2011 Lexus Es 350 on 2040-cars

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Houston repair shop disappears and takes man's Lexus with it

A man in Houston, Texas, is out his sweet new Lexus after the small-time repair shop he took it to just up and disappeared along with his car last month. According to KPRC, Randy Exom purchased a Lexus ES300 back in November and immediately took it to On Site Auto Repair in Northwest Houston to deal with some used car issues. To pay for the work, Exom set up a bi-weekly payment plan with the shop's owner. This arrangement worked out fine until January 19, when Exom showed up to make his payment and discovered that the shop had disappeared. "Everything was going fine up until I came there to make a payment and there was an eviction sign posted, sign on the door, and the regular cars that were in the lot weren't there anymore," Exom told KPRC. Eventually, he was able to reach the shop's owner to get an explanation but it wasn't the one he wanted. "I gave him a call and I said, 'Hey, there's an eviction notice here. Did you move?' He said, 'Yeah, I'm at 59 and Little York now." The fact that the owner didn't give him an exact address raised some alarms, and upon further review it seems that Exom's suspicions were justified. It turns out that the shop's owner, Shawn Gee, has a history of shady automotive dealing. Last fall, KPRC reported cases of cars going missing from a shop at 59 and Little York. That shop, which is now closed, was owned by Gee's brother. On February 10, Exom finally found his car in an impound lot with the rest of the cars from Gee's shop nearly a full month after it went missing. He told KPRC that the impound lot wants $800 to release his car. He told reporters that he wished Gee had called him and worked the situation out like a real businessman. "My thing is my car was in your possession and you should have made some type of contact with me and say, 'Hey this is what's going on, sir,'" he said. KPRC reached Gee by phone on February 10 and he declined to give an on-camera interview. He did confirm the eviction and said that he was working with customers to get their impounded vehicles back. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: KPRC Auto News Weird Car News Lexus houston impound

What we're driving this winter and why you need snow tires | Autoblog Podcast #496

On this episode, Mike Austin and David Gluckman talk about what they've been driving lately and answer some Spend My Money requests from listeners looking for advice on everything from sports cars to seven-seat SUVs. Plus we talk winter tires with an expert from Michelin's testing team. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And please send trivia questions! You'll get the honor of stumping your fellow listeners, and we'll thank you too. Autoblog Podcast #496 Topics and stories we mention 2017 Subaru BRZ 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander GT 2018 Lexus LC 500 Used cars! Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 04:26 Michelin winter tire interview - 25:14 Spend My Money - 44:33 Total Duration: 1:18:57 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes Podcasts Lexus Mitsubishi Subaru SUV snow tires

2023 Lexus ES gets new touchscreen infotainment, F Sport packages

Toyota might be finished with the Avalon but Lexus isn't finished with the ES. The 2023 ES sedan acquires features to please a range of buyers, from a new infotainment system to new F Sport packages similar to those added to the IS sedan range. The benefit for every buyer will be Lexus Interface infotainment with touchscreen and voice controls. Oddly, Lexus didn't include a photo of the reworked interior, said to get a redesigned center console, a new sunglass holder, a new cup holder location, and an "available wireless charger." We believe the redesign jettisons the trackpad previously used to control the infotainment system, placed on the center tunnel next to the shift lever. If other recent Lexus offerings are the guide, we'll expect the cupholder to move to next to the shift lever instead of behind it — and hope Lexus forgot to make "cupholder" plural instead of giving front-row occupants two receptacles. The ES already offered a wireless phone charger, so we expect the news here is that it's also moved.   The touchscreen will be easier to control and also comes with a higher resolution. The system can be controlled by voice when given the "Hey Lexus" command to attention, and features dual microphones, seat detection, and speaker location capability. The standard screen continues to be eight inches across, the optional screen maxes at 12.3 inches. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are included. For sedan shoppers seeking a bit more spice either cosmetically or dynamically, the ES adopts the F Sport Design Package and the F Sport Handling Package that came to the IS last month. Any ES (250 AWD, 350, and 300h) optioned up to Premium trim can add the F Sport Design bundle with its unique front bumper and grille surround, rear spoiler, and exclusive 19-inch, gloss black split-five-spoke alloys. It also adds Intuitive Park Assist to the convenience feature list.   ES 350 and ES 300h buyers who stump for the F Sport Design Package can further add the F Sport Handling Package. This gets two extra drive modes, Sport+ and Custom, to manage the F Sport adaptive suspension, plus a heated F Sport steering wheel, Hadori aluminum trim, aluminum pedals, and a black headliner.