I have been watching some hybrid owners complain that they are not getting very good mileage at all with their GS450H. I was getting great mileage but then all of a sudden i started to see the average kms/liter going from 9.1 up to 10.1 in the course of about a month or two. The bigger issue is that I dont see the car having the same snap when i used to step on it. There is more of a "gas engine" lag. Still not bad but not what it was.
Took it to the dealer and without an codes being sent out by the system they say their is no issue. Took the mechanic out and he couldn't see the issue but i say I dont have the power and get poor mileage. I know that this is not the same car and can see what some of the hybrid owners are complaining about now. car has 160k on it. Im wondering if Lexus knows that hybrids dont deliver consistent torque over the long haul and are covering those codes from being revealed. sighhh.

 

I've test driven several GS450hs over the years and I can say that they had amazing instant power. My car not so much, but maybe that's because I'm used to driving a 08 G35. Sometimes the GS is scary fast, and sometimes it has that lag and more of engine thrust like you've mentioned. As far as gas mileage, its been comparable to what I was getting with the G, which is decent but not as good as i was expecting.

 

I owned one and when I got close to the 60K mark I changed my spark plugs and all those issue's went away. Not sure this could be the same issue with you but I know it worked for me.

 

I would suggest it is more related to winter gas blends, generally 10% MPG reduction in winter is normal.

 

thanks for the responses. I appreciate the feedback as I'm not a car guy for say........that said I don't feel that I have the snap that I used to have which would have been fine had I never had it in the first place. I have kept up with the regular service and will check into the plugs but this lack of power makes me think this is the hybrid system. Anyway, really appreciate your feedback.

 

i noticed a slight performance decrease as well as lower mileage when using ethanol blend gasoline. for maximum performance and better fuel economy, go with higher octane gas without ethanol. but the higher price you pay at the pump might not be worth it. see link below for more info.

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4676594...-gasoline.html

 

i booked in my car for 180,000 service and spark plugs are on the list, as well they mentioned a injector clean and throttle body clean is included as well as diff fluid drain and refill.
I also asked if i can request a gearbox oil change they quoted $250 parts+labour which i thought was good. Im going to do that at same time.
(parts/service in AU costs a lot more thats quite reasonable, 180k service is $1200 for all rest and since i didnt need air filter as i have a K&N they reduced $200??)

 

http://www.thehybridshop.com/media/b...prius-battery/

i had a long conversation with a manager at this shop. I plan on having this service done in the summer.

What they do is a complete drain of all your cells, replace the nickle and power bar*, inspect and test and clean the cooling system then slowly recharge your battery. The process takes 3 days but they claim your car will run like new. Its also not cheap.

 

I really appreciate the response. would you be wiling to tell me what dealership you were working with so I could call them. My dealership doesnt seem to know how to support me properly. Id be interested to have some discussions to see if I can get my power back to where it was a short while ago.
Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Me? im in australia no use you talking to them. Plugs are scheduled every 90,000km so you can change them early if you want to. And what fuel you use wears plugs quicker, higher octane 95/98 is good.

 

same here, i felt my car starting to became really weak so i drop it off to an indy shop to do a spark plugs and oil change, then i order myself an K&N drop in filter and WOW!!

she is back aliveeeeee