jc3103

Has anyone had problems with the Valve Spring recall? I haven't done it yet. Let's post the good and the bad!!

dormie

in the words of Dana Carvey does GHWB:

"... not gonna do it"

I don't see the reason to get it done, the recall doesn't have a time window associated with it, so if anything ever happened, it's covered, plus I have another 4 years on extended warranty so i'm double covered... MAYBE if they set an expiration on the recall in the future I would consider it, but until then, no reason other than the $500 gift card to get it done... count me out.

*Batman*

I did it on my GS460. After the recall the car felt slow. However I think this is because the ECU reset means that the transmission has to relearn my driving style. The default transmission settings are geared to fuel efficiency.

Since I have been driving my car aggressively for the last 24 hours since the recall was completed, the car seems to be back to its usual responsiveness.

I8ABMR

Interesting. Most people say the car feels fine and if anything is actually quieter and smoother

madlad

Just got my car back yesterday. Took it in on 29 Nov., so it was done in 3 days. They didn't start working on it until 30 Nov. Also had the NAV upgrade which required another day. All is right with the world. According to the paperwork, the process required replacing the valve springs and the timing chain gasket. The dealership topped off the gas tank and of course changed the oil and tuned it up. I don't notice any difference in the engine noise. So far, it's as if nothing happened.

*Batman*

Time to update your sig my friend.

Craig B

I had it done and didn't have any problems with the repair.

mocon1422

If you can wait and car is running fine, than wait. I have been back for smoking from engine compartment, then dry knock a few times-dealer said they could not duplicatre. Now I hear a slight tick when going real slow which didnt do it before. I may be nuts, but seems the transmission is not as smooth but could be me just being picky. But smoke and noise Im sure of.

Maybe just my bad liuck but wish I waited as my car ran perfect before.

Had it done at JM Lexus which is supposedly #1 in the nation????

305Busa

Had mines done and havent had any issues. Like Batman said, the car did feel sluggish at first but its come around since. The only issue I did have at first was the fact they told me 2 days and it took them 5 which I hear is about normal anyways. I shouldve taken the loaner and went out of town with it

*Batman*

I had mine done at JM Lexus but seems to be running fine since the ECU re-learnt my driving pattern.

cmasten

its been a week for me now, I had mine done at Crown in Ontario, CA.

Much better idle, very smooth.

I have always had some exhaust smoke when I got on it, my guess has always been valve adjustments as I bought it with over 60k miles on it CPO. I notice now that has been corrected, over several days I have recreated the same scenarios and, in my case, this is a nice benefit of the repair. They also did a nice job putting it all back together which was a concern of mine.

Overall I am pleased with the results

CJITTY

After I got mine done, I agree 100%. Shoot, they even replaced each and every plastic snap that hold the engine cover panels on at no charge. I had about 3 out of 20 of them before lol.. I have been driving the car conservatively to break in the springs. Not sure if needed, but guess it can't hurt either.

up4speed

I am opting to wait also. I am hearing that only .2% failed. That is only 1 out of 500 cars!! If that's the case, I am sure that there is a higher risk of problems if the mechanic messes with the engine (including cosmetic blemishes, which almost always happen if I let anyone touch my car!). I think they are afraid of law suits and also a bad reputation if the car happens to stall and an accident occurs due to the valve spring problem. I think if there was not as much media attention on Toyota, they would have just repaired them as they failed. I have a dodge van and I keep having "known issues" repaired. Funny thing is that my brother has the same van and he is also having the same issues. He has less milage, so I can warn him what is next...LOL I swear I am about 70% accurate! I wonder why Dodge keeps Dodging the bullet (pun intended) and avoids doing the right thing? The problems I've had makes the valve spring problem seem insignificant, but like I said, I would rather not have my car messed with, unless absolutely necessary. All that said, I wouldn't tell someone else not to do it, for the obvious liability reason. I think that's where Lexus stands on this as well. Don't forget, the dealer will push you to do it because they are making a lot of money on the repair. I heard that dealers make more money on repairs than they do from selling cars. I'll wait for now.

*Batman*

I found the best way to get the car back to its original state was to drive it very aggressively for 3 days. I got about 12 mpg on the first tank after the recall due to aggressive driving, and then went back to my normal 16mpg pattern. This enabled the car to tune to a more aggressive ECU program with faster throttle response.

CJITTY

Hmm, my car seems like its plenty responsive and accelerates hard when I want it to. I assume that over time, if I drive the car hard for 3 days starting tomorrow, wouldn't that have the same affect?