We bought a 2004 Lexus ES330 new . We looked at Avalon and Camry before we bought. The ES330 is basically the same running gear and engine as the Avalon and the Camry. FWD 3.3 liter 6cyl. It was updated in '04 to 3.3 liters from the previous 3.0 liters (the ES330) The car is a great car, we have the Navigation also and it works reasonably well. Now the bad: while in Las Vegas this last weekend (1-28, 1-29-06) I was driving the car and stopped at a light. The brake pedal then slowly sunk to the floor! Whoa! says I, this ain't right! I pumped the pedal and the brake returned to a normal brake height. At the next light, guess what?... it sunk to the floor again! No brakes! I pumped it again a couple of times and the brake pedal returns to normal height. I does this 2- 3 times again on the way back to our lodging in Las Vegas. When I parked it in the parking space at our apt, I was able to make it go to the floor again with very little pressure on the brake pedal. We called Lexus of Las Vegas on Monday 1-30-06 and had them flatbed the car to the dealer for repairs. They at first told me it was a "bubble in the brake line and they "bled it out"...BS..there was no bubble, there was no loss of fluid, there was no repair. They said because they "couldn't duplicate the problem" they weren't authorized to change the master cyl. That we should just come pick it up and drive it until it looses it brakes again! I said .."NO WAY!!!!" Fix it , it's under warranty and it only has 17,000 miles on it. Well it turns out that Lexus won't let there service mgrs. make a decision on their own, but must be able to "duplicate the problem" in order to authorize a repair. My position was that the brakes had failed not once on Sunday, but several times and that anything over once was one time to many. I asked if the service manager would put his wife in a car that had the brake pedal go to the floor and tell her that he can't do anything unless he actually sees the brake pedal on the floor. ( He'll be sleeping on the couch for a while!) I told him I wasn't willing to see the brake pedal on the floor and my significant other on a stretcher being taken to a hospital because he couldn't "duplicate the failure" in his shop. I asked him if he had heard the term "intermittent failure" . He said yes, but his mantra was : I can't replace the part unless I can "dup......Blah , Blah , Blah" . We live in Los Angeles, the car's in Las Vegas, & so is my S.O. And nothing is fixed, NO loan car for 3 days. I then called the Lexus dealer in Van Nuys where we bought the car new (Keyes Lexus in Van Nuys Ca) and asked if they could intervene. I got the same answer: We can't do anything unless they can "Duplicate the failure" Then I tried to call the Lexus customer service line (1800 25-LEXUS) and there's no answer at 4:15 pm PST. I tried it 4 times , It just rings and rings and finally hangs up on you. ( I guess their cars only break before 4:15 PM ) Bottom line: You may think you're getting the best, but sometimes you don't get what you pay for. Today is Wednesday, 2-1-06 and the car has been at Las Vegas Lexus for 3 days, no repair, NO loan car. Refusal to tow it to our home so we can have it fixed in Los Angeles and ....A very Pi---- off customer. A customer who when we signed the purchase contract also was given a warranty.. and they are not living up to their obligations on the agreement we both entered into. So folks, like the housing market, so is the Vehicle market turning. Customer satisfaction is slowly going out the window. I hope the quality stays above water until Somebody out there cares enough to take care of the customer after the sale. If not, Toyota Motors USA will be joining GM and Ford, et al, in the slippery slide. By the way, I was in the automotive field in the 70's and 80's and saw the dismal products that were made in those two decades, so I left the business. I ran an automotive service center. I still am an automotive enthusiast and work on my own antique and classic vehicles. I am not afraid of the new technology and have a broad understanding of it including the Computerization of the automobile. BUT... I have a warranty.

With my one pickup I was frequently driving off with the gas cap on top of the topper. I had it survive home a time or two, once it dropped down and caught on the rear bumper, once I found it in the street, then I finally lost it for good. Same pickup carried a box of tools 125 miles, open. One of the socket sets (and an expensive one) with a couple screwdrivers and pliers on top. How it did it, I have no idea. I guess I was living right at the time. So I was pretty good until a year or two ago I was loading up at a motel and brought out something, set it down while I opened the back of the van. Had to go to the side of the van for something and sure enough, got distracted and backed into it while I was leaving. Heard the noise and thought at first my breaks were catching. Well in a way they were. Then it hit me. Got out and the owner of the motel started yelling that I had something behind me! DUH, yeah, I figured it out. When I managed gas stations people would drive off occasionally with the nozzle in the car. And they'd get upset when we gave them a bill for it. And one woman set the baby bucket on top of the car, got gas, came in and paid, and yep, got in, started up and put it in gear. I saw what was happening so I was on my way out the door when she put it in gear and yelled. And she was offended that I yelled at her. Sometimes you can't win.

BDDT, with my dad about 4 years ago. He was far more cooperative than many of your parents have been. He had two accidents in a week plus a few others in the preceding couple of years. Mom did most of the driving until she broke her elbow. She was out of commission and he drove more resulting in the two final accidents. Mom agreed and we hired a caregiver who drove for them 5 days a week. Definitely expensive, but Dad used senior door 2 door transportation and discount taxi coupons. He agreed to a full neurological workup which after six weeks the doc INSANELY said that he was fine to drive. Mom wisely had the caregiver drive around the neighborhood with dad. She came back and said unequivocally that he was not capable. Only one more time did he attempt to drive. I was called by the cleaning lady and rushed over, just in time. I explained that he had worked very hard all his life for a comfortable retirement. Was he going to jeopardize all it? What kind of life did that elderly man have after he killed ten people at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market? After that we sold his car. He's never attempted it again. Sadly there is NO public transportation in their area of Los Angeles, but he's not physically capable now of getting on a bus unassisted. MIL had her license suspended recently. She's 90 and fully capable, but nearly hit a pedestrian who called the cops, MIL got a citation and a notice to appear for a competency hearing. She had to take another driver's test and failed. She too is complaining about the inequity. She's fiercely independent and doesn't want to rely on anyone. She's had another hearing and has to go for a full medical eval. If she passes then she has to get a learner's permit and take 6 hours of lessons. She thought that she could just send in the med form for the doc to fill out. We're a bit more removed in this situation so we're letting the DMV sort it out. Finally, my friend's FIL refused to stop driving (he had some dementia) and they put a club on his steering wheel so that he couldn't drive!

When I'm being tailed too close I tap my break pedal just enough so the light goes on and they think I'm breaking. After a couple of times, they get the hint, but I love the window washer idea, will try that next time. One thing some drivers do that I just don't get is to ignore merge lanes. We have a lot of turning lanes that start out as two at the turn light, but after the turn, they eventually merge into one. Ideally, cars are supposed to alternate to form a single line, but instead a lot of folks here purposely speed up so the car from the other lane can't get in even though the lane is ending. Seriously? Where are they supposed to go? Over the curb? The same thing happens on the freeway too when there's an accident or road construction. It really irks me to no end.