Lexuslsguy

Your reasoning will lead to having more problems with any vehicle. Paying attention and practicing preventive maintenance leads to less repairs and hence less money out of your own pocket. Does not matter what car you own and how much tech it has.

Shad034

Again, I'm not advocating for not monitoring things. Someone/thing has to pay attention to these things, it doesn't have to be me. The difference is the same as pulling your wheels to check your pads, having the mechanic do it, or having the car monitor and alert you when they are low. Same result in all cases, but in two of them you aren't doing the work.

Lexuslsguy

The results are actually hardly the same. Those who practice preventive maintenance save a lot more money vs those who don't. They catch issues early that often prevent other problems. I understand you don't have a desire to do anything yourself vs an automated process but it's just a reality that it does not work out too well with todays technology. Example, in-tank fuel pumps are cooled by the fuel running through them as well as being submerge in fuel. This is how they dissipate heat. Guess what happens when you run you fuel tank nearly dry...? Oil warning light is for when you are dangerously low on oil not when it's down just a little. Depending on the vehicle, brake pad sensors may not trigger until right at the end of the pad and or when people start going metal to metal ruining the rotors vs replacing the pads only if you did them 5k miles earlier...

Shad034

I don't think I'm making myself clear. Its a poor monitoring system that only alerts when there is an actual failure rather than prior to a failure condition. I would argue that's not much of a monitoring system at all.

Low fuel alerts come on at 3.4gal in the tank, which is about 60 miles of driving (the miles remaining being pretty standard across cars from my observation). This is sufficient to warn the operator that it is time to take action prior to a failure condition. Low oil alerts when you are down a quart, check engine comes on at down 2 quarts. The engine can operate normally down a quart, but action needs to be taken to prevent things from progressing.

My point is that the level of technology on the car is present to ENABLE you to do preventative maintenance, like getting gas before you are out or adding a quart of oil prior to it being low enough to cause damage. These types of systems are present on many modern vehicles, my expectation of a vehicle at the top of its class is that it does it better than cars with lower technology and associated price points. Case in point, apparently the 2015 will not only tell you its low, but give you the nearest gas station as well.

To return to my initial point on the low fuel. My complaint was that the system was indeed informing me of a low fuel condition, but it was doing it in such a manner that is easily missed. If I'm going to trust my systems to do their job, I need to be able to trust that they are communicating efficiently as well. Apparently, they do exactly as I expect, they do indeed give an obvious text warning well in advance of fuel exhaustion. So I'm happy.

SW17LS

I think we also need to come down a fews pegs on the "very high end luxury car", "the price I paid", "why I spent that kind of money". Presumably since this is the first time you have encountered the low fuel warning, you recently purchased this vehicle used, its 5 years old. Its not the pinnacle of anything, and you paid for it about what a well optioned Nissan Rogue costs. If you wanted the best technology, you bought the wrong car. Thats not what Lexus does well. My Chrysler minivan has much better displays, warnings and technology than my brand new 2017 LS460L. What the Lexus does well is provide a refined, smooth driving experience in a high quality environment, with excellent build quality in a reliable package. If you want a bunch of fancy gadgets and readouts and such, you should have bought basically any other flagship luxury car.

213374U

This. I don't understand why anyone would regularly run the car down to almost empty unless you're a poor teenager dropping $5-10 in the tank whenever you can. But, poor teenagers also aren't out buying LS460's soooo........

Shad034

That's pretty much what I'm encountering and I'm a bit surprised by it. I came over from BMW with its high maintenance costs, looking for a similar experience in a more reliable platform. Its marketed as a 7 series and/or S class competitor. I assumed I would find similar technology (when comparing year to same year), and for the most part, I do. However, there are some smaller items that I find less than what I had hoped. I'm amused by your comparison to the Chrysler Minivan, I have a 2012 one in the garage and that is some of the basis for my comparison. If the minivan does it, why the heck doesn't my nice shiny Lexus do it too? They are of the same age roughly...

In any case, I think this has gotten way too serious of a topic. I love my Lexus and I love the fact that its not in the shop all the time like my BMW was. It doesn't perform as well and it lacks some of the toys I'd like it to have, but the fact that it is so reliable makes up for much of that. Its better to have a car with less stuff that just works than one that is wound too tight for its own good.

And man does it ride nice. I still can't believe how nice that is.

Shad034

For me, simply because the car runs the same at 22 gals or at 3 gals. Tell me when you have 3 gals left and I'll fill it up, until then just drive.

FatherTo1

This thread has deteriorated to a series of condescension and lecturing. Just let the member enjoy their car, even if it goes against what each of us does differently. It isn't wrong to consider the LS a high-end luxury car, that is the crowd it competes in. The majority of cars will not offer you a self-leveling air suspension, reclining rear-seats, massage, or soft-close doors. Not even minivans can claim four-zone climate control. It isn't wrong for owners to expect more from an LS. After all, the LS was conceived to challenge the status quo and raise public expectations of what a luxury car can and should be. If anything, the LS has spoiled me so much that it is difficult to consider lesser offerings because I've grown accustomed to certain amenities and standards. If you come from other marquees then it isn't surprising to find features missing in the LS, while at the same time discovering new features that you didn't realize existed in a Lexus. It is all part of learning and getting to know your car. I enjoy poring over the details of our LS, but Lexus went through the trouble of installing additional sensors, gadgets, and alerts for a reason and it does serve a purpose to those that rely on it. To each their own.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I bought mines 10 years old and I consider it a very high end luxury car still. My expectations are for it to perform like an 80k car. Maybe my expectations are too high but i'm not complaining about the lack of bluetooth audio streaming which would be my one complaint. I don't want what I would consider a lesser car even if it's brand new. The low fuel warning has been present since my 98 LS 400 so the poster just did not know the feature was there which is ok.

SW17LS

You guys are misunderstanding me, of course its a high end luxury car. Clearly I love it because I bought two. Its just all about reasonable expectations. Its a wonderful car, but it truly is not "the pinnacle" of anything, it just does everything very well, but you have to call a spade a spade, Lexus is way behind on tech, and as Lexus' go the LS is especially behind because of how old it is. Essentially, my 2017 is the same as sha's 2007. All those displays and readouts are essentially the same, unchanged. If thats your primary desire in a car, its the wrong car. Don't get uppity about it, clearly the OP got what I was saying based on his response.

There's expecting more, and going around and demanding like you just shelled out $120k on a loaded S550 .

It all comes down to the fact that the LS is a car that has been around largely the same for a long time, an unusually long time. My Chrysler Pacifica Minivan has more tech and better tech because it was an all new model for 2017, the LS460 came out in 2006 as a 2007 model. The LS460 has no HUD availability for instance, no standard dynamic cruise control, techwise its really from another era. Remember too that the all new totally redone LS500 comes out any day now, the tech in that car will be a lot better and more advanced. Same with the BMW and the S Class. If you drive both of those cars and then drive your LS, it absolutely is a competitor and still holds its own, but technology is an area where they will totally blow it out of the water. Reliability, dependability and overall product quality the LS will blow them out of the water. Its all about priorities.

Clearly my priorities align with the LS's attributes as I chose it over those other cars again new (including over the all new model about to replace it).

Shad034

I'm with you there. I had a loaded 2011 550i that I got rid of to buy the Lexus. It wasn't that it had more problems per se than other cars, its just that EVERYTHING is crazy expensive to fix. I bought the 2013 because while I can afford to do so, I don't buy new cars as a rule. Opinions vary on that thought process, I know, so please lets not diverge this one into that argument. I expected the 2013 to be at least on parity with the technology of my 2012 chrysler minivan and my 2011 BMW, but I'm finding things that it cannot do that kinda disappoint me. (Why the heck can't I change the radio via voice??).

However, there are a lot of advantages the LS brings to the table. Price is definitely one of them. Pound for pound, its less expensive than its competitors and you get MOST of the things that matter. It is, however, lacking in the technology area. All in all, I regret nothing about the swap. The LS is nearly there in the luxuries, but more importantly its always there in my driveway. I can't say that about its predecessor.

SW17LS

Yeah The greatest thing about the Lexus IMHO is that anybody can work on it. Gas stations, no joke it’s a Toyota.

213374U

I'm right there with you, but this is a good problem to have when you own one. Bad problem if, for any reason, you have to go without one for a while. I'm missing mine terribly.

sha4000

iTrader: (1)

I agree totally, before I bought the car I looked at all the features and decided it was enough tech for me. I drove the 400 for so long and NEVER wanted to give it up as long as it was still running so I have more tech no than I've ever had. I hardly use most of it though, the driving experience is what's most important to me and I just love the LS ride. Sure I wanted BSM and intelligent high beams but at the end of the day I made the financially responsible decision to go with the 2007 and I'm glad I did. Also, I remember renting a Subaru a couple of years ago and it displayed my texts on the screen which I thought was cool. I almost bought the wife one but came to my senses and got the GS.