Hi there, I'm Brand New to the Forum and just wondering if the is a sticky thread about the reliability of the IS500. All past cars have being Euro so want to change it up to a Lexus and hoping for reliability.
I'm Looking at the current IS500.


Thanks in advance. John

 

John, this car is one the most reliable car you can buy...the engine and tranny have been used for several years as with the technology. Problem is there very little time left as tbis car is likely being phased out by the fall so hurry up!

There is an ultimate edition with 500 of them between canada and the us, but there are some still floating around...unless you wanna buy used then there is no problem

 

Quite reliable. I had my IS F for 13 years and 146,000 miles and had two big issues: 1) Coolant Valley leak, which is common with these engines 2) Small crack in the radiator near year 12 and 135,xxx miles or so. I ended up trading it in just because I wanted something similar but newer. Reliability was a bit factor in why I ended up replacing with an IS500.

There were some minor issues: gas cap failed near the end ($30), some exterior trim pieces dry rotted around the windshield, parking brake switch broke, and I kept blowing out the center dash speaker. Only the parking brake switch was a pain to fix.

Plenty of cars with this engine and transmission combination with over 200,000 miles.

 

Thanks for the replies! I'm looking at importing one to Australia from Japan . Unfortunately these were never available here and we only got the 350/300h till 2021 as the market here demanded more SUV. The good thing is Japan is not far and we both have RHD vehicles and as the car was never offered here we're allowed to import direct. Looking at pricing then once I'm happy, I'll order one through the importer. ATM some are available on the 2nd hand market and are demanding drug money and are selling quickly confirming there is a demand here in Australia.

 

Fun fact - we don't get the IS300h here.

SUVs are very popular here too. I'm still a sedan and coupe man though.

 

100% This. Not interested in the extra bulk that goes along with the SUV experience. Team Nimble.

 

Despite all the advanced electronics, software controls, mechanical systems, etc. the physics associated with tall, bulky SUV's cannot be defeated. I will hold out as a sedan/coupe/low stance car guy for as long as possible, or until they don't make them anymore.

 

Toyota = Reliability
The Toyota 2UR-GSE engine is proven performance over an extended period of time.
Lastly, it doesn’t have all of the latest gadgetry, but it has the ones you need. All of those new digital touch control screens and such are just things that break in time.

 

As someone that has come from a Euro, this will be super reliable. Gone are the days of dreading starting your car and wondering what expensive thing will break next. This platform has been around for 15 years and the engine about the same. Very little to nothing in the ways of issues to worry about. Change the oil regularly and will serve you for a long, long time.

 

Change your coolant early -- these head gaskets don't like acidic coolant

 

This is good advice. Not sure what the maintenance window says about when you should flush the coolant, but would adhere strictly to that or before.

 

That's the problem, we have "lifetime coolant" in our cars. I think if you treat it like the old Toyota red and change it every 3 years, it'll go a long way in preventing acidity.

 

I can tell you from experience, cooling systems are the most overlooked and neglected part of engine systems, motorcycle or cars. You should change it per the manual if not sooner and for the same reasons you changed your oil ASAP after break in, machining shavings and more are in there as well.

 

What a community! I didn't expect that response to my post. Thank you all for the information. Hopefully the next time I'm on here I'll be talking about my new ride.
john

 

I have my importer looking for a car as we speak! And of course I have more questions.
I've read the front tire wear is pretty savage on these models and to correct it you can replace a bushing (not sure which one) with one from the RC model??? I'm hearing front tires are wearing at less than 15,000kms (9,000 miles) and quicker than the rears with "normal" driving.