johnatg

That's odd - it should blow cold very soon after a recharge. Is the compressor drive belt in place and running normally?

Yes - during the service they extract any remaining gas, then refill with nitrogen (I think - anyway, something inert) and see if the system holds pressure. If it doesn't, they'll try to identify the leak/problem and advise what needs to be done. If and when it holds pressure they'll extract the nitrogen and refill with the correct quantity of refrigerant gas - I'm pretty sure that will be R134a.

It could just need a gas recharge. You should use aircon all the time - if you don't the seals dry out and the gas leaks away (more quickly than it does anyway). When you want some heat keep the aircon on and use the heater. Has the aircon ever been recharged? If not, after 11 years it will definitely need to be done. It may need doing every couple of years for full efficiency but anyway after every 5 years or so. Use an aircon specialist who is aware the oil carried in the gas needs to be dielectric ND11. (Check the label under the bonnet) Do NOT under any circumstances use a DIY can. It will either have no oil or be the wrong type.

There's a thread on the GS forum ( Rear Steering Rack failure - rebuilt/second hand parts? GS 450h F-sport 2014) - fairly recent - Paul (Stripester) was quoted £10000 (Ten Thousand) for a new rear rack and fitting. The thread is an interesting read - some parts are not available new and solutions have been tried (some work for some time) But the conclusion must be - do not get a GS with rear steering! (I think it only applies to F-Sport pre-facelift - possibly was optional on others)

I was in the same boat 5 years ago (13 year old IS250, needed a bit of cosmetic work and I'd had it for 7+ years) I bought a GS300h. Much lower Road tax (£25 now), much better fuel consumption (round about 40 mpg), feels like better acceleration (probably isn't but aided by 120 ish bhp electric motor from standstill), more refinement and more luxurious fittings generally. You get used to the CVT transmission (in fact I prefer it now to conventional automatics) and you've got the paddles to play with if you want to be interactive. It felt like a genuine upgrade vs just another car. Don't regret it at all!

When I had an is250 I used Redstuff pads - can't remember whose discs. I would have used red on my GS300h but no one could supply when I needed them so I went with Yellowstuff which are great but very dusty. Redstuff are the only pads which don't contain metal - that makes dust easy to remove. I've never been convinced that Greenstuff offer any great advantage.

Programmable ones can be cloned to the original sensors with a gizmo which the supplying tyre fitter will have. I think the gizmos are specific to the brand of TPMS, so it is as well to get the sensors from the tyre fitter who fits your tyres. Obviously you need the original sensors to do that. Sensors can also be coded to the car with Techstream - you need the codes from the sensors for that. The suppliers tell you the codes if they are not printed on the sensors. New sensors do not start transmitting until they are pressurised (in the wheel) and rotated, so you can't program them until they have been fitted. If they are cloned you cannot have the original sensors in or near the car because you would have two sensors with the same code transmitting - that causes havoc. Original Lexus sensors transmit all the time whether pressurised and/or rotating or not.

I got new tyres fitted by Selecta Tyre, Macclesfield (via Asda Tyres ~ £600 for 4 Continental PremiumContact 7). They (Selecta Tyre) also supplied, cloned and fitted new TPMS sensors (branded Autogem). (~£200) There's a story which I might post about later. So far so good, but the new sensors don't transmit when the wheels aren't turning so a few seconds after you stop the pressures show as dashed lines or 0 bar. The old ones showed pressures all the time. But I hear that it is common now that they work like this.

Another PS The GTS is the Techstream computer and the DLC3 is the OBD11 socket.

Your tyre fitter was wrong. No TPMS sensors are recognised automatically by the ECU. They are either hard coded like Lexus originals or other brands can be programmed so that the original codes are transferred to the new sensors. The codes are 7 digit hexadecimal numbers which in the case of Lexus ones are printed on the sensor. You may be able to find a tyre place which can read the code with a scanner, otherwise the tyre will need to be removed (partially) to be able to read the code visually. Then you need Techstream to replace the code of the old sensor with the new one. You have to put all the codes in - the problem will be identifying which sensor you have replaced, unless you have the old sensor - you may be able to do that by deflating tyres in turn. Techstream shows the pressures in each tyre. This document explains the whole procedure, although you won't need all of it. PS - this is the procedure for Mk 4 GS. It may be slightly different for Mk 3.

Did you code the replacement sensor to the car? With Techstream. AFAIK, original Lexus sensors are not programmable so tyre fitters cannot clone replacement original sensors. Techstream is the only way to do it.

Yes - you need Techstream and a laptop for full coverage - but only runs on Windows. You should be able to get some diagnostics and live data with app 'Torque' but only covers engine data and you need a dongle to plug in to the OBD11 socket.

To summarise the answers to Mark's question: Apple CarPlay - Nope - only as an aftermarket modification Sunroof - was an option but only slightly less rare than hen's teeth. Good luck with finding one. HUD - yep - you get that on Premier spec.

Here you go: (This was November 2019 - I think there are maps updated to 2022/2023 available now but I haven't bothered to update further) Quote: When I got my 2014 GS300h a couple of months ago the map update screen showed 'last map update was cancelled'. That irritated me no end so I resolved to do something about it and came across this thread. I visited the link: https://toyotamaps.online/map-updates/toyota-lexus-navigation-gen7-update I paid my $79 (£64.10) via PayPal and received a link to onedrive files. There are 8 of them and the total download size is about 14Gb. You then need to extract (one of the files is an extraction program) the files to a 64Gb Flash drive - I had a 64Gb SD card and a USB card reader but that didn't work. I contacted the vendor and he confirmed what I had already suspected - the car is fussy about the flash drives it accepts. So acquired a 64Gb San Disk Cruzer (other brands are available!) and extracted the files again. The total extracted size is just over 32Gb. You plug the flash drive in to the USB port in the cubby between the seats. Now you go to the map update screen and plug the flash drive in - this time it showed it was ready to update. You take a picture of the screen and email it to the vendor - he then sends you an activation/licence code. When you start the update the first thing is it asks you is to key in the code then it does a software update. This takes about 10 minutes, then you have to stop the car and restart. Now it's a bit worrying - the screen goes black for quite a few seconds but then it comes back and tells you the map update is ready to start and will take approx 98 minutes. (So you'd better be driving somewhere, even aimlessly, if you don't want the car to be idling on your drive for a couple of hours!) At last it tells you the update completed successfully. The map is updated to April 2019 and it was issued in October 2019, so now is as up-to-date as possible. Very happy! I know the navigation is nowhere near as good as you get for free on your phone but now my car is working properly for a reasonable cost. I suspect this isn't quite kosher but hey! it works, it's a reasonable cost and Lexus should offer this service (they used to, but have discontinued it) rather than tell you to go and be ripped off by a dealer!

Try toyotamaps.online I updated mine some years ago for about £70 - there's a post of mine on here somewhere that details how to do it. But it won't help with Manchester Airport! They change stuff all the time - everyone who isn't a regular there gets in a mess!

Can anyone tell me how to get the battery status in the TP sensors using Techstream? I read a post here some years ago by Britprius (RIP) which said you could see the battery state. (And he subsequently went on the explain how to change the batteries). My car is coming up to 10 years and imminently needs new tyres. I'm thinking of changing the batteries first but it looks like a bit of a pfaff. I really don't want to get new sensors. I've tried with Techstream and I get the Data List and it shows sensor IDs, tyre temperatures, tyre pressures etc but no battery info. Have things changed with the Mk 4 ? (GS300h)

Is your car a mk3 or mk4? Sami's battery dimensions work for the Mk3 but I believe don't for the Mk4. I'll say it again - I don't believe a Panasonic battery (which cost you what? Not far off £300) would only last 3 years - mine is Panasonic and is coming up to 10 years old. Don't forget the heat sensor and the gas vent tubes.

Hmm - looks like an electrical glitch. Perhaps a loose or corroded terminal in the HT circuit. Unlikely to be a component failure.

I'm puzzled now. When you say it doesn't start, what exactly do you mean? Normally you press the start button, the dash lights up and the system check runs. The engine doesn't start at this point. Then you press the accelerator pedal and drive away under electric power and it's likely the engine starts after you've driven a few yards. At what point is the engine not starting? It shouldn't until you've moved some distance, depending on the state of charge of the hybrid battery.

They don't affect the car operation - they are just a warning. All cars 2014 on have to have them working. Originally an EU regulation I think.

Indeed so, but you have to have them - blame the politicians.

What utter nonsense. In the category of 'they'll tell you owt'. My battery is coming up to 10 years old. A Yuasa battery (if that's what it is) should last for more than 6 years at least. Hopefully it's a one-time glitch.

Well, was there any dashboard indication of a pressure problem when you went to the tyre place? If not, the tyre fitter must have broken the sensor. I don't know what their responsibility is now but they broke it ( I suspect) - they should fix it. Reports on here vary - I think some people have got away with non-genuine replacements but others have reported that they don't work. Best to get a genuine one - you can get them from LexusPartsDirect for £70 odd quid but they need to be coded with Techstream. I don't know if a Lexus dealer would code sensors you haven't bought from them - possibly not even if it was a genuine sensor. Techstream is unofficially available from a popular auction site You do need to get it fixed - they are mandatory for MoT on 2015 cars.

That is a part number for the CT200h, some of which have steel wheels. Surely your IS250 has alloy wheels and so does not need wheel covers?

Try parkers.co.uk/car-valuation/ There are several other free valuation sites - just search for 'car valuation' WBAC only deal with cars up to 15 years old, AFAIK.