First time Lexus buyer (GS450h)

Kal Choudhury · February 25, 2018

Hi Everyone, hope you are all well.

So i have just purchased a Lexus GS450h. Its the first time I have ever owned a Lexus. Its an SE spec 56 reg in Palladium silver with 119k on the clock. There is a full service history and its all fully HPI clear. I purchased it as a bit of a bargain (4k) as the seller (trader) took it as PX and wanted it gone ASAP. I purchased it in Congleton (Cheshire) and drove it back to London.

I test drove one of these cars 6 years ago and loved it. Back then they were going for 16k. Depreciation can sometimes be a beautiful thing.

It specifically caught my eye as there were no Hybrid Battery issues. Having test drove the car I was it was reinforced into me as to why I have been after one of these cars for so long. The performance is great, its quite and comfortable. Having leased a Polo GTi since 2016 and it going back next month, I am in need of a wafter as i am sick of a bumpy hard ride the polo offers. The Lexus offered the best balance of Power Comfort space and (so called) economy.

So after 3 days of ownership i have noticed the following:

Positives

Great performance, its so quiet, spacious, well engineered, comfortable, great spec, surprising awesome sound system,

Negatives

Its quite thirsty (22.6mpg tank average), Small boot, Unbelievably expensive parts, dashboard creeks, hybrid Battery only lasts about a mile before engine cuts in, Engine cuts in too soon, you really have to feather the throttle to keep it on Battery mode, there is no trip meter, only an odometer (why??)

So focusing on the negatives, would anyone be able to enlighten me as to why i am not getting very good economy? Or is this normal? I am very light footed and always have an ear for the engine cutting in but find the Battery only lasts a mile or so before the engine is forced to cut in. Is this a dreaded sign that the Battery is on its way out?

Would anyone be able to advise on fixing the creeking dashboard?

Sorry to waffle on, hope to be enlightened soon!

Kal

AmbroseJohn · February 25, 2018

My 08 has two trip meters, it's either trip or odometer not both and you can choose between trip A&B, I'm sure you'll find them.

Once you learn how to drive a hybrid you should get mid thirties MPG. Meanwhile we need pictures. :)

Good luck.

Rebecca · February 25, 2018

22.6 mpg sounds about right at this time of year around town. It is a 3.5 litre petrol V6 after all.

You will get better mpg once the weather warms up and a lot better on a good motorway run with cruise.

Kal Choudhury · February 25, 2018

6 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

22.6 mpg sounds about right at this time of year around town. It is a 3.5 litre petrol V6 after all.

You will get better mpg once the weather warms up and a lot better on a good motorway run with cruise.

Thank you,

From what I have described, should my Battery run out so quick??

kal

AmbroseJohn · February 25, 2018

46 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

22.6 mpg sounds about right at this time of year around town. It is a 3.5 litre petrol V6 after all.

You will get better mpg once the weather warms up and a lot better on a good motorway run with cruise.

Filled mine up in Burnley yesterday and drove back to Blackpool. Tank average showed 40.0 MPG. Never had that high before though.

ColinBarber · February 25, 2018

1 hour ago, Kal Choudhury said:

From what I have described, should my battery run out so quick??

Yes, it isn't really designed to run on Battery only. It will only last around 1 mile but the idea is it will cut in & out together with the petrol engine based on the conditions at the time.

You should be getting better than 22mpg. Possibly just the learning curve of driving a hybrid but worth making sure you don't have sticking brake callipers causing a drag (check the temperature of all the wheels after a run).

Odysseus · February 26, 2018

The sort of journeys I do in my GS450H don’t appear to be especially economical as I’m consistently achieving mid to high 20s from my 2008 SE-L.

Most of my trips are my commute which is zooming along country roads between villages, blasting down a dual carriageway and then crawling through Cambridge traffic. If I was on a motorway at a consistent 60mph it would be different I’m sure.

I find the trip computer slightly optimistic so treat those numbers with a little pinch of salt. [emoji846]

Below are screen shots from the Fuelly app.

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

Chris111 · February 26, 2018

14 hours ago, Kal Choudhury said:

there is no trip meter, only an odometer (why??)

As John says above, there are two trip meters, A & B, and an odometer but only one of these is shown at a time depending on which one is selected. You access them via a button on the drop down panel were you access the remote opening for the boot or fuel filler cap. It has ODO TRIP on it and the reset button is next to it.

14 hours ago, Kal Choudhury said:

dashboard creeks

A very common problem with early Mk3 GS's. There are threads on this forum about this. Some members have succeeded is curing the rattles and have detailed how they did it. I tried to stop mine rattling when I first got it following the advice given in one of these threads. It didn't cure it completely but it was a big improvement. Unfortunately over the last 12 months the rattling and creaking is getting worse again.

Hangie · February 26, 2018

- Its quite thirsty (22.6mpg tank average)

It should be better than that. Mine was normally 20/30 in the city and 40 on a motorway. Don't try to run it on Battery as it is not economical as engine needs to charge it up all the time and burn fuel. Drive the car as usual and forget it is a hybrid. General rule is it is better to accelerate on petrol and use electric to maintain speed. Electric only is good in traffic jams as engine can stay off for a while.

- Small boot

You can buy roof rack if needed.

- Unbelievably expensive parts

Car was £50k when new so you can't expect to have very cheap parts. In general they are reasonably priced in my opinion - maybe beside 12V Battery and shocks :)

-dashboard creeks

It is common in winter. When it will warm up it will go away. You can try to put some felt between screen and dashboard - google it

-hybrid Battery only lasts about a mile before engine cuts in, Engine cuts in too soon, you really have to feather the throttle to keep it on Battery mode,

It is by design. Battery is just there to help out and capture energy from breaking. It wasn't designed to be driven by electricity only (beside traffic jams)

- there is no trip meter, only an odometer (why??)

Both are there. There is a button in the hidden button cluster on the right. I believed it was called ODO somewhere at the bottom.

AmbroseJohn · February 26, 2018

The 40MPG in my picture is just to illustrate what can be achieved if you really try and is no way the norm. I tend to average between 30 & 35.

The forty was achieved by filling up when the engine was already warmed up, a mile from the motorway, then a steady 60mph using cruise control to Blackpool (M65/M61/M6/M55). When I left the M55 the reading was 39.8 but surprisingly increased to forty by the time I got home, on the other side of town.

AmbroseJohn · February 26, 2018

4 hours ago, Odysseus said:

I find the trip computer slightly optimistic so treat those numbers with a little pinch of salt.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The "Tank Avg" and range readings are only really accurate when you need to fill up because the computer knows how far you have travelled and how much fuel has been used. Before that time the computer assumes the driving pattern will continue and estimates the figures.

Eg When I filled up on Saturday, I left the petrol station on Battery power and joined a traffic jam. Sitting in traffic I notice the reading was 99.9. I assume this is the highest reading and as I hadn't used any petrol the computer assumed this would continue. On reaching the traffic light, I floored it to get through before it changed to red again and the reading went down to 14mpg because the computer, again, made an assumption.

It's fun playing with it but don't forget to watch the road occasionally. :)

Kal Choudhury · February 26, 2018

Hi Guys,

Thank you for your comments. Much appreciated and noted.

John- With regards to the economy, I was doing 40mpg when I picked up the car at Congleton and drove back to London. After sitting in traffic for an hour and making it back home in South east London, the tank average was at 37mpg.

Hangie- The Battery and the shocks are exactly what I mean! Will try applying felt between the dashboard and screen.

Booking her into my local garage tomorrow to give it a once over to see what works I will need to do on it soon. In the meantime, i have uploaded some pics, these were from the original listing taken by the seller. There is a scratch on the driver side rear quarter panel which i will eventually sort out.

royoftherovers · February 26, 2018

16 hours ago, Kal Choudhury said:

Hi Everyone, hope you are all well.

So i have just purchased a Lexus GS450h. Its the first time I have ever owned a Lexus. Its an SE spec 56 reg in Palladium silver with 119k on the clock. There is a full service history and its all fully HPI clear. I purchased it as a bit of a bargain (4k) as the seller (trader) took it as PX and wanted it gone ASAP. I purchased it in Congleton (Cheshire) and drove it back to London.

I test drove one of these cars 6 years ago and loved it. Back then they were going for 16k. Depreciation can sometimes be a beautiful thing.

It specifically caught my eye as there were no Hybrid battery issues. Having test drove the car I was it was reinforced into me as to why I have been after one of these cars for so long. The performance is great, its quite and comfortable. Having leased a Polo GTi since 2016 and it going back next month, I am in need of a wafter as i am sick of a bumpy hard ride the polo offers. The Lexus offered the best balance of Power Comfort space and (so called) economy.

So after 3 days of ownership i have noticed the following:

Positives

Great performance, its so quiet, spacious, well engineered, comfortable, great spec, surprising awesome sound system,

Negatives

Its quite thirsty (22.6mpg tank average), Small boot, Unbelievably expensive parts, dashboard creeks, hybrid battery only lasts about a mile before engine cuts in, Engine cuts in too soon, you really have to feather the throttle to keep it on battery mode, there is no trip meter, only an odometer (why??)

So focusing on the negatives, would anyone be able to enlighten me as to why i am not getting very good economy? Or is this normal? I am very light footed and always have an ear for the engine cutting in but find the battery only lasts a mile or so before the engine is forced to cut in. Is this a dreaded sign that the battery is on its way out?

Would anyone be able to advise on fixing the creeking dashboard?

Sorry to waffle on, hope to be enlightened soon!

Kal

Congratulations Kai on the acquisition.The GS is a most underrated car,

The creaks can be hidden very successfully by playing appropriate music. The 1812 Overture is, not surprisingly, very successful and Chopin works too.

Enjoy the privilege which is not available to the many.

OldTrout · February 26, 2018

Kal,

I guess your 22mpg is within 30 mph limit (or even 20mph in Oxford) with a cold engine on short journeys. A hilly limit area would be even worse.At 60mph on cruise up 50 miles or so of M4 through Wiltshire starting with hot engine I was in mid 50s mpg. Even after A34 and Oxford ring road I only dropped to 45mpg by time I reached home. But short journeys in town I get <25mpg.

Don't worry. Just drive it and let computer decide what to do to fit your demands. I have never understood forum members who claim they can control when it's on Battery or not.

As royoftherovers says, enjoy it.

John

Britprius · February 26, 2018

I also easily achieve the low to mid 30's in my 450h. The best tank average so far has been 41 mpg using purely rural country lanes. In the 3 years of ownership I have yet to go on a motorway in the car.

I get better mpg than you towing a 16 ft caravan. The car is not about trying to go as far as you can in electric mode. Doing this then requires the engine to propel the car and recharge the Battery. This should be done by steady braking, and coasting "regeneration". The electric assist then being available to aid acceleration "the time the engine uses the most fuel". The warmer weather will also help bring up your mpg.

Getting the needle on the KW meter on the left of the dash into the blue section as far as possible for as long as, and often as you can will reap big gains.

John

Shahpor · February 26, 2018

Welcome Kal.

I just to see if you had looked at the MOT history?

The reason I ask is there were some things noted on there (exhaust, shocks) that should have been sorted by now (or perhaps they were just the MOT tester being over zealous).

If not, it might be worth having a word with the trader you bought it from about getting them fixed.

Hopefully they have been sorted though and your local garage give it a clean bill of health

Kal Choudhury · February 27, 2018

14 hours ago, Shahpor said:

Welcome Kal.

I just to see if you had looked at the MOT history?

The reason I ask is there were some things noted on there (exhaust, shocks) that should have been sorted by now (or perhaps they were just the MOT tester being over zealous).

If not, it might be worth having a word with the trader you bought it from about getting them fixed.

Hopefully they have been sorted though and your local garage give it a clean bill of health

Hi Shahpor and John(s)

I did have a look at the MOT history and am aware of these things. I understand that i might need to get these things done which i am not looking forward to! As well as a possible Hybrid Battery! Only time will tell I suppose.

The trader sold it as a Sold as seen as it was a PX to clear car. I think a certain element of the purchase was a love at first sight thing as i had the money and the car just felt right and wasnt highlighting any immediate issues.

With regards to the mpg, I have given up looking and trying to eek the most out of it and am just giving in to the fact that I will have to fill the bugger up every 250 miles.

I have found the trip computer as well!

Thank you all so far your suggestions,

Kal

Bluesman · February 27, 2018

1 hour ago, Kal Choudhury said:

Hi Shahpor and John(s)

I did have a look at the MOT history and am aware of these things. I understand that i might need to get these things done which i am not looking forward to! As well as a possible Hybrid Battery! Only time will tell I suppose.

The trader sold it as a Sold as seen as it was a PX to clear car. I think a certain element of the purchase was a love at first sight thing as i had the money and the car just felt right and wasnt highlighting any immediate issues.

With regards to the mpg, I have given up looking and trying to eek the most out of it and am just giving in to the fact that I will have to fill the bugger up every 250 miles.

I have found the trip computer as well!

Thank you all so far your suggestions,

Kal

Doesn't matter what he writes on the invoice it doesn't negate his legal position selling you this car. If it goes wrong he is legally bound to put the car right.