New buyer: Lexus GS450h 3rd generation, pre-facelift vs post facelift

[cruisermark]

39 minutes ago, HenryHippo said:

The car I viewed recently had the battery changed by Hybrid Solutions. I'd heard about them before and it's £800, versus circa £3k from a Lexus Dealer

Seems that the consensus here is to go for the warranty which I will do then

It does seem that this model doesn't go wrong often but when it does it is much more expensive than a comparable 5 series/ E class/ A6 to fix. Is this true?

Are servicing costs also higher for this car than a comparable German motor?

 

Hi Jamie - Hybrid Battery solutions would of refurbed the Battery cells and associated parts for the £800 - The Lexus dealer will only change the whole Battery - just thought you should know the difference - Generally it is not the whole Battery which fails - it is individual cells and I believe Richard checks each cells and replaces or refurbs as required.

I think the key points here are if you are buying private then get Lexus to inspect and get the warranty. The shock absorbers can be faulty even if a leak is not evident

hope this helps

 

 

 

[HenryHippo]

39 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

Hi Jamie - Hybrid battery solutions would of refurbed the battery cells and associated parts for the £800 - The Lexus dealer will only change the whole battery - just thought you should know the difference - Generally it is not the whole battery which fails - it is individual cells and I believe Richard checks each cells and replaces or refurbs as required.

I think the key points here are if you are buying private then get Lexus to inspect and get the warranty. The shock absorbers can be faulty even if a leak is not evident

hope this helps

 

 

 

Did not known this, so better off with Lexus replacing it than the refurb (assuming money no object)

I think my route will be as follows:

- Buy trade (under 10 years and under 140k)

-Take to Lexus for test

-If there are any problems take back to trade to fix

-Take out 2 year lexus warranty

Any more anecdotal service/ consumable costs from anyone? I noticed that tyres are ~£250 a pair for midrange which is a little steep but not horrendously so

[Shahpor]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

What size are the tyres?  Usually Blackcircles and Camskill are pretty good for tyres.

Although, £250 for 2 tyres isn't bad.  My 245/45/17's cost me £112 each.

[royoftherovers]

1 minute ago, Shahpor said:

Sounds like a good plan to me.

What size are the tyres?  Usually Blackcircles and Camskill are pretty good for tyres.

Although, £250 for 2 tyres isn't bad.  My 245/45/17's cost me £112 each.

Just paid £84 each for Lexus to provide and fit 4 Kuhmo All Season tyres to my GS450h.

Not a bad deal, so it is worth asking your Lexus dealer to quote you.

Regards

John

[Shahpor]

That is cheap John.  What size?

Mine was also from a dealer and was a Dunlop SP Sport 01.

[HenryHippo]

4 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

Just paid £84 each for Lexus to provide and fit 4 Kuhmo All Season tyres to my GS450h.

Not a bad deal, so it is worth asking your Lexus dealer to quote you.

Regards

John

That's not much more than I pay for a Honda Accord on 16"s !

 

The £250 figure I quoted was for 18"s. I'd rather buy a car with 17",s . Never understood the fashion for big wheels

[royoftherovers]

10 minutes ago, Shahpor said:

That is cheap John.  What size?

Mine was also from a dealer and was a Dunlop SP Sport 01.

225/50/17R, and they retained my Kumho summer tyres Shahpor (4mm on rears and 6mms on fronts) to refit for me for the summer.Then next winter they will refit the All Season tyres and retain the summer ones again.

My summer ones had covered 25,000 miles, so I am not Emerson Fitipaldi !

I feel that it is important to try to build and maintain a good personal relationship with the man on the service desk.

Regards

John

[Shahpor]

They store your tyres for you?!?  Now that is what I call service.

Emerson Fitipaldi?  You are showing your age John   Still, at least you didn't say Fangio or Sir Sterling Moss.

[royoftherovers]

1 minute ago, Shahpor said:

They store your tyres for you?!?  Now that is what I call service.

Emerson Fitipaldi?  You are showing your age John   Still, at least you didn't say Fangio or Sir Sterling Moss.

I could not remember one (Juan) christian name and Stirling (Sterling) has had his money`s worth !! LOL :)

Best wishes.

[Britprius]

On the cost of servicing the "Full service" price from a customer point of view is very expensive. On checking the list Lexus supplies the extras over an "Intermediate service" amount to:-

(1) Inspect diff oil (change oil extra cost)

(2) Wheel alignment check (extra charge if an adjustment is made) Looking at the tyres will tell if alignment is out.

(3) Replace brake fluid

(4) Inspect air filter  ( I can remove and refit the air filter in one minute)

(5) Replace engine coolant model dependent. (I think this is a 100,000 mile 10year fluid with Toyota SLLC coolant)

(6) Check transmission oil (change oil extra cost)

(7)Tighten prop shaft bolts.

The biggest item here is the brake fluid change. There are other extra items on the list, but all would be checked on an MOT anyway.

John

[Shahpor]

Yep, it does seem to be a lot of extra money for not much extra work.

The only thing is, I would enquire whether it needs the proper servicing for the warranty, or if the basic service is enough either time.

[HenryHippo]

So in terms of projected costs for my new steed for the first year:

-Purchase price, £6k

-2 year warranty £1,050

-Road tax £260

- Fuel (9k a year @ 30 MPG) £1,600

-2 new tyres £240

-Insurance £800

-MOT £22

- Service £199

Essentially: £7k to stump up front, and then £3.1k a year of running costs thereafter (£260 a month)

By comparison, my current Accord is £2.3k a year(£192 a month). That increase is acceptable to me

Am I missing anything in my estimates?

[Shahpor]

With the exception of possibly brakes, I think you got the basics pretty much covered.

[HenryHippo]

Looking at the extended warranty now. Rather than buying it as a one off, does anyone buy it every 2 years, keeping it under warranty until the very end of the 10 year/ 140k threshold?

[steveledzep]

Up to now, I've had two IS250s and I put two years warranty on each.  Sold the first after 18 months and am planning to sell present one after 18 months too.  The Lexus (transferable) warranty certainly helped with the sale of the first one and expect similar come May.

 

Our next vehicle will be a three year old RX450h and as we're approaching retirement is likely to be a keeper and I intend to put successive Lexus Warrantys on it up to 10 years old.  That's if I don't get the itch to change......

[HenryHippo]

Oh and does the 10 year limit on the extended warranty apply to when the car was first registered or was first constructed?

Assuming the former but want to double check!

[steveledzep]

Don't know, but my assumption would be first registered too.

[Shahpor]

7 minutes ago, HenryHippo said:

Oh and does the 10 year limit on the extended warranty apply to when the car was first registered or was first constructed?

Assuming the former but want to double check!

It will be when it was first registered.

[royoftherovers]

10 minutes ago, Shahpor said:

It will be when it was first registered.

When it was first registered in UK.

Date of construction will be difficult to determine anyway,unless one has the Certificate of Conformity.

Regards

John

[royoftherovers]

4 hours ago, HenryHippo said:

So in terms of projected costs for my new steed for the first year:

-Purchase price, £6k

-2 year warranty £1,050

-Road tax £260

- Fuel (9k a year @ 30 MPG) £1,600

-2 new tyres £240

-Insurance £800

-MOT £22

- Service £199

Essentially: £7k to stump up front, and then £3.1k a year of running costs thereafter (£260 a month)

By comparison, my current Accord is £2.3k a year(£192 a month). That increase is acceptable to me

Am I missing anything in my estimates?

Jamie,the estimate assumes that you do not have any problems and that all goes well with buying from a suitable Dealer/Trader and that Lexus will accept your purchase for the Extended Warranty Scheme. All of that may indeed happen and I hope it does go well for you.

I would suggest however that you build in an appropriate cushion of contingency amounting to approx 30%, say £900 to bring your anticipated first year expenditure to £4,000.(£333 pm). This would cushion the effect of having to deal with matters such as replacing wheel bearings, changing transmission oil,replacing brake pads and possibly discs,miscellaneous bulbs and wiper rubbers. If some of these items occur (bearings,oil and discs) in the first 6 months of purchase from the Dealer/Trader,he may stand the cost.But if they occur after 6 months, then you would have to meet the cost.

Whatever occurs Jamie, I think that some sort of contingency should be built into the figures.

Just my view Jamie and I do hope that all goes well for you.

Regards

John

[HenryHippo]

11 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Jamie,the estimate assumes that you do not have any problems and that all goes well with buying from a suitable Dealer/Trader and that Lexus will accept your purchase for the Extended Warranty Scheme. All of that may indeed happen and I hope it does go well for you.

I would suggest however that you build in an appropriate cushion of contingency amounting to approx 30%, say £900 to bring your anticipated first year expenditure to £4,000.(£333 pm). This would cushion the effect of having to deal with matters such as replacing wheel bearings, changing transmission oil,replacing brake pads and possibly discs,miscellaneous bulbs and wiper rubbers. If some of these items occur (bearings,oil and discs) in the first 6 months of purchase from the Dealer/Trader,he may stand the cost.But if they occur after 6 months, then you would have to meet the cost.

Whatever occurs Jamie, I think that some sort of contingency should be built into the figures.

Just my view Jamie and I do hope that all goes well for you.

Regards

John

Oh of course, a contingency will be budgeted for (like any car)

All in all, this model is pretty reliable (compared to German rivals), but if it does go wrong it would cost more to fix than said rivals?

[Shahpor]

i think the biggest difference seems to be parts availability.

Most parts for cars such as BMW's tend to be available after market, whereas Lexus seem to keep a tight grip on theirs.

So when you factor in dealer prices, it can be more expensive.

[GSLV6]

I checked the servicing costs for our newer hybrid with our local Indy, and tbh, it was only fractionally cheaper than Lexus for the minor and about £50 cheaper for the major.  Front brake pads were £30 cheaper (incl vat) fitted from the Indy as was a Battery change (£80 cheaper!).  There may be other savings.

On the flip side, Lexus customer care has been exemplary, at least with our local one in Cheltenham, who include a courtesy car to use when ours is in for service plus have always valeted our car inside and out as part of the service.  Add to the general servicing the £56 annual hybrid check and this also offers a full 12 month warranty on the entire hybrid system, extendable by 12 months with every healthcheck taken each year.  That has to be worth it for a vehicle over 5 years old just for peace of mind I'd have thought.

[Z28DUNC]

I did what you are planning to do, buying trade and taking out a warranty and Lexus service scheme. I've had to use the warranty as the aircon system stopped working and it took Lexus a full day of stripping it to find out it was down to corroded connections. This would have been a pretty penny if I had to pay for it. Whatever you do get the warranty. If I was buying again though I would buy directly from a Lexus dealership. Its so much less hassle as you'll get a years warranty anyway and the sort the car out properly before sale. Maybe something like this? http://usedcars.lexus.co.uk/used-GS/GS-450h/3.5/Stoke-on-Trent/1833775-606136054-1607044.aspx?srcmdc=se_na_re_

[HenryHippo]

4 hours ago, Shahpor said:

i think the biggest difference seems to be parts availability.

Most parts for cars such as BMW's tend to be available after market, whereas Lexus seem to keep a tight grip on theirs.

So when you factor in dealer prices, it can be more expensive.

Fair, so I won't see them on EuroCar Parts? :P