Im2bz2p345

Ty rxonmymind.

I was more giddy than you can imagine because I was out of town on a business trip while my vehicle was delivered.

It was family members who received my car, took a few quick snaps while it was being unloaded, and drove it to the garage. I then got texted these pictures, which made me go berzerk. lol.

I couldn't wait to get back home that weekend, clean her up, and enjoy taking her out on some long drives. I got to learn the features slowly over the time too. I took more pictures after I cleaned the car, hence why you might see a vast difference between pictures in my original post.

The car has been fantastic for me. Coming from a Honda Civic, this was a huge upgrade and I still feel so thankful to drive such a fine vehicle. It still makes me smile everyday that I sit in it. I hope it continues to be reliable & I can keep it looking in top shape for many, many years!

Thanks again for your compliments,

~ Im2bz2p345

avanchieri

Now THATS a beautiful car - nice interior. Good choice.

Im2bz2p345

Thank you avanchieri! I definitely love the interior of the car. Every nook & cranny oozes luxury.

Congrats on your 2015 GSh as well. Welcome to the small GS hybrid family

I'm looking forward to you sharing some pictures of your ride. All the best.

~ Im2bz2p345

Chilton88

I totally agree, you will love driving this car...you will feel guilty driving it. I am amazed of its engineering

tejanp

Very nice car! love the color combo and chrome finished wheels!

Yes, i am stalking your threads, i am learning a lot from your replies.

I too want to get xpel shield installed on the car to protect it from rock chips.

Im2bz2p345

Thank you sir!

With your car being fairly new and having that silver paint, I would definitely recommend Xpel Ultimate (especially on the front bumper).

If any small rocks fling up off the road (very common in just about any place), your beautiful paint will get chipped and you can easily notice it.

I haven't had any chips on my paint since putting on the Xpel Ultimate.

You can definitely read through my responses if you want to get some good info about they hybrid. I would also highly suggest that you visit the 4th Gen Hybrid subforum where many hybrid owners post details about our cars and it contains A LOT of great information: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hybrid-technology-242/

All the best,

~ Im2bz2p345

careramike

2BZ,

I know this thread is old, but I just like to compliment you as youre a true car enthusiast with your story of saving and getting your Lexus. IMHO they are the most reliable, and quality made cars ever. They surpassed MB and BMW.
Im curious, those OEM wheels that you have when they delivered your car in that very first post, are those 17's with 50 series tires? My 2016 has 18s with 45 series tires, ride is a little rough to my taste being a supposedly luxury car...Ive been contemplating in either changing to 17s with 50 series rubbers, or just mount 50 series on these 18s.

Thanks!

avanchieri

Thanks for your note!

My wheels are 18's with 45 series tires (P235/45R18). They are great, smooth, quiet tires.

careramike

just saw your following post with the breakdown of your options where you wrote that you have 18s.

Thanks anyway

Im2bz2p345

Ty for the compliments sir. I have the exact same tires as avanchieri (I still have the stock/oem Michelin Primacy MXM4 235/45R18, which comes with the luxury package).

I haven't had any issues with the tires, maybe just that their have worn a bit faster than I would have liked. I may try out the Pirelli Cinturato P7 All Season Plus tires out next. They are said to be even more comfortable.

What kind of tire do you have? I keep my Michelins inflated to about 34-35 psi and I don't notice too many road surfance irregularities. Btw, I'm sure you may already know this, but the GS has a more firm suspension than say the ES (the GS is supposed to be a combination of luxury & sportiness - i.e. a sport sedan). The ES & LS feel more "floaty" in terms of ride - maybe that's more what you were expecting with the GS? In our cars, if you are in many mode besides S+ (Sport Plus), then the ride shouldn't feel too harsh imo.

Hope this helps somewhat,

~ Im2bz2p345

avanchieri

My tires are Michelin Primacy MXM4 (P235/45R18). These are great tires. Here in Alexandria, VA, they cost about $289 each (about $301 each mounted and balanced).

I purchased a tire warranty, which I rarely do, but it came in handy this time! Within a short time after purchasing these tires, I ran over a large steel bolt with the left rear tire, and it went flat. The dealer replaced the tire at no additional cost.

I keep these tires inflated to 35psi.

TV

SW17LS

I also had those tires on my GS, they're okay. $301 each is crazy expensive for them though, they're certainly not worth that compared to newer tires like the Pirelli Cinturato P7 Plus which I have on my LS, or the Toyo Versado Noir I replaced those with when I had my GS.

MPAMDPHD

Been enjoying my GS450h for 2 years now. No major issues. It is mostly a weekend car, garaged and babied. I barely have 13K on it it. The only issues I had was the right side rain gutter fixture flew off, but Lexus replaced it. Not sure how that happened and neither did Lexus. It came off after my complimentary service and I wonder if one of the hand wash crew accidentally tugged too hard on it during the wash. Anyway, it's been replaced and looks better than new. The other issue was the "high end" AGM 12 volt Panasonic battery completely died and would no longer hold a charge. Lexus replaced it for a "discounted" $460 dollars. Ouch. I wanted to keep the parts and labor "premium" so I went with the Lexus dealership.... Sooooo it happened my 2009 Camry Hybrid probably needed its 12 volt replaced too. A 7 year old battery should be replaced. Proactive right? So I decided to go with the AGM battery by Exide. It is quite a bit less expensive than the Panasonic AGM battery and so far has received good consumer reviews. It even has a hydrogen gas vent connection. I went on-line, found a few TCH 12 volt battery installation videos. Purchased the Exide AGM 12 volt from Amazon (make sure you pick the right model) It arrived in 3 days. Installed the Exide AGM battery in the TCH in less than 30 minutes. The temperature sensor is just a tiny bit tricky, but really no big deal. Just very gently pry the sensor from the old Panasonic and plug the sensor into the wiring harness in battery compartment of your hybrid; re-attach with electrical tape to the top part of the Exide. The car sensor should register and recognize the battery is being monitored for heat. The "fume" connector hose can also be purchased from Amazon. I suppose if you DIY your GS450h 12 volt battery, the Exide should be just as good as the Panasonic. Plus you save $300 dollars. I've been reading how 48 volt car batteries are just around the corner. Apparently the auto-industry has know for awhile that 12 volt batteries are no longer viable with newer modern cars which now have almost every conceivable feature imaginable, all run by this tiny 12 volt battery.: Radar cruise control, 400 watt stereo systems, auto this and auto that. Even when your car is off and garged, it is "on" running diagnostics and who knows what else. In between weekends, I have been keeping the latest high tech "trickle charger" on my new Exide battery just to keep everything level. I still think the older 4th gen. GS's have timeless looks which should hold up over time. The newer edges in the later models are also beautiful and very bold. The 450h is still very rare. Again, in two years I have still to see another 4th Gen. 450h. I have seen other enthusiasts "check out" my car. Not sure what they think of it. Don't really care. I have an amazing niche car, rare and quietly exclusive. It may not be a BMW M4 or Lexus RCF, but it is pretty darn fast. I also consistently achieve 29 to 34 MPG. Yes!

Im2bz2p345

Thank you for this awesome post & update MPAMDPHD.

Your experience with having to replace the battery is something super valuable! I actually had no idea that Exide made a battery than can substituted for our stock OEM Panasonic battery. I only knew about an Optima battery that we could possibly use as a replacement (the 3GS hybrid owners posted about it: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/hyb...-a-gs450h.html)

The fact that the Exide battery you mention even has the hydrogen gas vent hose/connection is amazing. Could you PLEASE provide a link to the exact battery than you installed? It will help many in the future!

FYI you might be interested in this post that I made a while back, which gives some basic information as I researched the battery: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...ml#post9689499

All the best,

~ Im2bz2p345

lexusGS15

great car! how many miles do you have on it now? since this is about 6 year old post did you have to replace the hybrid battery yet?