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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Dec 2012
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From: ga
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Hello to all. I just bought my first Lexus, a 2006 GS300 AWD with 46k miles. The car is pretty much pristine with only one issue, an apparently common problem. I have been lurking for awhile and trying to learn what I could before posting. My other primary car is a Porsche and I have been an active Porsche forum member for many years,
I am pretty much a car junkie and never sell anything. A couple of years ago I had 9 cars, but have pared it down to 6 right now. I gave away an old Miata to a family member and recently totaled my wife's BMW, which is what precipitated the Lexus purchase. I never buy new, but instead look for months until I find a used model I think will be a great car. I sure hope I made the right choice on this Lexus. I bought from a used car dealer, something I don't believe in doing usually, but this car was just so perfect for its age. I prefer to buy from a private party for a number of reasons, not the least of which is there is no sales tax on private party sales in Georgia.
To the car.....it is charcoal gray, my name, as I haven't learned the official Lexus color name yet, but I will have to this week since my wife has already come home with a nasty scratch on the rear bumper. I can touch it up I think, but will need the Lexus paint code, or likely a pen form paint-scratch.com. It drives a lot differently than other Lexus' cars I've driven. I am more than surprised at the handling characteristics and the power delivery. It is not as quiet as I would have expected from a Lexus, but then i suppose Lexus wasn't going for the LS quiet in these models.
the only problem the car has is the drivers side headlight. the dealer put it in writing they would fix the moisture inside the light when I bought, but after three trips to their service department it is obvious to me they can't fix it. The first trip they ended up causing the light not to work when we picked it up. and the third trip they left the battery cable loose, stranding my wife on the side of the road. I can't believe the car ran for several days with the + LEAD JUST SITTING ON THE TERMNAL. That told me all I needed to know about the Russians who own and operate the dealership and their repair facility across the street.
I'v e been looking here and Ebay for a used assembly, but I am beginning to think I may have to buy a new one. I wish there wasn't so much protective covering under the hood so I could work on it easier, but I don't know if I can ever seal the light up well enough to rid myself of the moisture. It is n the light and the fog light.
I look forward to learning all I can about these cars as I no doubt will keep this car for many years. My wife loves it and although I still prefer my Porsche in many ways, I have found I like the car a whole lot more than I would have believed. Of course I am getting a little old to squeeze into small cars and having this GS is a great compromise for one who likes to believe he can drive really fast really well
I am pretty much a car junkie and never sell anything. A couple of years ago I had 9 cars, but have pared it down to 6 right now. I gave away an old Miata to a family member and recently totaled my wife's BMW, which is what precipitated the Lexus purchase. I never buy new, but instead look for months until I find a used model I think will be a great car. I sure hope I made the right choice on this Lexus. I bought from a used car dealer, something I don't believe in doing usually, but this car was just so perfect for its age. I prefer to buy from a private party for a number of reasons, not the least of which is there is no sales tax on private party sales in Georgia.
To the car.....it is charcoal gray, my name, as I haven't learned the official Lexus color name yet, but I will have to this week since my wife has already come home with a nasty scratch on the rear bumper. I can touch it up I think, but will need the Lexus paint code, or likely a pen form paint-scratch.com. It drives a lot differently than other Lexus' cars I've driven. I am more than surprised at the handling characteristics and the power delivery. It is not as quiet as I would have expected from a Lexus, but then i suppose Lexus wasn't going for the LS quiet in these models.
the only problem the car has is the drivers side headlight. the dealer put it in writing they would fix the moisture inside the light when I bought, but after three trips to their service department it is obvious to me they can't fix it. The first trip they ended up causing the light not to work when we picked it up. and the third trip they left the battery cable loose, stranding my wife on the side of the road. I can't believe the car ran for several days with the + LEAD JUST SITTING ON THE TERMNAL. That told me all I needed to know about the Russians who own and operate the dealership and their repair facility across the street.
I'v e been looking here and Ebay for a used assembly, but I am beginning to think I may have to buy a new one. I wish there wasn't so much protective covering under the hood so I could work on it easier, but I don't know if I can ever seal the light up well enough to rid myself of the moisture. It is n the light and the fog light.
I look forward to learning all I can about these cars as I no doubt will keep this car for many years. My wife loves it and although I still prefer my Porsche in many ways, I have found I like the car a whole lot more than I would have believed. Of course I am getting a little old to squeeze into small cars and having this GS is a great compromise for one who likes to believe he can drive really fast really well
Last edited by smshirk; Jan 19, 2013 at 10:26 AM.
Welcome to the site and congrats on your purchase.
Obviously you know that the headlights seals is no good or air is somehow coming in. If you look on tips and tricks, theres DIY on how to pull the headlights. Do not let the cover intimidate you, as these cars a fairly easy to work on.
Ive dealt with leaky headlights on other cars and this has always worked for me. First off remove the headlights, open the caps have the lenses facing upward and put the headlights outside so that the sun can dry them off. Once its been sitting for a few hours, clean off all the rubber seals and inspect the housing for any cracks. If there are cracks you can lightly sand and use an epoxy like jb weld to seal it. You can purchase new headlight seals from the dealer if it makes you feel more comfortable. Button everything back up and test the headlights before fully putting all the parts back together.
New or used headlights are pretty expensive, and it would be a waste to replace them just to remove the moisture in them.
Obviously you know that the headlights seals is no good or air is somehow coming in. If you look on tips and tricks, theres DIY on how to pull the headlights. Do not let the cover intimidate you, as these cars a fairly easy to work on.
Ive dealt with leaky headlights on other cars and this has always worked for me. First off remove the headlights, open the caps have the lenses facing upward and put the headlights outside so that the sun can dry them off. Once its been sitting for a few hours, clean off all the rubber seals and inspect the housing for any cracks. If there are cracks you can lightly sand and use an epoxy like jb weld to seal it. You can purchase new headlight seals from the dealer if it makes you feel more comfortable. Button everything back up and test the headlights before fully putting all the parts back together.
New or used headlights are pretty expensive, and it would be a waste to replace them just to remove the moisture in them.
As far as the headlight, try looking here: http://car-part.com
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 4
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From: ga
Thanks everyone for the responses. I am going to remove the lights and work on them this weekend. Actually it's just the drivers side. I will also post some pictures of it. As for the Porsches, I have 3 right now. A 2001 Boxster with a 3.6 350+ HP 300 ft lb engine that cost more than I paid for the car, plus a clunker 1980 911 and a 94 968 Cab. The two older ones get very little seat time anymore, but as I mentioned I can't bear to sell anything, even though I don't have nearly enough room for all these cars. I have a BMW motorcycle with 4k miles I haven't ridden in a year or two as well. I've had the old 911 in the shop for most of the last year. I have the interior done and the motor in decent shape, but need a paint job. IT will be costly as the fenders and all the glass have be removed and all the rubber seals replaced. It is a special edition Weissach( 406) total built, still not worth very much though. Even in perfect condition around 25-30k tops and it's far from perfect now. I sold my newer 911 to buy the engine for the Boxster with the intent of having an autocross monster, but I've never raced it once. IT has no electronic nannies whatsoever and frankly I can't handle it at WOT on a tight course. The 996 I had with traction control fooled me into believing I could drive. I hate to admit that without a helping hand from the computer gods I'm not quite up to the task with that much power. I can drive a Miata wide open on any course with no nannies, but 300 ft lbs of torque can get away from you in a heartbeat. IT has swapped ends with me more than once, albeit in a safe environment. I had put it on a diet and everything, but now I've put all the creature comforts back, including a hardtop, so the weight is back over 3k lbs at this point. I had it down to 2700 at one time. It is remarkably stable considering it is basically a race engine, as long as your don't turn the wheel and floor it at the same time
What surprises me about the GS with AWD and traction control is how well it sticks to the line you take. I live in N GA and there are a lot of roads where carving out a line is safe, except on the weekends and I can get into it even with a torn quadriceps tendon. I can't get into the Boxster or the 968 right now, since injuring my leg. It's been 6 weeks so I am getting there, but it will be awhile before I can handle the clutch back and forth to work as its my left leg and my commute is ~35 miles into downtown Atlanta in stop and go traffic most of the way.
I called the local Lexus dealer today re upgrading the Navigation maps. They quoted me 169 bucks, which sounded OK considering version 9 is 144 on Ebay and I think the current is 11. The GPS with the original maps is not too good. My wife is still using her Garmin. I am very happy with the GS. I had driven an LS a few times and while they are very nice and my wife wanted one, the GS was an easy compromise and she doesn't know the differences anyway. This is what I should have bought the last two times. Our family car was a 530i, then an M3, until I got T-boned by a kid running a red light. The M3 is a fantastic car, but not really conducive for traveling or even carrying two sets of clubs. A vacation with clubs and luggage required the trunk and the back seat in the 5 series and the M. I like the GS better than the 530 and the M car was just an impulse buy I should never have made and not really comparable. I would take another one, but I won't buy one again. You still have to adjust the valves on an M3 believe it or not and a dead battery means a tow truck and a factory upload of every major software subsystem. IT's a nightmare.
What surprises me about the GS with AWD and traction control is how well it sticks to the line you take. I live in N GA and there are a lot of roads where carving out a line is safe, except on the weekends and I can get into it even with a torn quadriceps tendon. I can't get into the Boxster or the 968 right now, since injuring my leg. It's been 6 weeks so I am getting there, but it will be awhile before I can handle the clutch back and forth to work as its my left leg and my commute is ~35 miles into downtown Atlanta in stop and go traffic most of the way.
I called the local Lexus dealer today re upgrading the Navigation maps. They quoted me 169 bucks, which sounded OK considering version 9 is 144 on Ebay and I think the current is 11. The GPS with the original maps is not too good. My wife is still using her Garmin. I am very happy with the GS. I had driven an LS a few times and while they are very nice and my wife wanted one, the GS was an easy compromise and she doesn't know the differences anyway. This is what I should have bought the last two times. Our family car was a 530i, then an M3, until I got T-boned by a kid running a red light. The M3 is a fantastic car, but not really conducive for traveling or even carrying two sets of clubs. A vacation with clubs and luggage required the trunk and the back seat in the 5 series and the M. I like the GS better than the 530 and the M car was just an impulse buy I should never have made and not really comparable. I would take another one, but I won't buy one again. You still have to adjust the valves on an M3 believe it or not and a dead battery means a tow truck and a factory upload of every major software subsystem. IT's a nightmare.
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