wow..did not realize this was actually a big issue.


I actually had the same thing but it went away quickly. After i sent my car in first time to Lexus for techstream brake flush and then picked it up, when i initially stepped on gas there was MUCH hesitation. I was about to bring it up to lexus but it went away within 2/300 yards of driving.


Yikes, i just hit 81K and barely missed the emissions warranty. I'll see if my adviser can give this complimentary. I just spent over $4K there last month! I hope they don't think the premium coffee and donuts satisfy my wallet.

 

I'm having the same problem with my 2007 LS460 at 91K after it received a major maintenance service at Lexology in Redondo Beach, CA this past Tuesday, July 29th. I am glad I purchased extra warranty when I purchased it pre-owned. I am hoping whatever is wrong, they will fix or change the necesarry parts and hopefully the warranty will cover it.

 

Is this issue mainly happening to 07's? Not everyone is listing their vehicle year.

 

2007 and certain 08 models suffer from the head problem. From what I understand. Valve lash. Maybe another name for it too. In essence, the problem with the valves / heads causes the knock sensor to detect engine knock and it retards the timing killing power and acceleration.

 

The problem seems to have been conquered by using the correct and proper oil. To be specific, Toyota 0W20 synthetic. I had the issue twice after using two different brands of synthetic in 5W20 viscosity. I then did another change and added two bottles of Rislone Engine Treatment and the hesitation disappeared. It seems the VVT-I system and perhaps the anti-knock sensor are very sensitive to different oils. Once the Rislone has done it's thing, I will use a can of Toyota Engine Oil System cleaner and then fill up with the Toyota oil.

Devh (member here at CL), did a lot of research into this and can better speak to the issue. I'm ecstatic that I've addressed the problem. The added bonus is I no longer consume any more oil between changes and the engine is soooooo smooth now.

 

I'm glad that's working for you roadfrog but I doubt it will be permanent. If Lexus could correct the problem with oil they would not be rebuilding so many heads. Your are not covered under the recall or some extra warranty?

 

Fair enough. But so far so good. I'm no longer covered by any warranty.

The good news is I'm no longer consuming any oil and my car is running ohhh sooo smooth.

Also, many who did the head recall/warranty work still had the same issues afterwards, so even Lexus doesn't really know what the issue is. However, it seems they have associated the VVT-I system and anti-knock sensor as culprits and there is info I've been finding that suggest it all has to doi with oil, filter screens in the VVT-I system, additives in the Toyota specifically designed for the VVT-I, etc etc.

Guess we'll see on my next oil change, but like I said, this last oil change has me optimistic.

 

Wait, you haven't had the recall done? Or you have and it's not made a difference?

The thing I don't get is why you were consuming oil and now you aren't...I wonder if you had a ring hanging up and you freed it up with your new oil? It almost sounds like your engine might of been really dirty...lack of flow through the VVT and the oil consumption. Did you go a long time on a previous oil change, or take it to a place that put conventional oil in it?

 

Here you go. This is a link to the recall.

http://jalopnik.com/5581813/lexus-re...-valve-springs

 

The vehicle had the recall performed, but I do not have a warranty.

I am the second owner but I do have the service history on the vehicle from the dealer that serviced it before me. All oil changes were done in a timely manner.

 

I am going to try this solution. I have a 2007 and been having hesitation issues every time I get an oil change done, the hesitation goes away after driving few hundred miles.

 

And you have nothing to lose. At the end of the day, you're just doing what the owners manual already tells you to do. The only added thing is using an engine cleaner (such as the Toyota Oil System Cleaner) to remove any deposits in the VVT-I system, etc. I paid 20+ dollars for that bottle at the dealer. My car has never run better! Admittedly, I'll reserve final analysis until my next oil change in the next few months.

 

When I first purchased on '07 LS460 used from CarMax around 5 months ago, I took it home and experienced this terrible hesitation issue (and I agree it's a significant safety hazard). It was under the CarMax 30-day warranty, so I took it in and they sent it to the Lexus dealer; the dealer re-flashed the engine computer and everything was great for 5k miles.

BUT.... I finally got the first oil change for the old car (100k miles) - took it to the quick lube and was in and out in 20 minutes. Didn't notice anything driving home. The next day, the hesitation was back in full force and that continued for another few days (I was seeing if it would work itself out).

Finally tonight I took some CL members' advice (THANKS DAVE) and took the battery terminals off and connected them electrically to one another using a piece of aluminum wire. This was all very uneventful. I re-connected everything and took the car out for a ride and there was NO hesitation any more. ----THE HESITATION RE-OCCURRED THE DAY AFTER----

This got me thinking that when I bought my car, CarMax performed an oil change on it, and this might have been all it needed to clear up my issue. I'll post again if the issue returns before the next oil change. If you don't hear from me, I'll be driving merrily along! ----YOU ARE HEARING FROM ME UNFORTUNATELY----

 

Glad it worked for you!

 

Would you please share with us your opinion as to what would have happened if you had done nothing other than continue to drive your car. Do you think the hesitation condition would have persisted forever or gotten worse?