PiCASSO

Old thread... but thought I would put my 2-cents...

My 2006 IS350 was serviced back in 02/2009 at 16,950 miles for the 9LB service campaign. They spent about $15 in parts (04007-49330 x2) and some labour to help to extend the life of my rear brakes.

Now at 69,000 miles and 6+ years later, both my rear calipers have seized and the dealership wants $1,200 for brake job (brake pads, calipers, etc).

Tried to have Lexus customer service work with me on this one, but no help was provided. I will have to address this myself.

Disappointed how much issues I've been having with this car.

rl9010

So you are upset a normal wear item "only" lasted 6 years and 69k....

BinaryJay

Did you clean and lubricate your brakes annually like you are supposed to if you want them to last? I'm going to guess no if they seized, maybe you should join the "I never serviced my transmission and it stopped working" club. :P

LexusLive

The problem is, I see so many "off the book" maintenance items like this that aren't listed in the official factory Owner's Manual Supplement booklet with the maintenance intervals. There's really very little to do officially, but I see so much information flying around this forum about transmission flushes and brake lubes etc.

What we need is the official ClubLexus maintenance interval guide for people who intend to keep their GSs forever.

PiCASSO

No, I know that a wear item requires servicing and replacing. I'm more upset with the number of "campaigns" my 2006 IS350 had since I've purchased it. I would get a letter in the mail at least twice a year to address something new:

• ELF - REPL FUEL PRESSURE GASKET
• REMOVE SERRATION PATTERN & INSTALL NEW WIPER ARM NUTS
• REPLACE INTERNAL TRUNK RELEASE LEVER
• REPLACE CAMSHAFT TIMING GEAR ON GS
• BLA TIGHTEN FUEL PRESSURE SENSOR GASKET
• ALE REPL COMP SPRINGS & LASH ADJUSTERS FOR IS 35
• FLOOR MAT/ACC PEDAL - PERFORM 9LG SAFETY CAMPAIGN FOR CERTAIN 2006
• FUEL DELIVERY PIPE - 9LA SERVICE CAMPAIGN
• REAR BRAKE CALIPER - 9LB SERVICE CAMPAIGN
• EPS LINK ASSY - 9LC SERVICE CAMPAIGN

PiCASSO

Perhaps the GS has this in recommended schedule, but cleaning and lubricating brakes annually was not on my IS list. Am I missing something? Or is this tribal knowledge that only the a few selective owners are aware of?

Factory Recommended

• Replace engine oil and oil filter
• Replace air conditioner filter
• Replace brake fluid
• Replace differential oil
• Replace engine air filter
• Replace engine coolant (Super Long Life)
• Replace spark plugs
• Clean air conditioner filter
• Measure brake pad thickness and rotor runout
• Measure thickness of brake rotors
• Measure thickness of front brake pads and rotors
• Re-torque axle shaft flange bolts
• Reset maintenance reminder light
• Road test vehicle
• Inspect axle shaft boots
• Inspect ball joints and dust covers
• Inspect body
• Inspect brake lines and hoses
• Inspect drive belt(s)
• Inspect engine coolant
• Inspect exhaust pipes and mounting
• Inspect fuel lines and connections, fuel tank band and fuel tank vapor vent system hoses.
• Inspect fuel tank cap gasket
• Inspect rack and pinion steering assembly
• Inspect rear differential oil
• Inspect steering linkage and boots
• Visually inspect brake pads and rotors

PiCASSO

Thank you, LexusLive. I honestly have very little time for internet forums to get the most out of my IS. I only come here when something goes wrong and search the various posts for answers and hope that I can get some help that will not be costing me an arm and a leg.

I purchased the IS350 because I wanted to avoid spending time at the dealership, along with spending money on parts and labour that I would normally on Deutsches luxury vehicles. Perhaps I was wrong.

LexusLive

Yeah, well the GS isn't any better. I too chose a Lexus back 2008 to avoid the well documented issues seen with Audi and BMW. And now I have an oil burning V6 that has effectively turned my $55,000 Near Luxury car into 3700 lbs of scrap metal. I can't sell it. No one will touch the 2006 GS 300. No one. Autotrader shows a ton of them sitting on the market at about $11-15K. Pathetic.

PiCASSO

Looked up your '06 GS300 in CarGurus, and in NW Suburbs of Chicago (150 mile radius), and compared it to my '06 IS350, and there is 4.5 more cars available with a same asking price for similar mileage. I actually never knew about burning oil in the GS300, and if interested in the GS line I would recommend the larger 3.5L engine over the smaller 3.0L. Is the 2nd generation 3.0L I6 better than the 3rd Gen 3.0 V6 on your car?

Range: $10-$19k.
Mileage: 57-162k
Vehicles: 27
Link

Range: $10-$15k
Mileage: 45-147k
Vehicles: 6
Link

LexusLive

Yes, the 3.5 engine is a lot better than the 3.0, it does have port as well as direct injection to help wash the cylinders, plus another 50 hp, and about the same fuel consumption. But I'm still starting to see evidence of it having other problems, here on the forums and other online sources. It's not perfect, the 430 with the old style 4.3 V8 is probably the ultimate engine for the GS. I don't know about the 460, that's something of a unicorn.

As for the 2nd gen 3.0 I6 vs. the 3.0 V6 in my car, it's harder to say. The V6 is certainly a much more modern, efficient and powerful engine. If you're just looking at the spec sheet, it's a no-brainer. However, you can find plenty of those 2nd Gen I6 cars with 225K+ miles and they are still worth $3-5K on the market. I doubt the 3rd Gen V6 GS will be telling the same story 5 years from now.

burny

Changed the oil in wife's 07 GS this past weekend and noticed very small oil on passenger side of engine mid ways up. Taking it in for fuel pressure gasket recall and will have them check valve cover bolt torque and the FIPG seal where bottom of valve cover meets top of timing cover. Pretty sure they F'ed this up during cam gear recall. Timing chain leak is a costly repair

BinaryJay

As a self professed "car enthusiast" you ought to know about all of the common maintenance items that people do to make their cars last. The GS is just a car, you do all of the same things that you do for other cars with the same parts. Factory maintenance schedules are both conservative in order to reduce the perceived TCO and they have a lot of items hidden within the larger "services".

Your best bet is to just find an independent mechanic that can be trusted to recommend services to you that you actually need. A good partnership with them will ensure the car stays in as good of shape as you're wiling to pay for.

LexusLive

What do you mean they have a lot of items hidden in the larger services? Shouldn't these be itemized, so I know what needs to be done and how much it will cost?

I have major confusion over these items:
Water Pump- no scheduled replacement in the book. I've read here that you can wait until it shows leakage, and to keep an eye on the coolant level as you near 100K. I know the GS300 has a chain, and it purports to never need to be replaced. But shouldn't it be checked, at least? If the chain breaks, the engine is toast, right? I remember on my old Acura, doing the water pump, timing belt and a few other things was an absolutely necessary major service interval.

Transmission and differential fluids (and I have AWD, so there's another thing to worry about). Do we need to change these or not? The factory book claims they are sealed for life, but I read so much about here about transmission flushes etc. I'm very confused on this issue.

Struts - Are these considered lifetime items or is it advantageous to replace them? If they are bad, what are the symptoms? Is there a superior replacement part to assist ride/handing? I've always felt the 3rd Gen GS was just a bit creaky and wooden feeling over bad pavement. Would love to do something to help make the ride more supple.

BinaryJay

Water pump doesn't need to be replaced until it leaks, keep an eye on coolant level, don't wait until the coolant runs out and the car overheats. Just look at the reservoir every so often while you are doing other things like replacing air filters and adding washer fluid.

Yes, change the transmission fluid and differentials. Differential fluid has a specified replacement interval in both the US and Canada. Transmission fluid, stupidly, does not have a replacement interval in the US but it does in Canada. In Canada Lexus says replace the fluid every 96,000 KM (or 60,000 miles). I do mine more often than that, it is not expensive to do at an independent. Don't flush, just drain and fill, do it multiple times to replace more (every year for a few years will get it mostly replaced).

Struts are wear items like all suspension components. They don't need to get replaced until they leak... if they are dry then they are fine. Most last a very long time.

Asav

iTrader: (2)

Good info here sir!