48k service, tyre change and issues

[Steve44]

So the IS turned 48k and needed a service,  cue Lexus Newcastle and overall great service from them.  Collected and delivered car,  washed and valeted,  all things done I asked,  changed rear tyres and a free tin of sweets on the passenger seat too!

Couple of things I probably need to sort though.

1. The heater fan seems to be playing up and has a potential dry bearing causing noise especially when cold. Lexus have said they would need car for 2 days and disassemble dash to replace under warranty. I'm not sure I want to risk more issues with creaking squeaking dash once they've stripped and replaced it. What do people think? 

2. The steering wheel is off centre.  Car drives straight,  but wheel is off by 1 or 2 splines to the right and it's really annoying. Cant rememeber it so bad before the service,  but it's really annoying me now so it's got to be fixed. 

3. New Continental SportContact5 rear tyres fitted,  which are an improvement in virtually every way over the Bridgestones.  I just need to wear out the fronts quicker,  which given how much understeer I've got now due to increased grip from rear,  shouldn't be long..... 

[200h]

i cant imagine the steering wheel has been removed from your car

so i feel it will need the tracking to be tested and reset .

 

[rayaans]

Wont be the alignment if the car goes straight. Id be inclined to think its the steering rack. Hit any big potholes or kerbs recently?

Oh no you didn't really go for the continentals did you? They have very poor wear, you'll be needing replacements in 10-12k miles!

[Rabbers]

I too will be taking the 300h for its 48K miles (=60K km) service within the next couple of months or so, and will coincidentally be needing

a new set of tyres having already discarded the OEM Bridgestone Turanzas because of serious - indeed alarming - wear to the rears at

38K km (= 24K miles) discovered when I routinely changed to winters back in November.

I am thinking of ordering a set of Goodyear Eagle Asymmetrics, having heard nothing but good about them in terms of quietness, durability

and rim-protection (this latter factor being the only positive thing I would attribute to the Bridgestones), but have not yet made up my mind.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Steve44]

I didn't have a choice on the tyres, I would have preferred Dunlop Sportmax RT but as it is a company car,  they were free. They are much gripper and square shouldered than the Bridgestone,  quieter too I think. Need to wear out the fronts quicker though,  considering doing many laps around a roundabout! 

Rim protection on the Bridgestone I wasnt too impressed with Rabbers, I've kerbed both fronts badly. The Continental being a squarer shoulder look better. I'll post a pic later. 

I may have hit a few bad potholes lately, as I said car drives square just the wheel is off, I'll get them to square it up. 

Any thoughts on dash disassembley to fix the heater motor? Concerned it will cause more issues than it will fix? 

[rayaans]

3 hours ago, Steve44 said:

I didn't have a choice on the tyres, I would have preferred Dunlop Sportmax RT but as it is a company car,  they were free. They are much gripper and square shouldered than the Bridgestone,  quieter too I think. Need to wear out the fronts quicker though,  considering doing many laps around a roundabout! 

Rim protection on the Bridgestone I wasnt too impressed with Rabbers, I've kerbed both fronts badly. The Continental being a squarer shoulder look better. I'll post a pic later. 

I may have hit a few bad potholes lately, as I said car drives square just the wheel is off, I'll get them to square it up. 

Any thoughts on dash disassembley to fix the heater motor? Concerned it will cause more issues than it will fix? 

If they were free then it doesn't matter if they wear out quick.

As with all low profile tyres, I think the trick to not kerbing the car is A - not going anywhere near a kerb or B - if you have to go up a kerb then take the whole car in at an angle.

In terms of the dash, get them to give you a written guarantee that if you find any rattles after its been put back that they'll sort them all out free of charge. I think thats the only way to really go about it.

[Rabbers]

Steve:

Touch wood, I have so far managed not to kerb my wheels.  This I attribute as much to my good luck as to having taken normal precautions

such as keeping an adequate distance from kerbs, avoiding abnormally high ones and, generally, forcing myself to take a proper amount of

time when parking despite possible irate honks from other cars (and resisting the temptation of showing them a finger, which would be

unbecoming for a Lexus driver).  The self-dipping mirrors are also a great help.  Be this as it may, my satisfaction with the Bridgestones

in terms of rim protection is based on the observation that on the several occasions when I lightly but perceptibly grazed a parallel

kerb, for example when passing stationary turning vehicles on the inside, and fearing the worst, I was always relieved to find that the

vertical geometry of the tyre walls was such as to have prevented the area of scuffing from extending from the rubber to the metal.