Odysseus

My rear brake lights, including the centre light in the rear window are all on and cannot be switched off. Even when the car (like now) is sat parked, locked, and generally powered down. The car drives otherwise normally, there are no warning lights on the dash or messages of impending disaster. Economy seems unaffected so I’m satisfied the actual brakes are not on. The cruise control doesn’t work in either radar or normal mode. Presumably because braking normally turns cruise control off. The brake lights seem unaffected by actual braking, acceleration, or indeed anything. To anyone following me it looks as if my brakes are just on constantly. The only reasonably unusual thing that happened is I had to brake sharply on the motorway today. This did activate the pre-collision and brake assist but it was all over in a few seconds and I carried on my merry way. I wonder however if my lightning fast, ninja fighter pilot reflexes have confused something (brake pedal switch?) which is causing this weirdness. I’ve booked the car into Lexus Cambridge later this week for them to take a look, but any suggestions in the meantime would be gratefully received. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m no psychologist but if this is the first time you’ve experienced this kind of specific ennui with a car you were originally excited about getting, maybe there’s something else going on in your life which is generally dissatisfying and you’re assigning those feelings towards the car. After all, who’s to say whatever you replace the GS with won’t leave you similarly cold in 6 months time? For whatever it’s worth I have a GS a bit like yours, albeit a 450h. It’s a great car, but to my mind it’s not the sort of machine that immediately wows you with any specific attribute. I think it’s the sort of car that requires time to fully appreciate its many qualities. Hope your find a solution to your disillusion soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a 2008 GS450H which presumably has the same nav system as the original poster. The disc I bought the car with (2007/2008) did not allow me to enter destinations on the move, but once I updated the map disc to an up to date version it did. I've got the latest maps but earlier maps may also allow on the go entry. I'm not sure when it was enabled. Note that entering phone numbers etc is still greyed out once you get above 3 mph or so. Hope that helps. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's interesting what other cars we were considering before buying our GS450s. I was looking at CLS350 CDIs and the odd 530d but didn't really fancy a diesel and the equipment and tech in the BMW and MB was no match for the GS. I also wanted something very reliable as there are few things more disruptive to a finely balanced kids/wife/work life than a non functioning car. In the end, my positive experiences with the family Prius, and lots of reading of forums put the GS on top. No regrets from me. In my car options spreadsheet (do all blokes have one of these?) I'd factored in the cost of fuel, and while the GS is probably a touch thirstier than a CLS350 or 530d the fact petrol is cheaper and running costs are lower generally put the GS only marginally more expensive than an old Volvo S80 D5 I ran for a while. In terms of economy versus performance everyone finds a level they are comfortable with. I'm very comfortable with 341bhp and 30mpg. :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree entirely. I drove a V6 Mustang for 1,500 miles around Texas and really liked it. It felt a bit cheap inside but that was ok since it's a relatively cheap car in the USA. The UK comparisons between Mustang V8s and stuff like ISFs and M4s stem from the lack of obvious competitors to a relatively cheap powerful rwd sports coupes and saloons in this country. In the US I don't think people assume you'd put a Ford Mustang in the same category as a Lexus ISF or BMW M3 or M4, Mercedes C63, etc. In five years time when there are some used UK Mustangs knocking about (at hopefully bargain prices) I can see myself being tempted, especially given the character and tune-ability of the V8. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To be fair, I've no idea how you guys are getting close to 40 mpg in your 450h's. I could only get that at 60 mph on a flat motorway. My 30 mpg is based on my commute on country roads (frequent accelerating and braking), going through villages and crawling through Cambridge traffic, with a small amount of dual carriageway. I'm perfectly happy with 30 mpg given the performance available. I run my car (which admittedly I've only had 8 weeks) on Shell unleaded and it's been serviced on the button by Lexus, so technically it should be fine. I track my fuel consumption with GasTracker+. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Slightly strange one... Whilst looking through the MyLexus pages, I came across this (see screen-grab) suggesting I have DAB, as well as the Lexus iPod adaptor. The iPod adaptor is obvious (a cable in the glove box) and I use it every day, but the DAB is a complete unknown. I didn't even know DAB was an option on the 2008 GS450h. Was it a little screen that sat on the dash that the previous owner may have taken out or do I have some as yet undiscovered feature?

Amazing figures Brian. I'm only 6 weeks in with my 2008 GS450h and I'm hovering around 30 mpg. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had a so-so experience buying my GS450h from Lexus Edgware Road. The sales guy didn't know the product, never replied to my emailed questions in writing, and generally was a bit slippery. On a matter of what should have been included with the car from what we agreed, I had to escalate to the sales manager then threaten to involve Lexus UK. It got sorted then. I would not be in a hurry to deal with them again. That said, the 'structural' aspects of Lexus dealers tick the right boxes. You're greeted professionally when you walk in, the coffee is excellent, and clearly effort is spent on making everything look slick. I'm shallow enough to like that sort of thing. I'll be using Lexus Cambridge when the GS needs a service. I already take my Prius to their sister Toyota dealer so comparing the two will be interesting. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But... mine is a 2008 facelift (indicators in the wing mirrors and different steering wheel buttons etc) and I have the lines. Is it a SE/SE-L thing? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Any luck getting the lines enabled Lee? They are very cool and have dramatically improved my parking ability!

Thanks gents. I appreciate the confirmation. No idea why you don't have the reversing lines Lee, but as John says they are very useful. Just line up the yellow box with your parking space, get the green lines into the yellow box and park perfectly each time. Gamification in action. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I might be going mad, but looking at my reversing camera view today I noticed a lot more bumper than I thought was there before. There's no obvious damage and I'm positive it's not been bumped. I poked the camera a few times and it all feels pretty solid. Please can anyone else with a GS have a look at their reversing view to see if it's similar to mine? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got under the bonnet of mine yesterday, mostly out of curiosity to see the extent of the cleaning job I have to look forward to at some point. I have the spray marks too. :) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I spotted this video on YouTube. The colour scheme of the car isn't to my tastes but the wheels look nice. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My requirement is different to your in that I was/am looking to protect my rear seat rather than the fronts, but I did find this on Amazon. They claim to be specifically for the GS and come with a higher price tag than the generic ones. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00XX7V628/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE I haven't purchased as I ended up using old towels to cover the seats and stop my kids (5 and 3) from getting muddy feet on the leather. It does look better than it sounds as I've been able to tuck excess towel in places you can't see.

If Techstream can be made to work on Windows 7 or Windows 10 and it's only 40 quid I'm keen. The other car in my household is a 2010 Toyota Prius, so I could thoroughly mess up the settings on both the cars with only one computer! Hurrah! :)

Bad news... I had planned to use some liquid leather stuff to improve the look of my ever-so-slightly worn door grab. https://www.furnitureclinic.co.uk/Applications?apid=2 Unfortunately, they have no information about my leather colour (Sussex Grey) and had to refund my order. They did offer to colour match based on a swatch but I'm not about to ferret about under the seats looking for spare leather to cut off. Has anyone else had any success with leather repair products for Sussex Grey from my era Lexus?

Looks great, you've done a good job there. What's the black paint spray above the radiator where the bonnet latch is located all about?

I agree with the wisdom expressed by the others here. The lack of servicing over 7 years is not good. Old oil, old coolant, etc. Things like air con need regular use to keep seals and pipes in good shape, and being left standing for so long can't be healthy. I think you'd be looking at a full service at £500 once you got it as a minimum, potentially more if it needed work/parts. It's also too old (I think?) for the Lexus extended warranty, so that may influence your purchasing decision. If you were keen paying the local Lexus dealer to assess the car might be wise, and could be a 50:50 agreement between you and the garage in terms of the cost. Good luck with your hunt for a GS450. They are great cars. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haha thanks buddy, I think you might have a point about the detailing thing. [emoji3] The navigation matter was a bit annoying. I said from the first phone call to the Lexus dealer I'll expect the navigation to be up to date, repeated again on the test drive and put it in writing before collection (and payment!) and they still didn't sort it out and tried to quibble. It was only after I started saying I'd go to Lexus UK if they didn't sort it out that things started happening. I am yet to be wowed by Lexus dealers! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good news. The Lexus dealer finally came through with the updated navigation disc. Installing it was about as complicated as breathing though I haven't had the chance to drive the car since. It will be refreshing to drive on 'new' roads without the nav thinking I'm doing 70 mph over open farmland. I'm also going to test the entering addresses on the move thing. I've also spent a small fortune on (and I shudder to use this term) detailing products to keep the car looking snazzy. The next thing to do is to buy some liquid leather stuff to tackle the very slight discolouration on the driver's door grab. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the kind replies gents. I think I've cracked this for now, and predictably the fault was (I think) based on my own ignorance/stupidity. I believe the software that controls the mirrors dipping when reverse is selected tells the mirror to return to the selected memory position for the last selected driver, rather than the last actual position of the mirror. I had inadvertently set the memory with the driver's mirror in the wrong place. Once I figured this out, everything was fine and both mirrors now return to the correct position. All this being said, should the motors start to become "lazy", taking the mirror to bits and lubing the mechanism is a really good idea and one I'll keep in mind should they start misbehaving.

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Hey hey forum chums, another question. My wing mirrors dip when I put the car into reverse, which is a very good feature. However, I've noted that they don't always return to the normal position once I disengage reverse, especially the driver's mirror. Several times I've found myself having to manually return the driver's mirror to the right angle. Am I missing something in terms of a setting somewhere? Or is it time to start testing the quality of the Lexus used car warranty? Thanks very much in advance for any suggestions.