Major part fail or replace in your ownership of an IS300h?

Colinb623 · January 11

Just wondering has anybody experienced major problems or part failure in your ownership of a IS300H?

Online reading reveals very little in the way of these cars having issues with part failure . Granted the leaking water pump seems to be a blip but apart from that alot of owners seem to be on original parts at 100k plus miles

wharfhouse · January 11

8 minutes ago, Colinb623 said:

Just wondering has anybody experienced major problems or part failure in your ownership of a IS300H?

Online reading reveals very little in the way of these cars having issues with part failure . Granted the leaking water pump seems to be a blip but apart from that alot of owners seem to be on original parts at 100k plus miles

Nothing major and now at 142K miles. New front wheel bearings needed at 80K miles the biggest issue so far. Windscreen washer sensor and bonnet latch spring the only other items that have needed replacing.

matt8 · January 11

How much are wheel bearings parts, and typically how much labour time for fitting (per wheel)?

Did you replace all 4?

28 minutes ago, wharfhouse said:

New front wheel bearings needed at 80K miles the biggest issue so far.

wharfhouse · January 11

26 minutes ago, matt8 said:

How much are wheel bearings parts, and typically how much labour time for fitting (per wheel)?

Did you replace all 4?

Sorry I don't have the costs as it was done under extended warranty so at no cost to me. You can check many parts prices though at Lexus Part Direct.

Mikey B · January 11

259K - I purchased at 4 years old / 160K with full history (stamped book and all dealer invoices) - only thing I could see in the history was a new auto wiper sensor. Since I've had it the only repair was a dodgy bonnet latch cable - everything else was just servicing / consumables

wharfhouse · January 11

1 minute ago, Mikey B said:

259K - I purchased at 4 years old / 160K with full history (stamped book and all dealer invoices) - only thing I could see in the history was a new auto wiper sensor. Since I've had it the only repair was a dodgy bonnet latch cable - everything else was just servicing / consumables

Good to hear your mileage - I can see mine doing another 100k miles now. Wonder if your bonnet latch was same problem as mine. My bonnet stopped latching properly and as it was in for a 140k service I asked Lexus to take a look and they replaced the large spring in the bonnet latch - all been good since.

Maxz · January 12

Watch out for the air-con condenser if you are not under warranty. Stones and debris get flicked up from vehicles in front, especially if you do a lot of motorway driving. The gaps in the grille (I'm talking non-F-Sport 2015 style grille specifically) and the lower duct in are wide enough to let stones in. Costs around £800 to replace.

Obvious advice is always keep plenty of distance from vehicles in front, otherwise you need to possibly add mesh to the upper and lower inside grille sections. I only meshed my upper section as a deterrent to CAT thieves as they cut the cables to the horns prior to jacking up the car (note this is OTT for IS300h as it is more the CT200h that is targeted for it's CAT). Therefore has a double benefit for me, and I have taken off the trim under the front section of the bonnet and found stones sat in front of the mesh, so prevented a few impacts.

Randomizer · January 12

15" IS 300h. Owned 3 years, 130k kms in ODO.

Fuel pump hose replace, but it was a recall.

One bad 12V Battery.

Everything else is still original, even break disks.

Thats it.

We've had a very harsh winter here in the nordics. Below -30 C many days. No problems with the Lexus, starts up like it was summer.

DBIZO · January 13

2015 IS300h at 112k miles / 180k km

Heating servo unit failed at around 90k, but then the failure disappeared. Would cost £1,000 to repair at mains dealer. It's covered under their warranty plan, but according to them I voided my claim on it as I didn't bring the car in soon enough.

At the 100k service, report says AC leakage, cost would be around £900, at this point it's optional, the AC still performs.

Nothing else. Original break pads, although I tend to minimize their use, try to take a lot energy out by a combination of regeneration and, at higher speeds, engine breaking.

CypressPhil · January 13

2015 IS300h F Sport 59k owned for 4 years.
Air conditioning condenser £650

12v Battery £140

Failed rear screen bonding £100

AC has needed another re-gas, so wouldn’t be surprised if the condenser has had another whack! Might have to look into the mesh that Maxz suggested!

Mikey B · January 13

On 1/11/2024 at 9:00 PM, wharfhouse said:

Good to hear your mileage - I can see mine doing another 100k miles now. Wonder if your bonnet latch was same problem as mine. My bonnet stopped latching properly and as it was in for a 140k service I asked Lexus to take a look and they replaced the large spring in the bonnet latch - all been good since.

I did initially think it was the latch not closing but I think the cable had corroded inside the sleeve as it was stiff and not moving all the way back when the bonnet closed so it gave the appearance of the latch not closing properly, but in reality it was being held partially open by the cable not retracting fully.

IS300FSPORT · January 13

In the 3 year ownership a 2015 currently standing at 55k

Preventative maintenance

- Replaced the 12v Battery for peace of mind

- Squeaky brakes rear caliper slider pins regreased

- Hybrid cooling fan & filter cleaned

- Auxillary belt, long life coolant & differential fluid changed, including the spark plugs well before the 60/100,000 mileage interval.

1 fault (fixed without cost)

- Sunvisor sliding mirror on the drivers side the light wouldn't come on after moving the slider back & forward 5-6 times, got it working again. Changed to white LED bulb.

Plenty of youtube how to seems to be common issue across other Toyota/Lexus models.

Other than the above its been faultless occasionally stretching its legs & it still doesn't dissapoint, the handling is great too.

Although it looks faster than it is in a car park! :wink3: Honestly speaking,I also believe performance wise it is underrated, happily keeps pace & is capable of shaking off the typical equivalent German rivals who try to sit on your rear bumper.

Dells · January 14

I have only owned my car since July so can’t say much but leaking water pump done under warranty, seems to be common problem.

Dell

Maxz · January 14

Per D (to-the) BIZO and Cypress Phil (like the hip-hip influenced names there 😅), air con condenser damage leak is a common one and goes for any vehicle really with large grille openings. Although mine is yet to leak, water pumps come up time and time again, although there is a post already out there on DIY change if looking to save on labour costs. IS200FSPORT raises the other good point about getting slider pins greased (few years back cost me £100 at dealer), because it you get a stuck one that is new brake discs and pads you'll need to buy way ahead of time, given under normal operation they receive little wear due to the regeneration system (unless you are heavy on the brakes of course).

DBIZO · January 14

15 hours ago, IS300FSPORT said:

Although it looks faster than it is in a car park! Honestly speaking,I also believe performance wise it is underrated, happily keeps pace & is capable of shaking off the typical equivalent German rivals who try to sit on your rear bumper.

I used to wish the car had more torque for high-speed hill climbs or acceleration on European motorways. But more recently I came to the conclusion that I don't need a faster car, but rather I need to first learn to drive properly — after 20+ years on the roads. I prefer the 300h acting domesticated even if you push. I tried a 911 Carrera4S and it was scary, violent. Frankly, modern cars have stupid amounts of performance. It would make sense to demand extra training and license for cars above a certain performance level.

ganzoom · February 21

Our IS300H has only covered 45k miles since taking delivery in March 2015, just passed another MOT with no issues. I only service it now every 2 years interms of oil change, the MOT station did pick up the 12V Battery needs replacing soon - not bad given its lasted 9 years now. Still on original factory installed brake pads (40% worn at the front, 20% at the back).

By far the most reliable car I have every owned, including a string of Honda/Nissans. I’m tempted to extended oil changes to every 3 years next time, as even a 2 year intervals the oil level never changes!

ColinBarber · February 21

I purchased my IS300h at around 18 months old and kept it for just under 4 years. It was one of the first batches and there was a TSB for a steering fault which resulted in the steering rack being replaced under warranty. Also under the three year manufacture's warranty I had the driver's seat mechanism replaced (slight forward movement under braking) and the windscreen rain sensor (poor auto wiper performance but was just as bad after the sensor was replaced).

No issues outside of warranty.

ColinBarber · February 21

1 hour ago, ganzoom said:

I’m tempted to extended oil changes to every 3 years next time, as even a 2 year intervals the oil level never changes!

You don't change oil because it is getting low, you change it because it get contaminated and loses its protection properties over time/usage.

ganzoom · February 22

8 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

You don't change oil because it is getting low, you change it because it get contaminated and loses its protection properties over time/usage.

I suspect our IS300H is unstressed there is probably no need to do an oil change even every 5 years :). It hasn't had annual oil changes now for the last 5 years, so I'm quite comfortable with extending to 3 yearly oil changes.

Notamech · February 22

1 hour ago, ganzoom said:

I suspect our IS300H is unstressed there is probably no need to do an oil change even every 5 years :). It hasn't had annual oil changes now for the last 5 years, so I'm quite comfortable with extending to 3 yearly oil changes.

Just to expand on Colin's advise from above. The reason it is considered best practice to change the oil every year is because the oil is a blend of various additives such as dispersants, detergents, anti wear additives, friction modifiers etc. that perform different functions not just lubrication( e.g keeping the internals of the engine clean , preventing corrosion etc.)The byproducts of combustion are often acidic and you also have water vapour which creates a perfect environment for corrosion and other engine damage. These additives break down over time and need to be replenished. Also the lubricating properties of oil reduces over time. Hence the annual oil change. While no damage will be obvious or immediate the overall life of your engine might be reduced from faster wear vs if you had changed the oil annually. Also if you primarily do short trips your oil will have quite a bit of fuel in it (diluting it) from running rich when cold.

That being said totally get its your car and you're free to experiment. But one more thing to consider is come time to sell it, lack of regular services might reduce its value.

ganzoom · February 22

Having owned a N54 powered BMW and tunned it to run at double the factory turbo boost pressure I fully appreciate the need for maintenance :). The IS300H is on a different level interms of both mechanical stress and maintenance, we have no plans to sell the IS till it falls apart which I suspect will be never!!

Notamech · February 29

On 2/22/2024 at 5:49 PM, ganzoom said:

Having owned a N54 powered BMW and tunned it to run at double the factory turbo boost pressure I fully appreciate the need for maintenance :). The IS300H is on a different level interms of both mechanical stress and maintenance, we have no plans to sell the IS till it falls apart which I suspect will be never!!

@ganzoom I found an article that supports what you've been doing. Seems like oil does not deteriorate with age and just sticking to mileage intervals is enough. https://www.thedrive.com/news/motor-oil-age-doesnt-matter-as-much-as-mileage-study

wharfhouse · February 29

Oil change intervals are always hottly debated... To add to the thinking, my parents have had a 2012 Audi A3 from new and only do a few thousand miles a year, kept in a garage when it's not being driven. It's always been serviced at their local Audi dealer and a few years ago the dealer said to them given their low mileage don't worry about doing a service every year, just do it once every two years. I found it interesting that a main Audi dealership suggested this given that they were waiving some revenue. My parents didn't initiate the conversation either - they would always do whatever the dealer told them to. It's now a year since their last bi-annual service and the car has only done just over one thousand miles. I checked their car over thoroughly before it went for it's MoT and the oil was as clean as the day it was put in. The car sailed through the MoT with no adviseries once again.

matt8 · February 29

9 hours ago, wharfhouse said:

Oil change intervals are always hottly debated... To add to the thinking, my parents have had a 2012 Audi A3 from new and only do a few thousand miles a year, kept in a garage when it's not being driven. It's always been serviced at their local Audi dealer and a few years ago the dealer said to them given their low mileage don't worry about doing a service every year, just do it once every two years. I found it interesting that a main Audi dealership suggested this given that they were waiving some revenue. My parents didn't initiate the conversation either - they would always do whatever the dealer told them to. It's now a year since their last bi-annual service and the car has only done just over one thousand miles. I checked their car over thoroughly before it went for it's MoT and the oil was as clean as the day it was put in. The car sailed through the MoT with no adviseries once again.

The dealer wants the car to break so they’ll buy a new one.

Or to buy a new car soon, and to devalue the current car which will be used for part exchange, with “incomplete” service history.