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SimonG

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Everything posted by SimonG

  1. Thanks for the info Colin My car does occasionally make a nast rattle on start-up which is sometimes accompanied by rough running for a few seconds where you can feel the car vibrating as if not firing on all 6 cylinders. I reported this to the Lexus dealer but never got anywhere as they say their are no outstanding recalls or TSB's on my car - it also does it very occasionally so difficult to reproduce. I'll monitor things once the water pumps replaced as maybe this is adding to some of the strange noises I get from the engine. Cheers Simon G
  2. Hi Colin Many thanks for the info ....... Was this recall in the U.S. Only? I recall seeing a recall for similar issues in the UK (aside from the valve spring recall which has been done) that I believe affected most Lexus cars with the 3.5ltr V6 and was surprised that the GS450h wasn't included as I thought it was basically the same engine.
  3. I agree - they're not giving me too much info on this so I'm going to continue pushing as I'd like to had a formal description of the issue in writing ...... If only to put any future owners mind at ease when I sell the car. From the investigations I've done (and I know nothing about cars) there looks to be a VVTi chain, not a belt, that has tensioner - so I would have assumed that the most likely problem would be something to do with the tensioner considering the noise appeared suddenly one day. I'll see if it's any better after they replace the water pump and if not I'll definitely get a 2nd opinion.
  4. Well, I've made some progress with this. The noise in the video I uploaded has been diagnosed as the water pump bearing about to fail - luckily this is covered by the extended warranty. However, the dealer still says tapping noise under light acceleration (different noise to that in the video) is apparently caused by the VVTi belt and not covered by warranty unless it fails completely - I had hoped that replacing the water pump may have given them an opportunity to replace whatever is making the noise with the VVTi belt but apparently not - that would require a major engine strip whereas the water pump only needs a couple of hours I the w/shop. Still, I'm pleased that the water pump is being replaced under warranty and diagnosed before it failed completely Cheers Simon G
  5. Will do Dave My engine sounds like a diesel at the moment and has had "tapping" issues for over a year that the Lexus dealer has never Been able to resolve - but I have to admit I'm not very confident in their abilities to diagnose based on my experience to date :/ They are charging me to look at the car on Friday and as this is a repeat visit for the same issue I hope they can actually confirm what the issues is as I felt fobbed off last time.
  6. Hi Dave Yes, apparently is had had the valve spring fix carried out as I checked this some time ago when I started getting a rattle on start and valve chatter at low speeds until the engine reached operating temp. The current noise is different to that noise (which is still there) and sounds like something metallic is loose in the engine. Doesn't seem to affect performance or MPG but is getting worse. If it is the timing belt or tensioner failing then I hope the extended warranty covers this - I know timing "belts" are not covered but a belt is a service item that is replaced as part of the normal service schedule, but the chain is supposed to last the life of the car and has no service replacement. I'm taking it in to Lexus on Friday and I've emailed them that video clip - I'll let you know the outcome. Cheers Simon G
  7. Hi guys I've uploaded a clip to YouTube so you can hear the noise the engines making - doesn't sound healthy and guess Lexus' comment that it's nothing to be concerned about May not be reliable. http://youtu.be/wP-9R3SC_IU Any thoughts on what would cause this noise? Cheers Simon G
  8. Hi Guys The noise is constant ant not just at start up ..... Although it did seen to start this way. At the moment the engine sounds has a very metallic rattle/scraping noise that seems do come from the top of the engine and is now there whenever the engine kicks in regardless of whether its just been started or has been running several hours on a long trip - Does not sound healthy at all. Oil level is fine do I know it's not that and the oil is clear even though it's done over 9k since last service. The noise has become much more pronounced over the past 1k miles even though Lexus said it would not get worse - my experience if Lexus Poole over the past 2 yrs has not been good so I don't really trust their diagnosis and I'm considering paying an Indy to have a look - can anyone recommend a good Indy in Dorset? Cheers Simon G
  9. What would cause it to make such a noise though ....... If it's stretched the I would have expected it to happen very gradually but this issue started just a couple of months ago (it not the same noise as the engine rattle I have when cold that's been there for 2 yrs). Also, doesn't the chain have tensioners to prevent this sort of thing, so if they've failed would that still be wear and tear? Many thanks Simon G
  10. Hi Guys I don't have an update on this as such as I've chased Lexus Poole for a formal description of what is causing this noise and to date that have not provided anything. However, despite Lexus saying the issue would not cause any problems or get any worse the sound is definitely getting much worse to the point where people are starting to comment or give me concerned looks at the noise emanating from the engine. I'm starting to wonder if the noise is either the timing chain (or VVTi chain?) rattling or a bearing staring to fail. Either way I need to get the dealer to look at the issue again but unfortunately I have meeting all over the country this week that I can't move and I'm likely to clock up 1k miles so I'm really hoping something doesn't give out and cause major damage. If it is the timing/VVTi chain or a bearing would this normally be covered under the extended warranty I took out last year or would Lexus simply say it's wear and tear (125k miles) and not covered? Cheers Simon G
  11. First thing to do is swap the bulbs around - be warned that its a fiddly job so give yourself plenty of time. I had this issue with my car and after looking at it they said I needed new bulbs so I had to explain that I had already replaced bulbs and swapped them around but the offside bulb kept failing (I did explain this when I took the car in but they ignored this) so they replaced the headlight control unit under the extended warranty and I've not had any issues since. The issue gradually got progressively worse until the bulb would go out after just 10 minutes and seemed to be made worse by cold temperatures. This does seem to be quite common judging by the google searches I did when the issue started happening. Good luck and I hope you get it fixed.
  12. Does seem a bit odd - I think I'll ask the to re-confirm in an email
  13. Hi guys As I've mentioned in a previous post on this forum my GS450h developed an engine rattle/tap when cold some time ago and I've had little success is getting the issue diagnosed and repaired. However, the car went in for a recall this week for something unrelated and I asked them to look at the tap/rattle issue again in the hop that the extended warranty I have on the car would cover anything they find. The good news is that they did trace the issue to a worn VVT-I belt but they say the extended warranty does cover this as its wear & tear (sigh 😒) but that the issue will not get any worse and is not something to worry about. I asked about the cost of getting this replace outside of warranty and was told it was a massive job with labour alone costing >£1k I would assume a worn valve-timing belt is a critical part and if it failed then the result would be significant. Also, does Lexus replace these belts at some point as part of the normal service schedule? The cars done 120k miles with full Lexus service history. Many thanks in advance Cheers Simon G
  14. Hi Guys Has anyone experienced a rattle / creak from the sunroof in a 2006 GS that seems to emanate from behind the sun-roof area itself? it's quite a heavy rattle that can be felt if you put your hand on the roof lining and seems to occur when going over rough roads or up curbs where the cars chassis twists - It's not apparent going over pot holes. I've checked the obvious things and cant see anything loose and having the blind open or closed makes no difference. Lexus Poole had the car in this week to investigate and removed the roof lining and confirmed that there was definitely a noise. However, they say that the sunroof is a sealed unit as as it was still working it was not covered under the extended warranty. The rattle is loud enough to drive me around the bend and is definitely something that would be noticed to a potential buyer of the car should I decide to sell it. Any advise would be much appreciated. many thanks Simon G
  15. Hi Colin I did swap the original OEM bulbs around initially and the issue stayed with the drivers side light but as both bulbs were old I decided to replace them both anyway. The fact the driver side now seems generally OK with the new bulbs and that the off-side light now fails regularly (Now after about 30 mins) seems to rule out the bulbs or ballast - Unless as you say there is some incompatibility issue with the ballast !? Both lights going off at exactly the same time would also seem to rule out a bulb or ballast issue but I'm going to remove & refit over the weekend just in case there's a bad connection somewhere causing issues.
  16. Just wanted to update after running with the new bulbs for a few weeks now. Oddly, the off-side headlight now seems to be switching itself off intermittently but if becoming far more regular - Turning off/on fires it up OK. Last night both bulbs went out at the same time so I'm now pretty sure that it's a control unit issue. I did try running the headlights switched to manual rather than auto and initially this seemed to fix the problem but the bulbs are now dropping out in either position. I don't get any bulb errors flash up on the dash which I'd expect if a bulb itself was faulty. I've an extended warranty on the car which doesn't cover bulbs but does cover the ballast & control unit but do Lexus have the ability to diagnose an intermittent issue like this? My experiences of the local dealer have not been great so I'm half expecting them to say they need to replace the bulbs before they will consider replacing the control unit. Very odd issue :eerrrmm:
  17. Hi Guys :) I've a question relating to the Lexus Service Plan that is offered by dealers. I took out a Service Plan in October last year (The full service plan and not the essentials) and paid an initial deposit of £351.50 with 20 monthly payments of £27.00. The service schedule shows the following services ..... Service 1 Oct 2013 Service 2 Oct 2014 Service 3 Oct 2015 My first service was taken out at the start of the term (i.e. Oct 2013) and as I covered more miles than I anticipated I had the 2nd service in April and now need the 3rd service. However, on trying to book this with the dealer they advised that I only had £75 remaining in my service plan pot so needed to top this up with a further £181 in order for them to do the 3rd service. This caught me a little off-guard as I wasn't expecting to have to pay anything for this service as I was obviously going to continue paying the £27 a month until the end of the agreement and would not expect to have a 4th service included in the future. The guy in the service department explained that the plan doesn't work this way and services can only be performed if you have paid sufficient fund in to the plan. Does this sound right as surely this means that no one will have sufficient funds for the 3rd service unless they book the service on the last day of their service plan agreement !? many thanks Simon G
  18. Yes, my issue wa apparently the battery pack - your issue sounds different as my car didn't go in to limp mode at all but just eventiually ended up running on engine only. Has the dealer recently carried out a hybrid health elk on the car or have you had the car serviced by the dealer? - if so you should be covered for any failures. Initially Lexus offered to pay half the cost of £3.6k but in the end agreed to cover the whole cost which was a relief and definitely worth persisting with even if you don't get a result initially. I've now taken out a 2yr extended warranty on the car to prevent any unexpected bills in the future. Cheers Simon G
  19. Thanks Doro If I have any further issues I'll give these a go. I assumed my offside front light had been replaced at some pint, hence the difference in lens colour/clarity but maybe not. Does anyone know if it's possible to clean the actual lense in a GS headlight ? Cheers Simon G
  20. Hi guys Many thanks for the replies. I'm wondering if it could be an issue with a dirty connection - the lead light in question has slightly yellowed glass and the lens itself looks cloudy compared to the offside which has a perfectly clear lense so I wonder if there has been some sort of water ingress in the past. Re the bulbs, I bought relatively cheap ones off eBay for around £30 for the pair - they seem to work ok but will be interesting to see how long they last - I've noticed the ballest buzzing wit the new bulbs and didn't notice this with the originals. Cheers Simon G
  21. Hi Guys I have what I believe to be a fairly common issue with my HID's in that occasionally the drivers side headlight goes out but comes back on if I turn the lights off/on again (Not ideal when driving at night). I researched the issue and read that this was a common symptom of a bulb about to fail and as my car appears to have the original bulbs so assumed this was the case. I replaced the bulbs with new ones last week and everything seemed fine but this morning I had exactly the same issue again after driving for just 30 mins. Now that I've ruled out the bulbs does anyone have any ideas on whether this is likely to be a ballast or controller issue? It's very intermittent and with my experiences of the local dealer I'm not confident that they'd be able to diagnose the issue. Many thanks Simon G
  22. Thanks Robert After the tires were replaced I checked all four to and set to 32psi and then did the re-set procedure - A couple of weeks later the PSI on one had dropped to 25psi so I was surprised I didn't get an when previously I had. I don't have any errors so I'm sure it's fine but I'll do as someone recommended and let some more air out of the tires when I'm next at the garage to see if flags up. Thanks for the help :)
  23. If you are getting the check hybrid warning then something is wrong with your car - get the dealer to check it out ASAP. Hopefully it's the battery in which case your covered but it could be some roger part if the hybrid system starting to fail such as the inverter or coolant pump. Has the dealer performed a health check recently as part of a service?
  24. Hi :) I have a GS450h (so different engine) and have a similar issue. When the engine is cold occasionally it get a horrible metallic rattle for 2-3 seconds. One the engine is running it sounds fine at idle but under light acceleration I get a pinking/light knocking sound from the top of the engine which gradually disappears as the engine warms up - once warmed up its smooth as silk. The local dealer has looked at the problem 3 times and most recently found a leaking VVTI oil pipe which was relaxed but this made no difference at all. The car gas had this issue for 20k miles so I've resigned myself to the fact that I'm stuck with it and that it's not causing any damage. Would be interested to see if you have better luck diagnosing your engine noise. Cheers Simon G
  25. Hi guys I had all four of my tires replaced recently by Halfords and noticed that one of my tires was low on pressure (25 PSI) but the car hadn't alerted me - could the guys have inadvertently replaced the valves with plain ones? Is there and easy way to check if the sensors are actually working? Cheers Simon G
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