Lexus ES 2007-12 :: 2009 ES350 - Shifting From High Gear To Down Is Abrupt When Cold
Jan 2, 2014
This is the not about the plagued 2007/2008 ES350 with the tranmission issue. This is more of a generic issue. My car is a 2009 Lexus ES350 Premium line and was bought as a CPO from a Lexus dealership in Feb 2013. Currently mileage is ~98k KM
Issue: From a cold start and driving the car coming to a complete stop, I've noticed that the shifting from higher gear (2 or 3) down to the first gear at around 15-20 km/h is very abrupt. This is a little bit noticeable during the warm summer months and more pronounced during the winter cold months.
Changes: 1) Flushed transmission fluid last summer at Lexus dealership when the car was at ~78k KM, the issue is still present in the summer but a little less obvious.
What I know about the car is that:Cold start of car, the engine's RPM runs higher until car switches from open to closed loop operation (or was it from close to open loop?) When engine runs at higher RPM, car would want to lunge forward a bit. This is normal and expected. Anyway to assist the engine warm-up faster? (Coolant change? Thermostat change?)
Once the car starts to warms-up (i.e. thermostat shows at about 1/4 of the entire gauge range). This is no longer an issue. When car is fully warmed-up the gauge is at about 1/2 marking as a reference point. So when car is starting to warm-up, is the transmission fluid warming up faster than the engine due to the shifting? Or is the fluid warming up due to the warmth from the engine bay?
Desired Final Results: We all know that Lexus are well known for a smooth and comfortable ride. And from a cold start, the shift characteristics isn't smooth. What can be done to solve this issue?
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I have an unusual issue with the drivers side headlight. I recently got a used 2008 ES350 and the drivers side headlight aims high and dazzles oncoming traffic. I have adjusted the two screw adjusters their full range but cannot get the light to aim horizontally. The lights are HID AFS. The car was in a previous accident and the front drivers side wing was repaired.
I have a feeling the body shop did not do a great job (the paintwork is not great) and the light may not be mounted at the correct angle. The AFS works fine for the LH headlight but I don't see much movement of the RH light? Perhaps they installed a non AFS unit during the repair. How to check the alignment of the headlight assembly and body work, and how to correct the headlight problem if the screw adjusters don't move the beam.
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My 09' has developed the abrupt downshift issue at 20 mph when cold. Once the transmission is warmed up, the problem goes away. There is a Service Bulletin on this problem so it is known and a fix is in place. The fix according to the Service Instruction is to remap the transmission software.
How this remap affected their vehicle. My car has been returning great gas mileage, and I am concerned that this fix could hurt that. If mileage is adversely affected, I'd rather live with the downshift IF it won't hurt anything.
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I read an old thread on the earlier generation that the body control module needs to be changed. But, nothing on this generation. Lots of people trying to go metric from English so maybe we could even trade parts to make it happen.
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Being new to these cars I'm not sure and the whole car is very quiet so any noise seems to be more noticeable.
My tires are the OEM energy's...which I've heard aren't too great. They have decent thread tho, however one sidewall looks as if it's wearing away. Could it be the tires? When do the bearings wear out on these cars - I seem to think that 90K is a bit too soon for bearings..
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My 2009 Santa-Fe AWD Limited is sick! Starting from a stop, the vehicle has abrupt shifts with the transmission slipping (RPM revving). Seems worse when cold. Checked the fluids, and found ATF fluid in the engine oil and engine oil in the ATF fluid. Quick internet check suggest a leaky vacuum modulator valve. (There is no way the fluids went in the wrong holes, the vehicle only has 69k kilometers on it, so it still has original ATF fluid, and I recently changed the engine oil myself.) So, do you think this is the correct diagnosis? How hard is it to change the modulator, and where is it located?
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I have recently bought a 2007 ES350 that's runs fantastic considering I bought it with high miles from the Lexus dealer (149k). I live in warm climate area and I notice that even though it's not cold out in the mornings my car idles high (at about 2k) for only a few minutes 2-4 tops then starts to drop to normal as it warms up. It hurts me to hear it as I'm not use to this and I worry that it may cause damage to my engine due to oil not being circulated properly yet.
Most importantly, ONLY when cold, I hear a very light knocking sound, kinda like a bad lifter tick, but by the time I get to my daughters school which is about 5-6 miles away it goes away and sounds normal at that point. Had me very concerned as I just bought it less than a few weeks ago and I'm afraid something was wrong and dealer may been able to mask it at my point of purchase and now its starting to rear its ugly head.
This is my first Lexus ES350, not really sure if it's normal or not. I can tell you, when it warms up, I've jumped out of my car and have put me ear to the good and can't hear the tick. Should I be concerned? Is high idle with tick normal if it goes away when it warms up or is it a fair warning something is bad or about to go bad?
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We bought our beautiful ES350 back in May and we love most everything about the car. However I have noticed a fairly pronounced vibration at idle while in gear. I thought it may get better with mileage, but it has not. We are at 2500 miles now. I have seen posts with the previous gen ES about this, but not for the 2013. Just noticed a vibration especially from the steering wheel at idle in drive. I plan on mentioning it on our first service visit which is coming up in another 2500 miles.
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I have tested 07 UL package a while ago, really liked the car, how it drives, really quiet, very smooth, good acceleration, very comfy etc. the only concern for me is it spacious enough ? I'm driving around 90% in town, how is it on a long trips with 2 - 4 people.... ?
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Wife ran her errands in it, came home, garaged and figured she must have left some electric device on the previous night. This morning engine would not crank, same as before.
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