I have owned Toyota/Lexus products for over 35 + years. I always try to get to know the service consultants and lead techs that work on my cars. I have never questioned quality from Toyota like I have in the last several years. My wife and I purchased a used an 08 Scion TC and a 2008 Lexus GS 350. The TC @ 14k miles and GS @ 28k. We follow all maint. guidelines and in most cases exceed these guidelines. Long story short, after the TC had a new short block installed and numerous recalls and postings on quality issues on the GS have motivated me to read as much possible to try to understand what is going on. Last week I had a detailed conversation with my service consultant; I asked is is true that the 3.5 liter engines are starting to consume oil and transmissions are actually failing. His response, yes to both!!!! Then I asked what should I do to protect myself and my family budget. I just turned 100k miles and have another 25k miles and one year remaining on my extended warranty. The consultant responded that due to my excellent maint. record at this Lexus dealership if/when oil consumption becomes a serious problem he will request "good will" with Lexus to have the engine repaired or replaced at their expense. Then he explained that multiple engines from 2006 through 2010 are experiencing these problems. Owners who consistently change their oil per guide will not notice consumption issues until much later in the mileage cycle, but owners who do not change every 5k will most likely experience more severe engine problems or failures earlier in the mileage cycle. I am "tired" of all the times I need to visit the Lexus dealership and my point to this post is: 1) maintain your vehicle 2) question everything that needs to be done 3) Keep copies of all work that was completed. I value any comments others might have....

 

"I asked is is true that the 3.5 liter engines are starting to consume oil and transmissions are actually failing. His response, yes to both!!!!"

So are we ready to admit that Lexus's first foray into the exciting world of direct injection has been a total failure, for both the GS 300 AND GS 350?

 

What about quality issues with other brands and long term reliability? I think when you compare our cars to other brands we're still better off.

Technology makes quicker, further jumps now than before. Manufacturers have to adapt or fall behind, so building the cookie cutter "safe" cars that use 30 year old practices is a thing of the past. Everyone is trying to go lighter, faster, cheaper, cutting edge - so sometimes it can lead to problems.Some are seen immediately and recalls are the result, others may be slow forming like oil consumption.

When problems happen, the brand shows what they are made of. Will they stand by their cars and work with the customer or tell them tough **** and you're better off buying something new?

 

I wouldn't say it a failure...technology has advanced and everyone is pushing the envelope to increase fuel mileage and create power. Lexus DI engines isn't any worse than Infiniti, Hyundai, Kia, Audi, VW, BWM or any other...unfortunately that's just the nature of the beast.

I will say that he brought out a valid point...and I don't care what brand it is. The majority of today's new car buyers lease...and so the second owners usually follow the recommended service record until the warranty is up...then the use extended drain intervals...many do nothing more than oil changes. Now, anyone who believes in this lifetime transmission fluid is a fool...so I take transmission failures with a grain of salt. Unless you owned a 2 gen Acura TL I doubt most know what transmission failure really are. I talk to my Master Tech at my dealership all the time...and what he tells me is that most of the 350s they see that come in with issues are ones that when you go into the service records they haven't been seen since the warranty expired unless they have a major problem then the owner wants the dealer to help them out. He also told me that industry standard for 'lifetime' is about 8 yrs/100k so cars aren't made to last anymore.

I'm not saying Lexus is great but go search timing chain issues for 2011 Infiniti QX56 or some of these other brands...see how many even tried to deny warranty issues because of a lack of service records...so regardless of brand...this is something you will deal with regardless.

 

I usually don't trust what service advisors say.

maybe he saw a few cases, but that doesn't give a clear picture whether the problem is prevalent.
Then of course there are confounding factors. Lots of them.

 

i had a 2006 which burnt oil and had the engine rebuilt at 0 dollars they paid for it ,then i bought a 2010 where the fixed the issues i have not had one problem since i bought the new updated 2010

 

this is the 2010-2011

 

Man....Lexus still has one of the most antiquated infotainment systems....they need a completely new design...

 

the info system ifs very basic ,but it works fine for me,i just add android to it and im a happy camper
mines a little overkill ,but i do alot of travelling