1st Summer with GS400
10-11-06, 08:16 PM
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1st Summer with GS400
Bought a 1998 GS400 in April with 80,000 km (50k miles). Now have 105,000 km (65k miles) on it. Here is my GS story so far (and how I am down $4000):
>> When I got the car the driver's side door actuator thingy was not working. Replaced at Calgary Lexus for ~ $500.
>> Raced my friend with a brand new Hyundai Sonata V6...happy to report that the GS prevailed.
>> Went on my first road trip over the mountains (Calgary to Vancouver). What a blast! Being able to pass on hilly, single lane highways was sweeeet (my last car was a Toyota Echo).
>> Cracked my passenger side fog light on the trip home. $280 at Calgary Lexus to replace (had to buy a pair).
>> 84,000 km service at Calgary Lexus. Another $500 or so.
>> Another trip to the BC Coast from Alberta. Last night of vacation on a small Gulf Island and I got a little too wild and lost my car key. Decided to abandon my car as there was nowhere nearby to get a spare made and I didn't have the code etc. Flew home to Alberta ($300). Met a sweet girl on the bus from the airport to home (may be the one)...THANK YOU LOST KEY.
>> Flew back to the coast a couple weeks later ($200) with my spare key to collect the GS and take another week of vacation. Note: turns out some dimwit at the party "found" my key and pocketed it??? A common friend who knew I had lost my key realized it was mine and returned it...unbelievable.
>> Drove back to Alberta. Started to notice shaking at highway speeds. Read all of the forum folklore on this issue. Took it in to my local tire shop to balance wheels. No improvement. They said two of my rims (17" stock) were warping and this was the problem. Replaced one of my "warped" rims with my unused spare rim. Bought a new factory OEM rim off the internet ($200). Installed the new rim. Still no improvement. Shaking driving me nuts.
>> Another weekend trip to BC, this time to the Okanagan. Still loving the car but the shaking is very annoying.
>> In Edmonton for the weekend so took the GS to Edmonton Lexus to diagnose the shaking problem. They say needs new tires. Still lots of tread on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S so I am suspicious.
>> Head back out to BC for a road trip with girl I met on bus (THANK YOU LOST KEY). Wishing the GS could play MP3's but the Nakamichi sound almost makes up for it. End up racing a punk in an Acura Integra GSR tricked out with the stickers and all that and totally blow him away up a long hill. I LOVE THIS CAR!
>> After I get home a problem develops. The GS rpm's begin to feel inconsistent. Even on cruise control it feels like fuel stops feeding for a half second or so. Doesn't happen under acceleration but when she's lined out the rpm would dance around every minute or so. Especially noticable when you are on cruise and begin to ascend a slight hill. The GS would 'pop' instead of accelerating smoothly. Read the forum folklore on this sort of thing but couldn't bring myself to throw money at the problem (too wishy-washy).
>> Beginning to wonder if I made the right decision. Love the car (especially the styling) but hate the shaking and now the inconsistent throttle is making me more disappointed.
>> Brought the GS into Calgary Lexus for the 96,000 km service. Timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, fluids, etc. ($1700).
>> Discuss the shaking with the Lexus Tech. He says they have a "special" balancing machine. Says he will spend the time to do it right (I didn't realize it was such an art). I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT, GOT tHE GS BACK AND THE SHAKING WAS TOTALLY GONE!! Has not come back since. PURE ELATION! Don't think this will solve all of the shaking problems others have experienced out there but I had 3 balancings done before this one (at tire shops) and none of them helped. I guess a proper balance really is the key (for me anyway).
>> Still had my rpm problem, so I decided to reset my ECU to see if it would help at all. There was a definite increase in power after the reset, but it didn't help my inconsistent rpm problem. Reset my ECU by pulling the fuse. Glad to see that my garage door opener was not erased.
>> Then, two weeks ago my rpm problem DISAPPEARED. GONZO. BYE BYE. Man did I feel thankful! Maybe it will return someday but for now I'm thanking my lucky stars.
So...right now I am in GS bliss! Oh...and I must say I am totally amazed at the fuel economy. 400 miles per tank is way more than I expected. Now I'm just waiting to try out the headlight washers this winter. Bring on the SLUSH!!
>> When I got the car the driver's side door actuator thingy was not working. Replaced at Calgary Lexus for ~ $500.
>> Raced my friend with a brand new Hyundai Sonata V6...happy to report that the GS prevailed.
>> Went on my first road trip over the mountains (Calgary to Vancouver). What a blast! Being able to pass on hilly, single lane highways was sweeeet (my last car was a Toyota Echo).
>> Cracked my passenger side fog light on the trip home. $280 at Calgary Lexus to replace (had to buy a pair).
>> 84,000 km service at Calgary Lexus. Another $500 or so.
>> Another trip to the BC Coast from Alberta. Last night of vacation on a small Gulf Island and I got a little too wild and lost my car key. Decided to abandon my car as there was nowhere nearby to get a spare made and I didn't have the code etc. Flew home to Alberta ($300). Met a sweet girl on the bus from the airport to home (may be the one)...THANK YOU LOST KEY.
>> Flew back to the coast a couple weeks later ($200) with my spare key to collect the GS and take another week of vacation. Note: turns out some dimwit at the party "found" my key and pocketed it??? A common friend who knew I had lost my key realized it was mine and returned it...unbelievable.
>> Drove back to Alberta. Started to notice shaking at highway speeds. Read all of the forum folklore on this issue. Took it in to my local tire shop to balance wheels. No improvement. They said two of my rims (17" stock) were warping and this was the problem. Replaced one of my "warped" rims with my unused spare rim. Bought a new factory OEM rim off the internet ($200). Installed the new rim. Still no improvement. Shaking driving me nuts.
>> Another weekend trip to BC, this time to the Okanagan. Still loving the car but the shaking is very annoying.
>> In Edmonton for the weekend so took the GS to Edmonton Lexus to diagnose the shaking problem. They say needs new tires. Still lots of tread on the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S so I am suspicious.
>> Head back out to BC for a road trip with girl I met on bus (THANK YOU LOST KEY). Wishing the GS could play MP3's but the Nakamichi sound almost makes up for it. End up racing a punk in an Acura Integra GSR tricked out with the stickers and all that and totally blow him away up a long hill. I LOVE THIS CAR!
>> After I get home a problem develops. The GS rpm's begin to feel inconsistent. Even on cruise control it feels like fuel stops feeding for a half second or so. Doesn't happen under acceleration but when she's lined out the rpm would dance around every minute or so. Especially noticable when you are on cruise and begin to ascend a slight hill. The GS would 'pop' instead of accelerating smoothly. Read the forum folklore on this sort of thing but couldn't bring myself to throw money at the problem (too wishy-washy).
>> Beginning to wonder if I made the right decision. Love the car (especially the styling) but hate the shaking and now the inconsistent throttle is making me more disappointed.
>> Brought the GS into Calgary Lexus for the 96,000 km service. Timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, fluids, etc. ($1700).
>> Discuss the shaking with the Lexus Tech. He says they have a "special" balancing machine. Says he will spend the time to do it right (I didn't realize it was such an art). I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT, GOT tHE GS BACK AND THE SHAKING WAS TOTALLY GONE!! Has not come back since. PURE ELATION! Don't think this will solve all of the shaking problems others have experienced out there but I had 3 balancings done before this one (at tire shops) and none of them helped. I guess a proper balance really is the key (for me anyway).
>> Still had my rpm problem, so I decided to reset my ECU to see if it would help at all. There was a definite increase in power after the reset, but it didn't help my inconsistent rpm problem. Reset my ECU by pulling the fuse. Glad to see that my garage door opener was not erased.
>> Then, two weeks ago my rpm problem DISAPPEARED. GONZO. BYE BYE. Man did I feel thankful! Maybe it will return someday but for now I'm thanking my lucky stars.
So...right now I am in GS bliss! Oh...and I must say I am totally amazed at the fuel economy. 400 miles per tank is way more than I expected. Now I'm just waiting to try out the headlight washers this winter. Bring on the SLUSH!!
Last edited by skyak; 10-11-06 at 08:55 PM.
10-12-06, 05:58 AM
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ya...i wasn't sure if i really needed to do the timing belt and water pump - but given the age of the car i thought it might be wise (98)
job feedback from the tech was that the water pump was leaking slightly...
job feedback from the tech was that the water pump was leaking slightly...
10-12-06, 06:14 AM
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Good story, but a lot of your cash outlay was in PM (preventative maintenance) and I don't feel that should count against the car. The RPM thing almost sounds like a bad fuel problem, did you switch where you buy gas? I too needed 2 balancings to get my mild vibration to go away. It's tough to understand how sensitive the GS is as far as balanced rims go. If they are not perfect, vibration and/or shaking will occur. I hope the "Lost Key" girl continues to work out.
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10-12-06, 08:43 AM
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AWESOME STORY. sorry to hear about all the car troubles you've had but its kinda like one of those visa commercials
84k service - $500
plane home because of lost key - $300
finding the "one" and being in GS bliss... - PRICELESS!!!
84k service - $500
plane home because of lost key - $300
finding the "one" and being in GS bliss... - PRICELESS!!!
10-12-06, 10:31 PM
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not making it up...on the highway i get over 600 km per 70 litres (driving at an average of 80 - 90 mph)
600 km = 375 miles
70 litres = 18.5 gallons
375 / 18.5 = 20.3 miles per gallon
does this seem good or normal to you guys?
600 km = 375 miles
70 litres = 18.5 gallons
375 / 18.5 = 20.3 miles per gallon
does this seem good or normal to you guys?
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thetopdog
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12-12-06 09:29 PM
