Going to see a 450h tomorrow, any tips?

[ColinBarber]

31 minutes ago, Chris111 said:

I appreciate that there are recorded problems with the hybrid system on the 450h but it is by no means the vast majority of them that some, it seems, would have others believe. 

I agree, it certainly is only a small minority however people need to be aware of these issues. As I've said there have been substantially fewer reports of issues on the 400h and this is with a much larger population of vehicles. The Toyota hybrid system is very reliable but the 450h has some specific implementation issues (2 speed transmission and Battery package) which make it stand out as being less reliable than any other Toyota/Lexus hybrid.

[catnap]

This editor is incredibly frustrating on mobile. 

 

Anyway, seems I'm heading towards analysis paralysis. The Battery repair looks very doable, but the suspension is a concern. Do the shocks just die early and leak, and are silly money each? And this affects the 300 past 2008 too? 

[The-Acre]

2 hours ago, catnap said:

This editor is incredibly frustrating on mobile. 

 

Anyway, seems I'm heading towards analysis paralysis. The battery repair looks very doable, but the suspension is a concern. Do the shocks just die early and leak, and are silly money each? And this affects the 300 past 2008 too? 

As far as I'm aware that's the case.  A pair of shocks for the earlier 300 can be bought for less than £150.  If I've got it right, after 2008 they were electronic so much more costly.  Don't know why they were changed, the basic shocks seem fine to me.

[OldTrout]

10 minutes ago, The-Acre said:

As far as I'm aware that's the case.  A pair of shocks for the earlier 300 can be bought for less than £150.  If I've got it right, after 2008 they were electronic so much more costly.  Don't know why they were changed, the basic shocks seem fine to me.

The 450h dampers have two settings - normal and sport - so slightly more complicated and sadly with just one supplier. Hence cost. PM for possible alternative.

In my earlier summary of pros and cons I should have added that insurance might be more for the 450h. But not more than what you cave on VED.

John

 

[The-Acre]

2 minutes ago, OldTrout said:

The 450h dampers have two settings - normal and sport - so slightly more complicated and sadly with just one supplier. Hence cost. PM for possible alternative.

In my earlier summary of pros and cons I should have added that insurance might be more for the 450h. But not more than what you cave on VED.

John

 

Do you notice any difference John?  On my Volvo I've got comfort, sport and normal, all settings feel identical.

[OldTrout]

1 minute ago, The-Acre said:

Do you notice any difference John?  On my Volvo I've got comfort, sport and normal, all settings feel identical.

No but perhaps I don't drive fast enough on twisty roads with good surface. (There aren't any in Oxfordshire!) On the other hand my wife says I am very insensitive and she is usually right.

Sport setting also alters the steering ratio and I haven't noticed that either. I have noticed the sharpening of the throttle response but I don't use it as the pot-holed roads makes my throttle foot jump about a bit and the engine will respond. It does not respond in normal.

John

[stevet]

It’s not just the dampers on the post 300’s. It has the same integrated vehicle dynamics as the higher range ones. You can tell the difference between normal and sport but with all the pot holes at the moment it’s best left normal.


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[Sherra]

450h still a great car though

[ColinBarber]

1 hour ago, Sherra said:

450h still a great car though

Agreed, I'd have it over the 300. Potential owners just need to be aware of the slim chance of hybrid issues and are either capable of getting their hands dirty or happy going to an independent with some £££.

[Initial P]

I need the bigger boot on thee 300

[Initial P]

1 hour ago, ColinBarber said:

Agreed, I'd have it over the 300. Potential owners just need to be aware of the slim chance of hybrid issues and are either capable of getting their hands dirty or happy going to an independent with some £££.

Of course people only come to forums to have a moan where are all the good stories ?

I have noticed that the hybrids have bigger miles on them though possibly people buying them as a alternative to a diesel.?

[Odysseus]

I did a lot of research before buying my first Lexus - a GS450H - last summer.

Do some GS450s suffer issues with shocks? Yes. Exhaust corrosion? Yes, some problems reported. Hybrid Battery? Barely any.

Other cars I was looking at in the same price segment (MB CLS350, BMW 530) have known issues too, which on balance looked either more prevalent and/or most costly to fix than potential GS450 problems.

The GS450 was a £50K car when new and was a competitor to the V8 E Class and 5 Series, and latterly the high output diesels. The GS300, while I’m sure a very fine car, is not playing in this league (
On balance the Lexuses seemed more reliable than the competition.

One thing I was positive about and still am is the desire to have a Lexus warranty on the car. This will probably take care of the shock absorber issue should I have it and an exhaust centre section, while not covered by the warranty, is something I can cope with. It also covers everything else, including the hybrid Battery.

If you’re buying any once expensive car ‘cheap’ then comparatively large bills when unfortunately things go wrong are an unavoidable part of the equation. This applies to the GS300 as much as the GS450.

Best of luck with your decision and I certainly don’t regret my purchase.



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[The-Acre]

8 hours ago, Initial P said:

Of course people only come to forums to have a moan where are all the good stories ?

I have noticed that the hybrids have bigger miles on them though possibly people buying them as a alternative to a diesel.?

Exactly my point when I had an LS430, we generally only heard the bad stories which would be well outnumbered if people posted the good news.

[Sherra]

well mine has been superb and yes I did have a shock absorber changed under warranty and that is why I have recently renewed said warranty. Simply for peace of mind but equally would not have a problem if it was unavailable to me I would simply bank the cash in reserve just in case.

[OldTrout]

14 hours ago, Odysseus said:

One thing I was positive about and still am is the desire to have a Lexus warranty on the car. This will probably take care of the shock absorber issue should I have it and an exhaust centre section, while not covered by the warranty, is something I can cope with. It also covers everything else, including the hybrid battery.

It may not be wise to assume warranty will cover the dampers. It depends on the mileage and also how many. One damper at 80k probably. All four at 110k almost certainly not.

I forgot one more con in my earlier pros and cons list for 450h against 300: boot space bigger in the 300.

[Initial P]

And the 300 has the ski hatch in the boot.

[OldTrout]

Ah yes. Tend to forget the features you don't have but would find very useful. In my case not skis but lengths of timber and pipe.

John

[catnap]

So I went to see a GS300 yesterday- 78k, full main dealer service history, spotless MOT history. It seemed like a really good example for £4k with the exhaust, rear calipers, water pump and rear shocks just changed. Really well looked-after, only done a few thousand per year. Red exterior (which in person was a bit more maroon) and grey interior with black wood trim.

The ride was excellent, far better than my IS300 (makes me wonder if my shocks are done). Power was so-so, it didn't really seem to get up and go like mine does. Perhaps you're more insulated from it. The dashboard squeaked which would drive me mad (the owner asking me if I'm "one of those OCD types about rattles" is not the best way to sell a car) and overall it kinda left me a bit cold. It was much more refined than mine but I found the controls more wooly. You had to really bury your foot to get it to kick down, pick up its skirts and go.

I'm wondering if it's worth going to see a 450h now- more of the same surely? Maybe an IS250 would be a good bet. I wanted to like it after all the comments about the GS300 being a great car, but I just didn't fall in love with it which is a shame.

Anyway, nothing much to add- just getting some thoughts down!

[XT5]

1 hour ago, catnap said:

...........I'm wondering if it's worth going to see a 450h now- more of the same surely?........

You need to try one.  I've had all sorts of fancy cars and bikes over the years, and a nice GS450h is one on it's own in my opinion.  If you were a little closer to where I live, you'd be welcome to try mine; and if you happen to be in this part of the world anyway, you most certainly can.

I've never been in a GS300, but surely a GS450h is the same but with effortless performance?  Lower emissions therefore lower tax?  I do mixed motoring and get mid-30s + mpg on a regular real world basis without having to drive like a granny to do it.

Try one before you give up!

[olumite]

I've had my 05 GS300 for nearly a year now.

It is a heavy NA car and on the test drive, I too thought the car was sluggish at low speed.

Until I enabled ECT-PWR!! It transformed the car for me. The gearbox was much more eager to kick down in this mode. But make no mistake, a 450H would crush a 300 for speed/power.

Another unintentional bonus was having some much needed engine assisted braking, which I am sure is extending the life of my disks/pads.

In my first year of ownership, thus far I've put on some winter tyres, replaced the PCV valve, 2 tyre pressure sensors and had a full stainless steel exhaust system fitted.

NOTE: If you replace the PCV valve, get a genuine Lexus part. I foolishly bought a cheap 3rd party one thinking it'd do the job. How wrong I was. All it did was burn oil at a frightening rate. Like almost a litre in a single 270 mile trip frightening! Ordered the Lexus part and after the return trip, the oil level on the dipstick hadn't gone down.

I love my GS300, will keep it until one of us dies!

[catnap]

2 hours ago, olumite said:

I've had my 05 GS300 for nearly a year now.

It is a heavy NA car and on the test drive, I too thought the car was sluggish at low speed.

Until I enabled ECT-PWR!! It transformed the car for me. The gearbox was much more eager to kick down in this mode. But make no mistake, a 450H would crush a 300 for speed/power.

Interesting. The seller did mention the PWR setting while I was driving around and gave me the impression he'd just turned it on. I was absorbed in concentrating and didn't notice if he had or not- that would explain a lot. My IS has the same setting and it makes it noticeably more perky.

Perhaps another test drive then. The maroon colour really didn't sit so well with me. 

[catnap]

2 hours ago, XT5 said:

You need to try one.  I've had all sorts of fancy cars and bikes over the years, and a nice GS450h is one on it's own in my opinion.  If you were a little closer to where I live, you'd be welcome to try mine; and if you happen to be in this part of the world anyway, you most certainly can.

I've never been in a GS300, but surely a GS450h is the same but with effortless performance?  Lower emissions therefore lower tax?  I do mixed motoring and get mid-30s + mpg on a regular real world basis without having to drive like a granny to do it.

Try one before you give up!

Fair point- and thanks for the offer. There's very few in my area (TN6 postcode) so it's tricky. But the VED for the 300 is quite high past 2006, whereas the 450 has lower tax. After a few years, that's a fair dent made in the price difference between the two, and I've heard the 450 is a bit of a rocket ship in sheep's clothing which does appeal.

[The-Acre]

6 hours ago, olumite said:

I've had my 05 GS300 for nearly a year now.

It is a heavy NA car and on the test drive, I too thought the car was sluggish at low speed.

Until I enabled ECT-PWR!! It transformed the car for me. The gearbox was much more eager to kick down in this mode. But make no mistake, a 450H would crush a 300 for speed/power.

Another unintentional bonus was having some much needed engine assisted braking, which I am sure is extending the life of my disks/pads.

In my first year of ownership, thus far I've put on some winter tyres, replaced the PCV valve, 2 tyre pressure sensors and had a full stainless steel exhaust system fitted.

NOTE: If you replace the PCV valve, get a genuine Lexus part. I foolishly bought a cheap 3rd party one thinking it'd do the job. How wrong I was. All it did was burn oil at a frightening rate. Like almost a litre in a single 270 mile trip frightening! Ordered the Lexus part and after the return trip, the oil level on the dipstick hadn't gone down.

I love my GS300, will keep it until one of us dies!

Just out of interest can I ask what you paid for the exhaust system?  I'm also unfamiliar with a PCV valve.

[stevet]

As already said make sure pwr button is on. You get a green ect/PWR indication on the dials. Mine went on the day I got it. Makes a huge difference. You also try a 430.


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[olumite]

@The-Acre I paid £700 for mine. That was for 2 cats, centre box and the 2 back boxes.

I stressed that they be chambered. I wasn't interested in the drone that often comes with free flow exhausts. Or the loss of low rev torque.