Hello community. My first post on this forum though I have been a lurker for several years.

A month ago, I traded my '14 GS 350 luxury AWD (I miss it slightly) for an '18 GS 350 F-Sport AWD with only 2,400 miles. I was worried at first about the amount of time it had been sitting since it was originally sold in Sept '18. Tires and battery are good, and the dealer did the oil as part of the L-Certified package. I've added 600 miles along with the OEM painted splash guards from Japan (per this wonderful forum).

All that said, I am not planning to drive the GS very much over winter since I am fortunate to have a '17 NX AWD and a '17 F-150 as other winter options. I drove the '14 the last few winters once every 7-10 days to keep it "active".

Besides potential flat spotting, battery drain, and gas breakdown, any other issues folks may see on this model for sitting a prolonged period of time? I keep the tanks full for my other stored vehicles (with a shot of Stabil) along with battery tenders. A bit worried adding a tender to the GS since my other cars do not have the level of electronics as the GS. I also keep year-round insurance, unlike the others, so it is eligible for drives on "clean days" without snow or too salty.

Cheers.

 

Def don't leave it parked on a full tank and try to start the car even though its on a trickle charger. If you have chances try to move the car if you have the space this helped me from preventing flat spots when I had my GS parked for winter.

 

18 GS here too. I don't really see that you do anything different that I do. I'll drive mine occasionally during the winter when the streets are completely dry. I wouldn't worry about the Tender, it will keep battery and electronics to a sufficient level. Add a little extra PSI to the tires and forget about it. I've never noticed any flat spotting on my Dunlops after sitting for maybe 4 months. If they do flat spot they will eventually work themselves out once you start driving again. I've done this for 2 winters so far and have zero issues once spring arrives. Radials don't flat spot as bad as the old bias plys anyway.

 

Be sure to post some pics, of your GS and tell us about it. I love mine!

 

I only drive my GS on weekends - although it won't sit for weeks at a time, it will sit for a good 4-6 days without being moved. The biggest issue i've noticed is loss of air the tires esp. now that its colder outside. If you have it in a garage, that might not be a big deal.

The other issue I dealt with was the battery...the original battery would struggle to start it up after it sat for a few days - eventually replaced it with a larger, high CCA aftermarket battery and its been problem free. You shouldn't have this issue as your GS's battery is fairly fresh.

@RoadieRob Just curious: What are your impressions (pros/cons) of your '14 Lux vs your '18 F-Sport?

 

Thank you folks, I appreciate the comments.

On the full gas tank point, I thought keeping it full reduced air volume which is why gas breaks down (or one version of the story)? Nonetheless, I can run the engine periodically, but had also heard that short runs are not good either but better to have the engine under load and also give the tires some motion. I've experience minor lumps before which smooth out in 5-10 minutes so no worries there. I don't mean for it to be a garage queen, but black with road salt is nasty!

The difference between the 2 models is quite unique. Both are AWD and with the winter package.

• The LUX had one extra seat adjustment (18-way) for the upper half of the back to pivot in addition to the full back. I do not miss that in the F Sport (16-way).
• The LUX steering wheel was wood/leather. I miss it aesthetically, but the full leather is nice too. Both heated.
• The LUX had an independent button for headlight washers while the F Sport is automatic every 5th spray of the windshield. Minor loss in functionality, but only really an issue in slushy, winter weather (which I hope to avoid).
• The LUX backseat had the full stereo controls and were heated. Since I don't drive from the backseat , no bother to me (I have guests maybe 2% of my drive time).
• The LUX had the adaptive front headlights. A very slick feature around corners! But, the F Sport has the triple LED's. What I lost in "neat" factor I gained in brightness and hopefully durability.
• The LUX had fog lights and the F Sport is without, but not needed with the triple LED's.
• The LUX did not have the auto brights as the F Sport. My wife's NX has that too. Great concept but we have a lot of address signs near the back highways so the reflection trips them frequently.
• The LUX had the linear espresso wood trim in place of the black alloy. Again, just aesthetics.
• The LUX had manual side shades. I kinda miss those for privacy and maybe summer driving, but at least the F Sport has the rear shade.
• The LUX was a base stereo while the F Sport is ML. I loved the LUX base stereo with surround "on". After playing with the ML, I prefer it but found I need the surround "off". Personal choice there.
• The LUX had a standard 2-dial tach and speedo with small center display. I simply love the F Sport gauges and "G force" map! Huge improvement!
• The LUX 12.3" display was easier for audio controls (intuitive graphics). I'm getting more used to the F Sport audio screens, and I find the NAV much better in the F Sport. Probably age more than model here.
• The LUX came with adaptive suspension just like the F Sport (S/S+). However, the ride of the F Sport is much smoother. Could be the 19" vs 18" (LUX), or the tires themselves, or fact it is simply newer.
• And finally, the little trunk spoiler on the F Sport....it just makes me smile.

 

2014 GS 350 LUX

2018 GS F Sport

 

Awesome looking 18 Roadie! I can tell that you took excellent care of your 14.

 

It seems like you take the necessary precautions when storing the car. I would maybe suggest moving the car every few weeks if possible. I read something about wheel bearings leaving indentations when car is left for too long not moved but I don't if that really applies to our cars, but I generally try to just move my cars around every now and then so they don't sit unused for too long.