obesa50 Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 Rotten egg smell enters passenger compartment when AC is on recirculate. Dealer says this is normal and we must use unsulphered gasoline. My whole point is exhaust gasses are entering the vehicle......dealer doesn't seem concerned and showed me another service order on a GX with same problem. Anyone else?
SKperformance Posted August 4, 2003 Posted August 4, 2003 doesn't sound right usually it is afungus mildew growth in the a/c system just weird as it is on recircualtion mode
montreal Posted August 7, 2003 Posted August 7, 2003 I experienced this problem, dealer replaced the A/C vent filter. Seemed to have helped but I did detect a slight occurance since.
geewiss Posted August 10, 2003 Posted August 10, 2003 I have noticed this smell about 5 times so far. I have had my GX for about 2 months now. Mine happened on recirculate and regular. What should I do?
Casey Posted November 24, 2003 Posted November 24, 2003 Were you able to get the smell problem resolved? Having same problem and no luck so far getting it fixed. Appreciate any ideas.
sterlin007 Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 I have the smell and it is horrible. The last time we drove to a football game my son got out of the back and almost threw up. It happens everytime I go up or down a hill. The dealer and saleman have both lied by acting surprised that they had never heard of this before (when I first brought it in). Now they say they know about the problem but won't do anything. Not sure what my next step will be, any ideas out there?
sterlin007 Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 This problem has no problem with the AC filter (mine was changed) or, according to Lexus the AC converter valves, or the calalictic (sp?) convertor. They told me the smell is because I buy gas from Mobil or Shell. I'm sure my next door neighbor who is a VP at Mobil will be happy to hear that. My kids can NOT ride in the back of the GX for more than 20 minutes. We go to Redskin games...guess how long it takes us.
sterlin007 Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 This problem is no problem with the AC filter (mine was changed) or, according to Lexus the AC converter valves, or the calalictic (sp?) convertor. They told me the smell is because I buy gas from Mobil or Shell. I'm sure my next door neighbor who is a VP at Mobil will be happy to hear that. My kids can NOT ride in the back of the GX for more than 20 minutes. We go to Redskin games...guess how long it takes us.
monarch Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 . California vehicles do not have smelly sulfur exhausts because our gasoline is practically sulfur free. (but we also pay 30 - 50 cents more for gallon for it). The AC recirculation setting on any make of car will never totally block out all outside air, just most of it.
steviej Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 alldata.com lists this TSB. EG001-03 FEB 03 Exhaust System - Sulfur Smell I suggest you ask your dealship the specifics related to this TSB. If alldata knows about it, Lexus definately knows about it. steviej
JPI Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 Lexus trying to cover up and blame it on the gas. There is nothing you can do to fix this problem. I've try to replace Cat. Converter and the smell still there. JPI
steviej Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 I was starting to think this cause when I started to look up other Toyota and Lexus vehicles, they all have this TSB. Must be one of those "across the board engineering design flaws". Ouch. steviej
Kelli Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 But, when you think about it, why does it not happen to everyone with a GX??? I talked to someone in my city, so same gas, and she does not have that problem. And then I talk to others here with GX's that do. So..... I would think we have a case if some do and some don't. If some don't, then give me a different GX that doesn't. Why are there GX's in the same city that don't smell!? I will keep taking my vehicle back in until they make mine like the other GX's that don't smell.
almal73 Posted February 5, 2004 Posted February 5, 2004 It is trully unbelievable that Lexus dealers around the country are lying to us about something which obviously a flaw in there design. I too asked my service advisor about the smell coming from the A/C and first he told me that it was the sulfer content in the gas I was using. I have used only premium gas from Amoco, Exxon, Texaco, Chevron, Shell and Citgo. Unless there is another gas retailer I have not heard about, it is not the gas. A/C filters have nothing to do with it either. I just had mine changed eventhough the mechanic said it was still in new condition and still smells like bad eggs. Point is, we all (GX 470 owners) have to continue to complain on every level. Complain to your dealer and service advisors. Complain to your states division of motor vehicles. Also, contact Lexus customer service and let them know about the problem and how they need to address it. That's all we can do right now.
monarch Posted February 5, 2004 Posted February 5, 2004 It is trully unbelievable that Lexus dealers around the country are lying to us about something which obviously a flaw in there design. Lexus is not lying and there is no design flaw. Practically every 2002 - 2004 on up Toyota and Honda exhibits the hydrogen sulfide smell if the owner is using gasoline with a high sulfur content. Sometime around 2006 (plus or minus one year) low sulfur gasoline will phased in nationwide and the odor problem will disappear. Also, the hydrogen sulfide smell is worse in cold weather. In the spring of 2003 the sulfur odor complaints deminished with the arrival of warmer weather.
SW03ES Posted February 6, 2004 Posted February 6, 2004 Unfortunately theres nothing you can do about it except try using different brands of gas. The smell will be worse in the winter as for some reason sulfer content in the gas is worse in the winter. It has something to do with the way the system is designed, and apparently its a problem on other manufacturer's cars as well. Don't yell at your dealers, there isn't anything they can do. BUT I HAVE THE ANSWER! I was sitting at a red light downtown, smelling the sulfer as I do every other day or so since December and I saw an ad for BP gas, "LOW SULFER CONTENT!" I figured what the hell and gave it a try. Now I'm on my second tank and the sulfer smell is 100% gone. So, try BP gas and see if it works for you, seems to be working for me!
sterlin007 Posted February 9, 2004 Posted February 9, 2004 This problem is a serious problem, it is not just unpleasant...it is unbearable.
VMF Posted February 10, 2004 Posted February 10, 2004 it is a catalitic converter, one of the guys in the LS forum had this problem with his 2 year old LS but lexus refused to change it under warranty stating that it cannot fail. sometimes it is really frustrating to deal with lexus on those issues. i have seen topics about this issue in different forums and it looks like most of the lexus models have this problem once in a while.
SW03ES Posted February 13, 2004 Posted February 13, 2004 Its actually not the catalytic converter, our own resident Lexus tech has tried swapping it and the smell remains. It really is the sulfer content of the gas. I now exclusively use BP's self proclaimed "low sulfer" gas and the smell is completely gone. I found its the worst with Exxon/Mobil, Shell and Chevron are better, but its totally gone with BP.
Casey Posted February 13, 2004 Posted February 13, 2004 Unfortunately, Lexus is just not going to address this sulfur smell issue. I have tried for months and they simply blame the gasoline and refuse to do anything. Funny the same gasoline doesn't produce this smell in my other cars or in previous LX. Suggest everyone file complaint with NHTSA and continue to make noise. Also, I hope all of you vote with your feet and never buy another Lexus. They have made great cars, but have now become arrogant like the big three was in the eighties. I believe they designed an exhaust system for California's low-sulfur gas and it is not capable of handling the gas that everyone else is getting around the country. They goofed, they don't have a fix and they are going to stonewall it and hope it will go away. Also, be aware that this forum topic will probably disappear soon. There was a similar forum running last year and they had a mysterious system crash and all the records for just that forum were lost. How convenient.
SW03ES Posted February 15, 2004 Posted February 15, 2004 Or you could just try what those of us that have solved the problem did, switch to low sulfer gasses like BP or Sunoco. I did and in one tank the smell was gone. And as for our forum crash, that was a mishap at the fault of our ISP. This site is in no way shape or form related to the Toyota Motor Company or to Lexus. If anyone who works for Lexus reads this site they don't post, and they certainly aren't in a position where they could delete any of our information. Trust me, we'd love sponsorship from Lexus, the site's admins would stop having to pay out of pocket for the site's bills. Thousands of members and thousands of posts were lost, including 4 months of hard work designing and building the site by its administration. Why would we delete all that hard work for a few posts in the GX forum about a sulfer smell? What sense does that make? I think you need to take a reality check before you make the accusation again that this site is part of some conspiracy to make you smell sulfer Or you can talk with your feet and go post somewhere else...
Casey Posted March 1, 2004 Posted March 1, 2004 Recently got a call from Lexus HQ customer service where they, for first time, acknowledged they had a problem and said engineering had been directed to investigate for a possible fix. Whether this really leads to a retofit solution remains to be seen, but at least our complaints are getting through and they aren't simply stonewalling. Keep up the pressure and be sure to give really negative feedback when they call for one of their customer satisfaction surveys. Have tried using BP gas and here (in Michigan) it didn't help. I believe there are regional differences in gasoline, however, so perhaps it helps elsewhere and perhaps BP will market the low - sulfer gas here later.
SW03ES Posted March 3, 2004 Posted March 3, 2004 It also has to do with season. In winter they oxygenate the gas differently and it creates more excess sulfer. As summer approaches it wont be a big deal, the smell will go away. Do you have Sunoco? Sunoco is supposed to be a low sulfer gas also...
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