I was just little too slow and didn't up shift after the orange circle showed up so red circle showed up...probably for about good half a second? How bad did I mess up the engine? BTW, does this engine have a dip stick? I didn't see it when I opened up the cap?

 

not gonna mess up your engine unless ur keep on doing it

 

The rev limiter is there for a reason... to keep you from overrevving the engine. You are fine. Just dont make it a habit.

 

I was initially in "D" mode and then pressed "-" paddle, and floored it. I was expecting the car to auto-up-shift but it didn't. That's why I hit the limiter. Does the car go into "S" (i.e. manual mode) as soon as you hit "-" (or "+") while in "D" mode? I guess I'll need read the manual after all .

 

you did no harm. Also yes, there is a dipstick

 

I bounced off the rev limiter all time... wait till you hit the governor...

 

Yeah your car is fine. I've done it by accident twice. Just make sure it doesn't happen alot

 

the dipstick...when facing the motor with hood open it to the left of motor and has a yellow ring.

 

ive done this at least 5 times....

 

I happen once to me.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble but you're using the paddles in entirely the wrong way. They aren't shifters at all.

The IS350, for all intents and purposes, is a fully automatic transmission car.

The only time the paddles (which are maximum gear limiters - not gear selectors) are potentially useful is for roll racing. If you want to race from a 40 MPH roll, you want to slow to 40 MPH, set your car to S2, accelerate when the race starts, and then immediately (while you have the accelerator down) press the + paddle 4 times in succession as quickly as possible or shift the lever from "S" mode to "D" mode. Either method works.

It doesn't matter when you press the "+" paddle while going WOT. You can never be too early, but you can be too late. Therefore, it makes no sense to wait. The only reason people wait to press the "+" paddle while going WOT is that it gives them the illusion that they have some control over shifting, when in reality they have no control at all. The automatic transmission decides when the car shifts taking into account maximum gear limiting constraints you may place on the transmission via S mode.

 

The ISF, however, does have a true paddle shifting system in sport "M" mode.

It also has the same, useless "maximum gear limiter" S mode system that the IS350 has, but nobody on the ISF forum uses it.

As far as I recall, the new 2013 4th generation GS has implemented the true paddle shifting system that is present in the current ISF, so that may bode well for the 3rd generation IS.

 

I don't think it did actually... Edmunds mentions there's no "true M mode" on the new GS at any rate... if anyone has clarified this further since please let us know, as I was greatly disappointed when I read that.

 

shouldn't of caused any damage thats why the limiter is there. Just don't make a habit of it. As syzygy says, they aren't true shifters anyways.

 

So is it true that when I pressed "-" the car went to manual mode and I should have upshifted?