berman2921

I'm considering GS350 AWD F-sport after my MB E350 lease expires in August. I was surprised to see so many threads talking about fixing their cars. My wife's previous ES350 didn't have a single problem in 6 years. The current one has been trouble free for 2.5 years so far. The number of threads talking about what went wrong with a car reminds me of BMW and MB message boards. Reliability is one of the main reasons I'm considering the GS. What is general consensus on relative GS reliability of folks who drove German cars before switching to GS?

eddie420

2013 BMW 535iX. 95K miles, been in the shop half the time. Failures left and right. At 26K on the 2015 GS, no problems thus far. Toyota/Lexus in general is reliable. You may have the oddball failures like the door actuator and the sunroof gasket issue... but those are inexpensive DIY fixes. On any German car, forget about it. You are paying thousands. I financed my cars because I keep them for a lifetime. GS has been ranked the most reliable midsize luxury sedan many years in a row. I doubt you are going to have any major issues. For every complaint on this board, there are thousands that don't have any issues.

peasodos

iTrader: (1)

2013 gsh 86k+ miles and no major issues. Usually people post if there is a problem, not that the car is problem free. Only minor issue I had a was wind noise, resolved by replacing the sunroof seal, resolved in later years.

Lexus ranks number one in reliability with Consumer reports and Toyota number 2.
https://www.businessinsider.com/most...2-toyota-76-14

berman2921

Thanks for the quick replies guys. As I said two ES350s driven by my wife were trouble free whereas ny previous 328 had a number of issues that would've been very expensive fixes had it not been under warranty. I guess peasodos is right saying that people post complains and not flawless performance.

waygreen

While I've only owned this car for two weeks, it is a high mileage example and has been flawless. Years ago, I bought a low mileage, one year old, CPO BMW and the engine light came on two days after purchasing. Had it not been under warranty, it would have cost several thousand to fix. My better half's BMW has been more reliable as has my father's. However, both are the turbo 4's. Based on my experience with two different models, the turbo sixes are notorious trouble makers. If I were to go back to the Germans, it would be with a 4, but where's the fun in that?

Edit: just for kicks, go poke around e90post or f30post. Now those have a lot of talk about repairs.

highrev6

bclexus

berman2921 - Don't let the threads talking about problems or fixing something influence you negatively. The guys here on the GS 350 forum are (for the most part) car enthusiasts that mod their own cars, perform DIY projects and are extra picky about various things that ES, LS, RX, GX and LX owners don't get involved in. Doing things like changing brake pads, brake rotors, adding lowering springs, coilovers, airbags, sway bar, suspension bushings, adding a supercharger, adding HUD feature, adding auto trunk closure, aftermarket wheels and tires that require rolling the fender, adding headers, front bumper conversion, changing all lights to LEDS, adding hard-wiring dash cams and radar detectors, adding fog lights, changing lever stalks, changing steering wheels, replacing spark plugs, replacing transmission fluid ...and the list goes on and on - things that most Lexus owners do not do, or are not interested in or even inclined to notice. The GS 350 is every bit as reliable and dependable as any other Lexus, which is recognized as being one of the best, if not the best.

gs350lex

I don't know how much my input counts here as i have only owned the car for almost 2 years. I bought it on Feb 15th 2017 and it was a 2015 GS 350 F-Sport which was built on Feb 2nd 2015. The car is now almost 4 years old and has been trouble free except for minor issues (such as the sunroof rattle (fixed under warranty) and minor things such as the vents rattling over bumps due to them being plastic I believe). Mechanically it has been amazing and is probably one of the best cars I have ever owned. My previous car was a BMW e46 m3 which was amazing but wasn't as cheap to maintain as this GS has been and wasn't as nice as the GS interior (which is subjective I suppose). The GS handles beautifully and I can tell i will own this car for many more years without spending virtually nothing but regular maintenance on it. The only thing is I wish i could have bought the GSF (only because I want more power) but in reality I couldn't afford the GSF so i settled for the GS350 and where I live (Toronto) you are always in traffic for most of your commute so it doesn't make sense to buy the GSF. I am overall happy with my decision with the GS350 F-Sport. One last thing I would like to add is that the GS350 is in a different league than the ES350 and trust me when you test drive it you will realize why. Hope I was helpful!

AJLex19

Most of us 4GS owners are just very picky about our cars and have high expectations for reliability. Its funny to see how smaller issues (wind noise/rattles/ergonomics/AC controls/nav updates) or even non issues like folks electing to replace spark plugs/differential fluids/transmission fluids/seals/etc earlier than needed seemingly hit the top threads on the forum making it seem like the 4GS isn't as reliable as it is.

In fact, the 4GS is one of the most reliable mid-sized luxury cars available. Folks I know with German cars that own them past the warranty period get used to things that are "fussy" or problematic b/c their expectation levels are different going into the long-term ownership experience.

You should expect the GS to be worry-free from major issues. Its definitely not one of those cars that spends more time at the shop than in your possession. But remember, if something does go wrong, its worth it to spend the money/time to fix it because the 4GS doesn't seem to get tired of anything you can throw at it!

berman2921

Great message board! Thank you guys for very informative replies. I'm not keeping MB E350 post lease and will definitely consider GS as a replacement. It was encouraging to read gs350lex's post who switched to GS from e46 M3 which is considered one on the best driving cars period. I'm not crazy about the GS' infotainment interface which is the same as on my wife's ES but I can live with it. It looks like too many things are going for GS to not strongly consider it as my next vehicle. Most likely I won't lease but rather purchase it. I think I know the options I would like to get on the car: power gesture trunk, advanced lighting, HUD, parking assistance.
BTW I also really wanted GS F but swapping tires twice a year and double insurance costs compared to my E350 will probably keep me from going that route.
Thanks again guys and I'm looking forward to be spending some time on this forum as an owner in the near future.

eddie420

Go the route ​​​@PilotX did, got a GS but installed it with a supercharger. 400whp (~500chp). Best of both worlds...

gs350lex

How much did that cost? I wouldn't mind doing that in a few years and it would definitely be cheaper than buying the GSF

eddie420

RR Racing is literally 1.5 hours drive from me. They quoted me a full install for ~$10K. Compared to how much a GSF would cost and with the trade in values, etc... $10K isn't bad for GSF territory. If you prefer to do it yourself, it's $6.6K.

RWD: https://www.rr-racing.com/RR-Racing-...isxscr1002.htm
AWD: https://www.rr-racing.com/RR-Racing-...isxscr1001.htm

@PilotX - FYI, they released Stage 3. Your wife will love you if you install it LOL.

gs350lex

Sounds like a plan in a few years . Thanks much appreciated.

charley95

If your buying, get the GS you'll be glad ya did. I love my 18 mostly because reliability is tops for me. I would've rather had more performance but 311 hp is enough for me. After owning GM crap all my life I'll probably never sway from Lexus. I really don't know of ANY brand that beats it period!