First, I know there is a huge thread related to this issue on this site. Its so big though its impossible to scan it to find the kind of answer I am looking for. I'm just looking for some advice or opinions that would be relevant to my particular case.


Issue: My 70 year old mother owns a 2011 IS250. The car is about 4 years old and just out of warranty . It has around 50000 miles on it. She drives it very gently. Recently it threw a P0300 code. The dealer said they didn't know what to do with it and opened a case with Lexus. Lexus told them to do a Top Engine clean, which they did for free. They told her that this repair was a one time freebie and that it would cost her about $1000 if it needed to be done in the future. My mom is retiring very soon and will be living on a pretty tight budget so she is really concerned that this car could end up becoming a maintenance nightmare for her if this issue keeps reoccurring. She's been asking me if she should just sell the car in case the issue starts reoccurring. While it seems clear this issue has been recognized by Lexus for the 2006-2010 cars in a CSP I cant really find anything official that deals with 2011 models. Knowing that my mom cant afford a car that will end up costing a lot to maintain I'm just looking for some advice or opinions from people about if she should keep the car or not?


Thanks,
MIke

 

P0300 isn't usually something severe. I had the code P0300 but I cleared it and it haven't come back.

You might also want to take a look at this video too:

 

The fix for the 2006-2010 models is to uprade the piston rings so they slow down carbon buildup. Your 2011 already has these rings. If it took 50000 miles to get your first symptoms I'd say your good for another 50k. Wouldn't worry me. Also $1000 for cleaning is ridiculous. Should less then half that.

 

Many causes could throw this code. As suggested check all the above, real ez to do it yourself