GS450H Thoughts after a period of ownership

[lockeyboy]

Hi All

 

I thought I'd write my own thoughts around the car, having bought it around the middle of last year.

• The drop down, windows in, parking sensors, etc.  Gets in the way of my knees, personally it would have been nice to locate it elsewhere, but it could be a space issue. Would also be good if the wing mirrors opened automatically at say 10mph?
• traction is very poor (i may drive too fast?) and handling is average, compared to the german counterparts.
• I have what I believe is a "common", if thats the right word for any fault with a lexus...problem with a door  lock. basically it slips, so won't open (the car tries to open itself a few times, so you know just from listening if it's slipped.  I need a new one, it's around £120 i think for the part, plus labour.
• I have a tear in the drivers seat (back not side bolster) - could quite easily be user error
• i think the seal in the sunroof has seen better days, and the rear door seals stick a little (nothing me pulling my finger out and lubricating won't fix)
• the boot confuses me, sometimes it opens sometimes it doesn't (thats separate from the sneaky button in the glovebox that locks it when all you're really looking for is a cd)

Its fast.   No one seems to know how fast, and it's under appreciated in that respect.  Its comfortable, reliable (I do have a knock, but so far no one has been able to identify what it is), and nicely equipped, especially considering its an 11 year old car.

[The-Acre]

And does your dash creak?  And apart from the above would you recommend one?

[Farqui]

I agree that the boot lock is annoying every now and then, secure tho!

I've not found traction an issue but I don't hammer it very often. I guess you're in Sport and/or Pwr when it gives? What tyres and pressures are you running?

I really like the cars 'sleeper' style.

Creaky dash? - nope.

[australianstan]

In the two months I’ve owned mine I’ve had to spend around €4500 fixing stuff- all four shocks, water pump, new 12v Battery, all brake discs and pads. This was on top of the €11000 purchase price for a 2008 450h (the tax changed here in Ireland in 2008 from €1850 PA to €750 as it became emissions-based, so the post-change cars hold their value very well). Lexus have agreed to give me a new bonnet, however, as there were small signs of corrosion, and it passed its final hybrid Battery check last week. Reversing auto-tilt mirrors don’t work properly.

Driving-wise it’s great, although it creaks like an old ship, going to have a felt and silicone grease festival this weekend to see if I can eliminate the noises. Traction control is too invasive- every time I put my foot down the nanny slaps my wrist. Traction not great in general really, again it might be the tyres in need of refreshing. Love the power though, and it’s doubled the mpg of my rx8 in every driving style.


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[The-Acre]

1 hour ago, australianstan said:

In the two months I’ve owned mine I’ve had to spend around €4500 fixing stuff- all four shocks, water pump, new 12v battery, all brake discs and pads. This was on top of the €11000 purchase price for a 2008 450h (the tax changed here in Ireland in 2008 from €1850 PA to €750 as it became emissions-based, so the post-change cars hold their value very well). Lexus have agreed to give me a new bonnet, however, as there were small signs of corrosion, and it passed its final hybrid battery check last week. Reversing auto-tilt mirrors don’t work properly.

Driving-wise it’s great, although it creaks like an old ship, going to have a felt and silicone grease festival this weekend to see if I can eliminate the noises. Traction control is too invasive- every time I put my foot down the nanny slaps my wrist. Traction not great in general really, again it might be the tyres in need of refreshing. Love the power though, and it’s doubled the mpg of my rx8 in every driving style.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My dash creaked a lot, and I've discovered it's fairly common. I bought some black rubber used in double glazing, just the right size for pushing between the dash and windscreen.  It took one minute and the creak has gone!

[Rebecca]

My grandad also owns the GS450h and he absolutely loves it. Like me he's a Lexus enthusiast and has owned several over the years. This is by far his favourite. 

As @lockeyboy says, it's fast. Infact it feels very fast. My IS-F only feels slightly quicker from a standing start. 

[Z28DUNC]

It's a pity they didn't fit a LSD to these cars. I think off the line traction would be much better. Also doesn't the car restrict full power to a certain speed? It really accelerates well when your already at motorway speed. 

[mrdoofa]

I can vouch for how fast these cars are!!! The acceleration is phenomenal thanks to the instant torque of the electric motor and seamless CVT transmission and not much can keep up with it. I had one briefly last year but ended up returning it to the dealer who gave me a refund after the hybrid system failed. I really enjoyed the car though and found it an extremely comfortable wolf in sheeps clothing. However it has to be said that the LS430 which I bought from Phil is now 17 years old and done 125k miles and doesn’t have a single creak or rattle anywhere, silence really is golden!!! I love this car.

[Hangie]

16 hours ago, Z28DUNC said:

It's a pity they didn't fit a LSD to these cars. I think off the line traction would be much better. Also doesn't the car restrict full power to a certain speed? It really accelerates well when your already at motorway speed. 

There is no restriction. There is just not enough electric power from standstill when petrol engine is idling or is off.

While you are at speed and engine is running it is easy to generate electricy to fully power up electric motor and get full torque.

[lockeyboy]

On 08/02/2018 at 6:44 PM, The-Acre said:

And does your dash creak?  And apart from the above would you recommend one?

yes, for no apparent reason, and sometimes doesn't. it's very odd.

I'd get one, but not for the fuel economy...  if you look at the gs and the rx the max we can get is 40, the rx goes up to 60mpg...

[lockeyboy]

On 08/02/2018 at 6:57 PM, Farqui said:

I agree that the boot lock is annoying every now and then, secure tho!

I've not found traction an issue but I don't hammer it very often. I guess you're in Sport and/or Pwr when it gives? What tyres and pressures are you running?

I really like the cars 'sleeper' style.

Creaky dash? - nope.

i can't resist using that stealth to put a bit of power down, up to the speed limit in the area of course.  this is without power mode, i have avons, probably around 36 but I'd have to check, might be 34...

[OldTrout]

18 minutes ago, lockeyboy said:

yes, for no apparent reason, and sometimes doesn't. it's very odd.

I'd get one, but not for the fuel economy...  if you look at the gs and the rx the max we can get is 40, the rx goes up to 60mpg...

The rx goes up to 60mpg? Step forward all the owners who have achieved that even on the latest Atkinson models.

My best is 45.1mpg on an 80 miles trip but usually mid 30s except for short journeys with 30mph zone when it is probably mid 20s.

John 

[The-Acre]

59 minutes ago, lockeyboy said:

yes, for no apparent reason, and sometimes doesn't. it's very odd.

I'd get one, but not for the fuel economy...  if you look at the gs and the rx the max we can get is 40, the rx goes up to 60mpg...

The creak/rattle does seem to more noticeable in the very cold weather.

[chris_fletcher]

1 hour ago, OldTrout said:

The rx goes up to 60mpg? Step forward all the owners who have achieved that even on the latest Atkinson models.

My best is 45.1mpg on an 80 miles trip but usually mid 30s except for short journeys with 30mph zone when it is probably mid 20s.

John 

Gen 4 RX450h FSport currently getting ~32mpg per tank, dropped from ~38mpg when it started getting cold in October. Overall average since I bought it mid July is 35.9mpg.

Temperature makes a noticeable difference in consumption, even daily on the same commute, less than 4-5 degrees and I just achieve the 32mpg. Between 6 & 10 degrees and I get around 33.5mpg. Summer temperatures get me back the 38mpg. I struggle to raise the average but have seen a 45mpg trip but that doesnt happen often.