freefall

Hello, i am new here and don't know much about the car My first Lexus... I am hoping i can have your opinions.. i live in California and it was really hot last Friday, temperature over 105 degrees. Anyway i had my brand new 2017 ES 350 delivered from the local dealer last Friday afternoon (1 hour drive from the dealer), and i took a short drive, about 2 miles in my neighborhood to feel the new car. When i came back and parked in garage, i noticed engine coolant temperature gauge was almost touching the red line. I turned off the car and few hours later i started the car again in the garage, that gauge was in the middle. Few hours later it was in normal 'C' position.
Next day i called dealer and they told me they can tow the car to the dealership, then they ended up telling me that 'since the problem has gone away, please monitor it. if it happens again, contact us'

Do you think this is a big problem and i should have it serviced right away (= stupid me)? Can anyone give me advise? thank you!

bc6152

Depending upon where the coolant temp indicator was on the gauge, it shouldn't run that hot even under those conditions. Here's some additional info:.

The normal operating temperature for most engines is in a range of 195 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit, though most dashboard temperature gauges don't show an exact temperature. Instead, there are typically markings for cold and hot on the edges of the gauge and a normal range in the middle.

I would keep a close eye on the temperature now that it's summer and, apparently, you're in a warm climate area. Also make sure that the coolant is at the proper level (under the hood in the overflow reservoir). If the car continues to run at a high temperature I'd get it back to the dealer immediately as the engine can be seriously damaged by heat.

freefall

Thank you bc6152 for your advise. So i should monitor it instead of having the dealer check. My new car excitement lasted only 10 minutes and now i keep what to do instruction when the engine coolant indicator touches the red line again on freeway.

GES

If this happens again I would definitely take it back to the dealer. Actually if it happens again I would stop the car immediately, and call the dealer. I had my car for 4 and half years and 60,000 miles on it, and I have never seen the temperature gauge go that high. The normal for the gauge is to be slightly below the middle point between the H and C anything above that is not normal.

freefall

Thank you GES for your advise. I am hoping (??) my new ES350 will hit the red line soon. I will report when it happens. I am already nervous driving this car.

Dave Mac

I agree with the others - the car shouldn't be running that hot. It has been 118 degrees here for much of the last week and my gauge really hasn't moved from its normal position. I almost think I would have them tow it (and leave you a loaner) and let them check it out. It could be anything from low on oil (I had a new car once (not a Lexus) that had almost no oil), low coolant, a non working fan, or a variety of sensors which could malfunction. You need to know what is happening though so you can get back to enjoying your new car.

Dave Mac

Dave Mac

And your problem didn't "go away", the engine just cooled down as expected.

Dave Mac

dchar

I would schedule an appointment and drop it off at the dealer and have a technician try to replicate it. That definitely is not normal. I drove around SoCal in that hot weather and the coolant temperature level stayed at the same mid level that it always has. It could be a faulty sensor.

Fillykonk

As others have said it may have been a fluke thing with a sensor malfunction or something. However if it should do it again I would do as dchar said. Have it towed to the dealer and let them monitor it in-house. They should be able to pinpoint whether it is a sensor issue or something more serious and take care of it without further anxiousness on your part. PS - I also live in a "hot" climate area and have never seen my gauge raise past the less-than halfway point.

lesz

If it was my car, I wouldn't wait for it to happen again. Instead, I'd put it back into the dealer's hands immediately.

With a brand new car, you shouldn't have to go through the stress of wondering if the car is about to overheat and having to worry about the possible inconvenience of having to shut the engine down immediately.

Depending on what caused the problem, diagnosing the cause could be as simple as hooking the car up to the computer and seeing whether any trouble codes were generated.

Also, even if the dealer can't duplicate the problem or identify a cause, at least, you will have documentation of the fact that there has been an issue and that the dealer gave the car a "clean bill of health", which should reduce the chance that, at some point in the future, the dealer and Lexus might claim that a serious problem could have been avoided had you brought the issue to the attention of the dealer sooner.

freefall

Thank you everyone for taking time to help with my problem! I am thankful for your advises. I will call the dealer instead of waiting for the bad things to happen. will report back.

freefall

i spoke to service manager and he said "It was like 110 degrees that day and if it happens again, contact us. If you'd like i will schedule the service." he also said
"to be honest with you, there is a big difference between the gauge reaching the red line and reaching right below the red line." I ended up scheduling an appointment 2 weeks later and will report back. Thank you again everyone for your time.

morgan1819

There was something clearly wrong with the cooling system at that time. The car should NOT be in the red zone when everything is functioning properly.

I have seen an occasion where the coolant wasn't 100% topped off, and an air pocket was cutting coolant flow. Doubt this was the case with your car, but something clearly wasn't right at that time.

As soon as the needle moves out of the 'normal' zone, I would stop, and call the service department. Something isn't right.

...

Htony

When it was so hot, was the rad' fan going at full blast?

Cocal

Assuming that the coolant level is full the 1st things that I'd check are 1) sensor 2) Thermostat. Either one could be faulty even in a new car of Lexus level. Either or both should be replaced by the dealer no question asked.