LXGXSAM1

When your Lexus start knocking due to repeated low octane use, might as well trade it in or sell it because the engine will never be the same. I've owned pre-owed many Lexus vehicles in the past which previous owners used low octane and I ended up getting rid of the vehicles a lot sooner because the knocking drove me crazy.

spoogenet

Likely scenarios behind your original observation/question.

a) Salesmen don't really know their products -- they know how to sell things to people who know even less about them.
b) Something changed somewhere in the product line, and now they think every car changed to a recommended 87 octane.
c) A customer or two or three recently swung by the dealers and got majorly hung up on the 91 octane recommendation, so they put a new lure on the line of "hey, did you know you can use 87 octane?"
d) All of the above.

MustangSal

Why don't you confront the salespeople about it? Why without prompt by you, would they tell you the vehicle runs fine on 87 octane now (which is a blatant lie)? You should be weary about sales practices like this.

If anything, people looking to buy a car with this kind of financial investment 1, don't need a salesperson to tell them very much about the car (if anything) and 2, certainly wouldn't accept being misled about the vehicle specs like what kind of gas is recommended and how it makes the vehicle perform.

program1

I think you might be right (for the first guy). Because he also got a function of the IS and GS mixed up too during our test drive. This would make sense.
But, like I mentioned; Three people had this info for me. Oh well. I guess it's moot since I'll be running my own experiments anyway.

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

program1

LOL - You just re stated my question.

Correct. At this point I've realized I've obsessed about this purchase enough that I know enough about the car to make an informed decision that meets my own personal goals.

I've got nothing to prove or gain by being confrontational.

MustangSal

Actually, you do. These people are trying to get you to buy a car for the highest amount they can get you for. That's it. They're not on your side and truthfully could care less how well you're taken care of. Sometimes confrontation is the only way to get your way through the process of purchase. But go ahead and just let them tell you whatever without shoving their BS back at them. The fact that these people will mislead you should be an indicator to go elsewhere. By not saying something in rebuttal makes them believe you're an idiot. Guaranteed they're laughing about what they get away with behind closed doors...including telling people incorrect facts about the cars.

Stereorob

you can run the GS on regular, but it still wants 93. most of these cars are being changed up to be able to run 87 though these days.
I work at a dealership. I used to be a salesman and the guys here are not liars and are pretty smart and know the product. I train them if they are shady and cant learn they get blown out the door pretty fast.

program1

Now things are getting interesting. Make that four Lexus sales people who've said it'll run on regular.

AGAIN - To be clear CL users. I am not asking if it's OKAY to run 87.

The reason I started this thread was to understand how/why the sales person told me the car could take 87. StereoRob may have just given me the first answer to that question. Because the sales people are being trained to tell customers the car can run on 87.

rjm

Fort Worth Sewell Lexus dealer only puts 87 octane gasoline in all their cars. I asked about that when I bought my new Lexus and was told that was all they have ever used in their new cars. In my last 3 Lexus automobiles I have used only 87 octane gasoline in them. Never had a problem related to "bad fuel" and gas mileage has been excellent. Too many industry experts has exploded the myth that you must put 91 or higher octane gas in modern cars. It simply isn't true. Most people throwing their money away on designer gas say "the car feels like it has more power" or "I can tell my gas mileage is much higher since I switched to 91 octane", etc., etc. The power of suggestion is great. Use whatever makes you feel good in your car and enjoy it. But quit worrying about damaging your engine is you accidentally put 87 octane fuel in your car.

MustangSal

What are those sales people saying when you come at them with the evidence that the car is suppose to run on 91? There is no discrepancy with the statement that is CAN run on 87 and sales isn't wrong for saying that. They are wrong for not saying that its supposed to have 91,

SW17LS

Haha, you've clearly never spent any time in a car dealership.

On a busy Saturday, take a stroll over to your Lexus dealer and just walk around and pay attention to the people around you, listen to them talking and interacting with the salespeople. I promise you that people with the level of knowledge we have are VERY rare, and most people know nothing about cars, and the salespeople spew BS like this because their customers eat it up. "Oh Bill told me a secret, isn't he great!".

No joke, when I was getting the LS I made it a point to do that. While I was waiting I just listened. First couple comes in:

Couple: We want to buy a car

Salesman: Great, happy to help you. What model are you interested in?

Couple: We want a Lexus

Salesman: Okay, have you thought about an SUV or a sedan, coupe?

Couple: A Lexus car

Seeing that they were an older couple he took them out in an ES350. They came back from the test drive and sat down at the desk across from me.

Salesman: What sort of option packages have you thought about, do you want navigation?

Couple: We'd like air conditioning.

I'm not exaggerating! Not long after that a guy came in and told the receptionist he was there to see "The F Sport". The salesman he was paired with asked him which model F Sport he was interested in, GS, IS, LS, etc and his response was "the red one"

I asked my guy when he came back with all the paperwork and all how typical that was, and he replied that it happened all the time.

Confrontation won't do anything, they'll just think you're an a-hole and move on to the next person.

yardie876

LOL you must have been cringing. I'm sure that elderly couple was quite surprised to see that air conditioning AND power steering was standard on the ES.

SW17LS

And power door locks! Don't forget those!

program1

I fully agree.
I gain nothing by confronting them.

On my second most recent visit to the dealership, I asked to drive a particular F Sport. I then sat through the sales person telling me all about how the F Sport has a tuned suspension that "...actually lowers the car so you can have better performance".

I would have gained nothing by helping/confronting him. If you might say: "Yeah, but you'd help the next person"

No I won't. That guy will continue to tell every customer the same thing regardless of me correcting them.

MustangSal

Nope, never been to the dealership...ever. Never haggled, never listened to BS saleperson trying to "sell" the vehicle; none of that. Jesus, the salesperson better know about the car...you live and breathe it, every day. But you can't deny that the information age has set a new standard for customer knowledge - who want to circumvent you (the saleperson). I know that I don't really need you for anything more than to get me the vehicle I can already see on your inventory and then to the finance manager so we can talk about what I'm actually paying. I'm also not negligent to the fact that there are a host of people walking into dealerships with no decisions made and need a salesman to guide their journey into a fit that works for them. I digress.

When I say confront...I don't mean "get into a fight"...but if what they're saying to you is wrong, it's wrong. I think the real problem here is discerning that statement. Yes, the GS can run on 87. No it isn't recommended. End of story.