superatticman

Hi All My ongoing issue with a bit of wind noise at speed was possibly solved today. Well....at least I found out what the culprit is. Running at a tad over 70 Northwards on the M1 I could hear the noise appearing again. Was a blustery day to say the least. Not sure why but I thought to fold in the electric wing mirrors to see if that made any difference to the air flow. Apparently wind noise isn't just caused by wind getting in. Its also to do with a difference in air pressure inside and outside of the vehicle. Lo and behold....the distinctive noise went away completely. Out come the mirrors.....and back it comes! Has anyone else noticed noise coming from their mirror assembly at speed? I guess its possible I still have a seal issue and that the wing mirror change of angle has done something to disrupt the air flow. However Lexus reckoned the seals are fine so maybe not. Cheers Adam

This is the conundrum. Whatever you say about reliability, hidden costs etc ze Germans especially have a superb range of models. The 5 series and A6 come with frugal, low emission but punchy to fairly rapid diesel or 1.8T/2.0T petrol engines. They may frustrate with gremlins (a by product of tech overload) but for your average lease buyer this isn't a problem. They still also come with a genuine performance option too. And that's before you even get to the likes of the supercaresque M5 variant. I'd be surprised if the ES isnt dropped in a year or two, comfortable, pleasant and appealing (to me anyway) car as it may be. Interesting points ES v Camry listed above too. I suppose Camry was always a bit more in competition with the Accord (remember them?). Another decent car that just didn't catch on here.

I guess coming from a GS250, performance of an ES300 is going to be similar. So no concerns there. There just won't be the lovely sound and character of a V6. I'm not that bothered about performance these days and I do rate comfort over speed. However it does seem the GS is the last in line of the 'true' Lexus experience unless you want an LS or Chelsea tractor type vehicle. Must admit though a Camry Excel looks far better value than an ES. Being 6'4 and long in the back will have to try for size before remotely considering any purchase though. Both are possibly a tad less headroomy than the GS which may be a deal breaker. If that's the case...then a later GS may be an option. After that though....I guess I'm at the mercy of the Germans although in 10 years time the motoring landscape may be unrecognisable.

I wouldn't mind a test drive in an ES at some point. Its the logical upgrade for me when the time comes. However I can't help feeling the Camry is better value.....

Hi Just to remind me didn't you buy that 450h from Lexus Edgware?? Pretty sure I test drove it but didn't fancy taking out credit. Also....had just racked up 6 points from speed cameras and didn't fancy adding to them..... cheers

Sounds like the sort of car you offer 5k for or walk away.

Hi all Am still trying to get to the bottom of some (minor) wind noise that I get at speed. Have tried taping the window seals and door seals but not sure it made any difference. I know a windscreen that's not been fitted 100% can cause this too. Does anyone else's Lexus have a piece of rubber between the screen and roof as depicted below? Cheers

Great review. I was thinking of doing something similar with my car! Problem is I'd probably end up trying to sound like Jeremy Clarkson and make a total berk of myself.

Cheers There's some great material out there for machine polishing. Advice is to steer away from rotary polishers unless you are getting some proper training on their use. They are the most efficient way of polishing but can damage your bodywork if you aren't careful. Have just bought myself a DAS 6 Auto Pro dual action and a set of Hexlogic foam pads. Total cost around £140. Just a question of which polish to use. I've got quite a bit of Autoglym SRP which is more of a polisher than a cutter but as my paintwork seems in fairly decent condition this could work well. Gonna grab some Wax to protect too. Either way as long as you don't use the hardest cutting pad with compound and press down relentlessly it appears you really can't do any harm with a DA polisher. Either way no more all day affairs hopefully. Adam

Hi All I usually polish and wax my car in April. Have done it by hand for years now. Usually takes 2 hours per coat. Have picked up a bit of a neck/shoulder injury so am pondering buying in a polishing machine to help me along. I know as much as that rotary polishers are for experiences users only as they can apparently burn the paint with misuse. Dual action polishers seem to be the interim solution between hand and rotary polishing. Anyone on here used one?? Might give it a compound too if recommended? Cheers Adam

I've learned something tonight too. Didn't realise the GSF was available in the UK! Thought it was an American only model. So yes, there's an 'in house' upgrade path from a GS450h if you want something outrageously fast. As per usual the motoring press reviewers aren't overly kind but as we all 'get' Lexus cars and the pros of owning one that's not really a problem. You suggested an ES as an upgrade option. Very viable if you aren't overly worried about pace. Quite a few of us are happy with brisk performance as the other factors such as a ride, comfort, quality etc are more of a priority than sheer performance.

The problem with wanting to 'upgrade' from a Lexus GS, especially a 450h....is that there really isn't an awful lot out there that's worth upgrading to. If you are going large German badged then you may get a bit more grunt, a bit more driving experience, probably more street cred. However you will almost certainly pay a price in reliability and some expensive repairs for items you've problem never ever heard of await. I guess for me an upgrade from my early GS250 to a later GS450 is a logical one.

I know.....but for me it just kinda worked with all that chrome too!

We've all been there. Excitedly going to view a car and then it totally failing or more than exceeding expectations. Having always been a fan of big wafty cars I once travelled 200 miles to go and look at an immaculate looking low mileage Rover 75 in about 2006. Was a gorgeous and rare 2001 plate turquoise colour, fully loaded with electric rear blind etc Connoisseur SE. 1 owner, full main dealer history etc. I arrived at the small dealership and saw the car. Looked lovely. Sat in it, felt brand new. Even had that 'new car smell'. I'd almost made up my mind there and then! However within 2 minutes of the test drive it sounded like there was a bumble bee stuck behind the dash. Then a rattle started where door pins were. Anything above 50mph I could hear wind noise coming in somewhere. Then a warning light came on the dashboard and a slight knock started from the engine bay! Immediately pulled the car over and phoned the dealer who came out very apologetically to pick me up. Said to me "I'll get to the bottom of the problem, probably just the oil pump, known issue on that model, fancy leaving a deposit, you've come a long way". The classic Rover build quality rattles that selectively plagued their models had already put me off. Shame....as it was a gorgeous looking car if you like classic British looking motors. Drove home in a sulk and got fined for entering a box junction too. Literally a week later a similar car came up 5 miles away from a private seller. Similar spec, 2000 plate, slightly higher mileage, racing green, about 30% less of the price. Drove perfectly, no rattles at all. Knocked him down a bit citing the lack of dealership support and took it home happy as Larry.

Yep. The rims on my Mk4 tend to be prone to kerbing. Virtually every Lexus I see out there has major scuff marks around the outer edge of the rims. They just seem prone to it in general. American market vehicles that don't take kerbs into consideration? Lovely 3rd gen btw. Front end reminds me a bit of my old Soarer.

I saw my old Westminster blue 1999 Honda Accord 3.0 V6 Coupe around Christmas time. I know it stayed local but nice to see it. Very distinctive car and still looked in good nick! Out of interest Peter why did you sell your ES? Can only have been a year or so old. Will be possibly looking at one in a couple of years. Looks a lovely car although certainly going to cost a few £££ even at 3-4 years old.

Agree with all of this. I guess there are two types of issue that diligent buyers of cars will ponder: How likely is it to actually break down and need roadside assistance? How likely is it to develop minor faults? The two above are no doubted related. If a car accumulates a number of minor faults it could eventually lead to a physical breakdown. Although of course you could have a scenario where a car runs without problems for years but then suffers a sudden catastrophic failure of a major component. Ie cam chain or gearbox. A perfect example of the minor fault car was my ex E60 523i. Never left me stranded. Started every time. Lovely motor to drive all in all. However throughout its four years of ownership it had numerous faults. If unattended, some of the items below would have led to complete breakdown or more severe failure. 1) electric window motor failure. £250 (warranty) 2) boot wiring loom failure £520 (warranty) 3) Rocker cover failure £350 4) Ignition coils all replaced £350 5) NoX sensor replaced £300 6) Leaking radiator repaired £250 These on top of normal items such as service, brake discs, tyres etc. The failed (warped) rocker cover was the last straw for me and I decided to turn back to the sanity of Japanese car ownership. The guys on the infamous 'Bimmerforum' were quite pragmatic about the whole episode though. Far from defending the brand they were happy to accept certain German badged ownership can come as a shock to those migrating from Japanese brands. So back to the Lexus I bought my Gs250 in early 2019 as a 7 year old very low mileage car from a dealer for around £12.5k although they threw in a 3 year warranty. Quite expensive really considering the age and 'old hat' larger petrol engine. Especially when you could pick up a 3 yr old mid mileage Madza 6 for about the same. However, I paid for what I perceive as quality engineering and reliability and feel I have got decent value for money in this respect. Of course returning to the original point had I paid that amount for a 7 year old car that started developing niggles that the beemer did, or was compromised as far as quality of interior goes then I'd have felt a prize mug to be honest. I did so on the trust and belief that Lexus = quality engineering, no compromises and hassle free motoring. As the op has alluded to, if this is now apparently being challenged in places then it casts doubt over whether you should be paying a premium for perceived quality that isn't quite what it was. Maybe its a false alarm or maybe its a sign of what's coming. Await the next year or so with baited breath.

Quite how I managed to include 'Rover' and 'Lexus' in the same breath is something worth mass scrutiny! However let's just see how the next couple of years pan out. I guess if QC or standard quality has been lowered.....could always get a late GS facelift when it's time to renew. Yes the Colours of the 75s were impressive. I absolutely loved the interiors too. My own Conny SE that I had for a couple of years was an early one that was very well put together and didn't give me any grief at all. I think second hand it came in at half the price of a GS of similar year and spec!!

It will be interesting to see how this speculation develops. Is it an overall drop in quality or maybe inconsistency of build? The latter was personified no better than the Rover 75's. Some were excellent, others were okay, the remainder were sub par. Dash rattles, squeaks, leaks etc. Please don't start heading that way Lexus. Was bad enough having a slightly rattly dash on my old E60.

This is not looking great. I have to say my GS is pretty silent still. No interior rattles or resonating trim etc. I get some minor wind noise at higher motorway speeds (possibly a door rubber that needs replacing) but overall its impressively quiet for a 9 year old car. If there's no real difference in quality between say, the ES and the Camry then badge obsession aside.....the Camry is the logical buy?

Same here. My brother works in the trade so I've managed to drive quite a few of his motors, mainly larger German cars. I've no problem in saying the Germans win when it comes to sheer driving experience, engine range and probably ergonomics too. However some of the horror stories he tells me about things that go wrong and the cost of repair (usually under warranty) are quite sobering. I had my own taste of this with an E60. Slightly underwhelmed with the fact you can only buy the ES/Camry with a 2.5 4cyl but it doesn't seem too bad having driven a hire UX. There's always an LS but if the ES/GS is one factor up from the IS when it comes to running costs, the LS is probably about two factors from an ES/GS.

Mine was the poverty spec grey one. Still, wasn't a bad little motor and the 2.5 4 pot not as offensive as I thought it may be.

Hi John Have been on here just over a couple of years 🙂 Have a very recent pic of the GS below enjoying (not) the pleasures of rear wheel drive in the snow! Probably looking at an ES or Camry the next time around. Pretty much the same vehicle although the Lexus obviously a little more refined. Did borrow a UX when I had it serviced. That wasn't bad but a bit too 'mum and dad' for me. Edgware Road Lexus have generally been very helpful and fair. Adam

Well, I drive it. I lock it. I put fuel in it. I unlock it. I drive it long distances, I drive it to work. I clean it. I tax it. Insurance is due in March. I service it every year at the dealer. Everything just works. Nothing else to report really!!!!! Has truly lived up to its reputation for reliability and being decent to drive too. Definitely sticking with the brand from now on.

I think its pretty easy to hit 12 points these days. Plenty of people I know who I don't think are particularly reckless drivers are on 6 with a couple of 9. Speed cameras are now appearing like never before so its just so easy to slip up slightly and in comes that dreaded letter. I actually think busy areas with lots of congestion are a real risk because you are conditioned to just crawling through unable to get anywhere near the limit anyway. So of course when you get a quiet period its so easy to just slip up and get lettered. I thought most patrol cars have software that tracks reg plates and flags any potential vehicles that have a banned driver registered to them?? Some wag I know chanced it with only a few weeks left of a 3 month ban and got pulled over for just that reason. Ended up getting another 6 months!!!