Leaderboard

After a full service of my 94 LS400 I was after some time finally able to go to a local supermarket for some supplies. (Been off the road for over a month). I am living and working in Netherlands and without the car I have been biking where I needed to be. I did my shopping, loaded the car up and as I was pulling out of my parking space, someone just walked in front of me. I stopped, gave a little toot on the horn, which really made said person jump. He turned round and shouted (Translated from Dutch), F**king electric cars. So I opened the window and said sorry, this is a 4ltr quad cam V8 petrol engine, not electric. Made me laugh.

As I've had my 2014 GS300h for just a year now, I thought it was time to get a 6 year/'60000 mile' service at Lexus Stockport last week. This is the first time that I've had a car of my own serviced at a garage for the last 50-odd years, apart from first services for the odd new car. But I've decided that I'll get my GS serviced professionally for a few years at least. Overall, I was pretty satisfied with Lexus Stockport - eagle-eyed mechanic spotted a tiny split in a wiper blade and an object in a rear tyre, both of which had probably been missed at the MoT (local garage) a couple of weeks before. The car has actually done 41K miles, so I asked for an 'Essentials Major' service (with nothing to be added without consultation). (£415) The only real difference between that and a full-on Major Service is changing the spark plugs. They did recommend that (I suppose Lexus tell them to push it) but the fact is that the plugs in that engine do not need changing at 41K - they just don't - they are good for 60K plus at least. That saved £250 more or less - a set of plugs (4) can be had for about £60 and changing them on the 300h is a doddle compared with a 450h - I'll do them myself around 60K. They wrote 'No plugs' in the service book. Wipers - the original wipers are Denso and I've deduced that the blades are Denso DUR-065R and DUR-045R. By ordering those codes you can save a few quid compared with buying Lexus ones and they are identical (with some minor design changes since 2014). They are fitted to several different cars. If buying, make sure you get the genuine Denso ones - a search brings up many 'equivalents', not all of them even hybrid - once Denso had the hybrid thing all to themselves but now several other manufacturers make them - eg Valeo and Heyner. You don't save much in the grand scheme of things by shopping around, but hey, you've beaten the system! A pair of blades are available on Lexuspartsdirect - bizarrely a pair are cheaper than the drivers side alone, but postage brings them up to more than I paid on eBay. There was a metal object in a rear tyre fairly close to the inside edge (see pic) - the mechanic reported that the tyre was punctured and the object could not be removed without losing air and it could not be repaired (too close to the edge) - tyre condemned. But when I got home I thought I might as well see what happens so I pulled it out - surprisingly easily. Turns out it was a horrible inch or so long metal spike - looked like part of a tool (screw extractor ?) or something - anyway it was in crossways across the tread and no deeper than the tread depth. So A OK - no air lost, the tyre appears to be OK -it's a nearly new Goodyear F1 Asymmetric 5. I did put the specified dose of PunctureSafe in it before extracting the spike - that is a gel you put in the tyre before any punctures occur - it is permanent and works well, and it can be used after a puncture, preferably putting it in before extracting the nail or whatever. It will ameliorate the effects if the tyre fails in the future. It's not a 'get-you-to-a-garage' type of gel. Advisories on the front tyres - they're pretty evenly worn but down to 3.5-4.0mm. One is original. I'll just keep an eye on them until they are 3.0mm or so. Despite that the 'quick check' wheel alignment showed the front toe was off the scale out of spec and the camber (on the original tyre wheel) was way too negative. So I booked in at Blink Motorsport in Winsford - they operate a 'latest and greatest Hunter Hawkeye Elite TD wheel aligner' (according to their website). The place is a bit chaotic and laid back, but they seemed to do a good job. Report and specs below. If you're in the Cheshire area and need a wheel alignment you could seek them out. Aircon - service recommended - so I had the system regassed at my local garage. I hadn't noticed any problem but it was about 120gm down (out of 570 +/- 50 gms spec) so worth doing. Passed the hybrid health check of course. Busy and expensive week but now everything is tickety-boo. Do most of you get your GS serviced by Lexus? Do you get them to fix any issues or take the car away, make your own decisions and diy or go to a specialist instead? Apologies for the long post, but hope it's of interest to someone!

Yes indeed. It's clocking up the miles at a faster rate as my daily driver.

As a matter of interest do 'all season' tyres do as many miles as 'normal' tyres? 🤔 Like Piers, I can understand the logic and of course I also realise that it will very much depend upon how the car is driven as to how quickly the tread wears, but are 'all season' tyres really necessary in the UK especially if they don't last as long? Mind you, that said I'm a southerner and nowadays see snow once in a blue blizzard compared to others up t'north so perhaps there's a regional case to be taken into account. So I'm interested ... has anyone run 'all season' tyres long enough to experience their longevity?

I fitted CrossClimates to our 4wd Suzuki SX4 and was most impressed with their performance. So I decided they were ideal for the Lexus IS250 as well. Unfortunately my Lexus requires two different tyre sizes, of which Michelin only make one. Fortunately, Goodyear had recently launched their Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 which performed on a par with the CrossClimates, and better in some aspects, in both sizes. I fitted them and it has proved to be an excellent choice. Can’t really compare the two vehicles, but the Goodyears are far superior to the standard rubber that came with the car, not only in dry and wet weather grip, but also in the level of road noise they generate. I would certainly recommend them. Incidentally, I would never have a mix of tyre brands or types. Having wheels that could be affected by variations in compound mix and tread patterns is surely just asking for trouble.

To be honest I think I will be sticking to my mark 4 on that update,aside of the three year warranty which you would have paid for in the purchase price that little bill would have been around £5K which is £1250 more than I paid for my car and I have spent nothing on repairs or replacement parts. I am not knocking your decision for the original purchase or degenerating the outcome but when it comes to low cost upkeep and maintenance the earlier Lexus LS models beat the crap out of the later models because there is less to go wrong and they were built better.

After a short break our Dudley dealer, sorry private seller has returned to the bay. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEXUS-LS-400-MK4-107K-MILES-FSH-MOT-HPI-CLR-430-460-GS-300-TOYOTA-CROWN-CELSIOR/303702323022?hash=item46b611af4e:g:RXwAAOSwXYJffxr2

Haha certainly is....Started feeling it yesterday tbh. All good things come to those that wait....as they say.

Yes, looks like it is there to me. It even has the power light next to the logo.

You don't need to pull over if the texts are read out by the cars entertainment system. That is the whole point. It is a good feature! Same voice as the satnav.

If your commute is that short the engine will spend most of its time warming up, when injection computers richen the mixture like crazy to compensate for clumping fuel droplets that don't properly vaporise in the low temperatures of a cold engine. The UX warms up pretty quick, but even so, the first couple of miles will get terrible fuel economy. All joking aside, have you considered a bicycle...? Nick

Looking promising https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/breach-of-a-suspended-sentence-order/

Got a lovely update from Lexus UK that the my new car is fully built and just leaving the factory in Japan on its way to the UK View in browser YOUR LEXUS IS NOW COMPLETE Hi Banji Our Takumi craftspeople have completed their final inspection of your new Lexus and are happy it has met with their exacting standards. It’s now ready to begin its journey to your Lexus Centre. We’ll be in touch when your car has arrived in the UK. SIGN IN TRACK YOUR ORDER PROCESSING ORDER BUILD IN PROGRESS LEFT FACTORY IN TRANSIT ARRIVED AT RETAILER LEARN ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR CAR FIND OUT MORE © 2020 All Rights Reserved PRIVACY POLICY LEGAL CONTACT US

Well happy ending

Hello OP here, I have just checked the MOT history and it goes back to 2006, so I think it will be a UK. It is definitely IS300 3.0 straight 6 engine. He said it has the 2JZ GE engine and is an auto. I was supposed to view it today but it now looks like it will be the weekend. Will update you all then. Thanks IceBoy

Just an update all working now. Was driving me nuts trying to figure this one out and countless googling yielded no results. Should have come here first! Thanks again Andy much appreciated Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk

Well ! that is one bad bad MOT record, the worst I have seen for such a genuine low mileage car. I have never been a lover of the all wood interior look, still there is a consistency in that the exterior is as rough as the outside. You have all been warned.

I had a similar thing about the quietness when parking up and running colleagues to lunch but it was comments asking me if it was a hybrid because it was a Lexus. I think people don't realise quite how old the car is! I mean if it was a hybrid in 1993 the world would be a different place now! Sent from my SM-G975F using Tapatalk

hope it doesn't glow in the dark from the nuclear fallout all those years back ! Malc

Cheers Phil. If it starts to get annoying and I feel a little braver than I am right now I'll have a crack.

I think you will find the object is in the tray below the opening roof this tray catches the water that comes in through the rubber surround and drains away through drains to the front and rear of the roof. It could be a foreign object that as got in when the roof was open and cannot get out because the sides are raised on the tray. You can get at the tray by lowering the front of the headliner because the tray is lower than the glass and there is a gap at the front of the tray which you may be able to see what it is.

I've been enjoying what is now my third year of ownership of my LS600h. Those with good memories will remember that I bought this from Lexus Stoke just over two years ago. The car came with a full service history with Lexus and just over 100k miles on the clock. Having just ticked over 140k a week or so ago, she went in for a full service. I had noticed a bit of a clunking sound from the front suspension; also, I noticed that when the radar cruise control was turned off an error message was displayed asking to refer the car to the dealer (although nothing was wrong with the operational aspects of the system). Anyway, I asked Lexus to look at that. Suspension issues turned out to be front shock absorbers (around £640 ex VAT each) and suspension arms (around £400 ex VAT each apparently). The cruise control issue was a faulty ECU (yet to be replaced as it had to be ordered from somewhere). Add in labour costs = a big bill. Good news - all covered by the 3 year warranty that Lexus offered with the car when I purchased it. So, silence will be restored when the work is completed and I"m going to look forward to another 10k miles of happy motoring.

Got to love a Lexus warranty. A couple of years ago and 11 months into 2002 IS300 ownership my dealer told me the water pump had a slight leak. Change it then I said, and while you're in there you might as well do the cam belt. Whole job cost me about 40 quid.

Given that dampers and control arms are subjected to UK road quality and are generally classed as wear and tear items it’s good to hear they are all covered under a Lexus warranty. I remember having to replace the near side UCA on mine after a pot hole conflict, a genuine one was £521.00 but I managed to get the same for around £130.00. Mine is in for its MOT this Thursday, if it passes again I’ll have the roof sorted and wheels repainted if it fails on something major it will be gone and then I will be looking for another JPJSavage special. Had 4 holidays cancelled this year, the bank account is pretty healthy so might as well spend it on some nice metal than let it sit there earning 0.01% interest.

Don't get me wrong, the sound is fine, but the volume is ridiculous. I hope the HKS exhaust will keep it as quiet as I want it. The problem is, it's £500 and doesn't even include a resonator 😞 Hopefully the Japspeed resonator won't cause an issue and the HKS muffler will quieten it down a lot.

Was 2017. Seller was - toyotafactoryoemparts Sent from my SM-G986B using Tapatalk

After 16 years, my car has just passed 50,000 miles. May she carry on for many more! Jon

i've an A5 Quattro and its not a Lexus for certain what i like is :- heated seats, illuminated front cup holders and giving it back

If you really jam your foot down to the floor then yes, you'll get a bit but otherwise no. The Goodyears really are a superb tyre and it's a shame that they often get overlooked in favour of the Michelin CCs.

Jonathan on the contrary I don't think any of us 400 owners are going to be upset by your update and we appreciate you making us feel better.

Hi did you get the arm rest repaired, mine same Im thinking going to local leather trimmer as trim in car very thin not sure its even real leather, do you know how to remove door internal arm rest, as I want to have silver trim wrapped in wood style, I could drop one at a time to be done then, its obviously a problem /weak point., Love the car though

Leaks can be tricky to detect but you can smell them...damp sweet whiff... If your reservoir cap old? I had a very gradual coolant loss that worried and baffled me - I had the original cap. Last ditch was to fit a new OE cap. All good now. Lots of short journeys hot/cold/hot/cold = pressure loss and evaporation. Just a thought.

A great post Vlad.

No. You've just been lucky! 😁 Seriously though... each to his own. I can only speak from my own experience.

Same problem with my 05 rx330. I managed to get drivers side unclogged with a choke cable but passenger side still leaks at footwell. I ran the cable several times but still leaks. The sad thing reading other comments and watching videos, there seems no way to get to the tube at this end