BCLXSMR2

Hello cl, I have a question. And I want to be as concise as possible I'll try to keep this as brief, but descriptive as possible as I'm looking for some meaningful advice to manage my expectations.....so I am.the 3rd owner of an 08 gs 350..it was maintained at Lexus frequently with the previous two owners according to the carfax. New timing chain gears..water pump etc. It's very clean in and out.black interior(155,000k miles now)...I plan to paint the exterior pearl white like my previous car 00 gs 300 (R.I.P)...however when I accelerate ( I drive safe) but in open space or after a hard acceleration ex: merging onto the freeway the exhaust smells bad! I can only compare it to a strong egg smell almost (my children compare it to farts)...I searched around on here and found catalytic converter as a possible answer or poor gas use from previous owners.... I took the car to a reputable muffler shop in my area...boss man said it wasn't the catalytic converter and that in fact its working and instructed me to buy kb??? Fuel injector and pour in the tank on a full tank. DID THAT STILL SMELLS. so if it is can this smell ever be cured??? I like my car. It's what I wanted for so long and I set out to get one and I did. But now I'm second guessing because I have a good looking smelly exhaust car. LoL!! No fun having a lexus if I can't drive it a little.

Now here are my expectations which might need managing. I bought a Lexus because of reliability, build quality, and performance that a GS is supposed to give. I am expecting to get over 225,000 miles on this vehicle. But as it stands I am unsure if this is going to happen.

btw..I will be taking it to the dealer to fix the leaking rear main seal in a few days..I plan to inform them of the smell...but I wanted to get some feedback from cl before the repair dept gives me a terrible prognosis and repair costs of $8000+....(the rear main seal is $1274 plus tax....another mechanic said he could do it for $900 but I hear the transmission must be removed to replace the rear main seal so I prefer the dealer)

Anyhow, Thanks for your time!

MJG87

The sulfur smell normally comes from the preservatives used in fuel, and typically is only very noticeable when the car is running rich, which is why you mainly get it after giving it a solid squirt. Have you had the same results with several tanks of fuel?

Sodium

It's not a quality issue with the car, and it's not related to the gas used by the previous owners. As MJG said, it's because of sulfur compounds in the gas that's in your tank right now. Try to run your car until the low fuel light is on, then refill it at a different gas station and see if that helps

MJG87

If it has happened through more than 1 tank of fuel, try a different petrol station, personally I would run a bottle of injector cleaner with the next tank for good measure (I typically do this with newly acquired cars anyway)

guzzy92fs

Not waiting the car to warm up from a cold start contributes to the smell as well. Do you usually starts and go?

BCLXSMR2

Yes I do often.....

BCLXSMR2

Yes I have....but the light is on now so I will fill with shell gas. I usually get 87 is that bad? Or should I go with 91 this time? I will try it because I think once I filled up with 91 costco gas and I noticed the smell wasn't as rancid that time.

rickdestik

Lexus recommends 91 octane. Costco is the best gas usually at the lowest price.

Sodium

Yeah definitely use 91. Hard acceleration is when preignition is most likely to happen, and if the car runs rich to prevent preignition you'll get uncombusted fuel burning in the catalytic converters, which can damage them.

MJG87

Always use the highest octane fuel you can afford, regardless of what the car recommends. You will never hurt your car by using fuel that is too good. As a bonus you get slightly better mileage which helps make up the difference is cost.

70L of 98 octane premium fuel costs me $90.30 at $1.29/Litre - Average around 12.7l/100km - $16.38 to drive 100km - ~550kms per tank

70L of 91 octane regular unleaded costs me $79.80 at $1.14/Litre - Average around 14.0l/100km - $15.96 to drive 100km - ~500km per tank

I find it more economical in the long run, and better for my car. Its an extra 42c/100km each tank, but I get roughly 50km extra per tank (above figures are mixed driving with very little open road driving) The major benefit being of course the increased performance and the "health benefits" for the car.

Lukas99GS

Our cars recommend 91 octane or higher, you should always be using the highest grade gas. It's not really that much more money anyways

BCLXSMR2

I agree with you all. I had a 00 gs 300 Platinum series and using 91 gas I saw a huge difference in how long the gas lasted. In my 08 gs350 I will be more consistent and use 91. Try filling up with 91 and see if I still have the smell....however what is meant by the car running rich?

MJG87

Running reach means your air/fuel mixture is more fuel heavy. If you are using bad fuel and its causing knock/detonation/pre-ignition your car will sense it and add more fuel to the mixture as well as retarding your timing to prevent damage.

The extra fuel doesn't burn properly and gets into the exhaust and smells.