rjacket

I just finished up replacing the engine air and cabin air filter at ~26k and thought I'd share a couple of observations on each.

Cabin Air Filter - I believe this was cleaned at the (complimentary) 15k service I received, and it then comes up for replacement at 30k. Strangely enough, right after the cleaning at 15k, I noticed that the smog sensor was not as effective as before. Time will tell if the new filter makes a difference here. In any case, the filter was quite dirty and I'm thinking given the simplicity and low cost of doing this yourself, I will most likely replace this filter once a year myself from now on with no cleaning.

Engine Air Filter - I had changed the air filter on my wife's (non Lexus) car and was immediately struck with how dirty the existing filter was and then how well the car performance improved with a clean filter. The same thing happened with the Lexus today. Immediate reduction in engine noise and more power. Judging by how dirty the filter was and the impact it was having, I am quite surprised that it's due for replacement every 30k / 36 months and not more frequently. The engine air filter manufacturers of course try to tell you to do it at 12k, and in this case I would agree with them given how cheap the part is, how easy it is to change it yourself and the result that you get. I think at least it should be looked at more frequently than 30k miles / 36 months.

I recommend that everyone perform these tasks themselves. It saves quite a few $$$ compared to the dealer, gives you a better result with clean filters more often, and gets you looking under the hood checking other things yourself.

CAK 500

Thanks for the tip. My cabin filter seems to be less effective than it once was. Where is the filter located ... any pics?

jtrue28

be very careful changing that cabin air filter yourself. you have to make sure you have the re-circulate function either on or off....sorry I can't remember which. if it's the wrong way you will break the mechanism and it's like $1500 to replace it. Entire dash has to be removed to fix it.

someone who knows the right answer...please chime in to help save everyone a lot of money.

EDIT!!! here's the step by step instructions.....be sure to turn Re-Circulate ON

http://www.lambros.net/LexusTechInfo...SB-0031-08.pdf

rjacket

Yes the instructions as per Jtrue28 are very important. Recirculate mode should be on.

http://www.lambros.net/LexusTechInfo...SB-0031-08.pdf

Interestingly, the instructions, plus putting in recirculating mode, are in the owner's manual. The fact that Lexus issued a TSB suggests to me that it was the dealer's technicians who were not following the procedure, potentially with expensive consequences.

When reassembling, make sure the filter case clicks into place. You can test it is in place by pressing in the 2 outer tabs to release it and then pressing down again.

dadoody

iTrader: (1)

I perform both tasks myself, especially the cabin air filter - will not let anyone else touch it.


Cabin Air Filter: It's easy to replace. You can buy better aftermarket filters that are activated charcoal impregnated (WIX) for much much better screening than the stock denso filters they want $50(!) for. Much cheaper.
The cabin air filter door is located in the glove box, behind a plastic panel. Behind that panel is a plastic automated door: make sure to turn the car power on and have the car automatically move that door up by pressing the recirculate button. DO NOT FORCE IT UP/OPEN. Lexus does not/will not warranty that door when it's broken.

Here's why I will not let Lexus touch it:
The Lexus technician @ Longo Lexus broke mine when they changed it @ 20k miles. I didn't notice until 27k - when I was behind a smoggy bus and tried to recirculate: I got all the smog in my cabin still. It wasn't working. I took it to Lexus to have them fix, and they wouldn't fix it. Stated that there is a TSB that blames US if it breaks - that we tampered with it. Even the service manager @ Longo conceded verbally to me that he's had technicians who broke it in the past. They wouldn't fix it for me and it took 1 week of negotiating before they would fix it (it was just off it's track) if I would do the 30k service with them. I conceded and it was fixed, but I still think the whole issue was BS.



Engine Air Filter: I switch between a K&N washable performance filter and the OEM Denso filter. It's very easy to change. Also, somewhere between 50k to 70k miles, you should start cleaning your throttle body/intake using the appropriate cleaner and brush. You can find websites that explain how - also very easy to do and eases rough idles. Lexus cars are digital, so you'll need a brick or someone to step on the accelerator for you to open up the throttle body.

mcyc

that happend to me too. The dealership at Kearny Mesa Lexus in San Diego broke mine. Lucky for me I had all my service done there so there was no reason for them to question who broke it. But either way, it was a big job and it took them almost 2 weeks. Then on top of that, they damaged other parts that need to be fixed. Although everything is repaired now, I just feel that my AC is not the same as before. Before, I can set my AC at a certain temp and whether it's hot or cold, I would not have to adjust the temp again. Nowadays, when it's hot, I have to adjust the temp down and when it's cold, I have to adjust it up. Before the fix, I could just leave my temp at 72 degrees. I'm not even sure if my solar sensors is doing its job now. Does anyone know a way to test it?

BinaryJay

I've had cars with far more mileage on them, when I check the TB they are always spotless. Unless you're driving around with a filthy air filter, I don't see why they would ever get really dirty on a modern car.

rjacket

Re Cabin Air Filter, I put my car in recirculate mode but then turned it off. Maybe I misread the instructions on this point, but I also noticed that the instructions said / pictured that you should push the two tabs and then lift the air filter holder up and out. I am not quite understanding what you mean by plastic automated door. Is yours different to the picture that was posted in the instructions link earlier in this thread?

I put in the charcoal activated WIX filter also. A smell came off it for a while. Something to do with it's coating. I am also waiting to see if my smog sensor performance returns to normal. After the 15k service clean it begun to recirculate too late to shut out the smog. Now that I read these stories, I am a little worried that something happened during my 15k service since I caught a whiff of something even though I just changed the filter.

Lastly, the only thing I don't like about these filters is a lack of information. I am wondering whether to buy a top of the line 3M 20x20 filter and cut it to shape. At least then I know what performance rating of filter I am using and theoretically those ones are good enough to catch anything coming in from the outside even if the smog sensor misses it.

dadoody

iTrader: (1)

What I mean is:

1.) Pop out the black fuzzy plastic panel in the back of your glove box.
2.) With car's ACC powered on, press to recirculate and press to pull outside air. See the little door go up and down. If it doesn't, it's broken.

When it's down/closed, it's pulling outside air. When it's up/open, it's recirculating.

rjacket

I haven't had a repair to the extent of yours done but I have noticed the inaccurate climate control. Mine was simply a case of more vents being open then previously. I've found the drivers side temperature is much more stable when the passenger vents are closed especially the far right one.

Otherwise, I would take the car to your Lexus dealer. They can test many things. They tested my heated seat temperature when I told them it didn't maintain temperature. They reported back that it was ok which may be ok from a design spec perspective but I know what my butt is telling me so I'm putting it down to another case of deteriorating Lexus quality.