady giding you & everyone of my Lexi have had firm rides yet nowhere near as harsh as the BMw.

No car has made me smile so much but then I did choose the perfect spec!!!!!!

Tel :driving:

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That's a point - I went Gold in March...mine still shows me down as a casual!!

That's a very good point - I went Gold in March as well and it still doesn't show.

As for the car - I love it! No matter how tired I am after a hard day I look forward to getting in for the drive home. 30 minutes of effortless wafting along I'm sufficiently recovered to flick it over to Sport and enjoy a bit of spirited driving to get the blood pumping again.

I know it's not perfect and the plastic centre trim was the one thing that slightly bothered me at first, however never having been a big fan of wood in car, it has grown on me and is a bit more interesting than the aluminium/black in our diesel A4 Avant. There's no rattles as such - just the odd creak as plastics warm/cool. In fact the Lexus is so good that the A4 is not getting used much, it hasn't reached a 1000 miles yet, we just prefer the smooth power over the tractor. And the mpg is getting better - averaging 31mpg now.

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Based on the above disapointed posts only.

Have Lexus passed out of the niche volume car retailer sector and lost the personal touch, seeling more cars to more people, knowing they have a saleable attractive product with a waiting list and now concentrating on return rather than satisfaction. Moving back into the clutches of the high volume Merc/BMW sector.

Discuss.

Infinity.............

You may have a point :huh: ...the new model has probably brought along with it some strict targets and the dealers are really going for it. Quantity has disrupted quality...at least for now... :o

The new IS has some very strong points too (pro's which still out weigh the con's) and is very aluring when compared to a german car £ for £. Especially the Petrol ones. However, you only have to see whats happened to Mercedes Benz. They rode on the crest of a wave for years, sank through their mad feeling of invincibility, and have struggled to get back on top. Customers still buy mercs as if they are gowing out of fashion, but it's more to do with buying from the heart than the head....IYKWIM.

The image of the New IS is very strong and my gripes like I have said are very marginal. Just watch the face of any Merc, Audi or BMW driver in a car park as you waft by :shifty: ...they look at you through the corner of their eyes...knowing you've got one of the best cars around...also watch how someone you know comments on the car and how their face lights up (no matter what car they have) when they see the extras... as standard!!

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The new IS has some very strong points too (pro's which still out weigh the con's) and is very aluring when compared to a german car £ for £. Especially the Petrol ones. However, you only have to see whats happened to Mercedes Benz. They rode on the crest of a wave for years, sank through their mad feeling of invincibility, and have struggled to get back on top. Customers still buy mercs as if they are gowing out of fashion, but it's more to do with buying from the heart than the head....IYKWIM.

To be honest a couple of the lads who used to be active members on here are moving across to Mercedes now, in fact John, the lucky bugger, has a CLS350 on the way I think it is, and that is a stunning motor, IMHO blows all the new Lexus' L-Finesse designs out of the water!

Looking forward to seeing what she's like when he picks her up :D

I'd quite happily have a Merc :)

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I forgot the point about the A pillar :blink:

Also my rear view mirror vibrates - and I'm a petrol head :blush:

Does anyone else suffer the dripping water problem from the doors? I reckon in their pursuit of low drag, they forgot to check that the fit lines / shapes actually work from a human point of view.

Another thing I thought might influence peoples state of "grumpiness" - who has actually paid lump sum of their own money for this car? I drove company vehicles for many years, a friend of mine has recently "bought" an S type, but as a "company vehicle" via his own business, and many people are leasing etc. This is the first ( and probably the last ) time I have ever bought a brand new car, and a pricy one at that, and I can't help feeling that this makes me more likely to find fault with it.

The colour, although gorgeuos, is a pig to keep clean - one short trip in the rain, and the lower half of the car is filthy.

I was awake a lot last night worrying that I had done another rash thing in my life....I have done a few I am afraid :oops:

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I forgot the point about the A pillar :blink:

Also my rear view mirror vibrates - and I'm a petrol head :blush:

Does anyone else suffer the dripping water problem from the doors? I reckon in their pursuit of low drag, they forgot to check that the fit lines / shapes actually work from a human point of view.

Another thing I thought might influence peoples state of "grumpiness" - who has actually paid lump sum of their own money for this car? I drove company vehicles for many years, a friend of mine has recently "bought" an S type, but as a "company vehicle" via his own business, and many people are leasing etc. This is the first ( and probably the last ) time I have ever bought a brand new car, and a pricy one at that, and I can't help feeling that this makes me more likely to find fault with it.

The colour, although gorgeuos, is a pig to keep clean - one short trip in the rain, and the lower half of the car is filthy.

I was awake a lot last night worrying that I had done another rash thing in my life....I have done a few I am afraid :oops:

Don't feel like that fella...don't let it get to you...any other car in this price/grade is flawed too...even more than the Lex!!

I paid with my own dosh...writing a check for £27odd grand is no easy thing to swallow...and makes all things not 100% feel as though they are totally flawed...

PS - dripping water onto the leather is a real problem...one of the pitfalls of a 0.27CD drag Coeff factor!

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I forgot the point about the A pillar :blink:

Also my rear view mirror vibrates - and I'm a petrol head :blush:

Does anyone else suffer the dripping water problem from the doors? I reckon in their pursuit of low drag, they forgot to check that the fit lines / shapes actually work from a human point of view.

Another thing I thought might influence peoples state of "grumpiness" - who has actually paid lump sum of their own money for this car? I drove company vehicles for many years, a friend of mine has recently "bought" an S type, but as a "company vehicle" via his own business, and many people are leasing etc. This is the first ( and probably the last ) time I have ever bought a brand new car, and a pricy one at that, and I can't help feeling that this makes me more likely to find fault with it.

The colour, although gorgeuos, is a pig to keep clean - one short trip in the rain, and the lower half of the car is filthy.

I was awake a lot last night worrying that I had done another rash thing in my life....I have done a few I am afraid :oops:

Don't feel like that fella...don't let it get to you...any other car in this price/grade is flawed too...even more than the Lex!!

I paid with my own dosh...writing a check for £27odd grand is no easy thing to swallow...and makes all things not 100% feel as though they are totally flawed...

PS - dripping water onto the leather is a real problem...one of the pitfalls of a 0.27CD drag Coeff factor!

I paid with my own money as well and admit it was a bit of a leap of faith going with the Lexus. Anyway I'm happy enough athe moment not to regret it. Of course when my missus comes home in a new A4 next year I might feel different!

Don't worry about a bit of water dripping on the leather - it's tanned in water anyway and it won't do any harm.

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I paid with my own cash and always have...the cushy ride of my friends with company cars who don't care if the car is not perfect, don't keep it very clean and have NO idea of the true cost of running and buying a car - they simply moan about tax brackets etc. They should try actually having to pay for a car. If my Lexus was a company car - I'd be going on holiday to Australia or equivalent every year - 4 times a year!!!

This is not a perfect car, but it is a very good one. I find it disheartening when within one post many people can berate the car and then say it is the envy of other road users, is really very good and these 215,645 things they find wrong with the car are really nothing to worry about. May be controversial but it is a car - designed to suit most people, the world over, so will inevitably not appeal to everyone in every way.

I sat in the NEW Avensis the other day and it has tiny leanings towards the Lexus, but I (having owned many Toyota cars on and off over years) would not buy it - the quality inside the Avensis is like a cheap toy compared to the Lexus - very plastcky, hard gaps, poor materials...not impressive.

Yet - may I point to the many OVER THE MOON reports of the Avensis D4D T180 (the same engine as the 220d and with a probably similar 6 speed box for FWD). They HIGHLY rate the flexibility, the pull through the gears and the economy of it. There is also a good article on it in this months "In Front" (Club Toyota Magazine). The 220d does its job very well, most of the time and is not slouch. It's not a BMW 330d - but then again it is a LOT cheaper.

If people read this thread and similar ones, AND believed these cars were seriously flawed (which they are certainly not) then Lexus would go out of business.

Brian :(

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To be honest a couple of the lads who used to be active members on here are moving across to Mercedes now, in fact John, the lucky bugger, has a CLS350 on the way I think it is, and that is a stunning motor, IMHO blows all the new Lexus' L-Finesse designs out of the water!

Looking forward to seeing what she's like when he picks her up :D

I'd quite happily have a Merc :)

While Mercedes have improved their quality by miles recently, its still not up to scratch with Lexus at all. We've got a CLS, and to be honest, when we had a new IS as a courtesy car, my whole family agreed, despite the £30k price difference, the IS was the better built car. It also had better seats and had less wind noise (although that could be down to the CLS having pillarless doors).

Now I will agree the CLS is a gorgeous car - imho the best looking saloon car you can buy, and also poss puts a few coupe's to shame :whistling:

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This is not a perfect car, but it is a very good one. I find it disheartening when within one post many people can berate the car and then say it is the envy of other road users, is really very good and these 215,645 things they find wrong with the car are really nothing to worry about. May be controversial but it is a car - designed to suit most people, the world over, so will inevitably not appeal to everyone in every way.

Like I said - these are marginal things. But my reviews and comments have always been honest one's. I'm certainly not gonna come onto a forum (this or any other) and toe the line just 'cos everyone else is...or it's the right thing to do, 'cos then I'd be lying!! The forum is a fantastic place for comparing notes, and sometimes the rough comes with the smooth!!

I can only say it as I see it. The car has areas for improvement (like any other) yet it's reputation and VFM is shoulders above the competition...and other drivers see it...it's when you live with it as Eunos800 has having waited so long that you can see where he is coming from...Hopefully Lex will take heed of these things and offer improvements in the future - afterall my dealer did say that Lexus effectively set this forum up...!

You are right of course - it's a car, and no car is perfect. None of them are....Would I recommend it to other people over the competition? Yes, but I would also tell them what to watch out for!!

PS - for the record - written sentiments can be confusing and contradictory - IT IS A GOOD CAR and people need to judge it against the competition themselves...we all did, preferred it and bought it!

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A well balanced post Jamboo - that is what helps new users decide whether the car is for them.

My car is going in tomorrow to have the gearbox worked on for a second time - the "mod" the first time has not solved the issues, but I have faith in my Lexus dealer to solve it.

They also mentioned they are aware of, and have been reporting to Lexus, issues with the handbrake mechanisim not being strong enough, even fully adjusted.

Brian :)

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A well balanced post Jamboo - that is what helps new users decide whether the car is for them.

My car is going in tomorrow to have the gearbox worked on for a second time - the "mod" the first time has not solved the issues, but I have faith in my Lexus dealer to solve it.

They also mentioned they are aware of, and have been reporting to Lexus, issues with the handbrake mechanisim not being strong enough, even fully adjusted.

Brian :)

Brian,

cheers buddy - how long did the gearbox mod take? I might get them to have a shufty at mine on Friday - it's having the belt mechanisms replaced...

And that handbrake...oooohh! It nearly killed me and destroyed my garage the other week. There's one for a recall if ever there was one....

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The gearbox took a few hours as they had to strip the centre console etc to get into it. I hope tomorrow it should not be any longer but I'll keep you updated.

The handbrake will, I reckon, be subject to a service notice in a few months time. He said they had several customers complaining of the same thing.

Brian :)

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So your diesels are experiencing gearbox problems now? And the handbrake is US ? And it seems that it is normal for the car to soak your clothes and seats after rain? Not hearing much to bring me out of my depression, 1 post here even claimed that he was given a glass of fine wine during his marvellous oval room handover experience, :duh:

I know that you say "on balance" it is better than the competition, but I still feel disappointed about these issues, and no amount of future pampering by the dealer ( not that I expect any anymore ) will compensate for the poor handover experience. Even if I moan again to the dealer principal about it, and he grovels and tries to make amends....it is too late. It would only be getting done because I complained, again, and the point is I didnt want / expect to have to complain about anything. To rub salt in the wound, I keep getting glossy booklets and paraphenalia from lexus that keep telling me how their mission is to exceed all expectations, and how driving and owning a Lexus is so special, the customer is absolute king etc.

I dont feel special. Maybe I am just too damn demanding, that is the cross I bear being a perfectionist.

What car should a non millionaire perfectionist buy then?

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