so i was just driving the other day and my check engine light and the one one that has the pic of the car and skid marks came on. i called the dealership cause the closest one is 3 hrs away. i ran it to my friends shop so he could hook it up to the computer and it came up saying bank one is running rich. and fix was ecu reflash and oil change. iv got a 2009 is250 awd, anyone else experience this yet or have the dealership do this on their car? my friend cleared the code and its been fine since bt it seems my gas mileage is worse due to the running rich, it just pisses me off cause i was there 2 weeks before for my 1st service and they could have just done it and been like it was a tsb and so we took care of it so you might not have an issue down the road. my old dealership would have just fixed the tsb i wouldnt even had to say anything to them..sorry just venting cause im frustrated..

 

bad o2 sensor?

 

Don't be pissed at your dealer. A TSIB is not a recall. It is a guide to help the dealer diagnose and fix a problem that customers might be experiencing. The dealer is not supposed to perform the work unless the dealer has verified that the customer is experiencing the problem addressed by the TSIB.

 

the closest dealer is 3hrs away? man thats tough i thought i had it bad with 45min

 

These cars run very rich. If you open your oil cap you will notice the smell of fuel and oil mixed. Also you will notice your exhust pipes have black residue on them from burning the fuel.

If I had to bet you drive the car short distances every day.

All IS and GS run rich however most burn it off, which wont trigger the check engine light. But if you just do short trips the fuel never burns off and the enigne oil gets very contamned with fuel.

It is crazy they designed these engines like this and they always will try to blame it on a loose gas cap or a bad one.

 

I don't get why would anyone buy a car that can't be serviced locally To me having to drive more than 30 minutes away is already considered a hassle but 3 hours away is insane

 

09 AWD here. I haven't seen the issue with mine, but my car was a demo with 4500miles previously on it, and the 1st service already done@Lexus. I'll keep my eye out for the issue. Thanks for the post! So are you guys saying that if you only make short trips with the car, we are at a higher risk of a CEL? Hmm, I guess a Highway blast once a week is needed then!

 

I'm with you. Probably Air/Fuel Ratio (top o2 ) sensor. Usually if they go out you will also get a VSC indicator too. Dealer can tell quickly. Long drive!

 

OP, if u commute a short distance, say 3miles each way...then what purebliss said has happened to me. Once I increased my commute problem went away. And yes, smell ur oil, you will smell a hint of fuel.

 

i took it to the dealer a week ago the did the oil change and checked the program for the ecu. so they called lexus tech support and was on the phone with them for awhile and came up with no resolution since i was on curr flash and the oil did not smell like gas. the said that if i drive short distances like you guys said less than 2miles without letting it warm up for a few minutes that the cel will more than likely come on again in the future.

im still upset with the dealership they told me before i bought the car that if i had any issues i would be able to get the car flat beded to them and have a loaner in the mean time. bt after calling them they were like bring it here and you can take a loaner or have it flat beded and no loaner and still have to go pick up my car when its done not to mention that the service guy i talkd to on the phone was a total *** to me.

bt now im still getting **** gas mileage i was getting 22 city and 29.5 hwy, now im getting 16-17city and 27 hwy, thats a 25% loss in mileage not acceptable for a car that is new and only has 3500 miles on it.

as far as buying a car with no dealer close yea normally i wouldnt do that bt after xmas im moving to mpls for my girl to do law school and i will have a local dealer there. i just figured that with a new car in the first 6 months i wouldnt have any issues and that i would be near a dealership.