We appreciate the kind words from our happy customer! Thank you for the 5-star review.

"Sales experience was expeditious and professional. Used vehicle looks like new and maintained well. Happy with the condition of the dealership and the professionalism of the salesman. He was truly dedicated to making sure that I knew how to operate the various technical electronic aspects of the vehicle before I left the dealership."

In the TV show "Revenge," Conrad gives Ashley something special - a Lexus. Take a look!

Lexus LS Tops the Total Car Score Awards

The Lexus LS was named the top overall car in the first annual Total Car Score awards, which calculates points using a combination of scores from all the top automotive review and rating sites.

The RX was also named to the list, taking the top luxury SUV category.

TotalCarScore.com says "It’s worth noting that the top three vehicles with the highest Total Car Score, when every 2012 model is taken into account, are the Lexus LS, Hyundai Sonata, and Infiniti M,” said Brauer. “Clearly these models are universally praised by the industry in terms of quality, design and safety.”

Total Car Score’s “Top Scoring Car Awards” name the top-scoring vehicle in 20 major automotive segments. In segments where the difference between the first and second ranked car is less than two points, Total Car Score awarded two winners.

See the results from Total Car Score!

 

Courtesy of The Lexus Enthusiast

We appreciate the wonderful things our happy customers have to say. Thank you both!

"Lexus of Wayzata dealership is very nice. The sales people are not pushy and are generally well informed. I was able to negotiate a lower price on the vehicle and that process was relatively painless as well. The facilities are amazing. It has free water, soda, food, a lounge, pretty much anything you could imagine. I would recommend buying a car from this dealership."

"We enjoyed working with Russell. When we described what we wanted he took us right to a car that met all our needs. He was very helpful with showing features we did not have on our Lexus sedan we traded in."

Lexus of Maplewood and Lexus of Wayzata are the official vehicle partner for the 10th Anniversary of Cities97’s Oake on the Water!

Check out Cities97's Oake on the Water this Thursday at Bayside Grille where Meiko & Selah Sue will be performing! 

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: Sunny Day Driving Safety

To see your way clearly

• You can wear sunglasses or draw down the window-shade when the sunlight is too strong to make sure you can see your way clearly.

Prevent Engine Overheating

Engine overheating may cause breakdowns, especially on a hot day.

• Check the level, condition, and concentration of the coolant periodically.
• If your car overheats, do not keep driving.
  
• Never remove the radiator cap until the engine has thoroughly cooled.

Pay Attention To Tires

• Check your tires regularly
• Be sure the tires are properly inflated
• Don’t drive at a high rate of speed for a long time,particularly in hot weather
• Do not overload your car

 

Courtesy of Car-Use.net

We appreciate our fantastic customer feedback! Thank you to our happy customer for the kind words.

"I was parting ways with my 2004 BMW 330xi, and was looking for a upgrade. It was a Saturday and we had been to a slew of other dealerships and was in the market for a Lexus. As we were driving down the highway, we spotted Lexus of Wayzata. We figured the place was closed, being that it was around 7 o' clock, but we decided to take a look and check out their inventory. As we we arrive we noticed that the place was in fact closed but Russell approached us out in the lot and asked if we had any questions at all. I said I was just looking and I knew that they had just closed so I didn't want to take up any of his time, so I asked for his card so that I could stop by on Monday.

The following Monday, I went to a slew of other dealerships, and still hadn't found, "the one". So again last stop, I went to Lexus of Wayzata. As soon as I walked in, I instantly felt welcome. At no point did I get the snooty, pretentious feel that you get at some luxury dealerships. So I requested to see Russell. As soon as he was available, I was greeted with a handshake, and a smile, and he asked what he could help me out with. I gave Russell a ballpark idea of where I wanted my monthly payments to be, and what I could afford. We looked through the inventory and we landed on a Lexus 2006 GS300. We test drove it and it was solid. Everything was there. The customer service, the ideal car, cost, and all the perks. I was sold.

After a few weeks of the purchase I noticed that there was some bubbling on the rims. I gave Russell a call and notified him of the situation and I wanted to know if there was anything that we could work out. The rims unfortunately were not covered under warranty, so I was expecting to pay a little out of pocket. Russell said he would talk to his manager and see what he could do. I was expecting to be denied service and end up paying for the rims to be refinished. Russell gave me a call a few minutes later and explained that they would cover the cost of the rims 100%.

Overall, was floored with my entire experience at Lexus of Wayzata. Especially coming from Russel. Not only does he understand the idea of customer service, but also understands the idea of building a relationship with the people he comes in contact with. Very personal, great attitude, and knows how to treat a customer."

Tony Hawk Jumps Over Lexus LFA in Skateboard Stunt

Now for some celebrity news — longtime Lexus owner Tony Hawk was loaned a yellow LFA for his birthday this weekend, and decided to include it in a little skateboard demonstration:

While there’s very little chance of Hawk landing on the LFA, it sure made for a cool photo:

Nice team-up here — I wonder if we’ll see Tony Hawk in a LFA of his own sometime in the future?

 

 

Courtesy of Lexus Enthusiast

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: Driving in High Wind Conditions

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Driving in high winds can be dangerous and even more hazardous because of the other weather conditions that normally accompany them. Extreme caution should be used when driving a car in any type of severe weather.

• Be aware of the other vehicles around you in high winds. This is especially true with RVs, campers, trucks, buses, or trailers being towed.
• Slow down the speed of your car to minimize the wind’s affect on your vehicle.
• Avoid parking near trees, downed power lines and buildings.
• The main factors that keep you on the road are the weight of your vehicle, so if you are driving a little city-car along the motorways in the high winds,you should be more carefully.
• Plan ahead. As you have to drive more slowly in high winds you should expect your journey to take longer than usual and therefore leave extra time. You definitely don’t want to be speeding to make up the time!
• Make steering corrections when driving from a protected to unprotected area. This is because the wind may move your car with a sudden force after being in the protected area.
• Lower your speed when driving next to larger vehicles such as trucks and buses. These vehicles can swing out and hit your car if the wind picks up suddenly.
• Listen to the radio for changes in weather conditions that could become more dangerous.
• Wind is often accompanied by heavy rain or winter precipitation. Stay alert for slippery areas.

 

Courtesy of Car-Use.net

The Lexus Stitching Dojo

Okay, you’re sold. You’re excited. August can’t come soon enough. Why? Because that’s when the 2013 ES arrives in Lexus dealerships, and one of them will be yours—all yours.

But because August is still a few months away, we thought we could at least give you a periodic look at what’s happening with your ES at the moment—and we’ll start with the stitching dojo.

You see, your new 2013 Lexus ES will feature a small but premium design element: real stitching that runs along the top of the instrument panel upholstery. For several reasons (the materials involved, the precision required), this stitching work requires extremely skilled craftspeople to apply flawlessly—but the result adds a warm, handcrafted touch that contrasts elegantly with the high-tech feel of the panel’s gauges.

Enter the stitching dojo, Lexus’ special training facility for discovering and fine-tuning its ES-stitching talent. As of today, only about 12 craftspeople have made the cut.

Lexus first evaluates potential stitching specialists’ dexterity, and one of the qualifying tests is to fold a piece of paper into a perfectly constructed origami cat. Challenging but doable, right? But understand this: the folding must be done with only one hand—the non-dominant one—and it must be completed in under 90 seconds.

Qualified specialists next need to acquire the necessary skills for the job, which they get through a systematic, 10-step training program. The training takes three months, and the craftspeople are required to master all 10 steps before they can perform actual 2013 ES production work.

When done just right, the stitching is simple and elegant, but the work that goes into it is difficult. A large piece of urethane upholstery is placed on a sewing machine and manipulated by hand at just the right speed. Unlike a flat piece of leather, the urethane is three-dimensional, and every curve and corner must be handled precisely.

After the stitching is complete, it’s of course visually inspected for imperfections—all so you, a future 2013 ES owner, will be pleased with the results.

SOURCE: Lexus

Your Monday Maintenance Tip: Caring for Windshield Cracks and Dings

Checking your windshield is important because a ding that occurs in spring or summer can cause a break in the winter. Most people drive more in warm weather and more driving means more vibration, which can cause a ding to expand into a cracked windshield.

Warmer weather also means running the air conditioning. "The shock of quickly going from hot to cold stresses a windshield and causing that ding to suddenly become a cracked windshield," says Jim Olson, director of national accounts and brand awareness for NOVUS® Windshield Repair.

Here are some tips if you have a ding or star on your windshield:

    Inspect the ding. If it has a cone shape, a circle deep in the glass or looks like a small star with points spreading out, have the ding repaired promptly. These are serious dings that can grow into a cracked windshield.

    Don't touch a ding or attempt to repair it yourself. Without special equipment and training, you will only contaminate the damaged area, making repairs hard to complete.

    As a temporary measure, put a piece of clear tape, like packing tape, over the ding. This won't keep the ding from spreading, but will help prevent contamination.

    Don't wash the vehicle-especially through the car wash.  Soap and water can contaminate the spot and a high-pressure wash can cause the ding to expand.

    Driving a vehicle with a windshield ding causes vibration and exposure to the elements cause the ding to spread.

    Avoid slamming the car doors and don't close the doors with the windows rolled all the way up. The vibration or buildup of air pressure inside the car can cause the ding to spread.

    Don't run the defroster, heater or air conditioning on high settings.  Don't park the vehicle in the sun. Rapid changes in interior temperature or prolonged exposure to sunlight can stress and weaken the windshield.

 

Source: NOVUS via Road & Travel Magazine

Vehicle Insights - Changes Ahead

As the pace of Lexus’ design evolution quickens, Head of Lexus Kiyotaka Ise tells Lexus owners what to expect in the next 14 months.

By Doug Knox

Progress relies on change. Without evolution, nothing would improve. So it’s natural that Lexus, always striving to perfect its unique approach to luxury, is changing. But this time, the changes are happening faster and are more apparent.

At their heart lies a greater emphasis on a harder-edged kind of driving pleasure—an evolutionary path trodden by the latest GS sedan, the LFA supercar, and, most recently, the LF-LC coupe concept. Many more will follow. So what, precisely, does this new era herald? Head of Lexus Kiyotaka Ise has a few answers:

LEXUS: We’ve seen some dramatic changes to Lexus vehicle design in the last 12 months. But how would you say Lexus is changing?

Ise: We want to move towards “progressive luxury.” We are aiming to make Lexus cars even more advanced in their use of technology—and their design will show this.

How will that be reflected in their design?

We were more into “elegant” in the past. Now we’re adding greater visual presence to that elegance. You should be able to identify a car as a Lexus immediately, but, until recently, this aspect has been a little lacking. Now that’s changing. Instant visual recognition, for example, is the reason behind our spindle grille—a prominent feature of the new GS, LX, and LF-LC coupe concept.

Would you say the spindle grille is a symbol of Lexus’ desire to project performance and aggression?

It may look aggressive at first glance—that’s intentional—but it also conveys its boldness with sophistication and elegance. These sentiments reflect how Lexus is evolving. Every new Lexus model will feature a spindle grille—it will be a visual embodiment of the shared values between all Lexus cars—but each model will have its own interpretation to reflect that model’s individuality.

Likewise, they will share sharper body language and a stance that conveys their driver-orientated focus. But each model will express its distinctive personality through details, such as the treatment of the front and rear lights. Expect significant developments where the headlamps are concerned.

You mentioned shared values between all Lexus cars. Which of those values are gaining increased prominence?

I’ve touched on the greater instant recognition and design excitement. We’ll also be concentrating on emotional driving pleasure and advanced technology. The intention is to make the driver and car feel as one. A supercar like the LFA or a coupe like the LF-LC concept will take this to a more extreme level, but all Lexus models will share the ability to reward their driver. The new GS is an example of that. It’s spacious, practical, refined, luxurious—yet it feels sharp and agile on a mountain road. Also, hybrids will remain a core feature for us.

When will we see this evolution in action?

It has started already with the LFA, new GS, and LF-LC concept. During the next 14 months, there will be significant changes several models—either new cars or revisions to existing ones.

Do you think Lexus owners will like the changes?

We sincerely hope so. They are our primary motivation. If customers appreciate a car, then it’s a good car. If they don’t, it isn’t. Our customers determine whether or not it’s good. We also strive to offer something beyond their expectations—the first generation of LS and RX are good examples—and we have more innovations in the pipeline.

We’ll be offering customers greater opportunity to personalize their new cars, too. So there are two factors: creating something new by innovating and drawing from our deep well of customer feedback to improve existing models. But ultimately, the customer is the real decision maker. For us, that will never change.

 

Courtesy of Lexus