lexuspaaji

Hey guys.
Now I know this has been done to death, but there is just so much info on the carbon build issue that im getting confused with the actual cost of it.

So I bought a 2008 Lexus IS 250 in April with about 80000KM (50000miles) and ive put about 3000KM of my own on it. In those 4 months the car has only sturred twice (felt like it was going to stall). No warning lights went off or nothing. I do fill it up with Shell 91 gasoline.

Now my question is, since i live in Canada there is no recall for it, so how much will it cost to do the "top engine cleaning" (like ive read in some threads), and why have some people had their engines rebuilt, is it if the problem gets really bad? Because all the stories ive read their still covered under warranty.

I just want to know if i should be concerned about any future cost before i start putting more money into to it and customizing it.

Is it also true that I could get the recall done at an American dealership since i live close to the boarder?

sumolazer

There is one way to do top engine cleaning yourself by going to Autozone and getting some Seafoam Spray. Don't confuse it with the Seafoam fuel treatment. Anyway, the Seafoam Spray is an easy do it yourself for around 13 or 14 bucks. Just attach the spray to your throttle body like the directions outline and have a buddy rev the engine to about 2,000RPM and hold it there. Then spray half the bottle of Seafoam into the throttle body and then then turn the car off and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. After turn your car back on and drive "aggressively" per manufacturer's directions. You'll see a lot of smoke come out of the tail pipes that's normal and is to be expected. I've done this on my IS350 when I wasn't having any problems. My start ups and acceleration feel smoother now.

kaos5000

It's not a recall from what I've read, it's just an isolated issue not all is250's have. So when it does actually happen and the dealership finds out it's carbon build up, Lexus covers the cost of the "top cleaning".

Other members, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

tomiv9

In the us, lexus initially issued a tsb to just do a top engine cleaning to cars exhibiting symptoms of buildup. The problem is the carbon was returning. So they changed the tsb and now if u have the symptoms they do the cleaning and replace the pistons and seals in order to prevent buildup from reoccurring. Many have said even this is not a complete fix as it just slows down the buildup and cleaning may be required at some point. Not all cars get the buildup, but it seems most do From what I've read there are 2 ways to address it. Either install a catch can (search threads) to prevent it, or wait to see if it occurs and do cleanings as required. Either way its not that expensive and I wouldn't let u hold u back on modifications