10th Sep 2005, 12:05

Hi all.

I am having problems with the tires on my 2003 LEXUS ES300 loaded with 25,000 miles. I bought the car brand new from dealer in 2003. I have driven it very gently, however, three out of 4 tires on my car have been wearing out unevenly on the tires surface - only the inner side of the tires wearing out, but not the outer side of the tires. The only tire wearing out evenly is the front tire on the driver side.

I suspected the car had an alignment problem so I took my car to LEXUS dealer about 4 weeks ago. They charged me $56 for the inspection ONLY (not fix) since they said the alignment warranty for only 12 months after purchased. I agreed to pay. After 4 hours waiting, they said that "nothing's wrong with the car's alignment", when I asked why there are 3 tires wearing out unevenly and only 1 tire is wearing good. They said that "due to the specific, particular vehicle so the tires are wearing that way. ROTATE the tires every 5000 miles will fix the problem"

I am not sure if the problem will go away later, but I admit that for long time I have not rotated my tires. However, my other driving cars like TOYOTA CAMRY, HONDA ACCORD, BMW 325, Mercedes BENZ C230, C280 did not have this kind of problem at all even though I did not rotate any of them.

If anybody has any suggestion how to fix the tire problem on my LEXUS, please, send me an email at Friendlyguy95055@yahoo.com. Thanks.

29th Oct 2005, 11:25

That doesn't sound correct, you might be skeptical about this, but I suggest taking your car to a mechanic, as in, not a certified Lexus mechanic. Find someone who has a Hunter 6000 alignment machine, it is the best alignment machine to date. Bring them your car and tell them your car, I bet they will find problems that the Lexus mechanics did not.

10th Nov 2005, 05:29

This comment is to the person that has the tires that are wearing unevenly. Take your car to a place like discount tire and have them check your rims to make sure that they are still in good shape. If the rims have been damaged in such a way that are say (out of round) (warped) in any way that would certainly cause what is happening to your tires. Most mechanics do not think to look for this. it just happens, you hit something (or someone did) in or on the road that damaged your rims.

16th Mar 2007, 09:54

2003 ES 300-My tires started making noise at 14k also. I Made it to 20K, but the tires make horrible noise. The car was never misaligned or had any other mechanical problems and I did frequent tire rotation. Just junky tires. Replaced original tires with Goodyear Comfort Treads and they still look like new with 19k miles on them.

24th May 2007, 19:35

I just bought a 2005 ES330 from my mother with 24K miles. The tires are worn and the car was driven by my father (no hot rodding and meticulously maintained). The dealership said the factory tires had a very soft compound resulting in the wear.

I was going to purchase the Michelin tires at Costco, but the reviews aren't so good.

13th Aug 2007, 14:19

I just put my fourth set of tires on my 2000 Lexus ES 300. The tires are only averaging 25,000 miles. Two sets have been Michelin and one set Bridgestone. The Michelin dealer advised my tire shop that they cannot get a Michelin of any kind to last longer than 25,000 miles on a Lexus ES 300 for cars that were made for a couple of years. All of my sets of tires were worn evenly across, as I had made sure car stayed aligned and tires rotated.

1st Feb 2008, 06:50

My stock Toyota tires wore out very rapidly as well, but I didn't rotate them or anything. Still, with consumables like this I don't really blame the car manufacturer, especially since tire manufacturers are the ones who make the darn tires =P.

Not something that really affects what car I choose though, since there's compromises with tires for just about everything. Rolling resistance, acceleration traction, wear, bad weather handling, whatever it is there's a compromise somewhere = (

21st Mar 2008, 09:40

The Bridgestone Turanzas on our ES300 were also good for right about 25K miles. Excellent ride characteristics, but the trade-off is in treadlife. That said, I'd buy another set just like them. Putting sporty tires on an ES is like wearing track shoes with your suit.

7th May 2008, 06:55

The dealer installed new tires on my wife's ES300 at about 12,000 miles (Lexus paid for two of them) and then aligned the tires. I pointed out that the front tires were slanting out at the bottom but the dealer said it was within specs. Of course, the new tires wore out on the inside and when you took off normally in the rain, the tires would spin because not all of the tread was on the ground. So there is a lot of slop in the Lexas tire alignment specs. So now at 35,000 miles it is time for a new set of tires. I also have the transmission shifting problem. It never downshifts when it should under light and medium throttle, and if you press further it downshifts two gears and you look like a hot rodder. The car is a 1992 with 35,000 miles and is driven by a grandmother and stays in the garage, yet it is falling apart. It sounds like a tractor when driven out of the garage in the morning; I think it is an exhaust leak the dealer can't duplicate. Also, it reeks of gasoline fumes when she backs it out of the garage in the morning. Something is in the air conditioner, because if you drive for an hour, your eyes tear up and your nostrils burn. The power lumbar support doesn't work any more either. Oh well.

13th Aug 2008, 09:04

My experience has been very different. I have a 2003 ES300, and am just now looking to replace the original tires, Bridgestone Potenza RE 92 (now with 57,000 miles). Most of my mileage has been on the highway, and the tires have been routinely rotated about every 5,000 miles. (On my previous car -- Volvo Wagon -- I never seemed to get more than about 30,000 miles out of 60,000 mile tires under the same conditions.)

14th Dec 2008, 23:09

After owning a 96 ES 300 and a 98 ES 300, I bought a 2003.

I miss my old cars. The transmission shifts funny. The car doesn't have as much acceleration as the older models.

The brakes grind and the wheels 3 out of 4 are soft aluminum.

I keep getting flats because they warp or get bent easily.

I hope the newer models have improved. Oh, the struts go bad too.

30th Jun 2009, 21:28

I have Bridgestone, Potenza RE 92 tires (P205/60R16 91V) which came with Lexus ES300. I purchased this car in Sept 2000, have driven 57000 miles. No problem with the tire. Front tires have worn to 2/32 and rear ones to 4/32. Dealer has suggested to buy new tires.