Potential Lexus owner with some questions
01-16-14, 02:36 PM
#1
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Potential Lexus owner with some questions
Hello all!!
I've been trying to decide weather or not to go through and actually purchase this car.
It is a 2011 GS 350 AWD with 75k ish miles on it. the miles are a bit high buts its in my price range.
I was wondering if I could Rack your brains on a couple of things that I'm concerned with.
This first and biggest thing is the audio system. How hard is it to swap it out? I've been doing a little bit of reading on here already and saw that its pretty much impossible to get rid of the stock nav unit for a different head unit. So what I would plan on doing is swapping out the speakers, adding dynamat, and amping them. which leads me to my second and probably stupid question.. does the stock head unit have support for remote wire to aftermarket amps so they aren't always on and kill the battery or will I need to get something for that?
Next I was wondering about the traction in snow and inclement weather. With it being all wheel drive I would assume that its pretty decent I just wanted input from people. I'm coming from a hummer which is quite a tank in the snow.
I'm decent with a wrench and was wondering if it was possible to do basic stuff like brakes and oil with out any special tools.
Finally, Is there anything on the car I should look for in terms of problems before I buy?
Thanks for all of your time!
I've been trying to decide weather or not to go through and actually purchase this car.
It is a 2011 GS 350 AWD with 75k ish miles on it. the miles are a bit high buts its in my price range.
I was wondering if I could Rack your brains on a couple of things that I'm concerned with.
This first and biggest thing is the audio system. How hard is it to swap it out? I've been doing a little bit of reading on here already and saw that its pretty much impossible to get rid of the stock nav unit for a different head unit. So what I would plan on doing is swapping out the speakers, adding dynamat, and amping them. which leads me to my second and probably stupid question.. does the stock head unit have support for remote wire to aftermarket amps so they aren't always on and kill the battery or will I need to get something for that?
Next I was wondering about the traction in snow and inclement weather. With it being all wheel drive I would assume that its pretty decent I just wanted input from people. I'm coming from a hummer which is quite a tank in the snow.
I'm decent with a wrench and was wondering if it was possible to do basic stuff like brakes and oil with out any special tools.
Finally, Is there anything on the car I should look for in terms of problems before I buy?
Thanks for all of your time!
01-16-14, 03:55 PM
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I havent seen head units swapped out but adding amps and changing the speakings are the same as any car. The mark levison stero is pretty bad *** i highly doubt you will be able to duplicate the sorround sound if you add amps to the mids and highs. If the car doesnt have ML Rockford fosgate 360.3 would be something to consider if you do change the interior speakers and add amps
01-16-14, 09:43 PM
#4
Hello all!!
I've been trying to decide weather or not to go through and actually purchase this car.
It is a 2011 GS 350 AWD with 75k ish miles on it. the miles are a bit high buts its in my price range.
I was wondering if I could Rack your brains on a couple of things that I'm concerned with.
This first and biggest thing is the audio system. How hard is it to swap it out? I've been doing a little bit of reading on here already and saw that its pretty much impossible to get rid of the stock nav unit for a different head unit. So what I would plan on doing is swapping out the speakers, adding dynamat, and amping them. which leads me to my second and probably stupid question.. does the stock head unit have support for remote wire to aftermarket amps so they aren't always on and kill the battery or will I need to get something for that?
Audio-wise, unless it's ML, you're good to go with custom tuning and etc. off of a MS-8 system, AudioControl, or RF 3-sixty.
Why would you want to swap out your OEM system for aftermarket? There's plenty of support that you can add-on for video capabilities and also the 2011 GS has mp3 capabilities (something I envy as I have the 06 GS w/ non-Mp3....)
It is possible to swap out your bottom CD/Tape deck for an aftermarket HU. It will work too if that's what you want... I'm sure you're losing all voice/audio functions that come from the factory system though.... Refer to this thread, as this guy's had his done: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...ine-cover.html
If you're looking for a remote source, I've uploaded a photo of where you can tap your remote source off of, PM me when you get your car and you're ready to do this
.
Next I was wondering about the traction in snow and inclement weather. With it being all wheel drive I would assume that its pretty decent I just wanted input from people. I'm coming from a hummer which is quite a tank in the snow.
In the snow I think these cars are decent..... Power-wise I believe it's 40% front 60% rear, maybe even less in the front.... So it's not 100% AWD, but it's got all 4 wheels getting power.
Keep in mind that this car does not like to be lowered when on AWD. Check the suspension section for AWD wobble. If you're looking to lower your car, keep to the RWD configurations.
I'm decent with a wrench and was wondering if it was possible to do basic stuff like brakes and oil with out any special tools.
I believe bleeding the brakes is a simple job..... Make sure you battery's disconnected during brake change... Oil change is a bit different as it's a canister-style oil filter rather than your "can-style" oil filters. Other than that, an oil change is simple and easy IMO... Just like any other car.
Finally, Is there anything on the car I should look for in terms of problems before I buy?
Full service records, make sure you see that the recalls and TSBs were done (you'll have to look this up as I'm a GS430 owner, not a GS350). There's a latest recall that needs to be done after you've purchased the car. You might want to throw the car at the dealer and have them do the trans oil change and rear diff change (as that's definitely due), just for kicks and giggles, you should (as I do on every new car I purchase, no matter the mileage as you do not know the previous owner) the spark plug change. Just all the typical maintanence should be done. One thing to NOTE, is that you should check the thermostat for leakage of radiator fluid, as a lot of people have gotten leaks down there and need their water pump/gasket replaced.
Thanks for all of your time!
I've been trying to decide weather or not to go through and actually purchase this car.
It is a 2011 GS 350 AWD with 75k ish miles on it. the miles are a bit high buts its in my price range.
I was wondering if I could Rack your brains on a couple of things that I'm concerned with.
This first and biggest thing is the audio system. How hard is it to swap it out? I've been doing a little bit of reading on here already and saw that its pretty much impossible to get rid of the stock nav unit for a different head unit. So what I would plan on doing is swapping out the speakers, adding dynamat, and amping them. which leads me to my second and probably stupid question.. does the stock head unit have support for remote wire to aftermarket amps so they aren't always on and kill the battery or will I need to get something for that?
Audio-wise, unless it's ML, you're good to go with custom tuning and etc. off of a MS-8 system, AudioControl, or RF 3-sixty.
Why would you want to swap out your OEM system for aftermarket? There's plenty of support that you can add-on for video capabilities and also the 2011 GS has mp3 capabilities (something I envy as I have the 06 GS w/ non-Mp3....)
It is possible to swap out your bottom CD/Tape deck for an aftermarket HU. It will work too if that's what you want... I'm sure you're losing all voice/audio functions that come from the factory system though.... Refer to this thread, as this guy's had his done: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...ine-cover.html
If you're looking for a remote source, I've uploaded a photo of where you can tap your remote source off of, PM me when you get your car and you're ready to do this
.Next I was wondering about the traction in snow and inclement weather. With it being all wheel drive I would assume that its pretty decent I just wanted input from people. I'm coming from a hummer which is quite a tank in the snow.
In the snow I think these cars are decent..... Power-wise I believe it's 40% front 60% rear, maybe even less in the front.... So it's not 100% AWD, but it's got all 4 wheels getting power.
Keep in mind that this car does not like to be lowered when on AWD. Check the suspension section for AWD wobble. If you're looking to lower your car, keep to the RWD configurations.
I'm decent with a wrench and was wondering if it was possible to do basic stuff like brakes and oil with out any special tools.
I believe bleeding the brakes is a simple job..... Make sure you battery's disconnected during brake change... Oil change is a bit different as it's a canister-style oil filter rather than your "can-style" oil filters. Other than that, an oil change is simple and easy IMO... Just like any other car.
Finally, Is there anything on the car I should look for in terms of problems before I buy?
Full service records, make sure you see that the recalls and TSBs were done (you'll have to look this up as I'm a GS430 owner, not a GS350). There's a latest recall that needs to be done after you've purchased the car. You might want to throw the car at the dealer and have them do the trans oil change and rear diff change (as that's definitely due), just for kicks and giggles, you should (as I do on every new car I purchase, no matter the mileage as you do not know the previous owner) the spark plug change. Just all the typical maintanence should be done. One thing to NOTE, is that you should check the thermostat for leakage of radiator fluid, as a lot of people have gotten leaks down there and need their water pump/gasket replaced.
Thanks for all of your time!
01-17-14, 02:03 AM
#5
I have an 2006 AWD GS with ML and Navigation and can confirm that it handles great in inclement weather. I went thru a snow storm last month and had no problems at all plus its currently snowing right now.
Your right you can't easily change the head unit but adding additional amps and switching out speakers like others have said is easy to do. There are a few ways to do this but the link below will probably provide you the wiring diagram.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...gram-help.html
I'm currently using a MS8 with the stock ML speakers and aftermarket sub. The MS8 sounds much better than the ML setup including surround sound and you can hookup 8 amps if needed. With my setup the MS8 powers the stock speakers and I use one mono amp for my subs.
Your right you can't easily change the head unit but adding additional amps and switching out speakers like others have said is easy to do. There are a few ways to do this but the link below will probably provide you the wiring diagram.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...gram-help.html
I'm currently using a MS8 with the stock ML speakers and aftermarket sub. The MS8 sounds much better than the ML setup including surround sound and you can hookup 8 amps if needed. With my setup the MS8 powers the stock speakers and I use one mono amp for my subs.
01-17-14, 09:02 AM
#6
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Thanks for all the support!
This may sound crazy but the reason I ask about the sound system is because I would ideally like to have a 2.1 setup, so a left and right channel, which is the way most music is recorded. surround sound is nice for movies but not for music IMO. So all of the extra speakers wont be needed. I'm somewhat of an audio junkie so thanks again to everyone who has been posting.
This may sound crazy but the reason I ask about the sound system is because I would ideally like to have a 2.1 setup, so a left and right channel, which is the way most music is recorded. surround sound is nice for movies but not for music IMO. So all of the extra speakers wont be needed. I'm somewhat of an audio junkie so thanks again to everyone who has been posting.
01-17-14, 04:49 PM
#7
first you should have a listen to the stock mark levinson system it is bad ***, in my other cars i used to have 2 12s doubledin deck with all the toys ,but when i bought my gs the system in it was outstanding that all i did was add vais android
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