LexusFan09

Hello all. Looks like my 06 Lexus GS 300 Just hit the big 150,000 Mile. I havent had any problems from it at all but a lil gas cap incident but other than that shes been very reliable. I wanted to go to the dealer and get the 150,000 Mile service done but in a economy like this I cant really afford the dealer(770$ I live in Richmond,VA). It doesnt seem like much money but when you have more than enough bills it is. My mom's husband works on cars so I mostly get him to do some of the minor work like oil changes and such. But I was wondering is it possible to do a coolant flush your self or should you take it to a dealer for that? And also what kind of antifreeze do these cars take? My antifreeze is red. Also I was wondering if anyone has ever used a can of freon you get from auto zone or advance auto to recharge your AC a lil bit. I know I used it on my 97 ES and it worked good but I know im dealing with a newer model car.

Thanks in advance. All advice accepected

JSM1284

Just drain and fill the coolant, A flush probably isn't necessary unles you see junk floating in the coolant, or it is discolored. Your car should have Toyota Pink coolant (Super Long Life Coolant). You can easily drain and refill yourself. I would suggest not adding Refrigerant to the AC system unless you have a problem. If you have a problem, you should properly fix the problem, then Evacuate and recharge the system, not use the part store "quick fix" method.

LexusFan09

Do you know what stores sell the Toyota Pink Coolant (Super long Life) I cant seem to find it around this area. Also I was just putting the freon in the car to make the AC colder than what it is since the summer time is coming up.

Diesel350

Try the Toyota Dealership

JSM1284

The Toyota dealer is the only place to get it. Just adding R-134A will not make it colder. If it already has a full charge, and you add to it, it will damage the AC system. You would need to Evacuate the system, and add the correct charge level. If it is not cold, and low, there is a leak that will need to be repaired. After repairing a leak, you can't just add with those cans, the system will have to have a vacuum pulled on it before adding any refrigerant.

LexusFan09

Oh ok gotcha. Thanks for that. Do you know how often the AC System needs to be serviced in these cars.

JSM1284

Whenever something fails. There is no routine service on the AC system unless it is having problems.

MX5

A/C systems in cars are luck of the draw for me.....I've had some that work awesome seemingly forever, but others ALWAYS have some kind of issue. Toyota products generally seem to be among the best, my GS will flat freeze you out, but I've had a Chevy Prizm LSi for many years (Toyota Corolla) that needs A/C work almost yearly. At this point the entire system is all new within the past I guess 3 years, but now it's blowing warm yet again. I had a brand new compressor last less than 2 years in that car, even worse it was only about 5k miles. Wonder if an A/C system can just be cursed....