GS 400 unreliable?
10-09-13, 05:17 PM
#1
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GS 400 unreliable?
Hello all, recently i made a purchase for a GS 400 as my second car and so far, it has so many issues with it. It's considered high mileage at 150k+ but well maintained. No rush and looks like well kept during winter
. A few weeks ago i was able to get help from some of you fellas regarding a bad BMC. Just after fixing what i thought was a huge problem, led to more and more issues. Now, the starter is acting weird and randomly start. Although it's not really an issue for me, i'm primarily concerned about the safety issues with this car.
The BMC is now fixed, but then a caliper suddenly seized right after installation. I got a new caliper on and took it for a test drive. I noticed a weird noise coming from the right side. It sounds like something is grinding. I decided to isolate all other obstacles by parking the car first, and then put into drive mode with no gas and allow the vehicle to move forward slowly. The grinding noise seems to correspond with tire rotation. The faster the tire is spinning, the more frequent the grinding noise is. Imagine a nail on your tire. It will grind against the ground every full revolution of the tire. That's how it sounds like.
Jacked up the car and checked for bad bearings and ball joints. Tire is stiff and no play.
Is this car just old and breaking down, or is the GS really unreliable? Or... are any of these known issues for GS400?
. A few weeks ago i was able to get help from some of you fellas regarding a bad BMC. Just after fixing what i thought was a huge problem, led to more and more issues. Now, the starter is acting weird and randomly start. Although it's not really an issue for me, i'm primarily concerned about the safety issues with this car.
The BMC is now fixed, but then a caliper suddenly seized right after installation. I got a new caliper on and took it for a test drive. I noticed a weird noise coming from the right side. It sounds like something is grinding. I decided to isolate all other obstacles by parking the car first, and then put into drive mode with no gas and allow the vehicle to move forward slowly. The grinding noise seems to correspond with tire rotation. The faster the tire is spinning, the more frequent the grinding noise is. Imagine a nail on your tire. It will grind against the ground every full revolution of the tire. That's how it sounds like.
Jacked up the car and checked for bad bearings and ball joints. Tire is stiff and no play.
Is this car just old and breaking down, or is the GS really unreliable? Or... are any of these known issues for GS400?
10-09-13, 06:30 PM
#4
I mean starters are known issue on this car, the caliper/brakes in general are just wear and tear, same with suspension (which im currently tackling) and the grinding could be a parking brake? I mean theres a difference between replacing wear and tear parts, and having an unreliable car. 150k miles from a starter is pretty good considering many cars need stuff like that after 50k miles. Also, there are more things sensors, ect to go wrong on this gs400 than your supra. When comparing what i've had to do to a friend with a same year audi a6, ive had to do about 1/5 the repairs he has. Even reliable cars break. I guess what im trying to say it comparatively, the GS is an extremely reliable car for what it is, is it more reliable than a new car? probably not but there needs to be a reasonable expectation for a car this old.
10-09-13, 07:37 PM
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Mine has 197k simple issues here and there. Depending if your a diy kind of guy. Parts are more on the expensive side so it makes every job seem like a big one. just because it is a Lexus and with mine it didn't look like the previous owner took good care of my 400. But as far as it being reliable, I would have to say yes they are!. Heard of these going 300k without the motor or trans failing... if I where you, do what I'm currently doing to mine and just go through it. replacing what I believe needs replacing and doing preventative maintenance.
10-09-13, 08:58 PM
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Mine has 247k miles, and needs suspension work, part of which the previous owner did and part of which I'm tackling, but looks like most of the big stuff is out of the way (front lower ball joints, etc.). Timing belt etc., is part of the game.
Our cars are now up to 16 years old (mine is a '98 model) so expect age related things to start wearing out but once they're replaced, it should be OK.
In contrast, a 9-10 year old Y34 (Infiniti M45) will have lots more go wrong including electronics and engine/transmission as early as 5 years old, which when you look at their market value, should speak volumes (same price as a 15 year old 98 GS...). Considering how rare the '03-04 M45 is, it's rather sad that they're plagued with oil consumption, failing transmissions, electronic buggery, etc., and all inside their first 100k miles (sure, not all, but too many from my research). I'll be hard pressed to find one over 100k miles in good shape, yet I looked at 3 GS400's, all from 160-245k miles still running like a 5 year old car or better.
Our cars are now up to 16 years old (mine is a '98 model) so expect age related things to start wearing out but once they're replaced, it should be OK.
In contrast, a 9-10 year old Y34 (Infiniti M45) will have lots more go wrong including electronics and engine/transmission as early as 5 years old, which when you look at their market value, should speak volumes (same price as a 15 year old 98 GS...). Considering how rare the '03-04 M45 is, it's rather sad that they're plagued with oil consumption, failing transmissions, electronic buggery, etc., and all inside their first 100k miles (sure, not all, but too many from my research). I'll be hard pressed to find one over 100k miles in good shape, yet I looked at 3 GS400's, all from 160-245k miles still running like a 5 year old car or better.
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10-10-13, 05:55 AM
#9
Hello all, recently i made a purchase for a GS 400 as my second car and so far, it has so many issues with it. It's considered high mileage at 150k+ but well maintained. No rush and looks like well kept during winter
. A few weeks ago i was able to get help from some of you fellas regarding a bad BMC. Just after fixing what i thought was a huge problem, led to more and more issues. Now, the starter is acting weird and randomly start. Although it's not really an issue for me, i'm primarily concerned about the safety issues with this car.
The BMC is now fixed, but then a caliper suddenly seized right after installation. I got a new caliper on and took it for a test drive. I noticed a weird noise coming from the right side. It sounds like something is grinding. I decided to isolate all other obstacles by parking the car first, and then put into drive mode with no gas and allow the vehicle to move forward slowly. The grinding noise seems to correspond with tire rotation. The faster the tire is spinning, the more frequent the grinding noise is. Imagine a nail on your tire. It will grind against the ground every full revolution of the tire. That's how it sounds like.
Jacked up the car and checked for bad bearings and ball joints. Tire is stiff and no play.
Is this car just old and breaking down, or is the GS really unreliable? Or... are any of these known issues for GS400?
. A few weeks ago i was able to get help from some of you fellas regarding a bad BMC. Just after fixing what i thought was a huge problem, led to more and more issues. Now, the starter is acting weird and randomly start. Although it's not really an issue for me, i'm primarily concerned about the safety issues with this car.
The BMC is now fixed, but then a caliper suddenly seized right after installation. I got a new caliper on and took it for a test drive. I noticed a weird noise coming from the right side. It sounds like something is grinding. I decided to isolate all other obstacles by parking the car first, and then put into drive mode with no gas and allow the vehicle to move forward slowly. The grinding noise seems to correspond with tire rotation. The faster the tire is spinning, the more frequent the grinding noise is. Imagine a nail on your tire. It will grind against the ground every full revolution of the tire. That's how it sounds like.
Jacked up the car and checked for bad bearings and ball joints. Tire is stiff and no play.
Is this car just old and breaking down, or is the GS really unreliable? Or... are any of these known issues for GS400?
10-10-13, 06:46 PM
#13
My $0.02:
Its similar to the "Beranek" effect of homebrew louspeakers: if you have lots of personal time/effort into something you can appreciate it better, especially when its working...and to be blatantly misogynistic, automobiles and most things mechanical can be understood if not fixed, unlike the fairer sex.....
Its similar to the "Beranek" effect of homebrew louspeakers: if you have lots of personal time/effort into something you can appreciate it better, especially when its working...and to be blatantly misogynistic, automobiles and most things mechanical can be understood if not fixed, unlike the fairer sex.....
10-10-13, 08:51 PM
#14
Mine has 247k miles, and needs suspension work, part of which the previous owner did and part of which I'm tackling, but looks like most of the big stuff is out of the way (front lower ball joints, etc.). Timing belt etc., is part of the game.
Our cars are now up to 16 years old (mine is a '98 model) so expect age related things to start wearing out but once they're replaced, it should be OK.
In contrast, a 9-10 year old Y34 (Infiniti M45) will have lots more go wrong including electronics and engine/transmission as early as 5 years old, which when you look at their market value, should speak volumes (same price as a 15 year old 98 GS...). Considering how rare the '03-04 M45 is, it's rather sad that they're plagued with oil consumption, failing transmissions, electronic buggery, etc., and all inside their first 100k miles (sure, not all, but too many from my research). I'll be hard pressed to find one over 100k miles in good shape, yet I looked at 3 GS400's, all from 160-245k miles still running like a 5 year old car or better.
Our cars are now up to 16 years old (mine is a '98 model) so expect age related things to start wearing out but once they're replaced, it should be OK.
In contrast, a 9-10 year old Y34 (Infiniti M45) will have lots more go wrong including electronics and engine/transmission as early as 5 years old, which when you look at their market value, should speak volumes (same price as a 15 year old 98 GS...). Considering how rare the '03-04 M45 is, it's rather sad that they're plagued with oil consumption, failing transmissions, electronic buggery, etc., and all inside their first 100k miles (sure, not all, but too many from my research). I'll be hard pressed to find one over 100k miles in good shape, yet I looked at 3 GS400's, all from 160-245k miles still running like a 5 year old car or better.
