Hi folks,

Just wanted to ask a question regarding the GS300.

I've been reading through this forum religiously since purchasing my 2005 20k mile GS300 about 5 weeks ago. I am reading nothing but scathing remarks about oil consumption and carbon build up. A lot of misinformed people also seem to believe that the GS300 3rd gen was only sold for 1 model year.​​​This may be true for the states, but why if the engine was terrible was it the volume seller for the 3rd gen GS range in Australia from 2005 until the end of 2011? We never recieved a GS350 in the 3rd gen. The 3.0 was sold right the way through. 7 whole model years.

​​​​​There also does not seem to be any Australian horror stories and I see a lot of high mileage examples for sale well into the 200'000km range. Including my good friends father sitting pretty at 237'000 trouble free kms.

Was there some difference between the Australian engine and the US version? To me it seems to be a brilliant, smooth powerplant capable of huge mileage. If there was a chronic problem Lexus would not have sold it from 2005-2011.

Anyway, just sounding off. Thanks for the input.

 

I can't say if there are any differences between the US and Aussie engines, but if the engine codes are the same there shouldn't be any (the US GS300 uses the 3GR-FSE)

I suspect that there are a few reasons why the GS300 gets so much crap:

1. The GS300 being replaced by the 350 after just one model year diminished the status of the 300 and made it less desirable. Also, the 350 doesn't have carbon buildup issues.

2. This was an early implementation of gasoline direct injection, and the carbon buildup issues weren't fully known, especially by the consumer. Remember that carbon buildup is also a problem in DI engines from other brands.

3. Lexus vehicles typically have extremely reliable powertrains and other mechanical components, so the carbon buildup issue was a nasty surprise for the people that had it. And since most people didn't know that carbon buildup is a consequence of direct injection in general, they figured that Lexus just screwed up, so the 300 got a bad reputation

4. Nowadays we know that DI engines should be decarbonized every so often, but the GS350 has both DI and port injection, and therefore doesn't have carbon buildup issues – so that's one more maintenance item you'll need to pay for if you buy a 300. This, as well as the substantially lower power, is why everyone here says to get the 350 rather than the 300.

Most of the members here are American, and we usually don't keep up with which models are available elsewhere.

 

Doesn't really explain why Lexus would sell the 3.0 to Australia for 7 years though if it was so problematic and why there is no reported problems here. Very strange. Everyone loves the GS300 here because it is more reliable than the 430/460 due to the expensive as hell adaptive damper shocks and on the 430 you need to do TB and WP.

The 3.0 over here was regarded as a bit more special than the 3.5 which they put in Toyota Klugers (Highlander) and Aurions (Australian Avalon competitor) etc.. It was a Lexus only engine and only went into the GS and a few high end Crowns and the like on the Japanese mainland.

I wonder if the carbon issue is due to the poorer quality gas in the states? We didn't even have a recall campaign for engine rebuilds or anything here as there was no problems.

 

Never mind,

I've answere​​​​d my own question.

North American 3.0s had Direct Injection. Asia Pacific did not, only VVTi.

Thanks again.

 

Yup different engines! I while back I researched it because there are many gs300's that have sold in japan and most of except for US/Canada market.

But I believe the transmissions are the same, and those do have issues

 

Yeah, I am feeling a lot better now. It is a brilliant engine here. Huge mileage achievable. Can't understand why they didn't give it to the Americans to begin with. I thought it was strange no recalls had been issued here until I looked closely into the matter and got very concerned for a moment because I hear nothing but excellent reports here.

Australia/Asia Pacific; 3GR-FE

United States; 3GR-FSE

 

Well if if I had to guess, I would say we got the 3GR-FSE in the States because it either makes more power than the 3GR-FE (make the customer happy) or gets better fuel economy (make the EPA happy). What's the power output of the FE?

Not if Lexus Australia specifies a transmission fluid change interval! The only problem 3GS transmissions really have is the "lifetime" tranny fluid

 

I think it's around 183kw give or take. Not huge power but they run 0-100kp/h or 0-60mph in just under 7 seconds with the traction control off and power mode on the ECT engaged. Pretty quick if you ask me and miserly fuel consumption, especially if you have the tires around 36psi.

 

Yeah 183kW ain't bad!

Also, what grade of oil does Lexus Australia spec for your engine?

 

At the moment my local dealership has been using Mobil 1 fully synthetic 5W50 I think. Don't qoute me on it though but definitely Mobil.

 

Interesting!

I ask because I'll occasionally spend a few minutes perusing another forum specific to lubricants and oils, and whenever someone starts a thread asking a question like "is 0W-20 too thin" or "will my engine explode if I switch from 5W-30 to 0W-30", one of the Aussie members will usually reply with something to the effect of "you're better off putting water in your engine, down here anything less than 0W-40 is considered too light"

 

Hey Mack, fellow Aussie here. Glad you were able to answer your own question! where is Aus are you, there's not too many of us here.I started a "Lexus Owners Australia" group on here hoping to find us all so we can keep in touch, join up so we can keep track of each other if you want.

 

Hi Mate, I think we met a month ago in the welcome picture sticky? You have the V8 right?
I bounce between the Vic High Country and Sydney. I'm glad you made an Australian owners section, shoot me over the link. Be glad to meet a few Aussie owners. GS is underappreciated here compared to the awful E60 and the Daimler/Chrysler Balance shaft hell W211 E class.

 

I've been perfectly happy with the 300 all the years I've had it (8 or 9 years now). I don't drive it around thinking anything like "gosh this thing is so slow", and it has given me zero issues in all these years apart from the carbon/piston ring stuff of which Lexus went above and beyond on repairing.

Diminished resale value because of the pretty "F-U" maneuver that Lexus did when dropping it for the 350 the year after doesn't matter to me because I bought it a couple years old to begin with and probably benefited from it then and the car is getting so old now and showing no signs of stopping that it would be basically useless no matter what model it is by the time I'm ready to get rid of it regardless.

Just about the only thing about the car that drives me crazy on a somewhat regular basis is the fact that I can't fit anything but people in it. Trying to get home from IKEA is always an exercise in spatial mental gymnastics. The good thing is that I just buy everything online and have my servants at the post office and couriers bring all the big stuff up to my doorstep anyway. This is not something any other GS model would have helped me with. In this regard in retrospect I may have had less frustration with the RX.