New GS 450h owner saying hello!

[rich1068]

I've already said hello over in the new members section but I thought I'd park a thread here detailing how I get on with my new GS. I'm a creature of habit.

So I've been getting itchy feet recently and decided I wanted a change from my CLK 240. Lovely though it is I've had it 18 months and as always I decided to cast my eye over Lexus again. Due to them still being on the drop, the cheaper tax, no limitations to which cities I can drive into and the sheer pace I decided the GS 450h was the one to look at. I was due to view one in Lancashire which was promising apart from the colour (some sort of sage green) but for the right car I was willing to compromise. Popped over to see Dave at Lex-Tek to pick his brains about what I should be looking for and straight away he said it was a shame that old Bill whathisname had traded his in because it was a lovely Mesa Red one that had ££££ spent on it. As luck would have it we managed to find the dealer in Chesterfield, they hadn't listed it yet and it was going on sale once they'd prepped it. Crucially Dave spoke to Bill whathisname who didn't mind me calling him and getting more info including how much he'd got at trade in. £4000

Fast forward to Friday just gone and armed with the advice from Dave and Bill I did the short hop from Sheffield to Chesterfield. The car had been stood for a week or two, in fact I think it had barely moved since Bill dropped it off. But under the muck it was clearly a good one with full Lexus history until Dave serviced it in April. The dealer said they'd MOT'd it and were due to give it a service, valet and put a warranty on it. They were going to put it up for £6000. So not letting on that I knew Dave or that I'd spoken to Bill I said I wasn't bothered about a service, valet or warranty and I'd take it as is for £5000. They agreed and I drove it home. Easiest £1000 they've ever made 😀

After a good clean yesterday I could see I'd made the right choice. The paintwork is glorious (bar a barely noticeable little scuff on the NS rear quarter) and most importantly it drives beautifully. There are a couple of cover clips missing under the bonnet which I'll source next week, the red cover for the courtesy light in the OS rear door is missing and if I'm being super picky the Lexus badge on the front grille looks like someone's used something abrasive on it. But they're 500 quid from Lexus so I think I can live with that.

As far as history is concerned it has a book full of Lexus service stamps up to 2020 and 67517 miles then a printed sheet showing further Lexus services in 2021 and 2023 up to 75461 miles. Dave serviced it in April this year at 80477 miles. It's now on a little over 83000 miles. I also have invoices for new genuine TPMS valves last month at Dave's, replacement hybrid Battery pack at Lexus Chester in June last year (£3751.04!!) and a replacement O2 sensor in April 2021 at Lexus Sheffield.

The car is riding on Tein coilovers so I assume the adjustable dampers gave out at some point but it seems to drive very well. I've never driven another GS 450h so can't compare. It's also fitted with the 18" LS430 wheels which I think look really good but not so good (for me) are the spacers. If the LS wheels fit over the brakes without them then they're coming off.

And that's about it for now. 

 

[AJ450H]

Good luck, I've had my 07 for a year now, 90k, service history, current lex hybrid certificate etc and about to be checked over for the usual possibilities and a possible transmission pump rebuild. I have the manky lexus grill badge too...Will try and polish it up, I aim to keep the car fully standard, but I have the GS bubbly bonnet front edge and not sure how to sort that! 

[rich1068]

Thanks Alan.

Regarding the hybrid certificate, I did wonder if it's back under warranty/could be put back under warranty if the whole Battery pack was replaced last year?

Ah, the badges are a thing? How odd. I'll try a bit of Autoglym too.

And the bubbles on the bonnet edge. I wasn't aware it was an issue but I did notice one or two up for sale that had them and it did make me wonder.

[rich1068]

Should have mentioned, as you can see it's got those wind deflector things on the side windows which I'm also not keen on. I Googled the manufacturer and they're obviously high quality ones but they're stuck on rather than clipped. They also have a chrome strip which continues the chrome line on the frame. But like a lot of these they whistle at speed. Bit worried that if I remove them they'll pull the finish off where they meet the gloss black frame.

[Lexusjim]

21 hours ago, rich1068 said:

the Lexus badge on the front grille looks like someone's used something abrasive on it. But they're 500 quid from Lexus

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007892456400.html?

 

[rich1068]

Cheers Jim 

[Scotlex]

Great looking machine.

Nice colour 😃

[rich1068]

1 hour ago, Scotlex said:

Great looking machine.

Nice colour 😃

Thank you! On closer inspection there are tell tale signs that it's had paint on the OS doors but it's been done to a high standard. And tbh what 16 year old car hasn't had paint at some point?

[Sherra]

You could try some watch face scratch remover paste on the badge.

[rich1068]

A couple of things today.

Took one of the front wheels off to see if they fit over the brakes without the spacers. Couldn't budge the spacer so I just put everything back together and gave it up as a bad job 😡 Big hammer required I think. I've also thrown it out to our colonial cousins on Club Lexus because they do this nonsense all the time.

Also noticed on my drive home a couple of issues. Firstly, I'm missing some lights around the head unit.

Maybe another job for @steve2006 if he's feeling generous? Did a great job on my LS400. Or any other pointers chaps?

Secondly, flickering sidelights. I need to investigate further but I think the previous owner may have fitted cheap LEDs.

Oh, one other thing, I occasionally get a little indicator interference if I'm listening to FM radio. Any ideas?

[steve2006]

Back lighting problems from the look of it, cheapo LED bulbs usually, radio interference not sure but assume the aerial is rear screen built in.

Give me a call Richard or PM me 😀

[rich1068]

Cheers Steve. Still got your number 

In other fleet news, we have a Subaru Outback as the family whip. Lovely car but one of the kids left an interior light on last week and now the Battery is as flat as it could possibly be and no size of jump pack is touching it. Luckily the lease company will cover the cost of a replacement and the local dealer is happy to order one and crucially let me fit it rather than me trying to get the car to them. The dealer is a Subaru and Mercedes dealer and one of the service guys overhead the conversation and pointed out that a new Battery would need coding to the car. He thought we were talking about a Merc.

Having to use dealer software (Star) just to change a Battery. How daft is that?

[rich1068]

On 11/10/2024 at 10:18 AM, rich1068 said:

the Lexus badge on the front grille looks like someone's used something abrasive on it. But they're 500 quid from Lexus so I think I can live with that

Turns out Lexus lists my car as having the pre-crash gubbins hence the astronomical price. It doesn't. Standard badge is still £100+ so I gave the original a once over with some Meguiars plastic polish and it's 100% better. Sealed it with some headlamp sealant just in case.

[rich1068]

Hopefully sorted the flickering side/parking light LED today by replacing the bulb. I did notice some damage to the end of the holder but fingers crossed it was the bulb.

I also got Bluetooth sorted with one of these I've used them before in the Saabs and they're a great solution if you've got a power and AUX connection near to each other. Streaming music and podcasts from Spotify plus a microphone for calls. Even in the arm rest cubby it works well.

[rich1068]

On 11/11/2024 at 8:37 PM, steve2006 said:

radio interference not sure but assume the aerial is rear screen built in

I have an intermittent fault with the OS indicators ie fast flashing like a bulb is out. Turns out it's OS rear. On investigation a PO has replaced at least the rear ones with LEDs. Re-seated it and the fast flashing hasn't happened again but I do wonder if it's the LEDs that are causing the radio interference.

And in other news I took the car for a high speed run up the motorway today and noticed an unpleasant vibration at about 70mph and above. A little high for wheel balancing but I dropped in at my favourite fitters and it turns out both of my OS wheels are buckled 😡

Booked in Monday to see if they can be straightened otherwise I'll have to take a chance on two more second hand ones.

[KayCee]

Nice to see you back Richard

I knew you would come back to Lexus

[rich1068]

Had to happen 😉

[rich1068]

Update on the buckled wheels. 

I took them to RS Wheels in Sheffield and the OS front was sorted with no issues. OS rear is proving to be the issue. It appears to be a combination of a bit of a buckle and a bad refurb with high and low spots of filler. They did what they could and managed to balance it but I can still feel vibration through the seat when I get up to about 70 and beyond. I suppose you can balance a breeze block but you wouldn't want to drive on one. Most un-Lexuslike.

So now I've got to decide whether I take a chance on an eBay like for like or source another set entirely.

And talking of wheels and tyres, I don't think I mentioned that the car came with virtually brand new but very budget Accelera tyres. Why anyone would fit £80 tyres on a 340bhp rear wheel drive car is beyond me. OK crawling round town but get up to speed and it feels very unsteady. Very light and almost like driving on ice. So tyres are on the list too.

[Notamech]

1 hour ago, rich1068 said:

Update on the buckled wheels. 

I took them to RS Wheels in Sheffield and the OS front was sorted with no issues. OS rear is proving to be the issue. It appears to be a combination of a bit of a buckle and a bad refurb with high and low spots of filler. They did what they could and managed to balance it but I can still feel vibration through the seat when I get up to about 70 and beyond. I suppose you can balance a breeze block but you wouldn't want to drive on one. Most un-Lexuslike.

So now I've got to decide whether I take a chance on an eBay like for like or source another set entirely.

And talking of wheels and tyres, I don't think I mentioned that the car came with virtually brand new but very budget Accelera tyres. Why anyone would fit £80 tyres on a 340bhp rear wheel drive car is beyond me. OK crawling round town but get up to speed and it feels very unsteady. Very light and almost like driving on ice. So tyres are on the list too.

If its just 1 wheel. It might be worth the risk buying on eBay and then having it refurbed. Also accelera are known ditch finders. I wouldn't be surprised if your vibration is actually caused by the tyres. A few moons ago i had an e class which had a vibration at speed no amount of balancing helped. In the end it turned out that the brand new accelera tyres that were on there (installed by the dealer that sold me the car) were out of round. Changed the tyres and it sorted the issue right away. Might be worth trying that first if you plan to get new tyres anyway. 

[KayCee]

Yes Totaly agree on the tyres I had virtually same problem with mine when i purchased it. I changed them to goodyear Eagles Never looked back now on rear replacements still Eagles and found them Brilliant and Quiet.

[rich1068]

18 hours ago, Notamech said:

If its just 1 wheel. It might be worth the risk buying on ebay and then having it refurbed. Also accelera are known ditch finders. I wouldn't be surprised if your vibration is actually caused by the tyres. A few moons ago i had an e class which had a vibration at speed no amount of balancing helped. In the end it turned out that the brand new accelera tyres that were on there (installed by the dealer that sold me the car) were out of round. Changed the tyres and it sorted the issue right away. Might be worth trying that first if you plan to get new tyres anyway. 

 

1 hour ago, KayCee said:

Yes Totaly agree on the tyres I had virtually same problem with mine when i purchased it. I changed them to goodyear Eagles Never looked back now on rear replacements still Eagles and found them Brilliant and Quiet.

Interesting points. It had crossed my mind about the tyres themselves but thought surely not. Cheap as they are. Maybe I should come at this the other way. Tyres first as I'd consider them a safety issue anyway and if the vibration is still there then the wheel.

Can either of you remember the speed your issues occurred? Out of balance wheels in my experience make themselves known about 55/60mph-ish but this is definitely higher than that. Around 70mph+

[Notamech]

41 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

 

Interesting points. It had crossed my mind about the tyres themselves but thought surely not. Cheap as they are. Maybe I should come at this the other way. Tyres first as I'd consider them a safety issue anyway and if the vibration is still there then the wheel.

Can either of you remember the speed your issues occurred? Out of balance wheels in my experience make themselves known about 55/60mph-ish but this is definitely higher than that. Around 70mph+

Mine originally were at 50-55 then again at 70+ like you. Driving on motorways was irritating. After balancing it at a few different places the vibration at 50-55 reduced i.e it was less pronounced but was still there..the 70ish one was still the same and was stronger. I remember one tyre shop had suggested that it could be the tyres themselves being out of round but at the time i felt they were just trying to sell me new tyres plus the front tyres on my car were brand new acceleras so had a hard time digesting why new tyres need replacing. Then i actually went and looked into reviews of accelera ..its an indonesian company ..and many others had issues worse than mine where their car would skid in the wet. As i carry my family in my car didn't want to take the risk anymore so bit the bullet and replaced them. Fortunately that sorted the issue. I feel like your plan to try replacing the tyres first is sound..especially if youve already had the wheels refurbished and theyve balanced it and nothing seems out of balance. I feel like if a wheel was damaged i.e bent or unbalanced the refurbishment shop would have equipment to test that. if they've said its fine then i would suspect the tyres are the issue.

[rich1068]

6 minutes ago, Notamech said:

As i carry my family in my car didn't want to take the risk anymore so bit the bullet and replaced them.

Funny you should say that but I'm supposed to have a motorway run tomorrow with my 13yo and I'll be honest, I'm a little apprehensive. I've had a couple of high speed runs to check the wheels but it was dry both times and the car still felt a little like Bambi on ice. Not looking forward to it in this rain.

[Notamech]

26 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

Funny you should say that but I'm supposed to have a motorway run tomorrow with my 13yo and I'll be honest, I'm a little apprehensive. I've had a couple of high speed runs to check the wheels but it was dry both times and the car still felt a little like Bambi on ice. Not looking forward to it in this rain.

Yes. Generally tyres and brakes are safety equipment and I dont think we should compromise on these. Especially given the high power output of your car. I would recommend Goodyear assymetric 6 if youre looking for summer tyres else depending on where you live Michelin crossclimates are great all seasons.

[rich1068]

Agreed. And deciding to come at this the other way I've ordered 4x Pirelli Powergy from Hometyre to be fitted Tuesday.

23 hours ago, rich1068 said:

Why anyone would fit £80 tyres on a 340bhp rear wheel drive car is beyond me. 

And correcting myself, I just found the exact same Accelera tyres that are currently fitted online for £47 a corner 😲