8 year review on my 2009 Lexus ES350

[@TheRKHCollection]

I apologize again about the horrible wind noise in the video. I hate making excuses for lack of uploads, but if I’m being 100% honest, the wind is a good excuse because of how bad it actually is. Here in Kansas, it’s windy EVERY SINGLE DAY here. The spring is the worst part of the year for wind especially. Not even exaggerating, everyday in the spring we have about 25-35mph wind on a daily basis with gusts of even stronger than that. I obviously don’t have any control over the wind but if I’m being 100% honest, that’s my main reason for my lack of consistent content on this channel ever since I started doing this. I know it sounds dumb but if you’re from Kansas or anywhere close, you might understand. This was the best I could do and I tried my best to only record when the wind gusts weren’t as bad so it took quite awhile to record this video lol.

[@stephendibari5010]

Nice, first time viewing. I have a 4th gen ES 300 (2002), bought it in April 2021 with 160k miles. I'm the 2nd owner and it just hit 182k miles. Car is a tank, quiet like a vault. I love this 5th gen ES. Mine at 22 years old, is amazing. Build quality is also great. every button/switch still works. I installed a double din Alpine unit with a hard wired back up camera so i can use Apple car play. Within the first 12-24 months after i bought it, i had to have several 20 year old OEM parts replaced: Starter, Alternator, exhaust flex pipe, all 4 struts (rear ones started leaking), AC compressor ( was working but started to whine), and also, one of my ignition coils threw a code. Instead of just replacing the bad one, i ordered 6 new DENSO coil packs and 6 DENSO plugs. I changed the front 3 but the back ones are tucked under the intake, so i had a local shop do it. Also, about a year and half ago i had the undercarriage sprayed with WoolWax to prevent any rust. Most recently last Sept. the front brake calipers started to freeze up, so had them changed out. with the new struts the car rides like new. Its black on black with California walnut trim. I actually have more $ into it than what i paid for it so there is no way i'm selling or trading it in. Ill be retiring in 3-4 years and this one will be staying with me until the wheels fall off. There is one on YT posted about 4 years ago with 596k highway miles still with original engine and transmission. I change my own oil every 5k miles with Full Synthetic Pennzoil High mileage. Engine is so efficient it only burns about 1/2 qt. between oil changes. The original owner had it serviced at a Lexus dealership all the way through 110k miles and had the timing belt/water pump/valve cover replaced at 87k miles. Ill be replacing the same this month.

[@TheRKHCollection]

That’s awesome! I’m a fan of the 4th as well. My mom had one many years ago when I was little and I still remember how nice it was. She loved it. It sounds like yours is in excellent condition. I’m sure it feels like a brand new vehicle especially after replacing all that stuff! You’re right about the build quality. They are solid cars and will last forever!

[@stephendibari5010]

@@TheRKHCollection yes it’s in amazing condition. my plan is when i retire in 3-4 years i’ll be keeping my ES300 and buying a pristine 2021 Lexus IS350 Fsport RWD. hopefully they’ll be in the low to mid 20k range by then.

[@TheRKHCollection]

@@stephendibari5010 that’d be awesome! I love those newer IS350’s!

[@AXJ23]

Tire pressure monitor sensor need to be replaced they are cheap, tire shop will do it free when change tires. Batteries die after 10 years.

[@TheRKHCollection]

Figured it was something like that. I’ll have it looked at next time it goes in for service if I remember lol. It’s been like that for 8 years so I just kind of ignore it but I should probably just get it fixed lol

[@Ron-h4l]

That light is on because your tire monitor sensor are bad in your rims need to be replaced and light will go off

[@TheRKHCollection]

@@Ron-h4l yeah. It’s been there since the day I got the car and I don’t even have the original rims or tires on it. I’ve just kinda ignored it for years now lol

[@Ron-h4l]

@@TheRKHCollection yeah if don’t care about it being on then it’s fine

[@subzero6564]

Just bought one not long ago with 49k miles for my first car lmao

[@TheRKHCollection]

That’s awesome! They are great cars!

[@subzero6564]

Yea I’m like a month in with the car, it’s so smooth and fast for what it is, btw where do u get those rims from, did they already come like that cause it makes the car stand out with all the chrome

[@TheRKHCollection]

@@subzero6564 my chrome wheels were actually a Christmas gift. I can’t remember where my parents got them from but if you search “chrome wheels for Lexus es350” im sure you’ll find them or some similar

[@PittoKun]

Hah, you beat me! I just bought one with 68K miles. Loving it so far

[@TheRKHCollection]

Awesome! Congrats!

[@daltonliles6161]

Can anybody tell me how expensive these are to insure and maintain when they do break? I know they're not as cheap as a regular toyota but I've heard they aren't that much worse either, if anybody could confirm that for me I'd appreciate you.

[@TheRKHCollection]

Insurance will very based off of your driving record, what insurance company, etc. but it shouldn’t be too much for a vehicle this age. Mine is very affordable. Maintenance is affordable too. For me personally, I only drive between 5,000 and 10,000 miles a year so I only did oil changes once a year and it was also very affordable. All I’ve had to replace on it over the years is the serpentine belt. It was a couple hundred dollars. They use a lot of Toyota parts but not all of it is Toyota parts. There’s more Lexus specific parts than people think. It all depends on what breaks. They don’t break often so maintenance should be pretty affordable if the vehicle has been properly maintained its whole life.

[@PittoKun]

My experience: I just bought a 2009 ES 350 in Baltimore with 68K miles. I have a clean driving record and the car costs about as much to insure as my wife’s 2020 Kia Niro (we use Progressive). I was expecting it to be much cheaper but we live in the city and I suspect car thefts and repair parts might have something to do with it.

[@TheRKHCollection]

@PittoKun yeah I’m not sure why it’d cost as much as a newer vehicle to insure. You might be right. Congrats on the car!

[@daltonliles6161]

@PittoKun Ouu yeah that's pretty expensive for an 09 car but I live in a slightly more rural area so it might be cheaper for me. Depending on what city your in (Milwaukee, Memphis, Baltimore all have very high car theft rates) so that will definitely affect your rates. I'm just a young guy that wants something nice for my first car but nothing that will empty my pockets and leave me constantly broke like a German/European luxury car. I figured Lexus or Acura would be the next best thing. Mind telling you me how you feel about the car overall? Would like to hear your opinion on it.

[@PittoKun]

@@daltonliles6161 Yeah I bet being in a rural area would lower it a lot. Overall I really love the car! My previous car was a 2004 Corolla that I drove for 10 years. I wanted another Toyota or Lexus because I like the reliability. This feels like an overall much better version of that same car. Roomier, more powerful engine, leather seats, and just feels more solidly built overall. There’s also lots of tiny features that I rarely see mentioned that are nice: the defroster blows air on the passenger and driver side windows (there’s a little vent on the door), there’s a light on the bottom of the doors that’s nifty at night, there’s an auto light that comes on when you look in the flip visor mirrors (this is common in newer cars but my Corolla didn’t have it lol), etc. There are a few optional features to check for too: parking sensors and rear sunshade (buttons for those would be the button to open the gas cap), heated/cooled seats, and seat extender (makes the front edge of the driver’s seat extend forward). I have the heated/cooled seats and they work great, and I have the seat extender which I don’t really use. A couple of specific concerns if you’re looking to buy an old Lexus ES. If you want to replace the radio to add CarPlay/Android, it’s only really possible if you get a car without the built in navigation touch screen. You can buy adapter kit thingies that work with the factory touch screens but they’re kind of expensive and you’ll be stuck using an old screen that isn’t as fast or responsive. Also, some models use premium gas (the 2009 350 does), which can be pricey if you’re on a budget. Also, some of the older ES models and also Toyota Avalons have problems with the dashboard cracking from sun exposure. You can buy dashboard covers to fix this, but the options online are limited and on some models they don’t cover all the parts that crack (I often see old Avalons with cracked pieces on the top of the glove box area, and that won’t be covered up by a dashboard cover). Also the flip-out cup holder that I think is in the ES 300 and ES 330 is notoriously bad at holding cups. Lastly, I’m 6’3” and I do feel like the headroom in the car isn’t the greatest, so maybe test drive one if you’re similarly tall!

[@Tate100T]

AYE WWWW