Precision Crafted

And speaking of being treated based off of your looks/dress, my Doctor went in to by a new M-B SL for his wife wearing cowboy boots, jeans and a button shirt was was not treated the best in the world until they discovered that he could afford the car he was looking at.

mio

they really did good job on yesterday for the service ~

vtecracer

Well hopefully you don't go to the same Lexus dealer as this guy when you get your new car: http://www.clublexus.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166993 (third post down). Acura has it's handful of dealerships with bad reps, and so does Lexus. Just something to remember when you become apart of the Toyota/Sombrero family so your not dissapointed once again.

ElmerHiggins

Ok guys, want to hear something funny?

Brought the TL into the dealer for its first service.

Lady was ok, not nice not a bitch either.

Mentioned my list...

1)Rear Deck Rattle (when playing sub)
2)Condensation in Rear Taillight
3)Pulls to the right
4)Vibration (Balance needed)
5)Sub sounds like shit
6)Trunk Misaligned and chipping paint

So the lady then goes, does the sub sound like its blown?
Me: Yes
Lady:Well the sub issue is normal, if you would listen to your demo disc it would tell you that the sub is designed for "feeling" and not deep "bass".
Meh really, I didnt realize that, it just sounds terrible, can they check it out anyway?
Ladyk

While waiting for enterprise I walk around the lot to look over the new TL's hoping that I wouldnt find more TLs with misaligned trunks (this is another dealer than the one I found tons of misaligned TLs)
So then this new black on parchment navi TL catches my eye and I began to wonder why I didnt consider this color. I went around the back to check the trunk and not only was it misaligned...it was ALSO RUBBING! There was paint chipped in the exact same places as my car.
I was like WTF! So I mention to the lady that they have a brand spanking new TL on the lot that has a trunk thats so misaligned that its damaging the paint job. So says "ok"

So i Get my call this evening with an update on the car and the guy says, no pull found, no vibration found, taillight on order, and subfwoofer will be REPLACED!
BAM....in your face lady!!

then he starts interrogating me about the trunk misalignment and says that he thinks it might have been caused by the small dent in my bumper (some of you will remember that my mom backed the car into a pole), anyone whos seen the pics would laugh their ass off at the notion that a dent like that on the driver's side could cause the trunk to shift and rub on the passenger side!

SO i tell him that the trunk it misaligned from the factory and has been rubbing since I bought it....and that I even showed the black TL FOR SALE on your very lot with THE SAME RUBBING! Hes like "wha? Oh ok then"

LOL

Minarets

when is the Lexus IS series comign out? the new one that is? the 350 and 250 i beleive?

elsensei

probably september/october at the latest. there is some info on the Lexus website now.

Saw it at the auto show and I think it looks killer. I am going to check it out for sure once it comes in.

Minarets

well my decision is down to the G35 and TL...i may need to wait and see the new IS before deciding

Minarets

hmmmmmm

ElmerHiggins

DAMNNNNNNNN!! Thats hot

I wonder how the size compares to the TL

Minarets

that is what i want to know. the current IS is waaaaaaaaaay to small for me. i need a "TL/G35" sized car at the minimum

Minarets

more pics here

http://car.nikkei.co.jp/gallery/inde...0050418p1000p1

chill_dog

I like the red color...car overall is kind of blah looking...maybe with some wheels, a kit, etc. it might look a little better...as is, reminds me of the ES - nondescript and plain. Oh yeah, the back seat looks very uncomfortable (from Minarets' link).

vtecracer

Size wise think of a TSX, if that.

Minarets

i dont know about that....i cant tell. i have seen 2 lengths....one of 180 and the other at 157.....those are both 2 very dramtic differences

i do know it has a 14.7 gal fuel tank which is extremely small, but they claim some insanley good mpg

chill_dog

I'd go with the 180...2005 is 176.something...wagon is 177. TL is 189.3...in other words, the IS is still small.

Hugh9269

"Acura service isn't bad, it's YOUR dealer"

After buying a my New 2005 TL from another dealer than my old 2002 RSX Type S. I look forward to exploring that. My previous Acura dealer was first rate, but my good salesman and the service manager left the old dealership, so I shopped this time and bought from a different dealer.

Toasterthedog

The new IS will be a great car. I'm driving my 2002 IS 300 as of now until I receive my TL later this month.

The quality of the IS is outstanding IMO, but I hope your not looking for a car w/ the same power. I believe the new IS250 comes w/ 205hp, believe me...I have 215hp now and its way underpower compared to other cars in its class. I got to imagine 205 is gonna be really sad. With that said there will be an IS350 that will put down over 300hp and Im sure will be a whale of a car, but I can also guarantee it will be over 40k.

So, if its attention to detail you are looking for go with the new IS, It looks amazing and Im sure quality will be even better than my 02. But if you like the power of your TL, I'd say wait till the IS350 comes out and spend quite abit more than a TL would cost you.


It's funny you mentioned the trunk misalignment Elmer, I was at the dealership the other day walking the lot selecting color combinations and that was one of the first thing I noticed was that the trunk lid looked slightly higher and not inline with other body lines. It wasn't horribly bad, but just the same it wasn't right and Acura should have been able to solve that problem.

BTW - Go to any forum for any new car and there will always be complaints. IS300.net biggest gripes from what I recall. Rattles, car leans to one side, soft paint, prop rod for hood, underpowered, no room in backseats.

Toasterthedog

lf05tl

I use to go on is300.net when i had my is. Same complaining as any other site.

lumpydog

Elmer -

Can you post pics of your TL's trunk w/Pics of the paint damage? I'm wondering how prevalent this is... After what you and others have seen on dealer lots, it would be helpful to know where to look.

meathead

where do you go?

ElmerHiggins

Ahhhh....geez Id love to but its a royal pain to post pics on this site, plus im on a dialup modem at the moment and the vehicle is in for service.

Let me do the best I can to describe the problem area. My trunk was hitting the quarter panel on the passenger side at the very corner of the car where the trunk starts to curve down. The trunk was too close to the quarter (gap too small) and the trunk was too far in when compare to the quarter (if you ran your finger along the very tip of the quarter to the trunk youd feel the trunk being too far "back". This allowed the trunk to smack into the quarter when it was shut with any significant force to close.

If someone has a quick and painless way to post pics on this site please advise. I hope this helps though, if not let me know.

MKT

I purchased my 2004 TL /Navi from Los Gatos Acura in Los Gatos, CA., a 'burb of San Jose, CA. Whenever I need Warranty Work done (which has been very little), I always get a TSX loaner or they rent a car for me. They are very knowledgeable, friendly and treat me like a customer should be treated, and being a Banker, I know how customers should be treated. I had problems with my Motorola V600 not working properly and the Shop Foreman worked very closely with me to get it resolved. Now anytime I have a specific problem I can talk to the Shop Foreman directly. Many dealerships will not let you talk to anyone but the Service Writer who in some case don't have any idea what they are doing. I guess I'm very fortunate to have such a great dealer to work with!

ElmerHiggins

yes very fortunate indeed.....there are not many people that enjoy that kind of service!

baboya96

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with ElmerHiggins. I take my car to Ed Volyes Acura off Peachtree Industrial and their service has been nothing but fantastic. Kevin(Service Manager) alwasy gets things done and provides you with a loaner whenever it's necessary. I sometimes take it to Acura Carland in Duluth and their service is up to MY par. No complain from me so far. If you have bad experiences from these two dealers I'd like to know more details.

youngTL

The service at West Side Acura is great over here. They screwed up the price quote over the phone on a synthetic oil change, then when I let them know about it, they just charged me the lower price anyway (it was the price of a regular oil change). Not only that, but they gave me a courtesy ride to and from work, found out what was wrong with my speaker without charging me anything, and washed my car. Oh, by the way, my car is totally out of warranty. It's a 96 2.5TL. They treat me much older than I am, and every time I go I get great service. The service girl even came out with my oily c/v boots in her hands, right out to the area where the customers were sitting, to show me where the cracks were last year when I got new ones. And their sales tactics are pretty low pressure. Nothing but good to say about them and I can't wait to buy my 3rd gen in august of 2006.

Phillyboi

Funny, my friend and I went into the local Lexus dealer and basically they just looked at us like we were crazy as in "yeah right these dumb ass kids can afford one of our cars". There attidude sucked, therefore we walked out. My friend bought the G35c and I bought the TL Navi. We tried giving them another chance but they just pissed me off even more. Went back after we got our cars and just drove by the dealer and the sales guy that we talked too, we gave him a hard look.

lumpydog

Good description - My TL does'nt seem to be even close to striking the corner there. I wonder if there is any way you can adjust the catch/latch? When closing the trunk is it moving to the right once it hits the catch? Or does it just naturally fall closed that way? It seems to me that, if the latch and the catch were center, then the trunk should be center.

MKT

I forgot to mention in my original post about Los Gatos Acura. They also wash my car whenever I take it in for any tiype of service, even if it is to check something and it takes 15 Minutes!!

rka4570

iTrader: (1)

I just purchased a Lexus ES300 to compliment not replace our TL. I replaced a Mecedes E320 with the Lexus. I purchased option 3 today and felt I got a really great deal ($600.00) under invoice!. This car is far different than the TL. It does not handle as well but is very smooth and quit to the point where at idle it is difficlt to tell if the engin is running or not. And the ride, very smooth bumps and irregularities on the road TL that in my are very pronounced both physically and acoustically are totally absent in the ES. Don't get me wrong I love my TL but this ES is going choice for long road trips. I'm a fan of both cars and each one has it's place Acura fun to drive and Lexus a very relaxed, quiet and comprtable driving experience.

PS. Power rear sunshade is very nice!

1) Standard features include leather-trimmed interior, leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob, 6 disc CD changer in dash, Lexus Memory System for power driver's seat and power front passenger's seat, power moonroof, Homelink garage door opener, 17" summer tires (MSRP = $ 33,649) Your price is $ 29,700 + Tax and License.

2) Option level #2 includes all of #1 with the addition of wood- and leather-trimmed steering wheel and shift knob, heated and ventilated front seats, high intensity discharge headlamps (HID), power rear sunshade (MSRP = $ 35,469) Your price is $ 31,156 + Tax and License.

3) Option level #3 includes all of #2 with the addition of Lexus voice-activated DVD Navigation System (MSRP = $ 37,119) Your iprice is $ 32,459 + Tax and License.

Lexus is not currently building the 2005 Lexus ES 330 with navigation and the Mark Levinson audio system.

Precision Crafted

ES's are indeed nice. I considered on at one time but felt the TL was more fun to drive. Now on the lux standpoint, the ES is tops. While the TL does have a nice list of features, I'd give up standard XM for heated and ventilated seats. It's hot here in Kansas and a rear sun shade would be great too.