gs450h GS 450H my first Lexus

[Boddney]

On 14/08/2017 at 1:50 PM, dougie175 said:

 Scary expensive! About the cost of my first couple of cars values added together!

This is the next step after prams. The LEXX TRIKE.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Premium-Lexx-Trike-Tricycle-Inflatable/dp/B01N8Q389E/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1489603782&sr=8-18&keywords=Lexus&tag=autoclubinte-21

Bod

[Goldberg]

On 8/14/2017 at 11:20 AM, Farqui said:

Had pals visit for the weekend and their pah tagged along who was keen to go for a ride in the GS 

He has a mobility scooter which none of us thought would fit in the boot but to our amazement it went in quite easily!

Anything we bought whilst we were out, had to go inside the cabin tho 

Excuse the dirty car, I washed it the next day...honest. Along with their car which took some cleaning and machine polishing to get the Seagull poop off the roof, I've never seen such a mess 

seagulls dont get me started with bl---y seagulls

 

[Boddney]

Now that's a lot of poo.💩💩💩

[Farqui]

@Goldberg, wow check out the roof 

Imagine that condensed over a few years with only occasional washes and no wax/sealant to act as a barrier.  It had eaten well into the lacquer 

[Farqui]

In hilly Derbyshire today (Battery max'd on the downhills) I reminded myself how good the Power setting is [emoji16] Hills are effortless on this mode vs Normal.

I left it on all the way home, back to the flat lands of East Anglia (almost) and mpg's weren't much lower.

Which then made me wonder...if folks find the Power or Sport modes dramatically affect their mpg? Provided they drive 'fairly' sensibly...

[dougie175]

On 10/09/2017 at 11:09 PM, Farqui said:

Which then made me wonder...if folks find the Power or Sport modes dramatically affect their mpg? Provided they drive 'fairly' sensibly...

I'm guessing its more than just the gearing ratios on your car unlike the IS250 but I always leave my IS in "PWR" mode its a much better drive in my opinion with no negative effects on fuel economy as long as I drive the same as with PWR off

[Farqui]

On 24/09/2017 at 8:15 PM, dougie175 said:

I'm guessing its more than just the gearing ratios on your car unlike the IS250 but I always leave my IS in "PWR" mode its a much better drive in my opinion with no negative effects on fuel economy as long as I drive the same as with PWR off

 

Yes I agree, the pickup is earlier and feels more natural.

What I also noticed is that the brakes are sharper in PWR. So much so, that I've needed to relearn when and how much pressure is needed. I guess the Hybrid brakes are 'keener' in the higher power settings...I defo see more 'E' blocks on the Energy menu.

[dougie175]

Yeah there is obviously no difference in the brakes on the IS but can completely understand why they would be different on the hybrid, basically the was I would describe the PWR button is that it just suits the way I like to drive

[Farqui]

Over the 6 months+ I've owned the car the sat nav has always orientated the map to the North.

It took me a while to adjust but I've since learned the live with it. 

My previous car had the setting as 'heading up', which made more sense to us.

Last weekend mrsF stops gawping out of the window and starts moaning about the sat nav orientation.

You know the sort of thing, 'thats no good', 'I can't understand where we are' or 'which way to go?', etc, etc. 

I shrug, drive on and tune out...as normal 

Then she simply presses the North symbol (top left) and boom the display now shows 'heading up'! 

I'm kinda embarrassed that I hadn't already tried that myself.

Worse still, mrsF now thinks she's a tech whiz!...and she won't let me forget it #sigh

She forgets that the true 'tech whiz' crown is still owned by our almost 4 year old grand daughter.

Maybe this post will save you the pain that could be saved by *ahem* prodding it.

PS: who reads manuals anyway 

[Farqui]

Whilst trying out some scaffold boards under my jack/stands at the weekend (gravel drive) I decided to clean up the OSR arch/suspension before slapping on a good coat of rust converter.  I applied some to the tired rear disk bells earlier this year, didn't coat them with anything else and they've stayed nicely protected.  I hope to get all of the undercarriage cleaned, treated and under sealed before too long.

Anyhoo whilst I was rummaging around the OSR tail pipe I found that a heat shield fixing had corroded through. I managed to remove the nut and add a penny washer back only to find a second fixing had also failed but in a more awkward position on top of the rear box.  This nut wouldn't budge but still had enough thread for me to add a spacer and washer which nipped up the heat shield properly. 

A bonus of this find/fix is that the rattle I thought was the rear parcel shelf/boot has now gone 

[Farqui]

The GS just sailed thru it's MOT, it's first under my tenure [emoji16]

Corrosion on the rear disks noted but not adversely affecting braking. I have new disks and pads to go on all round once I pluck up the courage to defy the brake by wire system.

Oh and so what were Lexus trying on 8 months ago saying I needed new shox's (leaking apparently). Nothing flagged today by the indi, nor by my local mechanic or by me after several look-see's. Shox's and sticky calipers seem to be standard 'offerings' from the 'stealers'. Think I'm still bitter for them trying it on. Helps to pay for the complimentary coffee tho I guess. As the brand is relatively reliable, maybe they have to quote for unecessary work?

[cruisermark]

In a side note - Pagid Discs are coated so the top hats do not rust - these front discs have been on my 430 for over a year and look as good as new.

I plan to change the rear ones aswell

 

[Farqui]

Mark @cruisermark, it's good to know that some replacements come with coated bells and yours still look dandy after 12 months use 

[SpeedyGee]

Nice build thread Lee. 

Have you done anything recently to your car ?

On 22/11/2017 at 10:15 AM, Farqui said:

Shox's and sticky calipers seem to be standard 'offerings' from the 'stealers'.

You gotta watch them stealers, always trying it on !

[Farqui]

@SpeedyGee, thanks. Alas no, other than wash it...occasionally.

Decorating is almost finished for a while tho, thankfully.

Since my brakes passed the MOT I'll park that upgrade.

The wife's V-dub is in more need of some TLC next.

[Farqui]

I finally managed to coordinate a few hours free time with some decent weather so decided to do an oil and filter change.

The 10k reminder popped up a week or so ago.

I took my time as it's the first I've done on this car but had no issues at all. Apart from working on a gravel drive 

Would have liked to spend a bit more time on a couple of other tasks but they can wait. 

The oil filter tool I bought a while back fitted a treat, ref; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272769658694

Will see how the car goes on Toyota 0W20 oil, the stealers invoice shows Mobil Super 3000 was put in last year.

[Farqui]

I've been digging into detachable tow bars for the GS 450H, mainly for our bicycle rack.

Provided you aren't towing a caravan/big trailer then the high performance cooling option isn't need, which is just as well at Lexus just quoted me £2010 (inc VAT) for the kit !  

3rd party tow bars are thin on the ground for the GS but I have found a Curt 'hitch' stateside that looks very easy to fit, is cheap but looks low and is visible with limited capacity; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Curt-Hitch-Rear-New-for-Lexus-GS300-IS250-IS350-GS350-2007-2011-113722/121925703562. It's been confirmed to fit a GS 450H here (install pic's); https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-3rd-gen-2006-2011/771430-trailer-hitch-for-2007-gs450h.html

Curt quick install video (no wiring tho); https://youtu.be/L0KYjWgAGZk

Watling Engineering Ltd can build a bespoke bar / electrics for around £600.  I presume this is installed and I don't know how long it would take.  This might be a good option as I'm not sure how my aftermarket mufflers will sit next to any of the off the shelf tow bars.  The tow bar looks like a tight install for OEM boxes, let alone custom zoorsts.

After seeing high prices for a Lexus tow bars within the forums, I was quite surprised when Lexus Lincoln quoted £530 (inc VAT) supplied (not fitted, I'll do that myself).  Single electrics are £133 (inc VAT) supplied, I presume these are plug/play?  With a healthy LOC discount these prices aren't too bad.  Fitting the Lexus/Thule/Brink bar looks much more complicated affair vs the Curt, but it'll be neater and less visible when not in use.  For reference the Lexus part# PZ408-S1553-00, PDF; http://www.lexus-tech.eu/aimuploads/{E8C7CF0A-B139-0CCB-532C-B96EA0E5B139}/GS300-GS350-GS430-GS450h-GS460 Detachable towing hitch AIM 001 040-2 PZ408-S1553-00.pdf.

Oh and if you Google the part number then you get lots of Russian results, any idea why?  Do they fit more tow bars over there?

If I do install a tow bar then instead of using a roof box to increase luggage capacity I'm keen to explore using a rear cargo box instead, something like the Thule EasyBase; https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/cargo-carrier/towbar-cargo-carriers  Which looks easier to use that a roof box, should be slightly more stream lined and won't need any special booking slots on the Eurotunnel.  Although we couldn't use the cargo carrier and the bike rack at the same time, so we may still need to resort to a roof box if we travel more than 2 up 

Does anyone have any experiences/comments? 

Has anyone used Lexus tow bar electrics in their GS?  If so then do you know where the loom hook up is and how to gain access?

Oh and before anyone asks, I will not be changing the car as we don't need lugging ability all the time.  The wife's Golf already has a tow bar fitted but we both much prefer to chew up the miles in the big L 

[Farqui]

While the sun was shining I decided to take a look at the front seats which occasionally squeak.

Whilst cleaning under the driver's seat I found £2.60, a golf T, cable tie and a sticky sweat (yeeeew)!

[Farqui]

The front seat panels can be removed by unhooking 3 elastic clips, disconnecting the footwell light to then peel back/up the lower cover. Which reveals 2 cross head screws to remove. You should then be able to lower the panel down. If not, then try easing the upper outer sides.

[Farqui]

All of the seat fixings were good and tight bar one on the passenger side. This was the worse seat, so maybe that'll help.

I hope it's not the runner locating pin that has been cut off by some. Although I don't mind getting the seats out, it'll be more work #sigh

Under each seat front, there are 2 bolts securing a cross bar. These were all looser than I'd like. So they were nipped back up.

The two metal trims on the seat front seem to make some noise, so I applied some leather cleaner which appears to have helped.

With the seats still apart, I took a test drive and think the noise comes from the outside edge, halfway up. I'll take another look at lunchtime tomorrow.

[Farqui]

I'm still haven't fixed the squeaky seat but on a positive note I got an official 2017/18 gen5 satnav DVD loaded at lunchtime (cheap eBay purchase)  This disk now allows satnav/etc selections on the move, which'll keep the mrs happy - she changes her mind and then decides we're going somewhere else!

To read the disk I once again had to disconnect the Battery for 15mins, those can't read disk errors freak me out. 

When I then started the car it didn't rev as high from cold and on a short test run (engine didn't get to temp) the motor shut off when i slowed down.  Which made me wonder if the ECU relearns after a Battery disconnect?  But thinking about it, I wonder if the HVAC controls were off after the power off? - then the motor would be less likely to kick in   Whatever!

[Farqui]

OEM tow bar and electric's are now installed, the job escalated and left the car airborne for a week.

A rear mounted rack that's nice and low is much easier to use than a roof rack, more aerodynamic too.

I've already had a pal 'suggest' that I've been moonlighting for the council and emptying wheelie bins into my boot ! 

That bin has been split for years, ended up housing junk and has now gone.

[Farqui]

Oh and as it starts to rain (again) while your rushing around clearing up tools at the end of job, don't carry arm full of tools/etc at once.  If you do then you may find that the heavy removable swan neck tow ball does a swan dive to terra firma.  The issue I had was the key was still in the lock and the key broke off inside the lock 

Fortunately the key broke in such a way that two of us managed to fish the broken portion out of the lock.

A replacement key and a spare arrived this morning 

[Farqui]

Had time to tinker this evening so started by fitting a new PCV valve. The old one is still working but it's a cheap swap and good practice to allow the engine to breathe. It's tucked away and quite awkward to get a spanner/socket on. The hose leading to the inlet was a little damp.

I then fitted an air/oil separator with custom bracket, ran the hoses only to find the engine cover comes down much further than I thought. Doh! A mk2 bracket can wait for another day, so I reverted back to the OEM hose.

Wanting to end on a high, I removed the slam panel cover and all 6 bolts (yes 6!) securing the bonnet catch. The last/central bolt is hidden under a plastic cover which then allows you to lift the latch mechanism a few mm. Nipping up all the bolts the bonnet now closes and latches really easily  Previously it needed a really good slam, soooooo un-Lexus like!

[Farqui]

Last week I found a good position for the oil/air separator and hooked up new vacuum hoses only to find they collapsed under idle.  So back to the drawing board there #sigh

On a brighter note I took a look at the roof trim that's been loose on the OSR and found the last 3 clips are broken; 

So I popped a dab of TigerSeal in each clip, another at the end of the trim for good measure and it's nicely seated now.