Advice on GS450H

[Japcarsarethebest]

Had a quick look at Lexuspartsdirect and to be fair  the parts are reasonable including wear and tear suspension components. At least there is an option to source parts which was one on my cons list. Booked tomorrow morning off for a good old test drive and finalise all the paperwork if all good.

[Malc1]

Amayama and Rockauto used to be , for my Ls400s, £££ hundreds cheaper than the Main Dealer for say the UCAs

Malc

[Cotswold Pete]

13 hours ago, Japcarsarethebest said:

Had a quick look at Lexuspartsdirect and to be fair  the parts are reasonable including wear and tear suspension components. At least there is an option to source parts which was one on my cons list. Booked tomorrow morning off for a good old test drive and finalise all the paperwork if all good.

I used Lexus Parts direct, found them not a bad price for shocks, and then Amayama for control arms etc.  You wont regret having a GS450, a mate has just gone from 450 to MB E220 and just like me the same view, the Lexus will always be a better car Mercs are too fragile in my view (though run of the mill parts are cheaper than Lexus - specialist stuff is an arm and a leg).

I kind of regret not going with Lexus, but got MB as quick buy off a mate of mine - so I knew it's provenance.  

[Japcarsarethebest]

Thanks for all the updates so far very helpful. I am picking up my GS on Sunday, just sorting out insurance and breakdown. Car drives amazing the acceleration combined with the CVT gears are fantastic, no delayed response...hit 80mph very very quick , although the dealer who was sat in the back during the test drive pointed out it was a 60mph road ha ha 

[Japcarsarethebest]

Checking the paperwork I can see that Lexus dealer in Milton Keynes replaced electric Battery in 2019 , I am going to call them to see if any additional warranty was added to that , but just reaching out to ask if any members know if that work would include extra warranty or it would continue with the original battery 

[Japcarsarethebest]

Well just to update this chat picked the car up and drove it home 100 miles, I can say it's not a great car...it's an AMAZING car. Literally could not tell I had been sat in it for over an hour , in fact I could have kept driving a few more the leather seats are that comfortable. Also gave me time to get familiar with the touchscreen/controls. 

The mpg is really good for a car this size , average around 38 on motorway and that was the occasional opening up to the 90 mph mark ,and round my town 33-34 of course running on the Battery really helps. Filled up with £45 of fuel which gave me three quarters of a tank by the time I got home it was just above half , really impressed which will improve with my daily drive.

Garage replaced part on boot which had an issue closing , two front tyres and and a 12v Battery.

Unfortunately just as I was driving around home the famous TPMS light has popped on , did a reset but not ran it many miles since and TBH I have not actually checked the tyre pressure I suspect this is due to the two front tyres being replaced. The AFS light also popped on but after a reset this has gone off. The warranty is three months back to garage but I am going to see if they will pay for my local indie to take a look, failing that I have found a recall is still outstanding on this model so need to contact my local Lexus for apparent non chargeable work ,  may also be worth paying for a Battery health check as the last one was 2017 and I would like the documentation for the book pack 

 

[Malc1]

Fingers xd you have a good’un 👍

Malc 

[Japcarsarethebest]

Well I am just updating this chat after picking up the car on the 28th Jan , had great enjoyment driving this car , all family and friends say how quiet and comfortable it is. Unfortunately last night had an array of lights pop up on dash to  include , TPMS,ABS off , AFS off , VSC , and check system messages check VSC and ECB. Getting transported back to the supplying garage tomorrow for investigation (glad they provided a three month warranty) , will update this space once I find out what the issue or issues are. I did mention to them that there was a small noise when in reverse which sounded like the rear pads were low although considering they have checked it over before I picked it up and the last MOT had no advisories I will be surprised if it is discs or pads unless they lied...we will see

[hybridbatterysolutions]

If the supplying garage needs a specialist I am happy to offer my services, many garages that are not familiar with Hybrids bring their vehicles to me. 

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Jason. Its recommended that you get yourself a copy of Techstream. It's 2nd to none as a diagnostic system. 2nd only to what Toyota/Lexus use. Only this will tell you all codes and how to fix them.

Your cars issue could be a dodgy alternator on its way out. I had the full Christmas lights dash on my beloved is250 and it was a dying alternator. Not cheap when taken to Lexus but considering I got a free courtesy car for 4 days.

[ColinBarber]

2 hours ago, Mr Vlad said:

Your cars issue could be a dodgy alternator on its way out.

Toyota/Lexus hybrids don’t have alternators.

[Mr Vlad]

14 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

Toyota/Lexus hybrids don’t have alternators.

Ooooops my bad 

[Japcarsarethebest]

On 2/16/2024 at 7:32 PM, Mr Vlad said:

Hi Jason. Its recommended that you get yourself a copy of Techstream. It's 2nd to none as a diagnostic system. 2nd only to what Toyota/Lexus use. Only this will tell you all codes and how to fix them.

Your cars issue could be a dodgy alternator on its way out. I had the full Christmas lights dash on my beloved is250 and it was a dying alternator. Not cheap when taken to Lexus but considering I got a free courtesy car for 4 days.

Thanks I am am hunting around for a copy as we speak, being in IT nigh on 20+ years should be able to navigate around the menus...and have read on the forums how this software works which is surprising as I thought it would be locked down. Is there a subscription fee for this?

[Japcarsarethebest]

On 2/16/2024 at 5:50 PM, hybridbatterysolutions said:

If the supplying garage needs a specialist I am happy to offer my services, many garages that are not familiar with Hybrids bring their vehicles to me. 

Thanks Richard I have seen your name raised on here before so I may need your services going forward , also give me a chance to visit Northampton where I lived many moons ago up the age of five...

[Japcarsarethebest]

Well got the car back yesterday running nicely no more lights on the dash until I got about twenty miles from home and the TPMS lit up which was frustrating obviously the garage just reset it despite me telling them that was one of the many lights on and they had the car for a week ( I said keep it until you fix everything )  but I can live with that for now and was looking at four replacement sensors anyway as I have no idea how long these ones have been on. I got on to the garage to let them know not happy with that ,  I suspect the AFS may also illuminate again as I reckon they have probably reset that and not replaced the parts to the rear. According to the them the issue was a faulty ABS sensor which triggered the other lights, he took great delight in telling me they had to replace the hub with sensor on it not just the sensor..hey not my problem mate you sold me a Lexus with three months warranty on it..

Anyway I will have to monitor when you sell yourself on your google reviews and tell everyone you are a family run business fair enough but just resetting codes is not a fix to me...as it is under finance it is tempting to threaten them about rejecting the car but I don't want to go all guns blazing just yet as it is still a joy to drive as a daily driver

[Japcarsarethebest]

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe Lexus can reprogram the TMPS sensors if I get them fitted and have the correct code for each?  Or can a good independent do this? 

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Jason. Good that you've got your car back.

As for a subscription to techstream I don't think it's needed. 

As for TPMS sensors always buy genuine for the car. The dealer will ask you for the reg number and get the correct ones and they shouldn't need setting. 

My only experience with this was recently with my temporary Ford. I bought 4 new ones and they didn't need setting. 

[Japcarsarethebest]

1 hour ago, Mr Vlad said:

Hi Jason. Good that you've got your car back.

As for a subscription to techstream I don't think it's needed. 

As for TPMS sensors always buy genuine for the car. The dealer will ask you for the reg number and get the correct ones and they shouldn't need setting. 

My only experience with this was recently with my temporary Ford. I bought 4 new ones and they didn't need setting. 

 

Thanks for the advice , I agree, did look on eBay etc but they all seem to be aftermarket ones and yes may be cheaper but I imagine they will fail pretty quickly or just not work correctly. I was planning to drop the car in to my local dealer for a Battery check mainly for the certificate (I do like a wallet full of invoices and receipts ) especially when coming to sell the car at a later date  

[Japcarsarethebest]

One other thing the garage seems to have overlooked is the occasional noise when reversing , it sounds like metal on metal as if a low pad warning or worn discs , the discs and pads both look fine , I did see on Lexus parts direct anti rattle shims should these be installed? Not sure if it is just ordinary brake pads on the rear

[Mr Vlad]

Hi Jason. As for anti rattle shims. I recommend you ask in the GS section of the forum where fellow owners will help. Not all members look in the New Members section. 

[Japcarsarethebest]

On 2/20/2024 at 3:47 AM, Mr Vlad said:

Hi Jason. As for anti rattle shims. I recommend you ask in the GS section of the forum where fellow owners will help. Not all members look in the New Members section. 

Thanks for that have now posted ...